Ĉielogy

Travel to other planes of existence is incredibly difficult. Arcanist have found it hard to open stable gateways to other realities, but far easier instead to summon things to the material realm. As a consequence, divination into other planes of existence has also been difficult. To try and understand what they could, arcanists founded the study of ĉielogy, or the study of the heavenly realms.
In general, it is believed objectively that the material realm is the world we live in. Parallel to the material is the land of fae and the land of shadow. Encompassing the material and its parallels is an envelope known as the ethereal.
Surrounding the ethereal is a primeval storm of raw creative energies and materials. Islands of rock, worlds of air, eternal seas, and more swirl through this storm. Outside of the storm is the endless, mystical, silver sea known as the astral. In the astral are planes of philosophy and belief, housing heavens and hells. Beyond the philosophies lies the great unknown, of which no divination magic has yet to find anything.
It is said by crazed arcanists that there are old gods and beings lurking deep and far away in the astral, beyond anything we can comprehend. Agents of these old gods, or at least their belief, are often driven mad. The entire philosophy around these old gods is called the Far Court.
There are few stable and persistent portals to other planes. The sun and three moons are supposed to be gateways to specific planes of philosophy attuned to their respective gods in the astral, the three nebulae are said to be gateways to the primeval storm, the Faelands, and to the astral itself. There is a rumored stable portal accessible in Hillit to the Faelands located in Llolani. Finally, there are rumors of a portal located past the most northern tribes of the Rimeland that might lead to a plane of philosophy populated by fiendish beings.
Recently, a massive landmass at the border of Seni Shem and Whohe Dvuha was discovered called Insulo de Pordoj, which has a network of one-way dimensional gateways on the northern coast.
When a portal is opened between realms, the barriers separating reality become weakened around the portal. Forcibly sealing the portal will stop the open wound, but the area is scarred and weakened. It takes powerful abjuration magic to try and reinforce the veil.
An academic who studies ĉielogy is known as a ĉielogist.

The Dreaming Plane of the Ethereal

The ethereal is a strange, esoteric realm with many layers and dimensions folded into its chromatic eddies. It flows in and out of the prime material, carrying with it wisps of dreams and thoughts and bringing into the world inspiration. Some ĉielogists believe the ethereal is the field of quintessence and magic, sweeping in and out of the material.
Unlike many other realms, the ethereal has depths into it neither up nor down, left nor right, forward nor back. The parts of the ethereal that are in contact with the material, Faelands, and Shadowfell are called the borderland dreams, border ethereal, or shallow ethereal. Deeper within the ethereal resides the pools of dreams, inspiration, and creativity that flows into all living creatures. Few emerge from there and can fully explain what they witnessed.
The ethereal doesn’t hold many cohesive individuals. There are condensed entities of subconscious, frequently called spirits of dreams, muses, or oneiros. Positive ones, known as quori, bring pleasant dreams and negative ones, known as mora, bring only nightmares. Not much is known about them -- they rarely interact on a direct level with awakened people.
A particularly bold research group of ĉielogists believed that, in the deep ethereal, there exists pure beings representative of the archetypes in our folktales, legends, and dreams.

The Mirrored Planes of the Shadowfell and Faelands

According to the elves, when the Material was formed, it cast a shadow and shined a light into the Ethereal. The shining light formed the Faelands and the darkest shadows formed the Shadowfell.
The Faelands are an almost idyllic reflection of the world of Hillit. The fields of grass shine vibrant green, gold, purple, and blue. The trees are sweeping, exaggerated, and graceful. What’s more notable than the beautiful scenery is the inhabitants, who are the fickle fae. They hold a high value on names, contracts, and words. Some are of the light of the Faelands, some of its more sour elements.
The Shadowfell is the twisted nightmare of Hillit. It is a desolate land of night, horrors, and the screams of the undead. It is a realm of negative, necrotic energy that threatens to erode and destroy life. And yet, it is also the gateway where souls travel through the cycle into life again.
It is said that the two mirror planes are reflections of the mortal mind. The Faelands represent the euphoria and mania of the mortal mind as a land brimming with emotion, creativity, and color. The Shadowfell represents the cold and brutal form of the mind, free of fleeting feelings.

The Storm of Creation, the Primeval Storm, the Inner Planes, the Elemental Planes, and the Planes of Chaos

Ĉielogists have developed working theories as to the nature of the inner planes, also known as the storm of creation, the primeval storm, the planes of chaos, and the elemental planes. They are a series of interconnected, folded realities that shift and surge with the raw might of creation. It can be difficult to define clear borders between the inner planes, but ĉielogists have created broad categories: primary planes that are considered the pinnacle of elemental purity and secondary planes, which are considered combinations or aspected of other elements.
The accepted classified primary planes are as follows:

• Plane of Fire
• Plane of Water
• Plane of Air
• Plane of Earth
• Plane of Light
• Plane of Darkness

There are also a series of secondary planes, no less infinite, but considered formed of the chaotic energies of the primary planes.

• Plane of Levin
• Plane of Wood
• Plane of Mineral
• Plane of Magma
• Plane of Radiance
• Plane of Ooze
• Plane of Ash
• Plane of Salt
• Plane of Ice
• Plane of Smoke
• Plane of Steam
• Plane of Dust
• Plane of Void

As more secondary planes are identified, ĉielogists worry that their classification system will break down.
In any case, ĉielogists believe that travelers need to be properly warded. Virtually each plane is lethal within a minute to an unprepared traveler. The genasi feel that the primary planes have their own special variety of quintessence crystals that could be used to create protection. If a traveler has properly prepared crystals from the six primary planes, then they will be able to withstand all physical dangers related to the inner planes and potentially most dangers from the outer planes.
The inner planes usually feature a strange phenomenon called morphic gravity. When a traveler enters the plane for the first time, they immediately assume a direction is ‘down’. Without difficult readjustment, that direction is down for them. It is often an unconscious decision and, with an unprepared party, they can begin falling in different directions, forever doomed to drift into the eternity of the storm. Deep meditation, preparation, and training can help mitigate this danger and allow travelers to synchronize their personal perceptions with each other and even change it mid-journey.
There are many valuable materials throughout the inner planes. The dwarves believe that the living metals originated here.
Each plane seems to have its own primal lord that rules over their respective element and embodies it. These lords lead the Primeval Court, a pantheon of powerful elemental beings.
In any case, travel through the inner planes is highly discouraged due to how dangerous it is. Elemental summoning is likewise cautioned against due to how unpredictable elementals can be and because a significant number of summons have unintentionally brought forth powerful, unbound elementals.

The Night Sky

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