Sitting right at the
border between the Veil and the Weave are the Planeworlds. These worlds
were created by the Creator Tiral, who used living parts of the Core
Planes' world and merged them together to create the three Planeworlds.
Each Planeworld consists of two existential planes, except for the
Planar Seas, which consist of three distinct lesser planes.
The
Planeworlds are relatively small compared to the planet Nym, and
feature fewer varied climates. Each Planeworld specifically exists for a
purpose, which is Creator-made in origin. Each Planeworld is vastly
different from the other, and is inhabited by many beings who originally
found their homes on the planet Nym.
ELEMENTUMHome
to the Elemental Spirits and the Elemenal race known as the Shadjin. It is ruled by the Elemental
Princes, who were former lieutenants of the Elemental Titans. Having
learned how ingrained the Elemental Souls were to the Core Planes'
survival, Tiral took the Elemental Souls and placed them in Elementum,
and with them she chained the Elementals to their cores. In essence, this
meant that the Elementals were now forever bound to provide energies to the
Elemental Souls, and the dependency was shared the other way as well.
Also, with the Elemental Souls bound to Elementum, elemental energy
would be provided in steady supply to the Worldsoul, ensuring its
stability and the nourishment of the planet Nym's lands.
While
the Elementals are bound to Elementum and the Elemental Souls,
they can still enter into the Core Planes, although it is usually only a
brief visit; since Elementals must return to Elementum to replenish
their energies directly from the Elemental Souls. However, their stay in
the Core Planes can be extended if they find other sources, although
this is generally forbidden by the Elemental Princes, who fear Creator
intervention for such actions. After all, Elementum was meant to be
their punishment for having served the Elemental Titans, by having the
Elementals bound away from Nym to ensure that they couldn't roam
freely in the Mortal World.
The powers of Elementum directly aid shamans on the planet Nym, who serve the Elemental Balance under the Wildpact.
Elemental Courts:
The
Elemental Courts is where the Shadjin kingdoms reside. There are four
kingdoms in total; each dedicated to the major elements of fire, wind,
earth and water. Minor elements have less land in their name, and are
typically represented as cities. It is in the Elemental Courts that the
majority of Shadjin reside, and they're divided into four distinct groups:
The
El'sharai, also known as Elemental Courtiers, are some of the more privileged Shadjin, and build up the ruling classes of the Elemental
Courts.
The El'quani, the Elemental Guardians, who watch over the Elemental Courts and serve as warriors to the Shadjin kingdoms.
The
El'eledai, the Elemental Princes, who were once the commanding lieutenants who served the Elemental Titans. There are few of the El'eledai left,
but they are the ones who rule Elementum from atop their respective
kingdoms' and cities' spires.
Apart from Shadjin, Elemental Spirits also roam the lands of the Elemental Courts. There are two types of Elemental Spirits; the Ela'tal, and the Ela'sha.
The Ela'tal serve the Shadjin through a sort of symbiotic connection. The Ela'tal connect with their masters and provide elemental energies for them, and are often kept as pets. Other Ela'tal might wander the lands as free spirits; often taking the form of elemental animals that appear as similar to animals on the planet Nym.
The
El'sha, the Wild Elementals. These Elemental Spirits are lost in their
energies, mindless and without intelligent thought. They are almost
completely uncontrollable and dangerous, yet are sometimes dominated and
summoned by Elementalists from the planet Nym.
The lands of the
Elemental Courts exists in a harmonic balance of the elements, as one
major element is neither stronger nor weaker than another. This balance
is vital not only for the well-being of the Elemental Courts, but for
the Elemental Balance of elemental energy throughout all of Arkath's
Divide, and especially so on the planet Nym.
To assist in this
Elemental Balance, the four Shadjin kingdoms each maintain their own
corner of the Elemental Courts: the Fire Kingdom of Chand'ar, the Wind
Kingdom of Xuun, the Earth Kingdom of Ordh, and the Water Kingdom of
Aszune. A great city sits at the center of the Elemental Courts, the Crown of
Elements, where all elements mingle freely and in relative harmony.
Ascension:
Ascension
is the second plane of Elementum, accessed through the Crown of
Elements in the Elemental Courts. It is a swirling vortex of elemental
energies, where the Elemental Souls remain at its heart. Ascension
serves two purposes: firstly to keep the Elemental Souls safe and
provide elemental energy to Elementum and the Worldsoul, and secondly to
keep the Elemental Titans imprisoned.
Those
of the Elemental Titans who survived the War of Titans were banished to
Ascension by Tiral, where she chained them with magical shackles that
drain them of their energies and transfer it to the Elemental Souls. The
Titans once drained the Core Planes of immense amounts of energy;
energy they now are forced to return to where they were stolen from.
The
Titans are tortured and weakened, and thus unable to escape their
shackles. The process itself is slow and agonizing, and with the amount
of energy they have stored within them, the Titans are believed to have
enough elemental energy to feed the Elemental Souls for many more
thousands of years to come.
MALENDII'S DREAMMalendii's
Dream, also called the Sleeping World, the Dreamworld or the Wyld Realm, is the only
planeworld to have not been created by Tiral. It was created by the
Creator Malendii, Guardian of Nature, when she witnessed the corruption
of the Worldblight tear the planet Nym apart. Dragons, who had been left
on Nym by the Creators and were the new rulers of the world, were
afflicted by the Worldblight and most of them became feral. Malendii
invoked a deep sleep, where she took in the minds and souls of the
dragons into her own dream, where they would be spared of the
Worldblight's corruption. This was called the Second Slumber, when dragons
disappeared from the planet Nym for a long time.
Malendii's
Dream also served a second purpose. Forming a Dreampact with World
Spirits on Nym and the Wildgods, Malendii planted the Wyldtrees; great
guardian trees that were planted in the various corners of the world.
These trees soaked in the Worldblight's corruption, and over time healed
the world with the help of the Kal'Mar's World Spirits, many of which
became the Wyld Spirits. So long as Malendii remains in the Dream and
her Wyldtrees stand, the Worldblight will be contained.
Malendii
gave Wyldseeds to some races of the world, like the elves and Wildkith,
to help spread the Wyldtrees through the world. Certain individuals of
these races would become the first druids. Some of the Wildgods allied
themselves with Malendii by becoming Wyldtree guardians.
The
Dream itself is a realm of fey, where Wyld Spirits of all kinds gather
to serve Malendii in her efforts to maintain the world's natural health.
Its landscape and beings are shaped by the thoughts and dreams of
Malendii, and nurtured by the Wyldtrees in the Waking World. Every being
within Malendii's Dream is in some form a manifestation of the Waking
World's nature and natural spirits, and the existence of the Sleeping
World maintains the Waking World's spirits, as natural energies are
distributed from Malendii's Dream to the Waking World through the
Wyldtrees.
It is also through these Wyldtrees that mortals
become druids through a process named the Calling; when Malendii's voice
reaches out to mortal men and women to become her chosen servants.
All druids can access Malendii's Dream, and through it and the
Wyldtrees, the druids gain powers over nature; given to them to help
them defend it.
Malendii's Dream imitates the Waking World (or at least the wild, natural idea of the Waking World), but remains a separate realm. Nymborn who visit Malendii's Dream do so by entering a dreaming state and transfer their soul and mind to the Sleeping World. Typically only druids are skilled or gifted enough to induce such a state to an individual.
The Wyldsoul:It
is within Wyldsoul that Malendii's own body resides; guarded by her
most powerful servants in her Emerald Palace. The Wyldsoul is the
largest manifestation of Malendii's thoughts and dreams, and the home of
the Wyld Spirits when away from the Waking World. Wyldsoul is where the
Wyldtrees form the connection with Malendii's Dream through the Weave,
and as such it is here that the natural energies are strongest.
The
Wyldsoul is also where the majority of dragons once slept after the
Worldblight, but come the Age of Dragons, when the dragons awoke from
their slumber due a powerful nightmare, only the Fey Dragons remain
within the Wyldsoul. They guard and tend to the souls of dragon eggs not
yet hatched, still waiting for the blight corruption to dissipate in Nym.
Because for as long as the Worldblight still has a hold on the souls of
the unborn dragons, newborn dragons will forever be feral.
Wyldsoul
itself is reminiscent of a grand, eternal forest; mired in the
enchanting visage of dreamlike imagery. The forest is an emerald green,
and its depths continue to grow for as long as the Wyldtrees remain
living and Malendii maintains her tranquil slumber. Aiding to maintain
the wilder creatures of the Dream is Nalnir, God of the Wilds, who also
ensures the safety of the Wyldsoul's vast forestlands with his servants,
the Wyldkind.
The Nightsoul:
Malendii's
worst nightmares are born and made living within the Nightsoul. It is a
realm of eternal night, where nature's most violent and restless
spirits draw their power. It is in Nightsoul that the Worldblight's
corruption is contained, but as it grows it slowly corrupts the Dream
and disrupts Malendii's tranquility.
Allies
of Malendii, such as Shaia, Nocturne and Auriel, help to maintain the
Nightsoul and its creatures, and hold great influence within the
Nightsoul. Shaia controls the Shadowkind, who reside in the darkness of
the Nightsoul. Nocturne holds power over the Nightkind, who swear to
protect the Nightsoul from within and without. Auriel is the
self-proclaimed queen the Frostkind, who maintain the decay of the
Dream, and all that is cold and dying. Together they all help to calm
the nightmares of the Nightsoul.
However,
Phantasm and Nightwraits, mainfestations of Malendii's nightmares, also roam the
Nightsoul without any way to control them, and they work to undo
Malendii's realm. They are as much a part of her dreams as anything
else, and so they can never truly be banished. Not unless they destroy
the Dream, and in doing so free themselves from it. The more uneasy
Malendii becomes in her slumber, the more nightmare manifestations are born, and her
nightmare grows stronger.
PLANAR SEASThe
Planar Seas consist of three demi-planes, each created to act as a sort
of prison for its inhabitants. It is the only Planeworld which is not
entirely material, and is often referred to as the Immaterial
Planeworld. Beings who leave their demi-planes are able to sustain their
souls for a while, but eventually the mystical, arcane Planar Seas will
either pull them back to where they came from, or completely
disintegrate them into void energy.
Tiral
created the Planar Seas with the intent to store and contain all the
void energies that seep towards the planet Nym from the Dark Beyond, and
it was used to contain most of the unstable magical energies that plagued Nym
during the Time of Stars. Because the Planar Seas consists almost
entirely of void energies and unstable magical energies, its demi-planes
seemingly bend and twist, sometimes warping into things that are wholly
unnatural and magically mutated.
A
being known as the Giftbearer to mortals, and sometimes referred to as
the Deceiver hides within the Planar Seas. Its true identity or purpose
is unknown, but stories suggest that it was once a Shazari darkspirit from
Endomundo. It is also said that it was the Giftbearer who morphed the Netharime and
Seraphime into becoming demons; by seducing and tricking the ancient Arganorhian Starborn empires of Netharan and Serapthice in starting the War of Stars.
Not
even Tiral can find this being where it hides, and it is suspected that
the Giftbearer is able to leave the Planar Seas at will. Some say the
Giftbearer is a manifestation of the Void, and that it is the true
master of the Planar Seas; using its energies for its own secret
purposes.
Nethervoid:The
Nethervoid is the deepest plane within the Planar Seas, where the most
potent void energies gather. At its center is a swirling Void Vortex
where the void energies are pulled in, along with everything else within
the Planar Seas. Only the Weave keeps the Planar Seas from falling
deeper into it. Time seems to almost stand still within the Nethervoid
and the emptiness of its space is only highlighted by distant, flashing
stars that aren't really there.
Above
the Void Vortex floats the city of Baat'Xanar; the Nether City. It is
the home of void demons; banished there by the Creator Tiral after the War of Stars, near the end of the Time of Stars.
Before the war, exiled Starborn belonging to the Creators Kyln and Sanguine lived peacefully alongside each other in the Arganorhian empires of Netharan and Serapthice. Ancient tales gathered from equally ancient ruins speak of how the Giftbearer tricked the two empires' kings and turned them against each other; thus beginning the War of Stars.
Eventually the war deteriorated into violent displays of arcane blood magic, which only served to destabilize the magical balance of the world, and attract void energies. These void energies twisted and cursed the exiled Starborn; turning them into the demonic Netharime and Seraphime respectively. After the war had nearly brought
the Void of All to the planet Nym, Tiral tore and pulled up the lands of the central continent (splitting it into the two twin-continents), and it and its inhabitants were placed within the
Nethervoid, where their souls would be forever trapped and unable to
leave on their own free will, and the landmass compressed into Baat'Xanar.
Now
the Netharime and Seraphime share Baat'Xanar between each other, able
to tolerate each other only on a very precarious common-ground of
agreement; that Baat belongs to the Netharime, and Xanar to the
Seraphime. The city is a mirror of itself, with Xanar at its half-top
and Baat at its half-bottom. Together the Netharime and Seraphime
maintain a sort of peace as they work together to keep the city from
falling into the Void Vortex's unknown nothingness.
There
are seven Nether Kings who rule the Netharime, and seven Archlords who
rule the Seraphime. Each of them represent a Netharan perceived sin or a Seraphtic
virtue that had been the cause of the Giftbearer's curse, which
transformed them into what they are today.
A Nether Prince for every sin: Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Greed, Gluttony and Lust.
And an Archlord for every virtue: Valour, Chastity, Justice, Might, Hope, Wisdom, and Patience.
While
they are under an agreement of peace, there is no hiding the fact that
the Nether Princes and Archlords constantly try to outplay each other
through schemes and trickery. The Archlords await the return of the
Vigilant King; an ancient Serapthic who was the first of the Seraphime, and who they
see as their saviour who will release them from the Nethervoid. The Nether Princes, on the other hand, seek to find a way to escape, or even just become the
sole masters of the Nethervoid; the last one standing becoming the Nether King.
Elven
Arcanists on Eldareth tapped into the Nethervoid in the past to gain
highly potent magical power, eventually causing the Voidsurge on the
Eldareth Isles, which resulted in the Voidcurse that forever afflicted all elves
with void energies within their souls.
Torment:
Reminiscent
of a chain of islands on an arcane sea, Torment is a demi-plane of
twisting madness where the void warps and bends constantly. The actual
city of Torment, sitting on the largest island of the chain, is a safe
haven from the arcane storms that clash against its walls without any
respite. The city towers high into the star-specked skies, and a
purplish hue colours it like a magically enchanted dawn was forever
stuck in rising.
Torment is
where the Maaré, the Tidewoven, reside. They were originally created
from the magically potent Worldsea on the planet Nym, when Tiral wove Arcane Threads into humanoid shapes and infused them with the arcane
energies of the Worldsea. As the Arcane Mistress, Tiral's Tidewoven
would serve her loyally, until their lust for the arcane grew too
strong.
Come the Time of Stars, Tiral had contained the mana of
all living mortals within a Tome, which she intended to open only when
mortals were ready to use magic again, and only to give it to the races
that deserved it. Until then no mortal race in Nym would be able to use
magic, and Tiral intended to give it back to them once she had cleansed the world of all its void energies, which had been caused by the War of Stars.
This Tome was entrusted to the Tidewoven, but in their
magical greed their leaders opened the Tome to try to contain the mana
for themselves. Instead they unleashed all the mana into Nym, and
infused mana into absolutely all the living things of the world, instead
of only the mortal races, or, indeed, the mortal races who were supposed to prove themselves ready for magic.
In
her anger, Tiral banished the Maaré from the planet Nym and imprisoned
them in Torment. The Maaré still serve Tiral, in the hopes that they
might one day earn her forgiveness.
Of
all the demi-planes in the Planar Seas, Torment is the one strongest in
arcane energy. It is described as a plane of insanity, as the arcane
storms outside of the city mentally corrupts the mind and tears it down.
The protective barriers of the city keep the storms at bay, and the
Maaré within still practice magic almost frivolously. Since they are the
Tidewoven, and they were the ones who opened Tiral's Tome, they are
the most magically talented of all the known races. However, Torment
will slowly begin to affect even the most mentally strong mind, and in
time all Maaré will be torn apart by insanity. A twisted punishment
deviced by the Arcane Mistress, and a reminder to those who would defy
her.
In very rare cases have some Maaré managed to return to Nym; either through their own powers or from being summoned by a mortal. This does not include the Maéc, who were the Maaré who escaped Tiral's banishment on Nym by fleeing to the Underground Realms.
Endless Hells:
The
Endless Hells is mostly elemental in nature, having been created from
the body of a Fire Titan. The Creator Molach, God of Punishment, defeated the Titan
Nemetius during the War of Titans. Instead of extinguishing his flames,
Molach consumed Nemetius and kept him trapped within himself. After
Tiral had created the Planar Seas, and Kelmora was devising the
beginnings of the Cycle, Molach offered his service as a keeper of
unworthy souls. He spewed the fires of Nemetius into the Planar Seas,
and used his heart to forge the fires of the demi-plane of the Endless
Hells.
It is a realm of
molten stone, toxic black ash and bone-searing heat. Its skies are
consumed by flame; offering no escape from the Hells' confines. At its
core is Nemetius' Heart, which is surrounded by a spiraling city of
blackest obsidian; filled with the wails of tortured souls. Molach sits
atop the highest spire, where he oversees everything within his realm.
With
him is Melissana, lover of the Undergod Gaerdras. She is the Goddess of
the Faithless, and was made Molach's prisoner after Gaerdras lost the
War of Eternity. After the Endless Hells were created and Molach moved
his domain there, Melissana was forced to come with him. There she is
kept far away from Gaerdras' prison on the planet Nym, and she is doomed
to only hear the prayers of those who do not wish to be heard. Some say
her imprisonment was unfair to her, while others believe she was the
one who instigated Gaerdras to start the War of Eternity, having once
been the Queen of Whispers and Deceit.
All
souls that are judged in the Great Fade to be unworthy for the Cycle
are sent to the Endless Hells, where they are tortured by fiery, demonic
servants of Molach, known as the Nemathar. The more unworthy the soul, the more it is subjected
to harsher punishment. In time, their suffering will end, as they are
fed into Nemetius' Heart to expand the Hells; making way and space for
more souls to be kept and punished there. There is no shortage of souls
awaiting punishment, and each one sent to the Endless Hells serves to
make Molach stronger.
The Endless Hells, as the name suggests, contain a Hell for every sin and transgression concocted by the Creators; meant to specially punish mortals for whatever sinful deeds they performed in life.