There are two camps regarding the inner planes these days it seems. One is the tradional one(four elemental planes, two energy planes, four paraelemental planes, and eight quasielemental planes). The new(and intellectually lazy in my humble opinion) campers would have you believe that the Para and Quasielemental planes are actually just regions within one of the four core elements. There are many ways to disprove this latter group, namely sending them on a one-way portal to Cyronax's fortress or into an army of Facets, but that would be mean.
I am of a third school of thought if you will. I believe that the Inner Planes(Elemental, Para, Quasi and Energy) are only the "core", and that an unknown number of other Elemental Planes and possibly energy planes also exist somewhere beyond the Core Sphere of Elements.
In my theory, Shadow is in fact a Para-Energy Plane, and that the passageways connecting it to any shadow doesn't make it a unique Inner Plane in that regard, because I've heard of Wizards and other beings who can use Fires anywhere in the Multiverse to travel anywhere else.
My theory fits in nicely with the Ordial Plane, because according to the Rule of Threes, which I believe applys everywhere(But is certainly not the only rule), there are only three Transitive Planes. The Shadow, Fire and other Elemental "Portals", utilize all three Transitive Planes, Astral, Ethereal and Ordial, in a manner not totally understood. Also, there is a theoritical Neutral Energy Plane, which has no border with any of the other inner planes, and the Paraelemental planes some have said do in fact intersect with the energy planes, producing the Quasi-Para or "Quasi Exotica". Also included are two Elemental planes which exist in cultures often called "Oriental" but are not recognized elsewhere for whatever reason. It stands to note that while unlikely, there may be Opposite-touched inner planes(such as a combination of Earth and Air creating Sand for example) or Paraelemental planes created by bordering paraelemental planes, or Quasi-elemental bordered by other Quasielemental planes. Ever Quasi and Para elemental combinations may exist. This means the Inner Planes may be in fact, Unlimited.
Under this new approach, the Inner Planes look something like this:
Core Elements: Fire, Earth, Water, Air, Wood(See Planeswalker), Metal, Shadow.
Para Elements:
Magma, Ooze, Ice, Smoke, Paper, Coral, Soil, Pollen, Slag, Coal, Quicksilver, Sound, Ore, and the Shadow-Elemental Planes(See Planeswalker).
Quasi Elemental Planes:
Dust, Vacuum, Salt, Ash, Lightning, Radiance, Minerals, Steam(Mist).
Energy Planes:
Positive, Negative, Neutral.
Quasi-ExoticaCheck out Mimir for these)
Silt, Clay, Obsidian, Pumice, Fumes, Sparks, Crystal and Shards.
Since the Paraelemental planes linked to Wood and Metal are lvl 2 theorical, no attempt as of yet has been made to deterimine what form energy-touched para-elemental planes would take.
Elemental Plane: Metal
Metal is a smooth plane of metal which is liquid-like in appearence in shape but very solid. It is metal in its most primal state, unscupted or unmarred by earth or human hand. Conditions on the Plane are livable, as the temperature is actually slightly cool, and never approaches uncomfortably warm temperatures unless one approaches the Para-Elemental Plane of Slag. Gravity is like that in Pandemonium, pointed towards any solid surface. Unless on Pandemonium however, the vast metal tunnels of Metal lack a strong breeze of any kind(unless you happen to be near the Paraplane of Sound.)
The most common inhabidence of this plane are called "Living Steel" elsewhere(on the Prime and on Magma, where they also can be encountered). These beings are in fact, Metal Elementals, living beings of metal which can scupt themselves into many other forms should they choose to. The Metal Elementals are in fact quiet and peaceful for the most part, and will leave others alone unless they are attacked. They can sometimes be reasoned with but most often attempts by organics to speak with them are ignored. It is unknown why the Metal Elementals choose to sometimes shun organics.
Other inhabidants include conscruct-like creatures made of metal of various forms. Rust Monsters(Which can reach terrififying sizes here) can be encountered here in large numbers(they aren't in fact native but imported likely accidently from the Prime). Unlike on other planes they will leave travelers alone, as they are quite content on eating the plane itself. More dangerious are the Metal-Mytes, magicly created relatives of the Prime Termite. They live in large colonies and are known to attack intruders into their terrories. Unlike Termites they are quite intelligent for insects(around 8 maximum). Like Rust Monsters they readalily devour metal, but do so far more agressively. Areas of the plane pocked with holes are a sure sign a blood is in fact entering Metal Myte territory. There are likely many other monster and animal types here not covered.
It is known that the Celestial Bureaucracy maintains quite a large pressence here, with fortresses, cities and even entire puppet countries threwout the plane(there are also many oriental communties not affiliated with the Bureuacracy).
There is no known variety of Genie-kind on the plane, but they could exist somewhere.
Para-Elemental Plane: Coral
Coral is situated between Wood and Water. It is more similiar perhaps to Water than to Wood. As far as Para-Elemental planes go, only Ice can rival Coral when it comes to influence.
Coral is a vast sea of Coral reefs of various sizes. Most are standard sized, however, the standard sized reefs actually grow on continent-sized coral, almost like microscopic growth in comparison. The entire Plane is a maze of coral, gravity, while weak, is present and is oriented downwards like on the Prime. This creates a clear up and down, but does little else.
The inhabitants of the Plane include fish native to reefs on the Prime(likely non-native, coming from an elemental gate from the Prime itself). There are also of coarse, representive Elementals. Coral Elementals come in various forms and no-two are alike completely. They long ago lost a war to the Sharuagin over dominance of the Plane and now lurk in isolated communitys or alone. They occasionally trade with Marids but other than that interact little with the outside world.
There are species of intelligent coral here as well, such as giant sized Brain Coral. Continent sized Brain Coral are said to have the intellgence of gods, posessors of vast amounts of knowledge, these beings are best left alone.
Many of the same monsters that can be found on the plane of water also live on Coral. However there are a few dangerious natives of Coral that are both unique to the Plane and are feared by natives and visiters to the plane alike. The first is the Giant jellyfish known as Jalkala. These creatures rival dragons in size and have a horrible poison which causes permanent pain to its victims, trapping them in a lifetime of white-hot agony. Jalkala young(which are about a foot in size) are like standard jellyfish and are much more common than the feared adults. They also carry the only antiidote to the adult's poison. Far more insidious than any other native of the plane is the Silasktratil, a small blue starfish like creature with a single red eye in its center. These creatures are similiar to Puppeteers, a insectlike species native to the Prime, in that they take over other creatures and use their bodies. However, unlike Puppeteers, Silasktratil are capable of absorbing the essence and genetic material of the host, allowing it to metamorphise into a creature combining aspects of the host's species with its own. Silastratil are capable of storing this absorbed essence and imparting it on others as well. In their orginal forms, these creatures aren't particularly intelligent(4-8, smart animal to dim witted human), however the race as a whole seems to desire to absorb the forms of every creature it encounters. Some suspect the race has a leader somewhere which has a body formed from the essence and genes of absorbed millions of different creatures. Such a thought is terrififying to say the least.
Finally the Sharuagin are an agressive race bent on the completely domination of Coral. They are a race which combines the humanoid form with the aspect of many different species of shark. They were created by the infamaos Shark god worshiped by the Prime race known as Sahaugin or "Sea Devils" relatively recently in planar terms. They quickly spread threwout the Plane, their quickly growing armies overwhelming the ponderious Coral Elementals on their own homeplane. Since then they have built magniefient coral cities in many locations, living areas which they use to raise their young, future additions to the ever growing Sharuagin force. It is known that the Sharuagin court the evil Elemental Princess of Water for an allaince, woe to the Inner Planes if they succeed..
Quasi Elemental Plane:Blight:
Where Wood meets the Negative Energy Plane, Blight is born. The Quasielemental Plane of Blight is a foul place, rivaling certain lower planes in that regard. Full of a foul green mist, black thorns crawling over every surface, and dead plantmatter, if Wood is a druid's dream come true, than Blight is that same Druid's worst nightmare.
Blight is hostile to almost every form of flora in the multiverse. Only plants such as Razor vine are capable of surviving the blight.
Despite being not very hospitable to visiters, Blight does nevertheless have some interesting locations. One is the "Hengemaze", an enormious 3-diamensional maze of thorns and briars. At the center of this maze is the fabled Palace of the Queen. It is said that visiters are transformed into children and each room of the palace serves as a personal heaven for each child.
Perhaps the most infamaos place in the plane is the vortexs, a region where the blight swirls into maelstroms with hurricane-strength winds. Here it is believed that several large earth pockets lie somewhere above the center of the storms, and are home of powerful evil wizards who may have orginaly created the region long ago. It is known that even the natives of the plane fear this region.
One other location of note is the Black Desert, a vast region of black sand somewhere in the plane with regions disturbing similiar to those on Pelion, the third layer of Arborea.
For inhabidants, the Plane has numerious Unseelie Fey, Needlemen, and other evil plant-based monsters with thorns. Creatures of rot and decay also call the plane home, such as Blight Quasielementals.
any comments?