Hi Planeswalkers,
I've been trying to put together a list for myself of locations on the outer planes, partly just so I know what everybody is talking about when they mention them...
The Encyclopedia and this forum have been very helpful, but some of the realms and locations listed in the Encyclopedia are given a plane but not a layer... does anybody have any more details on them?
Hlal's realm (Arborea)
Lydia's realm (Elysium)
Tamara's realm (Elysium)
a Sons of Mercy outpost (Bytopia)
Artemis's realm (or wandering the whole plane?) (Arcadia)
Tlalocan (Arcadia)
Sobek's realm (Acheron)
Syrul's realm (Grey Waste)
Ghoresh Chasm (Grey Waste)
This hasn't been named.
Warriors of Heaven says Elysium/Amoria/Release From Care. Note that this is a town, rather than a realm. It's ruled by a githzerai named Ezekial, and in general it's controlled by the Cipher faction. What Lydia would be doing there is a mystery (particularly because her portfolio of knowledge is in some respects antithetical to Cipher beliefs); my guess is her true realm is near there, but not actually in it.
I tend to reject Warriors of Heaven as a valid source, since it's so contradictory to other sources. But that's what it says.
Unnamed.
Good question! That hasn't been named either. I can't find any reference in Chapter 3 of the Planewalker Campaign Setting, or in Faction War.
Chapter 3 says their headquarters is in Bytopia, but it doesn't give us a name (I would presume it's in Dothion, though, as Shurrock seems too wild and difficult to get to and from).
Their headquarters are probably in Yeoman, since they're needed there to counteract the influence of the Knights of the Planes-Militant.
Arborea/Olympus/Olympus. "The goddess considers all of Olympus to be her realm and hunts without care, returning only occasionally to a small bower where she makes her home. Truth to tell, her case is little more than a small complex of caves in the side of the mountain, for Artemis has no real need of a place to retire to. She frequently travels to Arkenos, the city of the Amazons, where she's revered as a protector."
From the Maztica boxed set:
"Tlalocan, the Water Land, is the top layer of Arcadia. Mazticans who were killed by water are sent here, a land of gentle rains and friendly animals. Many consider this a paradise. Legend states that Azul created this area to please his wife."
Legends & Lore says the same thing about Tlaloc (that he created a paradise called Tlalocan to please his wife). I think either Tlaloc and Azul are the same god, or they created the realm together. Or there could be two Tlalocans, I guess, but that seems needless.
In 2e, Sobek actually lived on the Material Plane, and 3e Deities & Demigods says the same thing. Planewalker hosts an article that gives him a realm called the River of Smiling Death, in Avalas.
So officially he should be on the Material Plane. I like the Acheron idea better, since he's worshipped on more than one world.
The Scarlet Brotherhood says the Gray Waste/Khalas/Castle of Ugly Truth. The problem, of course, is that this is an error: Khalas is actually a layer of Gehenna. So which is it, Gehenna or the Gray Waste? I wrote to the author, Sean K. Reynolds, and suggested that she have realms in both planes: Gray Waste/Oinos/Castle of Ugly Truth and Gehenna/Khalas/Castle of Beautiful Lies. He liked the suggestion and included it in the official errata.
"Deep in the heart of the Gray Waste," according to Hellbound. I can only guess that means Oinos.