Beyond Ampliterra
I feel like any good TTRPG setting needs something beyond the material realm to explore. Something to add mystery, intrigue, supernatural elements, and religion to the campaign. They really need a multiverse…
Today, I’m very excited to introduce you to the many planes of existence beyond Ampliterra. These locations are the homes of gods, devils, and mysterious extraplanar entities who all have profound influence on the Material Realm. Take a look at the Cevian Order’s current conception of the Planes of the Multiverse as studied and annotated by Alagossa Olaceran (and illustrated by the incredible Karin Wittig back here on Earth).
The Planes of the Multiverse. Illus. Karin Wittig
How it Works
Upon first glance, the general structure of the planes should look familiar to players who have used 5e. The Inner Planes are similar (although not identical) and the planes are arranged on the X-Y axis of Order <-> Chaos and Positive <-> Negative. That’s about where the similarities stop, though.
The next thing you might notice is that the Outer Planes are a variety of sizes and scattered around the X-Y axis. In the Ampliterran Multiverse, the position of the planes aren’t fixed. Instead, they’re tied to the alignment of the entity that oversees them – sometimes a god, sometimes an entity, etc. Over time if the ideologies of an entity shifts or if enough of their followers shift, the entire plane can change alignments.
Additionally, the size of the plane is directly related to the number of individuals who align themselves with that particular ideology or belief system on the Material Plane. In the very long term, it is possible for planes to disappear or for new ones to appear.
When an individual dies on the Material Plane, they are sent to the plane of the Gatekeeper to be sorted to their final resting place in the afterlife – generally whatever religion or ideology they followed in their mortal life. Those who did not follow a particular ideology are generally sent to Kelna, the Dragonfly God’s plane. It is rare, but possible, for those living throughout the Multiverse to die in the afterlife. When they do, they are once again sent to the Gatekeeper to be resorted, but lose a small piece of themselves each time. Eventually, though, there would be nothing left to sort.
Take a peek at the Gatekeeper below, illustrated by Franzilla:
The Gatekeeper. Illus. Franzilla.
The Planes
Many of the planes on this map are overseen by Gods, which each have their own ideology, symbology, and origin stories. Those are a bit in-depth, though, so I’ll save that for another blog post. For now, though, here’s a quick rundown of the planes:
Inner Planes
Material Plane: Ampliterra!
Verdant: Home of the Verdant and the Verdant Vættr of which the Silver Elk is a member. They provided magic to the Material Plane.
Clouded: Home of the much-feared Clouded. They roam the multiverse searching for worlds to conquer.
Fire, Water, Earth, Air: The elemental planes that are home to many wondrous creatures and have a profound influence on the weather and geography of the Material Plane
Outer Planes
Kadis, the Dragonfly God: The god of life and nature.
Potere, the Raven God: The god of power, strength, and personal achievement.
Sophos, the Spider God: The god of knowledge and learning.
Marina, the Serpent God: The god of the seas, sailing, and exploration.
Abris, the Fox God: The god of tricks and pranks.
Gatekeeper: Where all souls are sent to be sorted into the afterlife.
Oblivion: The plane of nothingness and chaos.
Desolate Isle: A hellish plane overseen by four devil lords that are constantly warring with one another to count more and more souls and land as a part of their domain.
Regoran: ???
Art Appreciation
As always, I want to take a moment to appreciate the immense care that Karin put into creating this map based on one of my original sketches from the Ampliterra home game. Karin created something that was so far beyond what I originally could have imagined. I love that the Material Plane depiction has a literal mini version of the Ampliterra map. I love the rows of books on the Sophosian Plane, I love the little boats on the Marinian Plane. There are just so many wonderful little details strewn throughout it that let you know exactly what the feeling of that place is.
And can we talk about the little dudes floating around in the Void just doing their weird etherial, extraplanar monster thing? Truly perfection. Get a load of this guy. I call him Fred and some days, you feel exactly how Fred looks and that’s okay.
Fred.
Anyways, that’s enough for today! I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the Multiverse. I’ll catch you again in a few weeks!
Austin
