Infinite Staircase

The Celestial Stairway rising from Mount Waterdeep, observed by Luna.

The **Infinite Staircase**, sometimes known to the inhabitants of Toril as the **Celestial Staircase** or the **Celestial Stairway**, was a network of pathways linking the Realms with the planes.

“
The truth is only visible under moonlight.

”
— Selenia

## Cosmography

From various locations, a stairway led to a nexus, which led to the homes of all the gods. The network was used by deities to traverse from the Realms to their home planes.

The root or base of the Infinite Staircase was located in Selûne's palace of Argentil in the Gates of the Moon. It only appeared if the moon was full and when the fog from the waters surrounding the palace filled the hall. Multiple roughly carved landings of the stairway were also found on each of the three layers of Ysgard.

### Known Entrances

Some of the known entrances to the Celestial Stairway could be found:

* Near the ruins of Castle Kilgrave in Cormyr
* Near the Temple of Lathander in Shadowdale
* Near a griffon eyrie on Mount Waterdeep.

## Description

“
Oh, the River Styx is a putrid stream,

Oceanus is too good for me.

Olympus takes too long to climb,

Yggdrasil is just a tree.

But the Infinite Staircase takes you there.

The Grand Old Stair goes ev'rywhere.

A few short steps will bring us home…
  and fulfill our ev'ry dream.

”
— Unknown planar poet

The individual stairways, invisible to ordinary people, could only be seen properly by gods or by very powerful mortals potent in magic. When made visible to others, they appeared to constantly change shape, such as a long wooden spiral staircase, a marble ladder, a pathway of amber and pearl, or stranger forms. The goddess Selûne showed it to her friends as a glowing silver ribbon rising into the sky.

## History

During the Time of Troubles of the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, the god Helm guarded the Stairway and prevented Waukeen and Lliira from using it to return to the Outlands from Shadowdale. Helm, obviously, was not tempted by Waukeen's bribes. Later that year, the Celestial Stairway appeared on Mount Waterdeep, seemingly in readiness for someone to pass between the planes and the realms, or because someone already had. Luna, avatar of the goddess Selûne, was shocked to see the Stairway and made it visible to her friends Vajra Valmeyjar, Kyriani Agrivar, Onyx the Invincible, and Timoth Eyesbright. Luna thought it signified Lord Ao was planning something.

## Rumors & Legends

The connection between the Infinite Staircase and the Gates of the Moon was suspected to be a consequence of the presence of Shaundakul in the plane.

## Notable Locations

* The Nowhere Inn, a community of tents and other structures located on one of the stair's wider landings.

## Inhabitants

Lillendi lived on and guarded the Celestial Stairway.

## Appendix

### Appearances

Adventures
*Tales from the Infinite Staircase* • *For Duty & Deity*
Novels
*Shadowdale* • *Waterdeep*
Comics
*Total Eclipse*
### Further Reading

* Monte Cook (1998). *Tales from the Infinite Staircase*. Edited by Skip Williams. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0786912049.

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dale Donovan (May 1998). *For Duty & Deity*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 17. ISBN 0-7869-1234-0.
2. ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). *Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 58–59. ISBN 978-0786965622.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Scott Ciencin (April 1989). *Shadowdale*. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 7–8. ISBN 0-8803-8730-0.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Dan Mishkin (September 1990). “Total Eclipse”. In Elliot S. Maggin ed. *Advanced Dungeons & Dragons* #22 (DC Comics) (22)., pp. 15–16.
5. ↑ Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Travelogue”. In Michele Carter ed. *Planes of Chaos* (TSR, Inc), p. 48. ISBN 1560768746.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). *Player's Guide to Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 154–155. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
7. ↑ Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). *Manual of the Planes 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 91. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
8. ↑ Scott Ciencin (April 1989). *Shadowdale*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 234. ISBN 0-8803-8730-0.
9. ↑ Troy Denning (July 2003). *Waterdeep*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 328. ISBN 0-7869-3111-6.
10. ↑ Dale Donovan (May 1998). *For Duty & Deity*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 15. ISBN 0-7869-1234-0.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Troy Denning (July 2003). *Waterdeep*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 326. ISBN 0-7869-3111-6.
12. ↑ Dale Donovan (May 1998). *For Duty & Deity*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 3. ISBN 0-7869-1234-0.
13. ↑ Dale Donovan (May 1998). *For Duty & Deity*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 20–22. ISBN 0-7869-1234-0.

### Connections

Cosmologies of the Realms

The Great Wheel

Prime Material plane • Feywild • Shadowfell • Fugue Plane
**Transitive Planes:** Astral Plane • Ethereal plane
**Inner Planes:** Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Water • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Chaos
**Para-Elemental Planes:** Frostfell • Swamp of Oblivion • Fountains of Creation • Great Conflagration
**Quasi-Elemental Planes:** Lightning • Radiance • Minerals • Steam • Vacuum • Ash • Dust • Salt
**Outlands:** Sigil
**Outer Planes:** Arcadia • Mount Celestia • Bytopia • Elysium • Beastlands • Arborea • Ysgard • Limbo •
Pandemonium • Abyss (Layers) • Carceri • Hades • Gehenna • Nine Hells • Acheron • Mechanus
**Energy planes:** Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
**Planar Pathways:** **Infinite Staircase** • Oceanus • Mount Olympus • Styx • Yggdrasil
**Far Realm**

The World Tree

Prime Material plane • Cynosure • Fugue Plane
**Transitive Planes:** Astral Plane • Ethereal plane • Plane of Shadow • Spirit World
**Celestial Outer Planes:** Arvandor • Brightwater • Dwarfhome • Dweomerheart • Gates of the Moon • Golden Hills • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • House of the Triad
**Fiendish Outer Planes:** Abyss (Layers) • Barrens of Doom and Despair • Blood Rift • Clangor • Deep Caverns • Demonweb Pits • Fated Depths • Fury's Heart • Hammergrim • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne
**Neutral Outer Planes:** Dragon Eyrie • Heliopolis • House of Nature • Jotunheim • Warrior's Rest
**Inner Planes:** Elemental Plane of Air • Elemental Plane of Earth • Elemental Plane of Fire • Elemental Plane of Water • Positive Energy plane • Negative Energy plane
**Planar Pathways:** **Infinite Staircase** • River of Blood • World Tree
**Far Realm**

The World Axis

Prime Material plane
**Fundamental planes:** Astral Sea • Elemental Chaos
**Astral dominions:** Arvandor • Banehold • Celestia • Cynosure • Deep Wilds • Demonweb Pits • Dismal Caverns • Dwarfhome • Eternal Sun • Fugue Plane • Gates of the Moon • Green Fields • House of Knowledge • Nine Hells • Nishrek • Supreme Throne • Towers of Night • Tu'narath • Warrior's Rest
**Elemental realms:** Abyss (Layers) • City of Brass • Cresting Spires • Fimbulwinter • Hidden Realm • Muspelheim • Root Hold • Sky Home • Steading • Thraotor • Undying Pyre • Zerthadlun
**Parallel planes:** Feywild • Shadowfell
**Anomalous planes:** Far Realm