Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia

Law and harmony are bedfellows in the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, a strict, rule-oriented plane where everything has a purpose. Its rules and restrictions are enacted to enforce a vision of true harmony for the greater good of society itself, and the kingdoms that make up the plane all adhere to that philosophy. Of course, what one kingdom sees as a move towards harmony may strike a note of discord with a neighbor.

Comparisons to the Infernal Battlefield of Acheron are not out of place, and the two planes both operate fundamentally on rules and laws with a military bent. But where Acheron is strife personified with individual armies clashing in a never-ending tumult of steel-on-steel, Arcadia has well-defined laws, boundaries, and edicts that keep the peace between the kingdoms. This is largely due to the Lex, a group of powerful judges and arbiters that debate and transcribe the various laws of Arcadia. As befitting an organization of its size and scope, the Lex is a rigid hierarchy of bureaucracy.

Law-abiding citizens can do well in Arcadia, and everyone has their place within the plane, their kingdom, and their community. The borders between the Peaceable Kingdoms are well-marked and maintained, and each enjoys its own political structure. Most follow the edicts of a king, queen, or similar monarch, but democracies, plutocracies, magocracies, and more are represented among the myriad individual states. All are represented in the Lex, and each maintains a magical copy of the Lexinomicon, the book of all Arcadian laws.

Much of this planar bureaucracy occurs on Arcadia's first layer, Abellio, where everything is arranged according to a pattern and a plan. Mountains, grasslands, forests, lakes, fields, and more all stretch out in perfectly ordered rows, squares, and other configurations. The Peaceable Kingdoms occupy much of the infinite landscape, with well-maintained stone roads connecting everything together in a great grid. Neutral and unclaimed regions are carefully marked and monitored. All of this occurs beneath a brilliant sphere in the sky called the Orb of Day and Night. During the 12-hour day, the orb is luminous and white, while during the 12-hour night it turns abruptly to dark. There is no twilight or dawn, only day and night.

Arcadia's second layer, Buxelos, is very similar to the first in geography and layout, with perfectly ordered orchards, forests, fields, prairies, and the like. It is less populated than Abellio, however, and the kingdoms that dot the layer are more heavily invested in their militaries than the first layer. It is here where Arcadia leans more towards law than good, with the Court Castles of Lex dominating great swaths of territory.

One of the more curious inhabitants of Arcadia are the formians. Diligent and ant-like, the formians have several massive city-hives scattered above and below the plane. They all pay homage to Queen Mother Clarity, who rules from the city-hive of Mandible. The Formians have been granted provisional citizen status on Arcadia by the Lex while their application for full kingdom status moves through the courts, which it has for centuries.

Breaking one of the many laws of Arcadia can have dire consequences, especially since the passing of Great Law Article #3929, stating that ignorance of Arcadian law does not provide exemption from Arcadian law, a hotly debated law article initiated when a clever wizard claimed she could not break a law she did not know about. Einheriar are sworn to uphold the laws of their kingdoms and that of the Lex, while judgewraiths move about secretly to further enforce certain planar laws.

Lay of the Land

Arcadia is comprised of two layers, Abellio and Buxelos. Ancient Arcadian legends tell of a third layer whose name has been lost to time, a place that fell ideologically into the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus in the very distant past. Most scholars don't give this story much credence beyond an allegory around the dangers of valuing order and structure over the common good of the people.

Abellio

Stretching out infinitely from a single solitary mountain peak, Abellio is a layer of perfectly ordered wilderness alongside well-maintained groves and fields. Rivers and streams create natural gridlines across the layer, and between these grids exist the bulk of the Peaceable Kingdoms. Each kingdom is unique in some way, though each adheres to the rule of law established by the Lex.

Mountains with ordered valleys dot the landscape, but they all fall short of Abellio’s two dominant peaks. The first and tallest is Mount Today, which sits at Abellio's center. Resting atop Mount Today is the Orb of Day and Night, a massive sphere that regulates day and night across Arcadia. Half of the orb radiates soft white light, while the other half sheds darkness. Which means that half of Arcadia is bathed in day while the other half at night.

Just below the height of Mount Day is Mount Clangeddin, home of the dwarf god Clangeddin Silverbeard. It forms the heart of dwarven life on Arcadia and stands as one of the strongest kingdoms across the plane, known as the Kingdom of Silverbeard. The sound of ringing steel, pounding hammers, dwarven chants, and more can be heard for miles around the solitary mountain peak. The kingdom extends far below ground as well.

Weather on Abellio is controlled by four powerful entities called the Storm Kings. They dwell in magnificent citadels at each of the compass points around the Orb of Day and Night. They meet regularly to manage Arcadian weather according to their own rules and laws.

Buxelos

Arcadia’s second layer looks very similar to its first, though it is less populated. No massive mountain marks its center, though it is affected by the Orb of Day and Night, along with the laws of the Storm Kings, the same as Abellio. Military might is greatly prized across Buxelos, and many of its fields are filled with the disciplined march of warriors and knights.

The Lex holds the largest single territory of any kingdom across Arcadia on Buxelos. The sprawling complex of court castles stretches for hundreds upon hundreds of miles, each imposing grey castle connected to its neighbor via a long covered bridge that more resembles a tunnel. It is said that one can walk from one end of Lex to the other without letting the Orb of Day and Night’s light touch your face.

Much of this endless layer is uninhabited, though even the wilderness is well-organized and follows a strict grid pattern. Numerous dangerous creatures stalk these regions, including gore worms and brekekexes, though not all are threatening. The silver foxes known as cadmal protect the harmony of nature but have been known to offer aid to strangers who become lost or disoriented.

The insectoid formians have several sprawling hives on Buxelos, including the expansive hive-city of Mandible. There, Queen Mother Clarity oversees all Formian activity on Arcadia. She has numerous consorts at her beck and call, and the fighting force within Mandible rivals that of any Peaceable Kingdom. Thus far, the ant-like creatures are content with integrating into Arcadian life with as little disruption as possible, and they honor the decrees of the Lex to the letter.

The Lex keep a number of small outposts in the wilderness of Buxelos known as Spires of New Harmony. Exactly what transpires in these relatively hidden sites isn't precisely known, but rumors say the Lex are experimenting with ways to indoctrinate non-lawful creatures through unsavory means.

Cycle of Time

Arcadia runs on a 24-hour day similar to the Material Plane. Its day and night is divided evenly, 12 hours each, with no dusk or dawn period during the transition. The Orb of Day and Night that hangs above Mount Today on Abellio, which can be seen in the skies above Buxelos as well, turns abruptly every 12 hours. This means that half of the plane rests in a spectral darkness while the other basks beneath pale white sunlight.

Getting There

Permanent portals to Arcadia from elsewhere in the multiverse are well documented by the Lex and watched over diligently by the controlling kingdom. Usually, these portals take the form of arched trellises constructed of intertwining white ivory and black steel, but other designs are not uncommon as long as they are balanced between two opposite colors or forms.

Spontaneous vortices and gates are nearly unheard of given the plane’s propensity for harmony and structure. Some gates only open under certain time constraints, but these are always well documented by the Lex. Of course, in a bureaucracy as sprawling as the Lex it is not inconceivable for such documentation to become lost or forgotten amidst all the paperwork.

Traveling Around

Well-maintained roads crisscross Arcadia’s terrain, making travel relatively easy between the kingdoms and across the landscape. The ordered structure of the plane makes maps easy to understand and follow, and most kingdoms have a shop representing the Order of Illustrated Landscape and Structure Design and Layout (cartographers). The roads are well-patrolled by the Einheriar of the Perfect Order as well.

Moving between Abellio and Buxelos requires passing through one of the large standing stone gates that dot the terrain. They are rare, and the kingdoms that host them usually maintain a strong presence on both layers in order to protect their interests across the plane. A toll is usually required to be paid in order for a foreign traveler to access the gate. Alternately, high above the clouds, the Storm Kings maintain massive circular stone gates that float magically in the air, allowing them easy access to the two layers. They are not guarded, but strong storms swirl around them at all times, making them a dangerous option.

Powerful & Mighty

No single entity or power holds greater sway over all Arcadia than the Lex, the sprawling behemoth-like organization that debates, transcribes, and enforces the laws that keep the harmonious axis of the plane spinning. Nonetheless, other powerful groups exist, some of which may be friends or foes to a band of adventurers from across the planes.

Burmussoith the Bold

Long ago, in some distant Material Plane, the bronze dragon Burmussoith hatched. He had several hatch mates, and together, they lived in a hidden lair along a well-traveled coastline with their parents. Before Burmussoith was old enough to contribute, a magical call was sent out among dragonkind, and the family of bronze dragons answered, flying to a great campaign against a tyrannical foe. Unfortunately, the forces were overwhelming, the bronze dragons were defeated, and Burmussoith was captured and imprisoned.

The bronze dragon grew up in the tight confines of a lightless prison under the watchful eye of an order of dark knights. Burmussoith flexed his mind as much as he could, learning through eavesdropping everything about the iron fist of his captors, though the magic of his prison kept him firmly in place. Eventually, when Burmussoith had become an adult, the dark knights and their code of tyranny collapsed from an outside force, and the bronze dragon was freed. He aided the new force greatly as he shared his considerable knowledge about the inner workings of the black-hearted order.

Freed, Burmussoith helped clean up the rest of the evil forces, and then turned his considerable prowess to learning about how laws could be used to help or hinder societies. He traveled the length and breadth of his Material Plane world, gaining much knowledge, but he knew he had to go further. The bronze dragon, now a venerable wyrm of considerable power, took to the planes, and he found Arcadia to be a bastion for his research. Burmussoith took up a residence at the Court Castles of Lex and has an entire castle to his self now.

The bronze dragon enjoys the litigation process of the Lex and often finds himself aiding strangers who get caught up in the byzantine system of laws, crimes, and punishments.

Clangeddin Silverbeard

Many dwarves consider their deities within a trinity framework. At the pinnacle is Moradin, god of creation, but supporting him are Dumathoin, the keeper of secrets, and Clangeddin Silverbeard, the patron of warfare. No one point of the trinity is strong enough on its own to survive without the other two, but all are made better by their connection. Beneath Mount Clangeddin on Abellio, Arcadia's upper layer, Clangeddin keeps a dwarven army ready for nearly any battle across the multiverse.

The dwarven god of battle runs a complex organization in the miles and miles of tunnels beneath the mountain. He moves about constantly, inspecting troops, leading formations, and running combat drills, while maintaining information lines into the workings of the many foes the dwarves face. Chief among these are the duergar who have infested several underground realms in Arcadia. Clangeddin sees it as his personal duty to defeat the dark dwarves and drive them from the plane, but they have somehow found a way in from Acheron and other realms.

Lex

The embodiment of Arcadia's lawful nature is found wholly in the Lex. This sprawling bureaucratic organization is divided into countless orders, each with long and complex titles denoting their fields of authority. The main function of the Lex is to debate, write, and enforce the laws of Arcadia that keep harmony in balance and the peace between the kingdoms. These laws are transcribed into a massive magical tome called the Lexinomicon. The original is kept in the Court Castles on Buxelos in a well-fortified keep in the center of one of the better defended castles, but it is magically linked to each copy that is kept in the individual kingdoms.

The Lex is made up of countless members, each called a servant. Joining the Lex is a long and involved process involving hearing committees, approval committees, and more, but those who join its ranks become immortal. Elves, humans, dwarves, and more are counted among the immortal servants of the Lex, along with stranger and more powerful creatures, including angels, modrons, and dragons.

Immortal servants dress in black robes with white undershirts. Their designated order is marked on the sleeves of the robe in intricate symbols. The pinnacle of responsibility within the Lex is the Order of Peaceable Laws, where the immortal servants debate and decide upon the presentations that could eventually become laws. There are 100 members of the Order of Peaceable Laws, and passing a law requires a two-thirds majority.

Most outsiders find dealing with the Lex an exercise in utter frustration. Every action and request requires documentation in the form of special scrolls that must be signed by authorized individuals before they can be processed by the Order of Scroll Reviewal. From there, they move into one of many different orders based on the request, eventually ending up in the Order of Scroll Archiving and Storage. Even seemingly simple requests to the powerful organization can take days, weeks, or even months to finally get processed.

Perfect Order

The Perfect Order is the military arm of the Lex. Its members are Einheriar, warriors in service to law and justice across Arcadia, but they do not enjoy the immortal benefits of being a Lex servant. Instead, they are equipped and trained to enforce the laws passed by the Lex, and are usually assigned to permanent duty at one of the many kingdoms across Abellio and Buxelos. In this regard, they function as that kingdom's law enforcement force, though they are usually supplemented with other military commands for the defense and good of the kingdom.

For such a vast peacekeeping force, the Perfect Order is surprisingly cellular. The units of Einheriar stationed at each kingdom are autonomous from the larger organization, as each is imbued with perfect knowledge of the Lexinomicon and its many, many laws. This connection is maintained by powerful forces within the Lex itself.

Two divisions of Perfect Order Einheriar exist. The first are the guards, and these are the common soldiers and warriors stationed across Arcadia. They are skilled combatants and loyal soldiers, able to sense the breaking of a law within a certain range in order to locate criminals and bring them to justice. The second division is the investigators, who are housed centrally at the Court Castles of Lex. Teams of Einheriar investigators are assigned territories across Arcadia, and it is their duty to track down those who break the High Laws.

Queen Mother Clarity

Queen Mother Clarity dwells in the massive hive-city of Mandible on Buxelos, constructed in a vast network of tunnels beneath a large mound of solidified earth and dirt that stands like a mountain on the planar landscape. Queen Mother Clarity has three daughters who represent the formians in matters of state and importance, as she herself has gotten too big to move outside of her brood chamber. Soon, her time will end, and one of her daughters will become Queen Mother Clarity XII. The three princesses have different views of how to run the formian forces on Arcadia. It's a volatile situation that is likely to erupt in the coming years into civil war unless drastic measures are taken.

For her part, Queen Mother Clarity XI is pushing on the Lex to finalize their membership into the Peaceable Kingdoms once and for all. It's a process that's been taking a very long time, held up in debates among the orders and sub-committees, but the Queen Mother hopes that its final decision will cement the formians into Arcadia and prevent a civil war when she passes. Two of her daughters lean heavily towards withdrawing from the plane entirely – one of them violently so.

Storm Kings

High above the perfectly ordered orchards, forests, hills, and rolling plains of Abellio hang four floating stone structures. These are the bases of the Storm Kings, four immortal beings together with complete command over the weather of Arcadia. Their homes are the Compass Citadels, each positioned thousands of miles away from the Orb of Day and Night in one of the compass points.

The four individually are the Cloud King, the Wind Queen, the Lightning King, and the Rain Queen, and each of their Compass Citadels is surrounded by powerful and damaging forces controlled by each individual. They meet on a regular basis at one of their citadels, rotating among them each time, to discuss the weather patterns and plan for the coming period. These meetings occur every 360 days, also referred to as a storm year.

Creatures & Denizens

Arcadia is home to numerous creatures that are also found on most Material Plane worlds. Sheep, wolves, cows, and other common creatures can be encountered in the vast expanses, along with humanoids and angels of all types. A few unique creatures also call the plane their home, including the displaced formians and others.

Beasts

The brekekex is one of the most dangerous beasts, and they dwell in swamps and other marshy terrain. These black-and-white toads have a distinctive booming croak that echoes for miles, and they defend their territories with animalistic ferocity. Cadmals are a curious creature that watch and wait the kingdoms of Arcadia from a safe distance. They can change their shape and are surprisingly difficult to catch.

Celestials

Celestial beings are no strangers to Arcadia. Many of the kingdoms of the plane have a celestial patron watching over them, such as a solar or deva, and the archons of Mount Celestia maintain a large presence on Arcadia as well. The Lex works hand-in-hand with celestials of justice, mercy, and compassion in order to carry out the laws of the plane. Felidar are celestial cats devoted to the idea of law and order that live in the Court Castles of the Lex, bonding with individual magistrates and judges and serving as close advisors in matters regarding High Laws.

Humanoids

Arcadia remains one of the more populated planes of existence. The Peaceable Kingdoms that make up the bulk of its landscape are filled with all manner of humanoids. Many have come to Arcadia to establish permanent and peaceful realms. Skirmishes between rival neighbors over resources and ideologies have been known to occur, but the iron hand of the Lex and their legion of einheriar enforcers keep the peace, by force if necessary.

Dwarves

The rigid order and community support of Arcadia is a natural fit for dwarves. Many of the kingdoms that make up the plane have dwarven citizens, and more than a few are governed exclusively by dwarves. The largest dwarven community, however, is around and within the mighty Mount Clangeddin. Here, industrious dwarven crafters work tirelessly to create weapons, armor, jewelry, and art of the highest skill. Clangeddin Silverbeard himself watches over the realm, though he often travels to Mount Celestia on divine duty to visit with the other gods of the dwarven pantheon.

Formians

Formians are ant-like creatures originally from Mechanus, the plane of ultimate law, but they've expanded into Arcadia aggressively. They are not evil, but they are expansionists who believe that all territory is there for the taking by those with the strength and will to take it. Mandible is the largest hive colony on Arcadia, and Queen Mother Clarity has done a fantastic job working with the other inhabitants of Arcadia to make sure the formians are not seen as a threat. Nonetheless, the aggressive posturing and secretive nature of the ant-like creatures has caused many to worry. The Lex is largely powerless as Queen Mother Clarity has jumped through all legal loopholes to ensure her presence and actions are legal.

Sites & Treasures

Arcadia is a well-populated plane with varied and distinct realms of a law-abiding nature, but that doesn’t mean secrets and treasures don’t lay between the cracks. Whether characters are searching through the vast Scroll Crypts, perusing the Lexinomicon, or trying to find the mythical Stormvault, Arcadia has plenty of adventure opportunities to offer.

Enlightened Orchard

The flawless metal trees that dot the landscape of Arcadia are rare, and while there is a pattern to their appearance and growth it is complex and poorly understood by most. The most reliable place to find the metal trees and their magical, flawless fruit is the Enlightened Orchard. Guarded by four gynosphinxes of incredible age and power, the orchard is hidden from casual view on Abellio, the first layer of Arcadia, in an otherwise unassuming patch of land not claimed by any Peaceable Kingdom.

Those who wish to partake in the fruits of the orchard must pass five tests. The first test is finding and accessing the Enlightened Orchard, a riddle few have been able to solve. Then, each of the gynosphinxes that guard the site offers a distinct test. Failure expels the applicant from the orchard for a period of four years. It is widely known that those who pass the tests have their memories selectively cleared of the experience by the magic of the gynosphinxes, so few clues exist to aid travelers. Applicants must rely on their wits and knowledge to access the orchard.

Lexinomicon

It cannot be overstated how many laws adjudicate life and society in Arcadia. Most of those laws were passed with good intention, though a few come close to absurdity, and some are so ancient that their original reasonings have been lost to the dusty archives of the Scroll Crypts. Every single law of Arcadia, from the simplest to the most ridiculous, are transcribed in a massive tome called the Lexinomicon, housed within the Court Castles of the Lex on Buxelos. The sheer number of laws and the number of people needing to reference them make a single copy worthless, so a magical copy exists within every Peaceable Kingdom that is updated automatically and immediately when the original is marked.

The book itself is massive. A single page is 10 feet wide and 8 feet tall, and when closed, the Lexinomicon sits 10 feet high. The pages are magical, as thin as paper but as strong and durable as steel. Perfectly neat and legible handwriting lays out each law in ordered, organized sections, but even for such a weighty tome, the sheer number of laws on Arcadia should fill multiple copies of the behemoth. Another magical aspect of the Lexinomicon holds an extradimensional space between the covers, allowing for a near-infinite number of pages to be kept inside. Each copy of the Lexinomicon is half the size of the original but otherwise holds the same properties.

The Order of Scribes Eternal are tasked with actually writing and adjusting the laws within the book. These immortal scribes speak rarely and work in shifts, maintaining the wording of all the laws and adjusting them based on the rulings of the courts of the Lex. A single representative of the Order of Scribes Eternal is assigned to each copy held by the Peaceable Kingdoms, who are responsible for relaying new laws and updated language to their respective rulers.

Mount Clangeddin

A blind traveler can find Mount Clangeddin with little problem, as the rhythmic pounding of hammer on anvil echoes for miles upon miles around the singular peak, the sound of industrious dwarves working on countless projects within the mountain's halls. Of course, Mount Clangeddin is even easier to find with sight as it towers above every other natural feature of Arcadia, with the exception of Mount Today. Its rocky surface is dotted with regular openings where dwarven sentries stand watch, but no easy trail avails those that would scale its exterior – the jagged rocks are aligned specially to prevent such ventures.

Inside and below Mount Clangeddin, thousands upon thousands of dwarves work under the auspices of the god, Clangeddin Silverbeard. The famous dwarf deity resides somewhere in the mountain, though he is not one for religious rites, preferring instead to constantly move about the halls, inspecting soldiers and the results of numerous dwarven crafters. The dwarves in Mount Clangeddin live a rigid, militaristic life, with a definite hierarchy and chain of command running through every facet of life. Defense of the mountain is paramount, and numerous spontaneous portals have appeared in the tunnels below ground where duergar, derro, and other evil invaders seek to plunder the riches of the fabulous dwarf kingdom.

The riches contained within Mount Clangeddin are fabled and many. Great weapons and armor of dwarven make adorn the vaults and halls of legend, though rarely do they remain in place for long. Clangeddin and his clergy believe that a weapon that sits idle is a weapon misused, so worthy contenders constantly strive to prove their value before the vault keepers in hopes of having one of the mighty items bestowed upon them.

Dwarves make up the bulk of the residents of Mount Clangeddin, and dwarven members of the Perfect Order protect it and the surrounding territory from incursions and evil, but occasionally a non-resident impresses the keepers enough to find a place among their ranks. Known as beardfellows, these outsiders have been welcomed in Clangeddin’s halls and are recognized by most dwarves as honorable friends who have performed great service. Even dwarves can be titled beardfellows and they are regarded higher still by the people under the mountain.

Orb of Day and Night

Nothing more encapsulates the perfect order of Arcadia than the Orb of Day and Night. Every 12 hours, the orb shifts, bathing one half of the plane in sunny daylight and the other in moonlit night. It turns, without fail, a symbol of Arcadia’s harmony. No twilight or dusk shines upon the land, and a definite line divides the night and day sides of the plane. The Orb of Day and Night rests atop Mount Today on Abellio, but through some magical force, it can be seen just as clearly on Buxelos as well.

Several planar sages have tried to study the orb, but thus far, all attempts to reach the summit of Mount Today have met with failure. The weather turns violent the closer one approaches the peak, and when coupled with the intense effects of the orb itself, the day side radiates fierce and blistering heat, with the night side sending a numbing chill. Approaching the top has simply proved too dangerous. A little-known prophecy written by a blind diviner says that one day the Orb of Day and Night will fail, and when that happens, order will become chaos, and harmony will crumble. Those who have heard of this prophecy scoff at its words. How could such an event occur?

Scroll Crypts

The Lex generates enough scrollwork to stuff any library on the Material Plane full to bursting, and then some. All of this paperwork has to go somewhere, and below the Court Castles on Buxelos, the Lex has come up with the answer. The Scroll Crypts are underground dungeon chambers filled with vault upon vault, each overflowing with scrolls of all kinds. Some are simple messages, some are notes on various laws, and some are magical texts that hold words of power. All must be stored and catalogued, and the Order of Scroll Archiving and Storage is responsible for this monumental task.

The scribes of the OSAS (as they are known) are accustomed to living underground, and they are the largest order of the Lex outside of the Perfect Order. The OSAS works closely with the Order of Scroll Retrieval, which takes in the requests for archived documents and passes them to the OSAS for fulfillment. In the Scroll Crypts, the scribes have little contact with anyone outside of members of the Order of Scroll Retrieval.

Some members of the Lex believe the OSAS has lost more scrolls than they know about, but the OSAS vehemently denies any such accusations. Unfortunately, the truth is that sometimes, scrolls do become lost – but usually under mysterious and directed circumstances.