Introduction (TIP)

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Folks like to think about centers. Cagers in Sigil think that they're at the center of the multiverse. Lots of berks on the Prime think that their world is the focus of everything (although a body could argue that such beliefs not really their fault, since they argue that such beliefs not really their fault, since they don't know any better). Show a cutter a "map" of the Great Ring, and he'll probably think that the Outlands lie at the center. Then show him a representation of the whole cosmos (with all the planes, not just the Ring), and he'll likely realize his error. "No," he'll admit, "it appears that the Inner Planes are the center of the multiverse."
The real dark, to those who know the ways of the planes, is that there isn't a center-not really. In a space without bounds, any spot can be the center. Still, somebody who picks the Inner Planes as the core of the multiverse really isn't all that far from the truth. They're not the center as far as location goes, but they're a good choice as a center for existence.
Existence is what the Inner Planes are all about. While the substance of the Outer Planes is belief, the Inner Planes are immutable reality. The surreal, intangible thought-realms of the metaphysical Outer Planes may change, giving rise to beings shaped from belief and faith (powers, fiends, celestials, and the like). But the real, tangible, material worlds of the utterly physical Inner Planes never change, no matter what a body thinks or holds dear. As inner-planar natives say, "Believe what you want-fire still burns and wind still blows."