Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia

“On the slopes of Mount Celestia, the crisp fresh air uplifts body, mind, and soul from whatever dark recess It may have found itself, and a real feeling of positive energy suffuses the landscape. The Seven Heavens themselves are powerful physical embodiments of those qualities that many of us strive for, such as righteousness and a sense of wisdom, and the natives celestials that live and dwell on the slopes and valleys do their best to honor those qualities with everything they do. It’s strictly ordered but there’s no subterfuge or hidden agenda on Mount Celestia, just the inner peace that comes with striving to be the best version of yourself. Assuming, of course, your best version fits in line with the idyllic principals of the Seven Heavens.”

Issilda the Unbreakable

Pure and untainted, the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia are said to be one of the most breathtaking planes in all the multiverse. For those that follow the path of virtue and selflessness, the beauty is awe-inspiring and instills a sense of simple joy that moves many to tears. Those that walk a darker path see only a monument to overblown egos and pride, impressive still but less moving on a spiritual level.

The truth is subjective to the individual on Mount Celestia. Everywhere, a vibrant aura of wisdom, justice, and virtue hums, and the souls that die across the multiverse and ultimately end up in the slopes and valleys of the Seven Heavens quickly learn to vibrate in tune with these near-invisible hum. Lawful and good to the extreme, Mount Celestia is a plane that brings out the best in people, pushing them to go farther than they thought they could and reach for an impossible ideal. For here, that ideal is not impossible.

Mount Celestia is often thought of as one single mountain, but the truth is much broader. Unlike the fiery slopes of Gehenna, where each layer is a self-contained volcano, finite in size though still enormous, each layer of the Seven Heavens encompasses a vast region of rugged terrain, plateaus, idyllic mountain valleys, streams, and breathtaking waterfalls. Ascending the “mountain” requires passing trials found at the highest point of each layer, which then allows the traveler access to the next higher plane. The seventh layer at the “top” of Mount Celestia is the hardest to reach and is supposed to contain a blinding radiance holding true enlightenment. Few have seen it.

Most of the population of Mount Celestia are celestial creatures known as archons. The souls of lawful good creatures across the multiverse are reborn on Mount Celestia as lantern archons, the most common of the celestial natives, but they can advance through the rank by performing selfless deeds and confronting evil wherever it may lie. A handful of communities of creatures have sprung up across the Seven Heavens populated by mortals, archons, and a host of other celestial beings.

Creatures from the Lower Planes, especially demons and devils, view Mount Celestia as the ultimate expression of good and positivity in the multiverse, and there have been a great number of battles fought on the shores of the Silver Sea on the plane’s lowest layer against fiendish invaders. Vigilance is the watchword of the archons stationed on the Silver Sea, vigilance against corruption and invasion from outside forces, and they must be faithful and strong in the face of great odds.

Powerful beings of all types can be found in and around the Seven Heavens. The most famous is Bahamut, the god of good dragons, who dwells in the Platinum Palace that floats in the air above the plane itself. It is one of the few means of accessing the higher levels of Mount Celestia without having to pass the Trials of Enlightenment that separate each layer, but the vigilant forces of the Platinum Dragon are no fools. The greatest dwarf realm in all the multiverse, Erackinor, is found on the fourth layer, and within its mighty halls dwell Moradin and his powerful host. Paragons of halfling virtue are found in the Green Fields on the third layer of Mount Celestia.

Wisdom, patience, and justice are held in high regard by the natives of Mount Celestia, but it is all tempered with an edge of self-righteousness that can become stifling for those visitors that don’t share the same moral code. Rigid and inflexible in many ways, the Seven Heavens can quickly become overwhelming for creatures that walk a different path than that of goodness and law, though compassion and understanding are also virtues of the higher-minded inhabitants. Evil acts are not tolerated anywhere, however, and those that perpetrate evil in Mount Celestia find the plane itself works against them. Fiends still try to tear down the great symbol but most planar scholars believe Mount Celestia is as permanent a fixture in the multiverse as the Nine Hells and the Abyss.

Highlights & Impressions

The below listings include notes on highlighting the nature of Mount Celestia as characters explore and travel through it. These are suggestions of elements that can be used in descriptions of the landscape and denizens with the goal of actualizing the “outside” nature of the multiverse beyond the Material Plane. Use them to incorporate into encounters and adventures on Mount Celestia.

The Vast Mountain. Mount Celestia’s singular dominant feature is its namesake, which stretches up into the sky and fills the field of vision from nearly every angle. Delicate clouds cluster around the rocky slopes, which rise and fall in smaller crags and valleys, but always a traveler’s gaze is drawn up to the impossible height. It’s a soaring, majestic mountain, with colorful patches splashed around the slope and easy, identifiable paths winding up. Rather than daunting or intimidating, Mount Celestia is awe-inspiring and profoundly moving as a glorious monument to natural beauty sculpted by unseen hands over countless generations.

Journey of Self-Discovery. Traveling through Mount Celestia is a journey that takes on greater significance than a simple walk or hike. Beauty and wonder seem to walk hand-in-hand on the gentle trails, with countless fields of wildflowers, mountain lakes, clear brooks, and an abundance of joyful life everywhere. In order to traverse the path between the layers, a traveler must reflect upon their purpose and seek enlightenment there, and that path starts from the moment they set foot upon the mountain itself.

Hope and Justice. The rush of a cool mountain breeze carries an invigorating sense that stirs the blood and straightens the back. Mount Celestia’s core principals of hope and justice are not just philosophical ideals, they are powers manifested by the countless people dwelling on the slopes. Everyone in the Seven Heavens knows their place and takes joyous pride in that knowledge, and they work with a magnificent zeal to maintain truth and order wherever they go. The slopes of Mount Celestia may seem rough and uneven from a distance, but upon closer examination there’s a highly regulated pattern to everything – you just have to look for it.

Powerful & Mighty

The Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia are home to some of the most powerful forces for righteousness and justice in all the multiverse. Many of them have interests that go beyond the borders of the plane, making them active players on a larger scale, but some keep to their territory and maintain their individual realms from outside forces. Travelers with good in their hearts can usually treat with these forces in welcoming settings.

• Amaterasu (Japanese)
• Bahamut (dragon)
• Berronar Truesilver (dwarf)
• Brihaspati (Indian)
• Chung Kuel (Chinese)
• Halfling pantheon: Avoreen, Cyrrollalee, Yondalla
• Jazirian (couatl)
• Kuan Yin (Chinese)
• Mitra (Indian)
• Moradin (dwarf)
• Paladine (Krynn)
• Shifukujin (Japanese)
• Surya (Indian)
• Trishina (dolphin/sea elf; also Elysium)
• Tyr (Toril)

Bahamut the Platinum Dragon

Dragons are rightly regarded as one of the most powerful types of creatures in all the multiverse. They are skilled spellcasters, fearsome combatants, cunning strategists, and more, and the longer they live the greater power they gather. Bahamut the Platinum Dragon stands above them all as the prime god of the metallic dragons, a supremely powerful and influential power that truly earns the name Draco Paladin. Few doubt his wisdom and devotion to justice, and those that find themselves in his presence never doubt his sheer prowess.

Bahamut lives in the Platinum Palace, a unique site on Mount Celestia – it is a floating fortress that drifts between at least the first three layers, and perhaps can go even higher. His wondrous home has few roofs but many gilded and silvered columns standing around countless platforms and open forums. Bahamut’s chief attendants are seven gold dragons of incredible age and power in their own right who advise the Platinum Dragon in various matters. Scores of dragonborn paladins serve Bahamut as well as agents across the multiverse, and an order of ghost-like dragonborn rogues known as the dracosaints work in secret to spy and sabotage the works of Tiamat, Queen of Chromatic Dragons.

Like many of the residents of the Seven Heavens, Bahamut has a sense of unbridled righteousness towards the crusade against wickedness and depravity. His eyes are constantly on the multiverse, especially the Material Plane, where he has taken physical form on multiple occasions. His agents, both dracosaints and dragonborn paladins, work to curb the threats of evil rising from the Lower Planes on the mortal battlefields. Bahamut’s attention is so outer focused that he rarely sends forces to assist in the defense of Mount Celestia, a fact that has driven a wedge between the Platinum Dragon and the archons.

Grandmaster of Flowers

The fourth layer of Mount Celestia, Solania, hides many secret sites within its fog-enshrouded peaks and mysterious valleys. Few are as well-known or as hard to reach as the Monastery of Seven Flowers, wherein dwells the Grandmaster of Flowers, a monk master of unsurpassed celestial wisdom and devoted contemplation. Few have laid eyes upon this mysterious figure, which includes the monks who tend the monastery and serve as its guardians. Is the Grandmaster of Flowers a mortal who has achieved ultimate enlightenment? Or are they a celestial being?

The truth is that the Grandmaster of Flowers is a temporary honorific bestowed by the psychic force created from all the monks who follow the Way of Seven Flowers. It manifests as a peaceful serenity over any individual within the Monastery of Seven Flowers, so it moves from person to person without adversely affecting the host. It can be consulted through meditation, and the monks who follow the way access it to empower their ki-based practices, but the actual Grandmaster of Flowers is a nebulous formless power that drifts invisibly through the monastery on Solania.

Monks that follow the Way of Seven Flowers learn and receive guidance from the collective unconscious of their brothers and sisters in the form of the Grandmaster of Flowers, and they speak as if it were a singular person or entity. Few realize the truth, which is partly why the Monastery of Seven Flowers is so difficult to find – it can only be found by those that contribute to the invisible force that is the Grandmaster of Flowers.

Moradin and the Dwarven Powers

Dwarves are known across the multiverse for their exceptional craft skills, loyalty beyond any doubt, and focused determination, and in Erackinor, these qualities and more are on full display. Erackinor is the home of Moradin, the principal deity of the dwarven pantheon, along with the other powers that inspire every aspect of daily dwarven life. Located beneath the foggy peaks of Solania, Erackinor is a noisy realm of ringing hammers, clashing steel, and chanting from the thousands upon thousands of dwarves that call it home.

Moradin appoints a number of proxies to watch over Erackinor while he busies himself with at the Soulforge, the magnificent centerpiece of the wondrous underground realm. He is a god capable of splitting his attention and his form, so that one part of him is always hammering away at the Soulforge while others tend to urgent matters on Mount Celestia and beyond. The plight of dwarves throughout the multiverse is of utmost importance to Moradin, though he rarely takes direct action, he keeps up to date on occurrences and movements that may shake the foundations of dwarven life.

In Erackinor, the other dwarven gods have a more active role in the functions. Powerful ancient clans meet regularly to discuss matters of grave importance to dwarves, and though arguments are common and disagreements can become heated, everyone in Erackinor shares the common belief that justice must be constantly worked at, like the edge of a blade, and that it must be sharpened by constant action and attention.

Plume of the Rainbow Heavens

Couatls are powerful serpentine celestial creatures created by divine powers as guardians. Each guards something specific though often nebulous, such as a certain prophecy, an immortal person, or a sacred site, and they keep watch over their charge until their purpose is fulfilled. Even then, they often stay close to keep an eye on events. The oldest known couatl in the multiverse is the Plume of the Rainbow Heavens, an immense serpent coiled in the central chamber of the Rainbow Pyramid atop a peak on Mertion, Mount Celestia’s fifth layer.

The Plume’s charge isn’t directly known, and it stays silent regarding questions around it as the couatls are divinely forbidden from uttering a lie. It lives in the Rainbow Pyramid attended only by a cadre of silent mummies sworn to defend the place from any threat. It speaks in a long, slow hissing voice, choosing its words carefully, and seems supremely interested in prophecies surrounding Dendar the Night Serpent. Is the Plume a guardian against this titanic monster of elder evil? Or does it have some role to play in a large confrontation with the Night Serpent? None have found out for certain and the Plume refuses to divulge any direct information regarding it.

The silent mummies of the Rainbow Pyramid are occasionally sent out from Mertion to the wider planes on errands for the Plume. These are lawful good celestials but otherwise share the same statistics as a mummy, and they can only communicate via pantomime and written word. Their bandages are colored a single color based on the prismatic spectrum – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet – though there doesn’t seem to be a ranking of them that’s widely known. They have been seen delivering written messages to couatls across the multiverse along with fetching mortals to meet with the Plume at the Rainbow Pyramid to discuss activities and actions that seem to relate to Dendar the Night Serpent.

Semrassa the Ancient

Gold dragons are widely regarded as the most wise and noble of all the metallic dragons. Bahamut the Platinum Dragons receives counsel from seven great wyrm gold dragons who lead discussions and philosophical debates about far-ranging topics, from the nature of good and evil to the layout of the planes themselves. Even these supremely righteous and intelligent beings recognize their own biases and occasionally seek advice from the most knowledgeable gold dragon on Mount Celestia, and perhaps all of the multiverse – Semrassa the Ancient, who runs the Golden Library of the Great Wyrm on Venya, the third layer of the plane.

Semrassa is one of the oldest dragons in the planes, though she in no way comes close to the power of Bahamut or Tiamat, and she has accumulated more knowledge than almost anywhere. The Golden Library rests in a secluded grove of ancient oak trees protected by Semrassa’s potent magical wards. She is attended by a score of librarians each personally chosen by Semrassa to help catalogue the countless books, scrolls, and tomes that fill the library’s halls and wings. The topics covered run the spectrum, and it is often said that if it isn’t in the Golden Library of the Great Wyrm, it’s not worth knowing.

Semrassa’s mind and tongue are still sharp though age has reduced her physical faculties to a shadow of their former glory. She spends her days reading new arrivals to the Golden Library donated from across the multiverse, and nothing gets catalogued until she has finished her perusal of the item. She is highly protective of the library and the librarians, viewing them as her children, and for those with a thirst for knowledge, the Golden Library’s doors are always open. Semrassa has a lax attitude towards good and evil, however, and she has received fiendish and celestial visitors that seek knowledge without judgment or hostility. Her advanced magical wards protect the books from harm or theft, though there have been attempts over the years.

Solars of Mount Celestia

Supremely powerful and nearly omnipotent, solars represent the pinnacle of celestial might and glory. They are beings on the same level as demon lords and devil princes, and several serve as proxies for the gods and powers of the Upper Planes, though most reside on the various layers of Mount Celestia. They are unique beings with their own personalities, preferences, and governances. Below are a description of the better known solars of Mount Celestia, but others exist.

Aeshma the Radiant Star. Aeshma is a powerful solar who dwells on Lunia, Mount Celestia’s first layer. She watches over and commands the lantern archons that keep the Beacon Towers of the Silver Sea from the Radiant Star Tower. She is a true and honored friend of the aquatic zoveri that dwell within the Silver Sea, and she has raised her sword and bow in defense of Mount Celestia more times than any other solar.

Gabriel of the Dragon Horn. Bahamut’s chief advisor is Gabriel of the Dragon Horn, a solar with close ties to the metallic dragons. He was held prisoner by the forces of Orcus in the Abyss for a great number of years, cut off from Bahamut and Mount Celestia, before being freed by a party of heroes on a quest to save the Bloodstone Lands. Gabriel now sits in the Platinum Palace speaking words of caution to Bahamut and the other dragons against Tiamat’s tyranny and treachery. Most view his caution as a result of his years-long imprisonment, and Gabriel still holds numerous scars from his time in Orcus’ dungeon – both physical and mental scars.

Haroth of the Silver Trumpet. The clear notes of Haroth’s massive Trumpet of Glory sounds across the marching fields of Mertion on a regular basis, marshalling the celestial forces of the archons and paladins. Haroth is a skilled military commander with a reckless streak that has won him many conflicts over the centuries, and he personally leads the most dangerous and daring raids against fiendish forces across the multiverse. He is loud, arrogant, and somewhat abrasive, a true pinnacle of the trumpet archons, but his prowess and keen military mind speak for themselves.

Sybil of the Glittering Lotus. Millions of gemstones litter the slopes of Jovar, Mount Celestia’s sixth layer, but most pale in comparison to the wonder found in Glittering Lotus Valley. Here, the solar Sybil tends to vast fields of lotus flowers constructed from numerous precious gemstones, bending and weaving them together to create unique and breathtakingly beautiful creations. She rarely interacts with the wider planes, preferring to contemplate the state of the multiverse within her valley, and there are many who view her actions as a waste of her solar talents and gifts.

Viryn the Justice Hand. Tyr, god of justice, has long kept Viryn the Justice Hand as a faithful agent in matters that require a delicate touch and a diplomatic voice. Viryn, though just as mighty as any other solar, has long advocated peaceful solutions and rehabilitation for prisoners, and to that end his charge has been to watch over the Blind Prison on the slopes of Lunia. He is compassionate to a fault but stern in his duties as warden to the Blind Prison.

Xerona of the Heavenly Bridge. The seventh layer of Mount Celestia, Chronias, can only be accessed by crossing the mythical Bridge of al-Sihal which stands upon the pinnacle of the seven-layer ziggurat of Yetsira on Jovar, the sixth layer of the plane. The bridge is guarded by Xerona of the Heavenly Bridge whose duty it is to judge any who would seek to enter Chronias. It is a duty he performs without bias or mercy, and his judgment holds a finality that bars gods and powers from entering if they are unworthy.

Zariel the Fallen. A dark shadow washes over the face of any celestial speaking of Zariel. She was a solar charged with watching over the cataclysmic Blood War between demons and devils of the Lower Planes to ensure it did not spill over into the wider multiverse. She spent long years over Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, watching helplessly while the forces of evil fought endlessly. Zariel yearned to go down and use her powers to smite the evil, but in the end the corruption of the Nine Hells claimed her. She fell from her position of solar and became the Archduchess of the First, loyal now only to Asmodeus and the pursuit of corruption and wickedness. Her home on Mount Celestia, the Bastion of the Blessed Banner, is a shadowed ruin amongst the valleys of Lunia, watched over by agents of Tyr, god of justice.

Yondalla and the Halfling Powers

The Green Fields is an idyllic, pastoral realm on Venya, the third layer of Mount Celestia, and serves as the home for Yondalla and the other halfling gods and goddesses. Yondalla takes an active interest in the health and wellbeing of the halfling people, and encourages good relations with other kind-hearted people. She is regarded as the great mother to all halflings, and her maternal instincts are in full force all across the Green Fields. Every halfling and resident here has comfort, good food, and a hearth to call their home.

The other halfling powers are collectively referred to as Yondalla’s Children, and include Arvoreen, a stout halfling god charged with stalwart defense of the Green Fields; Brandobaris, a mischievous god who keeps the residents entertained and represents the curious nature of all halflings; and Cyrrollalee, a friendly goddess of trust and friendship. Everyone in the Green Fields contributes to the wellbeing of each other and their community under the watchful eye of Arvoreen’s sheriffs who patrol for malfeasance wherever it may spring.

Yondalla’s place on Mount Celestia is similar to that of Moradin – she is more interested in the plight of the halflings in the wider planes than in keeping the Seven Heavens secure. She trusts the archons implicitly, and the halflings of the Green Fields have gone to war to defend their home from invading forces on several occasions.

Creatures & Denizens

The natural inhabitants of Mount Celestia are almost universally good-aligned creatures that adhere to one of the core tenets of the plane. Archons are the best example, being the celestials associated with the Seven Heavens, but the crystal soldiers of Erackinor and the galayons of the Green Fields are also notable extensions of their respective realms.

Celestials

There’s a reason most Material Plane painters depict flights of angels in the skies above Mount Celestia. The Seven Heavens boasts more celestial beings than any other plane, and its mighty slopes are filled with cities, fortresses, and towers filled with celestials ranging from all across the multiverse. Lammasu are golden-haired lions with a noble bearing and a righteous command over knowledge and lore, making them excellent sages to consult, and the helpful galayons are the ancestral spirits of halfling families that watch over their living relatives.

Couatls dance in the air of Mertion, the plane’s fifth layer, while devas act as messengers for many of the powers that dwell up and down the slopes. The children of gods themselves, empyreans, dwell in mighty fortresses and command vast hosts, while pegasi and hollyphants serve as war mounts and companions for a wide variety of riders. Planetars are assigned to specific duties across the Upper Planes and they rarely leave their posts, but they do enjoy time on the sixth layer of Mount Celestia to relax and enjoy fine company.

Archons. The most numerous of the Mount Celestia celestials are the archons. These powerful beings are strictly ranked in order of power and responsibility, from the lantern archons guarding the Silver Sea from invaders to the throne archons commanding armies and planning strategies. The greatest among them are the solars, unique beings of radiant glory with near divine control over their chosen domains, but even these mighty celestials recognize their true strength comes from the magnificent host of archons below them.

Archons have a rigid set of rules they must abide by, and when they have performed great actions in their station their names and deeds are recorded in the Books of Light. Once they have enough deeds recorded they can transcend to the next highest rank – from the lowest rank to the highest they are lantern, hound, warden, sword, trumpet, throne, and solar. They usually kind and compassionate but absolutely solid in their beliefs.

Dragons

A large of metallic dragons live in Mount Celestia, mostly focused around the Platinum Palace of Bahamut, the greatest of the dragon gods in the Upper Planes. Bahamut retains an expansive network of draconic advisors that offer guidance and advice on all manner of topics, and to be chosen by the Platinum Dragon to serve in such a fashion is the dream of many metallic dragons as they grow old. Gold dragons may be the most regal, but Bahamut loves all of the metallics and all are welcome in his floating palace. These dragons often take wing over the slopes of Mount Celestia for fresh air in a wondrous landscape, but even so spotting such majestic creatures is a true delight for all of the other inhabitants.

Humanoids

Mount Celestia boasts numerous communities of varying size, especially on the lower slopes of Lunia and Mercuria. These communities are filled with humanoids from across the multiverse, many of whom come to the Seven Heavens to live better lives. There are quite a few reformed evil creatures as well, including a few fiends that are seeking to mend their ways, and Mount Celestia welcomes any who wish to seek enlightenment through hard work, self-sacrifice, and the pursuit of justice.

Aasimar. Perhaps not surprisingly, aasimar makeup a sizable population on Mount Celestia. These beings, descended from celestials, often serve the archons as scouts, advanced warriors, and advisors, and many families of aasimar have lived in the Seven Heavens serving the celestial hosts for generations. Most of these are protector aasimar, but some of the more militant minded transform into scourge aasimar to better face the waves of evil in battle. Fallen aasimar are rare and often trace their lineage back to a handful of celestials who have fallen from Mount Celestia, the most famous of which is Zariel, a powerful solar who is now the ruler of Avernus, first layer of the Nine Hells.

Dragonborn. Bahamut the Platinum Dragon is a powerful force on Mount Celestia with influence over many settlements along the gentle slopes. Most of those towns and villages are populated by dragonborn, who revere the great dragon deity and honor him with hard work, dedication, and devoted faith. In turn, Bahamut draws agents and soldiers from these villages, elevating them to chosen status and sending them out in the multiverse as his proxies. Many take up arms as paladins, but wizards, clerics, sorcerers, and bards are also common.

Dwarves. Erackinor is the home of Moradin and his powerful Soulforge, a divine tool that supposedly created dwarves out of primordial clay, and the sprawling underground kingdom is the largest dwarven city in the multiverse. Countless clans work and celebrate in Erackinor which is a completely self-sustaining population; they grow their own food, mine their own ore, and celebrate their lives in relative isolation. Though they don’t deal often with the rest of Mount Celestia, the dwarves routinely travel to dwarven enclaves across the Material Plane on missions of mercy and justice.

Halflings. In the idyllic pastures of the Green Fields on Mount Celestia’s third layer, hundreds of halfling families live in the scattered farms and burrows, living peaceful lives of comfort and safety. They are watched over by Yondalla and the other halfling gods along with the spirits of their ancestors known as galayons, and though they are protective of their lands they are overall a gentle and peace-loving people. Some halfling youths of the Green Fields venture out to find adventure, perhaps taking inspiration from the host of celestial forces around them, while many others look to put their personal stealth skills to the ultimate test against the forces of darkness and depravity.

Hazards & Phenomena

Mount Celestia is a rugged paradise of perfect weather, easy trails, and natural beauty, from the Silver Sea of Lunia to the illuminated mysterious peak of Chronias. Though there is nothing that prevents or actively hinders visitors, creatures with kindness in their hearts find life easy and enjoyable on the Seven Heavens, with plenty of radiant sunshine and abundant food.

Blessed Beneficence

The pervasive beneficence of Mount Celestia bestows a literal blessing upon many creatures that live and visit the plane. Good-aligned creatures gain the benefit of the bless spell as long as they remain on the plane. In addition, finishing a long rest on the plane grants a good-aligned creature the benefit of a lesser restoration spell.

While neutral and evil creatures are not actively hampered on Mount Celestia, the Blessed Beneficence effect can cause some discomfort. Neutral creatures, perhaps due to their nature, feel neither good nor bad about the air of the Seven Heavens, while evil creatures feel a subtle needling all over their skin while they remain. It’s a minor annoyance but a constant reminder that their presence is antithesis to the core virtues of Mount Celestia.

Trial of Enlightenment

Ascending the layers of Mount Celestia is not as straightforward as simply finding a gate. The most accessible way to cross from one layer to the next highest is to find a path through the mountains, and there are many, and submit to the Trial of Enlightenment. This process is performed automatically by the nature of the plane on those that seek to ascend; those not seeking to ascend cannot accidentally stumble into the Trial of Enlightenment, regardless of where they are on the layer.

The trials are personal examinations of each individual’s deeds and goals. They happen invisibly, without fanfare or showy effects, and get more introspective the higher up the Seven Heavens the traveler climbs. Creatures wishing to travel from the first layer, Lunia, to the second layer of Mercuria must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check, a task that requires 10 minutes. The trials become progressively more difficult and lengthy the farther up Mount Celestia a traveler goes as represented by the Trial of Enlightenment table below.

Each attempt requires the traveler travel to the highest point on the layer, a journey that itself can take hours or days depending on their familiarity with the terrain and mode of transportation. Failure on a check requires the traveler to spend twice the listed time on their current layer before attempting the ascension again.

The actual mode of travel make no difference for ascending, so flying, burrowing, and walking creatures must all succeed on the Wisdom (Insight) check to ascend. Creatures with an intelligence lower than 3 automatically succeed though the time requirement remains the same, and celestial creatures can ignore the ability check and time requirement.

The exception to all of these is ascending from Jovar to Chronias. This ascent is so bewildering contemplative and deeply spiritual that it cannot be expressed in simple game terms. Most creatures that are able to make the climb never return from Chronias, and even solars and archons rarely make the climb.

It’s also worth noting that the Trial of Enlightenment is only required for ascending Mount Celestia. A creature wishing to descend can do so easily, especially since all rivers flow down directly to the Silver Sea in defiance of all logic.

There are hidden pathways up that avoid the Trial of Enlightenment known only to a few. The Platinum Palace of Bahamut floats above the sky and easily traverses at least the first three layers without requiring special time or contemplative commitments, but other routes do exist. They are often hidden behind cryptic arcane phrases or require the use of esoteric knowledge or magic.

Sites & Treasures

It is widely assumed by the uninitiated that the Seven Heavens of Mount Celestia encompass a single enormous mountain peak rising up from the Silver Sea. The truth is much more complicated and deep than that, and each layer extends infinitely out, and for those unworthy or unwilling to find the path between layers, infinitely up as well. These great expanses hold unique sites, lost treasures, and wonders just waiting to be uncovered.

Bastion of the Blessed Banner

There are few more cursed places in Mount Celestia than the Bastion of the Blessed Banner. Located in a shadowed valley up the slope on Lunia, this was the former home of Zariel, a solar charged with watching over the Blood War that rages in the Lower Planes. She was frustrated with the lack of action on the part of the celestial forces, and she decided to take matters into her own hand when she led a charge into Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. There, she fell to corruption and was welcomed as the Lord of the First by Asmodeus himself.

Zariel’s fortress immediately fell into disrepair. Many of her vassals and personal guards accompanied her on her charge into the Nine Hells and fell to corruption as well, and those left behind at the Bastion of the Blessed Banner abandoned the fortress immediately upon Zariel’s betrayal. Now, it is a haunted place, where the memories of the once proud warriors that guarded its battlement and patrolled its grounds walk in shadow. Few have sought it out, and most of those that have discovered the mountain trails actively discourage visitors.

What remains in Zariel’s lost home may hold a key to redeeming the once noble solar, if such a goal could be accomplished. Some treasured possessions may still linger in locked vaults or hidden store rooms within the Bastion of the Blessed Banner, but rumors persist that the taint of the fallen solar spread across the multiverse to affect some of her remaining legion in the fortress.

Beacon Towers of the Silver Sea

Lantern archons are responsible for watching over and guarding Lunia from invasion, and they do this primarily by staffing the hundreds of tall Beacon Towers stationed around the shores of the Silver Sea. Each of the towers stands about 100 feet tall, constructed of polished marble and granite, with numerous balconies along its five-story height. The crenellated top holds a dozen lantern archons at any given time, watching over their designated area for any signs of trouble, surrounding a tall pillar of white crystal in the center. Each Beacon Tower is commanded by a hound archon, and a rotating squad of sword and warden archons move between them all at regular intervals, checking up and receiving reports. They are commanded ultimately by the solar Aeshma the Radiant Star at the Radiant Star Tower.

Each Beacon Tower is built within eyesight of the next, roughly 5 miles across the still waters of the Silver Sea, so that in an emergency a lantern archon can fuse with the white crystal at the top to create a brilliant signal light. The signal light is then flashed a number of times in correspondence with a known lantern archon code to quickly relay messages throughout the Beacon Towers. It’s an effective strategy for quickly alerting and passing along messages to whomever needs to notified.

The lantern archons at each Beacon Tower make a point to be as friendly as possible with the local zoveri that pass through in the Silver Sea. For their part, the aquatic zoveri bring any rescued traveler stranded in the water to the nearest Beacon Tower. Those without ill intent are welcomed by the local lantern archons, given food and shelter for as long as necessary before being sent off with good cheer, but creatures with malice in their hearts are imprisoned in special cells located in the basement of each Beacon Tower. There, they are questioned by the commander who decides what to do with them next.

Blind Prison

There are some among the celestial residents of the Seven Heavens that believe rehabilitation is a possible route for some evil creatures. Tyr, a god of justice known in many Material Planes, saw the wisdom in the attempt, and constructed a fantastic fortress known as the Blind Prison on the shores of the Silver Sea on Lunia. Viryn the Justice Hand, a solar who originally served Tyr, now serves as the warden and ultimate commander of the Blind Prison.

All prisoners brought to the Blind Prison are magically blinded by a special binding cloth of radiant energy. They are kept in individual cells within the sprawling fortress complex and watched over at all times by a retinue of lantern and warden archons. Viryn keeps a catalogue of all prisoners, their crimes, their sentences, and any notable behaviors within a massive golden tome called the Codex Caecus. To date, the efforts to rehabilitate a prisoner within the Blind Prison has not been successful, but Viryn is steadfast in his duties and believes with all his heart the mission of peaceful rehabilitation.

There are cells deep beneath the Blind Prison where monstrous creatures are kept that are too powerful to be destroyed. Rehabilitation is not the goal for these abominations, only containment, and Viryn has personally overseen the interment of hundreds of these prisoners. Many of them stay in the Blind Prison only a short time before being pushed off to the prison plane of Carceri, but some are deemed to important or dangerous to let loose.

Viryn swears that no prisoners has ever escaped the Blind Prison, but he has always been careful to choose his words very deliberately if the subject were to come up. This leads some planar scholars to believe that some prisoners have escaped since the Blind Prison was established, but none but Viryn knows for sure.

Empyrea, City of Tempered Souls

Resting on the shores of a beautiful mountain lake on the slopes of Mertion, the fifth layer of Mount Celestia, Empyrea is a city of simple architecture, humble residents, and some of the most skilled healers in all the multiverse. People come to the City of Tempered Souls when all other options have failed to cure unknown diseases and restore lost mental and physical capabilities. Everything in Empyrea is built around the concept of helping others through healing, natural and magical, and there are chapels and temples dedicated to every known power of restoration in the city itself.

Empyrea holds no standing army, though the slopes of Mertion are filled with marshalling forces of paladins, archons, and other celestial powers so the city generally does not need specialized guardians to protect it. Every healer in Empyrea joins the loose organization known as the Hospitalers League which requires them to take an oath pledging to help all who come to the city seeking aid regardless of their faith, creed, origin, or nature of their debilitation. The clerics and medics of the City of Tempered Souls have helped mortals, fiends, and even a few gods in the centuries since its founding.

The secret to the wondrous healing powers of Empyrea is the nearby mountain lake, which is fed by a magical underground wellspring that creates a powerful natural medicine. The wellspring provides a boost to the large number of priests, clerics, herbalists, and surgeons that occupy the city. If the wellspring were to become tainted or lose its wondrous powers, Empyrea’s ability to handle the large number of cases – from insidious plagues to devastating war rounds – would be severely hampered.

Erackinor

Deep below the mountains of Solania run the complex halls and tunnels of Erackinor, greatest dwarven realm in all the multiverse and home to their most powerful gods and goddesses. Magnificent works of art are created in the hundreds of forges throughout the underground sprawl, which spreads out for miles in all directions. Erackinor is divided into hundreds of individual holdfasts, each holding a single dwarven clan along with their history. The sense of familial legacy runs strong in Erackinor, and each clan elder is advised by the spiritual embodiments of their ancestors.

Accessing Erackinor requires passing through one of several gates situated on the slopes of Solania, each nestled within sparkling crystalline gorges that provide both beauty and practical defense against intruders. Even on Mount Celestia, dwarves do not let down their guard, preparing their home against all threats. The center of Erackinor is a great perpendicular hall known as the Glittering Spike, and this is where the dwarven gods dwell. Moradin supposedly watches over them all, but he is most often preoccupied with his endless work at the Soulforge.

Each holdfast volunteers dwarves, usually younger generations, to the eternal defense of Erackinor. These volunteers join the Bothelargenrak Legion, an elite force of defenders, whose name means “champion hammer of the stone gods.” It is said a defender wearing the symbol of the Bothelargenrak Legion has never lost a battle while their arm and armor remains strong.

Most of the focus within Erackinor is on the plight of the dwarven people across the multiverse, so the dwarves rarely engage with the greater realms of Mount Celestia. However, Moradin has pledged a certain quantity of Bothelargenrak legionnaires to the patrolling and active defense of Solania, so there are a handful of outposts in the mountainous layer watched over by powerful dwarven soldiers.

Feast Hall of Kar-Lenorr

The Legion of Righteous Fury’s home on Mount Celestia is a massive stone building complex known as the Feast Hall of Kar-Lenorr. The central structure towers over 200 feet high with an opening leading out to the brisk Mercuria sky. This is where the leaders of the legion meet to discuss important strategies, and to host the weekly “feast of fury” where all members are invited to dine in celebration for their eternal struggle against the wicked powers of the Nine Hells.

Surrounding the main hall are a dozen small stone buildings housing the actual forces of the Legion of Righteous Fury. They are divided into squads, and each squad eats, sleeps, and trains together to form a strong bond of friendship and warrior camaraderie that extends far beyond the battlefield. Rivalries between squads are common but rarely end in bloodshed, as the legion has numerous means by which the squads can settle any grievances. Many of them are physical in nature, such as completing one of the many grueling obstacle courses in the basement of the Feast Hall.

The Feast Hall of Kar-Lenorr is named after the legion’s founder, Kar-Lenorr, a proud female glory jotun from the plane of Ysgard. She was a rebel amongst her kind, feeling an intrinsic desire to focus her battle prowess over a regimented structure of inherent law and order. Glory jotun, like most jotun of Ysgard, are wild chaotic warriors, and Kar-Lenorr felt no kinship with her own kind, so she set out on her own. She ended up on the slopes of Mercuria, honoring the warriors interred within fantastic tombs all across the layer, and built the foundation of the Feast Hall with her own hands. The legion is her legacy, and Kar-Lenorr’s physical remains are held in stasis below the great central hall in a sacred tomb.

Glass Tarn

The Glass Tarn is a pristine, pure mountain lake located in a secluded valley between three majestic glaciered peaks on Venya, the third layer of Mount Celestia. The waters are unnaturally calm, and no wind or weather can disturb their stillness. A powerful enchantment inherent in the Glass Tarn turns any personally valuable object thrown with conviction into the lake into a radiant prophecy regarding the thrower, emerging as a brilliant white light that fills the valley.

For those that lack conviction, however, the spiritual resonance of the Glass Tarn manifests as a powerful geyser of ice-cold water, and then transforms into a swirling watery vortex that draws in all around it. Those that get sucked into the Glass Tarn’s vortex find themselves flung across the multiverse to end up in the Darkened Depths of the Plane of Water – and into the lair of a powerfully hungry beast of unknown proportions.

The halflings of the Green Fields know of the Glass Tarn, and can direct travelers to its location. They make sure to warn those seeking the mountain lake of the dangers of using it, but they don’t do anything to deter such visitations. Each person must make up their own mind as to the risks and rewards of visiting the Glass Tarn.

Glittering Lotus Valley

Mount Celestia’s sixth layer, Jovar, is known as the Glittering Heaven with good reason. Countless gemstones litter the mountainside, from small pebble-sized stones to enormous monolithic chunks of inestimable value. It truly is a glittering paradise, but there are some sites that stand above the rest even amongst such breathtaking beauty. Secluded between four proud ice mountains sits the quiet splendor of the Glittering Lotus Valley.

The floor of this valley is filled with tiny blossoming lotus flowers of varied colors and hues. They are delicate, beautiful, and each constructed of multiple pieces of expertly cut gemstones, giving the entire valley a sparkling luster that dims the surrounding region by comparison. The Glittering Lotus Valley is tended by Sybil, a solar of quiet contemplation, who creates each perfect lotus flower through incredible patience and deft handiwork. She can often be found walking slowly in large circles through the valley with her eyes closed, never stepping on or disturbing the lotus gemstones, or sitting in silent meditation in the center of the valley. Sybil rarely speaks and has only taken to action to defend her creations.

Some planar scholars believe Sybil’s purpose as a solar is fulfilled, leaving her to simply tend to the Glittering Lotus Valley as a way to pass the time. The lifespan of a solar is infinite unless taken by violence, so it’s not unreasonable to assume Sybil’s goal as a solar was completed long ago. No known record exists of her outside the valley, however, which leads others to argue her time has not yet come. They argue that Sybil is clearly waiting for something to happen, and that when it does the purpose behind the countless priceless lotus gemstones in her valley shall become clear. Sybil herself does not bother herself with such questions and has offered no explanation for her tending to the flowers or being in the valley.

Golden Library of the Great Wyrm

Semrassa the Ancient, a gold dragon of ancient size and power, tends to one of the largest archives in all of Mount Celestia, and arguably across the multiverse. The Golden Library of the Great Wyrm sits on an idyllic, peaceful meadow on the slopes of Venya, the third layer of the Seven Heavens, looking to casual viewers as a simple wooden building surrounded by ancient oak trees. Anyone who stands long enough sees the shape shimmer and transform multiple times, becoming a columned fortress, a grand hall made of granite, or one of hundreds of other forms.

This is the beguiling magic of Semrassa that serves as the Golden Library’s first line of defense. To reach the Golden Library’s true doors, a visitor must announce themselves and seek learning in their hearts. The oak trees respond to those that speak the truth by parting and revealing the magnificent gilded walls of the library itself, with golden doors beckoning the knowledge-seeker inside. Without this learning in their heart, the Golden Library remains locked away, and Semrassa’s other defensive wards take over if a force were to attempt a hostile entry.

Inside, the Golden Library’s central hall sprawls out in well-lit glory. The ancient gold dragon herself spends her time in this main chamber, perusing new book arrivals before passing them off to the score of attendant librarians that catalogue the books and store them in shelves. The Golden Library contains seven wings, with each holding thousands of books from across the multiverse on every topic imaginable. The most prized collection on Mount Celestia are the Books of Light wherein the deeds of archons are automatically transcribed – these books are kept in the main hall beneath Semrassa’s personal gaze.

Anyone that can find the Golden Library and truly seeks learning are welcome, and Semrassa has seen mortals, fiends, gods, undead, and countless other creatures come in search of knowledge. There have only been a few incidents of guile and subterfuge by guests, but these were swiftly dealt with by Semrassa’s formidable arcane powers or by the attendant golden librarians who are trained to defend the library at all costs.

Green Fields

The Green Fields is the idyllic, peaceful realm of the halflings on the gentlest slopes of Venya, the third layer of Mount Celestia. Here, comfort reigns supreme, as the halfling residents live out their days under the watchful eyes of their protective sheriffs. No predators stalk the fields, little rivers, or quaint forests of the Green Fields, and a sense of calming relaxation settles over all who visit.

The Green Fields are made up of countless burrows, each housing a family of halflings in cozy, underground homes. Many grow crops in small gardens or fields, and the harvest is always bountiful thanks to the perfect weather. Regular celebrations are held by the individual families commemorating moments in their history, and the larger communities come together on regular occasions to celebrate important milestones. It has been remarked by travelers that there’s always a party going on somewhere in the Green Fields – just follow the sound of laughter!

Yondalla’s home is a simple cottage in the center of the Green Fields surrounded by the smell of baking pies and warm fresh bread. She is attended by a host of homeless halflings who have nowhere else to go, a group known as the Hearthless. They serve Yondalla faithfully, performing common deeds around the cottage and larger grounds, and occasionally being sent out into the wider multiverse to carry messages on behalf of their kindly goddess.

Heavenly City of Yetsira

The Heavenly City of Yetsira stands upon the highest point on Jovar, the sixth layer of Mount Celestia, and by some trick of perspective it can be seen from everywhere else on the layer. Yetsira is an enormous seven-layered ziggurat resting atop a peak more than a mile wide. Each layer of the ziggurat is occupied by countless archons engaging in leisurely actively, for here is a place of peaceful contemplation, meditation, and philosophical debate. No mortals live in Yetsira, though any that reach its steps are welcome by the celestials.

Yetsira is where the great collective of archons meet and decide upon the advancement of other archons. The Library of Zokala is dedicated to only housing the various volumes of the Books of Light, which are consulted by the greater archons when deciding to advance other celestials. The Golden Library of the Great Wyrm holds many copies of the Books of Light but the ones in the Library of Zokala are the original.

The vaults within the fourth layer of the ziggurat hold vast weapon stores that can be distributed amongst the celestial forces in case of emergency. Powerful magical arms and armor are found in those vaults, but only three times have the doors been needed to be opened and their power distributed. In all cases, the threat to Mount Celestia was great but was repelled by well-armed celestial warriors.

At the top of Yetsira, the very pinnacle of the ziggurat, spans the Bridge of al-Sihal. This is the only way to ascend to Chronias, the seventh and ultimate layer of Mount Celestia, and to cross a visitor must prove their worthiness to Xerona of the Heavenly Bridge. Xerona detects any lie or falsehood, for only those of in perfect synchronization with the vibrations of the Seven Heavens can hope to enter Chronias. He has turned aside gods, heroes, and kings without passion or bias.

Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty

The industrious dwarves of Erackinor have produced countless items of inestimable value, including fantastic weapons and armor, ornate jewelry, and priceless trinkets. One of the greatest treasures created in the halls of Erackinor is a simple item known as the Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty. This flower is constructed of more than a dozen gemstones carefully crafted to resemble delicate petals and then strung together to create a moving wondrous piece of jewelry. The dwarf artisan who built it was said to be possessed with the sight of Moradin himself and the dwarf god’s patience and power flowed through the mortal.

A powerful enchantment was woven into the Jacinth, though whether on purpose or accident is not know. Possessing the artifact granted the dwarf artisan great charisma and personal presence, and he quickly rose to prominence among his family. Unfortunately, there was a flaw in the magic, and the dwarf’s entire clan fell to bickering and infighting over the beautiful trinket. Their names are now forgotten and Moradin himself cast the Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty out of Erackinor and into the wider multiverse.

The Jacinth now shows up in market stalls and bazaars, and wherever it appears destruction and ruination follow. Planar scholars seem baffled at how such a cursed item could come from Mount Celestia, but others say it speaks to the fallible nature of good and evil.

Monastery of Seven Flowers

The misty valleys of Solania hide countless refuges away from prying eyes, but few are as remote or difficult to find as the legendary Monastery of Seven Flowers. Set upon the side of a craggy peak at an impossible angle, the monastery houses an order of monks who follow the Way of Seven Flowers. The core precept of this following is the idea of flow, where meditation unlocks the inner power of the mind and soul.

The monks of the monastery tend to the peaceful gardens and practice their art in peaceful serenity, unbothered by the plight of the larger world. They follow the edicts of the Grandmaster of Flowers, but unknown to most this is not a single person or entity. Instead, it is the apex of the monk’s beliefs, a psychic manifestation that taps into all of their unconsciousness regardless of distance or space. It can take the form of a golden light within a single monk but most of the time it is simply a nebulous force that guides, protects, and advises its followers.

Each flow of the seven flowers is marked by an actual flower that grows within the monastery ground, tended by a chosen monk in a decade-long cycle. As long as the individual flowers grow the power of the Grandmaster of Flowers is undeterred, and the monks consider it their sacred duty and a personal honor to be chosen to watch over the individual flowers.

Platinum Palace

Bahamut’s realm on Mount Celestia isn’t on Mount Celestia by strictest accounts; it floats above it. The Platinum Palace is a fantastic floating fortress that flies on a solid cloud over the lower layers of the Seven Heavens, usually hovering above Lunia or Mercuria. A legion of dragonborn knights and paladins train on the palace grounds in loyal service to their master, while good-aligned metallic dragons wing through halls and open pavilions.

A council of seven ancient golden dragons talk, debate, and review the machinations of evil creatures, advising Bahamut on all things while remaining largely aloof from it all. The Platinum Palace is a kingly place where great ideals are held in high regard, and since they literally fly above the ground a true sense of arrogance is bred amongst the dragonborn legions. They are noble and proud, serving Bahamut in all things, but they tend to view problems from their lofty height in the Platinum Palace.

Bahamut is also served by an order of cutthroats, rogues, and thieves known as the Dracosaints. They are headquartered in the Platinum Palace as well and tend to be more pragmatic than the paladins around them; they fulfill the needs of Bahamut across the multiverse when stealth and shadow serve better than sword and shield. The master of the Dracosaints advises Bahamut in their missions and is held in high regard by the dragon god.

The Platinum Palace itself is filled with spiraling towers of dazzling beauty, ivory halls, and grand amphitheaters. Bahamut has a true sense for flair and drama, and often makes proclamations that can be heard everyone on the miles-long palatial ground. Beautiful music drifts on the air from unseen sources and there are hundreds of groves of fruit-bearing trees that provide sustenance for all who come seeking refuge or advice from the Platinum Dragon.

Radiant Star Tower

Glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver on the shore of the Silver Sea, the Radiant Star Tower is the greatest of the Beacon Towers that protect and watch over Lunia from outside invaders. It is the home of the solar Aeshma who commands the lantern archons and other forces, and she is a benevolent but ever watchful guardian over the tranquil waters. The Radiant Star Tower is broader and larger than the other Beacon Towers, and on its top is a brilliant multicolored gemstone shaped in the form of a curling flame. When it is lit, the light can be seen from everyone on Lunia, or so it is said at least.

Aeshma’s most devoted forces are stationed at Radiant Star Tower, and she receives regular reports from across the tower network on the Silver Sea shores. She keeps up with rumors and stories from the aquatic zoveri as well, and she holds the octopus-like creatures in high regard for their kindness and willingness to hold all life as sacred. Aeshma strives to this ideal as well, though her personal beliefs on the nature of evil colors any interaction she has with fiends and other supernaturally evil beings.

Radiant Star Tower is built on a rocky shelf, and the waters of the Silver Sea cascade over the rocks in gentle waves. An ancient dungeon sits below the tower itself, though Aeshma rarely uses it – it may hold secrets lost to the solar. To date it is nothing but an afterthought to the powerful solar.

Rainbow Pyramid

The rose-hued sky of Mertion, Mount Celestia’s fifth layer, shines upon many radiant sites, but few are so arresting as the Rainbow Pyramid. This enormous stepped pyramid is constructed of alternating layers of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet stones with only a single entrance at the top. The circular opening leads to a shaft that leads directly to the central chamber of the pyramid wherein dwells the pyramid’s master – the Plume of the Rainbow Heavens, a couatl lord of great wisdom and power.

Any who come seeking the guidance of the Plume can descend through the shaft at the top of the pyramid in a safe, slow fall, but those with malice in their hearts face a much more lethal drop. The Plume is a patient creature, coiled in massive loops on the floor, and spends most of its days in silent meditation upon the nature of the multiverse. Antechambers and halls cut out from the main room where the Plume’s servants dwell – colorful mummies with no need to eat, drink, or even breathe. They live only to serve the couatl lord.

The Plume’s thoughts are focused on a mighty creature known as Dendar the Night Serpent, and it is forthis great evil the couatl lord scours the multiverse. The two, Dendar and the Plume, are two sides of a great coin, and it has been surmised that one cannot exist without the other. Surmised, of course, by planar scholars who have no personal stakes in their powers or existence.

Ruby Heads of Jovar

Jovar is a land studded with countless priceless gems, some small and others enormous, but amongst them are a series of oddities that have defied explanation or easy investigation. Known as the Ruby Heads, these are ten-foot tall, solid red crystalline gems constructed by all appearances to look like a massive head with an unusually broad forehead. Certain gemstones of all shapes and colors naturally look like some objects, and if there was only one Ruby Head it would be a curiosity but nothing more.

There are, however, dozens of them scattered about the slopes of Jovar. They are nearly identical, with only minor variations between them – some a bit larger, some a bit smaller, but all sharing the same general characteristics. Jovar sees few visitors accounting for its high height on the “slope” of Mount Celestia, but the archons who frequent the region seem unbothered by the presence of the Ruby Heads. In fact, they seem not to take notice of them at all, viewing them as nothing more than natural rock formations.

Some have claimed the Ruby Heads are the only physical representation of an ancient order of celestial powers – older than the gods and the solars – who once lived on Mount Celestia. There is nearly no evidence to support this theory, however, and the few mortals that have witnessed them come away with slightly different accounts of their appearance. Is there a strange enchanting magic over them that deludes memory and hides them from celestial sight?

Soulforge of Moradin

The entire dwarven realm of Erackinor is built around a single powerful monument – the Soulforge of Moradin. This sacred site sits far below the Erackinor halls and access is limited to only Moradin and those he has explicitly allowed in. Legends say that the Soulforge is where the very souls of the first dwarves were hammered and purified before being given flesh and life, made in their creator’s image. Moradin certainly doesn’t dispute this claim, though the twinkling wink in his aged eye suggests there’s more to the story.

The Soulforge itself is a titanic oven used to melt rock and ore into workable steel, much like a regular forge, but it is on a scale too massive to be believed. There are actual a dozen separate forges within the mammoth contraption placed at various heights, some giant-sized and others dwarf sized. They are used for different purposes with the white-hot flame inside the Soulforge burning at different temperatures as well. One forge is used for edged weapons, another for armor and shields, another for bludgeoning weapons, and so forth.

The fire has never gone out inside the Soulforge, and legends say that if it were the dwarf people would sputter and die with it. It is widely assumed that some primordial elemental lives inside especially since other dwarven gods of Erackinor swear Moradin talks to someone while working the Soulforge. Is the inhabitant inside a prisoner, or a willing ally? Are they a force of nature, powerful and destructive but without moral purpose, or a reasoning sentient creature?

Tomb of the Splendid Roc

Mercuria’s slopes and valleys are filled with tombs, burial chambers, graves, and monuments to fallen heroes from across the multiverse. The resting places of great kings, noble queens, warriors and knights, paladins and soldiers, and everything in between can be found in the relatively ordered array along the gravel paths that wind between them all. Graverobbing is strictly forbidden and enforced by powerful warden archons who watch over the tombs, and they must be vigilant for many of the dead are buried with the wondrous treasures they held in life. There is one tomb that is sought for its treasures per express wishes, but the Tomb of the Splendid Roc is deviously difficult to locate.

The Splendid Roc was the name of a fantastic roc of intelligence, wisdom, and candor that sailed through the skies of the Upper Planes for many generations. It never settled in one place, but wherever it went people were overjoyed to see it, for the Splendid Roc had a knack for helping out people with their problems. The massive bird held magical powers and could transform itself into nearly any shape, but it much preferred its natural form. Over the centuries, people showered the Splendid Roc with gifts of all kind, and the magical avian collected it all to honor the gift-giver. It was all stored in a secret location, and when the Splendid Roc died of old age it asked the gods to bury its wondrous treasures in a tomb for the worthy to find.

The gods did that, and stories quickly spread in tavern halls in the planar metropolises about the Tomb of the Splendid Roc. But the edict of the gods was not so straightforward – the tomb could only be found by those not looking for it. A simple enough riddle, but to date no treasure hunter has found the secret location. Occasionally, a monk or lost archon stumbles upon the site while wandering Mercuria’s rugged terrain, and since they seek nothing they take nothing. But the stories continue to spread, fueling the imagination of many throughout the multiverse.

Trumpet of Joy

Also known as the First Trumpet, the Trumpet of Joy is a simple musical instrument constructed of tarnished brass. It has a well-worn look to it, showing clear signs of great use by loving hands, but it gives all appearances to need some spit and polish to shine bright. In the hands of a proficient user, however, the Trumpet of Joy lights up like a radiant beacon and sings its musical notes in brilliant tones for all to hear.

This was the instrument held by the first archon to take the role of trumpet archon. Legends refer to the celestial as the Music Maker, and they elevated themselves up from the rank of sword archon to create an entirely new rank of celestial. They imbued their trumpet with such majestic glory and wondrous power as to make the very solars of Mount Celestia take notice, and when they did they found an uplifting swell of music that stirred the blood and rose the spirits. The Music Maker was elevated to the position of first trumpet archon, though over time they fell in combat against a fiendish horde in the Gray Waste of Hades.

The Music Maker’s trumpet, now known as the Trumpet of Joy, holds a special spark of that archon’s wondrous illuminating power. Anyone proficient with the instrument find their musical skills enhanced to an almost divine level, and they can tap into greater uplifting powers contained within the Trumpet of Joy. Unfortunately, the item’s current location isn’t known, but it tends to show up in times of great need, when the sound of joyous music is truly needed to win hearts and minds against a truly oppressive evil.