Knowledge (of) The Planes


 * The Following is an excerpt from a widely circulated treatise on the Planes (author unknown)***

'NOTE!!! This Page is assumed knowledge only for characters with at least one rank in Knowledge (The Planes).'

Little is known of the other planes of existence--and hardly any of that is verifiable. Still, the study of the planes has become the life's work of many a genius across Ambar over the years (as well as more than one charlatan). By hashing through the myriad life's work of a plethora of different scholars a common consensus can be distilled. Furthermore, by reading carefully the narratives of those rare planar explorers who maintain sufficient sanity to expound upon their travails, the canny reader can glean from commonalities a picture of the basic attributes of those planes which more than one group of explorer has survived (these are hereafter referred to as The Known Planes). By culling commonalities from all available sources we have come to these corroborateable conclusions about the planes.

Before we can dive fully into our discussion of the planes, we must first address the works of charlatan sage Wizario de Croast and his "Great Wheel" cosmology. This theory of the planes fooled many with its seemingly deep knowledge of each individual plane; however, the author makes no attempt to establish the basis of their knowledge and often asserts to know things that would rightly put him among the most knowledgeable gods in our worlds were they true. Our analyses of Wizario de Croast's work has shown that it contradicts almost every other source, and consequently we have elected to leave his work completely out of this treatise. The first problem with the Great Wheel cosmology is... (the treatise then systematically dismantles the Great Wheel theory of cosmology for 21 pages. This section is almost always omitted from modern copies)

While the planes are commonly, and not inappropriately, organized into inner and outer planes, it is important that the reader does not get the impression that the planes exist in a neat, fixed position relative to each other. This errant perspective holds that the planes are analogues to electrons in the Bohr model of a molecule, with neat levels of orbits. This could not be further from the truth. the position of planes, particularly relative to each other, can not be modeled in real space. The planes are also in a constant state of flux, moving about and oozing between and through each other. A full discussion of this process would far exceed so lowly a sacrifice as the reader, so instead we will present two simple facts to create a rough likeness of understanding in your mind.
 * 1) The relative proximity of the planes to the material plane is in flux and varies from location to location. Those planes which are most commonly in close proximity are simply referred to as the inner planes.
 * 2) Because of the planar flux and the planes' amorphous nature different regions of our world could be considered to have different inner planes.

We shall now list each of the Known Planes, as well as the facts the were found through our research to be corroborateable. We shall also include a brief discussion of the common powers attained by casters who have attuned their souls to the plane in question.

The Primary Planes - these inner planes are the planes most directly related to our prime material plane.

The Elemental Plane of Energy - Fire and Blood are the duel energies of creation and destruction, and both exist in a dizzying equilibrium on this strange and incredibly inimical plane. The denizens of this plane our known for their extreme hostility and voraciousness. Likely consequently, little else is known of this strange place, though it is commonly asserted that all healing magic comes through here.

The Elemental Plane of Darkness - Almost nothing is known of this place, though virtually every source agrees that it rightfully belongs amongst the primary planes. It is a place where absence itself is given form as a fundamental force. Undeath is often associated with The Elemental Plane of Darkness, though little consensus can be culled from the sources as to the nature or importance of this relationship.

The Elemental Plane of Chaos - This is a place of swirling energies and uncontrollable passions. Unsurprisingly, available accounts of this plane are highly variable, though they all agree that the place is ever changing. The elemental Plane of Chaos is commonly associated with madness, an association seemingly corroborated by the particularly low level of coherency exhibited in the accounts of surviving explorers.

The Elemental Plane of Ego - Of all the planes The Elemental Plane of Ego is easily the most accessible. And yet the incredibly recondite nature of this place means that virtually no two accounts of it agree. Indeed, expedition members often cannot agree amongst themselves on even basic details of the place, making it utterly impossible to find expeditions that can corroborate each other. What is clear is that this is the place of dreams, where the mind goes in our time of sleep. Many claim that it is possible to enter this place corporeally (that is, while awake), and a sizable plurality agree that this is the only way to truly explore this place. Finally, the Mind-Melded should note that The Yellow Court's Dream Wardens insist that dreamers only experience the surface-most layer of The Elemental Plane of Ego and that things vastly beyond anything we can feebly conceive dwell in the deeper layers of this place.

The Outer Planes

Little is known of these planes, and they are significantly more difficult to travel to and from.

Baator (The Nine Hells) - Almost all of the sources on this place are religious in nature, and thus rarely agree on anything (even the number nine is only the most common). These sources all come together, however, to paint a singularly horrific picture of this outer plane. Perhaps as a consequence, expeditions to this place are almost unheard of, and no surviving accounts of any veracity are available (providing information that leads to the acquisition of such an account will result in a 3-fold decrease in tribute for one life cycle). It is generally accepted that the rare and enigmatic Devils hail from this place, though none could be reached for comment.

The Elemental Plane of Order - That this plane is elemental is undeniable, and yet, that The Elemental Plane of Order is an outer, and not an inner, plane is self evident to any with even a cursory understanding of our world. This is a place of perfect order, straight lines, and painfully-clear lights and images. Perhaps tellingly, the inhabitants of this plane are remarkably hostile to explorers. Worse, planar incursions by said denizens have markedly increased since (unintelligible [censored?]). Consequently, a full recall has been ordered.

A Note On Warrens                                                                                                                                                        All arcane spell casters draw and manipulate arcane magic from the Planar Weave, which is often thought of as the leftover energies of creation. The Planar Weave connects to all planes and is a reliable source of power. Some casters, however, chose to specialize in drawing the arcane energies from specific planes themselves. Such casters and their magic take on special powers from their chosen plane and gain access to new spells. The Planar Weave that surrounds and emanates from a specific plane is called that plane's Elder Warren. The incomprehensible maelstrom of Planar Weave that emanates from each plane's Elder Warren is heavily filtered and focused by the methods used by the caster to control it. These methods are referred to as warrens, or sometimes "planar schools." Warrens are as much schools of magic as they are a separate and distinct kind of energy. Consequently, many (perhaps infinite) warrens could all share the same Elder Warren.