Cosmology

The cosmology, or structure of the multiverse, is vast and extends far beyond the Material Plane that holds the world of Toril. Beyond the Prime lay many planes, which differ in size and shape. The exact structure of the universe has varied and changed over the millennia, the most recent change resulting from the Spellplague.

Overview
The planes of existence are different realities with interwoven connections. Except for rare linking points called portals the planes are, in effect, seperate universes, each with its own set of natural laws and native creatures.

The World Axis Cosmology
Currently the structure of the local multiverse is known as the World Axis cosmology, which resulted from the Spellplague's effects on the planes. The Spellplague significantly altered the very cosmos themselves,, causing the Great Tree structure that had been present before to collapse. The Inner Planes merged into the Elemental Chaos, the Shadowfell was formed, the Feywild rediscovered, and the astral dominions broken free from the branches of the tree to drift in the Astral Sea.

In the place of the Great Tree was a new model, so named the World Axis due to the two axes formed by the parallel planes and the fundamental planes with the Prime, which serves as a fulcrum of sorts for the energies of the planes, around which are located the other four separate and discrete planes: the Astral Sea, the Feywild, the Elemental Chaos, and the Shadowfell.

The structure of this new model is described below.

Prime Material Plane
Also called the natural world, mortal world, or simply the Prime, this plane lies at the center of the World Axis. While changed, the Prime continues to exist in spite of the changes wrought by the Spellchange, stable and at the center of the vast axes that bind the planes together. The Prime is where Toril and its inhabitants are located and remains the primary focus of the gods. The Prime has no single dominant force, unlike most planes, and is connected to the other planes through the Shadowfell and, to a lesser extent, the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos.

Parallel Planes
Parallel planes are strange reflections of the Prime, formed by the will of the primordials in the age of creation who gathered what they considered to be imperfections of the Prime and created new planes from them. Parallel planes are the closest of the planes to the Prime and resemble it geographically, though they are very distinct in their own manner.

The parallel planes are:


 * The Feywild
 * A vibrant twin of the Prime, the Feywild is the home of the fey and is filled with vitality and powerful arcane magic.


 * Plane of Shadow
 * Also known simply as Shadow, the Plane of Shadow was a parallel plane prior to its rebirth as the Shadowfell.


 * The Shadowfell
 * A dark and twisted echo of the Prime formed from the Shadowfell and part of the Negative Energy Plane, the Shadowfell is the home of shadow creatures as well as much of the undead that fill the planes.

Fundamental Planes
Surrounding the Prime and the parallel planes are the two fundamental planes: the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos. The fundamental planes, according to common theory, are the basis from which all the other planes, including the Prime and its echoes, were formed. Whether or not this is true is unsure and until the Spellplague, the Elemental Chaos is not believed to have existed, or at least not since the splitting of Abeir-Toril into two worlds.

The fundamental planes are also the homes of the astral dominions and elemental realms, smaller planes within the Astral Sea and Elemental Chaos. Only a few of these are known to the inhabitants of Toril, however, and it is believed that if one traveled far enough through the infinite spaces of the fundamental planes it might be possible to locate the dominions and realms of entirely different pantheons worshiped by beings from other material planes, though such a journey would be unimaginably lengthy.

The two fundamental planes are as follow.


 * The Astral Sea
 * The Astral Sea is a great silvery void that contains the homes of the gods and which is considered the realm of pure thought and creativity, where thoughts and feelings become reality, if only for a moment. It is through this power that gods shape the cosmos according to their will and the astral dominions are forged.


 * The Elemental Chaos
 * Nonexistant before the Spellplague, or at least not since the sundering of Abeir-Toril, the Elemental Chaos is a vast and infinite sea of tempestuous matter and energy in which the cycle of creation and destruction continues without end. It is from the essence of the chaos that the world was first formed, tempered though it was by the divine essences of the Astral Sea.

Astral Dominions
Within the Astral Sea lay the astral dominions, planes separate and unique from the surrounding fundamental plane but which owe their existence to it. Formed from the will of the Astral Sea's inhabitants the astral dominions were once linked into an intricate network within the Great Tree. As a result of the Spellplague, the formerly bound planes now drift freely in the Astral Sea.

There are many dominions within the Astral Sea, the known ones being as follow.


 * Arvandor
 * Arvandor is the home of the elven pantheon, the gnomish pantheon, and several archfey. Corellon rules over this good plane with his wife, the goddess Angharradh, while Garl Glittergold holds his own, somewhat independent court.


 * Banehold
 * Banehold is the home of the Black Lord Bane, who rules from his the keep the Black Bastion, as well as the gods who owe their fealty to him. The evil plane is surrounded by outlying wastelands that serve as a warning to these subjugated deities.


 * Celestia
 * Celestia is an enormous mountain that contains three smaller peaks. The True Court is a city near the top of the mountain, from which Torm rules the lawful good plane alongside Ilmater and Bahamut.


 * Cynosure
 * Cynosure is a neutral meeting place of the gods and is usually closed and uninhabited. Cynosure is merely a stately meeting chamber full of high pillars and decorated with portraits of gods and goddesses both living and dead.


 * The Deep Wilds
 * The Deep Wilds is the home of Silvanus and his divine servants. The Deep Wilds are a vast expanse of untamed and wild wilderness, with no strong ties to any alignment but firm connections to several elemental realms.


 * The Demonweb Pits
 * The Demonweb Pits is Lolth’s domain and a former layer of the Abyss. This strongly chaotic evil plane is an immense and dark dominion of woven planar matter, at the center of which sits Lolth’s arachnid-shaped iron fortress.


 * The Dismal Caverns
 * The Dismal Caverns are a huge subterranean maze of natural caverns, ruled over by the solitary god Ghaunadaur. Other powerful entities, many abberations touched by the Far Realm, also live there, dwelling in the vast darkness that fills the plane.


 * Dwarfhome
 * Dwarfhome is the home of the dwarven deities and their worshipers, who dwell undeneath massive mountainous crags teeming with life. At the heart of Dwarfhome is the great hall called Erackinor, the residence of Moradin and his wife Berronar.


 * Eternal Sun
 * Eternal Sun is the dominion of Amaunator, Keeper of the Golden Sun, who shares the realm with Waukeen and his exarch, Siamorphe. Amaunator makes his home in the Palace of the Four Suns, the central citadel of a golden city which is located amid shining, thriving lands and seas.


 * The Fugue Plane
 * The Fugue Plane is a flat and featureless plane with a ground of silvery mist. It is here that the god Kelemvor judges the dead, who arrive through the Shadowfell, either releasing them to the blessings of their god or sentencing them to eternal punishment.


 * Gates of the Moon
 * Gates of the Moon consists of rocky islands that float on and above a silvery sea, overwhich the moon waxes and wanes constantly. It is here that the chaotic good greater goddesses Selûne and Sune both make their home, along with the goddess Tymora.


 * Green Fields
 * Green Fields is a place of rest of lush valleys and hills ruled over by the Earthmother Chauntea. The halfling pantheon also resides here, moving from place to place like their mortal worshipers.


 * House of Knowledge
 * The House of Knowledge consists of an ancient and tamed wood of giant oak trees and clear and fresh lakes and springs. A series of buildings throughout the dominion called the Library of All Knowledge is said to contain all the secrets of the multiverse.


 * The Nine Hells
 * The Nine Hells, or Baator as its denizens call it, is the home of devils and is ruled by Asmodeus, a former god-turned-archdevil-turned-god-again who resides in Malsheem, the Citadel of Hell. Eight other archdevils rule eight other layers of the lawful evil dominion as vassals of Asmodeus.


 * Nishrek
 * Nishrek is home to the orc pantheon, ruled over by the savage god Gruumsh. This chaotic evil plane resembles a natural setting ravaged by eternal war, filled with of scorching deserts, jagged badlands, and dense and tangled forests, with black seas and rivers.


 * The Supreme Throne
 * The Supreme Throne is Cyric’s dominion but it is also a prison for the Prince of Lies, whose murder of Mystra has resulted in his internment for several centuries to come. The dominion has been sealed off by the other gods, and none can enter nor can any leave.


 * Towers of Night
 * Towers of Night is the largest of the astral dominions, a vast and dark wasteland comprised of mountainous regions, deserts of black sand, and malevolent seas, rivers, forests, and bogs. Ruling over this plane is the greater goddess Shar, who shares the neutral evil dominion with her servants Sseth, Talona, and Zehir.


 * Tu'Narath
 * Unlike the divine dominions where the gods reside Tu'Narath is a realm shaped by mortal minds, specifically those of the githyanki. Within the great metropolis carved from the corpse of a forgotten god the githyanki are ruled over by their lich-queen Vlaakith, who constantly plots for the conquest of the other planes and who holds de facto control of the other nominally independent githyanki settlements.


 * Warrior's Rest
 * Warrior’s Rest is the dominion of Tempus, god of war and his nature shapes the plane into a landscape nearly as chaotic and unpredictable as the Elemental Chaos, constantly changing. The souls of warriors who worshiped Tempus or other human war deities live here, always waging wars dying again and again in endless battle only to rise again while the victorious celebrate in the many halls that dot the landscape.

Elemental Realms
When the elemental and energy planes collided to form, or possibly reform, the Elemental Chaos most of them were lost, along with the other planes that fell into the mix, such as Limbo or Jotunheim. However, within the Chaos those beings strong enough and power enough to shape the materials around them, were able to create new planes or preserve parts of old ones, either of which became known as elemental realms. Here numerous elemental creatures reside, alongside the mighty primordials who first created the planes alongside the gods.

The known elemental realms are listed below.


 * The Abyss
 * The Abyss is the home of demons and is ruled over by none, though several of the powerful demon lords each claim control. A multilayered pit, the Abyss lies at the very "bottom" of the Elemental Chaos, waiting to draw in and ensnare any who come too close.


 * The City of Brass
 * The City of Brass is the home of the efreeti, fire genies who long ago forged this city, which is believed the oldest in all the planes. Though efreeti are known for their wars against other elementals, the City of Brass is best known as the center of interplanar trade.


 * Cresting Spires
 * Dominated by the primordial Istishia, the Cresting Spires are a plane dominated by water.


 * Fimbulwinter
 * Forged by the titan Thrym, this plane is covered in ice.


 * Hidden Realm
 * The most powerful of the titans, Annam, rules this mysterious realm.


 * Muspelheim
 * Ruled over by the titan Surtr, Muspelheim is dominated by a volcanic landscape.


 * Root Hold
 * Dominated by Grumbar, the primordial lord of the earth element, Root Hold is a series of vast subterranean halls with strong connections to the Dismal Caverns and Dwarfhome.


 * Sky Home
 * A realm ruled over by the primordial Akadi and dominated by rolling clouds and dark storms. Sky Home has links to the plane of Arvandor.


 * Steading
 * This realm resembles a landscape of rolling hills and is dominated by the titan Grolantor.


 * Throator
 * A plane of storms this plane is ruled over by the titan Memnor.


 * The Undying Pyre
 * The Undying Pyre is a fiery plane of thick smoke and mighty flames, ruled over by the strongest of the primordial lords, Kossuth.


 * Zerthadlun
 * Zerthadlun is a realm shaped by the minds and will of the githzerai, mortals who have taken residence in the Elemental Chaos in order to study the entropy that fills it. Through constant diligence and monastic ritual the githzerai maintain their realm, in spite of the chaos that threatens to engulf it.

Great Tree Cosmology
Prior to the Spellplague the most commonly accepted structure of the multiverse was the Great Tree Cosmology.

Transitive Planes
These planes have little in common, except for their most common use: getting from one plane to another. A great number of spells that allow travel from one plane to another, briefly sends travelers through one of the Transitive Planes before they reach their destination. The Shadow Plane and Ethereal Plane are most commonly used for travel within the Material Plane with which they're connected, through spells like Shadow Walk. Each plane has a set of unique native inhabitants.

Ethereal Plane
The Ethereal Plane is a misty continuum that coexists with the Material Plane. Individuals within the Ethereal Plane can see into the Material Plane, but not vice versa. It is accessed by spells such as etherealness and ethereal jaunt, as well as various portals scattered through the Realms and the planescape.

Plane of Shadow
The Plane of Shadow is coexistent with the Material Plane, but all colors are drained from the world, everything appearing in gray-tones, and the other senses like hearing, touch and emotion are also dulled when in this eerie plane. The most common way of accessing the plane is through spells and abilities like shadow walk, most often used for covering great distances on the Material Plane undetected and unhindered. Mask and Shar both make their homes within the Shadow Plane.

Astral Plane
The Astral is an open empty plane, it has no directional gravity so travelers are weightless. The few bits of matter scattered throughout the vast plane are mostly portals leading to every plane in the cosmology. Spells like astral projection and gate access the Astral Plane in one form or another. The deity Ulutiu is suspended in a voluntary stasis within the plane, slumbering unaware that Auril is draining his divine powers ever so slowly.

The Inner Planes
Also called the planes of power, these realities are incarnations of the basic buildings blocks of the universe. The planes are the four elemental planes and the positive and negative energy plane. All the planes are very inhospitable to all but the most adopted native creatures of the plane.

The Elemental Planes
The Elemental Planes embody the four basic elements in nature, air, earth, fire and water. The planes are extremely inhospitable except for natives of the plane, such as elementals, genies, mephits and other outsiders. Each Elemental Lord also makes their home in the elemental planes. Several quasi-elemental and demi-elemental planes also exist, sitting at the junctures between the elemental planes such as the Elemental Plane of Cold that lies between the plane of air and water.


 * Akadi rules the Elemental Plane of Air.
 * Grumbar rules the Elemental Plane of Earth.
 * Kossuth rules the Elemental Plane of Fire.
 * Istishia rules the Elemental Plane of Water.

The Energy Planes
The Negative and Positive Energy Planes are no less extreme than their elemental counterparts, and very few beings are native to these planes. No deities make their home in either plane.

The Outer Planes
The home of most of the deities of Toril, these planes are many and varied, most take on the traits of the powers that inhabbit them. They can be divided into three different categories, the Celestial Outer Planes, the Neutral Outer Planes and the Fiendish Outer Planes.

Celestial Planes

 * Arvandor
 * Home plane of the Elven Pantheon and the drow goddess Eilistraee. Hanali Celanil maintains a portal to Sune's realm in Brightwater, and the entire pantheon maintains a portal to the House of Nature. Everan Ilesere maintains a portal to the realm of Hlal in Dragon Eyrie.


 * Brightwater
 * Home plane of Lliira, Sharess, Sune, Tymora and Waukeen. Sune maintains a portal from her realm to Hanali Celanil's realm in Arvandor. Sharess also has a small realm on Heliopolis, the home of her native pantheon. Tymora maintains a portal to Green Fields.


 * Dwarfhome
 * Home of Moradin and the rest of the dwarven pantheon, except for the duergar and derro deities.


 * Dweomerheart
 * Home plane of Azuth and Mystra, as well as their subordinates Savras and Velsharoon. Velsharoon is generally not trusted by the other deities, but they suffer his company, and he suffers theirs to gain protection from Talos.


 * Gates of the Moon
 * Home of Selûne, Finder Wyvernspur, and Shaundakul.


 * Golden Hills
 * Home of the gnome pantheon, excluding Urdlen (who tunnels beneath Hammergrim). The Golden Hills also connects to the realm of Gond.


 * Green Fields
 * Home of the halfling pantheon. Brandobaris has a realm here, but he rarely resides in it, preferring to establish a small, temporary realm wherever he rests. Green Fields has a connection to the realm of Tymora.


 * House of Knowledge
 * Home of Deneir, Gond, Milil, and Oghma. Gond maintains a portal to the Golden Hills.

Home of Helm, Ilmater, Siamorphe, Torm and Tyr. This is the closest thing to a heaven that exists in Toril's cosmology.
 * House of the Triad

Neutral Planes

 * Dragon Eyrie
 * Home of the draconic pantheon. Tiamat maintains a portal to this plane. Hlal maintains a portal to the realm of Erevan Ilesere in Arvandor.


 * Heliopolis
 * Home of the Mulhorandi pantheon and Tiamat who maintains a portal to the Dragon Eyrie.


 * House of Nature
 * Home of Chauntea, Eldath, Gwaeron Windstrom, Lathander, Lurue, Mielikki, Nobanion, Shiallia, Silvanus, Ubtao and various animal lords and the deities of many nature-oriented creatures (e.g. centaurs). The deities of the plane maintain a portal to Arvandor.


 * Jotunheim
 * Home of the giant pantheon.


 * Warrior's Rest
 * Home of Garagos (who is hostile to the other deities residing in Warrior's Rest), Red Knight, Tempus, Uthgar (who is distant to all but Tempus) and Valkur.

Fiendish Planes

 * The Abyss
 * Home of many demon lords, sages theorize the plane has 666 layers.


 * The Barrens of Doom and Despair
 * Home plane of Bane (in isolated location), Beshaba, Hoar, Loviatar, and Talona.


 * Blood Rift
 * Home of various evil outsiders.


 * Clangor
 * Home of goblinoid and kobold deities.


 * Deep Caverns
 * Home of various Underdark deities.


 * Demonweb Pits
 * Home of Lolth and the drow pantheon. Eilistraee also has a realm here, but she rarely visits it. The pantheon maintains several portals to the Abyss.


 * Fated Depths
 * Home of Sekolah and Blibdoolpoolp.


 * Fury's Heart
 * Home of the destructive deities Auril, Malar, Talos, and Umberlee.


 * Hammergrim
 * Home of the duergar deities Deep Duerra and Laduguer.


 * Nine Hells
 * Also known as Baator, the Nine Hells is home of the nine archdevils and various other devils and evil outsiders. Some of them maintain portals to the realms of Bane, Loviatar, and Talona.


 * Nishrek
 * Home of the orc pantheon.


 * Supreme Throne
 * Home of Cyric. Before Cyric arrived, this plane was dominated by the Slaad and other creatures of chaos.

Demiplanes
Demiplanes are small planes falling into the 'finite' size category. There are countless demiplanes throughout the universe of Toril, some are built by powerful wizards seeking to aquire a private space for themselves, some naturally evolve into being, yet others are willed into existence by the deities. Cynosure is a form of demiplane.

Sildëyuir
Home of the star, or mithral, elves.

The Fugue Plane
Home of Jergal and Kelemvor.

Cynosure
Cynosure is a small plane located very close—cosmologically speaking—to Toril. It is a plane only accessable to deities, and they can only access it from within their own domains. The plane is considered neutral ground by all the powers of Faerûn, and the plane is used as a meeting ground to settle disputes and decide upon punishments for those deities who upset the Balance (as defined by the guidelines Ao left).

The only way in and out of Cynosure is through the portals leading to each deities realm, and it cannot be accessed by spells that normally allow planar travel, so the plane cannot be used as a way station as Toril can. There can at times be several deities meeting in Cynosure, and yet other times the demi-plane lies empty for extended periods of time.

While portals from Cynosure lead to the realms of the Elemental Lords, none of them have ever been known to appear on the meeting plane.

Faerie
The elves are not natives of Toril. Rather, they first began to emigrate to Faerûn twenty-five millenia ago from the plane of Faerie. The realm of Faerie is a twilight land lush with forests, home to the fey and their Seelie and Unseelie Courts.

Great Wheel Cosmology
Another, though less accepted, representation of the local cosmology prior to the Spellplague.