Astral Plane

The Astral Sea, formerly known also as Astral Plane, was the home of the gods in the World Axis cosmology model of the planes of existence for the Forgotten Realms.

The Astral Sea was described as being "above" the Prime Material Plane and its two reflections, the Feywild and the Shadowfell. The Spellplague destroyed the World Tree and set the dominions of the gods adrift to wander about in the silvery void. Access to the Astral Sea was accomplished through passages found in the world or using the proper ritual. Once in the Sea, travel was initiated by thought and was very similar to flying.

In addition to the astral dominions, the Astral Sea could be used by powerful beings to create demiplanes by focusing on an idea and applying a strong will. Each demiplane had its own traits and physical laws as dictated by the one who created it, and was always smaller than an astral dominion. If abandoned, it will break apart and fade from existence just like an astral dominion.

The Astral Sea is unique in that it is infinitesimal instead of infinite; there is no space or time here, though both catch up with you when you leave. A common feature of the Astral Sea is the silver cords of travelers using an astral projection spell. These cords are the lifelines that keep travelers of the plane from becoming lost, stretching all the way back to the traveler's point of origin.