The Planar System

At the dawn of time, all was energy. Magic and matter, logic and emotion, the elements and the beings were all one. An immeasurable time ago, the planes split into 13, each separating certain energies from the others. The planes are as follows:

1. The Mortal Plane – The home of the mortal races, similar in makeup to Earth. The plane is a great sea populated by continents, kingdoms and races from elves to dwarves.

2. The Ethereal Plane – This plane is a mirror of the mortal plane, and mimics its events and features in a twisted way. This plane is uninhabited, but is affected by happenings in the mortal plane. It is through this plane wizards travel when they use “Blink.”

3. The Fire Plane – A great ocean of lava with islands of volcanic rock, the plane of fire is populated by great fire elementals and is ruled from a great palace of brimstone.

4. The Water Plane – A great unending sea. The waters extend from the sea floor to the great extent of reality in the sky, never ending. It is ruled from a palace of coral and pearl.

5. The Air Plane – The empty sky of the air plane is populated by griffons, drakes, and all manner of flying creatures. These beasts reside on the great floating islands, which remain suspended by some sorcery in place since the dawn of time. It is ruled from a palace of emerald.

6. The Earthen Plane – The least dramatic of the planes, the earthen plane is an infinite expanse of mountains and dirt. It is filled with great worms, beasts of the earth and land. It is ruled from a palace of black iron.

7. The Abyssal Plane – The home of demons and devils. The very presence of the Abyssal Plane is the source of much of the mortal plane’s magic, sorceries and incantations.

8. The Celestial Plane – A mirror of the abyssal plane, this is the home of gods and angels, ranging from powerful elder gods to lesser beings of minimal power. It is from this plane that clerics and paladins draw their power.

9. The Tartarus Plane – The home of damned souls, those who sold their souls to devils and those who angered the gods too egregiously. Tartarus is an infinite prison, patrolled by servants of the gods and guarded by great beasts of indescribable power.

10. The Astral Plane – The plane where gods who have been forgotten go to rest. This is the home of human emotion, thought and logic, as well as the source of the powers of wizards who draw their power from knowledge.

11. The Plane of Shadow – A plane situated directly underneath the mortal plane, but is twisted in a dark imitation of the natural world. This world is sprawling cities of demons, angels and elementals combined, a place where all things outcast come to find their place.

12. The Plane of Dreams – This plane is the outermost region of the planar system, and is where mortal dreams spring from. Bards draw their magical energies from the dreams and desires of this plane, and many visit it in their sleep without knowing. Because of this, having wild, clear dreams can be signs of latent magical abilities.

13. The Transitive Plane – Known to its residents as "The Void", this plane lies in the spaces between all the others, and is place of strange physics and realities. One may walk for days here and travel only inches, or take a step and find themselves on the far side of the world. The void is filled with planets, asteroids, strange nebulae and fantastical seas of stars.

At the edges of each of the planes is a space in which worlds and energies collide. This makes travel possible between different planes of reality, though it takes a very powerful being to do so intentionally. The closer you get to the edge of a plane, the easier travel becomes.

After the formation of the planes, the barriers between them were strong. Travel was nigh-impossible, and the planes evolved largely in ignorance of the others existence. As time wore on, however, the use of magic by the residents of the planes eroded the barriers. Currently, the barrier between the planes is like a threadbare tapestry, full of holes and thin spaces for those who know how to find them.