The Planes: Elysium
Our next stop in The Planes series is Elysium - the plane of pure good and restful peace.
What is Elysium?
Manual of the Planes, 2001 WotC
Elysium, also known as the Untarnished Good of Elysium, the Good Fields of Elysium, and the Plane of Ultimate Good, is located in the Outer Planes and is focused on being the purest good. This plane is focused on the purity of good, whether it be from chaos or law. Travelers from all over see this plane as a gentile and restful plane. Composed of four layers, Elysium is mistrusted by evil-aligned creatures for how hard it is to find your way, while those who are willing to do good deeds can quickly travel across the plane. Much of the population of this plane is found on the top layer, Amoria, which has such gentle seasons that outsiders are hard-pressed to guess which season it currently is.
Below Amoria the plane begins to get more dangerous for the second layer, Eronia, is home to sweeping mountains, plummeting cliffs as the River Oceanus, which touches every layer of this plane, winds its way through the layer. Rocky rapids and sudden waterfalls can throw all but the most skilled raftsmen overboard and drowned beneath the fast-moving current. The third layer, Belierin, doesn’t appear to be so dangerous as it is a calm and cool swamp, with bothersome insects and pestilence removed from it. Heavy fog floats through this entire layer, obscuring what dangers might lurk behind them. The final layer, Thalasia, is the final resting point for all those who died doing great deeds of good. These noble warriors, sages, and more have small islands for them to spend their eternal life on in a massive ocean that stretches across the entire plane.
History
Originally introduced in the Manual of the Planes (1987), Elysium has undergone very few changes and instead has only had its information deepened and expanded on. 2nd edition’s Plane of Conflict (1995) provides the greatest detail of this plane, and 3rd edition continues to expand on that information. For 4th edition, this plane was removed, though there was an Astral Dominion called Warrior’s Rest that takes a few small portions of this plane and combines it with other Outer Planes like Ysgard, Arborea, and others. In Warrior’s Rest, warriors and great heroes spend their eternal life in foggy battlefields fighting and destroying the great titans that roam across the lands. 5th edition returns Ysgard, though to what extent one can’t be too certain as the single paragraph describing it simply calls it a “… heaven of well-earned rest…”.
An Outsider’s Perspective
Fertile lands and perfect weather are great attractors of visitors, travelers, and merchants. This pure and good plane burns away any undead that might stumble onto this plane, and the fact that the plane itself seems to stop evil-aligned creatures from wreaking havoc ensures that outsiders mind their manners while here. Many who journey to this plane simply stick to the top layer, Amoria, and may decide to never leave but to see out their mortal life and then their afterlife as a petitioner here.
Nicknames abound for this plane from outsiders, some call it the Restful Plane and that it’s perfect for weary travelers looking to put their feet up and relax. Those with a more dour disposition choose to call the plane the Land of the Thoughtless, as the inhabitants rarely feel the need to take action unless there is something evil happening in their home. These ‘thoughtless’ inhabitants spend their days in blissful relaxation and simply can’t be controlled due to their independence.
Planes of Conflict, 1995 TSR Inc.
A Native’s Perspective
Natives believe that doing good for others is more important than other ideals that might hold you back. Law and chaos are disregarded on the purest of the good-aligned planes, and it’s inhabitants try to reflect that in their everyday life. Cities are set up along the fertile banks of the River Oceanus, but many choose to also live by themselves and tend to their own business. Many find the inhabitants frustrating to work with because they do not feel beholden to chaos or law, but rather focus on what actions will create the most good.
With its fertile lands that produce rich bounties of food, unsurpassed natural beauty of the river, the forests, and fields, the plane is often promoted for its pure goodness. An inhabitant can choose how they live here, whether they wish to live in the cities, work in the fields, or spend their time on long walks along the river. Those who wish to work can, those who don’t can. The land is bountiful enough to provide even for those who spend their time in a perpetual state of relaxation.
Outsiders often label these individuals as lazy or thoughtless, simple folk who can’t even work a day in their life but this is far from the truth of the matter. Individuals are free to pursue their bliss, to find what brings good into their own lives, and to then push that good out into the world around them. Some choose to focus on the self, for if you can’t make yourself happy with just being you, then the physical world around you will never truly make you happy. Others happily work the fields, rejuvenated by the sweat of the brow. And still, others find countless hobbies, art projects, and more to fill their days and to help them find what relaxes them. Those who wish to have a tougher go of it will slip out of the first layer and head to the second layer, Eronia, which has natural dangers to keep the heart racing and keep them on their toes.
Despite all the good that comes with the plane, there are still bad things that happen on it. Raftsmen can drown on the rapids, wild animals still hunt through the forests, though they are nothing like the massive dire beasts of the Beastlands or Bytopia, and sometimes bandits and evil-aligned creatures show up on the plane. While outsiders might think that such a pure good plane wouldn’t be capable of such misfortunes, the inhabitants know that bad events can still happen to them. Instead of being upset at the events, they instead look for the good that comes from such tidings. If someone is drowning in a river, it is a chance for one of them to rescue the individual. If a demon arrives on this plane and begins wreaking havoc, the guardinals, protectors of Elysium, show up to smite down evil. The inhabitants believe that even if evil comes to their plane, there will always be good to strike it down.
Atmosphere
Glistening sunlight streams from the sky at just the right temperature. Seasons come and go on the first layer with outsiders unable to detect which season is which, though the inhabitants can always tell. The winters get just cold enough to make them appreciate the warm summer suns, though the summer only gets hot enough to appreciate the cool and crisp air of winter. Rain showers drift across the land, but only as it is needed and never in torrential downpours that might harm or destroy. With the thousands of natural colors that sparkle across the top layer, it truly is one of the most beautiful locations in the planes.
For those who need a bit more excitement in their lives, they can move down to the second layer where mudslides, sleet storms, and harsh summers take their revenge on the plane. The second layer is full of the harsh nature of weather and seasons, and those scant few who live on this layer wouldn’t have it any other way. They glory in their fight to survive, their relaxation comes from finding the good in such displays of natural savagery and helping strangers.
The third layer, Belierin, is a massive swamp with thick fog that disperse the light around it. Very few choose to live on this layer, and in fact, most people warn others of venturing so far down. This layer has thousands of rumors floating around about what exists just beyond the thick fog, and if the guardinals or inhabitants know what is down here, they aren’t telling anyone.
Thalasia, the fourth and final layer, is the home of the good warriors and heroes who gave their lives in the service of pure good. Here they reside on their island communities in a layer-wide ocean that hosts dozens of cities beneath its waves. Selkie, sea elves, dolphins, whales, and more swim through the ocean currents, always keeping an eye for those who might be in trouble from a sinking ship or are lost in these sapphire blue ocean waves.
Traits
Travel to the Plane
Traveling to this plane isn’t very difficult and there is little worry about what you might expect once you get here. The Orange color pools on the Astral Plane take any traveler to the beautiful lands of Elysium, and portals from the gate-town on the Outlands, known as Ecstasy, can take you to the main city of Elysium, Release From Care. Caverns along the River Oceanus on this plane act as conduits to the lower layers of this plane, or might take you to the neighboring planes of the Beastlands or Bytopia. While these caverns are unmarked, most trust the caverns to get them where they need to go.
The other option of journeying into this plane is simply following the River Oceanus upstream as it’s headwaters exist on the lowest layer of Elysium and touches on every layer. The River Oceanus flows from Elysium to the top two layers of the Beastlands and then onto Arborea where it flows to the layer of Aquallor. Rumor is that if you continue to follow the River Oceanus to one of the maelstroms on Aquallor, it will transport you to the headwaters of the river located on Elysium's lowest layer.
Planes of Conflict, 1995 TSR Inc.
Traversing the Plane
Traveling across the plane is as easy as imagining where you want to go and then begin traveling. Due to how morphic this plane is, traveling anywhere on a layer takes 1d10 days so long as the travelers are focusing on where they want to go. Most who want to go from layer to layer have better luck by traveling the River Oceanus and simply letting the currents guide them to where they want to go. Those that wish to travel from one plane to the next on the river have a much longer journey that typically lasts for 10d10 days. Skilled raftsmen and ferries move up and down the rivers, offering their services to any who wish to travel by boat or have large amounts of supplies they wish to have transported.
On the lower levels, only the most skilled of the raftsmen with a strong knowledge of the River Oceanus should attempt journeys along the river. While the River Oceanus is largely peaceful, on the second layer horrible rapids and waterfalls can quickly capsize a raft and drown all occupants in the swift currents. The third layer is much calmer, but thick fogs obscure many of the landmarks needed to successfully guide a ship through the river, though lighthouses set up by the small communities down there provide a guide through the fog. The bottom layer of Elysium is a massive ocean with storms that can easily sink ships, though numerous islands dot the surface, allowing safe harbor during storms.
Travelers’ Way / Travelers’ Trevail
As you travel across the lands of Elysium, there are moments where the plane itself tests you. Inhabitants might ask for help with a broken wagon wheel, an animal might be wounded and unable to move or gather food, a sheep might have fallen into the River Oceanus or any number of things. Those who are willing to stop and do good are rewarded with traveling faster to their destination, or at the very least, make progress on their journey. Those who do nothing may spend weeks and weeks wandering around the same area of the plane, unable to move any further. Evil creatures are rarely ever able to stomach the idea of doing good deeds, and thus end up unable to leave the general area that they arrive in, which makes it fairly easy for the guardians of the plane to locate them and smite them from the land.
When traveling across this plane, always be on the lookout for chances to do good. The more good you do on this plane, the more the plane resonates with you and will help speed you along on your journey. Those that refuse to help or demand something in return for aid will rarely last long here for the guardians have the power to exile creatures from their plane.
Locations
Elysium is made up of four distinct layers that are infinite in size and scope, though they all exist along the River Oceanus. The top layer, Amoria, represents fertile lands, verdant forests, and thousands of dazzling colors of nature. The second layer, Eronia, is formed of sweeping hills, plummeting ravines, and dangerous challenges. The third layer, Belierin, is a swamp covered in thick fogs, though any traces of bothersome insects and pestilence has been removed. The fourth and final layer, Thalasia, is the afterlife for those who lost their lives doing the work of pure good, it is a massive ocean with islands that dot its surface where communities gather.
Amoria, the Untroubled
The first layer of the plane is one of the most hospitable places anywhere in the multiverse, though many might complain that once you arrive here you’ll never want to leave. Those who become long time visitors often spend their afterlife here as petitioners, never feeling the need to leave. The vast majority of the population can be found on this layer clustered into small communities, on their own out in the wilds, or reside in a few of the larger cities. All seek to find their bliss on this layer, whether that means through the hard work of farming or spending their days relaxing in the sun and fishing.
Most of the inhabitants are situated near the River Oceanus that cuts through every layer of Elysium and can be found almost anywhere you wish to travel to on the top layer. Rolling hills seem to rise from the river itself and smaller rivers from all across the layer feed into it. Because of this, boat travel is extremely common and the most who live here have small boats they use to travel to other communities, to trade goods, or to simply relax on.
Amoria has seasons, but they are incredibly mild and outsiders rarely can tell what season it currently is. Winters are mild, summers never too hot, and when it rains there is always a rainbow.
The Asuras’ Bridge
One of the few bridges that span the River Oceanus has recently become under the protection of an asuras, a powerful celestial warrior with burning eyes and flaming wings. This asuras is said to have gone mad and is protecting the bridge from any evil-doers and those trying to create mischief on this layer. All who try to travel across, or take a boat under, the bridge must answer esoteric questions about their beliefs of good and evil, and with the piercing gaze of the asuras, any lies are immediately found out. Those who answer truthfully and to the asuras’ liking are given passage to cross the bridge, others are told to go on quests of good or are simply banished from this plane if they are deemed to be too evil or unworthy.
Planes of Conflict, 1995 TSR Inc.
Principality
Known as the essence of nature itself, Principality is a small realm that seems to be unclaimed by any of the powers. Some claim that the massive phoenix that has made a nest in the mountains overlooking this realm is the true ruler, while others scoff at such a presumption. There are a lot who call this realm home, from petitioners to travelers to even proxies, though none can say who oversees the realm or who passes on orders to the proxies.
This realm is ringed by small hills and peaceful lakes, jagged mountain summits lead to communities that are largely cut off from the rest of the layer and plane. To conquer these mountains and reach the small villages requires one to climb dangerous and deadly mountain passes, or have a way to fly to the top and deal with the sudden gusts that might dash you into the rocks below. Standing stones guide the weary traveler towards the communities, but only the mightiest can make the climb and survive.
Those that choose to travel here often do so for a deeper understanding of nature, or to ask the advice of the great phoenix who nests in the highest of the mountains. It is said that the phoenix can provide great and powerful magic to help those who are worthy or provide cryptic omens of future possibilities.
Release From Care
The second-largest city on Amoria, only outdone by the City of Stars that is overseen by a powerful deity of light, Release From Care is often described as the city of homecooked meals, a relaxing hot bath, and the softest pillows to rest your head upon. This village prides itself on how welcoming they are and is part of a major trade route that is strung down the shores of the River Oceanus. This major trading port sees creatures of all sorts coming and going on small bargest that carry trade goods throughout the upper planes.
Supplies of all kinds can be found in this city, all are of good craftsmanship and fair prices. Adventurers also make stops here to learn of the latest news and see where their might and magic can be best put to use on this plane. Some even are preparing to venture further down into the plane where more dangerous locales, and even horrifying monsters, can be found.
Eronia, the Land of Rugged Peace
Sweeping hills, steep mountains, deep ravines, and white granite valleys are sprinkled throughout this plane, forcing the River Oceanus to cut back and forth across the layer. The river is filled with dangerous rapids, sudden waterfalls and even entire hilltops might slide into the river during a particularly nasty storm. Plateaus tend to hold communities wishing for an afterlife with a bit more excitement in it than Amoria can provide, and several towns can be found squished between the steep mountainsides and the River Oceanus.
Fierce windstorms and sudden snowfalls filled with lightning and hail rock this layer, creating a challenge for any who seek peace through hard work and tough choices. With the harsh winds and sudden landslides that constantly divert the River Oceanus, it can be difficult to get around and many find navigating this layer to be incredibly difficult. So long as travelers continue to do good work, despite the challenges of this layer, they can continue on their journey. Only when a creature begins shirking good deeds in favor of saving themselves from too much effort does the layer begin to turn on them.
Precipice
High above a lagoon on a clifftop next to a roaring waterfall that feeds the River Oceanus into the valley below is a community of aarakocra. This is the realm of the aarakocra deity, who some know as Syranita. The aarakocra build their great nests out of the reeds that grow in the lagoon and have perches all along this cliff face. Giant eagles and the winged elves known as the al karak elam, who typically reside in the Beastlands, have set up a small community and live alongside the aarakocra.
Those who journey to Precipice must find a way to reach the distant valley below to continue their journey, sometimes the aarakocra provide help but most of the time it is on the traveler to find a way down.
Belierin, the Forgotten Layer
Largely unknown, even to the inhabitants of this plane, this layer is mostly abandoned with only a few small communities along the shores of this fog-ladened layer. The River Oceanus cuts through only a small portion of this layer with swamps, bogs, and more fog stretching out for endless miles from the shores of the river. Some claim that this layer is still being formed and is not yet ready for people to live here, while others claim that the layer is dying and that soon Elysium will only be made of three layers because the good of the multiverse is beginning to fail, and that one-day evil will conquer all.
The real truth of the matter is that the guardinals, celestial protectors of Elysium, have set up this layer to be a prison to the most dangerous creatures that have ever come to the plane. The thick fog hides the River Oceanus from them, forcing them to fight and bicker with one another on how best to escape this layer and even this plane. Guardinals routinely patrol the River Oceanus to ensure that none of them can escape, stopping and questioning all travelers who journey through this layer. They refuse to give away their secrets and only trust a select few with the knowledge of what exists behind the deep fog.
Rubicon
One of the last remaining outposts that are manned by the guardinals, their other outposts on this layer have largely been destroyed or taken over by the prisoners of this layer. Luckily for them, this outpost is situated on an island in the middle of the River Oceanus near the conduit that takes travelers to Eronia. Because of how pure the River Oceanus is, most evil creatures find the waters to be too painful to swim through, and thus the outpost continues to this day. Any traveler who comes and goes down the River Oceanus must be interrogated by the guardinals and their equipment searched. The guardinals are paranoid that their dark secret has left Elysium and that any evil creature who has learned what hides down here may try and help the prisoners escape.
Planes of Conflict, 1995 TSR Inc.
Thalasia
The bottom layer of Elysium, this layer is named after the massive ocean that fills almost the entirety of it. Cold and choppy waves mix with tropical islands and warm waters, with islands strung out across the entire layer. Small communities populate not only the islands, but also beneath the waves where sea elves, dolphins, selkies, and more form their restful communities.
Those who die in the name of good or performing good deeds are brought here to enjoy the peace of their afterlife. Powerful warriors, hero-kings, scholars of knowledge, and more make their homes on the islands, enjoying an afterlife of peace. They rest easy knowing that their accomplishments in life led to good, and their reward is the peace of knowing they did what they could.
Some wonder why many of the petitioners of this layer remember so much of their afterlife, with many still retaining their legendary fighting skills from life. Many guess that the guardinals recruit petitioners from this layer to join their rank, while others believe that all of these petitioners are simply waiting for the final battle of good vs evil and when the warriors of light must face off against the fiends of the lower planes.
The Thalastrom
Swirling across the bottom layer is a powerful storm that seems to never be ending. It destroys islands, wiping out all life from its surface. This unnatural storm is constructed from the power of sahuagins and other evil creatures who somehow made their way to this plane and are inflicting chaos and evil on the petitioners here.
Due to the great number of creatures, many wonder how many were able to make it to Thalassia with the best idea being that a portal from the Plane of Water allowed krakens, dragon turtles, sahuagins, sharks, and more to swim through into the headwaters of the River Oceanus and causing misfortune on the petitioners. This storm is slowly sweeping back and forth across the layer, leaving behind a path of destruction and devastation.
Factions & People
Guardinals
These powerful celestials appear to be mostly human though they display many animalistic traits, mostly that of a lion. Often called lionels, these warriors are powerful creatures who watch over the plane and strike out at evil where ever it shows itself. The entire race is focused on the protection of the good, though they are not organized. Instead, they congregate in small groups, or by themselves, and monitor the plane where they feel most called to. Some reside on the top layer and ensure that visitors behave themselves, while others stand guard their whole life on the third layer and ensure that no prisoner is ever able to escape. A select few even travel outside of Elysium and travel across the multiverse, striking and destroying evil where ever it attempts to attack good.
Petitioners
Often called strong-headed and stubborn, these petitioners rarely do anything that they don’t want to do and many who interact with them find it difficult to convince them to take sides. Many claim that the petitioners are immune to magic that might change their mind, that charm or dominate spells simply fail to hold sway over them. The petitioners of this plane live as they want, and so long as they strive to do good deeds, they enjoy their restful respite in peace.
The Guardians
Styled off of the guardinals that protect the plane, the Guardians are mortal warriors who have decided to lend their aid to the plane and its cause. They are not a full-time defensive force, but instead only unite together when some great evil rears its head. When this happens they band together and destroy that evil completely before returning to their own lives and pursuits. While they largely stay on Elysium, they will journey to the Outlands and deal with any great evil that arrives there and that might threaten their home plane in the future.
The Powers
Many powers call Elysium home, though just as many have little patience for those who do. Because Elysium is of pure good, with little care for chaos or law, outsiders find these gods difficult to work with or serve as they provide little guidance other than to look into oneself and find peace and serenity there.
The Transcendent Order
Planescape - Campaign Setting, 1995 TSR Inc.
To become one with the multiverse, an individual must simply act. The Transcendent Order, or the Ciphers as they are typically nicknamed, are a faction of the planes who make their headquarters on Elysium, though they don’t have a singular building or location they congregate. Instead, they meet up in each other’s homes, out in the wide fields or in small towns where they can discuss matters. The Ciphers are hoping to unite their body and mind, spending their days in quiet contemplation, hoping to learn more about themselves. They believe that once they achieve a state of enlightenment, that the flow of the multiverse will present itself to them and that they might have greater knowledge and control of when to do the right thing.
Encounters
Bridge Crossing - The asuras protecting the bridge has determined that not all in the party are worthy of crossing. To prove themselves they must deal with a stray demon that has made its way to Elysium and is making itself a home of filth and devastation not too far from the bridge. If they can remove the demon, especially if they are able to do so in a good way, the asuras may allow them to use the bridge this one time.
Doing Good - To travel anywhere on Elysium, travelers are set upon with instances and moments to do the right thing. Regardless of how far a traveler is looking to go, there will always be at least one moment along the journey where they must face a choice to do good, those that do find their journeys quickened and arrive quickly at their destination. Those that ignore the encounter may stumble around for a time before arriving at their destination, and those that choose to do evil will never find their way and may even be set upon by the guardinals.
Gargoyles & Heights - Recently, the aarakocra of Precipice have begun to be attacked by gargoyles that show up and smash their eggs and destroy their nests. While many of the gargoyles have been destroyed, no one has been able to figure out where they are coming from or how many there are. Adventurers are being asked to come and destroy this menace for good, or at least tell the aarakocra where they can focus their vengeance on.
Phoenix Eggshells - The phoenix who overlooks Principality is nesting an egg that is supposed to hatch in the next few weeks. The eggshells of a phoenix egg are highly valuable for the arcane arts and the party has been hired to procure some of it from the phoenix. They may be tasked to complete great deeds for the phoenix or to protect the hatching egg from outsiders who may try to steal the phoenix chick and take it to the lower planes.
Strike on Thalastrom - The guardians of Thalassia are planning an all-out attack on the Thalastrom, they plan to cut through the foul creatures who are causing such destruction and put an end to the powerful priestesses who are using their magic to control the weather. They are looking for warriors of light to join them on their valiant quest.
What Hides in the Fog - The guardinals have approached the party, they need a team to go into the fogs of Belierin and deal with an issue that has arisen. The powerful Hydra-Father, the creator of all hydras, has not been seen in some time, and the guardinals are worried that it may have escaped the prison. The party must seek out information and find out where it has gone and, if need be, destroy it or bring it back to its prison.
Resources & Further Reading
Manual of the Planes (1st edition)
For more information on Elysium in 1st edition.
Planes of Conflict (2nd edition)
For more information on creatures, locations, and inhabitants of Elysium.
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