Solania

Mount Celestia — Layer the Fourth

The Crystal Heaven, The Electrum Heaven, Requius

Themes of the Layer: Obedience, Faith, Asceticism

Description: Under clear silver skies, the rugged mountain realm of Solania, the Crystal Heaven, positively glows. The rocks here are studded with all manner of crystals, which reflect the ambient light and give the layer a lustrous sheen that’s as beautiful as it is unique. Quartz, malachite, topaz, moonstone, and tourmaline are all abundant here, in colourful seams through the valleys, and making up the tapering crystal spires that pass for mountains here. Between these steep peaks plunge deep river canyons with spectacular waterfalls, crashing flows of turbulent water, and perilous gorges, which are filled with luminous mists and exotic perfumes. The few burgs of the layer can be found in the lower ground, protected from the weather, with terraced fields and rice paddies carved into the mountainsides.

Beings of Mercuria: Chant among Ciphers goes that Solania is filled with leyline and chackra energies galore. This would explain the many shrines and monasteries that cling to the crystal spires, housing ascetic monks and nuns who exist in splendid isolation, contemplating the nature of the divine. Less common, but more spectacular, are the magniicent crystal cathedrals of light that resonate with the glorious hymns of archon choirs. Travellers are welcome to shelter in any of these, and while the abstemious conditions that Solanians live in cannot be called comfortable, they at least offer a respite from the chill breezes of the mountains. Solania has the harshest wintery climate of any of the seven Heavens. High in the peaks the rivers become glaciers of holy water and the waterfalls frozen into surreal shapes.

Solania isn’t all about the mountain peaks however. Deep down beneath the crystal mansion of Erackinor, in tunnels and caverns rich with metal ores and minerals, can be found the realm of Moradin Dwarffather, the head of the Mordinsamman pantheon, and his wife Berronar Truesilver. Dwarven petitioners delve deeply here, seeking precious gemstones and veins of adamantine for their workshops. Many of the holiest of weapons are forged here, but the purest flames here are in the Soul Forge, where Moradin tempers the spirits of his people.

The ramadeen are a race of humanoid celestial warriors with the heads of noble rams who inhabit the steep slopes of Solania. Primarily servants of Erastil, the ramadeen hold deep-seated beliefs about the importance of family and protecting the weak. The best of them are wise, strong and trustworthy. Quite why they are not a part of the archon race isn’t clear, but they use this distance to their advantage when they act as diplomats with races who’re not well-disposed to the archon host.

Typical Settlements:

Cloisters
Monasteries
Nunneries
Remote buildings in perilous locations of beauty

Petitioners and their Path: Solania is the final resting place for dwarven petitioners who showed dedication, obedience and faith in their lives. Here they can fulfil their afterlives in a paradise of rich mines and glittering tunnels. In the valleys dwell petitioners who were merciful and modest pacifists in life, far from the crusader battlefields of the Upper Planes–the archon hosts do not recruit from here. The Valley of Amazing Grace is particularly notable, for here can be found the spirits of cutters who didn’t worship any particular deity in life, but instead lived nobly and according to their conscience. The grace of their spirits alone is enough for them to find their way to Solania.

Travelling the Layer: Traversing Solania is difficult and slow, requiring navigation around tortuously narrow mountain passes that spiral through the terrain, and crossing crystalline bridges which look too delicate to support much weight. Travellers require faith in abundance to make progress here. Determination is also essential, for the layer tests those who seek to ascend with perilous avalanches, sudden floods and unexpected snowstorms. What travellers must figure out for themselves, however, is that ascending the layer is not about how far you’ve walked on the ice passes, but how far your soul has travelled towards enlightenment on the way.

Locations of Solania

Bahamut’s Palace (realm of Bahamut)
Cold Comfort (independent burg)
Cursa, Beta Eridani (independent burg)
Dome of Creation (realm of Paladine)
Dome of the Blessed Martyr (site)
- Shrine of the First Portal (site)
Elelín the City of Caesars (legendary burg)
Empyrean Delve, the (realm of Fortubo)
Erackinor(shared realm of Moradin and Berronar Truesilver)
- Berronar’s Side(realm town)
- Istor’s Forge (realm town)
- Rift, the (realm town)
- Stonefall (realm town)
- Soul Forge, the (site)
Field of Opsimathy (realm of Andoletta)
- Havenhearth (realm town)
First Monastery of the Planes-Militant (site)
Ghenshau’s Grove (realm of Ghenshau)
Great Library of Harmonious Scripture, the (realm of Delleb)
Leithe’s Orchard (site)
Lotus Garden, the (realm of Kuan Yin)
Manua, the City of Silence (independent burg)
Ministry of Virtue, the (realm of Chung Kuel)
Mirialin, the city of Justice-Seekers (independent burg)
Reclamation of Honour (realm of Wisuth)
River Eridanus (planar pathway)
Steel Skies (realm of Tarem)
Summerlands (realm of Erastil)
Uroboros, the Gates of Wisdom(realm of Jazirian)
Valley of Amazing Grace (site)
Zaurak, Gamma Eridani (gate town to Venya)

Powers of Solania

Bahamut (Draconic power of enlightened justice)
Berronar Truesilver (dwarven power of family and truth)
Chung Kuel (Chinese power of truth)
Delleb (Oerdian power of reason)
Erastil (Golarion power of farming and trade)
Fortubo (Oerdian power of metal and stone)
Jazirian (couatl power of creation and community)
Kuan Yin (Chinese power of childbirth)
Moradin (dwarven power of creation, pantheon leader)
Paladine (Krynnish power of protection)
Tarem (Ugric power of sky and creation)
Wisuth (orcish power of courage)

Cutters of Solania

Ambrethiel — a scholarly aasimon who serves in the Great Library of Harmonious Scripture
Andoletta the Shepherd — Grandmother Crow, is one of the powerful archons known as an empyreal lord
Argrist — Keeper of the Bellows in Erackinor, he is a sour and surly dwarf who can enchant wondrous magical weapons… if you can find him.
Drusulai — half-celestial paladin of Erackinor
Hannama Firehome — proxy of Berronar
Forgemaster Garfin — of Erackinor
Ghenshau — an archon empyreal lord dedicated to ignorance, placidity, and simplicity
Hail Among the Meadows — a couatl
Prefect Increase VII — Sectol of the Order of the Planes-Militant
Istor — the ruler of Istor’s Forge, a settlement in Erackinor
Jophiel — throne archon ruler of the First Monastery of the Planes-Militant
Naugret the Elder
Archangel Pistis Sophia — the Ascetic, Hebdomad Ruler of Solania
Rastiphere — a solar
Winlas — an archon empyreal lord who oversees the Great Library of Harmonious Scripture on Requius
Zagzagel — the keeper of the gates of Erackinor. A horned warden archon who spreads his wisdom to acolytes and pilgrims

Philosophies of Solania

The Hivetenders

Notes on integrating D&D editions & Pathfinder: Mount Celestia and Heaven both have seven layers, so I merged them directly one to one. Where descriptions of the layers differed, I used the Planescape descriptions as a base. Pathfinder names for layers are presented as alternatives that might represent the name for a layer (in the Empyreal tongue, perhaps?). Where the stewards of the layers differed, I used the Planescape version – or made up a story why there might be controversy. Powers, creatures and characters were all added in, and merged into single entries where appropriate. I supplemented additional locations and characters I found on the web while researching, including ideas from the Mimir.net site. I also added in many new non-canon ideas and added to canonical ones.

Canonical References

Read First: Planes of Law: Mount Celestia [2e] p4, 12, 18-22

Book of Exalted Deeds [3e] p131
Faction War [2e] p22
Planescape Monstrous Compendium I [2e] p59
Manual of the Planes [3e] p135
Manual of the Planes [5e] p225
On Hallowed Ground [2e] p78-79, 164, 172, 177-178, 180
Planescape Campaign Setting: DM’s Guide [2e] p62
Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p13

Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net