The Plane of Fire

The Inner Planes are comprised of the universal building blocks of existence - earth, air, water, and fire. There is so much more to these planes of existence than just their dominant trait, and each holds a wealth of treasure, danger, and excitement just waiting to be discovered. And, for the unwary, death, which the Plane of Fire carries in abundance.

But it’s not all danger. For travelers who can find their way to this place great treasures and mysteries abound. The fabled City of Brass, home to the greedy efreet, offers shelter within its bazaars and marketplaces from the constant dangers of the land. However, foolish travelers are just as likely to end up with a knife in their back from some scheming merchant in the city’s streets as they are to burn to death in the scorching heat of the wilderness.

Elemental monsters live and die in the scorched wilderness of the Plane of Fire, the most common of which are the elementals themselves. These living columns of flame are simple animals of the plane with low intelligence, though some of the larger ones do exhibit greater semblances of thought that propels them further towards sentient beings.

At the top of the elemental chain are the Elemental Lords of Fire. Massive, powerful, and ancient, there are only a handful of known lords but they each command legions and move with deliberate purpose and thought. Imix is the most well-known, largely for the cults that have spread across the multiverse worshipping the primal power of destruction, but the others are just as formidable.

Though ever present, the threats are still not enough to stop the curious and brave from seeking the Eye of Murzak, the Crimson Shield of the Ashen Palm, or plundering the storied depths of the Obsidian Tower, the Everburning Forest, or the Treasure Vaults of the Fire Giant God.

Lay of the Land

As the name suggests, the Plane of Fire is hot – very hot. The air is suffused with fire, so creatures and objects that are not protected against the extreme temperatures are going to suffer. The suffering is enough to require travelers to take precautions without burning them to a crisp upon arrival, usually magically imbued fire immunity.

The nature of the plane has created a realm where the landscape is dominated by several distinct geographic features.

Sea of Fire

The Sea of Fire is a molten ocean of burning lava. The fiery waves crash against rocky islands and eventually wear those down to lava as well, and as some waves crest high enough they cool quickly enough to form new islands. This pattern of cooling and melting is common, and wise travelers know not to rely on any given island of burnt rock for too long.

The efreeti have developed brass boats treated to withstand the heat of the Sea of Fire, and they use these to sail the burning waves in search of new islands to conquer. Multiple efreeti outposts stand on lonesome islands through the sea, standing watch over their expanding fiefdoms.

Massive fire whales swim through the burning ocean, but they also ride the air currents above the sea. These majestic creatures are a rare peaceful sight in the Plane of Fire, though they still pose a real danger due to their enormous size and sheer volume. A handful of efreeti legions have trained the fire whales as mounts to ride into battle.

Cinder Wastes

Beyond the Sea of Fire lays the bulk of the plane known as the Cinder Wastes. This vast plain of baked and arid dust is dangerous to traverse, with titanic cracks in the earth appearing at a moment’s notice to spew lava from the plane’s depths onto the surface. This effect is known as a lava geyser, as the result is often spectacular and dangerous for anyone nearby.

A fine black sand coves the length of the Cinder Wastes, scouring the blackened crust as great heat waves billow across the region. The sand piles up regularly, creating treacherous dunes of unknown depth, but they also are known to hide and reveal secrets at a moment’s notice.

Ancient efreeti citadels, lost azer strongholds, fire elemental birthing basins, and more lay hidden beneath the Cinder Wastes. The efreet of the City of Brass have established a route through the Cinder Wastes known as the Inferno Road. It links to the Fountains of Creation, where the Plane of Fire meets the Plane of Earth, along with countless smaller settlements. Constructed of nearly indestructible black basalt, the Inferno Road is the lifeblood of the efreeti's expanding reach across the Plane of Fire.

Fountains of Creation

The largest chain of volcanoes on the Plane of Fire is known as the Fountains of Creation, which is the realm's closest point to the Plane of Earth. The Azer are known to dwell here, working titanic forges in the hearts of the most violent volcanoes to create wondrous items sought after across the multiverse. Many red dragons are known to make their lairs among these volcanoes as well.

Ash is another problem, and in some areas, great billowing clouds – some as large as a city spread across the burnt landscape. Choking is a real danger for anyone caught in one of these ash clouds, and the sky is filled with slowly moving black masses of them. They can obscure light just like a regular cloud and can reduce visibility from hazy to nearly black.

Cycle of Time

The Plane of Fire has what passes as a sun in its sky, and it cycles around in a 24-hour cycle, similar to the Material Plane. At noon, the sun blazes a brilliant orange, and the heat becomes nearly unbearable, while at midnight, a spectral deep red twilight descends across the land.

Surviving

Nonmagical and unprotected paper of any sort catches fire immediately on the Plane of Fire. During the noon hour, the hottest of the day, nonmagical and unprotected metal, including armor and weapons, melt.

Getting There

Portals to the Plane of Fire can exist spontaneously in the hottest areas of the Material Plane, with volcanoes being the primary source. Characters wishing to transport themselves to this elemental realm must either possess the appropriate magic or find one of these open portals. Occasionally, a portal will spontaneously appear in the heart of a raging forest fire, though these instances are rare.

There are more stable portals that lead to the few civilized areas in the Plane of Fire. These are usually policed and guarded by the efreet as the portals are how powerful efreeti merchants and lords come to the Material Plane for treasures, trade, or slaves. These portals are nearly always marked with brass of some sort, including a brass knocker on a secret door, a brass arch over a gateway, or a brass lining around a window or door. Woe be to the uninvited traveler who accidentally stumbles upon one of these efreeti portals unprepared!

Traveling Around

Much of the Plane of Fire is hardened, black earth covered with a fine layer of ash, so creatures capable of walking are not impeded much by the land itself. Wheeled slave caravans driven by cruel efreeti masters travel from outpost to outpost, selling their “goods” to buyers willing to pay their high prices. Mountain ranges are tall and rife with volcanoes of all sizes, and in the valleys between the peaks, fierce salamanders – half-snake, half-humanoid intelligent denizens of the plane – have formed tribes.

Across the Cinder Wastes, the efreet built and maintain a long stretch of black basalt pavements known as the Inferno Road. This links up the outlying outposts of the City of Brass to the magnificent city, allowing caravans filled with raw material, slaves, and other gear to travel with relative ease back to the seat of efreeti power on the Plane of Fire.

One of the most dominant features of the plane is the Sea of Fire, which is not filled with water but molten magma. The temperatures of the plane are so extreme that the lava that fills this sea is as liquid as water, roiling and boiling, creating huge waves that crash down upon the islands that form the solid ground. Specially designed ships have been developed by travelers that can withstand the extreme heat of this sea – distilled essence of wood from the mythical Everburning Forest is required to make these boats float, which is a rare ingredient indeed. The efreeti sail the Sea of Fire on brass ships that are immune to the heat.

The air is ash and dust filled, so breathing is a problem for any creature wishing to take to the skies. Clouds of ash pose serious problems to everyone and can be created in the blink of an eye. Great fire rocs are known to hide in these ash clouds, waiting for the right moment to strike at easy prey.

Powerful & Mighty

Though much of the Plane of Fire is uninhabited or uncontrolled, a few powerful creatures hold sway over some parts of the realm. Crossing these monstrously powerful leaders, including gods of fire and their ilk, can have dire consequences for a band of adventurers.

However, though most of these powerful beings are evil, a few have more pragmatic views of their land, and some have keen interests in the Material Plane. A group of adventurers may find themselves unwittingly working for one or more of these entities as patrons, either inadvertently or as means to a greater good.

Amaimon, King of the Azer

Though he holds no true castle or home, Amaimon is regarded as the highest authority among the azers of the Plane of Fire and beyond. He is immeasurably old and, for an azer, quite immense, standing just shy of fire giant size. He holds a handful of castles in the Fountains of Creation as his own personal lands, but rarely can he be found there. Instead, he travels the length and breadth of the volcanic mountain chain, staying with azer lords for weeks at a time.

Amaimon is strong and wise and always counsels his azer lords fairly as long as they welcome him into their homes. He travels in a huge iron carriage drawn by an entourage of finned-back fire beasts, similar to oxen but much larger and much more powerful. He is attended by only a small number of azer, all of whom are his children by the forge. Amaimon is known to build a son or daughter once every ten years and send it out into the Plane of Fire for no less than fifty years, and he welcomes any that survive back into his traveling troupe.

To a non-azer, Amaimon can be confusing. He is unusually friendly in the company of other azer, boasting about great deeds and laughing about tall tales. He shows much more emotion than a typical azer, but when dealing with an outsider, he grows quiet and contemplative. His travels throughout the Plane of Fire and beyond have given him great insight, and he counts many wondrous treasures in his personal storehouse. The iron coach he travels in is said to be enchanted similar to a bag of holding, though he allows only his children inside.

In the presence of an efreeti, Amaimon shows his boisterous nature can turn into a raging cauldron of fury. He has never forgiven the efreet for trying to enslave the azer after the construction of the City of Brass, and he views the genies as squabbling, petty insects not fit for life.

Elemental Lords of Fire

The Elemental Lords of Fire dominate the Plane. These are near-deity level entities that possess great power, though their exact nature and history are mysterious. Some planar scholars say that they are simply the most advanced form of the native elementals, having survived longer than others of their kind and thus attained greater power and sentience. Other sages persist that these Elemental Lords are guardians of the plane's true nature and maintain stewardship over the fabric of fire and flame across the multiverse. The truth may even be unknown to the lords themselves.

There are at least four Elemental Lords of Fire – Imix, Luzzur, Zaraan, and Kra. These are the most active in the affairs of the plane, each with a large “kingdom” carved out for their own personal territory. Imix and Zaraan are the two most powerful, and each sees itself as the rightful ruler of Elemental Fire. Their castles are formidable structures of black and crimson where they hold court over hundreds of lesser creatures. They are each an embodiment of evil’s destructive nature and care very little for the lives of anyone but themselves.

Dealing with one of the Elemental Lords of Fire is a risky business, but few would argue that they are the most knowledgeable and oldest beings on the plane. They each have their own unique agendas for reaching their goals, so mortals should be very cautious when dealing with them.

Grand Sultan of the Efreet

In his Charcoal Palace within the bustling City of Brass, the lord and master of all efreet sits. His titles are long and include Grand Sultan of All the Efreet, Lord of Flame, the Potentate Incandescent, the Tempering and Eternal Flame of Truth, the Most Puissant of Hunters, Marshall of the Order of the Fiery Heart, the Smoldering Dictator, and the Crimson Firebrand. Currently, the efreeti Marrake al-Sidan al-Hariq ben Lazan stands as the Grand Sultan, though there are challengers among his court that would see him deposed.

The current Grand Sultan is a lover of gambling, especially on nightmare races. His stable of nightmares is a source of great pride, and he has gone to great lengths to procure the strongest, fastest, and most noble beasts to race in the great games. Under his rule, organized gaming in the City of Brass has dramatically increased, and rarely does the week go by without a fantastic nightmare race across the Obsidian Fields outside the city itself.

As far as the day to day ruling of the City of Brass, Grand Sultan Marrake leaves that to his viziers, opening him to treachery down the road. And some of those viziers have wildly different ideas for what's good for the City of Brass, creating opportunities within the Charcoal Palace for a group of enterprising adventurers.

Shahbanu Shadhaa

If ever there was a power to threaten the Grand Sultan of the Efreet himself, it was his most favored consort, Shadhaa. A powerful efreeti with mastery over deep elemental magic, Shadhaa rose to prominence hundreds of years ago and found favor in the court of the Charcoal Palace. There, she curried favor with the Grand Sultan, who almost fell prey to her cunning trap meant to replace the Grand Sultan with a new Grand Sultana, but the wily old Efreeti lord was able to escape. Mustering his most loyal guards, the Grand Sultan moved against Shadhaa and found that she had amassed quite a following of her own within the palace walls.

The resulting battle nearly split the City of Brass in two. Thousands of combatants fought in the streets, and who would come out on top was not obvious. Shadhaa had done a masterful job recruiting followers and planting seeds among both the nobles of the Charcoal Palace and the residents of the City of Brass, so she was ready to overthrow the Grand Sultan. However, the Grand Sultan still wielded immense power and influence, and after weeks of open combat, secret assassinations, and guerrilla strikes, Shadhaa and her loyal forces were finally driven out.

Shadhaa retreated to a distant island in the Sea of Fire while the Grand Sultan repaired the damage done by the open rebellion. She refers to herself as Shabanu Shadhaa now, a title denoting high rank in efreeti society, but the Grand Sultan has forbidden her name be uttered in the Charcoal Palace in his presence. For now, Shadhaa waits patiently and gathers her forces on Ember Island, awaiting the day to strike again – and this time, she intends not to miss.

Creatures & Denizens

The Plane of Fire is filled with life of all kinds. Most of it is dangerous, some just accidentally, so travelers are urged to exercise caution when dealing with any native creature of the Plane of Fire.

Elementals

The living extension of the plane's destructive power is the fire elementals. Numerous, wild, and generally ill-tempered, most fire elementals live in the Cinder Wastes, consuming everything they come across. This natural process creates a rich environment for new life to thrive, which in turn grows and becomes consumed in a never-ending cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

The Plane of Fire is filled with variants of Material Plane creatures that have adapted to life in the fiery landscape. These creatures have immunity to fire but otherwise share the same statistics as their Material Plane brethren; most are orange, crimson, or black. Fire whales swim through the Sea of Fire, and fire rocs soar through the skies. Fire flies buzz in great swarms across all the regions of the plane, and packs of fire hounds often serve efreeti masters as hunting dogs.

Azer

Hammered into existence under immense pressure and power, azers are flame-bearded creatures with metal skins and iron-hard outlooks. They are industrious powerhouses who build and maintain enormous forges in the mountains of the plane, and their incredible skill at forging powerful items has made them prime allies of the efreet. The azer are a cautious lot, but their passion lies in their work, not in the hand that wields it, so as long as they are rewarded, most azer are happy to work for efreet merchants. Some are captured and held as slaves, a shameful mark on any azer and one they work tirelessly to break.

Efreet

Massive, powerful, arrogant, and vain, efreet are the native genies of the Plane of Fire. Most are sadistic monsters who delight in torture of all kinds, but rarely do they exhibit rampant destructive tendencies. They are calculating monsters who carefully weigh choices and decisions to ensure their own needs come out on top in any transaction, but they often fall prey to their powerful emotions. Love, joy, anger, and sadness rage through an efreeti’s heart like a tornado of fire. Their greatest city is one of the fantastic metropolises of the planes, the City of Brass, built on an enormous brass disk hammered by azer slaves long ago. It sits on the shores of the Sea of Fire, and the Grand Sultan of the Efreet, in his Charcoal Palace, oversees scores of nobles in his court.

Salamanders

Few creatures embody the destructive tendency of fire better than salamanders. These large, snake-like elemental beings are obsessed with power and delight in their own fiery abilities, inflicting pain on lesser creatures out of sheer delight. Most serve the efreet as slaves in their outposts as soldiers and commanders, and they've developed their own societal structure that holds scheming nobles in the same vein as their genie masters. The salamanders hold a never-ending grudge against the azer, whom they blame solely for their enslavement.

Giants

Fire giants have a notable presence on the Plane of Fire. Their chief god, Surtur, once lived in the rocky mountains of the Furnaces before the forces of Imix, Elemental Lord of Fire, finally drove him out. Since then, many fire giant families have put down roots across the plane, from imposing castles on the sides of volcanoes in the Furnaces to grand palatial estates in the City of Brass itself. They are a noteworthy power in the Plane of Fire, generally loyal only to their immediate families and willing to sell out their services as mercenaries, soldiers, and pyromancers if the price is high enough.

A devout sect of fire giant clerics keep the flaming memory of Surtur’s power alive in the Cathedral of Blackfire, a secret temple in the mountains of the Furnaces. Here, powerful priests and priestesses search for the lost vault of Surtur while working to undermine the forces of Imix and the Grand Sultan of the Efreeti in their evil god’s name.

Humanoids

The cosmopolitan City of Brass sees thousands of travelers from across the multiverse and houses many more in its grand charcoal avenues and basalt buildings. According to ancient law, any creature can petition to become a citizen of the City of Brass if they are willing to undergo scrutiny by the efreeti lords. There are many who have chosen to settle here – or are forced to live on the streets, eking out a life of poverty in the shadow of grand palaces and lofty towers.

Dragonborn

Red and gold dragonborn are found in large, highly respected guilds in the City of Brass. They are well-regarded in the city as both mercenaries and sages, and many guilds feature a true dragon as their patron (secret or not). Dragonborn from the Plane of Fire usually wear revealing, loose-fitting clothing of wild and vibrant colorations, a style that has caught on in many circles in the City of Brass, and they favor elegant weapons for delicate cuts and slashes. A trademark of the Plane of Fire dragonborn are their unusually long head, neck, and facial tendrils, which are often elaborately decorated like braided hair.

Firenewt

Firenewts are a race of militant-minded lizard-like creatures with bright orange skin and foul tempers. Most worship Imix, one of the most evil and active of the Elemental Lords of Fire, and the firenewts have built their societies around zealous devotion to this cruel and capricious fiery prince. They are cruel soldiers and taskmasters, often building outposts across the multiverse to further the schemes of Imix, and fearsome warlocks often lead them.

Genasi

Fire genasi are the offspring of efreet and mortal humanoids, and most are viewed as unwanted bastards by their genie parents. Sizable communities of fire genasi exist in the City of Brass, and if they were ever to truly unite, they could become a reckonable force that the Grand Sultan would have to at least recognize. As it is, however, fire genasi often inherit the reckless emotions of their genie parentage, traits that keep them squabbling and fighting amongst themselves and everyone else rather than uniting. Some families of fire genasi travel the Cinder Wastes as merchants in fire-proof caravans, living lives of freedom on the open road, and many choose to take to the life of an adventurer out in the wild of the multiverse.

Hazards & Phenomena

Traveling on the Plane of Fire is a harrowing experience in and of itself. The realm is full of dangers that can cook unprepared visitors with barely a moment’s notice.

Ash Cloud

Great billowing black clouds of ash dot the ember-lit sky, and they can suddenly bear down on a location without a moment’s notice, threatening everyone in a large area.

Lava Geyser

This can be caused by an eruption from cracked ground or a sudden uprising in the ocean of fire, but in either situation, it can be deadly. A lava geyser can last up to an hour and reach heights of one hundred feet into the air. Rumors persist that some lava geysers reach hundreds of feet across and thousands of feet into the air, though thankfully, these are rare occurrences.

Inferno Wave

The great flaming sea hosts its own share of natural phenomena, and one of the most dangerous is an inferno wave. These rolling waves of lava can rise hundreds of feet in the air, cresting and falling with tremendous force and power onto unsuspecting vessels.

Hot Zone

Pockets of hotter than normal temperature frequently appear all across the Plane of Fire. These hot zones produce more heat and damage than the normal air and can spread across miles of terrain. They are often the harbingers of a future lava geyser, but occasionally, they can be the result of some titanic battle between native forces.

Rain of Fire

Ash clouds are not the only threat from the sky. Sometimes, the sky rains fiery debris onto the ground, the result of a particularly large lava geyser or other natural occurrence. This rain of fire hurls flaming boulders and rocks that can crush the strongest of opponents.

Blackout

Periods of deep black can stretch across the Plane of Fire, miles across, the result of the natural light dying out as would an ember in a fire pit. These blackouts normally do not last more than several hours, during which superstitious salamanders and other intelligent natives know to stay inside lest they risk the wrath of some unknown being. Legends say blackouts are caused by the elemental lords gathering power, sucking the energy out of the air.

Sites & Treasures

Why would non-natives visit the Plane of Fire? To plunder its treasures and secrets, of course! Countless millennia of inhabitants and civilizations have created many legends of lost magic to lure the greedy or foolish to an early grave.

Cathedral of Blackfire

Surtur, god of fire giants, was once a mighty power on the Plane of Fire. His palace was an enormous iron-wrought castle on an obsidian platform so large it spanned three mighty and active volcanoes. Thousands of fiercely loyal fire giants lived, worked, and died in this fabulous castle, but in the end, Surtur and his followers pushed too far for total planar dominance. They were ultimately defeated by Imix, Elemental Lord of Fire. The castle, called Blackfire, collapsed and was buried.

But Surtur’s memory lives on in the Cathedral of Blackfire. Hidden within the raging volcanoes of the Furnaces, the Cathedral of Blackfire is tended by the descendants of the fire giant gods’ most loyal servants. They stoke the embers of his memory and keep his dream of total domination over the Plane of Fire alive, though their own forces require less straightforward approaches to this goal. They work with networks of spies and informants in key positions, always watching Imix and the other Elemental Lords of Fire for weaknesses, and work to undermine their influence in subtle ways.

The priests of the Cathedral of Blackfire have no love for the efreet as well, for the Grand Sultan, at the time of Surtur’s downfall, made no effort to aid his one-time ally. Surtur’s worship is looked down upon in the City of Brass, though not strictly forbidden, so the clerics and pyromancers of the Cathedral of Blackfire have to keep a low profile while maintaining a foothold in this prominent position on the plane.

City of Brass

Perhaps the most hospitable location on the plane, the City of Brass is the greatest of the efreet outposts and one of the oldest cities in all the planes. It is home to the Grand Sultan in the Charcoal Palace (see below), who is attended by numerous squabbling noble efreet of decreasing importance and power. The city itself sits on a great disc of molten brass roughly forty miles in diameter, on top of which squats towers and citadels to house the numerous efreet and their slaves. Great markets welcome merchants and travelers from numerous planes, with the exception of the djinn of the plane of elemental air – they are never welcome except bound by a brass slave collar, the traditional mark of an efreeti-owned slave.

Ancient efreet magic protects the City of Brass from the extreme temperatures of the plane, so even those without elemental protection can visit and mingle with the residents. While ostensibly in charge, the Grand Sultan does little to actually control the city—there are no city guards, though only the foolish would be without bodyguard protection. Intrigue and murder go hand in hand in the back alleys of the City of Brass.

There are dozens upon dozens of ministers in the City of Brass, all efreet, who use bureaucracy, lies, and subterfuge to manipulate everyone they can. It’s a great game for most of them, with the ultimate prize being the position of Grand Sultan on the Charcoal Throne. Powerful grand viziers trade favors with Nazirs who command beys to perform duties that are then contracted out with a third party. No one takes responsibility for anything, for the City of Brass is a city of lies and deceit within a complicated legal system.

The City of Brass has numerous neighborhoods, ranging from the opulent obsidian manor houses around the Charcoal Palace to the poorest slums and alleys where beggars and thieves ply their trade. All buildings are made of rock, such as granite or basalt, as nothing lesser could withstand the intense heat of the Plane of Fire, and the streets are unkempt stone cobblestones in the lowest sections and paved brass, copper, and iron in the wealthier districts. Canals of molten lava cut through some areas, flowing from the raging Sea of Fire through and around the mounds and spires that make up the city’s tallest structures.

Charcoal Palace

The fabled Charcoal Palace is the home of the most powerful efreeti on the Plane of Fire. It sits at the center of the City of Brass, an imposing edifice of gray and black marble. The Grand Sultan rules here, though he rarely has to engage in any sort of day-to-day activity.

He spends his time languishing with a harem of exotic slaves or attending to his spymasters. Below the Charcoal Palace, it is rumored the Grand Sultan keeps his treasure chamber, which is said to contain the greatest wealth of any of the genie kind across the elemental planes. Golems, giants, and other magical creatures guard the palace and the life of the Grand Sultan.

Crimson Shield of the Ashen Palm

The Knights of the Ashen Palm were a large group of genie-descended humans dedicated to the faith of the Elemental Lords. Generations of living on the Plane of Fire had given these men and women red-tinged skin, a tolerance for heat, and a fanatic devotion to what they saw as the rightful rulers. They rarely, if ever, had any direct contact with the Elemental Lords, who likely never noticed their adoration, but these knights were, at one point, a military power in certain regions of the plane.

Citadels and strongholds were built to house the knights as they went on crusades against those who would defy the will of the Elemental Lords, or at least the will as interpreted by the holy members of the order. They used an ash palm as their symbol and wielded shields made of a curious crimson metal forged somewhere in secret. These crimson shields became noteworthy for their defensive and offensive properties – scholars say that ordained Knights of the Ashen Palm could summon forth blasts of fire from the shields and create large domes of protection.

The knights eventually faded into obscurity, though few could say exactly why. Perhaps they got too devoted to the Elemental Lords and overstepped their boundaries, or perhaps they simply provoked a more powerful opponent. In markets across the plane, a Crimson Shield of the Ashen Palm still fetches a high price and is a sought-after item for warriors willing to carry a symbol of a dead order in exchange for great protection and power.

Everburning Forest

Trees and wood are not native to the Plane of Fire, yet the Everburning Forest exists. It is a forest hundreds of miles across where the trees crackle and burn constantly and yet never become fully consumed. Upon closer examination, travelers discover that the blaze produces no ash or waste, and further investigation shows that the flames function as leaves on a normal tree. The bark of these trees is blackened and hard, and it is prized for its toughness in shields and other wooden materials.

Strange creatures dwell in the Everburning Forest, including dryads who are immune to the plane’s normal heat levels. The flames on the trees give off no heat but otherwise seem to function as regular fire, including reacting to water – the only way to fell one of the trees is to completely douse it in water of sufficient volume to not evaporate immediately on the plane. Only a handful of trees have been cut down, so the bark is highly sought after.

Eye of Murzak

Murzak is a legendary figure among the native salamanders of the Plane of Fire. He was a great military leader who was originally enslaved by a powerful efreeti in the City of Brass. Forced to fight in the slave arenas, Murzak grew strong as he won battle after battle using his innate cunning and ferocity. His successes brought him a greater range of freedom, though the brass collar of his master still bound him. Over the years, this powerful salamander amassed a ring of informants and spies, and when the time was right, he and his forces struck at the City of Brass. It was a fevered fight, but it bought Murzak his freedom when he killed his efreeti master in single combat.

He fled with less than a tenth of his force from the city and into the burning wastelands. There he gathered the tribes of salamanders, proclaiming himself Murzak the Flameserpent, and promised to end the tyranny of the efreet over the Plane of Fire. Thousands upon thousands of salamanders converged on the City of Brass, but the Grand Sultan of the Charcoal Throne was not caught unprepared. The battle that was fought in the streets of the city is still remembered as the Flameserpent’s Uprising.

Murzak was defeated, however, and as punishment, the Grand Sultan had the salamander beheaded and his two eyes cut from his head. Arcane magic was used to transform the eyes into shining yellow crystals, each the size of a large man’s fist, and with one or both of them, the possessor could control nearly any creature on the Plane of Fire. One of these gems was known to be destroyed by the Grand Sultan, but the whereabouts of the other are currently unknown.

Fireheart's Legion

While not actually a site or treasure, the mercenary company known as Fireheart’s Legion still deserves a special mention. They are known across many planes as an effective and ruthless military organization that sells its services to the highest bidder, though they never break contracts first. They are led by an enigmatic and powerful efreeti named Fireheart. Evil to the core and ruthless as any of his kind, Fireheart is also a skilled negotiator and can be flamboyant at times – he’s known to dress in outlandish yet expensive clothing. He has a fine appetite for splendid hats and rare cigars. The mercenary legion is made up of warriors from across the planes, though a fair number of efreet also count among their numbers. Utter devotion to Fireheart is all that is required to join, and this utter devotion comes with an iron contract that none so far have been able to get out of with their lives – and some have even had to stay in undeath!

Fountains of Creation

The greatest range of volcanoes and mountains on the Plane of Fire are the Fountains of Creation. These tall, craggy peaks are marked by constant eruptions and lava flows, with lakes of molten rock cooling and reheating constantly. Red dragons and fire giants dwell here in caves and labyrinths, but the greatest achievements belong to the Azers. These fire-bearded dwarves are as industrious as their Material Plane-dwelling cousins and constantly work at massive forges and bellows to produce the most exquisite works of art, architecture, weapons, and magic.

Traveling in the Fountains of Creation is deadly for anyone, however. Traversing the region by foot requires navigating the paths that wind around volatile volcanoes capable of spewing magma with a moment’s notice and avoiding the beasts and monsters that call the peaks their home. Flying is little better, as the lava geysers from the volcanoes can reach hundreds of feet into the soot-filled sky. Many a traveler on a winged beast or airship has been lost to a sudden blast of magma from what appeared to be a quiet volcano.

On the edge of the Fountains of Creation, the Plane of Fire is said to give way to the Plane of Magma, one of the para-elemental planes that borders the Plane of Earth on the other side. Great Azer outposts dot this region, and many clans claim as much earth heritage as fire.

Lava Palace of Ember Island

Shahbanu Shabhaa is one of the most accomplished efreeti sorcerers in all the Plane of Fire, and when she was exiled from the City of Brass for a failed coup attempt against the Grand Sultan, she took her followers and a small fleet of brass ships out into the Sea of Fire. But they did not go aimlessly - Shabhaa had planned for this contingency and sought out Ember Island far across the molten sea. There, on that blasted island, she conjured up her Lava Palace using powerful sorcery unknown to any efreeti before her.

Shahbanu Shabhaa receives few visitors, and part of the enchantment on her home hides Ember Island from visitors who have not set foot in the Lava Palace previously. For those privileged enough to dock there, though, a marvelous sight awaits. The Lava Palace is a colossal palatial structure that takes up nearly the entire blackened island, with white- and red-hot glowing walls made from magma. Towers and chambers hold the shahbanu's servants, slaves, and military powers, along with a host of magical treasures and a library that some say rivals the one possessed by the Grand Sultan himself.

Obsidian Tower

Somewhere in the lonely blasted landscape stands a tall tower made of reflective black obsidian. Legends of this Obsidian Tower say that it has no doors or windows but that its insides hold the magical secrets of a sorcerer-king from some prime material world. Greedy treasure hunters and zealous explorers have searched for the site across the plane, but few claim to have actually seen it. The mystery of its contents continues to drive fantastic stories. Does a phylactery of a powerful lich sit inside? Perhaps the arcane formulae to unlocking the Plane of Fire’s deepest and most powerful energies? Or maybe gold and jewels to make the Grand Sultan blush? No one knows for sure.

Sea of Fire

Much of the Plane of Fire is a rolling sea of molten rock and magma, constantly moving and crashing against the islands of rock that are created when a large enough wave slams down and cools. Foolish travelers can charter or purchase boats capable of sailing the Sea of Fire to travel to remote islands, though the journey is far more perilous than a typical sea voyage. Inferno waves are a constant threat, as are a myriad of dangerous denizens – fire whales are mean-tempered and prone to striking out at anything they deem as food (i.e., anything smaller than they are!).

Because of their rare nature, if a vessel is lost at sea, it becomes a valuable prize for any willing to take the risk of finding it. What lies at the bottom of the Sea of Fire is anyone's guess. Perhaps simply nothing, or perhaps the molten core of the plane itself hides itself beneath the flowing lava.

Titanforge

Among the azer, the tale of the Titanforge is one of sorrow, regret, and a keen lesson in not delving too deep. According to legends told by azer merchants and blacksmiths, a city was built beneath the Titan’s Kiss, one of the most violent volcanoes in the Fountains of Creation. In those tunnels dug into the volcano’s deepest roots, the azer built a forge capable of producing works of great strength and magic.

The heat provided by the Titan’s Kiss was said to come from a slumbering primordial god of ancient elemental fire, dormant in the rocks. The rhythmic rise and fall of its breath gave the forge its great potential. The Azer called this the Titanforge, and with it, they built some of their most powerful relics. Many were specially commissioned by influential patrons, including the Grand Sultan of the Efreeti, who is said to possess today some colossal weapon created from the heart of the Titanforge.

And though the azer clan that ran the Titanforge were successful, they let their pride become their downfall. In order to create a suit of armor for Surtur, god of the fire giants, the azer worked the bellows of the Titanforge with such a fury that the volcano woke up. Some say that it was that ancient primordial who stirred, while others say they simply tapped into an unstable vein of magma beneath the volcano that created a powerful chain reaction. Truth and myth may never be separated, for whatever stirred there collapsed the Titan’s Kiss in a massive explosion that rocked the Fountains of Creation.

Many Azer bands have searched for the Titanforge, while others believe it is a myth. Who knows what secrets might still be buried in the crushed remnants of the ancient volcano?

Treasure Vaults of Surtur

Fire giants roam the plane and often settle in the craggy peaks that dot the blackened landscape. Their chief god is an imposing and powerful creature called Surtur, but he does not dwell on the Plane of Fire – few deities do, as the true powers are the Elemental Lords of Fire. He did at one point, however, and his castle was an impregnable stronghold of fire-hardened basalt high in the peaks of some unknown mountain range. Long ago, rumors say, Surtur waged war with the Elemental Lords, sending wave upon wave of fire giant legions to beat back the forces of Imix. Titanic battles were fought on the crimson plains, but in the end, Surtur’s fire giants were defeated.

Harried by Imix, Surtur was forced to flee so quickly that he could not take the bulk of his accumulated wealth with him. The fire giant god had his castle demolished and his treasure buried beneath it in the mountains. Gold and magic of the highest caliber were said to rest in Surtur’s treasure vaults now lost to the ages. This fabled site has brought many adventurers into the Plane of Fire, but so far, none have returned with any of the treasure.

Volcano of the Destroyer

The impressively gigantic Volcano of the Destroyer is an imposing sight on the horizon for hundreds of miles in any direction. It sits in the center of a rugged mountain range where the lava flowing from its wide opening creates rivers and lakes in the surrounding valleys. Long ago, this was the home of Imix, one of the most powerful of the Elemental Lords of Fire, and some scholars say it was where the great being was born (or created, depending on the philosophical viewpoint). The details of why Imix departed the site are unknown.

Titanic forces of a planar nature continually spew lava from the volcano’s top, making this a dangerous site for visitors. The heart of the Volcano of the Destroyer may be the hottest point on the Plane of Fire – the heat is capable of harming creatures who are normally immune to fire. It is rumored that only an Elemental Lord can withstand the dangerous temperatures, though special high-level magic may be of use for characters wishing to get to the center