Arcadia

Known as the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, it is a plane of law and order all for the greater good. Chaos is strictly regulated, if not immediately asked to leave the plane, while evil is immediately eliminated from the plane by the patrolling guards. Located between Mechanus and Mount Celestia, the inhabitants believe that absolute order and law should help the greater good, that evil has no place on the plane.
Little is known about the layers of this plane, as visitors are only allowed on the top layer, Abellio. The second layer, Buxenos, has rarely been seen by outsiders, and those who do see it are politely asked to leave immediately and the inhabitants aren’t above using force to ensure their orders are followed. The third layer, Menausus, is entirely wrapped in mystery with few even know what it looks like or who can be found on the layer. Despite all of its secrecy, rumors have escaped from this plane that the third layer has drifted off to another plane, most likely Mechanus and that the inhabitants are trying to cover up their loss.

Geography

An Outsider’s Perspective
Ordered and good, the plane appears to be immaculately laid out. Forests of trees appear to be more like orchards in perfect rows. Sweeping planes of grass never grow too high but rather grow to the same uniformed height with flowers laid out in perfect grids all colors grouped together. Wandering the plane, outsiders must stick to the gridwork of roads or be treated with suspicion, with patrols of guards and petitioners making sure that anyone straying from the road, and breaking the law, has a specific and good reason to do so.
Outsiders are rarely trusted and greeted with suspicion until they can prove themselves. This can take months or years for an outsider to become trusted, and even then petitioners might still reserve full trust until a mortal dies and their soul becomes a petitioner on the plane. Even long time petitioners, of high authority, can have suspicion cast upon them, especially recently as the entire plane of inhabitants seem to be stressed about something, though asking about it simply makes you a suspect.
A Native’s Perspective
Order for the greater good is the greatest belief of those who live here. This plane is thought to be the safest and most secure of all the planes for laws must be followed and those laws are for the benefit of all. Mortals from The Material Plane are more likely to settle on Arcadia than any of the other planes, and the petitioners make sure to inspect every outsider before allowing them to stay here. Every petitioner on this plane can automatically detect another creature’s alignment unless that creature has somehow obscured it with a magic item or spell. If an inhabitant finds an evil creature on this plane, they attack immediately with little care for their own life. For the greater good, it is better to fight and die against evil than to stand idly by.
It’s not just petitioners and mortals from the Material Plane that call this plane their home, but also archons, aasimar, devas, formians, dire-beasts, hollyphants, and more. Any entity that aligns themselves with the focus of the greater good finds a secure home on this plane and can be accepted, with a little suspicion. Even the large-sized beasts and insects found throughout Arcadia are peaceful and focused on the greatest good they can offer to the plane. Bees, wasps, and ants happily build their nests in the best locations, bees allow anyone access to their honey without stinging and wasps never attack anyone unless they are evil and destroying the order of the plane.
The plane is about harmony with good and order. The layers themselves exemplify this goodness and order everywhere. Forests are neat rows of trees, farmlands have perfectly square plots of corn, wheat, and more, all kept neat, tidy, and not inter-mingling with other plants or crops. Inhabitants are expected to keep to order as well, cities should be arranged in neat rows with buildings all conforming to each other. Inhabitants are expected to get along with each other and to be working towards the greater good, willing to give themselves completely over to the cause. Those who refuse to follow the laws and do good are not individuals that will last long in this plane, either being killed for their evilness or, if they are simply neutral, kicked out of the plane quite forcibly into the Outlands and Arcadia’s gate-town of Fortitude.
Atmosphere Arcadia’s weather and seasons follow the strict order of this plane. Every day is 24 hours with 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night with no sunrise or sunset. There are 27 days per month and three months per season. There are four seasons with weather that, while abrupt, is mild. Winter is a sheet of snow that covers everything that should be covered, spring brings blooming flowers and the omnipresent smell of flowers, summer is warm, but not aggressively hot, while autumn is cool with the unmistakable presence of sadness and hope for a new year. The first two layers experience opposite seasons, so when it is summer in Abellio, in Buxenos it is in the grips of winter. No one is sure what the third layer experiences during this time as so few are ever allowed to travel to it.

Ecosystem

Travel to the Plane Traveling to this plane is easy, and because so many see it as a safe place to settle down, the ways here are well documented and traveled. Saffron colors pools on the Astral Plane take travelers to the pastoral lands of Arcadia, just as the gate-town of Fortitude, located on the Outlands, is happy to allow outsiders in… so long as they aren’t evil or filled with ill-intentions. You can also travel to this plane from its neighbor planes of Mechanus and Mount Celestia through portals that link the two. Portals to those planes take on the form of white ivory or black steel with different curtains of color denoting where they lead to; white curtains lead to Mount Celestia, black to the Outlands, and silver to Mechanus.
Rumors also mention that if you are on Mechanus, and you locate the third layer of Arcadia there, which is well guarded by dwarves, modrons, and more, you can travel to the second layer of Arcadia. These rumors are largely unsubstantiated but planeswalkers from all over are interested in investigating and learning the truth of it.
Planes of Law, 1995 TSR Inc. Planes of Law, 1995 TSR Inc.
Traversing the Plane Traveling across the plane is quite simple, especially for those with a lawful bent. Roads lead from every important place to other important places, crisscrossing across the plane in a neat and ordered fashion. The top layer, Abellio holds the Orb of Day and Night, which rotates at the top of the highest peak causing night and day to sweet across the plane. The Orb acts as the sun and moon for this plane and can be seen anywhere on the plane, acting as a guide. Travelers use the Orb the same as the spire on the Outlands, navigating across the land and using it as a large landmark.
While walking across the plane is simple, it isn’t without its dangers. Groups of petitioner militia, called einheriar patrols, move in full force across the layers, ensuring that any visitors are following the laws. If travelers are found off the road, they must have a very good reason for it, and lately, the patrols have been more strict than usual, interrogating farmers tending to their fields. You can’t be too sure that travelers or a farmer are not simply disguised demons or chaotic creatures trying to pass themselves off as lawful and good.
The top layer, Abellio, is laid out neatly and orderly. Rows of trees appear like well-maintained groves, in neat rows with no leaves that have fallen to the ground. The trees themselves are actually quite special with metallic bark made of copper, gold, iron, or silver. The leaves are a brilliant color ranging from dark green to oranges and yellows like the tree leaves get during The Material Plane’s fall, though these leaves never fall. Some trees even have special fruits that always spoil after a week that replicate the effects of magical potions, though these trees are highly guarded and protected.
The rest of Abellio is also as well laid out as the forests with city blocks carefully planned, rivers crossing the cities in straight lines and roads leading to all the important places in the plane, though that doesn’t mean all the places. The Storm Kings, four powerful beings who control cloud, lightning, rain, and wind; have fortresses at the four ‘cardinal’ directions on this plane and no road leads to their lairs.
The petitioners of Arcadia are on journeys of enlightenment, much like the petitioners of Mount Celestia, except they are not looking to the self for enlightenment, but looking to the greater good. Those that reach the next step in their journey are allowed access to the second layer, Buxenos. Outsiders can try and enter that layer, as the conduits are well documents, but also well guarded and protected by those attempting to keep the plane pure. Large stone arches and giant plinths act as the conduits that bring travelers from the first layer down to the second and fortifications have been built on top of all the known ones.

Localized Phenomena

The Orb of Day and Night Spinning on top of the highest peak in Abellio, it’s light shines down into the second layer, acting as the sun and moon. Half of this orb is a brilliant white that provides bright daylight to the plane while the other half gives the dull glow of a moon and provides the illumination of stars in the sky above. There is no transition between night and day, the orb is constantly in motion, providing a perfect 12 hour day followed by a perfect 12 hour night. Travelers can see this transition happen in real-time, especially if they are standing on top of a cliff or mountain as the orb rotates and night can be seen sweeping across the land. Because there is no transition, it can be disorienting for visitors as they are immediately plunged into bright light from darkness, or vice versa, with little warning. This has the effect that half the layer is always in bright light and the other half in darkness with the night sky.
Twinkling high above the plane are stars, though most people have no idea what those stars are meant to be. Some think that they are the domains of powers that have settled on the plane while others think they are different layers. Some sages have tried studying the stars and then using magic to teleport themselves up there but no one has heard any stories of them returning.

Type

Plane of Existence

Location under

Upper Planes