Manual of the Planes

ARBOREA LINKSArborea borders the Beastlands and Ysgard. Natural portalsbetween these locations are common, as are shiftingborders that automatically switch travelers from oneplane to its neighbor.ARBOREA INHABITANTSCelestials are common in Arborea, especially the eladrin,powerful elflike protectors of the plane. The best knownand most common of this breed is the ghaele, which areoften found hunting in the wilderness of this plane. Inaddition to ghaele eladrin, the firre eladrin, guardians ofbeauty and art, are common here. Both appear elven, butthey have a more noble demeanor than elves of the MaterialPlane. Though regal-looking, the eladrin are fierce incombat. Evil creatures lurking in Arborea quake in theirboots at the thought of an eladrin hunting party.Many lillends make their homes in Arborea, thrivingon the emotions that ripple through the plane.Arborea is also the home of many celestial or anarchicversions of creatures found on the Material Plane. Celestialcreatures tend to leave travelers alone unless crossed,at which point they fight with relish. Anarchic creatures,on the other hand, are as unreliable and unpredictable asyou’d expect.Arborea PetitionersArborea has two common types of petitioners. The firstare the spirits of the elven dead, whose souls havemigrated to Arborea and their final reward. Some infusethe plane itself, others are reformed into celestial or anarchiccreatures, and still others serve as petitioners in theelven realm of Arvandor, the first layer of Arborea.These last act as scouts and wardens for the communitieson the plane, serving the Elven Court in their magic gladesand great castles. The deity of the elves, Corellon Larethian,rewards worthy souls in the afterlife with elven form andservice in his oak-lined halls. Here they enjoy an afterlife ofhunts, trysts, and celebrations in the elven fashion.These petitioners, known as the Chosen of Arvandor,have the following special petitioner qualities:Additional Immunities: Electricity, poison.Resistances: Cold 20, fire 20.Other Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/+1.Other petitioners may be found in Arborea besides theelven souls on the plane. Called bacchae, these petitionersare wild mobs of drunken revelers found reclining inglades or running through the forest in raving, winesottedcelebrations.The bacchae are satyrlike, caught in mid-transformationbetween man and beast. Bacchae are spirits of equalmeasures good and chaos, living for the moment andmaking it the best moment possible. The greatest dangerthey pose to travelers is enticing newcomers to join intheir celebrations.Bacchae have the following special petitioner qualities:Additional Immunities: Electricity, polymorph.Resistances: Acid 20.Other Special Qualities: Entice.Entice (Su): A traveler within 100 feet of a mob of bacchaemust make a Will saving throw (DC 10 + thenumber of bacchae within range; maximum DC 25) orelse join the party. While partying among the bacchae,those who failed their saves drink, eat, and engage in allmanner of pranks and foolery. But they take no sustenance,and suffer the effects of being without food andwater. The bacchae entice ability lasts either for 101 daysor until the enticed character collapses from lack of sustenance.Moving the character more than 100 feet fromthe bacchae ends the entice effect, but those under itssway do not leave the bacchae revelers willingly.Bacchae petitioners are generally nonviolent, fleeing ifattacked—or more likely offering bread and mead totheir assailants. In previous lives, bacchae were the spiritsof gourmands, gluttons, well-meaning drunkards, andothers who relished the act of living.MOVEMENT AND COMBATArborea does not present any penalty to movementbeyond what travelers from the Material Plane expect.On Arvandor, paths snake through the undergrowth andclear glades are as common as patches of briar and tangles.Creatures that can climb or brachiate (swing frombranch to branch) move through the forested sections ofArborea without touching the ground.Aquallor, the second layer, is entirely aquatic, so charactershave to swim from place to place.Arborea Combat: The plane does not present anyinherent benefit or penalty to combat. Cover and concealmentare plentiful in the forests of Arvandor, whilecombats in Aquallor use the same water combat rules ason the Elemental Plane of Water.FEATURES OF ARBOREAArborea is divided into three layers. The top is the bestknown layer: Arvandor, home of the Elven Court and thefinal resting place of many good elven spirits and theirallies. The second layer, Aquallor, is made entirely ofwater. The third and deepest of the known layers is calledMithardir, a plain of white dust.ArvandorMost travelers know Arvandor as the realm of the ElvenCourt of Corellon Larethian, the mythical Seldarine.Arvandor is a place of great open spaces beneath thetrees. Within these canopied clearings lie the settlementsof the Chosen of Arvandor, engaged in an idealized elvenlife. In the day there are hunts and challenges, in theevenings feasts and tales told around the fire.The cycle of day and night matches the Material Plane,with a golden sun beaming above the treetops in the dayand a white moon nestled among a milky river of stars atnight. The nights are warm in Arvandor. Even beneaththe trees, great fireflies form their own elastic constellationsamong the huge oaks and lindens.CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANES145