Collective Snippet #1: Ultraplanes

I am now presenting "Snippets", which are very brief descriptions of concepts from my AD&D campaign. At some point I may go back and give more detail on these Snippets, but the main point right now is to get the ideas out there.

The normal Multiverse consists of the following planar structure:

• Inner Planes (Elemental Planes and Energy Planes)
• Ethereal Plane (with a few demi-planes)
• Prime Material Planes (with the Phlogiston between them)
• Astral Plane (with more demi-planes, including the "Elemental" Plane of Time)
• Outer Planes (ring structure with the true neutral Concordant Opposition in the middle)

In the middle of Concordant Opposition is the Great Funnel, which is incredibly difficult to approach physically. Partially up the Great Funnel (about 1/7 of the way) is the plane of Sigil. Most of the way up the Great Funnel is the realm of Smileylich, lord of the Liches. Liches derive their energy from "strange planes out beyond the Outer Planes". These planes are called the Ultraplanes and lie beyond the Great Funnel (if you were able to actually travel up it). When one drinks a Lich Potion, their Silver Cord is broken. Smileylich connects the slain being to the energy generated near the top of Great Funnel (near the Ultraplanes). The new "cord" is similar in appearance to a rough-looking hemp rope.

Beyond the Great Funnel lies the Ultraplanes. The Ultraplanes are a vast region of darkness (actually Annihilation), with points of light in the "sky" (actually all around you). Each point of light represents the top of a Funnel to a different Multiverse. Some of these Multiverses are merely alternate timelines, others have completely different planar structures. On occasion, a point of light will disappear, or split into two points of light. The collection of all Multiverses (along with the Ultraplanes) is called the "Omniverse".

In the middle of this gigantic sphere of Annihilation lie the PreAscended Ones. These beings ascended in power beyond the greatest gods, all within a few seconds of the creation of the Omniverse. The PreAscended Ones sit in gigantic chairs on the outer edge of a spherical body in the middle of the Ultraplanes. These chairs are connected within this sphere to a great power source, the original "Cog" at the beginning of time. The Cog appears literally as a wheel, which varies in apparent size from 1 inch to several miles in diameter (by concentrating on the Cog, it's apparent size grows). It has been said that the Cog is the only object to survive the Big Bang, and is from "before".

The PreAscended Ones have surrounded themselves with lesser beings, mostly comprised of Annihilation energy. These lesser beings are each in fact more powerful than most gods in the normal Multiverses, but here, they are treated like animals. I currently have five main types of Ultraplanar encounters:

• PreAscended Ones.
• "Ultraplanar Cows" (yes it's a silly name, but it fits), who appear as gigantic purplish clouds of energy. These watch over some of the Funnels for interesting events that might be happening in the corresponding Multiverse.
• "Ultraplanar Bulls", gigantic brown-colored clouds who act as guards (in case anything ever leaves their Funnel and also manages to survive the Annihilation atmosphere).
• Intelligent Spheres of Annihilation, perhaps the lowest lifeform here, they have no real function.
• Visitors. These creatures are temporary residents (from other Multiverses) who have grown vast in power. They visit to gain new knowledge or they may have been kicked out of their own Multiverse.
• (very rare) There are also "Originators", who are incredibly rare and powerful, and visit places even beyond the Omniplanes (their actual form and mode of travel is unknown, even to the PreAscended Ones).

The "normal" AD&D Multiverse is a rather average Multiverse, and hasn't come under much scrutiny from the Cows or other Ultraplanar beings (as not much "interesting" is going on there). I did run some games where our Multiverse was "noticed", generally the results are brief and quite nasty.

Spheres of Annihilation are in fact gateways (or shortcuts) to the Ultraplanes. If you can somehow survive the Annihilation effect, you can "enter" a Sphere and appear in the Ultraplanes. Once in the Ultraplanes (assuming an Ultraplanar Cow or Bull doesn't get you immediately), you can duck down another point of light to visit a completely different Multiverse system.

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