Smoke

The Para-Elemental Plane of Smoke

*Sukhamat the Cinder-Marked, your narrator*

The Great Conflagration; the Big Smoke; the Para-Elemental Plane of Ash (by Clueless, erroneous)

Halt! Before we proceed: Take a deep breath. Feel the clean, refreshing air stream through your lungs without the scouring pain of suffocation. You don’t consider the air in the city of Sigil clean enough? Well, I don’t suppose you do. But if you were to spend an hour on the plane I hail from, you wouldn’t display such fastidiousness. The Great Conflagration truly makes a berk appreciate every breath.

The Plane of Fire is for sure one of the most beautiful places in the Multiverse, and the Plane of Air is renowned for its vastness and hospitality. But the Para-Elemental Plane of Smoke inherits no positives from either of its parent elements. In their eternal clash, the flames have burned out everything that makes Air life-giving, and in return the cold gales snuffed them out, reducing crackling Fire to black soot. In a way, Smoke is the opposite of the Para-Plane of Ooze—I guess there may be some truth to the screed of those Parallelists after all. Ooze is far too hospitable to life, and of the most unpleasant varieties, while the Smoke lacks everything life needs. Of course, hardy elemental creatures are able to persevere even in such noxious places, but even these are few and far between. Truly, for all its strategic importance, the Great Conflagration is a miserable place with equally miserable natives. Yet still, the glorious armies of the Efreeti Empire march into the endless sea of grit and grime to vanquish those who dare stand in their way. My name is Sukhamat the Cinder-Marked (planar smoke genasi bard [he/him] / LE), Major Trumpeteer of the Unquenchable, and it is my pleasure to introduce you to the choking nightmare that is the Plane of Smoke.

Voilá remarks: While Sukhamat is generally reliable as a source, it should be noted that his position in efreeti society basically amounts to a chief propagandist. Take everything he says about societies of the Smoke with more than a few grains of elemental salt.

Physical Conditions

SUBSTANCE AND BREATHING: As it follows, the plane of Smoke entirely consists of hot air, oversaturated with fine particles of soot and grime. Well, “air” would be quite an overstatement. Every conceivable manner of toxic fumes and gases replaces breathable air in the Great Conflagration. Of course, it is possible for a mundane traveller to wrangle some unpleasant breaths out—but they won’t be in much of a shape to fight or run afterwards, not to mention all those illnesses that will befall their lungs after such a trip. Indeed, it’s best to implore magical or alchemical protection to minimise the risk of choking if you must visit. And don’t forget to shield your belongings as well, unless you want all your rations to taste like smoked ham. Constructs and their operators should be warned that thick enough smoke can also prove harmful to the gears and wires of clockwork machinery, but only after prolonged exposure.

Aside from gases, an infinite number of fine particles of partially burned matter constantly billow around on the hot winds of the plane. Most of such particles are fine grains of elemental smoke. However, in places these grains stick together for one reason or another (typically around impurities like particles of dust). These aggregates grow and form large clumps that over time turn into floating islands of soot. Thus, unlike the planes of Air or Lightning, Smoke is positively littered with inclusions of solid elemental matter. Some fields of condensed cinders can stretch for miles, and greatly obstruct travel. This poses a great difficulty for our flying armies, as this plane turns out to be far more difficult to traverse that one might anticipate.

Lastly, something must be said about the nature of the elemental smoke. While its composition varies in different places, it is generally similar to the smoke that results from the burning of wood and other organic materials. This s is surprising, since, as far as we know, the smoke of the Plane of Smoke doesn’t come from burning anything in particular, but arises when pure elemental fire cools down and mixes with elemental air. This evokes great interest in alchemists, who obsess about the nature of elemental fire and what forms can it take. For a planewalker, however, these musings have only one important conclusion—in some areas the particles of smoke aren’t fully inert and can rekindle into flames when a source of open fire is applied.

TEMPERATURE: The second danger of the Great Conflagration is its heat. Of course, the Plane of Smoke is many times cooler than the glorious Plane of Fire. In most places the temperature of Smoke isn’t even enough to boil water. However, any creature without heat resistance can still be cooked alive—smoked, even!—in a matter of hours. Even creatures who can survive in desert heat wouldn’t last long here. Of course, bloods with actual resistance to fire can survive on the Plane of Smoke without an issue. However, even they must beware of occasional hot cinders drifting in from the Plane of Fire. These are dangerously hot, and can easily cause major burns or ignite localised wildfires. Obviously, the temperature of the environment is highly dependent on the region. Nearer the planes of Fire and Radiance, the smoke is blisteringly hot, and motes of fire whirl about everywhere. Meanwhile, closer to the border with the Plane of Ash, the smoke becomes cold and heavy.

VISION: Even if a berk’s eyes are sufficiently protected, the thick smoke completely obscures their vision beyond 30 feet. Only special spells or innate powers can bypass this obstruction. And even in this case your vision rarely extends further than 120 feet. Natives of the plane can apparently see through any depth or thickness of smoke just fine, but for everyone else the Great Conflagration can be as obscuring as a blindfold. Infravision is confounded by the background heat of the plane obscuring all but the hottest of creatures—efreet can be seen easily, but most other creatures fade into the background using infravision.

Ironically enough, much like the Plane of Air, the Plane of Smoke has its own natural illumination. It is barely noticeable through all the soot, but if one was to build an enclosed space that is isolated from the smoke, but still lets air through, such space would be illuminated with soft light. This light is very dim, however, and completely disappears closer to the Negative Energy Plane.

MOVEMENT: Like the Plane of Air, Smoke has little solid ground, and no inherent gravity. A traveller merely has to decide which way is down, and they will start to fall that way. This is all very well until you realise the poor visibility and fast falling speed means a cutter gets little warning before they crash into solid objects. Try and find ways to fall more slowly, and work on honing your reaction speed if you want to travel safely. But collision is not the only hazard here…

HAZARDS: The Great Conflagration sits between two volatile elements, and sometimes the energy from either disturbs the already unstable para-element. When the Fire enters the plane, whether as a pocket or a simple blip, it forms a hotspot, where the temperature can be as high as in the Crematorium itself. Sometimes it makes the surroundings ignite, birthing orbs of exploding flames. The more dangerous kind of a hotspot, however, is the one that has burned out and is indistinguishable from the surrounding smoke—until you step inside its scorching radius.

Intrusions from the Plane of Air are yet more devastating. The Smoke is always moving, being churned up by natural convection. However, sometimes powerful hurricanes from the Air cross into the Plane of Smoke. Like enormous bellows they stoke the cinders of the plane and whip up hot cinders into a whirling torrent of flames. Like hotspots, firestorms are far hotter than their surroundings, but these are also hazardous for the smoke paraelementals—as indeed any kind of wind would be. At the same time, another species of elementals known as the living firestorm thrives in these conditions.

Advice for Planewalkers

Bring a means of safely breathing smoke, and seeing through it, first and foremost. Use darkvision, long poles or rely on maps and magic to avoid sudden spikes of heat or explosions of fire. Don’t move too fast, so you can avoid crashing into cinders. Pay proper respects to Ehkahk, keep an eye out for pickpocketing smoke mephits, and if you see anything strange looming in the smog—turn around and slowly move away. No one who chooses to live in the Smoke is expecting guests.

LANGUAGE: The local language of the plane of Smoke is called Eshn, and is a creole of Auran and Ignan. While the syntax and accent is strange, it is a language that is largely understandable to speakers of both its parent tongues. It is primarily used by smoke para-elementals, smoke drakes, and smoke mephits. Eshn is marked by a raspy and crackling quality. The dense atmosphere of the plane necessitates brevity and clarity to save breath, and this has fostered a tongue that values efficiency in speech, while retaining a lyrical quality.

The Laws

Mephits and elementals serving Ehkakh demand full knowledge of anything you do in the plane. They’ll tell you this is so they can report back to him but the truth be told, they most likely aren’t bothering. Natives of the Great Conflagration tend to be private and paranoid cutters, and generally go out of their way to make things as uncomfortable as they can for visitors.

MAGIC: Air and Fire magic is slightly empowered, although any air conjured without a spell key is polluted, and conjured fire emits clouds of smog. Earth and water magic are diminished, and summoned water is oily and dirty. [In game terms, neither 5e not PF2e systems have hard-coded effects of magic from travel to Inner Planes. Suggested rules for AD&D 2e are below]

AD&D 2e Magic Rules

Alterations to elemental magic is are as follows:

Diminished (<) Earth, Water — these spells as if cast by a caster of one level lower than the caster’s actual level, and spells higher than 4th level cannot be cast at all.
Enhanced (+) Air, Fire — these spells are cast as if the caster was one level higher, and the target of the spell suffers a –1 penalty to any saving throw.

Mapping Infinity — Smoke and its Environs

Aurora (border region with Lightning)
- This is the humid, volatile border between Smoke and Lightning, where charged clouds meet hot cinders to produce vibrant storms that illuminate the smog with crackling electrical discharges and colourful displays of flickering light.
- Inner Planes [2e] p87
Core Smoke (region)
- The central expanse of the plane, Core Smoke is an endless sea of thick fumes punctuated by geysers of superheated air, rivers of fine white smoke, black storm clouds, and the occasional floating elemental bubble. These might be earth motes, water droplets, or eternal bonfires, but they are usually all soot-streaked. The secretive natives of Core Smoke value freedom and obscurity above all.
- Inner Planes [2e] p89
Deep Smoke (region) ‡
- Deep Smoke is a hypothetical, monotonous region of featureless, uniform clouds deep within the plane—devoid of cinders, pockets, or variation. It’s existence is disputed, and may be a deliberate deception by the plane’s secretive high-ups to mislead explorers about the true nature of Smoke’s shrouded depths.
Embers (border region with Ash)
- A grainy, ash-choked borderland where Smoke meets Ash. The result is an endless desert of hot ash flakes and sticky grime where Smoke forms the sky and Ash forms the land, creating a monotonous expanse of cinder-strewn dunes that transitions from burning fumes to cold, clinging soot. This place has gravity, so a berk can walk in the ashen dunes—just be careful how easy it is to fall into its quicksand-like texture.
- Inner Planes [2e] p86
Eternal Haze (border region with Air)
- The cold, poisonous border between Smoke and Air, where the atmosphere grows strangely frigid and toxic. It is inhabited by dust devils and choked with vapours which can be even more noxious than the core of Smoke itself.
- Inner Planes [2e] p86
Gray Way (border region with Vacuum)
- The chilling border between Smoke and Vacuum, where the fumes grow cooler and evermore tenuous, while accumulating toxic gases that induce gray mind—a madness-inducing affliction.
- Inner Planes [2e] p86
Scalding Skies (border region with Fire)
- A superheated region between Smoke and Fire, where the air is hellishly hot but without visible flames, creating a blinding expanse of superheated smog that obscures vision and broils unprotected flesh.
- Inner Planes [2e] p86
Sea of Stars (border region with Radiance)
- The luminous border between Smoke and Radiance, where the choking fumes billow with all colours imaginable, and are illuminated by supercharged plasma motes that drift like fireflies, creating a surreal, even beautiful haze of radiant smoke.
- Inner Planes [2e] p86

A Bestiary of Smoke

Coming soon…

Locations in the Smog

Abandoned Githyanki Fortresses (sites in Core Smoke)
- If you come across a ruined flying castle hidden amongst the concealing clouds of Core Smoke, there’s a good chance it is a former githyanki fortress that has fallen victim to the brutal Genie Wars against our hated foes the djinn. Whether the fortress was crushed by an efreet army, overwhelmed by asphyxiating magical fumes, or abandoned after the only cutters who could fly the thing were assassinated by spies, more than one of these crumbling structures is known to exist somewhere out there in the smog. Some are haunted by the spirits of their betrayed gith occupants, while others have been repurposed as bases by efreet, or occupied by smoke mephits. The question nobody seems to know the answer to however is quite why there were so many githyanki outposts in the plane of Smoke to begin with.
Belching Maw (site in Cinderwood, Core Smoke) ‡
- This meeting place of the Smog Order sits on the outskirts of Cinderwood. It consists of sphere made up from lumps of coal, tied together with colossal chains that glow red from heat. Inside there are multiple chambers, separated by metal walls, smaller chains and cogs. Multiple tubes and pipes stick out of the Maw, sucking in the smoke into the furnaces, that somehow use it for fuel.
Carandúnë (kharadrow burg in Sea of Stars) ‡
- The Carandúnë—which translates as red sunset, and is so-named because of the reddish tint that the smoke takes on in the surrounding area—is a hidden burg in the Sea of Stars. It is inhabited by strange winged elves with skin that has been stained soot-black. All of our scouts that were sent to the place were driven away or slaughtered, so reliable information is scarce, but from the rumours I’ve gathered, it seems that they may bee a renegade clan of drow who hide from their former patron Lolth in the Smoke. Apparently, they aren’t as evil and cruel as their brethren, but are extremely secretive and paranoid, and treat any intruder as a potential spy of the Spider-Queen.
- [In game terms, kharadrow elves gain the ability to breathe smoke. However, they lose their bonus with the longbow; missile weapons are not commonly practiced within the walls of Carandúnë. They also initially suffer a –1 reaction penalty from all elves that they meet that don’t know their true nature and may mistake them for the offspring of Lolth
- Inner Planes [2e] p89 (brief mention); Elemental Netbook [2e] p68, modified
Choking Palace (realm of Ehkahk, in Core Smoke)
- This the floating seat of Ehkahk, the Smoldering Duke and self-proclaimed archomental. Constructed of gray-black iron and more resembling a massive chimney-stack than a traditional fortress, the palace drifts through the plane’s most toxic vapours. Its chambers are filled with great braziers that burn semi-magical but fully toxic fumes. These enchanted smokes serve a primarily defensive purpose, but also allow the archomental to surveil his lackeys. To those who sincerely serve Ehkahk, the fumes are transparent, while to all others they remain completely opaque. The Duke is able to spy upon anyone who is surrounded by the smoke. The central keep houses a great library containing lore of all kinds, for Ehkahk jealously hoards all kinds of knowledge. He constantly seeks new books and chant for his over-worked scribes to annotate, and spends most of his time (when not allegedly dozing off) writing his own voluminous journal-like works. The palace’s inhabitants—primarily smoke mephits, smoke para-elementals, and a handful of djinn and exiled efreet—continually partake of inhalants, incense, and smoked substances, with Ehkahk maintaining perhaps the greatest collection of pipeweeds and smoking implements in the multiverse. Chant goes he is currently experimenting with hallucinogenic gas which makes its imbibers more likely to blurt out secrets, and of course his scribes are always ready to write any juicy morsels down. Planewalkers seeking his favour should note that like most mephits, Ehkahk is subject to flattery, and particularly fond of gifts like eversmoking bottles and braziers of sleep smoke.
- Inner Planes [2e] p90; Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p32; Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p28; The Plane Below—Secrets of the Elemental Chaos [4e] p72; Manual of the Planes [5e] p172
Cinderwood (region of Core Smoke)
- A deceptively-named region of Core Smoke that is not a forest at all, but rather an endless archipelago of floating cinder-islands. These islands range from as small as a pebble to as large as a mountain, and number in the thousands. They form a fragmented, scattered landscape where the thick smoke means inhabitants can rarely see beyond their own cinder, although they can frequently hear the sounds of neighbours on nearby concealed islands. Locals include belkers, smoke paraelementals, and mephits, all of whom have adapted to the tricky business of carving dwellings into the brittle cinder material. The Cinderwood is one of the more populous regions of the plane, though its fragmented nature encourages isolation and suspicion among neighbours. Like many natives of Smoke, locals of Cinderwood are secretive and self-reliant. The constant risk of collisions between islands—which pulverise smaller structures—adds a sense of impermanence and danger to life here.
- Inner Planes [2e] p90
Court of Hearths (site in Core Smoke) ‡
- This place is not a realm so much as common meeting ground of the powers and spirits of hearth and home. It is a giant palace of bricks and terracotta, build by Safa, the Ossetian power of hearths, smithing and oathkeeping. Seeking to quell the conflicts between pantheons, the blood invited other powers of hearth and household to make peace and share celebration. The woodsmoke that curls around the Court of Hearths isn’t poisoned and smells like freshly baked bread, while the insides of the palace are magically kept smoke-free altogether. In the centre of the realm, a large fireplace burns eternally, and above it hangs an enormous chain as thick as a human is tall. This chain was forged by Safa and holds the magic of a covenant between all deities of the court, who have vowed to always honour Xenia, the Laws of Hospitality, and remain symbolically connected like the links in the chain. The Court is rarely attended by powers themselves, who are all kept busy with their own household responsibilities, but household spirits like lares and domovoy are always present and more than happy to receive guests, provided they don’t overstay their welcome. The central fireplace is guarded by an order of Hestia-worshipping female monks, who are both expert warriors and masters of various arts and crafts.
- Powers who are part of the Covenant of the Hearth are: Bes (of the Egyptian pantheon), Hestia (Greek), Jowangsin (Korean), Kōjin (Japanese), Lamaria (Georgian), Pukkeengak (Inuit), Safa (Ossetian), Tabiti (Scythian), Vitore (Albanian), Zao Jun (Chinese), Zilipuri (One Thousand Gods).
Cradle of the Sleeping One (site in Deep Smoke) ‡
- Fortress of Smoky Quartz (hinn burg)
- No place is more hated by the entire efreet nation than this burg. Deep in the Plane of Smoke lies a giant body of a creature so vast that none have seen its whole body. It is not dead, but neither it is truly alive, but forever sleeping. Its slow breathing reverberates through its body like rhythmic earthquakes. This is the Sleeping One, one of many members of a species so ancient, that neither the powers nor the aboleths can remember the time they walked the planes freely. However, this is not the most horrific part of the tale. The hinn, thsee hated genies of smoke and impure fire have built the Fortress of Smoky Quartz, and is said to be the last outpost of their race. When the glorious efreet armies defeated the wretched empire all those years ago (and attempted to wipe out their entire race – Ed.), the hinn fled to the Deep Smoke to plot against us once more. They denounced the rule of gods, kings and nobles, yet built a tyranny worse than even dao can imagine. Now, their shape-changing spies control the entire plane of Smoke and beyond (Despite what our narrator seems to believe, the true scope of hinn’s power is, shall we say, questionable – Editor). Be careful, traveller, if you see something—say something!
Exhalation (burg in Scalding Skies) ‡
- A heavily fortified efreet outpost floating near the Smoke–Fire border, Exhalation functions as a military headquarters and staging ground for our war against the djinn. The burg is ruled by the ambitious efreeta commander Blaize—a once-exiled fire-genie who seeks to conquer Smoke and deliver the entire plane to our efreeti overlords. It is structured as eight concentric rings radiating outward from an eternally burning central fortress, through military command rings and barracks, to the outermost quarters where non-efreet visitors and slaves are kept under strict surveillance. The town’s character is overtly hostile to air-breathers. Our militia can rapidly mobilise large numbers of troops rapidly, making it the most significant efreet presence in the plane, and Exhalation serves as the launch point for many a raiding campaign against strongholds of the hated djinn.
- Elemental Netbook [2e] p63-64
Gnomegate (portal between Core Smoke and Bytopia)
- Little more than a cluster of gnomish workshops on the Smoke side, this place has coalesced around one end of a permanent portal that leads to the industrious land of Bytopia; the layer of Shurrock to be precise. The local gnomes seem unusually unfriendly to efreet, and have refused to allow our glorious army access to the portal, although they permit small groups of planewalkers and traders access, for the price of a favour. It is a matter of time and priorities but make no mistake this portal could be tactically advantageous and should be conquered and claimed for the Efreeti Empire.
- Inner Planes [2e] p87
Hidden City (burg in Eternal Haze)
- A legendary floating settlement hidden somewhere deep within the plane, constructed by cutters who sought privacy, and sanctuary from oppression. Chant goes the Hidden City was build atop a miraculous natural spring—possibly a pocket of, or portal to Elemental Water—which provides residents with the rarest of resources in Smoke: fresh water. Its soot-caked walls and lofty towers resemble the floating cities of the Plane of Air, though everything within is tainted by smoke damage despite the enchantments to keep out the plane’s most noxious vapours. The city is ruled by a pair of twins from a black palace which floats above the burg’s centre, from a dynasty many generations in the making. The burg is protected by powerful misdirection magic which allows planewalkers to find the place easily, but hides the city from the minions of Ehkahk—which is just as well, because the Smoldering Duke is scouring the plane determined to locate and crush it.
- Inner Planes [2e] p90-91
Reinsong’s Ashen Fortress (site in Embers)
- A vast, bizarre structure forged from solidified ash and condensed smoke compressed into a looming, soot-black citadel that drifts through the Smoke like a billowing storm cloud given architectural form. Its master, the tormented cloud giant Reinsong, has amassed an army of grell who’ve been commanded to kill anyone who approaches the fortress.
- Inner Planes [2e] p91; Manual of the Planes [5e] p173
Second Chances (burg in Core Smoke)
- A hidden burg of miraculous salvation that is shrouded by the Smoke. Its rocky landscape is shielded by a miles-wide protective aura that keeps out the toxic fumes and choking vapours, while allowing planewalkers to pass freely. Chant goes this place was once a grand celestial city on the shore of Lunia’s Silver Sea, but it fell after granting refuge to unrepentant criminals who eventually revolted, razed the town and sent it tumbling towards the Lower Planes in a planar conjunction. Were it not for the celestial Hakrava selflessly sacrificing herself to redirect the burg to the plane of Smoke instead, the place would be resting in the Abyss now. The burg is still populated by archons, ardlings and nephilim who claim to be survivors of the original catastrophe, and pray daily with gratitude for being given a second chance at life. At the centre of the town lies Hakrava’s still-smouldering corpse, which is thought to be the source of the protective aura.
- Manual of the Planes [5e] p169
Shikaigo (realm of Surijayto, in Core Smoke) ‡
- A massive, floating industrial factory-burg dedicated to the power Surijayto—a deity of industry and invention who worships production for its own sake, indifferent to the end use or profit from his creations. The realm resembles a sprawl of metallic pipes and foul-smelling exhaust spouts that pour out more smoke than necessary, both to fuel the forges and shield the burg from outsiders.
- Elemental Netbook [2e] p65-66
Slaan (burg in the Sea of Stars)
- Slaan is a teeming, glass-shelled burg floating in the Sea of Stars region of Smoke. It is spiraling cerith-shell city apparently carved by the ancient Illithid Empire thousands of years ago but abandoned, then rediscovered and claimed by iruxi (better known to planewalkers as lizardfolk) who now dominate its five chaotic levels. The city’s outer walls are thick glass, stained by millennia of soot exposure. This black shell creates an alien silhouette against the colourful radiant haze of the Sea of Stars. Inside, Slaan is a vertical maze of buildings, water-pipes, and tunnels, organised helter-skelter around the central Spiral Road and divided into the deliberately-flooded depths favoured by wetlander lizardfolk, a boggy marsh level, a level of warren-like tunnels, an arid desert level favoured by sandstriders, and the Mouth—a bustling commercial quarter where outsiders meet and trade. The city’s true origins remain dark: the illithids apparently intended it as a mobile fortress for their assault on the Plane of Mineral, but the psionic engines of the fortress burned out during a desperate escape from wrathful tsnng defenders, leaving the city stranded in Smoke. Millennia later lizard men—possibly following a makari prophetic omen—found it empty, made it their own, and named it Slaan. Now the burg thrives as one of the busiest trade hubs in Para-Elemental Planes, and serves as a rare piece of neutral ground in Smoke where the prohibition of genies from entering the burg keeps the warring efreet and djinn at bay. Portals connect Slaan to a half-dozen major planar cities, and a dozen reptilian races (from khaasta mercenary-police, rare civilised xulgath, to kobold spellhorns) coexist in a boisterous equilibrium.
- Inner Planes [2e] p13
Smoke Ring (portal between Smoke and the realm of Moradin on Mount Celestia)
- This portals appears to be used by the dwarven forges of Mount Celestia as something of an exhaust vent, to pump the noxious fumes from their forges away from Mount Celestia. It seems smoke elementals are very happy with this arrangement, and welcome the influx of unusual fumes from the Upper Planes as something novel. The dwarves have refused to allow use of the portal to our armies, and considering how well defended their realms usually are, this is probably not a target of strategic importance for us.
- Inner Planes [2e] p88
Valley of Blinding Mist (site in Scalding Skies)
- The Valley of Blinding Mist is a treacherous region of Scald where the fumes grow so impenetrably thick that passage through this region is possible only via the valley itself—a natural corridor of slightly less dense smoke that serves as a critical chokepoint and staging ground. The valley is primarily used by our armies as a forward camp when launching operations from Exhalation. The valley has a dark reputation as both a strategic necessity and a graveyard for the overconfident, for its blinding mists conceal not only tactical opportunities but also function as deadly traps for the unwary.
- Inner Planes [2e] p91

Movers and Shakers

Smog Order (druidic order) ‡
- The Smog Order are a circle of urban druids who have a particularly extreme view on nature. If species are not strong enough to adapt to environmental pressure, then it is no longer their time, and they should make way so that more resilient creatures to thrive.
Smoke Dukes (organisation)
- An obscure and impenetrable system of nobility established by smoke quasi-elementals, who seem to universally reject the claims of the ‘archomental’ Ehkahk to be the ruler of the plane—although they tolerate the mephits perhaps with a sense of amusement or endearment like we efreet might view a pet fire grue.
- Inner Planes [2e] p89

Smoke Powers

Garhaazh (draconic lesser power of hunting and strife / CE) †
- The Primal King is a draconic deity of conflict, dominance, and hunting. He manifests as a smouldering, smoke-wreathed predator—the first of the primal dragons, brother to Dahak, and son of Apsu and Sarshallatu. In primordial times, he found joy in billowing grey smoke throughout existence, and shrouding the stars in choking miasma as he sought worthy competitors to hunt. Garhaazh is a vicious tyrant who witnessed the strife between his father Apsu and brother Dahak with glee, finding their violence awoke a hunger for carnage in his heart.
- Draconic Codex [PF2e] p30
Prince of Darkness (Gnostic primordial power of evil elements [he/it] / CE) ‡
- The Prince of Darkness is a figure shrouded in mystery, only known in the ancient lore of archons and uthras. It, or perhaps he, is described as an entity from “beyond” either space or time, perhaps an obyrith or a creature from the Far Realm. It attacked the Multiverse as an incorporeal smoky shadow many millennia ago, corrupting the pure elements it found there into cosmically warped forms. As the myth goes, five powerful archons were sent to destroy the thing, but instead the Prince of Darkness possessed and corrupted them, warping their physical forms and turning their minds into a gestalt vessel for his sentience. However, he didn’t realise it was a trick. The archons willingly sacrificed themselves, and their inner light of will still burns within the Prince, trying to pull themselves apart back into individual archons once more, tearing the very fabric of the dark power in the process. They aren’t strong enough to achieve this, however, and with every passing century their light burns dimmer and dimmer. The Prince of Darkness is thought to dwell somewhere in the Gray Way, sometimes receiving audiences from philosophically-minded fiends and passing on his corrupt wisdom. For now it seems content, or unable, to act on its own. However, it is known that agents of Ahriman are currently trying to negotiate something with the power, and it seems that they are close to reaching an agreement. Some celestials theorise that Ahriman plans to offer himself, or more likely some of his divs, as a new host for the Prince of Darkness, probably in hopes of turning stag and eventually consuming him and his power.
Surijayto (lesser power of industry and factories [He/Him] / LN) ‡
- Surijayto is the patron of industry in all its forms. He’s almost a power before his time—indeed, he only manifests in Prime worlds that have reached a suitable era in technological advancements. He’s not interested in a culture until it has mastered the printing press, clockworks, steam power and blackpowder weapons, which no doubt is why he remains lesser power. However, chant goes that he was a demipower until he recently ascended to his current status, so perhaps he isn’t that obscure in the grand scheme of things. Surijayto is not affiliated with either the Chinese or Japanese pantheons, even though he believes in the bureaucracy of the first and has attempted to gather worshippers from the second. Philosophically, he cares for little other than the perfection of industry and efficiency; what is done with the output of said industry is of little importance to him. Surijayto is ordered in all things, and his worshippers obsess about achieving perfection in their work, even though they always fall short. Whether this is because of their jealous power seeks to prevent a powerful worshipper from ascending themselves through his own devices, or because imporfect mortals can never themselves hope to achieve the perfection of a deity, cannot be said.
- Elemental Netbook [2e] p66-67
Taranushi (dead god-king of hinn [they/he]) ‡
- The true identity of the Taranushi is unclear, since the records of the hinn are incomplete and are heavily censored by efreet scholars. It seems that they were either a supreme ruler of the race, or perhaps even a patron power that hinn worshipped. The latter interpretation is supported by the fact the hinn shun not only monarchies, but powers and their clergies as well. Nonetheless, Taranushi is most likely to be dead-booked by now, although the location of their corpse is dark.

Smoking Guns

Abernathanorial (Ditch Queen, Doom of Dryads, Dearth of Light, Mephit of Darkest Smoke) (planar smoke mephit [she/her] / N)
- Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1 [2e] p70 (quotation only)
Agatha Grimethix (prime half-dwarf druid [she/her] / NE)
- The current Grand Druid of the Smog Order, she is occasionally found in the sect headquarters, Belching Maw.
Burning-Hand, Jay (fire genasi proxy of Hastsezini [he/him] / N)
- Inner Planes [2e] p90
Ehkahk the Smouldering Duke (Elemental Prince of Evil Smoke) (planar smoke mephit-archomental [he/him] / NE)
- A self-proclaimed archomental—although actually thought to be just a powerful smoke mephit—Ehkahk is a diminutive but cunning tyrant who rules through intellect and charisma rather than raw power.
- Dragon Magazine #347 p39 (mention in sidebar); #353 p43,47; Inner Planes [2e] p89-90; Manual of the Planes [1e] p53; [5e] p172; Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. III [2e] 10-11; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p53; Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p32; The Plane Below [4e] p72-73,146
Gewart, Doss (planar smoke mephit)
- Inner Planes [2e] p86 (quotation only)
Polysinious the Unseen (planar human(?) thief [he/him] / N) ‡
- There are more unlikely stories told about this cutter than there are solid facts known. He’s certainly an infamous thief, and chant goes he’s been so successful in his nefarious career because he’s able to turn himself into smoke, allowing him to go anywhere, and steal practically anything. Polysinious is thought to be a human, although since nobody’s been able to describe what he actually looks like, I wouldn’t give you good odds on that claim. The other thing the rumours claim is that he’s made himself some kind of lair in the most impenetrable region of Deep Smoke where he stores his ill-gotten gains like some kind of kleptomaniacal dragon. Well, come to think of it…
- Elemental Netbook [2e] p68
Reinsong (cloud giant [he/him] / CE)
- Reinsong is a tormented cloud giant who wasn’t just exiled to Smoke from the Plane of Steam, but also cursed with inner demons. Chant goes the giant battles with this possessing spirit constantly, and it’s driven him barmy with rage and grief.
- Inner Planes [2e] p91; Manual of the Planes [5e] p173
Thrice Renowned People’s General Naadhira al-Mushtaeila (hinn zealot [she/her] / LN(E)) ‡
- The de-facto ruler of the hinn, the People’s General Naadhira is the head of the council that rules the last remaining hinn burg, the Fortress of Smoky Quartz. She is ruthless and more than a little paranoid, as well as completely sure of her own irreplaceability, and has clung to power for many election cycles using any means necessary.