The Beastlands

Summary

There is no plane in the Cosmos that better embodies the savage and unpredictable aspects of nature than the Wilderness of the Beastlands. Endless tracts of forests stretch out across all three of its layers, where cycles of the day are frozen in their paths – brilliant day, eternal dawn, and endless night.

Beasts

Forests of all kinds grow rampant and enormous on all three layers along with all types of plants. And beneath these endless forests stalk a dizzying array of beasts of all kinds. Predators and prey move in the eternal dance of life and death. All beasts understand this cycle instinctively – there is no evil in the wolf taking down a deer for the good of the pack. Most creatures are more intelligent than simple beasts and many possess the gift of speech (speaking a variant of the Celestial language).

The Animal Lords

The undisputed rulers of the Beastlands are the powerful animal lords. These are unique creatures with many capabilities that rival demon lords and devil princes. Animal lords are dangerous, canny, and strategic in their actions, and their realms on the Beastlands harbor secrets and dangers that tempt many planar explorers.

Other Creatures

While beasts are the dominant inhabitants of the Beastlands, other creatures move about as well. Many tribes of centaurs call the plane their home, and a great number of lycanthropes of all types move amidst the three forested layers. The lycanthropes are accompanied by humanoids - that possess lesser bestial abilities - known as shifters. These shifters and lycanthropes form a loosely organized group called the Wylders that offer some of the only civilized places in the Beastlands – though their dwellings fall into the rustic category at best.

Krigala

The brilliant sun hangs in the sky over Krigala, the first layer. It never sets or wanes from its position, and this oversaturation of sunlight creates the most fantastically huge plants in the plane. Lakes, pools, and streams crisscross the region which is dominated by forests and jungles of all kind. The beasts of Krigala are those that thrive in daylight, including hawks, bears, stags, lions, and more. A large herd of centaurs lay claim to a stretch of wilderness known as the Greenway, and the Wylder frontier town of Signpost sits as the plane’s most civilized point

Brux

Brux is the second layer of the Beastlands, where the sun and moon hang at opposite ends of the sky, creating a perpetual twilight. The forests of Brux are filled with exotic plants with enormous leaves that absorb the dim light. Groves of moonflowers tilted towards the suspended moon are a common sight as well. Stealthy creatures such as snakes, ravens, and rats occupy this layer.

The Blackstone Lodge a thoroughly selfish and depraved group of hunters hunt the creatures of the Beastlands to extinction for their own glory or that of their clients. They are reviled by all beasts of the plane, but magic keeps most beasts out of Blackstone Lodge.

Karasuthra

Endless night sits like a blanket over the dark forests of Karasuthra, the Beastlands’ third layer. The sky overhead is lit by a heavy moon shedding pale radiance along with a multitude of stars. Unlike Material Plane night skies, however, the stars above Karasuthra move and shift of their own accord. No one is really sure what the stars are, though some theories say they are animal lords yet to be reformed into physical bodies.

Nocturnal creatures such as panthers, owls, and cats thrive in the darkness. Dark trees create ample opportunity for stalking predators to hunt their wary prey. Danger and death lurks everywhere on Karasuthra, so few non-animals call it home.

The exception are the Unicorn Knights, warriors led by a powerful unicorn spirit who defend the layer and travel across the Cosmos fighting evil.
Great Wheel Model

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