The Elemental Planes (TIP)

__TOC__
Most people think of the Elemental Planes as the fundamental building blocks of the cosmos. Just as a builder uses raw materials to construct a house, so to does the multiverse use the primal elemental matter of the Inner Planes to form not only the Para- and Quasielemental Planes, but every other plane as well. All of existence can trace its very being back to the four elements, and any bit from any other plane can be broken down into elemental properties, assuming a cutter's got the skill to do it-it's no mean feat, to say the least. ('Course, a body shouldn't forget the importance of the two energy planes or the role of belief in the composition of the Outer Planes, but that's getting too far ahead. More on that later.)
AIR. The source of all things gaseous, this plane is a limitless expanse of crisp, sweet air. The sky above, below, and to the sides stretches into infinity with a brilliant azure hue, dotted with occasional clouds and flying creatures. The conditions of the Elemental Plane of Air make it one of the safest of the Inner Planes. A body can breathe here and needn't worry about things like being slowly ground to death by pressing stones or instantly consumed by relentless flames.
EARTH. The realm of solid matter, the Elemental Plane of Earth is an eternal mass of steadfast stone and uncontaminated soil laced with veins of metal ores and pockets of mineral deposits. Those who travel here must beware of the plane's oppressive weight, for it strives to crush everything that's not a part of it. Many folks call this place "the Anvil," and the reasons for that nickname are manifold.
If a body thought of the Inner Planes as a hollow sphere, and then separated the sphere into halves, this is how the planes would look. Assume that the split occurred at the Elemental Plane (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water) and the Paraelemental Planes (Magma, Ooze, Smoke, and lee), which leaves the Energy Planes at the "bottoms" of each hollow hemisphere.
The two greatest difficulties faced by a visitor to Earth are the simple acts of breathing and moving. After all, few creatures can suck in lungfuls of soil without finding their way to the dead-book. And as for movement, well, it takes a tough basher to bore through even the softest regions of the plane.
FIRE. All that is heat, radiance, and raw motion comes originally from this plane. Fire is the plane of change, just as Earth is unmoving, immutable, and dependable. Some call Fire the hottest place in the multiverse, and they may well be right. The blazing flames here consume everything they touch, which is why so many folks refer to the Elemental Plane of Fire as "the Crematorium."
A body can survive in this plane, but it's not easy. The air here isn't really air, but a thin mixture of flammable, toxic chemicals that're only slightly less deadly than the rest of the plane. And then, of course, there's the endlessly blazing ocean of fire, which, in due time, destroys everything it touches.
WATER. The source of all liquid substances and of fluidity itself, the Elemental Plane of Water is commonly referred to as "the Bottomless Deep." It's an endless mass of water, not too warm, not too cold, and utterly free of the crushing pressure that marks the depths of terrestrial oceans. The whole place is infused with a soft blue-green light that shimmers over everything.
The greatest hazards that a body faces while exploring the Bottomless Deep are the currents and the lack of air. Usually, the latter problem can be overcome with some minor magic. The former problem, however, is more difficult to counter. A sod never knows when a deadly riptide will grab him and drag him along.