In this lesson, we will explore certain planes in greater depth, or at least as much depth as the Cosmology allows for.
To begin with, we will concentrate on the plane of air. As one might expect, the plane of air has no ground, or solid earth, on which to stand. Being on the plane is akin to flying through endless sky. Sometimes the clouds on the plane of air are solid enough to allow one to stand upon them. Storms are very common upon this plane, and often sparkle from one cloud to another in brilliant shows of electricity. Lightning and air are closely tied together, and are often used interchangeably. For instance, some air elementals may refer to themselves as lightning elementals. The opposite plane of air is stone.
The second plane we will look at is chaos, which is almost certainly the most often talked about of all the elemental planes. The plane of chaos is randomness incarnate. Nothing is ever the same, and all the normal rules by which we lives our lives do not apply. On Tyrra, what goes up will come down. On chaos, it might or it might not. It may even do something else entirely. The pattern of the plane of chaos is completely unpredictable, and there is no way to know what will happen from moment to moment. Randomness, anarchy, and freedom are all concepts imbued within the plane of chaos. We Tyrrans have a tendency to think of chaos as evil and order as good, but this is too simple a dichotomy. In reality, chaos can be evil or good, or both, or neither. Chaos's opposite is, of course, order.
Darkness is the third plane we will explore. As one would expect, there is no light on the plane of darkness, and all darkness elementals are dark in tone. The plane of darkness does have a form, but it obviously cannot be seen. Some Tyrrans have managed to explore the plane of darkness through using spells that mimic sight in place of actual eyesight. The majority of the plane of darkness, it is reported, is made up of subterranean chambers and caves. Darkness is closely associated with concealment, deception, and stealth. Darkness and shadow are often used as interchangeable concepts in the way that air and lightning are. The opposite element for darkness is light.
The fourth element we will discuss, and probably the most feared by Tyrrans, is death. The plane of death cannot sustain any life, for obvious reasons. Even setting foot upon the plane without significant protections will result in instantaneous and unstoppable death. The realm of death itself is filled with a grey, sooty type of soil that is very unlike soil on Tyrra, and cannot sustain any growth. Like chaos, death is often thought of as evil, but it is not inherently evil or good. In fact, without death as the flip side, life would be miserable and brutish, and not at all enjoyable. Death is often associated with destruction, but the two are not strictly connected in the way that darkness and shadow are. While death is a large part of destruction, there are other pieces of destruction as well. The opposite element of death is life.
That brings us to the end of today's lesson, and we will discuss more planes in our next few lessons.