The World Axis
The World Axis is the most debated cosmological model by the sages of the World. This structure, which resembles a sphere split into two axes, is composed primarily of the fundamental and parallel planes. "Above" and "below," the fundamental planes encircle the rest of the cosmology, forming hemispheres in the conceptual model, though since both the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos are infinite in size, this is mostly metaphorical. To the "left" and the "right" of the Prime Material Plane, which lies at the center of this cosmology, sit the parallel planes, which float in sync with the Prime. Together these planes form the World Axis, other planes lying outside of the model and having an indistinct cosmological placement.
Basic Structure
Prime Material Plane
Also called the natural world, mortal world, or simply the Prime, this plane lies at the center of the World Axis. The Prime is where The World and its inhabitants are located.Fundamental Planes
Surrounding the Prime and the parallel planes are the two fundamental planes: the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos. The fundamental planes, according to common theory, are the basis from which all the other planes, including the Prime and its echoes, were formed.[2] Whether or not this is true is unsure. The fundamental planes are also the homes of the astral dominions and elemental realms, smaller planes within the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos. Only a few of these are known to the inhabitants of the World, however, and it is believed that if one traveled far enough through the infinite spaces of the fundamental planes it might be possible to locate the dominions and realms of entirely different pantheons worshiped by beings from other material planes, though such a journey would be unimaginably lengthy. The two fundamental planes are as follows:The Astral Sea
The Astral Sea is a great silvery void that contains the homes of the gods and which is considered the realm of pure thought and creativity, where thoughts and feelings become reality, if only for a moment. It is through this power that gods shape the cosmos according to their will and the astral dominions are forged. Within the Astral Sea lay the Astral Dominions, planes separate and unique from the surrounding fundamental plane but which owe their existence to it. Formed from the will of the Astral Sea's inhabitants, the astral dominions were once linked into an intricate network known as the Lattice of Heaven. The Lattice was destroyed in the Dawn War.The Elemental Chaos
The Elemental Chaos is a vast and infinite sea of tempestuous elemental matter and energy in which the cycle of creation and destruction continues without end. It is from the essence of the chaos that the world was first formed, tempered though it was by the divine essences of the Astral Sea. Within the Chaos those beings strong enough and powerful enough to shape the materials around them are able to create new planes or preserve parts of old ones, either of which became known as Elemental Realms. Here numerous elemental creatures reside, alongside the mighty primordials who first created the planes alongside the gods.Parallel Planes
Parallel planes are strange reflections of the Prime, formed by the will of the primordials in the age of creation who gathered what they considered to be imperfections of the Prime and created new planes from them. Parallel planes are the closest of the planes to the Prime and resemble it geographically, though they are very distinct in their own manner. The parallel planes are:The Feywild
A vibrant twin of the Prime, the Feywild is the home of the fey and is filled with vitality and powerful arcane magic.The Shadowfell
A dark and twisted echo of the Prime, the Shadowfell is the home of shadow creatures, the focus of the souls of the dead, as well as much of the undead that fill the planes.
