The Planes

Material Plane   The world of matter, of physical reality. Governed by the Laws of Physics (including the Laws of Time), this plane nevertheless intertwines with all the others and is the anchor of the Weave that binds them together. Most of the Material Plane consists of planetary bodies, stars, and the vast vacuum of Wildspace that surrounds them. The world of Yyrda is an example of one such planet.     The Weave   While not technically a plane itself, the Weave is the binding force of magic that exists throughout all planes, intertwining them with one another. It is theorized that the Weave was once fully united with the Material Plane, but that it was violently separated from it during the Cataclysm.   There are many different understandings of and approaches to the Weave. Wizards who have dedicated their lives to its study and categorization have created systems and schools of magic by which it can be understood and even harnessed (such as the Arcaneum of Falinor). Others view the Weave as the language of the divine, by which the gods speak to mortals and bless them with their favor—clerics and many paladins experience the Weave in this way. Others have a more innate connection with the Weave, such as various sorcerers through their own gitings or heritage, and druids and rangers through their closeness to Nature. A few tap into the Weave via a connection to the extraplanar, such as warlocks through their pacts and some sorcerers.   One myth holds that the Weave as we know it—along with perhaps the Planes themselves—is the result of a Cosmic Wish arising out of the Cataclysm in response to reality finding itself falling apart, and willing itself to continue to be. Some ancient cults name this primordial force the Power of Heaven, out of which all other deities of Yyrda draw their divinity. Others, such as those who commune with the elemental Djinni, seek to tap into this Wish directly through control of entities that retain lesser forms of this original cosmic power.   Wildspace   While still a part of the Material Plane, Wildspace is the vast airless vacuum that lies between planetary bodies, stars, and the Astral Sea beyond. Each of these Wildspace pockets within the timeless Astral Plane is known as Wildspace System, which may contain any number of stars, planets, and other celestial bodies; for example, the system containing the planet Yyrda also contains its three moons and its Sun (it is unknown whether or not other worlds exist within the same system). Travel between these systems is possible via vessels capable of Wildspace travel, such as Spelljammer ships and Illithid nautiloids.     Astral Plane   Also known as the Astral Sea, this silvery realm exists beyond the Laws of Matter and Time; within it are suspended an infinite number of realms and entities, including pockets of the Material Plane known as Wildspace Systems. The Astral Plane is a realm of pure thought, where one can bend reality by sheer force of will. Many believe that this is the realm of disembodied souls, with some religions viewing it as the afterlife; others view it as merely one point in the journey towards the spirit’s final resting place, crossing through it on its way to the Celestial Realms or the Lower Planes.   While uncommon, there are a few beings who make their home in the Astral Sea, including the civilization of the Githyanki. Most entities encountered in this plane are travelers between Wildspace Systems or those who have been exiled or cast adrift from other planes.   Feywild & Shadowfell   When the Material Plane reformed after the Cataclysm, it generated two expressions of itself superimposed upon the first: one that embodied everything green and growing and wild and bright, and the other that which is dark, decaying, and passing into shadow. These are the Feywild and the Shadowfell, perhaps the easiest planes for those from the Material to travel to and from, but often the least understood and most perilous to the average mortal for how likely it is for them to stumble into either unprepared. The Feywild and Shadowfell are diametric opposites, although they both exist parallel to and often based on the general geography of the Material Plane. Some theorize that they are both a particular instantiation of the mysterious Ethereal Plane for how they seem to coexist so closely with the Material.     The Ethereal Plane   Some theorize that the Ethereal Plane is the realm between the Material Plane and the Weave, or that it is in fact the Plane of the Weave itself. Most types of interplanar travel seem to touch or cross through this plane as a sort of intermediary. The Ethereal Plane seems to exist alongside the Material, often as a direct reflection of the latter but in ethereal form. The Laws of Matter, Time, and Magic seem to generally hold for this plane for those who have to ability to travel through it, although some wizards hypothesize that certain transportation spells (such as Teleport) involve an arcane bending of these laws within the Ethereal Plane; some go so far as to suggest that all magic involves a connection to this plane. In many religions, the Ethereal Plane is also the region in which one’s soul or spirit lingers before passing on into the afterlife.     The Elemental Planes   The Elemental Planes are perhaps the closest to the Material, seeming to exist as the sustaining force of matter itself in four distinct aspects: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. While travel through these planes is possible, it is incredibly difficult for those from the Material Plane, requiring powerful magical protections to survive. These planes are home to various elemental beings, which often travel back and forth between their plane of origin and points on the Material Plane that are particularly resonant with their respective elements (e.g. earth elementals in swamps or forests, air elementals in high plateaus or cloudy peaks, etc.). They are also the home of the powerful Djinni and the Primordials (although some scholars suggest these are simply different names for the same beings), who originate from the deeper realm of Elemental Chaos beneath the four Elemental Planes and whose essence seems to be more closely connected to the power of creation than any other known being, including the gods–although the scholars and priests have vigorously debated this point over the millennia.     The Abyss   A perversion of the realm of Elemental Chaos, the Abyss is the plane of Demons and infinite, inchoate sufferings. In some religions, the Abyss is where the very worst souls are condemned to spend their eternal afterlife, although many suggest that this suffering eventually leads to mere annihilation.   Often referred to as a part of “Hell,” the Abyss is one of the Lower Planes but is distinct from the Nine Hells of the Devils. Unlike the Nine Hells, the hell of the Abyss contains an infinite number of layers, with most dominated by a powerful demon lord who is an embodiment of that particular Abyssal realm. Demons, as creatures of chaos, can also almost never be reasoned with or enter into mutually beneficial alliances–at best, other beings can compel them into temporary servitude (such as the shamans of the Crimson Pact). Otherwise, they are destructive expressions of the Abyss itself, and consume all in their wake until banished back to their pits. Many demons are expressions of the worst impulses in mortals: patrons of cannibalism, obsessive collection of secrets, manipulation in order to take joy in watching communities destroy themselves, etc. Others simply destroy all they can get their claws into.     The Nine Hells   The Nine Hells are often considered one of the Lower Planes along with the Abyss, a realm of pure evil. However, unlike Demons, Devils are beings not of Chaos, but of Law, and are therefore governed by clear hierarchy, rules, and contracts. Many religions view the Devils as the wardens of the afterlife’s punishments, with those who have committed great evils in their lives assigned a purgatorial sentence in the appropriate Hell; because of this, there are many who consider Devils to play a cosmic role that is not merely destructive, but which serves a greater purpose. Others see the evil embodied by the Devils as a corruption of their Celestial counterparts: Where the gods and angels embody the principles of both law and compassion, the Devils are devoid of compassion, instead expressing law as a means to power and control. This view is reinforced by their dealing with mortals, in which contracts are used to gain dominion over their souls, and in their political maneuvering with one another in their own hierarchies.   Each of the Nine Hells are overseen by a particular Archdevil, in a clear hierarchy from the first circle of Avernus to the depths of Nessus.   1st: Avernus: Bel [Zariel] 2nd: Dis: Dispater 3rd: Minauros: Mamon 4th: Phlegethos: Fierna & Belial 5th: Stygia: Levistus 6th: Malbolge: Glasya 7th: Maladomini: Baalzebub 8th: Cania: Mephistophales 9th: Nessus: Asmodeus, the King of Hell     The Celestial Realm [realm of the gods and their domains]   The Multiverse [the infinite realities and timelines that could have been, splintering off from the singularity of the Cataclysm, occasionally overlapping with one another]