< >(I apologise for a little duplication - see
AD&D: the Outer Planes for another article on the same theme.)
In the
AD&D Planescape setting, the main area of
adventure. The locations are based on cultural references,
religion,
alignment, and a
theme for each plane.
Mechanus: Formerly known as
Nirvana, the theme here is
Technology, and the cultural emphasis is weak, although there are some
Chinese and
Babylonian elements. The alignment of this plane is
Lawful Neutral.
Arcadia: Lying between Mechanus and Mt Celestia, Arcadia is themed on
authority, and has a large
Egyptian element.
Mount Celestia: The main
Lawful Good plane, this area has a fairly strong
Jewish/
Christian flavour, although the imagery is necessarily adapted to the
polytheistic nature of the setting. The theme here is personal discipline. Also called the
Seven Heavens.
Bytopia: Formerly the
Twin Paradises, Bytopia lies between
Mt Celestia and
Elysium, and has no strong culutral flavour, but is based mainly on
hard work.
Elysium: This plane has some
Babylonian and
Sumerian features, but is fairly heterogenous in content. It is
Neutral Good, and has
meditation as its theme.
The
Beastlands: Formerly the
Happy Hunting Grounds, the Beastlands are
wild and
natural (although influenced by mortal perceptions), and so have no cultural flavour. They lie between Elysium and Arborea.
Arborea: Otherwise
Olympus or
Arvandor, this plane is strongly
Chaotic Good, with
elvish and
Greek cultural material, and a theme of
emotion.
Ysgard: Also
Gladsheim, Ysgard is mainly
Norse in flavour, and has
adventure for a theme. It lies between Arborea and Limbo.
Limbo: More like the
Limbo of Vanity in
Milton's
Paradise Lost than the upper circle of
Hell in
Dante's
Divine Comedy. Limbo is a realm of pure
chaos, both in
form and theme, and has no consistent cultural flavour.
Pandemonium: Named for the
demon city in Paradise Lost (the name means
all demons), this plane is between Limbo and the Abyss, and represents
madness. There is a weak
Norse theme here.
The
Abyss: This is the main
Chaotic Evil plane, and is themed, if that's the word, on
abominations and
obscenities. There is no real cultural stress here - just lots of
awful things.
Carceri: Otherwise named
Tarterus, Carceri lies between the Abyss and the Grey Waste, and is the plane of
imprisonment. There is quite a lot of
Greek material here, as well as a number of
TSR-created deities.
The
Grey Waste: Otherwise known as
Hades or
Annwn, this is the main
Neutral Evil plane, and has themes of
death,
apathy, and
decay. There are
Greek,
Celtic and
Norse regions in this
cosmopolitan underworld.
Gehenna: The name is
Hebrew, meaning
Valley of Fire, but the plane has no major cultural overtones. It lies between Baator and the Grey Waste, and has a theme of
force of will.
Baator: Formerly the
Nine Hells, Baator is the plane of
Lawful Evil and
intrigue, and is influenced mainly by Dante's
inferno, although the geography is somewhat altered. Fiends named
baatezu, or
devils, live here.
Acheron: The plane of
war lies between Baator and Mechanus, and is dominated by
orcs and
goblins. There is a certain
Japanese flavour here, but it is not strong.
The
Outlands: This
True Neutral plane lies in the centre of all the others, and is linked to them by the
gate-towns. There is much Celtic matter here, as this is the location of
Tir na nOg.
Sigil, the River
Styx,
Yggdrasil and
Mount Olympus are all also features of the Outer Planes.