Part 7: Aether ☰
The rules of I&A, though designed to be setting-agnostic (i.e. not set in any particular world/setting), do assume that the world the game takes place in has a plane for each element, as well one that Sentient life occupies (e.g. a "normal" or "physical" plane). When creating a world using this ruleset, consider whether you want to have a cosmology similar to this or if you want to create something entirely new. Either method is just as acceptable, and you may use or borrow as many of the details presented here as you wish for your creation(s). The world of Aethra will be used as an example throughout this chapter.
Aside from the planes themselves, it is very important to note how much of the cosmology the population of your world knows about, and when and how they learned it; as an example, most educated persons on Aethra know of all of the planes presented below except for the Unknown Plane, but they do not know many details, such as exactly how large they are or what their occupants are like (though most everyone knows the Scorched are hate-filled beings who will slaughter a Sentient as soon as they see them). Those who pursue higher education know some more than the general populous, of course, but there are very few, if any, of those for whom any of the planes hold no secrets; no one knows what lies at the edges of the Plane of Air, for instance, or how the Unliving create new souls, or why the Fae play the games that they do. Additionally, very few know of the existence of the Unknown Plane (though some have theorized about its existence), and any who speak about it or have had an encounter with something from it will usually either go insane or be written off as such.
These rules describe 8 different planes: The Central Plane, the Unknown Plane, and the Elemental Planes.
The Central Plane. The home of all Sentients and Sentient civilizations, the Central Plane can be thought of as the “natural” world. Generally, anything that doesn’t belong to or originate from here is referred to as “extranatural”.
The Plane of Dark. The Dark Plane is, as the name would imply, quite dark in nature, as well as quite cold. So dark and cold, in fact, that it eats at any light inside it: while on this plane, light sources, even arcane ones, are only half as strong, and fires are twice as difficult to create and only last half as long. It is filled with howling winds, perpetually falling snow and sleet, and chunks of permafrost that could easily be mistaken for whole landmasses. It is on this plane that the Hollow roam, creating the darkness that makes its way throughout the universe, while the Frozen stalk the lands hunting whatever they can find: Hollow, each other, and especially outsiders. Due to the forces of Decay, non-Sentient organic tissue will age and whither away at twice the natural rate; similarly, because of Twilight, sourceless light pervades this plane, pocketing it and gently illuminating it in various places.
The Plane of Light. Bright, pure white light pervades this plane, where Radiant live, creating, protecting, and self-righteously "serving" the light that pervades the universe. Because of its nature, light sources on this plane – including arcane ones – are twice as strong, though they are rarely needed. Additionally, in the more fiery places of this plane - such as the Magma Seas and the Burning Lands - hate-filled Scorched rove, looking for victims to rip and tear asunder. Because of the power of Twilight, shadows are present across the Light Plane, pocketing it and darkening it in various places; secondly, Lightning is present on this plane as well, striking it and streaking across it at occasional intervals.
The Plane of Magic. This is where the mischievous Fae play and dance with each other, and dream up new ways of screwing with Sentients and interfering in their lives, for better or worse. Like the Fae themselves, the land here is covered in strange vegetation and paradoxical structures that have both been permanently warped by the Fae's mysticism. Should a Fae encounter a Sentient, they are unlikely to kill them; after all, how can you meddle with something that is dead? Instead, they are much more likely to capture and enslave it for their entertainment, until they grow bored of it, which may be anywhere from a few days to the end of the Sentient’s natural life. In addition to the mystical Fae are the Vi, animalistic yet highly intelligent creatures that can bend the power of Force to their strange wills. Though the Fae and Vi share an element, they are neither friends nor enemies, as their motives and modes of thinking are too different to make them allies, but their esoteric ways make them similar, in a sense. Due to the force of Prophecy, various powerful Fae are able to predict the future with some degree of accuracy, while visiting Sentients may have prophetic dreams or predict something that is just about to occur. Conversely, due to the Lightning pseudo-element, streaks and sparks of lightning are not uncommon occurrences on the Magic Plane.
The Plane of Soul. Divided between the Living Oceans and the Dead Lands, this is the pocket of the universe where the souls of Sentients are both created and destroyed. In the tossing and turning waters of the Living Oceans, the Unliving churn out new souls, with the Didon implanting them at the time of a Sentient's birth or Awakening, and a Reaper escorting it back when a Sentient dies, leaving it in a place of its choosing in the Dead Lands - that is, unless the soul is tied to a specific object or place for one reason another. In the Dead Lands, Specters roam freely as they wait for what they call their “Second Death”, a process by which their souls are destroyed and their existence ceases entirely. This Second Death occurs whenever the soul sustains too much damage to sustain itself, typically at the hands of one of the many hostile Undead that populate this plane and feast on souls for both sustenance and enjoyment. Alternatively, due to the power of Decay, a soul will whither away over time and become unable to sustain itself after about 100 years, though consuming other Undead will delay this process. In many ways, being dead is much like being alive, and many souls view it as a second life in and of itself. Also because of Decay, all living beings age twice as quickly in the Dead Lands, while they don't age at all (or may even grow younger) while in the Living Oceans. Since Death is adjacent to Frost, the Dead Lands are rather cold and it is not uncommon for it to lightly snow.
The Plane of Space. The home of the Ascended and the Buried. Even more so than the others, this plane is divided into two: the floating, elevated lands of the Ascended (sometimes called the Sub-Plane of Air) and the rocky, mountainous grounds and tunnels of the Buried, referred to on occasion as the Sub-Plane of Earth. Because Air is adjacent to Past, the Memory pseudo-element allows those on this plane to recall their past with perfect clarity; alternatively, due to Earth's adjacency to Life, pools of water ranging from less than a meter to several hundred in width do pocket the Sub-Plane of Earth.
The Plane of Time. Split between the Futori, who weave the strands of infinite possible futures into their varying courses, and the Praeteri, who maintain those strands and preserve them for the annals of eternity. A rather unique place, the Plane of Time exists outside of time itself, making it difficult for outsiders to discern just how long they have really been there. It is not unusual for travelers of the Time Plane to navigate its strange landscapes for what feels to be years, only to return to their home plane to find not a minute has passed; other times, they may be there for only a brief visit, perhaps a day at most, but return home to find a year or more has passed. Due to the force of Memory, those on the Plane of Time can recall their own past with perfect accuracy, and due to the power of Prophecy, prophetic dreams and minor acts of precognition are common.
Beyond the furthest reaches of any and all of the planes, there exists something… else. Something alien, eldritch, and unknown, a sort of cosmic soup, older than the elements themselves, from which Creation emerged. No one and nothing knows what lies beyond this realm, or where it comes from; on Aethra, the only being to ever traverse it was Ex Machina, and it has yet to return from that cosmic abyss. Occasionally, very rarely, something… Other, something utterly and entirely alien, will emerge from the Unknown Plane, with unknowable objectives in mind. These beings do not operate by the same rules as Iron & Aether, and do not think the same way Sentients, Elementals, or any other known beings do. Their goals, methods, and motives are inherently foreign and unknown, and as such it is impossible to truly trust anything that comes from this unknowable dimension.