Nihm: This plane is the cornerstone of existence, the tangible reality where the drama of life, with all its chaos and order, unfolds. Nihm is the physical realm, rich with diverse landscapes, cultures, and creatures, where the stories of heroes and villains are etched into the annals of time. It is considered the "true" plane, where the material aspects of existence are most pronounced.
Feywild: The Feywild is a vibrant reflection of Nihm, pulsating with the raw energy of life and the full spectrum of emotions. It is a place where joy, sorrow, rage, and bliss are intensified, creating a realm of breathtaking beauty and perilous unpredictability. The Feywild captures the essence of all emotions, magnifying them to their extremes, making it a place of wonder and danger, where the heart's deepest passions are both celebrated and feared.
Shadowfell: In stark contrast, the Shadowfell is a realm drained of emotion, a place where the very concept of feeling seems to have been leached away. It is not a domain of active despair but of pervasive numbness, an emptiness that envelops the soul. This plane mirrors Nihm in form but not in spirit, presenting a world where colors are dimmed, sounds are muted, and the essence of life feels distant. The Shadowfell is a stark, bleak realm where the absence of emotion creates a void, leaving its inhabitants and visitors with a profound sense of disconnection.The Ethereal Plane: Encompassing and interlacing Nihm, the Feywild, and the Shadowfell, the Ethereal Plane is a realm of mists and ghostly landscapes. It is a transitional state, where souls find themselves after departing the mortal coil, yet before reaching their final destination in the afterlife. Within this plane, gods carve out territories for the souls aligned with their domains, except for a neutral "middleground" where unaligned souls reside. The Ethereal Plane is imperceptible to the living in its true form; interactions through spells and magical means allow for a limited, "living" perspective of this plane, enabling travel and observation without direct interaction with its deceased inhabitants.
The Planes Beyond: Beyond the veil of the Ethereal Plane lie the domains of the gods and other realms of significant power, such as the Nine Hells and the Abyss. Each god's domain within this expanse reflects their essence and the ideals they embody, serving as eternal sanctuaries for their followers' souls. The Nine Hells and the Abyss represent the realms of ultimate evil and chaos, where demons and devils vie for power in an endless struggle of dominance and subjugation. These planes, along with the divine domains, form a complex hierarchy of existence where the forces of good, evil, order, and chaos wage their eternal battles, influencing the mortal world and the fate of souls in the afterlife.
The interactions of the planes:
In the world of Nihm, the planes of existence—encompassing the vibrant Feywild, the emotionless Shadowfell, and the tranquil Ethereal Plane—have always been integral to the fabric of reality, paralleling the physical plane in their timeless presence. Magic too has been a constant, albeit in a more subdued form, threading quietly through the tapestry of the world. However, the event known as the Magic Expansion dramatically transformed this landscape, intensifying the essence of magic and, with it, the interaction between the planes and the material world.
Before this pivotal moment, encounters with beings from other planes, such as the capricious fey or the scheming devils, were extraordinary events, whispered about in tales and legends as rare occurrences that blurred the line between myth and reality. The barriers between the planes were seemingly impenetrable to all but the most powerful or fortunate, keeping their influence and interactions sporadic and shrouded in mystery.
The Magic Expansion, however, marked a new era where the veils between these realms thinned, making the once-rare exchanges more frequent and tangible. As the raw energy of magic flooded Nihm, it brought with it a newfound ability for its inhabitants to reach beyond their own plane, to touch and be touched by the otherworldly forces that lay just beyond their perception. Spellcasters found themselves wielding powers that could pierce the boundaries between worlds, summoning fey beings and fiends alike, and even traversing these mystical realms through arcane rituals and enchanted portals.
This increase in planar interaction has not been without its consequences. The allure of making pacts with extraplanar entities has tempted many, offering untold power at often dire costs. The Feywild's wild emotions and the Shadowfell's pervasive numbness have begun to seep into the corners of Nihm, influencing its lands and people in subtle but profound ways. The Ethereal Plane, too, has seen an uptick in mortal visitors, whether they be intrepid souls seeking the afterlife's secrets or necromancers attempting to bind the spirits that dwell within its mists.
While direct dealings with other planes remain uncommon, the aftermath of the Magic Expansion has undeniably woven the existence of these other realms more closely into the daily lives and practices of Nihm's inhabitants, reshaping their understanding of the universe and their place within it. The increased planar interactions have opened new frontiers for exploration and conquest, but also new dangers