Demi-planes

Maelstrom

Source: DM

Location: Outer Planes

Borders: Outer Planes, Ultrablack

This is the plane that’s “between” the Outer Planes. It is very easy to get lost, even for gods. There is a plane-wide status effect of SEL=12 Lost in the Maelstrom. It is known that the far side of the Maelstrom connects to the Plane of the Ultrablack.

Encounters: See below. Credit to the YouTube “Bard of the supernatural” Matthew Santoro.

Number	City	Short Description
1	Agartha	The true location of this place is beneath the Earth's crust under modern-day Tibet. Researchers, who have followed the stories of its existence, now believe that this vast complex of tunnels and chambers should not be entered by human beings. The reason, Agartha, though once an underground city of incomparable beauty has now been corrupted and is haunted by evil demons who hunger for human souls.
2	Utgard	This city is an ominous place in Norse mythology. It's said that the city of Utgard is populated with giant humanoids, one of which dwells in a putrid, underground cave. Competing accounts of Utgard provides several different descriptions of the city. In one, it's said that the giant creatures living there are Ettins, more famously known across the world as trolls. The inhabitants of Utgard are sometimes depicted as so grotesque that even looking at one can cause deep and terrible fear. These creatures sometimes stray into our world and live in the darkness, waiting to snatch curious people who wander too close to their world.
3	Biringan City	This mythical city is said to be found in the Samar province of the Philippines and is also known as The Invisible City. The city is said to be populated by the Engkantos. These supernatural beings are able to shapeshift, often impersonating people in order to get close to their prey. Sailors and explorers have encountered this invisible city, and those who have made it out alive say that the shapeshifters there have built huge, technologically advanced buildings, which reach up to the sky. Most recently, a Japanese company found satellite images which showed large bright lights where the city is supposed to be. Thinking these bright lights were the result of gold and uranium deposits, they attempted to mine the area. A series of mysterious accidents then forced the miners to flee the region and to never return.
4	Scholomance	In some traditions, it's described as a huge building with fortified walls. In others, it's a city filled with sinister creatures. Whichever description is sighted, one element always remains. That Scholomance is overseen by the devil himself. Folklore accounts describe how Satan visits Scholomance, riding a dragon which is as fearsome as the knight. This often creates unusual weather patterns, some of which can be deadly. While some argue that Scholomance actually refers to the Spanish city of Salamanca, where stories of medieval sorcery can be found, others insist that those wishing to learn the dark arts can travel to Transylvania and find the entrance to Scholomance. It will reveal itself to those with twisted intentions and lead them deep underground to an audience with the "Lord of the Flies" himself.
5	The Lost City of Z	An ancient city, complete with elaborate statues, archways, and hieroglyphics. Fawcett was hellbent on finding this lost city, and so traveled to the Amazon forest on two different occasions to find it. During the second expedition in 1925, Fawcett and his son headed into the forest to find The Lost City of Z. They both vanished. No one knows what happened to them, and some suspect that they did indeed find this mythical place, but that it was already inhabited by something terrifying.
6	City of Caesars	This city is supposedly filled with treasures beyond compare. The myths surrounding the city claims that it only appears momentarily, and then vanishes without a trace. Those unlucky enough to enter it might get their hands on gold and diamonds, but they will also come face to face with its inhabitants, swirling apparitions and monstrous giants, all filled with the urge to destroy anyone who dares to enter the city in search of their fortune.
7	Hy-Brasil	Some believe that the island city is a refuge of a dark sorcerer whose powers wain every seven years, resulting in a momentary lifting of the treacherous fog which surrounds the island. There are maps going back to 1325, which contains sketches of the island and its location, but legends say that anyone who makes it through the fog to Hy-Brasil will forever be imprisoned there.
8	Youdu	This sprawling city is under the Earth in a place called the region of darkness. The Chinese Goddess Hotu is said to rule the city of Youdu, and there is an existing hierarchy of shambling demonic creatures who are used to carrying out punishments for those who have not lived their lives correctly. Some of these demons have the power to peer into the human soul and see whenever a person's lying. If they have told a falsehood, then their punishment is unimaginable. The streets of Youdu are littered with ghosts, waiting to be reborn in the land of the living.
9	Zerzura, The White City	Rumored to exist deep within the desert where the Nile River twists like a snake. Descriptions of this place go back to the 13th century where those who encountered the city described it as a city of shining white in the sweltering Egyptian sun. This legend, however, may be connected to other descriptions of a similar mythical city in the region, which goes back thousands of years. Those who search for The White City do so with great care, because the legend says that beneath it, the queen and king of the White City sleep. Not only that, but they and their surrounding treasures are guarded by huge ferocious giants, which will consume anyone they find within The White City's walls
10	The Nameless City	A strange city in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. The ruins are older than human civilization, and the creatures which inhabit it appear to crawl and slither along the ground, resulting in corridors and rooms too low for a human being to stand upright.

The Funny Farm

Alignment: any

Source: My parallel to Don Miller’s insane asylum in State College Collective

Location: Prime Material Plane

Borders: Plane of Nightmares, The Abyss, Maelstrom.

This is a place where those not in touch with reality or sane of mind go to live out the rest of their days. The inside resembles the old TV trope of a bedlam house/lunatic asylum. There are other areas that resemble a more dream-like appearance. The surfaces are made out of this material that can be best described as pastel colored stones with blue, purple, & red stained tiffany glass windows that can appear on the floors walls or ceiling. Looking into these windows show that they are not windows in the traditional sense but instead glimpses of what is temporally imprisoned inside like insects preserved in amber. It is rumored that whoever rules over these particular areas have the ability to reshape the walls, floors, and ceilings at will. If you do find a window and look out, you would see the planes this place borders. The dilapidated nature is reminiscent of the music video for the song “The Devil In I” by the band Slipknot. There is a plane-wide status effect of SEL=1 insanity and SEL=15 Frelled.

Encounters: Various committed NPCs who may have been PC’s once, run of the mill mental patients, Nightmare Spirits of the Land, various spiritual undead, Possible archetypes of figures from the band Slipknot, etc.

The Ozone

Alignment: any

Source: Lost in the Ozone song by Motorhead from the album Bastards 1993

Location: Outer Planes

Borders: Chemical Elemental Plane of Oxygen, Demi-plane of Barney'd Gods, Maelstrom.

This is a plane made famous by Lemmy of Motorhead when he got lost in it. The terrain is a vast hungry empty sea of a pale blue pungent smelling gas. It features winter storms that freeze you, and summer weather that burns you alive. Notable places in this plane are the Islands of the Damned. Here everything is mute. Sound doesn’t transmit. There is a plane-wide status effects of SEL=12 Lost in the Maelstrom, SEL=10 Broken, and SEL=2 Drowning. Priests are cut off from contact with their gods here. All beings in this plane always start in a group of [x1].

Encounters: Lemmy of Motorhead, lost, dying, and Broken.

Rian’s Dreamscape

Alignment: any

Source: RDM’s Dreams since birth.

Location: Astral Plane

Borders: The Far Place, Plane of Dreams, and Plane of Nightmares.

This is a demi-plane that encompasses all the dreams I have ever had and will ever have in my limited time alive. Most of the landscapes involve extra-dimensional spaces larger on the inside or containing extra rooms not normally belonging, abandoned buildings, major interstate highways, etc. Visitors to this plane gain flying. Plane-wide status effects of SEL=1 Forget and SEL=5 Lose Track Of serve as minor annoyances to those who travel here. I routinely forget or lose track of my vehicle when dreaming. Travelers who attempt to execute a plan generally encounter some form of resistance taking the form of distraction or a literal physical barrier.

Encounters: A “Lost” 2007 Silver Chrysler 300, Various family members, a dog named Hudson, a dog named Logan, etc.

Tel’aran’rhiod

Alignment: any

Source: Wheel of Time

Location: Astral Plane

Borders: The Far Place, Plane of Dreams, and Plane of Nightmares.

This is a parallel dimension that exists alongside the waking world. It is a realm shaped by the collective unconsciousness of all living beings and is accessed primarily through the ability known as Dreaming or the Talent of Tel'aran'rhiod.

Fluidity and Malleability: Tel'aran'rhiod is a realm where reality is fluid and mutable. Dreamers can manipulate the environment according to their will, shaping landscapes, buildings, and even altering the laws of physics. This fluidity allows for incredible feats of creativity and imagination.

Reflection of the Waking World: The Dreamworld often mirrors the waking world but can also incorporate symbolic or metaphorical representations of real-life locations and events. It's a realm where the subconscious mind can manifest in tangible form, offering insights into the thoughts, fears, and desires of both individuals and societies.

Shared Dreams: Dreamers can interact with each other in Tel'aran'rhiod, enabling communication and collaboration across vast distances. This allows characters to meet and interact in the Dreamworld even if they are physically separated in the waking world.

Timelessness: Time in Tel'aran'rhiod does not flow in the same way as in the waking world. Events can occur at different speeds, and dreamers may experience time dilation or compression depending on their perception.

Dangers and Dark Entities: While the Dreamworld offers great potential for exploration and discovery, it is also fraught with peril. Malevolent entities such as nightmares, darkspawn, and even Forsaken can threaten dreamers. Additionally, prolonged exposure to Tel'aran'rhiod can lead to a loss of identity or sanity if one becomes too disconnected from reality.

Astral Projection and Travel: Skilled Dreamers can use Tel'aran'rhiod for astral projection, allowing them to observe events in the waking world from a distance or travel to specific locations instantaneously. This ability is often used for reconnaissance or covert operations.

The Immaterium

Alignment: any C

Source: WH40K

Location: Maelstrom

Borders: The Far Place, Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane

The Immaterium, also referred to as the Empyrean, the Aether, the Sea of Souls, the Realm of Chaos, Warpspace or most commonly, "the Warp," is an alternate dimension of purely psychic energy that echoes and underlies the familiar four dimensions of the material universe. The Warp is the source of all psychic powers and known instances of so-called "sorcery" or "magic" as well as the home dimension of the powerful entities known as the Chaos Gods and their myriad legions of daemonic servants. In fact, the terms "Chaos" and the "Warp" are often used interchangeably by those aware of their existence within the Imperium of Man.

Superficially, the Immaterium is Mankind's solution to the problem of faster-than-light travel. The Warp functions as the medium for FTL interstellar travel, with voidcraft(spaceships) entering it using a Warp-Drive. They then use their own mundane reaction drive systems and the aid of a psychic Navigator to navigate between its flowing currents of psychic energy, as if they were moving through an ocean.

The psychic energy that makes up the Immaterium is believed to be the direct result of the existence of sentience in the universe, in particular the intelligent species of the Milky Way Galaxy. Considered to be a dark reflection of the material universe, the Warp is an ocean of chaotic psychic energy, raw emotion given physical form. The Immaterium is also rumored by many cultures, Human and xenos alike, to be the final resting place of the spirits of the dead, and therefore can be considered the "underworld" of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Encounters: Daemons, Undead Spirits, Intelligent Worldthought Networks, Psychic Elementals/Eelementals.

Demiplane of Consciousness

Alignment: any

Source: RDM

Location: Ethereal Plane

Borders: Plane of the Ultrawhite, Astral Plane, Plane of Dreams, The Immaterium

There’s only two things in this demiplane; Bubbles of conscious thought and the void between them. These bubbles are constantly winking and fading into existence as the beings whom each bubble belongs to fade into and out of consciousness from sleep and the like.
The reason this place is only a demiplane and not a full plane is due to the fact of it containing the conscious thoughts of all sentient beings in the multiverse which by all accounts is a arbitrarily large but still finite number.
Travelers to this realm normally need to be astrally projected or be able to not occupy physical space as there really isn’t any room between bubbles in the void.
Moving around here is done in a similar manner to the Astral Plane by pure thought. From this demiplane if you can actually manage movement between the bubbles, you have the potential to invade some random beings conscious thoughts. Talk about voices in your head! Beware though that there are beings who guard against such actions because it would set an awfully bad precedent otherwise. Be aware that doing this can have disastrous results for the invader because the being whose thoughts you invade is essentially the god of their own bubble and could think you into any number of equally awful fates. Another thing to really blow your mind is that if you can manage to find it you could invade your own conscious thoughts. Thats a real mindf*ck! Note: If this actually happens, the being who invades their own thoughts would experience a thought echo and would most likely go insane shortly thereafter.

Encounters: Ultrawhite beings, Nightmare Dimension beings, Psionic beings or beings consisting of pure thought, for example Thought Eelementals.

Imaginationland

Alignment: any

Source: South Park

Location: Astral Plane

Borders: Demiplane of Consciousness, Plane of Dreams, The Immaterium

This plane is where all the beings created by human imagination reside. You can find such beings as horror movie villians, characters from novels, characters from movies, etc. Beings native to this realm consider human outsiders to be “Creators”. This place is separated by “the Barrier”, which divides the good and evil halves of the demiplane. There is a central city run by a mayor who believes that just because something is imagined doesn’t mean it isn’t real. In its history, this demiplane was once the target of a coordinated attack by fundamentalist militant extremist terrorists in order to bring down “the Barrier” and cause chaos as both halves fought for supremacy.

Encounters: Woodland Critters, ManBearPig, movie villains/heroes, minor imagined creatures.

Riverworld

Alignment: any

Source: Philip José Farmer

Location: Alternate Material Plane

Borders: PC Retirement Bubble, Elemental Plane of Positive Energy

On the Riverworld, every human who ever lived and died – from the earliest Neanderthals up to 1983 – is resurrected on the banks of a seemingly endless river on an unknown planet. Along the river's almost 18 million twisting and turning miles, some 36.6 billion humans are miraculously provided with food, but with no clue as to the possible meaning or purpose of this strange afterlife. Riverworld has been engineered to consist solely of a single long river-valley which snakes across its entire surface. The river's source is a small North Polar sea, from which it follows a course tightly zig-zagging across one hemisphere before flowing into another, along an equally labyrinthine path, to the same sea. The river has an average depth of 1.5 miles (2.4 km), and its width ranges from 6.8 miles (10.9 km) to 24.8 miles (39.9 km). It is shallow near the shore but plunges to enormous depths towards the channel. The banks are generally smooth and gentle, expanding into wide plains on either side, then assuming jagged hills before an impenetrable mountain range. The valley averages 9 miles (14 km) in width, but includes narrows and occasional widenings into lakes with islands. There are no seasons, and daily variations are metronomic. The only animal life consists of fish and soil worms. The vegetation is lush and of great variety, including trees, flowering vines, several kinds of fast-growing bamboo, and a resilient mat of grass which covers the plains. The Riverworld has no visible moon, but a great number of stellar objects in the sky, including gas sheets and stars close enough to show a visible disk.

The resurrected awaken with nearly-indestructible containers tied to their wrists, commonly called "grails", which produce food, drink, pieces of cloth, and luxury items, such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana (and lighters for same), hair care utensils, makeup, and a hallucinogenic chewing gum known as "dreamgum". To operate, grails must be placed onto large, mushroom-shaped "grailstones", found at intervals along the riverbanks, which produce an electrical discharge three times per day (corresponding to the times of breakfast, lunch and dinner). In the Riverworld universe sapience is the result of an artificially created soul, known as a wathan, created by a generator developed and distributed among various worlds by an unknown ancient alien race. Wathan generators create wathans which attach themselves to sufficiently advanced chordates. Wathans are indestructible but become detached from the body upon physical death and wander the universe without purpose.

Unobservable Universe/The Outside (Enders Game)/The Skein (Warhammer 40k)/Outside the Pattern (Wheel of Time)/5^th Dimension

Alignment: any

Source: RDM

Location: Between Multiverses/Ultraplanes

Borders: Plane of the Ultrawhite, Plane of the Ultrablack, The Ultraplanes

This is RDM’s idea that all these places between literary universes are describing the same place. This is a place that doesn’t have physical space to occupy. The Outside was an area that did not share the same space as the universe. It was accessible by both Jane and the Formic Hive Queens due to their expansive mental capacity; the former used it for instantaneous transportation, while the latter pulled Aiúas from there. It was possible to create anything from the nothingness once Outside if one held the image of it strongly enough in their mind. The Skein of Fate, also referred to simply as the Skein, is a concept within Eldar mythology and spirituality. It represents the intricate web of fate and destiny that connects all living things in the universe. According to Eldar beliefs, every action and decision contributes to the weaving of this cosmic tapestry, influencing the destiny of individuals and entire civilizations. "Outside the Pattern" refers to what lies beyond this carefully woven reality. It is a mysterious and undefined realm that exists apart from the Pattern. In the lore, characters occasionally reference the idea that some entities or forces exist outside the influence of the Wheel, beyond the constraints of time and destiny. These entities are often described as beings or powers that are not bound by the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time. In the context of physics and theoretical physics, the fifth dimension is often discussed in theories like string theory or M-theory. These theories propose more than the usual three spatial dimensions (length, width, and height) and one time dimension. The additional spatial dimensions are compactified, meaning they are theorized to be curled up or hidden at scales much smaller than we can currently observe.

The Ways

Alignment: any

Source: Wheel of Time

Location: Between Outer Planes

Borders: Plane of the Ultrablack, Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane

The Ways is a mysterious and eerie dimension in Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series, "The Wheel of Time." It is an ancient network of interconnecting pathways created by the long-extinct civilization known as the Aes Sedai. These pathways, which resemble dark tunnels or corridors, exist outside the normal flow of time and space. Entering the Ways is a perilous endeavor, as it is inhabited by malevolent creatures called Machin Shin or the Black Wind, which devours the souls of unwary travelers. The atmosphere within the Ways is somber and oppressive, with an unsettling sense of decay and desolation pervading its surroundings. The paths within the Ways are lined with towering stone columns and archways, shrouded in perpetual darkness. The architecture is both grand and ancient, reflecting the advanced craftsmanship of its creators. However, the once magnificent structures now stand in ruin, overrun by the encroaching darkness. Navigating the Ways requires great skill and caution, as the pathways are labyrinthine and prone to shifting without warning. Travelers must rely on experienced guides or magical aids such as the One Power to safely traverse this treacherous realm. Despite its dangers, the Ways serve as a crucial means of transportation for characters in "The Wheel of Time" series, allowing them to travel vast distances in a fraction of the time it would take in the physical world. However, the risks of encountering the Black Wind and other perils make it a last resort for most travelers, reserved only for the most desperate of circumstances.