The Astral Plane

Little is known about the Astral, the realm that links all planes. It is said that the night sky is the closest glimpse most any mortal will ever get to the sea of stars.

Every plane has its ties to the Astral Plane. Portals are rare and nearly impossible to find, with no recorded case of a stable opening. Historical claims cite travel to the Astral Plane, either through powerful magic or accidental stumbling in. It is theorized that the majority of those who do make their way to the Astral Plane do not survive, and those who survive almost never find their way back.

What is known about the Astral Plane characterizes it as primarily empty, grand expanses of stardust and void, the endless horizon broken only by stone islands and crumbled architecture. What beings do occupy it are heinous, alien forms that seem solely designed to rend and break and consume the unlucky few who find themselves in their midst. Mindflayers, beholders, and aboleths are all said to originate from the Astral Plane, either stumbling upon portals to the Material or burrowing their way between the planes.