Arborea

The Olympian Glades of Arborea, also known as Olympus, was the Outer Plane in the Great Wheel cosmology model embodying the chaotic good alignment. (In the Realms, people referred to the entire plane as Arvandor, since the Olympian powers were not known there. )

In the World Tree cosmology, the realms of Arvandor and Brightwater in the first layer were considered Celestial planes in their own rights. Arvandor, in particular, survived the Spellplague and became part of the World Axis cosmology.

Description
Arborea was first and foremost a land of emotions, running high, deep, and far. These were not all positive emotions; Arborea was a place of powerful love and hate, where rage and joy were equally common and equally honored. The plane was most accurately described as "boisterous", favoring melodrama rather than stoicism, and the violent moods and whims were backed by steel. It was a larger than life realm of huge appetites, quick as a change of heart with fervent affections and passions that blazed bright before burning out.

Vibrant energy filled Arborea, the air tingling with excitement and constant anticipation in the literally emotionally charged atmosphere. It was not merely a place where the emotional gathered, but a place that made those present short-tempered, passionate, and, at times, hammy. Like Limbo, it could be considered the opposite of Mechanus, not in the sense that it countered rigid order with formless chaos, but in that its deep-seated feelings were the antithesis of Nirvana's mechanical logic. However, though greed, envy, lust, and wrath were strong on Arborea, charity, justice, love, and kindness were equally rampant.

One of Arborea's more subtle aspects was its addictive quality. The longer one stayed, the more likely one would never want to leave, and after about a month would possibly need to be dragged back home by well-meaning friends. Just because they left Arborea however, didn't mean they had escaped its pull; they would need to be confined until the intense yearning subsided and its influence had waned.

Geography
Compared to its depraved counterpart in the Abyss, which had, if not literally then effectively, an infinite number of foul layers, Arborea could seem small since it possessed only three. However, while the Abyss was a chaotic cluster of miniature realms, its individual, warring worlds each horrific and harsh in their own unique ways, the comparative cohesiveness of Arborea's layers was not to be mistaken for a lack of diversity.

In truth, Arborea was a fantastically patchwork plane, a crazy quilt of thriving climates and environments with endless abundance. Though named after its endless, rolling forests, that was a mere fraction of the plane. Settled landscapes were pleasant and pastoral, with gently rolling hills, meadows, vineyards, fruit orchards, and fields of oats, barley, wheat, and millet, all passing by in quaint succession. Unlike the neighboring Beastlands it was not totally given over to wilderness, and it wasn't an obvious deathtrap like the Abyss, the emotional journeys likely being more dangerous than the virtually harmless environment.

However, in the hinterlands between settlements, Arborea's wilderness could be almost impassable, increasing in hostility the deeper in one went and not just because of prowling predators. Normally even the Arborean winter was mild, but the weather of the plane was as whimsical and unpredictable as the inhabitants. The plane lacked the serenity of its lawful counterpart Mount Celestia, its pleasant breezes turning to violent storms in an instant and death on the plane coming mostly from lightning and hail. Still, one normally had to go looking for trouble in Arborea to find it, and even the weather at its most extreme didn't soil the overpowering and bewildering beauty of the plane.

Arborea's larger than life aspect was both figurative and literal, the big emotions reflecting the big plane. The sheer extravagant size of everything simply couldn't be understated: every craggy mountain was stupendous, every ravine unbelievably deep, every lush forest filled with monstrously huge trees, every ocean unimaginably deep, every river mighty, and every plain a wild stretch. Never doing small, Arborea's immensity made it difficult to traverse due to steepness and distance. Realms aside from those of common knowledge potentially laid hidden, ruled over by unknown beings.

Nature Spirits
The Abyssal layers were said to be sentient, though unintelligent and dormant, each with their own primal urges and hungers (other layers not precluded from their tastes). Likewise, Arbroea itself was determined to remain true to itself, wild and pure. Though most visitors to Arborea were unaware of it, the very land was alive with nature spirits. Some of these were the better known sylvan guardians such as dryads, sylphs, and sprites, but the actual spirits of the land itself were far greater. Every forest, glade, mountain, stream, and cloud had a guardian, and carving through virgin lands before polluting the environment was sure to provoke a reaction.

Exactly what that reaction would be varied from place to place, but the less tame the terrain, the more severe the results would typically be. A river might flow backwards or simply vanish and an angered spirit of a grove might move all the landmarks around while the offender slept. Spirits were immortal unless one planned to destroy the entire land they were protecting, but luckily such things weren't likely to be needed. Though they tolerated no infringement, the nature spirits were typically either too shy or too benevolent to actually be dangerous, and could instead be reasoned with. Most of them would create a shape to communicate through resembling the other party, a forest for example taking on a humanoid form with leafy hair, twigs for fingers and eyes of sap.

Layers
Arborea's three layers each had unique landscapes, the first being the most well-known and the others being difficult to get to, with most travelers not bothering to.

Arvandor
The layer of Arvandor was sometimes referred to as Olympus. Its two realms&mdash;so vast and influential that their names became synonymous with the plane and the layer they occupied&mdash;coexisted with little conflict: Olympus, home of the Greek pantheon, and Arvandor, domain of the Seldarine. Even before the World Tree cosmology became popular, the influence of the Greek pantheon was primarily focused on other Prime Material Planes and had minor contact with the Forgotten Realms. Indeed, the two domains were separated by thousands of miles/kilometers of unclaimed wilderness and, due to the slight curvature of the landscape, were not visible to each other despite being located at the highest peaks of their respective lands.

Arvandor contained the great forests for which Arborea was known, towering assortments of monstrous maple, birch, oak, lindens, and other deciduous, broadleaf trees rivaling the redwoods of the Material Plane in height. There were also special serren trees, vessels for nature spirits with branches that, once fallen, could be used to create bows, arrows, and bolts imbued with a portion of the spirit with the ghost touch property. The height of the trees left the forest floor relatively bereft of brush, the rolling land beneath the canopies a great open space of velvet moss and ferns. Clear glades were as common as briar patches and tangles, but paths snaked through what undergrowth existed, and even without it one could climb and brachiate (swing from branch to branch) through the trees without touching the ground.

While not as wild as the Beastlands, Arborea still had its share of ancient groves, and would quickly grow untamed away from claimed territories. Towns were rarely needed either way, for the lush layer was almost paradoxically bountiful, far more so than most planes. Flowers bloomed and bore fruit simultaneously, and even in the wildest regions plentiful food could be found if one was clever. Generally even an urbanite could live off the land so long as they could pluck fruit from the bushes (which were almost invariably edible) and summon the will to climb trees. Where the forests broke away were open glades of wildflowers, naturally neat rows fruit trees, fields of swaying, wild wheat and barley, and untended orchards heavy with bounty. The naturally fertile climate gave Arborea its reputation for first-quality foodstuffs as the "breadbasket" of the planes.

The day and night cycle of mimicked that of the Material Plane, a crystal blue sky with a golden sun above the trees in the day and a white moon amongst a river of stars on the warm nights. Arvandor's unpredictable weather might manifest as sudden squalls beating the paths with heavy winds, leaving sunny arcs of warm light filtering down from above minutes after it passed. There was seemingly always the faint sound music in the distance, as often the playing of instruments as the tune of wind curling through the holes in the trees.

Arborea was also a layer of steep mountains cut by great passes, all massive enough to make those from the Prime Material Plane stare slack-jawed. What would be mountains there were hillocks in Arborea, the actual mountains larger than all but the floating earthbergs of Ysgard. The uplands were covered in snow that shined beautifully beneath the sky.

Aquallor
The second layer of Arborea was also known by many names; it was Ossa to the Olympians, Aquallor to the elves, the Endless River to the selkies and the Green or Abiding Sea to those of Araunthys. Regardless, the layer was an endless, emerald ocean, an entirely aquatic plane that few travelers could make their way through. It was disputed whether or not the plane had any land above surface, whether in the form of scattered islands or coastlines, but even stranger was the depths.

Unlike Lunia's Silver Sea or Thalasia in Elysium, the seas of Ossa were ironically shallow for a plane of otherwise great size, no more than deep over most of the realm. The shallow seabed was occasionally broken by cavernous trenches that opened up in random places, and the lower depths of the plane were pitch-black. By traveling through the underwater chasms, one could reach the undersea domains of various sea gods. The weather changes in Aquallor were as quick as those in Arvandor, taking the form of titanic storms that wracked the surface of the mighty sea, as well as great undersea currents that threw travelers miles off course.

Mithardir
Also known as Pelion, Mithardir was a fitting name for the third and deepest layer of Arborea, its name meaning white dust in the Elven language. It was a borderless plain of fine, chalky grit, a white desert where nothing grew. The particles in the air were as cold as ice and so easily mistaken for snow at first glance, though snow was also potentially present along with the sand. The desert was neither hot nor particularly cold either way, just temperate in most places, but it was extremely dry. So long as the air was still, not much of the choking grain would lift off the ground, but more often than not the incessant winds ended up grinding the bones of unprepared explorers to powder. Mithardir's dramatic weather manifested as lightning storms that regularly swept the desert, driving huge storms of dust ahead of them that could bury travelers alive.

Pelion was sometimes called 'the realm now known only for dust" and for good reason. Once upon a time, like Arborea above it, the layer was a great forest, home to beings alternately described as giants or titan-like gods. Whatever powers once dwelt there had long since died or departed to elsewhere in the multiverse, the remains of their disintegrated domain little more than a few scattered ruins of towers and tombs peeking out from the ever-shifting sand. Those of Olympus believed Pelion was once home to the entire Mulhorandi pantheon before their followers faded away, their realms withering with them. Seladrine stories said Mithardir was once under the complete control of the Animal Lords before they lost the most vital parts of their realms to the Beastlands and so eventually migrated there, leaving only badlands behind.

The time of the ancient powers of Pelion had long since past. Whole ages had gone by, with entire races having completely disappeared since they vanished, and even in those eras Pelion had been a land of legends and dust for untold centuries. Whoever they were, they were undoubtedly might beings with great powers of divination and access to True Words, words of power so potent that to utter them could destroy mountains, create life, and slay anything (though even the words predated them). Their realms, treasures, and ancient secrets laid hidden beneath Pelion's surface, the remnants of their once great cities consumed by the march of time, but perhaps still uncoverable by those with the foreknowledge and patience.

Cosmography
Dominating the Greek-controlled realms was Mount Olympus, a towering edifice larger than all Outer Planar mountains in size and significance (with the obvious exception of Mount Celestia) and that served as home to many of the Greek gods. Part of why the Greek pantheon was considered so important was that the Mount was a multiplanar conduit directly connecting Olympus to Hades, Gehenna, Tarterus, and Prime Material Plane worlds where those gods were worshiped, both in the past and present.

The River Oceanus (the upper planar counterpart of the River Styx) found its end in Arborea. After weaving its way through Elysium and directly carving through the surface of the Beastlands, it passed through Arborea before outflowing into Aquallor. However, that wasn't necessarily the end of the conduit; there were often rumors of vast, funnel-like maelstroms in the darkest depths of Aquallor that would send travelers back to Thalasia, where the river began, implying that the multiplanar river moved in an unending circle. There were also portals between Aquallor and the Elemental Plane of Water.

Near the lower, darker, regions of the Seladrine realm was a root of the World Tree Yggdrasil. The root and settlement around it, protected by the self-appointed guardians of Yggsdrasil known as the ratatosk, were both named Gnarl, and travelers to and from Alfheim were common there.

Natural portals between the bordering Beastlands and Ysgard were common in Arborea, as were shifting borders between planes that could cause a traveler to instantaneously cross between one and another. Silver-plated beeches and the centers of lightning-blasted oaks in the Beastlands always led to Arborea, and one entered Arborea through Ysgard using marked wells (although a fifth of the time the portals were marked incorrectly). The usual color pools existed for Astral travelers, in Arborea's case being bright, sapphire blue.

Inner Portals
In contrast to the many ways in and out of Arborea itself, portals between layers were rarer on the Olympian Glades than they were on other Outer Plane. Such portals took the form of spinning crimson disks, but divination magic was required to determine where they would deposit a traveler. The gods of Olympus located and identified all permanent portals within a few thousand leagues of their realms in all directions, and such places were guarded by them and petitioners and sometimes with stone walls and iron gates.

This tight control wasn't so much to stop travelers as it was to slow the curious and prevent dangerous and/or stupid creatures from wandering where they didn't belong. Neither the Olympian nor Elvish pantheons particularly cared about extraplanar viewing points in their realms, but particularly irritating ones (such as those that stayed in one place too long as if someone was planning to break in), were dispelled and the caster brought in and lectured.

Portals to Aquallor in other areas of Arborea often went to the watery domain of Deep Sashelas of the elven pantheon or the undersea realm of Poseidon. Undersea gateways were often guarded by elven petitioners while the gateways on islands were watched by Greek petitioners.

Inhabitants
Agathia, devas, planetars, solars, hollyphants, and foo creatures, formed the usual cohort of creatures ubiquitous to the Upper planes. But Arvandor was also the home of giant beasts and legendary monsters, such as giant bears, boars, eagles, lions, serpents, wolves, and wild cattle. Chimerae, cyclopses, giants, gorgons, harpies, medusae, sphinxes, and pegasi all made nests or lairs in the mountainous terrain, or lived and lurked in the wilderness of the first layer. Monsters and evil beasts took advantage of the lack of vigilance and roamed the wild places, providing a challenge to any who would go exploring.

Aquallor was also home to many sea elves and other aquatic creatures.

Realms
Arborea housed the elven and Greek pantheons, as well as the realms of the deities Lliira, Sune, and Tymora. Although the gods of the realm of Olympus and Toril occasionally interacted, the people of Toril rarely concerned themselves with the affairs of the Olympians and vice versa.

Nearly all the known realms of this plane existed on the first layer.
 * Aerdrie Faenya, Seldarine Goddess of Air and Weather, wandered among the layers of Arvandor and Gladsheim accompanied by dozens of huge birds, taking her realm with her.
 * Araleth Letheranil, Seldarine Prince of Stars, stayed in his House of Glowing Stars on Arvandor.
 * Corellon Larethian, chief deity of the Seldarine, once had a realm here.
 * Deep Sashelas, sea god of the Seldarine, inhabited the waters that bordered the other great elvish realms. Some sages put his realm named Elavandor in Aquallor.
 * Erevan Ilesere, Seldarine God of Mischief and Change, once made his home on this plane.
 * Finder Wyvernspur ascended to demigod status at the end of the Godswar and initially chose this plane for his realm, which he called Fermata.
 * Hanali Celanil, Seldarine Goddess of Romantic Love and Beauty, had a crystal palace here that surrounded an enchanted fountain which fed the magic pool Evergold (called Canathas by the Greeks).
 * Hephaestus, the craftsman among the Greek deities, inhabitated a volcanic area within the realm of Olympus.
 * Hlal, the draconic Jester, was know to lair somewhere on this plane, though the site was a secret.
 * Iallanis, giant goddess of love and beauty, had her realm of Florallium on the first layer.
 * Kirith Sotheril, the elven Magess, resided in the realm of Tethridar within the Arvandor
 * Labelas Enoreth, elvish God of Longevity and rival to Erevan, once had a realm here.
 * Lliira, Goddess of Joy, Carefree Feeling, Contentment, Release, Hospitality, Happiness, Dance, and Patron of Festivals, once shared the welcoming realm of Brightwater on in this plane with several other goddesses.
 * Melira Taralen, the elven Songstress, resided with her mother at the Evergold.
 * Mythrien Sarath, the elven Watcher over Mythals, stayed cloistered in his palace of Mythralan in the layer of Arvandor.
 * Nephthys of the Mulhorandi pantheon had a large palace carved from rock which blended in with the desert far away from the demesnes of the Greek and the elves. Some sages put her realm called Amun-thys in Pelion/Mithardir.
 * Poseidon, god of waters, maintained his marine realm, Caletto, in Aquallor.
 * Rillifane Rallathil the Leaflord, whose realm was also his body, once put down his roots on this plane.
 * The Seelie Court of the Faerie Queen Titania, including Oberon, Caoimhin, Damh, Eachthighern, Emmantiensien, Fionnghuala, Nathair Sgiathach, Sqeulaiche and Verenestra, often stayed in Arborea as part of its wanderings.
 * Sehanine Moonbow, the Daughter of the Night Skies, resided with Corellon in Arvandor.
 * Sharess, the Lustful Mistress, joined her fellow goddesses in the realm of Brightwater in Arvandor after the Time of Troubles.
 * Shevarash, the Black Archer, had no realm of his own, but often stayed within Arvandor.
 * Solonor Thelandira, God of Archery and Hunting, had a realm of thick forests and rapidly flowing streams named Pale Tree here.
 * Sune, human Goddess of Love, Beauty, Passion, and Charisma, once made her home, Brightwater, on this plane. She shares the waters of Evergold with Hanali Celanil.
 * Syranita, goddess of the aarakocra, had her realm named Whistledge in Olympus.
 * Tyche, the Netherese goddess of fortune and fate, had a small domain within the joint Greek realm of Olympus.
 * Tymora, human Goddess of Good Fortune, Luck, Victory, Skill, and Patron of Adventurers and Warriors, resided in the realm of Brightwater in Arvandor.