The Realm Strider

The Legend of the Realm Strider is the tale of a man who discovered means to travel between the planes freely. He lived far before the age of Orlentrine, an explorer and scribe dedicated to learning about the gods and their creation. He was the first to draw a full map of Eventide, still used as reference in modern Eventide. As previously stated, he managed to discover a method of transport between realms, possibly being the only living creature to have ever seen them all. Supposedly he mapped many of the other planes as well, gifting the maps to leaders.   He remarked that many of the other planes are reminiscent of Eventide, the most similar being Noctis' Shadowfell. Other similar planes, such as Orlen's Mechanus and Proelia's Underdark, have very similar layouts to Eventide, with different twists, such as Orlen's shifting geography and Proelia's twisting caverns. Most naming conventions are also varied, spanning from being anagrams of Eventide's names to originating from alternate ancient languages.   Many other planes, however, bear no resemblance to Eventide whatsoever. Planes such as Psiki's Abyss or Dammun's Astral Sea, are completely unique. As well, some planes could not be mapped due to their infinite nature, or due to their ever changing surroundings. Clorum's Ethereal Plane and Casatov's Dream Plane are good examples of this, the former being a plane that holds infinite possibilities and circumstances and spectres of choices (aside from a single tower, in which Clorum supposedly resides), and the latter being based upon the mind of its viewer.   Along with mapping many of the planes, he took to learning more of each plane. Those with inhabitants; he would take to learning about their cultures. Those with strange effects, alien landscapes, such as the Astral Sea, were partially explored. He made the specific goal to discover each plane's fragment of Thaekrin, noting the distinct differences between them all.       The Plane Strider himself remains anonymous through his texts and writings, and gave few extremely vague descriptions of whatever portal he used to travel between the realms.   "The machine has been constructed. I think of it to be a masterpiece, though the gods may frown upon my work. Though, I plan to bridge the endless expanse of what they have built--what has been broken--so how could they disapprove of my attempts to rebuild?   Alas, what I have had to dismantle and destroy may have been costly. Yet I will keep it hidden; that none should seek to destroy it.   Now that the machine has been constructed, granted, with sins which border treason, I need now only the means to choose its destination. A key of some kind--something to be tied to a realm. Perhaps I can focus the domain of each god into a physical substance--yes, crystals with which to focus the machine's energy. Of course--yes, this will do just fine."