The Astral Plane
The Astral Plane is the plane of the cosmos between the Material Plane and Limbo. The plane is filled with a faint silvery mist, rendering the far-away Material Plane, the Font of Creation and the many Color Pools as faint pictures until one reaches them. The Astral Plane is a place of errant thought and memory, where the collected knowledge, secrets and desires of entire world are echoed. But the Astral Plane is not empty, far from it. Chunks of rock from the dawn of time float through its silvery sea, together with corpses of gods and the great astral ships of astral species such as the Illithids, the Githyanki and the Changelings. Color Pools are iridescent portals into other planes, making the Astral Plane a hub of transportation for the most ambitious of conquerors. Many of these Color Pools have great cities or even small planetoids built around them.
Geography
The Void
The Void is the home of the Illithids, a place of darkness in the great silver sea. It derives its name from the fact that one cannot see the light of any Color Pools within it, covering the entire expanse of the Void in total darkness. The Illithid have lived here for millenia, using the darkness to isolate themselves following the catastrophic fall of their empire at the hands of the gith. The darkness and cold of the Void have served the Illithids well, and their great asteroid cities hide warfleets, insectoid warriors and psionic superweapons within their rocky hides.
The Darkwall
The border between the Astral Plane and Limbo is a terrible sight to behold. One one side is a serene sea of silver, and on the other is a roiling, terrible storm that seems to always be gathering in strength. And between the two is a thin black membrane, keeping them from spilling into eachother. Anything can freely cross the membrane, but the energy of the two planer are kept from one another by means understood by none.
The Font of Creation
The Font of Creation floats near the center of the Astral Plane and circulates around the Material Plane, giving it day, light and life. It is a never-ending source of energy, blazing in the cold Astral Plane. The githyanki make their home on great Floating Cities that use the energy of the Font of Creation to gently drift over its roaring heat.
The Void is the home of the Illithids, a place of darkness in the great silver sea. It derives its name from the fact that one cannot see the light of any Color Pools within it, covering the entire expanse of the Void in total darkness. The Illithid have lived here for millenia, using the darkness to isolate themselves following the catastrophic fall of their empire at the hands of the gith. The darkness and cold of the Void have served the Illithids well, and their great asteroid cities hide warfleets, insectoid warriors and psionic superweapons within their rocky hides.
The Darkwall
The border between the Astral Plane and Limbo is a terrible sight to behold. One one side is a serene sea of silver, and on the other is a roiling, terrible storm that seems to always be gathering in strength. And between the two is a thin black membrane, keeping them from spilling into eachother. Anything can freely cross the membrane, but the energy of the two planer are kept from one another by means understood by none.
The Font of Creation
The Font of Creation floats near the center of the Astral Plane and circulates around the Material Plane, giving it day, light and life. It is a never-ending source of energy, blazing in the cold Astral Plane. The githyanki make their home on great Floating Cities that use the energy of the Font of Creation to gently drift over its roaring heat.
Localized Phenomena
The Mists of Memory
The mists of the Astral Plane are toxic to most creatures not native to the astral plane, and so most creatures must wear suits to survive prolonged exposure to the Astral Plane. However, the vast majority of creatures can manipulate the Mists of Memory, if only a little. There is no gravity in the Astral Plane, but one can learn to manipulate the Mists of Memory using one's mind to move. This is the normal way to move through the Astral Plane without an astral ship.
Color Pools
Color Pools are portals leading from the Astral Plane to other planes. They look like glowing wounds in reality, and many of them can be seen from far, far away. Most of the brightest stars visible from the Material Plane are in fact Color Pools. Color Pools occasionally serve as hubs of trade between planes, but many more serve as armored outposts for different planar lords and masters. Sometimes the Color Pools are big enough to form small planetoids, outposts of the destination plane within the Astral Plane.
Most Color Pools are either owned by one faction or contested and one has too look far to try and find a Color Pool that is not either fortified by someone in the Astral Plane or in the destination plane, but these unclaimed Color Pools do exist. Most of these are too small to find with the sensors of astral ships, but many factions would be willing to pay well for the locations of such uncharted Color Pools.
Psionic Storms
The silver mist of the Astral Plane are formed from thoughts and memories, but occasionally something can interrupt these peaceful currents. The death of particularly powerful psions, explosion of psionite stores or the arrival of limbo-born creatures or particularily powerful elementals can result in ripples of cacaphonic thoughts and memories that disturb the natural mists and make them churn as waves of screams and death. These dark waves are known as Psionic Storms and even the smallest of them can throw astral ships several days off course. Most psionic storms are remnants of older, more powerful storms, and their routes have been mapped by most astral civilizations, but the emergence of new psionic storms can cast trade lanes in darkness and throw civilizations into anarchy.
The mists of the Astral Plane are toxic to most creatures not native to the astral plane, and so most creatures must wear suits to survive prolonged exposure to the Astral Plane. However, the vast majority of creatures can manipulate the Mists of Memory, if only a little. There is no gravity in the Astral Plane, but one can learn to manipulate the Mists of Memory using one's mind to move. This is the normal way to move through the Astral Plane without an astral ship.
Color Pools
Color Pools are portals leading from the Astral Plane to other planes. They look like glowing wounds in reality, and many of them can be seen from far, far away. Most of the brightest stars visible from the Material Plane are in fact Color Pools. Color Pools occasionally serve as hubs of trade between planes, but many more serve as armored outposts for different planar lords and masters. Sometimes the Color Pools are big enough to form small planetoids, outposts of the destination plane within the Astral Plane.
Most Color Pools are either owned by one faction or contested and one has too look far to try and find a Color Pool that is not either fortified by someone in the Astral Plane or in the destination plane, but these unclaimed Color Pools do exist. Most of these are too small to find with the sensors of astral ships, but many factions would be willing to pay well for the locations of such uncharted Color Pools.
Psionic Storms
The silver mist of the Astral Plane are formed from thoughts and memories, but occasionally something can interrupt these peaceful currents. The death of particularly powerful psions, explosion of psionite stores or the arrival of limbo-born creatures or particularily powerful elementals can result in ripples of cacaphonic thoughts and memories that disturb the natural mists and make them churn as waves of screams and death. These dark waves are known as Psionic Storms and even the smallest of them can throw astral ships several days off course. Most psionic storms are remnants of older, more powerful storms, and their routes have been mapped by most astral civilizations, but the emergence of new psionic storms can cast trade lanes in darkness and throw civilizations into anarchy.
Natural Resources
Psionite
Psionite is a synthetic crystal harvested by the illithids. They will plant the crystal in asteroids and send them into the Astral Plane, where they careen through the silver sea. The psionite drains psionic energy from the mist and any psionics they might come across and grow bigger and more powerful. After a few centuries of spinning through the Astral Plane, carefully planned thruster maneuvers will bring the asteroid back to the illithids, who will use it in their warmachines and warships. Recently more and more astral civilizations have begun working together to stop the illithids from gaining more energy. In retaliation, the illithids have begun reinforcing the asteroids with fortresses and warriors.
Psionite is a synthetic crystal harvested by the illithids. They will plant the crystal in asteroids and send them into the Astral Plane, where they careen through the silver sea. The psionite drains psionic energy from the mist and any psionics they might come across and grow bigger and more powerful. After a few centuries of spinning through the Astral Plane, carefully planned thruster maneuvers will bring the asteroid back to the illithids, who will use it in their warmachines and warships. Recently more and more astral civilizations have begun working together to stop the illithids from gaining more energy. In retaliation, the illithids have begun reinforcing the asteroids with fortresses and warriors.
History
The Mindflayer Dominion
The Gith Rebellion
The Gith Rebellion
Alternative Name(s)
The Sea of Thought, the Void, the Silver Sea, Stjernerommet
Type
Solar System
Location under
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Inhabiting Species
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