Venya

Mount Celestia — Layer the Third

The Pearly Heaven, Clarion, the Heaven of Calm

Themes of the Layer: Diligence, friendship, modesty

Description: The third layer of Celestia is a layer of pearlescent beauty. The mountain slopes here glitter with sparkling snows, which reflect the soft white glow of the skies, with a hint of pastel rainbow colours. The forests here are serene, the valleys filled with the quiet murmur of babbling brooks. The meadows of the lower slopes are fertile with snowberries and hardy root vegetables. They’re farmed by halfling petitioners who live in close-knit village communes, who work diligently during the day and then share the fruits of their labours together each evening.

The ruler of the Heaven of Calm is Erathaol the Seer, a handsome masculine archon said to be able to work miracles, who rules from an underwater library fortress called Xiranthador.

Typical Settlements:

Communes
Mountain citadels of religious sects
Collectives
Farming communities

Locations of Venya

Alabaster Passage (site)
Bahamut’s Palace (realm of Bahamut)
Citadel of Might Righteous (site)
Congregation (independent burg)
Fields of Glory (realm of Heironeous)
Glass Tarn (site)
- Destiny Point (site)
Grand Hall of Righteous Heralds (site)
Green Fields (shared realm of the Halfling powers Yondalla, Arvoreen and Cyrrollalee)
- Amberwell (realm town)
- Bunberry Hills (realm town)
- Candlewood (realm town)
- Marston-on-the-Water (realm town)
- Thistledowns (realm town)
- Turtle Creek (realm town)
Palace of the Eightfold Mirror (realm of Shizuru)
Palace of Jeguidel (site)
Poetic Justice (independent burg)
Rana, Eridani Delta (site)
River Eridanus (planar pathway)
River Euonë (planar pathway)
River Lethe (planar pathway)
Shimmering River (planar pathway)
Steep Ascent, the (planar pathway)
Xiranthador (site)
Zaurak, Gamma Eridani (independent burg)

Powers of Venya

Arvoreen (halfling power of defenders)
Bahamut (draconic power of wisdom)
Cyrrollalee (halfling power of the hearth)
Dallah Thaun (halfling power of secrets)
Heironeous (Cerilian power of justice)
Shizuru (Golarion power of the sun)
Yondalla (halfling power of community, pantheon leader)

Cutters of Venya

Archangel Erathol the Seer — Celestial Hebdomad ruler of Venya
Barlette the Watchful — proxy of Arvoreen
Homani — High Preceptor
Jeguidel — empyreal lord
Melevon — sword archon
Olythartu
Rastiphere — a solar

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] p16-18

Book of Exalted Deeds [3e] p129
Manual of the Planes [3e] p135
Manual of the Planes [5e] p224
On Hallowed Ground [2e] p111-112, 175, 180
Planar Handbook [3e] p100, 159
Planescape Campaign Setting: DM’s Guide [2e] p62
Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p13

Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net