The Planes

Unidentified Portal found by the Nameless inside the Lost Crypt, Veilin.

The Planes are homogeneous realms of different aspects of the Material Plane. In reality, the Material Plane is the superposition of all other planes into a single one; As fire from the Fire Plane does not exist in only the Fire or Material Plane, they are one and the same.

Planar Travel is difficult for most humanoids, requiring ample effort and resources, yet some creatures have the ability to travel between the Planes at will, or to exist in only one of them at a time (an example of these creatures are Elementals). The specifics behind of these powers are a mystery, but the spell Planar Shift was developed to achieve the same effect, although it is difficult to master. The Planes and Planar travel are far from being fully understood, but many researchers in magical academia have focused their efforts into learning about them, and even finding some practical uses for them.

## Major Planes

### Astral Plane

The vast majority of the planar knowledge in circulation has been achieved through the exploration of the Astral Plane, the aspect of consciousness. All there is in this plane is a silver colored firmament, filled with multiple beings that both call it its home or use it for transportation. Movement is completely unimpeded in this realm, even by most planar beings that inhabit it as few are violent or dangerous. This characteristic has been used extensively by the magic school of Teleportation, as spells like “Dimension Door” and “Teleport” tap into it for fractions of a second to achieve its effects. The relative safety of the plane, specially in comparison to the others, make it the preferred realm to study and experiment with. As such, the Astral Plane is the most well documented plane besides the Material Plane.

### Elemental Planes (Planes of Air, Water, Fire and Earth)

The Elemental Planes are, as their name implies, the aspects of the elements in the Material Plane. Given that most mortal life requires multiple elements to survive, the Elemental Planes are unwelcoming to the native life of the Material Plane. From the endless skies in the Elemental Plane of Air, to the never ending fires of the Elemental Plane of Fire, most mortal life is unable to exist in these places without extensive research and preparation.

The Elementals are native to these realms, immortals beings with their own tongue and even societies. Some elemental societies have even established infrequent trade routes with the natives of the Material Plane (particularly fire elementals). Even though communication with these creatures is possible, their strange and sometimes erratic behaviour is difficult to understand. It is recommended to avoid them if possible.

**(Notes scribbled next to the Elemental Planes introduction page)**

*Water plane: Touch of the Sea spell for swimming, Aboleths’ lung spell for underwater breathing. Reach weapons, Piercing weapons for their effectiveness underwater. A tuning fork attuned to the Material Plane (Got this one already). Some way to survive Water Ele's vortexes?*

### Energy Planes (Plane of Positive and Negative Energy)

The Energy Planes are believed to be the essence of life and death, the spark of creation and destruction of the mortal races in Unima. Each one of them is extremely hostile, as positive energy and negative energy is so abundant that it is forced into any traveler that decides to adventure into them. Both mortal and undead beings cannot survive in either plane, as the forces of each either completely dry them of life (or unlife), or end up overcharging them with extreme amounts of energy their body is not equipped to handle.

Both planes have no surface, and look almost completely empty if no structure is found. Yet there is intelligent beings in these inhospitable realms: The Jyotis, bird-like humanoids with radiant auras, created massive towers made of crystalized living essence and called them their home. The Negative energy plane is not as well documented, and little has been catalogued besides the endless pit of darkness that it encompasses, but there’s accounts of ghosts and wraiths inside the realm. Conscious creatures in these planes are dangerous. If they are found in the Material Plane, be prepared for confrontation.

### Shadow Plane

The Shadow Plane is a colorless representation of other spaces in the Planar Sphere. It is, after all, a plane that only contains that which Unima’s inhabitants actively think of, the aspect of thought. The Shadow Plane’s landscape is devoid of color and dimly lit, and all sources of magical light are diminished, and outright useless if non-magical. This plane has a warped dimension of distance, as those places rarely thought of don’t exist inside the Shadow Plane. This property is exploited by the school of Illusion magic, that made use of it for faster travel with spells such as “Shadow Walk”.

Fetchlings, humanoid creatures that are said to be exiled or lost humans from the Material Plane, are the most well known native of the Shadow Plane. They have created societies in the shadowy counterparts of mortal towns and cities, and sometimes engage in trade if these settlements have found a way for interplanar travel.