Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANES138excellent flour and meal. Towns here lack protectivewalls, but paved roads link them in well-ordered lines. Itis a land of barns and beekeeping, of wool and milk, andof small shops and smithies. Most of the workshops thathuddle along the roadside are privately owned, and theowners swear no allegiance beyond “the common good. ”Dothion’s weather tends to be mild, and it has regular,mostly benign seasons. Often a heavy storm from Shurrockbreaks through the border between the two layers,wreaking havoc. In general, the layer is an ideal paradisefor those who prefer the quiet life.The Golden Hills: Garl Glittergold and his court holdsway over a large section of Dothion. It is a region ofrolling hills dominated by one or more larger tors—onefor Garl Glittergold and one for each of his assistants. Thespace among the tors is a gnome’s paradise of small communities,quiet industry, and farms.A single tower or citadel tops each of the tors, containingthe audience- and feast-halls where deities receivevisitors. In some cases, these very towers have been abandonedas their powerful owners have taken up with wanderlustand sought out new treasures, new adventures,and new ideas. Some of the gnome deities leave guardinals,planetars, and solars as caretakers of their tors.Others leave more mundane traps to confound intruders.Garl Glittergold has mined out most of the regionbeneath the tors to provide warrens for gnome petitionersand forges for craftsmen. Deep within the mines arevortices to the Elemental Plane of Earth and ElementalPlane of Fire, which the gnomes mine and use for energy.As a result, outsiders and elementals from these twoplanes are more likely to be found near the Golden Hillsthan elsewhere.All the plant life in this region has a soft, golden tint toit that gives the landscape a soft radiance. Celestial animalsare common here, with golden plumage and fur.ShurrockShurrock is Dothion’s wild counterpart. While Dothion iswell mannered, Shurrock is savage. Where Dothion iscalm, Shurrock is extreme. It is a land of rough countryand harsh weather, divided by deep, snow-filled wintersand dry, parching summers.The land of Shurrock is filled with raw materials.Seams of gold and gems are found just beneath the surface,the tangled woodlands are rich in timber, and allmanner of wild game thrives throughout the layer. Quarriesand mills are common, usually with small communitiescrowding them. These towns are often walled andguarded, for on Shurrock walk the more powerful creaturesof Bytopia such as celestial versions of animals andmagical beasts.Shurrock is a land of continual challenge. For thosewho seek to prove themselves and their ability to survive,it is a very different type of paradise from its tame sibling,Dothion. Occasionally some foul beast breaks loose fromShurrock and reaches Dothion, but in general the challengesof this layer stay on their side of the border.Bytopia EncountersUse Table 7–8: Heavenly Encounters for randomencounters on Bytopia.BLESSED FIELDSOF ELYSIUMIt is the source of the River Ocean.It is a place of ultimate goodness.It is a land so pleasant you may never want to leave.Elysium is the most strongly good-aligned plane of theGreat Wheel, a place of good untrammeled by issues oflaw or chaos. On this plane doing well by others is morehighly valued than any other ideal.The first layer of the plane is a riot of color. Visitorsmarvel at brilliant green meadows dotted with starburstflowers, pools as deep blue as a jay’s plumage, and silverclouds drifting against a perfect sky. The plane itselfseems to vibrate with its own sense of life and intensity. Itis usually a peaceful place, and tranquility seems to seepinto the bones and souls of those that cross it.Elysium consists of four layers strung together by themyriad courses of the River Oceanus. The first layer ismost like the Material Plane, with sweet-smelling pinesand flowering trees along its banks giving way to openmeadows and rolling fields. The second layer is rougherand more mountainous, and rapids and falls are commonalong the channels of the river. The third layer is a greatmarsh awash with life. The deepest layer is the sea itselfand the headwaters of the great river, dotted with islandswhere veteran heroes of good relax for eternity.The size of the River Oceanus varies from a braid ofsmaller side channels to a mighty flow that tops its banksand floods the surrounding area. Along the river areislands, low gravel bars, and rocky promontories, whichare often the homes of petitioners and other more powerfuldenizens.ELYSIUM TRAITSElysium has the following traits.• Normal Gravity.• Normal Time.• Infinite Size.• Divinely Morphic: Elysium is easily altered by deities.Other creatures find that their spells and physicalefforts work normally here.• No Elemental Traits.• Minor Positive-Dominant: Characters on Elysiumgain fast healing 2.• Strongly Good-Aligned: Nongood characters suffer a–2 penalty on all Wisdom-, Intelligence-, and Charismabasedchecks. As a result, neutral and evil creatures shunElysium except in dire emergencies.• Entrapping: This is a trait unique to Elysium, althoughHades has a similar entrapping trait. A nonoutsider onElysium experiences increasing joy and satisfactionwhile there. Colors become brighter and more vivid than