Post by BadInfluence on Jun 25, 2015 2:59:13 GMT 9.5
Olympus, also called Arborea on the planes, and later known better by its elvish name Arvandor, was the Outer Plane in the Great Wheel cosmology model embodying the disorganized but well-intentioned motives of the chaotic good alignment. Although the gods of Olympus and Toril occasionally interacted, the people of Toril rarely concerned themselves with the affairs of the Olympians and vice versa. Memories of Olympus eventually faded and by the time the World Tree cosmology was introduced Arvandor was the accepted name for this plane. Some characteristics and deities originally belonging to Olympus/Arvandor were ascribed to the World Tree plane of Brightwater. Arvandor survived the Spellplague and became part of the World Axis cosmology.
Olympus/Arvandor:
Two realms, so vast and influential that their names became synonymous with the plane and the layer they occupied, coexisted with little conflict: Olympus, home of the Greek pantheon, and Arvandor, domain of the Seldarine. Even before the World Tree cosmology became popular, the influence of the Greek pantheon was primarily focused on other Prime Material Planes and had minor contact with the Forgotten Realms. Indeed, the two domains were separated by thousands of miles/kilometers of unclaimed wilderness and, due to the slight curvature of the landscape, were not visible to each other despite being located at the highest peaks of their respective lands.
Dominating the Greek-controlled realms was Mount Olympus, a towering edifice that served as home to many of the Greek gods as well as a multiplanar conduit connecting Olympus directly to Hades, Gehenna, Tarterus, and Alternate Prime Material Planes without passing through the Astral Plane. The usual color pools existed for Astral travelers and the permanent portals to neighboring Outer planes Happy Hunting Grounds/Beastlands, Gladsheim, and Concordant Opposition took the form of large, spinning crimson disks. Divination was required to determine the destination of each portal and all pools and portals within thousands of miles/kilometers of the Greek or elvish demesnes were either guarded, surrounded by stone walls and iron gates, or both.
This layer was starkly mountainous with deep chasms, huge passes, and foothills the size of Prime plane mountains. Giant trees adorned the rugged terrain while the flatter parts were covered with untended vineyards, orchards and fields of wild wheat, eventually giving way to wilderness. Monsters and evil beasts took advantage of the lack of vigilance and roamed the wild places, providing a challenge to any who would go exploring.
Ossa/Aquallor
Ossa to the Greeks and Aquallor to the elves, this layer was mostly filled with shallow seas no more than three feet (one meter) deep. The river Oceanus had its outlet here, delivering travelers from Elysium or the Happy Hunting Grounds/Beastlands safely in the middle of nowhere. The shallow seabed was occasionally broken by cavernous trenches leading to undersea domains of various sea gods or huge maelstroms that funneled water back to Thalasia in Elysium, thus completing the cycle. The barriers between layers of this plane were somewhat rare compared to other Outer planes. Being the middle layer, Ossa/Aquallor had barriers that led to the watery realms of Poseidon and Deep Sashelas in Olympus/Arvandor, as well as a few that lead to the third layer, Pelion/Mithardir.
Pelion/Mithardir
Mithardir means white dust in the elven tongue, and the mysterious third layer was a land of blowing white sand, with snow in the colder regions. Both the Greeks and the elves had stories and legends about powerful beings who once lived here, creating artifacts and architecture that became all but buried in the dust after they presumably died or departed. Their fate, and that of any creatures left behind, remains unknown.
Inhabitants:
Devas,, hollyphants, planetars, solars, foo creatures, and agathia formed the usual cohort of creatures ubiquitous to the Upper planes. But Olympus/Arvandor was also the home of giant beasts and legendary monsters, such as giant bears, eagles, wolves, serpents, boars, lions, and wild cattle. Gorgons, cyclopes, giants, medusae, chimerae, harpies, sphinxes, and pegasi all made nests or lairs in the mountainous terrain or lived and lurked in the wilderness of the first layer.
Nearly all the known realms of this plane existed on the first layer.
Aerdrie Faenya, Seldarine Goddess of Air and Weather, had no permanent realm here but wandered among the layers of Arvandor and Gladsheim accompanied by dozens of huge birds.
Corellon Larethian, chief deity of the Seldarine, once had a realm here.
Deep Sashelas, sea god of the Seldarine, inhabited the waters that bordered the other great elvish realms. Some sages put his realm in Aquallor.
Erevan Ilesere, Seldarine God of Mischief and Change, once made his home on this plane.
Finder Wyvernspur ascended to demigod status at the end of the Godswar and initially chose this plane for his realm, which he called Fermata.
Hanali Celanil, Seldarine Goddess of Romantic Love and Beauty, had a crystal palace here that surrounded an enchanted fountain which fed the magic pool Evergold (called Canathas by the Greeks).
Labelas Enoreth, elvish God of Longevity and rival to Erevan, once had a realm here.
Lliira, Goddess of Joy, Carefree Feeling, Contentment, Release, Hospitality, Happiness, Dance, and Patron of Festivals, once had a welcoming realm in this plane.
Nephthys of the Mulhorandi pantheon had a large palace carved from rock which blended in with the desert far away from the demesnes of the Greek and the elves. Some sages put her realm called Amun-thys in Pelion/Mithardir.
Rillifane Rallathil the Leaflord, whose realm was also his body, once put down his roots on this plane.
Solonor Thelandira, God of Archery and Hunting, had a realm of thick forests and rapidly flowing streams here.
Sune, human Goddess of Love, Beauty, Passion, and Charisma, once made her home on this plane. She shares the waters of Evergold with Hanali Celanil.
Tymora, human Goddess of Good Fortune, Luck, Victory, Skill, and Patron of Adventurers and Warriors, once had a realm in Arvandor.
Arvandor as the realm of the Elven Court of Corellon Larethian, the mythical Seldarine.
Arvandor is a place of great open spaces beneath the trees. Within these canopied clearings lie the settlements of the Chosen of Arvandor, engaged in an idealized elven life. In the day there are hunts and challenges, in the evenings feasts and tales told around the fire.
The cycle of day and night matches the Material Plane, with a golden sun beaming above the treetops in the day and a white moon nestled among a milky river of stars at night. The nights are warm in Arvandor. Even beneath the trees, great fireflies form their own elastic constellations among the huge oaks and lindens.
The masters of Arvandor rule it with an artistic hand. The Seldarine's halls can be natural, huge cathedrals grown from the living trees. They can also be wondrous palaces made of crystal and white marble with golden towers, as befits the deity of such a noble race. Corellon Larethian's tower is the latter type. Festooned with colorful banners, it dominates the surrounding countryside. But only elves and Corellon's allies are permitted through its doors to share in the song and feast.
The ancient trees of Arvandor have never known a woodscutter's axe. Cathedrallike groves of towering green are com- mon, and the canopy sometimes splits into an upper layer of sun-loving trees and a lower canopy of shade-loving plants, vines, and scrub trees. Giant squirrels, bats, aarakocra, and a few elf tribes are said to live their entire lives without touching the ground, which those elves consider unclean or unlucky.
Just as the canopy is sometimes divided into more than one layer, the undergrowth in many areas is completely impenetrable. The undergrowth combined with the rotting trunks oT fallen trees make some sections almost impassible, and the ground level can be impossi- ble to find among the foliage. Even the elves take detours around the thickest undergrowth, for it's often home to creatures that thrive in the darkness - spiders, ettercap, shadows, and worse.
The darkness lingering among Arvandor's under- growth is balanced by the beams of sunlight in its meadows. Wherever the giants of the ancieni woods come crashing down, they open meadows thai flower all year round. Bluish snowblossoms peek above the snows of winter in Arvandor. making their promise that spring is coming. Rippling brooks are common in these meadows, and the largest clearings are often the sites of gates. A place called the Ingmar Brook is the best-known gate to Alfheim, in Ysgard.
Arvandor is the home realm of Ordana, Arvandor is the home realm of Mealiden Starwatcher, Arvandor is the home realm of Phyton, Arvandor is the home realm of Sarula Iliene, Arvandor is the home realm of Alobal Lorfiril, Arvandor is the home realm of Mythrien Sarath, Arvandor is the home realm of Solonor Thelandira, Arvandor is the home realm of Ilsundal, Arvandor is the home realm of Labelas Enoreth, Arvandor is the home realm of Aerdrie Faenya, Arvandor is the home realm of Sehanine Moonbow, Arvandor is the home realm of Halani Celanil, Arvandor is the home realm of Eiryndul, Arvandor is the home realm of Erevan Ilesere, Arvandor is the home realm of Wenta, Arvandor is the home realm of Corellon Larethian, Arvandor is the home realm of Phaulkon
Geographical Features in Arvandor-
Geography Type:
Sparkling Sea Sea
Capital City in Arvandor:
Grandfather Oak
Other Sites in Arvandor:
Lolth's Grove Garden
Pale Tree
Roaring Gate Portal
Spire of Thorns