Mundus Primordialis: Expanding the Inner Planes

[Zaydos]

First things first: My goal with this project is to provide a place for the community to expand and explore the lore and fluff of the Inner Planes. To this end I intend to use the 2e Inner Planar cosmology (outlined below). Everyone can add unique NPCs, cities, sites, or whatever they feel like (creatures, items, feats, etc). I intend to primarily build on what has gone before, such as the archomentals (updated to 3.5 in Dragon Magazines #347 and #353), but due to the scant amount of fluff attention that the Inner Planes received in 3.5 or in 2e that still leaves plenty of room for exploration and addition.

Outline of the 2e Inner Planes:
In addition to the 4 Inner Planes and 2 Energy Planes there were another 12 Inner Planes. In all cases the planes gradually melded into each other making non-magical travel between bordering planes possible.
4 Paraelemental Planes that served to span that gap between the Elemental Planes. They are Magma, Ooze, Ice, and Smoke. These are fairly self-explanatory. Earth touches Magma and Ooze, Water touches Ooze and Ice, Air touches Ice and Smoke, and Fire touches Magma and Smoke. This creates one of the major rings that makes up the Inner Planes.
8 Quasi-Elemental Planes that span the gap between the Elemental Planes and the Positive and Negative Energy Planes. They are (more detail can be found in the 2e Planescape box set (DM’s guide in particular), The Planeswalker’s Handbook, The Inner Planes, and Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III:
Mineral: Between Earth and the Positive Energy Plane. Mineral is a plane of lustrous gems and priceless wonders. It also has the effect of petrifying creatures that remain within it for too long.
Radiance: Between Fire and the Positive Energy Plane. A plane of blinding light, Radiance is as hot as the Plane of Fire. Not much was ever detailed as living within it in any edition.
Steam: Between Water and the Positive Energy Plane. A plane of water vapor, more than steam. Mist and clouds dominate.
Lightning: Between Air and the Positive Energy Plane. A plane of constant thunder storms.
Dust: Between Earth and the Negative Energy Plane. Dust is the destruction of matter; a great wasteland of wind-blown dust. Any object that remains there too long becomes simply dust as it succumbs to the disintegration effects of the plane.
Ash: Between Fire and the Negative Energy Plane. Ash is the destruction of heat, the death of energy. A wasteland of soot. Ash is an infinite expanse of thick grey-white ashes which drain the heat from creatures within slowly freezing them to death. Like Earth, and Mineral, there is no or little surface here, just ashes; though sites may vary from this.
Salt: Between Water and the Negative Energy Plane. Salt is the destruction of moisture. It is a vast expanse of salt encrusted waste which drains moisture from those who travel through it.
Vacuum: Between Air and the Negative Energy Plane. Vacuum is the absence of everything. It is a great, cold expanse without air and only emptiness that extends in every direction.

The 2e book The Inner Planes says a little of what happens when two of these planes meet before becoming another plane, but only a little (a sentence or two).

Index (as of 9/17/13)
{table]Name|Plane|Category|Creator
Stones of Mer'khal|Dust|Site|Zaydos
Diamond Throne of Crystalle|Mineral|Site|Zaydos
Wings of the Void|Vacuum|Plot-Hook|Zaydos
Castle Salinus|Salt|Site|Zaydos
Ash Crawler|Ash|Site|Zaydos
Shining Music Hall|Radiance|Site|Zaydos
Salamander Battle Cluster|Fire|Army|LOTRfan
Floating Garden of Mist|Steam|Site|Zaydos
Monastery of Resounding Thunder|Lightning|Organization|Zaydos
Argron Rael|Magma|Personality|Zaydos
The Caverns of Howling Winter|Ice|Realm|Zaydos
Gwond|Ooze|Personality|Zaydos
The Noxious Jungle|Smoke|Site|Zaydos
Ilq Loth|Negative Energy|Personality|Zaydos
The Twisted Haze|Positive Energy|Site|Zaydos
The Angel of Flames|Fire|Personality|Zaydos
Al-bala|Water|Personality|Zaydos
Bar-Uvalar|Earth|Burg|Zaydos
The Monastery of Silent Sound|Air|Organization|Zaydos
Filthy Yellow Edgar|Ethereal|Personality|Tvtyrant
The Boneyard|Dust|Site|Zaydos
Allestra|Mineral|Personality|Zaydos
The Shadow Maelstrom|Water|Site|Zaydos
Vorgeth, the City of the Burning Sarcophagus|Ash|Burg|Zaydos
Bethil the Ferrywoman|Salt|Personality|Zaydos
The Seven Knives of Dust|Dust|Organization|Zaydos
The Ghost Moon|Vacuum|Site|Zaydos
Tor's Embers in the Dark|Vacuum|Army|Zaydos
The Observatory of K'luus|Vacuum|Realm|Zaydos
Tomb of Alkmor|Mineral|Site|Zaydos
The City of Black Ice|Ice|Burg|Zaydos
Ess Ess the Crustacean Ark|Water|Burg|DMwithoutPC's
The Shade Sphere|Positive Energy|Site|Zaydos[/table]

Explanation of classification:

Spoiler

Show

Name: Name of the work.
Plane: Which Inner Plane it chiefly concerns. Some, especially personalities, concern multiple planes by their very nature, but I chose the one it was centered around.
Category: What the thing is about. At this point the categories I have are

• Site: The most common category, a location on the plane important for its properties.
• Plot-Hook: Something meant to be dropped in to get an adventure started.
• Personality: Second most common, an entity or creature. While many sites list some of these, this is reserved for where the important part is the creature.
• Organization: Similar to a site and a personality at the same time. The important part isn't the qualities of the place, but the bashers who live there, but it usually doesn't detail one exhaustively and more gives a sketch of the group as a whole.
• Army: Exactly what it says on the tin, a description of an army of one of the planes.
• Burg: A city/large scale settlement. While some of the sites might also serve as habitations or towns, that's not what makes them important. With a burg it's the fact that it is a habitation that makes it noteworthy.
• Realm: A power's kip. A site which serves as home of a deity.

Members of the Seven Knives
Taljoc Earth genasi jinnblood.
Shinohara Half-Vampire Planar Sommelier.
Gorrog Huge air elemental quasi-warrior.
Marchay-os Ice Mephit Planar Mage.

[Zaydos]

The Stones of Mer’khal
On the plane of dust a ring of menhirs and dolmens stands undisturbed by its disintegrating dusts. No one knows who built it, the name Mer’khal coming from a lich who took it as his abode for a time before finally being destroyed, but the stones predate him. There are 7 dolmen, but between them are several standing stones, a total of 18 other stones makeup the circle and dozens more dot the landscape outside of it.
Just because the stones are unaffected by the effects of the plane, doesn’t mean travellers are safe. The air here is as thin as elsewhere on the plane of dust, too thin to breathe or sustain a flame, but the disintegrating nature of the plane is actually magnified within 1000-ft of the stones. Instead of its normal damage of 2d6 per 10 minutes (Fort DC 10 +2 per previous save halves), the disintegration deals 2d6 per round. As always should the damage from this effect reduce a creature to 0 or less hp they are disintegrated as if by the disintegrate spell and the damage from this effect cannot be healed while on the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Dust unless the recipient is under the effects of Protection from Negative Energy^SC, Attune Form^SC, Death Ward, or an Avoid Planar Effects^SC spell, in the area of a Consecrate spell, or by first receiving a spell from the Restoration line which allows healing to function for 1 minute. As this is damage is augmented beyond the normal nature of the plane Attune Form and Avoid Planar Effects have no effect on the damage within the Stones of Mer’khal.

One difficulty of the plane is removed, or at least changed, near the Stones of Mer'khal. Within 1000-ft of the center of the stones there is ground and gravity of a sorts. It pulls so that the stones are upright atop the thick silt-like dust that forms a clod in the expansive waste. This is treated as Light Gravity as defined in The Manaul of the Planes and is directed towards the surface of the hemisphere shaped clod of dust which stretches a total of 1000-ft in all directions; this gravity only extends 80-ft up from the stones the surface on the top and fades 10-ft of the edge of the ground on the bottom or sides.

The stones are also filled with many of Dust’s “Cobwebs” (originally detailed in The Inner Planes, lattices of dust mixed with negative energy. These cobwebs are difficult to see (requiring a DC 20 Spot check to notice). A creature that moves into a cobweb must make a Reflex save (DC 20) or be trapped. Once trapped it is almost impossible to escape, as the cobwebs hold fast and are all but indestructible. A Disintegrate spell, Heal spell, or a single attack dealing at least 60 damage (positive energy deals double damage to cobwebs, but negative energy deals no damage) will destroy a 5-ft section of the cobwebs, although either is dangerous having a 50% chance of hitting a creature trapped in that section. A creature trapped in the cobwebs takes 10 negative energy damage per round, and must make a DC 15 (+2 per previous save) Fort save each round or take 3d10 damage from disintegration (as always should this reduce the target to 0 hp they are disintegrated completely). Finally for every minute trapped in the cobweb roll 1d8 and consult the table below; this is a negative energy effect.
{table]Roll|Effect[/roll]
1|2 Str drain
2|2 Dex drain
3|2 Con drain
4|2 Int drain
5|2 Wis drain
6|2 Cha drain
7|1 negative level (DC 15 to regain level)
8|Ages 10 years[/table]

A successful Escape Artist check (DC 25) allows escape. A Deathward or Protection from Negative Energy spell active on the trapped creature disrupts the negative energy nature of the cobwebs giving such a creature a +10 on their Escape Artist checks to escape and reducing the damage that needs to be dealt to the web in a single attack to 20.

The purpose of the stones is unknown to even sages; they simply have existed possibly for as long as Dust. What is known is that there is a nexus of magical energy at the center, which Mer’khal tapped into to turn himself from a lich into a unique creature known as a dust lich, and which is somehow tied to the Negative Energy Plane. In addition each of the dolmens is a gateway to another plane. While the exact location on that plane is variable, the destination plane is always the same. Each gate generally leads somewhere hard to access through normal means on the planes that they connect to. These gates are:
The Elemental Plane of Earth
The Quasi-Elemental Plane of Mineral
The Negative Energy Plane
The Quasi-Elemental Plane of Vacuum
The Grey Wastes of Hades
Pandemonium
The Prime.

The stones also serve as a congregating place of native quasi-elementals and mephitis. Finally a group of rebellious dao^{Manual of the Planes} have made their base within the menhir, using its portal to Earth and Mineral to launch assaults on their kin that remain loyal to the Great Khan. These rebels are led by Temjular who has declared himself the new Khan of all dao. Like their loyal kin, these dao are rampant slavers and seem to have dealings with a strange race of spider-like aberrations called the neogi.

[Zaydos]

The Diamond Throne of Crystalle

Crystalle is a powerful quasi-elemental being which stylizes himself the archomental of mineral. Deep within the plane is his keep. It isn’t like castles and keeps of the Prime, what use is a strong wall on a plane of creatures which move through stone by nature? Instead Crystalle’s castle is guarded by some type of mystical wards. See wizards and sages haven’t been able to figure out how the elemental did it, but he made portions of the plane impassable by normal means of earth elemental creatures. The stone and gems in these portions of his “castle”, if you can call a homogenous mass of precious gems and metals a castle even when they have walls of a sort, are resistant to magical attempts to breach them and harder than adamantine (hardness 50). Crystalle himself can pass through these walls like any other portion of the plane. That’s not the only difference from the rest of the plane, for in Crystalle’s castle the petrifying effects of the plane cease to function.

Though I said the castle was solid stone that’s only half true. You see Crystalle’s main castle is inaccessible to beings that can’t meld into stone like an earth elemental, but in front of the castle is a large pocket of elemental air where air breathers have built a haven as well. Like the castle proper this area serves as a respite from the petrifying nature of the plane, and it serves as a safe haven away from dao slavers and evil creatures of mineral. A large lake, called the Sapphire Sea of Mineral by some planar travelers, occupies the center of the city. This is a place where smiths and metal workers from across the multiverse meet to discuss trade secrets but a warning to travelers your money won’t be any good here. See they sit upon a wealth unfathomable by a Prime world, when you live in a cave surrounded by infinite gold and gems those things lose all worth. What’s more it’s Crystalle’s primary law that no metal or gem be removed from his realm. The punishment is usually limited to a short stint of indentured servitude and/or a heavy fine, but repeat offenders can even be killed for it. In all, though, Crystalle’s a pretty benevolent ruler, even if he does have some laws around the sanctity of mineral; then again its food, if not life itself, for many inhabitants of the plane so it makes a little more sense. Because of this law, though, travelers are forced to check metallic goods and gems, in fact all stones, when they enter the city. So the town doesn’t do much in the way of actual trade, although some merchants make a living outside the city limits but these courageous few must put up with the petrifying properties of the plane and its dangerous inhabitants.

So you’re wondering why Crystalle’s castle is called The Diamond Throne. Well I’ll tell you. See in the city in front there’s a massive throne carved from a single solid block of diamond, several times the size of a man. When Crystalle is called to sit in judgment over disputes, or when one of his agents acting as his proxy does so, this is the seat he takes. It’s said that in the earthen reaches of the keep is a similar massive diamond that is Crystalle’s true form and that the being most people think of as Crystalle is simply a manifestation of his will taking physical form from the material of the quasi-elemental plane. The veracity of this claim hasn’t been tested, although some claim to have seen Crystalle slain before only to return soon after.

This is a place where players can interact with inhabitants of mineral such as tsnng, mephits, quasielementals, pechs, dao, and other creatures. Notables of the place include Crystalle himself, and Rodharrik. Rodharrik is a dwarven smith, apparently legendary on his own world he came to the plane of mineral to perfect his craft. It is said he can create a blade made of unalloyed iron which can cut clean through adamantine plate, but as none of his master swords have ever been sold it’s unknown if it’s true. He instead offers them as gifts to Crystalle, though what the self-proclaimed mineral archomental does with them is anybody’s guess. Even Rodharrik’s “flawed” blades which find their way into the hands of the city guard are impressive weapons; they gain a +1 to +3 non-magical enhancement bonus to attack and damage as well as being capable of cutting through objects as if the swords were made of adamantine, as well as overcoming DR in the same manner. Rodharrik refuses to craft an adamantine weapon, saying that he has no desire to break such a noble spirit.

Another person of interest is the Masked Dao. This dao, who continually wears a silver mask that provides the effects of a Mindblank spell, is a mystery. She has abilities beyond those of her kin, and some say she is the Khan’s sister although I know of no foundation for this claim. What is known is that she stays in the slums of the city healing the sick. The poor of the city are her special wards, but she’ll provide services for others who prove the nobility of their spirit to her. She is said to be able to restore any petrified creature to flesh regardless of what petrified them but like so much else this is not deeply tested. She is also said to know of many dao secrets, and be able to provide great aid to any noble soul who has made an enemy of the earth genies.

[Zaydos]

The Wings of the Void:

A great creature is known to fly through the quasielemental plane of vacuum. It takes the form of a great manta-ray like creature 60-ft long and with a “wing” span of 75-ft. This creature, I call it a creature for it shows signs of organic nature, is mounted with 4 light catapults and seems to be in a state of undead decay. It is capable of extreme speeds, 750-ft per round (average maneuverability) although if it moves in a straight line for 4 rounds it can accelerate to a speed of 6,111,110-ft per round. The creature-ship is known to attack travelers of the plane of Vacuum, but as no one has seen its inhabitants and lived the reason is unknown. The creature seems to be immune to conventional turning (Turns as a 50-HD undead).

The truth of the ship is that it is a necrotically re-animated Smalljammer (from the 2e Legend of the Spelljammer boxed set) and if you use Spelljammer rules it has an SR of 5, and maneuverability class B instead of average maneuverability; and yes I did convert 100 miles per day of continuous travel into feet per round for 24 uninterrupted hours. It is inhabited by a crew of vampires (and vampire spawn as needed) which prey upon travelers of the plane of Vacuum. Its undead nature has allowed them to mount four light weapons (one on each wing, one on back, one on tail tip) instead of the normal limit of one. In addition to these mundane armaments the undead smalljammer is capable of firing a powerful cone of negative energy 150-ft in length once per minute. This negative energy cone passes through non-living matter (allowing it to ignore most walls) and deals 12d10 negative energy damage (Will DC 30 halves) and if a creature fails its Will save they also suffer 2 negative levels (Fort DC 30 to remove). Of course these numbers should be modified up or down as appropriate to a specific campaign.

The undead ship is piloted by a group of vampire pirates who crashed through a vortex into the Plane of Vacuum while exploring a new crystal sphere. While their hunger for blood pushes against them with a mad hunger, they fear the return to realms with a sun, and choose to instead hide within the plane of Vacuum. These vampires would be willing to trade and interact with a non-living PC, and could provide great amount of knowledge about the plane of vacuum for the right price (gear, food, favors). They have contacted a lich that passed through the plane and managed to convince him to aid them by spreading rumors of great treasure deep within the plane of vacuum in exchange for protecting his phylactery from those who would seek to do it harm.

The captain of the ship is a powerful vampiric spellsword, Arday Tarmallis, who was in life something of a noble scoundrel. Even in undeath he maintains a code of honor, and is willing to parley with foes although almost always this leaves them with the choice: to join his crew or die. His, and his crew’s, hunger has driven him to a state where food is practically his only desire and the only offer a living creature could give him to make it worth sparing their life is the lives of many others. Even so their hunger drives the vampires to the edge of madness.

[Zaydos]

Castle Salinus:
By the shores of the Saline Sea where Salt and Water meet a single castle stands in a large air pocket in Salt. Water from the Saline Sea laps at its bottom, forming a barrier of poisonous water (this water causes salt poisoning; submersion deals 2d6 desiccation damage a round, and forces a Fort save against 1d2 Con damage each round; this is not poison and poison immunity does not function against this ability). The area outside of the castle is fully affected by the plane’s dehydrating nature (living creatures take 2d6 desiccation damage a round), but once within the castle such effects no longer affect travelers. That does not mean that Castle Salinus is a safe haven on the plane of Salt, and any berk who assumes that could end in the dead book fast. You see the inhabitants of this castle aren’t humans, or even friendly towards humanoids, they’re a group of renegade baatezu who followed their master into exile. You see the master of the castle was once a duke of Stygia long ago. When Levistus murdered Asmodeus’s lover, and Geryon was granted mastery of the layer, he saw his chance to act. The fiend’s plans fell through, though and he was forced to flee to the ends of the multiverse or face annihilation by the enraged arch-duke.

So the former duke, Ghulion, fled to the Inner Planes those realms furthest in the multiverse from the Outer Planes. In the brackish waters of the Saline Sea he found his haven, and there he built, by force of hand and diabolic servitors, the Castle Salinus. Even so he fears retribution from Baator even to this day, despite the death of Geryon and restoration of Levistus to power. With good reason, as Baator is still to this day willing to pay good jink to any cutter that can guide them accurately to the castle. So far the baatezu only know what I’ve told you, it’s somewhere in the Saline Sea, but they don’t know where and that’s just how Ghulion likes it.

Their long stay in Salt, though, hasn’t left the fiends untouched. See the energies of the place has left its mark on their bodies. First things first these fiends have developed a resistance, perhaps total immunity, to the desiccating nature of the plane. Whether they’ve lost something to compensate for it or not, I can’t say for certain but from what I know of the planes I’d be a barmie berk to bet against it. In addition their flesh has taken a salt-encrusted appearance, or in some cases a crystalline one, as the elemental energies of the Inner Plane slowly replaces their soul-forged body from Baator. Ghulion himself isn’t unaffected by these changes, though whether he’s been changed more or less than his retainers is unclear. You see Ghulion was always associated with salt and dryness even as a duke, so the change isn’t as readily apparent in him, but I have no doubt that he’s been changed too. Not only has the energies of salt changed the fiends, but their long rebellion against Baator has left them irredeemable in the eyes of the Nine Hells. You see, these fiends aren’t beings of Law anymore. Oh they’ve kept all their evil, they had to do so to survive, but their very existence has been one of rebellion from Law and Order for millennia. Now while none of them have gone over to the other side, and many of them are still lawful, they’d fit in better in Gehenna or the Gray Wastes than Baator. The effects this has had on their powers I can’t say for sure, but you know there’s got to have been some.

So why would a berk go to the Castle Salinus? Mistake mostly. It’s a dangerous place, but chant is that it holds a great treasure trove that Ghulion took with him when he fled to Salt. Can’t comment on the dark of it, but I can say enough would be heroes have gone there looking for this treasure that there’s probably some jink to be found there now.

[Zaydos]

The Ash Crawler:
On the Quasielemental Plane of Ash there have been reports of a strange moving fortress. A great clockwork creation has been seen tunneling through the ash, large metal shovels and grinders clearing the way before it. What it’s there for, or who built it, isn’t common knowledge, but the chant says it’s run by a mad tanar’ri which turned against violence and now simply wants peace. Whatever the dark of the matter is, the giant machine is worth visiting for planeswalkers. See its master might not be willing to meet guests but there’s a pair of mercane who run a thriving inn within; seems to have some deal with the creator. The prices are a tad steep, but it’s about the best food you’ll find on the plane and a relief from the deadly nature of the world.

The food and safety from the plane aren’t the only reasons; though if you’re stranded in Ash and see the fortress the chance to call a place kip is probably too good to pass up. You see the Ash Crawler, as plenty of cutters call the fortress, travels all across the Plane. While it doesn’t have an exactly regular schedule it visits all the important settlements on the plane, though plenty of them you wouldn’t want to get out at, and the mercane deal in chant and goods with the inhabitants of the plane. Goods from all throughout Ash pass through the lower level of the fortress, making it a bit of a bazaar for the plane.

Lastly it’s a fairly safe place to meet creatures on the Plane of Ash. The mercane, and mysterious master of the fortress, don’t seem to like violence much. The mercane have several ash xorn who act as their guards and bouncers and the master seems to be aware of anything that happens in his fortress through a series of metal faces built into the walls of the fortress. These faces, resembling various creatures and people from across the planes, can fire rays of energy (+16 to hit, ranged touch; deals 8d6 damage of any energy type other than sonic), though only one face can fire at a time (only 1 attack/round). Now of course if you start a fight in the fortress you’ll be pelted with energy till you’re forced out of the fortress to be marooned deep in Ash which ain’t no pleasant trip.

[Zaydos]

The Shining Music Hall:
In the Quasielemental Plane of Radiance there is a site known as the Shining Music Hall. A magnificent building made of bright and reflective metal, the Music Hall takes on the colors and brilliance of the plane around it. At the entrance to the music hall are two magnificent alabaster statues of winged lions; each of these statues may animate should the Music Hall’s manager be harmed (treat them as 26-HD stone golems, except they have 2 claw attacks dealing 4d8+Str damage and a single bite dealing 6d6+1/2 Str damage and a fly speed of 60-ft with poor maneuverability; they are not controlled but instead move toward and to attack any creature that damages the Music Hall’s manage while within 1000-ft of the Music Hall). The front of the Music Hall lacks the reflective nature of the rest of the hall, but instead is covered in magnificent murals representing a Prime Material World.

This music hall was once the deific realm of a power associated with beauty and the arts, but this power is now long dead and only the music hall remains. It lies on the Radiance side of the Sea of Stars, and looks out over the sea. Due to its location in the borders of the Sea of Stars creatures looking out of the Music Hall’s front do not suffer from the brilliant light of the Plane of Radiance as the Music Hall shields them from the heart of the light and only the darker areas of the Sea of Stars are readily visible. Of course from the back of the Music Hall it is still close enough to Radiance proper that blindness is a possibility (every minute, Fort save DC 10 + 2/previous save; failure indicates permanent blindness, success renders them dazzled for 10 minutes) although easier to resist than on most of the plane; due to its reflective nature looking towards the Music Hall (and thus away from the light) is of no use. In addition it is located in a region which, while still hot, is cooler than the rest of Radiance and is not quite hot enough to boil water (a nice 200 degrees) making it rather more hospitable than Radiance proper. The Music Hall itself is still fairly hot with rooms ranging from the high 80s to only a few degrees separate from the exterior.

The attraction of the Shining Music Hall is not a respite from the effects of the plane, though. It is famous instead for the acoustics of the hall. Any auditory based Perform check made in any of its dozens of auditoriums receives a +15 circumstance bonus (to a maximum of the check maker’s pre-existing Perform bonus) and doubles the range for all bardic music effects, as well as increasing any save DCs by 2. The main auditorium, though, is even more fabulous, granting a circumstance bonus to Perform checks equal to the check maker’s pre-existing Perform bonus and increases the range for all bardic music effects to the size of the entire auditorium, as well as increasing any save DC by 4. It is even said that a truly marvelous performance on the main stage can effect miraculous healing normally beyond the power of mortals. It is to see the performances that take place upon these stages that travelers from across the planes brave the dangers of Radiance to come to the Shining Music Hall.

The manager of the Shining Music Hall is a rainbow dragon who seems to enjoy watching the many performances that take place in her lair. There is also several guards and servants continuously on staff at the Music Hall as well as numerous bards who come here to perform their greatest works. The guards serve not only to protect the musicians who travel here, many of which are famous across entire worlds, but also to protect the manager whose draconic nature brings numerous adversaries.

Besides the manager, other characters of interest include her majordomo Aophim. Aophim and the manager are diametrically opposed in many core beliefs, but their overriding love of art, and especially music, have united them in the running of the Shining Music Hall. Aophim is an efreeti warrior of no small skill, and is said to be quite skilled at the sublime way. Aophim is an unfriendly blood to most, but a skilled musician can melt even the craggy efreeti’s heart.

[Silverscale]

As always Zaydos, you have a vivid imagination. Where do you come up with all of this material?

[Zaydos]

As always Zaydos, you have a vivid imagination. Where do you come up with all of this material?

The normal joke would be inappropriate, so I guess the truth will have to do. Honestly I'm not sure, somewhere inside my brain.

Also thank you, I've been getting worried since no one has commented. Seriously if anybody has critiques, comments, (even complements ), requests, suggestions, questions, wants me to detail something more, stat something (or someone) out, or wants to post an inner planar creation of their own that would be fabulous. Currently I intend to make things for Steam and Lightning and then move on to the Paraelemental Planes before moving on to the Elemental Planes and then the Energy Planes and then moving in a more erratic motion, but the schedule is far from set in stone.

[LOTRfan]

Fluff!

I need some time to read everything through. Would you care to expand upon the Wind Dukes of Aaqa?

EDIT: Also, somewhere on my desktop is a small description of various armies that operate on the Elemental Plane of Air. Want me to post 'em?

[Zaydos]

Fluff!

I need some time to read everything through. Would you care to expand upon the Wind Dukes of Aaqa?

EDIT: Also, somewhere on my desktop is a small description of various armies that operate on the Elemental Plane of Air. Want me to post 'em?

I'll try, but I'm not that familiar with them. I know they fought the Queen of Chaos and built the Rod of Seven Parts but I don't know what books actually talk about that (might be in some of the old Dragon Mags I have it's been so long since I've looked through them). Do you know any specific sources that talk about them?

As for the other, of course assuming you'd want to.

[LOTRfan]

Well, here is the first army: the Salamander battle cluster. Exactly how many battle clusters constitutes as an army is up to the DM, but this is the basic unit of the salamander army.

I have to say, it must be hard to fight on the elemental plane of fire. How could an opposing army attack the other efficiently is both are immune to the most common energy damage type?

Salamander Battle Cluster
Salamanders are outsiders hailing from the Plane of Fire, where they are in an eternal war against the Efreeti and the Azers. Salamanders are probably the least organized of the three. Still, these creatures have been known to gather in clusters to attack low-priority Efreeti outposts. They usually aim to attack as swiftly as possible, as they are no match for the powerful genies and their infernal allies.

For the most part, armies of Salamanders actually use conscripted Flamebrothers, a smaller but distantly related group of Outsiders. Many such flamebrothers were once tribal creatures like others of their kind, who were enslaved and trained for war by true Salamanders. Salamanders and Noble Salamanders take charge of hordes of their lesser kin, who they push forward in battle to wreak havoc.

Salamanders have a thriving slave trade that even rivals that of the Azers. To sustain this reputation, Salamanders often send small clusters to the Material Plane to round up entire villages, transporting their prisoners only after burning their homes and property to the ground.

The Battle Cluster shown below is a typical raiding party.

Infantry
(CR 10-12); For the most part, Salamander infantry is composed of small groups of at least ten Flamebrothers. For every group of ten Flamebrothers, there is a Salamander that keeps them organized and rallies them forward.

Flamebrothers usually try to grapple foes, but if outnumbered, they swarm two or three targets at a time, roasting them alive as they touch and attack the enemy.

The Salamanders tend to use similar tactics. If seriously injured, or if half the Flamebrothers are killed, any survivors flee as quickly as they can.

10-20 Flamebrothers; 26 hp each.
1-2 Salamanders; 68 hp each.



Shock Troops
(CR 12); Shock Troops are very commonly used by Salamanders, who prefer to deal as much damage as possible before fleeing. The typical Salamander shock troop formation is composed of three Salamanders, and two Flamebrothers specially trained to enter frenzies in battle. Leading the charge is a Noble Salamander.

The first to attack are the two “expendable” Flamebrothers. They attack one target, and savagely work to defeat the specified foe together before moving on to the next.

The Salamanders generally each take on a single target themselves, but if there are not enough foes, two will work together to take out the enemy that looks toughest.

The Noble Salamander acts as magical support and as an anti-mage unit. Its first action is to try to dispel any magical effects that grant foes an immunity to flames. After that, the Noble Salamander uses its powers as a form of range support, striking down creatures with their spell-like abilities. Any who get to close are burned to death with burning hands.

If two Salamanders, or the Noble Salamander, die, the rest flee as quickly as possible. If the Noble Salamander is still alive, it hastily summons a Huge Fire Elemental as a distraction to mask their escape.

2 Flamebrothers, 3rd Level Barbarians; 62 hp each
3 Salamanders; 55 hp each.
1 Huge Elemental; 128 hp each
1 Noble Salamander; 135 hp each.

Aerial Support
(CR 9-10); Although Fire Mephits have no personal loyalty to Salamanders, they are occasionally hired as mercenaries to fight in raids against airborne targets. Salamanders who hire Mephits make flying foes lose their advantage, and in exchange the Mephits are allowed to loot any corpses. Generally, the Mephit squadron is lead by a spellcasting Fire Mephit.

Mephits make strafing runs with their scorching ray power, and may occasionally land in enemy territory to use their breath weapons against huddled masses of enemy soldiers. At the beginning of the battle, some (or even all) may attempt to summon another of their kind. This can up to double the amount of Fire Mephits in the initial engagement.

The spellcasting Mephit usually specializes in evocation spells. These spells are usually fire theme, but some use electric and acid spells to attack enemies with immunities to fire.

When the spellcasting Mephit is out of spells and the others have expended their scorching ray spell-like ability, all survivors flee to an isolated part of the battlefield, where they begin looting the fallen. If the battle is still ongoing after an hour, all the Mephits reenter the fray to use their scorching ray ability again.

4-9 Fire Mephits; 16 hp each.
1 Fire Mephit, 4th level Sorcerer; 28 hp each.



Command Retinue
(CR 15); Coordinating the raids of Salamanders are usually a cabal of Noble Salamanders, along with their Salamander bodyguards. They rarely enter combat, but rather observe at a distance.

If part of the Battle Cluster weakens and falters, the command retinue might send their bodyguards as extra reinforcements. If discovered, the group tries to slaughter the enemy party as quickly as possible, to avoid revealing their position any further.

The first actions the Noble Salamanders take are to summon Huge Elementals. They prefer to deal as much damage as possible with as little risk as possible, so they try to give themselves as much protection as possible. After their summoning of the Huge Elementals, they attempt to dispel as many buffs and protective spells as possible, before focusing all fire on the most powerful of the spellcasters.
If the bodyguards are still here, they attack the strongest or most agile of the melee fighters. They all gang up on one at a time, attempting to quickly slaughter each one before continuing to the next target.

The Huge Fire Elementals slowly advance towards ranged targets. If there is only one or two such targets, half of the Fire Elementals instead go after the melee fighters with the bodyguards. If the bodyguards are not present during the attack against the command retinue, the Fire Elementals instead use their tactics.

Both the bodyguards and the Fire Elementals fight to the death. The bodyguards do this out of loyalty, while the Fire Elementals do not care, as they are summoned creatures, and as a result are not truly killed when defeated. If all the bodyguards and Fire Elementals die, the surviving Nobles (if any) flee.

If the bodyguards and Fire Elementals fail their duties and the Noble Salamanders are killed, they surrender to the attackers. They accept whatever punishment awaits them, so long as it is not slavery. A Salamander who is condemned to be enslaved usually try to take their own life, instead.

5 Salamanders; 58 hp each.
4 Noble Salamanders; 122 hp each.
4 Huge Elementals; 153 hp each.

[Zaydos]

The Floating Gardens of Mist:
In the Quasielemental Plane of Steam there is, for now, an unspeakably old garden adrift in the clouds. Floating continuously upon the plane’s vapors it has, for eons, made its path through the planes. Unfortunately whatever age old secrets are hidden in the gardens might not continue much longer as its current path seems to be leading the garden directly towards the Dark Lands which form the border between Steam and Lightning. Whether the plants of the gardens, and the structures themselves, could resist this pure elemental power is unknown.

The gardens are home to dozens of species of plants unknown throughout the planes. Some grow clinging to floating stones, remnants of a structure old before the forming of the fiends, others grow floating beside the gardens growing on nothing but the water laden air. Even so the entire garden moves together and resists any attempts to change its course and will correct their positioning if the connection isn’t broken by massive force (a strong enough creature could push something off course with a DC 30 Strength check, but actually keeping it there would require a DC 45 Strength check).

The plants in the gardens have various properties, and several species are valuable for their uses in creating potions of fly and water breathing, as well as being able to be used to concoct the ink for scrolls of fly, water breathing, freedom of movement, summon monster (water creatures only) spells, and various other spells with effects pertaining to movement (but not teleportation) and water. There are also plants within these gardens capable of performing miraculous restorative functions, without the need for mages and priests to work their magic. In the center of the garden is perhaps the most impressive of these trees. Chant says its sap has miraculous powers to revive the dead (as per True Resurrection except a moderately large amount of the body is required) or even grant immortality. Its fruits, small enough to be bite size for a small or larger creature, also are potent carriers of magical healing, and each one bestows a heal spell on any creature that eats them (treat as drinking a potion). While the effectiveness of the fruit is well known, a powerful steam dragon (stats for which are not yet finished) named K’reila guards the tree from those who would harm it by taking its sap, preventing any tests of its legendary healing powers.

While K’reila reigns as queen over the center of the gardens, and all other creatures only enter at her mercy, the rest of the gardens now serve as a mustering ground for the native Steam and Mist mephits as they battle the Lightning Mephits that venture into the Dark Lands. These mephits also serve K’reila offering her tribute in the form of food (which the dragon has little need for) and treasure. K’reila has taken a liking to these mephits and, while she frowns upon their malign treatment of travelers, has come to their aid when the lightning mephits cross the borders of Steam to attack the mephits that live in the gardens.

There are five intact buildings in the Floating Gardens. Three of these open onto a stone platform that the central tree grows upon and which serves as bed to K’reila. These three buildings are empty now, gutted by ages of non-maintenance. Beneath the wild growing plants of the Gardens, on the floor of one, though, is an ancient mosaic and crude map of the Inner Planes which show a different configuration than we know it now, with Earth situated between Water and Air, and opposite Fire. The ancient script of the map, found also in inscriptions upon the other buildings and scattered rocks of the Gardens, is that of the vaati an ancient race of beings of elemental air and cosmic law which once ruled over all the Inner Planes.

The other two buildings float some distance away, but like the central buildings they are now empty save for the plants of the Gardens which grow wild across them. Several other broken remnants of buildings float throughout the gardens as well. The stone-like substance they were built from is extremely hard and durable (hardness 25) on par with heavily enchanted steel or adamantine. Unlike most objects it seems resistant to sonic damage (hardness applies and damage is halved), what techniques the ancient vaati used to build these structures was most likely lost in the war with the Queen of Chaos long ago.

[LOTRfan]

Vaati reference!

Anyways, I like the idea of this garden, a lot. Where can the Fog dragon be found, though? In your dragon thread?

EDIT: Never mind, my guess was correct.

[Zaydos]

Vaati reference!

Anyways, I like the idea of this garden, a lot. Where can the Fog dragon be found, though? In your dragon thread?

EDIT: Never mind, my guess was correct.

Oops I guess I'll have to change it to steam dragon... I intended it to be a planar dragon of the quasielemental plane of steam, but I haven't made it yet.

[Zaydos]

The Monastery of Resounding Thunder

Druids founded this enclave in the Quasielemental Plane of Lightning. These druids, known as the Seekers of Primal Order, believe that in the natural state of the planes primal law reigns supreme and that chaos is an infection from outside of the multiverse. They point to the status of the Inner Planes as the fundamental building blocks of reality, and some say oldest planes, and the Wind Dukes of Aaqa who were ancient elemental beings dedicated to Law which fought a war against the Queen of Chaos in the untold past as evidence of their theory. The Seekers of Primal Order have made what is, after they suffered wide-scale destruction as heretics on their native Prime, their largest enclave on the Quasielemental Plane of Lightning to add credence to their theory by proving that even lightning, normally associated with chaos, is in fact at its essence fundamentally lawful.

It would take a particularly clueless berk not to realize that these druids share some core points of belief with the Guvners, and in fact the majority of them have joined that faction. Some are Hardheads, sure, but a surprising number have up and joined the Doomguard. They’re part of the Sinker group that thinks the planes are falling apart ahead of schedule, and they know what to blame, Chaos. While the majority of the Seekers of Primal Order are fairly safe, a chaotic cutter had better watch his step around the Hardheads and Sinkers of the group because they can get violent quick.

Now the enclave was founded by druids, but that doesn’t mean that’s all you’ll meet there. Lawful quasielementals, and mephits can be found here, and baatezu which have reason to travel the plane know it as a safe house. The Seekers don’t limit their membership to only druids, even though the core offices are almost all still held by such bloods, and count incarnates (Magic of Incarnum), monks, and practitioners of the sublime way (Tome of Battle) amongst their number; even a few wizards have joined their ranks.

There’re a few reasons to come to the enclave. The first is, like many other sites in the Inner Planes, safety from the plane’s natural conditions. The enclave is built upon a floating pocket of stone in the middle of Lightning, and while the area lacks any magical shielding from the lightning that surges through the plane when in the large, thick walled, buildings at least you’re sheltered from the lightning. Even so most communication in the enclave is done by writing as the continuous thunder causes verbal communication to be difficult at best. Even so the sublime masters of this place are considered to be excellent teachers, and can teach a blood a thing or two about fighting. In addition the libraries of the enclave have extensive information about the plane, and lightning in general. Almost any electricity spell known can be found here, for enough jink. Finally reliable mephit guides can be found at the enclave, as can a portal to Mechanus.

There are several members of notes, and people of interest to be found at the enclave. Argist Pruin, an air genasi and head of the Seekers of Primal Order, is a fairly powerful druid if the chant is correct. The swordmaster, Argevirus Minn, a hadozee swordsage is said to be the master of a particularly rare form of the sublime way. In addition there is Laz, the only known lightning quasielemental to have joined the Guvners; Laz doesn’t rattle his bone-box often, but it’s said that it knows more about the plane than any other source that’s not liable to try and put a basher into the dead box. Finally there’s Zylos, a disgraced cornugon commander he’s been put in charge of observing tanar’ri activities on the Quasiplane; thing is even the tanar’ri don’t do much on the plane, and the position is effectively a dead end, the baatezu need some bashers here to do it but there’s no means to get advancement and none of the fiends want the position, so Zylos is stuck with it. This makes Zylos a rather surly fellow, but if a cutter is canny enough to approach him with some information or means to gain a little more power Zylos can be a useful contact about the Plane, tanar’ri, or the baatezu themselves, and might be worth visiting by any berks foolish enough to think about moving directly against Baator.

Zylos is also usually willing to hire able-bodied adventurers to scour the plane looking for tanar'ri threats. The pay is based on comissions for information gained, but it can still do a cutter well if they're good enough to get around. See the baatezu don't have any natural ability to resist the lightning of the plane, and it proves almost as dangerous to them as to mortals, meanwhile the tanar'ri are completely immune and can move through the plane with virtual impunity. They don't care much about the plane, but it still is an inconvenience for the undermanned cornugon and he's plenty glad to have the help of a mercenary who might die before needing to be paid.

[Zaydos]

Argron Rael:

Argron Rael, called the Governor of Magma by some, is a lieutenant of Imix (archolemental of evil fire) who is in charge of furthering Imix’s interests in magma. He is currently a guest at Chilimba’s castle of Caldera, although the chant is that he’s more of a spy than anything else. This is one case where the chant and the dark are the same, Argron is acting to undermine Chilimba’s power to make sure that the overgrown mephit does not grow powerful enough to serve as a true rival to Imix’s influence. See with Zaaman Rul’s recent defeat Imix is taking the chance to consolidate his hold over evil fire creatures on the neighboring quasielemental and paraelemental planes, and the first step is to pull Magma under his control. To help with this task, he has Argron Rael.

Chilimba, for his part, knows the dark of Argron’s purpose on the plane, but he’s not ready for a direct clash with Imix’s forces. So he bides his time, hoping he can consolidate his power in Magma better than this new-comer can undermine it. Far as I know it’s any blood’s guess who’ll win the race for power; Chilimba has a powerful infrastructure already in place, but Argron Rael has a powerful personal magnetism and the power of Imix behind him. Even if he does manage to fend off the threat that Argron represents, I wouldn’t want to be Chilimba when Imix makes his move. If the poor sod lives to kneel before the archolemental he should count himself lucky; though Imix’s plans could still fall apart if Zaaman Rul or Olhydra have anything to say about it.

Argron Rael is the son of an efreeti, chant has it his mother is the daughter of the Grand Sultan of the efreet himself, and a fire giant mercenary. He stands twelve feet and eight inches tall, and wears his long red hair in a top knot. He is never seen without his falchion Chillender a dread weapon feared across the planes of fire and ice for its enchantments that make it particularly deadly to beasts of either element. Argron is a boastful warrior always ready with a tale of his grand prowess in combat, and a mug of ale, but just because he wags his bone-box like a sodding bubber doesn’t mean you should underestimate the warrior. Half his tales, if not more, are ideal boasts, but any basher who thinks that Argron is a sodding rube has just got himself peeled. The fire giant warrior has learned that it’s best if your enemies underestimate you, so he cultivates the image of a drunken sod, but his mind’s as sharp as a tiefling’s chiv and twice as likely to stab you in the back.

Argron grows weary of his time in Chilimba’s castle. While he’s managed to make some headway on his master’s plans, Argron hates the self-proclaimed archolemental and his entire court and can’t wait till the day comes when he can sink his blade into each and every one of them. If the fact that Argron loyally serves Imix’s dark wishes wasn’t bad enough, it gets worse when you realize why. See Argron is a Sinker, and a fairly devote one. His exact rank in the faction isn’t known, but he’s more than a mere namer but whether he’s a factotum or factor is any body’s guess; except for the other high ups in the Doomguard, they know the fire giant’s place. Not only is Argron a Sinker, but he believes the planes are falling apart too slow, and that the emphasis that many of his fellows put on Sigil and the Outer Planes is just a misguided foolishness. The way he sees it the Outer Planes reflect belief, but the Inner Planes are the building blocks of reality. Normally there’s a balance between them, and good, evil, law and chaos are all almost unheard of, but what would happen if one of the Inner Planes slid to an alignment? It wouldn’t fall to the Abyss or Baator like if a portion of the Outlands would. Argron’s theory is that it would destabilize all the planes and destroy them all in one flaming cataclysm. So to bring that about Argron serves Imix with unwavering loyalty, because the Sinker figures that Imix is the most likely to upset that balance. Course this means if someone else was more likely to cast the plane of fire away from neutrality Argron would serve them in less time than it takes a fiend to break a promise, but it doesn’t look like that is going to be very likely any time soon.

Argron is always accompanied by his minders, a trio of picked agents. The first is an efreeti who he officially keeps as his dancing girl, but the dark of it is she’s a highly skilled assassin. The second is a tamed pyrohydra of abnormal intelligence, the beast is smarter than most basher’s I’ve met. The third is a fire mephit, but don’t let its lowly status fool you cause rumor is that the little mephit might be as dangerous as his master; chant is he’s a pretty powerful mage but whether that’s true or not only a few could say.

[Zaydos]

The Caverns of the Howling Winter:

Deep within the recesses of the Paraelemental Plane of Ice there exists the realm of a minor power of elemental cold named Thilgrim. If legends are true he was one of the first white dragons and worshipped by early mortals as the incarnation of winter itself. When he was stricken dead for his abuse of position he had been placed into, the worship which the mortals revered him with led to him, or a reflection of him, rising as a deity; as a being of icy cold, and animalistic hunger, he finally laired not in the Outer Planes but in the depths of Ice.

Thilgrim’s realm is takes the form of an immense air-filled cavern deep within the Plane of Ice. A single portal is known to exist within his realm, although others occasionally form in the winding tunnels that form its outskirts. None of these tunnels lead anywhere, and their arrangement shifts, their only purpose is to catch “prey” for the god’s minions. These portals open almost exclusively onto Prime Material worlds where the god is worshipped, opening during the winter to allow his servants to go forth and hunt the humanoids that live on the Prime. Occasionally these portals open instead to allow a group of mortals into the Cavern of the Howling Winter, so that they can struggle to make their way to the portal that makes its heart as they are hunted by the beasts of Thilgrim’s realm. None of his servants are allowed to actually enter the main hall when this happens, but an avatar of Thilgrim (normally this is considered a normal white dragon) guards the portal. As long as the avatar lives teleportation, and planar travel, magic and effects do not work within Thilgrim’s realm or any cavern connected to it, but it is possible for a creature to burrow through the ice to an edge of Ice and thus escape his sphere of influence. To do so they must burrow through miles of snow and ice.

The Caverns of Howling Winter pose another danger, beyond the sheer cold of the plane which is intensified within this realm (creatures take 2d6 cold damage and 2d4 subdual damage per minute without a save unless they are immune to cold; mundane protection against cold halves this damage). The entire Caverns are connected to Pandemonium and the great howling of the plane sweep through into Ice and take on new horrors. Each minute a creature not in the service of Thilgrim spends in the Caverns of Howling Winter they must make a DC 20 Will save or be consumed by a great hunger. They will immediately attempt to kill, and eat, the closest creature made out of meat (for this purpose familiar and a paladin’s special mount count as part of yourself); this hunger lasts for 2d4 rounds before subsiding and is a mind-affecting effect. Even creatures that do not need sustenance, or cannot normally eat, are affected by this Howling Hunger. A creature that fails 4 such saving throws finds itself permanently in the grasp of the Howling Hunger and mortal magic can only temporarily negate its effects (Remove Curse, Heal and Restoration negates its effects for 8 hours, Greater Restoration negates its effects for 3 days, Wish or Miracle negate it for 1 week) and even they do not prevent the creature from being affected by it again while in the Caverns. The only certain cure for this effect is the water of the River Styx, but that wipes a creature’s memories clean, though vague rumors suggest other ways to cure this malady; one basher claims to have had it and been cured by the song of a wondrous virtuoso at the Shining Music Hall. These winds also make it impossible to talk, effectively deafening all creatures within the tunnels, Thilgrim’s avatar is immune to this deafness and any creatures he desires to can hear it when he speaks as long as they are within the Caverns.

The Caverns of Howling Winter is home to winter wolves, ice paraelementals, white dragons, ghouls, and even some wights as well as other, more obscure, ice creatures and undead. The ghouls here are particularly ferocious, gaining a +4 bonus to Strength but have their actions limited as if they were continuously under the effects of a barbarian rage. These creatures serve as the hunters in Thilgrim’s vile games, driving his prey deeper into his cavern till they confront his avatar and the portal to Pandemonium it guards. Should a blood defeat the avatar they’ve earned their freedom, but they’ve also earned the god’s unending enmity. Not only will he and his followers hound them till the end of their days, they will persecute their descendants and familiar line for generations. Such is the cost of escape.

The inhabitants of the Caverns of the Howling Winter show little concern, and take little role, in the growing conflict between Cyronax (Dragon #347, AD&D Fiend Folio, 2e Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III, 2e The Inner Planes) and Albrathanilar (The Inner Planes). Whether this is because of impotence or actual disinterest is unknown.

[Silverscale]

Wow. In my head right now I'm drawing connections between Ishka and the Para-/Quasi-Elemental Planes through random portals; the Para-/Quasi-Elemental Planes to Dragon-World through connections like the ones that occasionally open onto The Caverns of Howling Winter; and between Ishka and Dragon-World through one of the Secret Districts, that probably connects directly to the Draconic Heritage Collective. All creating one massive Multi-verse.

[Zaydos]

Gwond:

Unheard of up until about eight months ago, when this basher attacked Bwimb II declaring himself the Elemental Prince of Good Ooze, Gwond now wanders the Plane of Ooze trying to attract those good hearted natives he can find to his side in his self-declared battle with Bwimb II. Bwimb II herself seems to be as surprised by this development as any other basher out there, and is searching for information about this would be elemental lord.

The dark of the matter is that Gwond was born to one of the gnomes of Gnome’s Home, but who or what his father was is unknown. He always showed signs of closeness, or affinity, to Paraelemental Ooze even as a young child. Seemingly a gnomish form of ooze genasi, when he grew to adulthood he set out into Ooze alone. Somewhere in the depths of the plane something changed in the gnome. His body dissolved into the acidic sludge of the plane, but even as it did he was reborn as Gwond a being of the paraelement. His first act was to attack Bwimb II in her main base, breaking past her guards before they managed to repulse him. Gwond was beaten and seemingly dissolved into the muck that makes up the Plane, but some time later he re-emerged once more as himself and he began to try and rally allies to his cause.

Gwond appears as a creature made from the ooze and gunk of the plane, standing 9’ 7” tall. Though he has a humanoid torso and arms, he lacks legs his body merging into a homogenous mass of ooze beneath his chest. His face shows no signs of his gnomish heritage, or of a humanoid heritage at all. Gwond’s head is a long and worm-like, ending in a large, circular mouth lined with small, barbed teeth. It has several nodules which seem to work as eyes, and stand out from the gunk due to their reflective black surfaces. His arms appear humanoid, ending in hands intended for manipulation of objects, and have extreme strength capable of tearing into, and through, opponents.

Whether Gwond is in truth an archolemental or not is as of yet unknown, though the same could be said of Bwimb II. Gwond lacks a strong follower base of any sort, but likes a true archolemental he seems to be able to grant spells to his followers, although none have progressed far in their clerical powers. This would seem a point in his favor, that doesn’t fall on many of the paraelemental lords. Even so he has yet to rally many paraelementals to his cause and is hunted by the servants of Bwimb II. Gwond shows little fear of them, and those paraelementals that have attacked him have been easily dismissed and defeated. Even so a paraelemental monolith could prove troublesome even to the fledgling archolemental, as could one of Bwimb II’s tanar’ri allies.

Gwond is as yet unrecognized by the elemental lords of other planes, and this dispute seems solely between him and Bwimb II. He has sent one of his servants, an ooze paraelemental known as Marlibey, to Sunnis swearing his support should the archolemental need it. What Sunnis thinks about this is any basher’s guess but bloods say she didn’t look to impressed, and chant has it that she doesn’t think Gwond is powerful enough to prove a useful ally at all.

[Zaydos]

Wow. In my head right now I'm drawing connections between Ishka and the Para-/Quasi-Elemental Planes through random portals; the Para-/Quasi-Elemental Planes to Dragon-World through connections like the ones that occasionally open onto The Caverns of Howling Winter; and between Ishka and Dragon-World through one of the Secret Districts, that probably connects directly to the Draconic Heritage Collective. All creating one massive Multi-verse.

I'm glad But that's the point of Planescape. Or well one of them.

[Zaydos]

The Noxious Jungle:

Floating amid the cinders of the Paraelemental Plane of Smoke is an area called the Noxious Jungle. A giant cinder, over three miles long and more than a mile wide, forms the bulk of the jungle. Various trees and plants grow across the cinder, and little rivers of water, poisonous due to the particles of toxic ash that gets pulled in, run across the cinder. The plants and water of the region seem to have decided that the cinder is “down” and are staying put pretty tightly. The smoke around the Noxious Jungle is particularly toxic, and while spells such as Breathe Smoke (as Breathe Water but functions for the noxious fumes of the Plane of Smoke and other natural poisonous fumes) still protect against it, spells such as Avoid Planar Effects have no power over the more dangerous vapors of this region. Any creature breathing these vapors must make a Fortitude save versus poison each round (DC = 5 + Number of Previous Saves) or take 1 Con damage and are nauseated for 1 minute. Creatures naturally able to breathe the toxic vapors of the Plane of Smoke need only make a save every minute (DC 10 + 2 per previous save) or be nauseated for 1 minute. Creatures native to the Noxious Jungle are completely immune.

The trees and plants of the Noxious Jungle thrive on the toxic air of Smoke, and are home to many birds and even a few griffons that have adapted to the plane as well. Even halflings can be found in the Noxious Jungle, though they’ve adapted quite well to the poisonous miasma that makes up Smoke and the toxic nature of the water they drink and the plants they eat. A planeswalker should be careful dealing with these halflings, because they aren’t the sweet little creatures you think. See whatever Prime they came from was a world as harsh as Smoke, if not more so, and these halflings had to toughen up to survive. Some of the habits of that world are still clearly apparent amongst these halflings, amongst them a certain streak of cannibalism that makes them dangerous to travelers.

Rubes see the Noxious Jungle and think that it’s a pleasant change from the rest of the Plane, landing on it and lowering their guard. It’s when they realize that every plant there is poisonous that things change. The water, the air, and the food are all toxic, and even most of the birds are filled with enough poison to make their flesh deadly. Even the halflings have begun to change and adapt, becoming as toxic as the area they live in. 1 in 10 birds native to the Noxious Jungle have poison either on their talons or beak, and the majority of griffons native to it are just as poisonous. Birds, griffons, and halflings of the Noxious Jungle are all immune to poison.

[Zaydos]

Ilq Loth:

Deep in the unending darkness of the Negative Energy Plane is a dread entity called Ilq Loth. What it is isn’t totally clear, but a group of clueless of all people managed to shed light on what it was. Ilq Loth was once an ultraloth, summoned in a dread ritual to a Prime Material world to extinguish the forces of good on that world. Ilq Loth was only one of several ‘loths summoned there to form the army to make way for the fall of the plane to evil. How these primes managed to control that many ‘loths is a mystery, and the adventurers don’t know enough to realize how hard it should have been. Whatever the case, a group of Prime heroes banded together and defeated the fiendish army and killed the summoners, saving their world. The thing is this Prime was in an abnormal connection to the Planes. Maybe it has something to do with what the clueless call the Phlogiston for all I know, but whatever the reason this Prime was only in contact with the Outer Planes for a short period each century. The period passed, but some powerful magic kept the ‘loths on the Prime. When a band of native heroes managed to gathered together and overthrow these summoners they killed many in the ‘loth armies. The problem is when a powerful fiend is slain off of its home plane their spirit reforms on the Lower Planes. Now these fiendish spirits couldn’t return to the Lower Planes because of the lack of a connection to the Outer Planes, so the souls of these ‘loths were pulled towards the Inner Planes instead. Now for most of them, the lesser ‘loths that is, this didn’t matter much, their souls fell apart in the Ethereal, but the greater ‘loths had a greater strength of spirit. These ‘loths fell into the Negative Energy Plane, they were dead where else would they have gone? Either way some of these ‘loths began to reform like fiends are apt to do. The energy of the Negative Energy Plane wasn’t exactly conductive to this. Most of the fiends were wiped from existence completely, beyond even the reach of Powers. One, though, somehow managed to live on, reforming out of the essence of that plane. A hundred and ten years after the ‘loths were killed on the Prime a group of Clueless adventurers were sent by their god to hunt down the abomination their ancestors had inadvertently created by killing the ‘loths. They were sent to the Inner Planes, told to reach the Negative Energy Plane and kill this creature. A year ago they entered the Plane to kill Ilq Loth, only one has ever been seen since as an angry ghost.

Ilq Loth, though, has been sighted since and it’s safe to say those brave adventurers died without doing him much harm. Sighted might be the wrong word, what with the absolute darkness of the Negative Energy Plane that sucks away even magical light, but then again it might be right. See even in the darkness Ilq Loth is darker still, and can be seen, though only vaguely and only close up, even in absolute magical darkness as a moving shape of still greater shadow. When viewed through darkvision he appears to be a creature of basically humanoid shape, but he lacks a lower body. Instead he simply has six tendrils of dark energy that reach out to devour the life of those which foolishly venture too near. It’s said the touch of one of these tendrils will suck out the Positive, or Negative, energy in a creature draining them of animation; of course the Negative Energy of the Plane would soon restore that stolen lifeforce except that something about the touch makes healing impossible. In fact those few, and I mean, few who have survived a meeting with Ilq Loth only one has survived his touch and the cutter’s wounds wouldn’t heal till he was taken to the Heart of Light (The Inner Planes) on the Quasielemental Plane of Radiance. Ilq Loth’s hands seem to be clawed, though he at least seems to lack fangs. A spellslinger that viewed him under an Ebon Eyes spell said that the fiend was invisible, as if it were made from coalesced darkness.

Now I mentioned how dark Ilq Loth appears, even in contrast to the supernaturally dark plane he lives on, but I haven’t mentioned his eyes. Some bashers would, hearing about the fiend, assume that they’re darker than the rest of him, but they’re not. Instead they shine, like two brilliant white stars, with a light that can be seen for hundreds of feet even in the light draining Negative Energy Plane. This means that should a basher see two white lights coming towards him in the Negative Energy Plane it’s a good idea to run, and run fast.

Now chant is that Ilq Loth has been gathering undead allies on the Negative Energy Plane. Nobody knows why its gathering them, all it does is approach them and order them to kneel before it and swear their eternal loyalty. If they don’t Ilq Loth will end them quick, and if they do the fiend will send them on their way, but any cutter that does had best not rattle their bone-boxes about Ilq Loth’s doing. A few liches have let this much of the dark slip, but they haven’t lasted much longer than that. Within moments the negative energy that animates them begins to slip from their bodies. One even had his phylactery with him and the unholy container burst into flames of negative energy before melting into nothing.

Now some berks’ll say that anybody whose killing liches is doin the multiverse a favor, cause lich’s are some nasty bloods. The way I see it, though, this is probably just the prelude to something far worse, and we can only hope that somebody gets rid of the fiend before its plans really begin.

[Zaydos]

The Twisted Haze:

I dreamt that I was floating through the void that is the Wellspring of All Life. As I swam through the Life Well, I saw a trail of lifepearls (The Inner Planes) leading deeper into the plane. I swam forward, following this glistening road of pure life. It was then that I came upon the Haze. Where the plane is normally a blinding brightness, pure white in contrast to the rainbow light of Radiance, this realm was veiled and darkened, the pure white light taking on a poisonous orange hue. I could feel something not quite right an oily sensation in the air itself. Suddenly a saw a creature approaching, though I could see it and through my enhanced sense of touch feel its disgusting flesh (as a note in 2e your sense of touch was heightened enough that you could use it for Blindsight out to 25’ with a Wis check at -6) the creature was not on the same plane as me but somehow further removed. Even so as it approached and its full horror dawned on me, I awoke screaming.

Since that dream I have ventured into the Positive Energy Plane, seeking out the place I saw in the dream. It took me some time, but I found the orange haze, but I was relieved that there was no stream of lifepearls leading into it, though there were a few within it. Travelling into that Haze I could feel the unnaturalness of the realm that brushed against the Life Well and it caused me to shudder with revulsion. Even so I persevered studying what I could. Several lifepearls were within the Haze, and I did my best to remove them at first but they seemed to carry the taint with them. As such I have prepared a specially sealed case to keep them within. The native creatures of the plane avoid the place, several tens of miles, if not hundreds, across, and those that foolishly enter soon shrivel and die, as if the Positive Energy of the region was horribly tainted. The worst, though, is that you can see into another world, one of unspeakable horror. The creatures that lurk on that other world seem to die almost as quickly as those of Positive Energy. These creatures are horrible monstrosities against all that is reasonable. One came close to investigate me, at first it seemed to be of a basically humanoid shape, made indistinct by the Haze and veil of the planes but then it turned so that I viewed it in profile and its shape was completely inhuman. I cannot even understand how from the front it had seemed to have two arms, two legs, and a head, for from the side its head split into two, its arm was a writhing mass of tentacles, and a dozen legs were visible. It finished turning and with its back towards me it once more looked humanoid. Another creature seen through the veil was a mass of insectile legs, stalked eyes, and long tendrils ending in many teethed mouths. These creatures seemed to try to fly at me there numerous mouths snapping, but were incapable of doing so for the boundary that separated the planes. I saw only one creature on the plane that I was that seemed to still live. I am uncertain what it was, for it appeared most similar to a ravid of any creature from the plane although it was different and seemed as close to one of the creatures of the plane bordering it as to a ravid, if not closer. The creature attacked me, searing me with dangerous overloads of Positive Energy and disruptive energy. I managed to drive it away with a powerful splinterbolt but found myself forced to fight my own spell components and cloak afterwards.

I was unable to finish my studies of the place as I came down with a series of lumps spreading from where the twisted ravid touched me, and then a wracking cough that has yet to go away. The healers within our order seem to believe that the area is infused with some sort of taint that twists the body into unnatural forms. I believe that this area is one of those places where the infection of Chaos seeps into our world; therefore I must suggest that we study this region further and if possible repel the infection by sealing it away. I am especially concerned with those lifepearls within the area, due to the theory that they are the concentrated energy that will become creatures, worlds, and possibly even planes; should this taint twist them who knows what horrors could befall the world. In fact tainted lifepearls might could explain the existence of the Abyss and similar planes.

--Report by Alb Gaeller, Seeker of the Primal Order 3rd Rank, on the Twisted Haze in the Positive Energy Plane

Alb Gaeller is a druid of the Seekers of the Primal Order and often travels the Inner Planes. In the above he detailed his findings about the region he catalogued as the Twisted Haze. It borders on that realm outside of reality that his Order blames for the taint of Chaos on this multiverse, the Far Realm. Why the Positive Energy Plane and the Far Realm come so close together at that point, and whether this is as old as the multiverse or a recent change, is unknown, but for planeswalkers interested in investigating the Far Realm this may be the closest place a Prime can get to it. Then again the Seekers seem to think that due to parallelism there’s got to be a similar place in Negative Energy, though I don’t know if I believe that.

The area is highly tainted (see taint in Heroes of Horror), but is not as brightly lit as the Positive Energy plane. Should a creature not be protected from the Positive Energy in the region the taint is accelerated greatly; 1 round of unprotected exposure to the positive energy in the Twisted Haze is equivalent to 24 hours in a tainted area.

While one can see into an area of about 6 layers of the Far Realm from the Twisted Haze one cannot simply will oneself through the barrier even there, and while the taint seems to kill positive energy creatures that pass through fairly quickly, the positive energy that has seeped through to the Far Realm seems fatal to the inhabitants of that realm as well leaving it mainly a region of absolute lifelessness in the Wellspring of All Life.

[viking vince]

This stuff is great. Keep it up

[Zaydos]

The Angel of Flames:

Deep within the eternal expanse of fire that composes the Elemental Plane of Fire there is an obelisk of condensed flame surrounded by an area where the ground of the flame, made of condensed flame itself, seems to have been burnt and cracked by some great force. Like the floor of the plane this fire is smooth as glass, and with an appearance like white hot fire. No one knows for sure how it was made, but those bloods that have gone there say that at times one can peer through the flames to see a winged woman of angelic beauty. She is said to have hair of flame, sealed frozen within the white prison, and wings of blue fire. One hand is outstretched as if reaching for something and the other is formed into a fist. Who, or what, she is seems lost to time but the graybeards tell of a legend.

This legend speaks of an archon, from the time of the first Hebdomad, who while fighting against the forces of the Abyss fell. This angel did not, like many others, fall to evil, but she was no longer compatible with the law and order of her kind. Many such as these would become asuras (Book of Exalted Deeds has 3.5 stats, Planes of Law states that archons that fall towards chaos become asuras), but perhaps this archon held more power than most, serving as a general of her kind, or perhaps this was just so early in the nature of the Planes that asuras did not yet exist. Whatever the reason, this angel left Celestia to find her own way searching for meaning and whether Law was the right way. She did not, like most such, go to the Outer Planes, perhaps realizing that any view she got on such places would be biased and skewed, but chose instead to wander the Inner Planes. Something about the Plane of Fire resonated with her soul, and she stayed there in seclusion for untold ages. Eventually Imix’s growing power called her out to oppose the Prince of Evil Fire and she fought against Imix in a duel that is said to have burnt the ground around the obelisk, and sent out great waves of force that pushed the blazing seas away for ages untold though they have since returned. The battle was said to have lasted years as the two untiring combatants clashed again and again on their now forgotten field of battle, but finally Imix disarmed the archon and gained the upper hand. As she reached for her sword, Imix raised up the obelisk of flames around her, imprisoning her for all time or at least until some truly brave heroes release her from the prison of flames.

It is said that her sword, a blade known as the Nova’s Tear is still somewhere upon the Elemental Plane of Fire, perhaps within Imix’s evil stronghold the Temple of Ultimate Consumption that lies on the Field of Burnt Dreams (The Inner Planes). The sword is said to have great power over fire, protecting its wielder from the flames of the plane or perhaps all flames regardless of source, as well as great holy power. If the legend is true, this sword might be the key to releasing the sealed angel.

[Zaydos]

Al-bala:

Daughter of Olhydra and an unnamed god of water, Al-bala was for a time a favorite of her mother’s because of her power and cunning. It should come as no surprise that this state could not last, and Al-bala and her mother had a falling out. Al-bala had, slowly but surely, drifted away from evil as she aged moving towards untainted and pure Law, and has fled her mother’s territory, declaring herself the Princess of Lawful Water.

Al-bala’s realm is small as yet, and many bloods would challenge her claim to that title. See in their own realm an archomental has enough might to rival a Power and their worshipers can draw spells from them like they were true Powers, but like the mephit dukes of the paraelemental planes that’s just not true about Al-bala. She’s strong, sure, and in an upfront fight might even equal Zaaman-Rul of Fire in power, but she’s not a true archomental or at least not yet. Given time she might get there, just like it seems that Olhydra might become a full-blown Power, and just like if her mother became a Power Al-bala’s possible ascension could wreak untold havoc to the balance of the Planes. Al-bala would have no rival or enemy to keep her in check, and who knows how far she’d push the plane towards Law. Of course this seems unlikely since her betrayal seems to have enraged her mother and made her a very serious enemy. As it is Al-bala is being pushed and hounded across the plane by Olhydra, and has sent ambassadors to Ben-Hadur asking for assistance and offering alliance. Unfortunately for the fledgling archomental, Ben-Hadur’s arrogance and conceit might prove too much for him to accept the promise of alliance choosing to instead rely on his own strength. While Ben-Hadur can continue his haphazard opposition this way, he loses the chance to make a powerful ally and severely weaken Olhydra if he chooses this path.

Al-bala appears as a humanoid woman with fish scales and a fish-like tail. Sea weed grows from her head like hair on a human, and her hands are webbed. From top of her head to the tip of her tail she is 18’ ½” long. Although she has the appearance of a physical body within she is composed of homogenous pure water, her other appearance simply for the benefit of others who view her. It’s known that Al-bala can take the appearance of a nereid, siren, or mermaid as well should she so desire. She carries with her, at all times, her weapon Il’quirion a powerfully enchanted harpoon created just shy of the Saline Sea where energy from Salt seep into the plane. It is capable of creating destructive surges of desiccating energy making it particularly potent against creatures of Elemental Water.

[Zaydos]

The City of Bar-Uvalar:

Within the great depths of the Elemental Plane of Earth is the dwarven city of Bar-Uvalar. The main tunnels of the settlement have somehow been made permanent, though what trick of stonecutting was used is a secret of their powerful Stonecutter’s Guild. Bar-Uvalar was once built by a powerful dwarven empire called Karavin on the Prime Material world of Interra, and at its center still holds a great portal that leads to that plane, though the portal is now blocked off by magically augmented stone walls due to the collapse of that empire.

Bar-Uvalar is amongst the largest non-dao settlements on the plane, hosting tens of thousands of inhabitants. These inhabitants are mainly dwarves, but they also include gnomes (both rock and deep), stout halflings, humans, as well as a myriad of other races although those make up the majority. The settlement was originally founded in a miles wide naturally occurring pocket of air on the plane, but has since expanded far beyond that initial size. A large lake sits a mile from the portal that was the original nucleus of the settlement, and a waterfall from a cliff, one hundred and fifty feet high, feeds the lake. The waterfall itself is actually linked to the Plane of Water through a naturally occurring vortex that was stabilized by ancient mages. It provides most of the settlement’s water.

Bar-Uvalar trades in all forms of dwarven crafts, and many of the finest blades and armors of the Inner Planes can be found, and bought, here. In addition to its fine weapons, Bar-Uvalar is also one of the few places on the plane where a cutter can buy an earth pegasus. These creatures look a lot like Prime beasts called pegasi, winged horses, but seem to be made from stone with eyes like sapphires. The difference is that these horses can fly not only through the air but stone as well. Raising these creatures is a difficulty, as they can move through stone and dirt like a fish through water, but metal will stop them as will wood and the dwarves use that to cage ‘em up. The beauty of these beasts, though, is that not only can a rider use one to take to the air, but their ability to move through stone. A rider on one of these steeds can pass through stone with them, and they even allow a rider to breathe in stone and earth, as well as a limited form of sight when within (30-ft range). These features make these creatures highly valuable as mounts and worth every coin. Just remember that they can’t move through metal or wood, so that a vein of ore, or a forest’s floor, can be impassible to them (the small roots of grass normally do not affect them). These creatures aren’t quite as fast in the air (air speed = land speed) as their Prime kin and lack the magical powers and intelligence of those supernatural horses, but they are more tractable and easily trained for battle, and most of them get trained for war (proficiency in all armor, +2 HD, +4 Str, +2 Con) which just goes to increase their value further.

Another type of “animal” found in Bar-Uvalar are gem cats. These remarkable felines are descended from the Prime to take care of rodent problems or as familiars. These cats have fur the color of precious gems, ruby and emerald being the most famous breeds. They’re pretty smart, for beasts (6 Int), and the smartest of them can even speak (Int 13+ required), which is remarkable enough. Their real importance, though, is their special abilities. A gem cat can move through stone like a native of the plane, which helps them catch some of the vermin which have adapted to this place. In addition the guards of the place love ‘em for their ability to see invisible, and ethereal, creatures which helps protect the place from raiders that like to come in out of the Ethereal Plane and retreat the same way; see when they spot such a creature they know it and they’ll let out a loud yeow alerting the guards. Finally it’s said that they can see the future, though I think that’s probably just a merchant’s attempt to peel a berk. Even so some high-shelf spellslingers keep them as familiars, so they must be pretty useful.

You might ask what they eat in this deep down city. Well the truth is it’s mainly fungus. See they have several varieties of fungus that’ll grow in the plane, some off the very rocks themselves, others off the bodies of the dead. That’s not all they eat; fish swim in through the vortex and get trapped in the lake at the bottom, providing a fairly steady stream of fish too. Xorn meat isn’t too uncommon, the stony creatures often clashing with the dwarves. It’s not the best fare in the world, but they make by, and course the high ups, and anyone with jink, can get their food imported from Sigil or the Outlands.

Bar-Uvalar is ruled by a council of 15 Lords. Some of these Lords get their status due to their rank in certain powerful guilds, or even their birth, but others are freely elected. Each of them, no matter how they got on the council, has equal vote in all matters of governance. The leader of each of the Stonecutters’ Guild, the Smiths’ Guild, the Explorers’ Guild, the Merchant’s Guild, and the Herdsmen’s Guild are given a seat on the council. Another lord is the leader of the Order of Karavin Uvalar, the oldest mage’s guild in the city and long ago the stabilizer of the vortex that serves as the city’s water supply. Even so that’s no longer the most powerful spellslinger’s guild in the burg, that honor goes to the Deep Eye of the Earth, and the leader of that guild is also granted a seat on the council. The Commander of Axes, head general and head of the town guard, also has a seat. The high priest of Dumathion also has a seat guaranteed on the council, as does a representative from the Morndinsamman as a whole. Another representative is the Lord of the house of Thoronvalar, used to be the high-up in charge with the whole town back when it was still part of the Karavin Empire and the rest of the council was just his panel of advisors, but times have changed. Both the dao and the native elementals are given representatives as well, part of the long standing truce between Bar-Uvalar and the native inhabitants of the Plane, though this truce doesn’t extend to the xorn which often raid the mines of Bar-Uvalar causing the two to clash frequently. The last three Lords are elected in a general election by the populace of the city, giving the common folk an illusion of control.

Now while the Council of Lords has fifteen seats, not all Lords are as influential as the others. The dwarves, and they’re assured nine of the fifteen seats, have certain ideas. Dorik Arabor, head priest of Dumathion, might be the most influential of these bloods. A fairly powerful priest, Dorik is also in charge of food production, through a combination of tending to the crops and magical creation; see large portions of the city depend upon his clergy for its food and the other lords know it. Not that Dorik has ever threatened to do anything about it, and not that he would, but the other dwarves are grateful to him and his priests and they listen. Think of it as religious awe, but when Dorik speaks he has the ear of most of the council. Even the elemental respects him most of all of the other Lords, seems to like Dumathion and the two seem to be personal friends. Next in influence is Glaruk Thoronvalar, if he and Dorik vote together they’ve got an assured majority. Even, though, Karavin has fallen the dwarves have deep loyalties, and this blood is a descendant of lords, a kind of divine king. While some of the other elements of the city might not respect him, the guild masters are gonna side with either Dorik or Glaruk. Glaruk wasn’t happy to sit on his laurels either, he’s a high-end spellslinger as well, and an expert smith trained by Rodharrik a legendary smith who dwells in Mineral; Glaruk would be on the council even if he weren’t the heir of Thoronvalar, it’s the main reason he’s not the head of the Smith’s Guild and the guildmaster knows it. Were the guildmaster a human he might hate Glaruk out of jealousy, but such thoughts are alien to a dwarf, and he respects the Lord like no one else.

Iravon Klainhammer is the Lord of Axes, one of the six positions that are not always held by dwarves. He’s a dwarven earth genasi, and not a native born son of the town. If you’re a bit of a rube, I’ll tell you that that means he’s got to be a pretty powerful cutter to have worked his way up in the hierarchy that way. Where the dwarves from Karavin seem to have been originally of mountain dwarven stock, before their kingdom got so open, Iravon is a deep dwarf by blood; well excepting his planar blood. Rumor is his grandfather was a xorn, though don’t ask me how that worked. Either way he’s a powerful warrior, and the only dwarf on the council not likely to follow Glaruk out of ancestral loyalty. Course, he follows Dorik like the priest was a prophet.

Clang Ironvein, the elemental representative on the council, is an old and wise member of his race. He’s developed a knack for druidic magic in his age, and thus far has avoided involvement with either Ogremoch or Sunnis, and prefers to keep it that way. He’s been on the council for generations now, and I don’t mean human ones, possibly at least two thousand years. He’s taken a liking to Dorik and it seems like he’ll be saddened when the aging dwarf dies, might actually mark his own retirement from the city’s affairs and his return to the deeper parts of the plane. It seems like he’s been converted to the worship of Dumathion, though, since he’s been borrowing several of Dorik’s prayer books and religious texts.

The last Lord worth noting is Vlarik Handenheim. Vlarik’s rise to Lord is a mystery, and the other Lords don’t trust him much. He’s an outsider to the city, and that’s a mark against him. He came from the Karavin gate, after it fell to monsters, and that’s another mark against him. Also he’s a half-vampire which makes it surprising nobody put him in the dead book yet much less that he became a high-end Lord of this burg. No one’s sure how he did it, and he’s a pretty mighty spellslinger, so Dorik suspects that Vlarik used some trickery to secure his election. Whether this is true or not, several of the other Lords are willing to hire adventurers to find out.

[Zaydos]

The Monastery of Silent Sound:

Located on the Air side of the Subdued Cacophony (the boundary between Air and Lightning), the Monastery of Silent Sound is the home of a reclusive order of ascetics. These ascetics live their lives on the Elemental Plane of Air contemplating the true nature of sound. As such they attract many of the meditative types, monks, masters of the sublime way, and even bards who seek this rarity. Ultimately they are searching for the secret of the Silent Sound, or perhaps it is the Sound of Silence even the monks of the monastery aren’t agreed on which it will be. Will it be a sound heard despite the fact that it is absolutely silent? Or the silence of absolute sound?

Well it would be easy for a basher to dismiss them as barmies, especially since quite a few of them suggest a quick trip to Pandemonium as a useful way to get a new perspective on reality. Even so a blood would be slow to do so, is the true sound of silence such an odd thing in a multiverse full of wonders like ours? Barmie or not, these cutters spend their time in earnest meditation on just this.

So why would a cutter come to the monastery? It’s the Plane of Air so you don’t need to go there for safety, in fact due to the frequent storms in and near the Subdued Cacophony, and Haalifith’s hunt for air genasi, it’s not one of the safest places on the plane. Well there are reasons. For one there are several quite skilled bards here, and while they don’t normally play music anymore they can still sometimes be convinced to teach a basher a thing or two about music. Second are the masters of martial arts found in the monastery, these blokes believe in moving as one with a basher’s weapon and they definitely have some skill. Not to say a spellslinger hasn’t got stuff to gain at the place, these bashers research sound and any mage worth his spellbook knows that sound magic can be a potent tool. While their library of spells isn’t the most extensive they have some hard to find ones, and some notes that could prove useful in the construction of new spells as well.

There are two noteworthy bloods that stay at the monastery. The first is Ghillene, a firre eladrin minstrel that stays at the monastery from time to time. What an eladrin is doing in the Inner Planes, I’m not completely sure of myself, but the cutter is noteworthy for it. He’s also willing to pay good jink to any cutter that can take him to a major music hall on the Inner Planes, or a truly grand one on a Prime; seems he’s been to all the ones of note on the Outer Planes, or at least excluding those on the Lower Planes.

The other is the grandmaster Hvark. Deaf from birth, this wind duke devoted himself to discovering the silent sound. Some says that within himself he’s already found it, but that he can find no way to express it, others say he was born with it and doesn’t even know it cause he has nothing to compare it to. Whatever the truth, Hvark is a skilled combatant and to watch him practice, fighting on the winds of the plane, is a beautiful sight indeed. For him combat is an art form, not to be sullied by the shedding of blood. A noble ideal, if one that’s liable to get a basher killed on the Planes.

[Zaydos]

Well I got my initial goal done (no it does not mean I'm planning to abandon this just that I got the I must do this part done and yeah I'll have less drive for a while after this) so I might as well ask people what parts are there favorites and why, and what parts they particularly dislike and once again why it's bad. You know, basic constructive criticism so I can improve.

Note on why there's not (many) stats: Honestly it's because I like the style of 2e Planescape where they'd just hint at a character or entity (maybe with a gender/race/class & level/alignment given). A second reason is because I wanted to make it so there was no 1 right answer for what class and level a creature should be. Depending upon your game you might need a different level of optimization or a different general power level and I didn't want to give an authoritative/"official" answer. If anybody wants stats for something mention, unless it already has truly official 3.X stats, I'll make some but until I'm asked I'm leaving them intentionally nebulous.

My personal dislikes

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Ash Crawler: Just seems uninspired and uncreative. Was rather forced. The plane deserves a better covering.
Argron Rael: Too involved with Fire; makes it feel like I haven't made anything that really belongs to Magma.
The Noxious Jungle: Just seems forced and a little out of place. While it's nice since it gives some variety to Smoke it's still disappointing.
Ilq Loth: I like the idea, but I don't think my implementation was good. I should have been able to write much better fluff from the basic idea.
The Twisted Haze: My little brother pointed out an elder evil it resembles. I dislike the fluff in that book.
Al-bala: Another where I like the idea, but feel my implementation was poor. I'm not sure if I could have done better, though, and any pointers for improving on it or notes of stuff that needs to be filled in would be appreciated.
The Monastery of the Silent Sound: Feels repeditive after the Monastery of Resounding Thunder, and feels rather plain and uninteresting.