The Empyrean Firmament

The Firmament is the home of Edras' celestials, as well as the living deities and consort gods that comprise the Ministry Divine. By all accounts it is a paradise where the most of the devout of the Ministry Divine life out their afterlives. the Empyrean Firmament is spatially infinite and consists of seven equally infinite layers. The seven individual layers form a colossal mountain that rises from an infinite sea of holy water on the bottommost layer, to the summit on the topmost layer. Ascending the mountain is analogous to travelling through subsequently higher or 'deeper' layers to the top. Each of the seven layers contains at least one mountain or high structure rising into the sky, and most have whole mountain ranges. The barriers between the seven layers are arranged such that entrances are at the lowest geographical points and exits are at the highest, so a traveler from the Astral Plane will enter the first layer at the base of a mountain (actually, in the surf of the ocean surrounding the mountain) and has to climb to the peak to reach the next layer, only to emerge at the nadir again. The sky of each layer has its own hue which softly bathes everything in gentle shades of luminance.

The Layers of the Empyrean Firmament

The Silver Heaven: The bottommost layer of the Empyrean Firmament. The Silver Heaven is sometimes called Lunia and is the first layer that travels encountered. The sky of Lunia is a nighttime sky filled with stars that illuminate the layer with a silver glow. Visitors are deposited into the surf of a vast ocean, the Silver Sea, full of clean, fresh water that has the properties of holy water. The sky above the Silver Heaven is perpetually dark, filled with beautiful constellations of silver stars bright enough to illuminate the base of the mountain. The dark, starry Silver Sea is full of many good aquatic beings, including celestial whales. The adjacent beach belongs to an island with a majestic mountain decorated with grand citadels made from polished white stone. Descriptions of the citadels vary among travelers leading cosmologists to theorize that there are many of these mountain islands.
The Golden Heaven: Also known as Mercuria, the second layer is notable for the warm golden light that suffuses it. This layer contains the armory for the noblest of warriors who come here for their eternal rest. If necessary, Mercuria is the marshaling ground for the armies of the Empyrean Firmament. Gentle hills and lush green valleys comprise this layer, which is also dotted with small settlements of archons and other good-aligned beings. The Golden Heaven is known for its great tombs and monuments to noble fighters and paladins resting on the layer.
The Heaven of Pearls: The third heaven, also called Venya, is a lush and verdant land with crops, meadows, moors, hills, and rolling countryside all bathed in the soft glow from a sky reminiscent of the luster of white pearls. It was somewhat colder than the previous two layers; its slopes are often seen covered with a gentle layer of snow. Peaceful brooks and carefully terraced fields are common on Venya.
The Crystal Heaven: The fourth layer, known as Solania, has a sky that glows like burnished silver. Its valleys are enveloped in mist, fog, and strange scents. The peaks are home to numerous holy shrines, including monasteries and magnificent cathedrals controlled by unfathomable powerful celestials. Many of the slopes are rich in precious ores and minerals and are mined by populations of petitioners that reside there. Many pilgrims come questing to the roof of this layer in the hopes of finding answers to life's persistent questions. A vast dwarven mansion called Erackinor is located on the slopes of Solania, where the consort god called Moradin once made his domain. It was the location of the giant Soul Forges, which Moradin was said to use to temper the spirits of his people. Uroboros, the Gates of Wisdom, the airborne realm of Jazirian of the couatl, floats above the mountainside of Solania.
The Platinum Heaven: With a sky not too different from Solania's, the fifth layer is also known as Mertion. Vast plains and savannas serve as the mustering ground for paladins and other lawful good servants. Instead of mountains, Mertion has majestic citadels and huge black spherical domes dotting the plains. Access to the next higher layer can be found at the tops of the domes. The city of Empyrea, also known as the City of Tempered Souls, is located on the edge of a cold mountain lake. It is known to host many magical fountains with powerful healing properties, as well as many hospitals and expert healers.
The Glittering Heaven: The sixth heaven, sometimes called Jovar, is actually a vault lined floor to ceiling with huge rubies and garnets that give off a glow like a hearth fire. Its hills are studded with precious gemstones that glitter in the light. A seemingly unending ziggurat is the home of the Ministry Divine and guards the entrance to the seventh heaven. Known as Sanctum, the Heavenly City, the huge seven-layered ziggurat displays a large staircase on each face connecting the terraces of each layer. The stones that make up the city are made of precious gemstones, similar to those seen around the surrounding hills. On the topmost terrace is the bridge of al-Sihal, formed of pure light, where the portal to the topmost layer of the Empyrean Firmament, the Illuminated Heaven, is located. It is guarded by a powerful solar named Xerona who judges those who seek to enter.
The Illuminated Heaven: The topmost and final layer of the Empyrean Firmament, this place is also known as Chronias. Little is known of its structure because nothing has ever been recorded by the few who have visited and returned. The legends say that the seventh heaven is so full of pure goodness that it glows of its own accord and any who enter it have all evil and neutrality burned out of them, leaving them inherently good, if they survive. It is thought to be the ultimate goal of the celestials and other inhabitants of the Empyrean Firmament to ascend the layers one by one in order to reach Chronias, where they will join with the essence of the universe itself.