Elemental Planes

The Elemental Planes were created during the Third World by arcanists seeking to create new Principles by which to reshape reality. Instead of Thrones of Ascension, which could be claimed by would-be gods, they sought to create realms that anyone with the Will could tap into and rule. Previously, the elements had been the province entirely of the giants, who created the physical world as we knew it, but humanity and their draconic overlords, under the guidance of the Promethean figure of Sartas, used corpses of four of the titans who held within their bodies each the Principles of Earth, Air, Fire and Water (two others were used to create the Inner Planes, from Seed and Dust, and the seventh element, Thunder, was claimed by the dragon gods of the Third World as their due from Annam All-Father) to create these planes. While they succeeded at opening the elements to those using arcane magic instead of solely primal magic, during the Fourth World the Sultans of Elemental Evil were able to form Thrones that allowed them to become gods, and the Principles of Seed and Dust were always the province of Good and Evil respectively, tied inextricably to the germination of the Empyrean as well as the infection of the Pit.

These planes are technically not part of the Firmament but rather projections into the Astral, and likewise have nearly infinite scale. It is a common misnomer in the Sixth World that elementals hail from this plane, but such spirits can form naturally from the primal power of cursus on Uskara. However, as we grew more and more distant from the more primordial times of the Second World, most of these spirits are drawn to these Planes, which are populated almost entirely by various kindred of an elemental nature. Greatest among them are the genies, elementals that possess Will and resemble in many ways the giants of the Second World far more than their earthly descendants of the Ordning.

Each of the Elemental Planes "touches" the other, forming "paraelemental" demiplanes in their border regions (which are myriad and ever-changing such that it is difficult to catalogue), while also influencing each other and allowing exchanges of materials.

Plane of Air

Called the Endless Skies, though it is called a "plane" the Plane of Air is defined by having a completely three-dimensional orientation. There is no "up" or "down" or pull of gravity, which can be a disorienting experience for those not already familiar with similar dimensions (Astral Space, for instance). While it is mostly open "sky" and clouds, there are more solid structures, built from materials brought in elsewhere, or from crystals of ice, or veins of mithral and other "refined" materials. Another feature found here are bizarre, drifting spheres of brass and iron, shunned by the inhabitants and thought to hold imprisoned ancient enemies of reality. Storms are a constant and unpredictable threat. The Throne of Air is protected by the djinni, resting at the center of Armun Kelisk, the Crystal Metropolis.

Plane of Earth

Called the Eternal Delve, Plane of Earth is entirely solid, formed of gems, stone and ore. Thus, any passage through it is dug through caverns and corridors excavated from this eternally subterranean realm. Far from an endless, solid expanse, the Plane of Earth is riddled with great caverns and cave systems, excavated artificial vaults, vast crystalline geodes, and underground oceans and springs of magma where it borders its neighboring planes. Housing untold riches in gemstones and veins of precious metals, the Plane of Earth is an attractive setting for planar travelers seeking wealth and willing to risk danger and the wrath of its natives who resent the plunder of their home. The Throne of Earth is protected by the shaitan, resting at the center of Unkhat Alnazir, the Opaline Vault.

Plane of Fire

Many believe the Plane of Fire, also called the Everburning Grandeur, to be one of the most hostile of the Elemental Planes to life. Indeed, as a perpetual ocean of fire with skies of smoke, storms of raining cinders, and lakes and rivers of magma flowing along its border with the Elemental Plane of Earth, the plane is incredibly hostile to those unprepared for its natural hazards. However, it is not entirely flame: glass and metal are solid manifestations of the Principle of Fire and found both in abundance here. Most famous of such manifestations is Fommok Madinah, the fabled City of Brass, one of the most cosmopolitand and well-visited features in all of the Elemental Planes, ruled by the efreeti and surrounding the vacant Throne of Fire. The Aghis Artanate maintains open relations with the efreeti and within their great city of Agriyadh is a permanent gate between these two domains.

Plane of Water

Called the Reachless Fathoms, the Plane of Water is a perpetual ocean teeming all the same with a dizzying amount of life, especially compared to the Infinite Abyss that it has some resonance with. With no floor, one can go deeper and deeper into darker waters with more and more deadly pressure, and it is true that doing so will eventually bring one to the Abyss (there are ways to access that Depth from the other Elemental Planes as well, just as there is on the Terrestrial Sphere). Pockets of breathable air are insanely rare and fought over by travelers through these demesne. The Throne of Water is surrounded by Vialisk Kelazandar, the Palace of Splendid Waves, which is ruled by the marids who built it.