From dust we came, to dust we shall return - so a Doomguard member might say if he could show anyone the eternal sea that is Dust. Next to the Quasielemental Plane of Vacuum, it's the clearest vision of the end as it's meant to be. Perhaps it's their vision of paradise.
At the border of the Elemental Plane of Earth, this plane starts as a dusty expanse, broken free of the endless caverns. A traveler's pretty happy to escape the closeness and step into the dark, open world. Farther on, the dust reaches up to his knees. It's thick and it pulls against him. Close to the Negative+Energy it becomes an abrasive sea that chafes as a traveler swims through the grit.
But a Cutter's not alone here. Things swim through the sand ocean, and at least one tower, Citadel Alluvius, lies in a ramshackle sprawl on the Negative+Energy+Plane's border. This is one of the four citadels of the Doomguard, and the most favored of them all.
Special Physical Conditions. Movement and breathing on this plane are handled the same as on the plane+of+Ash. The cold here isn't as intense, though, so there's no need for magical protection from it. Nevertheless, each day spent on this plane causes 2d6 points of damage, as the traveler's body begins to break up. This damage cannot be healed while on the plane. Should a traveler lose all hit points, his body dissipates into nothingness.
Special Magic Conditions. Conjuration/summoning spells reach to the planes of Earth, Paraelemental Plane of Magma, Paraelemental Plane of Ooze, Quasielemental+Plane+of+Salt, Quasielemental+Plane+of+Ash, and the Negative+Energy+Plane. Solid objects created on this plane don't last, crumbling to dust in 1d4 turns unless protected by a wall of force spell to bind the material in place (as is the case for Citadel Alluvius). Other limitations are the same as those on the Elemental Plane of Earth.
Natives and Hazards. Dune stalkers, Mephits, Quasielementals, Sandlings, and sandmen all abide here. Dao hunt the plane for slaves. Flies and insects are always common amid the dust. The magic-devouring Hakeashar can be found in large numbers, drifting about in a nomadic community. Skriaxits are sometimes encountered as well. The plane of Dust is one of the most populated of the darker Quasielemental Planes. These creatures take no delight in their existence, however, and many hunger for solid forms. This hunger can make them especially deadly. As with all the darker quasiplanes, random pockets of Negative Energy are always a danger to any normal traveler.
Alu+Kahn+Sang is the High General of the dust Quasielementals. The Wind of Destruction, as it is also known, leads a legion of other dust quasielementals on
a campaign of destruction and violence.
Sources
Planescape Campaign Setting
The Inner Planes
Lost Empires of Faerun (nishruu)
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III
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