The universe, not unlike our universe, was formed when a nebula exploded, scattering rubble out into the spinning void. Eventually, the continuous rotation caused the debris to contract. Unlike our world, though, this did not result in a nice tidy little universe with a sun and the revolving chunks of rocks as are found in our planets. Instead--aided by the magic inherent in the Renegades cosmos--it became a whorl. The separate strands within this whorl evolved becoming the planes, as like gravitated toward like, met like, married like and created more of the same.
Needless to say, this evolution of the planes took aeons. As the strands separated and changes occurred, differences developed between the inhabitants of the various planes, and immortal toes were stepped on. Deals struck and rules were imposed. The most important of theses concerned man , a relative latecomer on the scene.
The first human was created when a now-defunct god became bored and moulded his own image and likeness out of clay. As something added to the universe and concocted by a god, humankind was not considered an indigenous species. And man--like the gods' other creations the animals and the trees--was mortal.
In sculpting man's form, the god gave humanity a bit of himself. He, like others before him, was so enamoured of his artistry that the god decided to give humanity an earthly existence, and he breathed life into the clay. In so doing, he imbued it with an immortal soul. It is the reclamation of this spirit over which the immortal and the divines constantly vie.
From this struggle came the first and second accords and all subsequent agreements, contracts and covenants.
The truth is the human mind cannot truly comprehend what they call planes, and `planes' -- implying something flat -- is a poor choice of words, but the best that mortal language has to offer at this time.
Humankind tend to view the universe laterally, rather than spatially as we would conceive of it. Thus, what we would call `parallel universes' are considered part and parcel of a single universe. We think in three-dimensions; therefore, our universe includes the heavens above. However, the citizen of Renegades World tends to reason sideways (probably one of the reasons why there is so little progress) which means that the sky above as seen in the Earth plane is only the mortal sky. The sky in the adjacent plane is different, although some of the constellations, which in truth are aerial gates, may be similar.
Because of this sidewise thinking, primitive man used to view the universe as flat. This hypothesis has largely been discredited as folly. More modern theories have replaced it to allow for at least some vertical movement. The more popular include: The concept of the Eternal Ice Cream Cone and The Onion Theory. The former likens the nine-planes to an ice cream cone with the most compressed and most dense portion, earth pushed to the bottom, and the more expansive and broader planes piled on top of it. This concept has largely been dismissed since most scientists agree that ice cream is a bad medium for binding a universe together. Of the two, the Onion Theory is the more recent and widely accepted by the scientific community as being true. It was formulated by Sir Ph'ig Nu'ton, noted physicist, after he was hit in the head by a flying pumpkin at a football match. This caused a pretty nasty concussion--and a random inspired thought--whereupon he decided that the universe resembled an onion (Sir Isaac wasn't very good at botany) which could be peeled layer by layer to reveal the next layer, or plane.
In keeping with the Renegades World's preoccupation with food, probably the most accurate description of the universe would be: a spaghetti bowl with its many noodles that twist and twine about each other. With the exception of the earth plane and the outer plane, the many planes overlap and intersect here and there. Thus, each plane has "gates" to every other plane where the two planes touch. So Water has direct "gates" to Air, Fire, Night and Hades, and even to the far outer plane. Again "gates" would not be best choice of words since the elementals and immortals can travel anywhere and anywhen they please (unless bound by some interplanar accord which prohibits access). Windows would be a better term, but gate is the word that is used by the citizens, and so it used here.
In almost all these things, earth and the outer planes are the exceptions. Earth, at the core, acts as the anchor which keeps the other planes rooted. While, the outer plane contains them. Only on earth is the phrase "gate" truly appropriate, but here, the inhabitants talk in terms of portals or doors. The innermost plane is stolid and unmoving while the other planes tend to slither about a bit. The outer plane, slightly more flexible than earth, expands and contracts as needed to accommodate the fluctuating universe -- containing it in a single, if not a tidy, package.
While we here have the ozone layer to protect us from the continual bombardment of space, they have the outer ninth plane, which many believe is a single great being, that the inhabitants of Renegades world refer to as `the one that binds them all'. Even human religions--with their multiple gods, goddess and godlings-- take this into account, each honouring an unnamed overlord which controls the others. The behaviour of the immortals--be it god, elemental, angel or imp--seems to confirm this assumption, since they avoid the ninth plane and treat it with a reverence that exceeds that expected by the gods. Not even Satan has the impertinence to thumb his nose(s) at the ninth plane.
The innermost plane as the most dense belongs to the earth elementals who became so enamoured of the earth that eventually they became a part and parcel of that which they ruled.
True earth elementals are difficult to come by now--partly because their tendency to blend into their environment--although they may found in the other planes. They are stolid by nature, some might say passive, and not prone to rush into things. Earth reflects this.
The earth plane is similar to our world, with all the standards mountains and deserts, meadows and woods, rivers and streams, even oceans. The earth plane is the only environmentally friendly plane--habitable by all the elements and immortals. Few immortal, however, choose to visit the place, considering it overall a boring place.
With a memory as long and as old as the earth itself, earthly elementals are the only elementals to have a concept of time, and earth as the most weighty accumulated time by some sort of gravitation pull--co-incidentally creating a suitable dwelling place for man.
Time is probably the biggest factor differentiating the earth plane from the other planes. For all short-lived species, there must inevitably be birth (a beginning), life (a middle) and death (an end or conclusion). Each a natural outgrowth of the previous.
In the other planes, past, present and future do not form a straight line, with each event contingent upon what transpired before it, resulting in what we think of as cause and effect. Rather past, present and future exist simultaneously and could be likened to separate threads or skeins which float about in space, detached and dissociated from each other. All times become one, happening concurrently.
Elementals, the most likely of all the immortals to visit the mortal plane, carry a bit of this timelessness wherever they go. Their appearance of the mortal plane can be disorienting for a human since their physical presence distorts the mortal time-frame continuum of past, present and future.
Air
The second plane belongs to Air. It acts as a buffer between the Earth and Water planes. Back when the accords were struck, air elementals became the protectors of humankind. So air was set up to guard puny mortals against waters' deluge. The rite which resulted in the birth of Zelia is an outgrowth of this agreement.
Many might mistakenly believe that air's realm resembles the vast void of space. This is not completely correct. Land, made of earth elementals who have migrated from the first, forms the base for the second. It could better be likened to a measureless mortal plain--along with a few limited mountains, gulleys and trees for what fun would it be to blow without wood to rattle, gulley to howl through and grasses to tease. Assuming that he could withstand the rigours of immortal timelessness, the airy plane is probably the only plane upon which man could survive. In the third, he would drown while fire's searing embraces would turn man into a cinder in a second.
Water
The next plane is water's realm. It too acts as a buffer between the air plane and the following plane that belongs to fire; for these two elements are prone to disputes--air loving to whip fire into a frenzy while fire leaps into air, invading their space. It likewise protects man since its liquid environment anathema to fire.
It is much as you would expect it to be, an immense ocean with occasional rocky outcroppings, those earth elementals who have made the third plane their home. It is peopled with all the denizens that inhabit the watery depths of the mortal sea: barnacles, fish, sea horses octopus and squid, sea monsters, and then some (silkies, mermen and mermaids, nymphs, sylphs). Air elementals appears as bubbles in the surf. Homes are made of fantastical corals.
Fire
The fourth and final of the elemental planes belongs to Fire. It is called the Brimstone realm by mortal man. Here are found dragons, salamanders, burning bushes, and other creatures of flame. Earth and water are represented in steaming geysers and rivers of molten lava. Some attempt has been made to import wood, a commodity dearly loved by fire, without success; for any mage will tell you that if you want to assuage elemental fire throw 'em a stick.
The Brimstone realm is so bright that, assuming a man wasn't roasted upon arrival, he would probably be blinded within minutes. Still the fiery plane is often is grouped with the realms of night and death. Some say it is the precursor or practice ground for Hades--which combines the worst attributes of night and fire.
Night, or Darklands
The fifth is the Plane of Night. It is a place of fell magic. It is the chasm yawning unseen. It is the unknown. To here gravitate all the darkness in the human soul and all the creatures found in the mortal imagination. Where wampyr and werebeasts in all forms, from the werewolf to deceptively innocuous werehare, reside. Here lies breeds the monster in the closet. It is home to the incubi and the succubi that feed upon man.
This is plane of lost souls and, according to the Wizards, the place where witches go after death.
Hades
The sixth plane is the Hades plane. Roughly equivalent to our hell, it is the dominion of devils and demons, and the place where sinners--heretics and such like--are condemned to reside after death. As mentioned previously, it combines the worst attributes of Fire and Darkness--borrowing a little from each.
Satan's court, indeed the entire plane, is regimented with each being attaining a specific status within the hierarchy, from the lowly imp to the more highly evolved demon or devil. They are further subdivided by families and degrees. They evolve or devolve (more often the latter and usually quite rapidly) at His Heinous Majesty's whimsy and will. Or by accruing enough points, through evil acts and accumulation of human soles, for promotion, or more accurately transformation.
All of the dark lord's minions can shift shape at will--and often do when they are about their duties on the earth plane, creating evil and swaying human souls--once it has returned to Hades, it is wiser to seek permission first before attempting a metamorphosis.
The Dream Fields
The seventh plane is Day's domain, the nearest equivalent to our heaven. This is where the good come to live out eternity. It bright, fluffy place of clouds and harps and monotonous blue sky. It is home to the cherubim and seribim, daemons and angels. It is believed that the celestial choirs sing the praises of the One every day.
They are equal in magic and capabilities to the demons, but unlike their counterpart they see no reason to interfere with man because "that's what the gods are for." (Spending ours reciting hymns and very little with man hasn't done much for their grammar.)
The Plane of Gods
All the gods, godlings, goddesses and their minions--past and present and ghostly future--live on a the eighth plane. Therefore, it is very crowded place and quite logically appears cluttered as ramshackle road side shrine for some long forgotten god clings to the side of another gods temple.
Contrary to the angels belief, the gods rarely become involved with man. They do their respective duties. Sala, the serpent goddess, dances her great dance to usher through the seasons and the turns. The bear god Ullr roars to provide man with reassuring thunder, elsewhere the war god Og batters about him with his great hammer--usually to clear his property--to produce a similar effect.
The Outer Unnamed Plane
In the final plane dwells a being so different, so incomprehensible to mortal mind that they have no name for it. While the citizen of the all other varied planes refuse to name it. Perhaps reluctant to call its attention to themselves. It treated with reverence and respect by mortal and immortal alike. The ninth plane--sometimes referred to as the Netherworld--is inhabited by pure ethereal beings, or being. As always on earth, there is some learned debate as to whether or not there are more than one of these creatures, although people lean to the single creature theory. Ice Creamists contend that the final plane is in fact one rather large (kind of cold and sticky) being. Onionists belief it is more firm. Which implies singularity.
However, one ancient authority--now largely fallen into disrepute, once suggested that the outer plane was the abode to amorphous shapeless creatures, which mesh, mend and meld constantly, or--more likely--creatures that consisted of pure energy like wizard's fire.
All agree that this plane, sometimes called the nether world, is the final ring that binds and holds all the others planes together and that it(they) is(are) thing(s) of spirit, without physical bodies as we know them.
Earth Air THE ELEMENTAL PLANES Water Fire, or Brimstone THE PLANES OF DEATH Night, or Darklands Hades The Dream Fields THE IMMORTAL PLANES The Home of Gods Outer Plane (unnamed)
The planes intersects with mortal lands at
sacred portals. Such places are usually marked by giant circles of stones,
similar
to Stonehenge. It is believed that those constellations, common to all
planes, are celestial doorways, just as the stone circles are portals upon
the land masses.
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