Planes of Existence

As told in the Creation and Rise of the Gods the universe was simply Cosmos. When Cosmos separated the gods from the mortal races by erecting the Veil it created several different planes of existence. The gods of light were pressed into the Heavens, the dark gods were pushed into the Nine Hells, and the majority of the mortals were bound to the prime material plane.
This fracturing of the universe didn't stop at those planes however. Some scholars believe the true number of planes to be near infinite, but the prevailing theory currently is that the number is limited. Over the millennium since the Veil was created mortal scholars have sought to understand the planes' existence and how to travel between them.

Physical vs. Transient

There are only two classification of planes as of yet, physical and transient. Physical planes are essentially different versions of the universe. In these planes the world or universe behaves in ways that make sense to our five physical senses. They have solid matter, gasses, and liquids. They can easily be touched, smelled, tasted, viewed or heard in ways that are common. Transient planes expand beyond the physical senses or are our mortal senses are simply unable to quantify them. This classification of planes interacts with all of the physical planes. Currently scholars and explorers have identified 9 physical planes and two transient planes. The physical planes are: the Prime Material Plane, the 4 elemental planes, the Fey Wild, the Shadowfell, the Heavens, and the Hells. The transient planes are the Ethereal Plane and the Veil. To understand the distinction take the example of two mortals, one stands in the prime material plane and the other in the elemental plane of fire. Both of these individuals are experiencing the sights, sounds, feelings, and more of the physical planes they are in. The person on the prime material plane does not feel the heat or see the molten lakes of lava that exist in the elemental fire plane. If both of these individuals were to access the ethereal plane (typically via magic) they would see the physical plane they are in overlaid with the ethereal plane at that location. The transient planes span across the entirety of all the physical planes.

The Physical Planes

Standard

• Prime Material Plane
• Fey Wild
• Shadowfell

Elemental

• Elemental Plane of Fire
• Elemental Plane of Water
• Elemental Plane of Air
• Elemental Plane of Earth

Divine

• High Heavens
• Nine Hells

Travelling Between Planes

Thin Spots

The physical layout of the planes is typically considered beyond our understanding, but as the graphic (right) shows we have been able to determine relations between some of the planes. The initial concept of this came from the discovery of "thin spots" areas where the Veil that separates physical planes is weaker. As of the year 1245 there are four known thin spots on the Prime Material Plane: one between the Fey Wild, one between the Elemental Plane of Air, one between the Elemental Plane of Fire, and one between the Elemental Plane of Earth. Some researchers believe that either arcane, divine, or mechanical means could be created to open a permanent portal at one of these locations through to the other realm. They also believe that in times where the weave of magic is in upheaval these barriers could momentarily dissipate causing rifts which act like portals between the planes. This is the running theory for how most elemental creatures have made their way into our plane. Some of these creatures may not even understand how they jumped from one plane to the other.

Magic

Some the most powerful wizards have devoted themselves to crafting magic that can traverse the planes. The degree of success varies wildly, and failure is usually fatal for at least the practitioner if not also those in a wide radius. In the Holy Kingdom of Azamel the Azure Dawn Institute(Azamel) has found a specific ritual that, when cast in tandem by no less than 3 wizards who have attained access to the 5th sphere of power, can open a portal to another plane. This requires several key components including an item attuned to the destination plane's frequency. There are stories of incredibly powerful mages who have the ability to do this on their own, but the where-abouts of such individuals is usually kept a tight secret. The ability to use the other planes as a means to transfer large armies or populations remains an attractive goal for many civilizations, and as such most major settlements of any power are researching into it.