Elemental Plane of Air

The Elemental Plane of Air was an Inner Plane or Elemental Plane[14] of the Great Wheel cosmology and the World Tree cosmology models. Air is one of the four elements and two energies that make up the known universe and therefore of keen interest to cosmologists as well as spell casters that wish to harness and wield the raw power of the elements.

Description

“It is as open as the eternal sky. It is as solid as a child's breath. It is falling forever.” — Manual of the Planes

• The Elemental Plane of Air was filled essentially completely with air but had various impurities that tended to form pockets or bubbles in the otherwise pure atmosphere. Gaseous bubbles included clouds of every type, fog, steam, mist, smoke, poisonous clouds and acidic vapors; also the rare intrusion of elemental fire which is flame without fuel. Liquid impurities were usually water or water-based and tended to form floating spheres when not buffeted or frozen by the winds. Solid matter could be found here, from dust, ash, salt, or sand, to chunks of earth approaching the size of a large asteroid. The larger chunks were often brought into the plane by intelligent beings and were very likely to be inhabited or formerly inhabited. As described by the Great Wheel model, a traveler with a guide could approach the boundaries with the para- and quasi-elemental planes: where the whiff of smoke eventually became hot, thick, and choking, or the tang of ozone soon lead to heavy storms with arcs of lightning in all directions, or the temperature dropped until flakes of snow, crystals of ice, and lumps of hail finally became a wall of ice, or the light faded to gray and the air thinned out until there was nothing.
• If you had to describe the Elemental Plane of Air in a single word, it would have been "blue". The very substance of the plane seemed to radiate the magnificent sapphire hue of a clear summer day on the Prime Material Plane. Visibility was twice what the best conditions on the Prime could allow, unless of course something obscured vision. Weather was the primary natural hazard in this plane. The winds were normally light to moderately strong throughout the plane but could intensify into tornadoes, maelstroms, and hurricanes with powerful lightning. These extreme weather events were common, and when other elements got caught up in the storm it could produce pounding rain, blinding snow, pelting hail, freezing sleet, and storms of choking smoke, biting sand, burning ash, scalding steam, or searing fire. The worst of these was the maelstrom, a toroid-shaped tornado that could last for decades. Being caught in one was like being in a violent dust storm and death was only a matter of minutes away unless the victim was able to achieve great speed (escape velocity), perform an act of great strength or receive outside assistance. Spellcasting was impossible within a maelstrom.

NOTABLE LOCATIONS

• Borealis
• Citadel of Ice and Steel
• Taifun, Palace of Tempests
• Gourdham, bustling skytown and hometown of Bord Agatta (C2) Lucas Stuff - Bord Agatta 

Inhabitants

Invisible, and yet the most common denizens of this plane were the elementals themselves including aerial servants, invisible stalkers and wind walkers. Unless magic was employed their outlines were only vaguely visible if dust or debris were caught in their bodies. When made visible, air elementals were usually large wispy beings with aerodynamic bodies and wings, or propelled themselves by forcing air through their bodies and using fins for maneuvering. Others, sometimes called animentals, mimicked the shape of Prime Material animals and monsters.

• Immigrants to the Elemental Plane of Air included the djinn, mephits of the air, dust and ice subtypes, and Aarakocra. Reported sightings of other creatures included beholders, belkers, cloud giants, devas, hippogriffs, ildriss, pegasi, skriaxit, spectres, sphinxes, sprites, sylphs, vapor rats, and air genasi.

Realms

• Akadi, the Queen of Air, once dwelt in a great maelstrom on this plane.
• Bahamut was reported to have a citadel here as well as several locations in the Seven Heavens. Whether these were separate realms, the same realm that moved about, or realms that existed simultaneously in these places is still debated.
• Great Caliph Husam al-Balil ben Nafhat al-Yugayyim, the Master of the Clouds and Son of the Breezes, Commander of the Four Winds, Ruler of All Djinn, Defender of the Heavens, Prince of Birds, Storm of the Righteous, and many other titles had a realm called the Citadel of Ice and Steel here.
• Shu, father of Geb, resided here in a realm of balmy air and gentle breezes called Desert Wind.
• Yan-C-Bin, the Prince of Evil Aerial Creatures, once had a realm in the Plane of Air.

Citadel of Ice and Steel

The Citadel of Ice and Steel was the center of all major djinni activity within the Elemental Plane of Air.

• Also known as "The Court of Ice and Steel"
• Population at normal times around 65,000, could be close to 200,000 on State Occasions and Holidays

Geography

• This citadel was actually a gigantic chunk of elemental ice and earth, smoothed over time by the winds into a nearly perfect oval. The Great Caliph's palace was located in the center.

• The entire citadel was constantly free-falling, based on the caliph's will. Thus, the only kind of movement possible within the citadel was flight.

• Any creature incapable of flight or hovering was constantly buffeted by wind from djinn guards while they were in audience with the Great Caliph.

Government

The Great Caliph and his court issued decrees and collected taxes, but the citadel did not produce tangible products.

Defenses

• The noble djinn had several elite military organizations that they could call upon if the Court of Ice and Steel was threatened, including:

Teeth of the Wind  

• The Teeth of the Wind was an armed militia from the djinn freeholds and the Citadel of Ice and Steel.[
• The exact numbers of the Teeth of the Wind was unknown, though it was believed to be in the tens of thousands. It was made-up of djinni and their elemental allies.
• This combined force worked as a gigantic cloud of flying combatants, raining missiles down from above with archers and skirmishers.

  Monsoon Legion  

• The Monsoon Legion was a military organization operating out of the Citadel of Ice and Steel on the Elemental Plane of Air.
• 1,000 heavily armed elite djinni bodyguards served in the Monsoon Legion.
• The Monsoon Legion was responsible for the safety of the Great Caliph. They attacked and flew in formation.

  Silver Turban Legion  

• The Silver Turban Legion, or the Feathers, was a military organization operating out of the Citadel of Ice and Steel on the Elemental Plane of Air.
• 250 djinni riding griffons comprised the Silver Turban Legion. Only females were permitted to join.
• The Silver Turban Legion served as shock troops for the djinn.

 

Inhabitants

Djinn and noble djinn, along with elemental servants of air inhabited the citadel.

Rumors and Legends

The djinn claimed to have overthrown Inix, the Princess of Elemental Evil, and claimed the citadel for their own.