Purgotroy

Purgatory: The Plane of Balance and Judgment

Plane Type: Outer Plane (Lawful Neutral)
Alignment: Perfect Balance – Neutral with equal measures of all elements and alignments
Dominant Traits:

• Timeless
• Magic is stable
• Gravity and time are consistent and orderly
• Equal parts positive and negative energy, no wild zones

Overview

“Here, all things are measured. Here, every step is a reckoning.”

Purgatory is the Plane of Equilibrium, shaped by absolute balance. It is where light and shadow hold no dominance over one another, fire and water mingle without conflict, and earth and air rise and fall in unison. Time flows at a steady, calm rate, unhurried and unrelenting.

The Purpose of Purgatory

• Judgment: All souls must pass through this plane upon death unless their fate is already sealed. Here, they are judged by the Scales of Asgorath, Creator of the Multiverse.
• Reflection: Especially for those who lived morally gray lives, Purgatory offers a chance at understanding and, possibly, redemption.
• Balance: Living in this realm means fulfilling a designated role to maintain cosmic harmony. Everything has its function—no more, no less.

Key Features

• The Equilibrium Wastes: A vast expanse of balanced terrain: symmetrical plains, mirrored mountains, and bi-elemental rivers. Every stone, tree, or gust of wind has its place and cycle.
• The Scales of Final Judgment: At the heart of Purgatory lies the city of Oz that acts as the judgment seat for all departed souls. Here, mortal essence is weighed not only on morality but on purpose and impact as well.
• The Twin Suns and Moons: Light and darkness share the sky in perfect hemispheric division. Two suns and two moons—one pair of warmth and light, the other of cold and shadow—orbit in harmony, their light never fully eclipsing the other.

The Pilgrimage to Oz

At the heart of Purgatory lies the fabled City of Oz, the celestial tribunal where final judgment is rendered. The Golden Path—a shimmering road made of radiant topaz stone—leads from Ashmere, the gate town, to the City of Oz. This is known as The Pilgrimage of Reckoning.

Journey Time: 13 Days by Foot

• Symbolic of the 13 Outer Planes of existence.
• Souls walk 1 day for each Plane, mirroring the trials of the multiverse.
• Travel is not physical in the traditional sense—time bends with spiritual reflection, but all souls perceive the journey as thirteen full days.

Structure of the Journey

Each day of the pilgrimage represents an existential challenge and mirrors an aspect of life or a divine principle. Along the road, souls face trials called Crucibles. These may appear as memories, symbolic creatures, moral puzzles, or spirits they wronged in life.

Example Crucibles:

1. The Shadow of Regret – confront a choice they failed to make.
2. The Trial of Compassion – aid another soul or ignore their suffering.
3. The Storm of Wrath – resist vengeance from those they harmed.
4. The River of Truth – speak the truth about their greatest sin aloud.

Key Locations on the Pilgrimage Path

Redemption Mechanics

If a soul is borderline between damnation and redemption:

• Three Failures in Crucibles = automatic descent into the lower planes.
• Three Triumphs = elevation or reincarnation.
• Mixed Results = judged individually by the Tatsuo, who weigh intention over outcome.

Denizens & Judges of Purgatory

"All are judged by their beliefs, for the gods demand no less than truth."

In the Plane of Purgatory, souls are not judged by a single divine law, but according to the standards of their faith and culture. Each major pantheon has a seat within the Court of Oz, ensuring that mortals are judged by the principles they held in life.

Primary Overseers

• Asgorath – The Prime Architect. Creator of the multiverse, god of balance and origin of the dragon pantheon. Rarely intervenes directly but all judgments ultimately occur within the framework of their vision.
• The Tatsuo – Gem Dragon Pantheon. Embodiments of neutral judgment. They form the inner circle of the court and often deliver the final decision for souls on the cusp.

Burrowguard

• Lawful neutral native race of Purgatory. Resembling upright beavers no taller than halflings, they serve as guides, peacekeepers, and moral examiners on the Golden Path. Occasionally, a Burrowguard reveals itself as a higher celestial agent in disguise.

The Pantheonic Courts

Each pantheon maintains a Celestial Embassy within the City of Oz and dispatches divine representatives or avatars to evaluate their worshippers:

Greek Pantheon – Olympyx Tribunal

• Judges: Zeus, Athena, Hades.
• Focus: Heroism, fate, honor, and hubris.
• Notable Feature: The "Weighing of Glory" – a literal scale that weighs a soul's greatest deed against its worst failure.

Roman Pantheon – Valimperis Council

• Judges: Jupiter, Mars, Minerva, Janus.
• Focus: Duty, law, state loyalty, legacy.
• Notable Feature: The Scroll of Deeds, inscribed with a soul’s accomplishments and failures in societal order.

Norse Pantheon – Rúnheimr Circle

• Judges: Odin, Freyja, Tyr.
• Focus: Courage, sacrifice, destiny, and honor in battle.
• Notable Feature: The Runefire Trial, where the soul's essence is cast into a flame that reveals truth through ancestral spirits.

Elvin Pantheon – Thalorwyn Court of Stars

• Judges: Corellon, Sehanine Moonbow, Labelas Enoreth.
• Focus: Creativity, wisdom, the flow of time, and love.
• Notable Feature: The Moonlit Reflection—a pool of starlight that reflects the soul’s truest self.

Giant Pantheons – Skyforge Tribunal

• Judges: Annam the All-Father, Grolantor, Stronmaus.
• Focus: Strength, lineage, trials of will.
• Notable Feature: The Stone Anvil of Judgment, where a soul’s legacy is carved into runestone by ancestral hands.

Orc Pantheon – The Maw of Trial

• Judges: Gruumsh, Luthic, Bahgtru.
• Focus: Survival, conquest, and tribal loyalty.
• Notable Feature: The Hunt of Remembrance—souls must reenact defining battles or challenges, revealing their true strength or cowardice.

Egyptian Pantheon – Duskarra Circle of Balance

• Judges: Osiris, Anubis, Ma’at.
• Focus: Justice, truth, and the afterlife.
• Notable Feature: The Weighing of the Heart, judged against the feather of Ma’at. Deception causes the soul to unravel.

Judgment Process in Oz

Each soul entering Oz is assigned a tribunal based on their devotion, deeds, and declared beliefs. Mixed-faith souls may be judged by multiple pantheons or escalated to the Tatsuo for ultimate judgment. Rare souls—those of heroes, villains, or significant cosmic impact—may be judged directly by Asgorath.

Inhabitants

Asgorath, the World Shaper

The primordial deity who birthed the multiverse dwells here in contemplative slumber or in ageless observation. Rarely seen, but ever-present, Asgorath’s will defines the fabric of this plane.

The Tatsuo – The Gem Dragon Pantheon

Tatsuo, a pantheon of gem dragons (Amethyst, Topaz, Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire), rule as celestial arbiters. They embody psionic serenity, cosmic knowledge, and judgment untainted by mortal bias. Each dragon lord oversees a quadrant of the plane, aligned with both an element and a virtue of law (Order, Wisdom, Justice, and Harmony).

The Burrowgurad

Native planar race, the Burrowgurad are stoic, beaver-like humanoids known for their unshakable discipline, devotion to structure, and psychic connection to the plane’s balance. They serve as judges, scribes, wardens, and maintainers of planar harmony. Created by Asgorath specifically for this plain as well as the operators of the The Astral Odyssey

Accessing Purgatory

• The River Styx: Souls arrive here by flowing down the River Styx after death, especially those whose afterlife fate is uncertain or complex. In Purgatory, they are judged and sent onward to other planes or reincarnated based on their role in cosmic balance.

The Astral Odyssey

The Journey of Living Souls to the Outer World of Existence: Purgatory

"Not all who arrive are dead. Some choose to go beyond."

While the dead enter Purgatory by way of the River Styx, there is another, far more perilous method available to the living:
a mythical path known as the Astral Odyssey.

Passage to Purgatory (for the Living)

To access Purgatory while still alive, one must:

• Seek out Platform 13¾, a hidden and shifting gateway found once in each continent. It is said to manifest only when a ticket is purchased.
• Obtain a Dragon Orb, the universal currency of the Outer Planes, used in exchange for passage and power. The type and purity of the orb influence the ticket tier and journey conditions.
• Purchase a Ticket from a Planar Conductor or a local agent near the secret platform. The ticket must be purchased before the secret platform will be revealed.

Gate-Town of Ashmere

Ashmere is the planar Gate-Town and transition point between Purgatory and the rest of the multiverse. It is a city of geometric perfection, inhabited by planar diplomats, extraplanar exiles seeking redemption, and dead petitioners awaiting judgment. The architecture is symmetrical, its laws unyielding, and every resident fulfills a designated role.

• Ruling Body: The Council of Equation – Five officials (one for each alignment axis) that govern in rotation.
• Enforcers: The Burrowguard –
• Notable Site: The Mirror Spire, where souls are reflected upon themselves before facing the final scales.

Inn Name: The Quiet Equinox

Tagline:

"Where Judgment Sleeps and Reflection Awakens."

Description:

Nestled in the eternal twilight of Ashmere, overlooking the slow-flowing River Styx, The Quiet Equinox stands as a rare place of peace between the weight of the past and the pull of eternity. The inn is made of polished stone, silverwood, and ever-burning lanterns of soft blue flame — a structure of perfect symmetry where no shadow is longer than its light.

Travelers who arrive — both the living through the Astral Odyssey and the dead who have walked the Yellow Road — find themselves surrounded by silence, broken only by the gentle rush of the Styx and the low tones of reflection music that plays throughout the inn.

Rooms are uniquely tailored to the emotional state and spiritual resonance of each guest. Meals taste like forgotten memories or unspoken truths. The innkeeper, a serene figure known only as Mistress Calentha, never sleeps and seems to know exactly when to listen, when to speak, and when to simply offer tea.

Rules & Warnings

• No planar gate may be used for conquest while aboard. Any being that uses the train to wage war between planes is cursed by the Wyrm and cast into the Void Between.
• Passengers must present proof of soul coherence (living or dead). Undead or shattered souls require special clearance.
• The Astral Aurora does not stop for emergencies. If you miss your stop, you may not disembark for another 13-day cycle.