The Outer Sphere

Outer Sphere

Beyond the void of the Astral, the planes of the Outer Sphere stand arranged upon the inner surface of a massive sphere, suspended like islands of stability within the eternally shifting borders of the Maelstrom.

Axis: The plane of unyielding law, the perfect city of Axis is home to the mathematics-obsessed axiomites, the underground kingdoms and floating hives of formians, and numerous gods of law. As the enemy of the Maelstrom, the plane regularly unleashes massive armies of inevitables into the writhing entropy, seeking to impose their order upon its shifting chaos. Once the home of Aroden, the dead god’s domain now mars the plane’s symmetry as a ruined, sequestered battleground of dozens of competing factions. It is strongly law-aligned.

Hell: The god-fiend Asmodeus rules the infernal plane of Hell with absolute authority, promising law without mercy and a salvation of servitude to the cosmos. Like bishops in an unholy church, eight unique archdevils oversee Hell’s first eight layers, ruling its resident devils in their master’s name, promoting his will and waging eternal war against the forces of chaos and good. It is mildly law- and evil-aligned.

Heaven: The realm of the archons and the pinnacle of enlightened order, the shining mountain of Heaven seeks to tame the forces of disorder and evil. A paradise unto itself, this plane is home to celestials and gods who seek to pacify the Maelstrom and tame the Abyss and Hell, forever crusading into their depths even though the task seems impossible. It is mildly law- and good-aligned.

The Maelstrom: With its fluid borderlands touching upon every plane of the Outer Sphere, the churning expanse of the Maelstrom eternally laps at its neighbors like the tide of an endless sea, threatening to inundate and consume them, just as it birthed them from its raw potential. Ever changing and never static, the Maelstrom is home to the serpentine proteans, who epitomize its dualistic creative and destructive spark, birthing wonders within its cerulean heart but also raging against what they see as the crippled reality of the other planes. The Maelstrom is strongly chaos-aligned and has the wild magic planar trait.

Elysium: Populated by the freewheeling, hidden courts of the native azata celestials, Elysium’s wilderness holds both paradise and risk. Marked by roaring seas, mountains where reclusive titans dwell, and fields and forests traversed by wandering lillend clans, the plane represents goodness without law, and the boundless creative spark. It is mildly chaos- and good-aligned.

Abaddon: As the nadir and heart of universal evil, Abaddon is the forsaken home of the soul-devouring daemons. Crisscrossed by the memory-erasing River Styx, and divided among the four archdaemon Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Abaddon’s ashen skies reflect the debased, abject misery of its universally shunned and loathed inhabitants. It is strongly evil-aligned.

Nirvana: A paradise of unsullied benevolence, the plane of Nirvana grants a return to innocence to its chosen souls, and the power to protect that state for those spirits willing to sacrifice that gift. Home to a powerful, poignant mystery and many other hidden, resonating secrets, Nirvana also harbors the agathions and angels. These celestial martyrs pledge themselves to a higher purpose, sacrificing their own chance to taste a return to innocence in order to defend and uphold their plane’s principals of universal good, whatever the cost to themselves. It is strongly good-aligned.

The Boneyard: The Boneyard rests atop a massive spire rising up from the plane of Axis, serving as the final destination for the great River of Souls. Although it contains a variety of regions, mortals largely recognize the plane for the presence of the domain of Pharasma, the Lady of Graves, goddess of birth and death. Within her courts, deific and planar representatives gather their pledged souls, surrounded by the vast Graveyard of Souls and the looming moon of the demigod Groetus. It is mildly neutral-aligned

Other Planes: Other minor planes (often called demiplanes) and anomalous realities of uncertain category exist within and outside of the common model of Golarion’s cosmology. Such planes have few to no restrictions of their nature.