Ethereal Plane

As it overlaps with all neighboring planes, the Ethereal Plane facilitates travel between them. On its borders, travelers can glimpse the adjacent realities, albeit through a distorted, hazy view. This plane lacks the familiar geography of the Prime Material Plane, consisting primarily of ever-shifting mists with minimal solid obstructions. Near its borders, travel to and from other planes is relatively easy for those with the necessary abilities. Travelers from these planes often utilize the Ethereal Plane as a temporary gateway via magic to circumvent obstacles or solid matter. Certain areas within the Ethereal Plane exhibit thinner boundaries between planes due to natural fluctuations or the influence of magic.  

Additional Natives

The Ethereal Plane is inhabited by phantasmal entities such as ghosts, as well as creatures born from the dreams of mortals. Night hags and xills also reside within this plane.

Metaphysical Elements in the Ethereal and their effects

 

Element	Aether	Faith	Time	Soul
Essence	Illumination, clarity, transcendence, awareness.	Belief, devotion, will made sacred, pacts of purpose.	Continuity, memory, prophecy, fate, momentum.	Vital impulse, identity, conviction, individuality. The foundation of personhood and the source of action.
Form in the Ethereal	Light here does not follow natural laws as it glows from within beings and ideas. It forms ribbons of memory, trails of future intentions, and beacons of truth (Some might say, unspoken).	Faith creates paths and sanctuaries in the plane, manifesting as floating sanctums, echoes of prayer, or echoed oaths that empower or imprison.	Time here is non-linear. Every presence leaves a temporal signature. Moments repeat or overlap. Wounds of time become visible as ruptures.	Soul manifests as twin flows: Genius and Anima. They appear in the Ethereal as radiant silhouettes or flowing pulses of action, reacting to memory and belief. Souls here may fracture or fuse under metaphysical stress.
Native Entities	Luminids, entities that guide or confuse travelers by altering what they "see" through inner reflection rather than physical sight.	Eidethei, Phantsechoes of martyrs, saints, or even dark fanatics, shades of belief given form.	Chronovores, beings that feed on unrealized futures or memories unspoken. Also: Aeonthreads—streams of moments stitched into flowing realities.	Soulshades, Anima Trails, and Echoborn which are best described as flickering afterimages of powerful souls; They are partial remnants that drift through the Plane when souls fracture, linger, or reform after trauma. Some are guided by memory, others wander without purpose.
Other	Associated with gods of enlightenment, prophecy, or revelation. Temples resonate into the Ethereal via their sacred fires or sun-aligned structures.	Strong faith (even non-divine) leaves a “pneumagraph”—a trail that can be read, walked, or unraveled. Ethereal mages can track or protect souls by reading these.	Divinations, stasis fields, and memory magic draw on this aspect. Travelers risk stepping into echo-loops, regions where time replays endlessly unless resolved.	Souls may be tracked or mended here. Ethereal soulweavers and monks may read soul-harmonics to repair, bind, or preserve identity. Negative energy disrupts Anima; certain rites and sanctuaries here allow for soul purification or fragment recovery.

 

Gravity

The Ethereal Plane lacks gravity. Time progresses at a perceived rate consistent with the Universe, and the permanence of matter (of which there is relatively little) remains consistent with the Universe.  

Magic

In addition of the divination abilities included above Certain spells cast that generate magical force, as well as some abjuration spells, can affect ethereal beings in corresponding locations. However, spells cast from the Ethereal Plane generally do not directly impact the universe. In addition, Illusions and enchantment are enhanced here and sometimes can reach over and affect others from beyond the realm by powerful entities or powerful spells - That does include also Psionic capabilities.  

Special uses

Many practitioners find the Ethereal as a place to allow prayer or prophecy to have more potent effect. In addition, many creatures that are almost 'erased' or 'hidden' can be found or accessible through rituals of devotion, clarity or remembrance.