Elemental Plane of Earth

"'At least in Carceri I didn't have to dig to get around.' - Bedliss Stinglook"

Description
It is a place of hidden riches. It is a wall against all foes. It is a grave for the greedy. The Elemental Plane of Earth is a solid place made of rock, soil and stone. The unwary and unprepared traveler may find himself entombed within this vast solidity of material and have his life crushed into nothingness.

Despite its solid, unyielding nature, the plane itself is varied in its consistency, ranging from relatively soft soils to veins of heavier and more valuable metal. Striations of granite, volcanic rock and marble interweave with brittle crystals and chalks. Thin veins of gemstones, rough and huge, can be found within the plane, and these unpolished jewels often lure the greedy here with the allure of picking them up with minimal effort. Such interlopers often meet their ends at the hands of the natives of this plane, as they feel extremely attached (sometimes quite literally so) to parts of the plane.

This plane is hostile to life from the Material Plane, but not in an active way, such as the Elemental Plane of Fire. Rather, it is uncaring, unconcerned about the motes of life that move through and around it. It is solid stone, as patient as the earth itself. And it has all the time in the universe.

Elemental Plane of Earth Traits

 * Heavy Gravity
 * Normal Time
 * Infinite Size
 * Alterable Morphic
 * Earth-Dominant
 * Mildly Neutral-Aligned
 * Enhanced Magic Spells or abilities that use, manipulate or create Earth are maximized and extended.
 * Impeded Magic Spells or abilities that use or create Air are impeded.
 * No Special Traits

Links to the Plane of Earth
Making one's way from the Material Plane is difficult. Portals and vortices are rare, and the vortices in particular are often difficult to reach. One of the most interesting portals is in Mechanus. Those familiar with the realm of perfect order insist the portal is a side effect. According to their stories, an ancient and long-forgotten race built a vast machine larger than many Material Planes. To power this vast machine, a portal was created to the Plane of Earth, and the elders tapped into the continental drift of the Plane of Earth. Even now, this machine keeps going, but no one knows why. The portal is always open, though the portal itself is one-way.

The dismal depths of Baator hold another well-documented portal. It lies in Phlegethos, the fourth layer, near the center of the city called Abriymoch, and provides convenient passage between Baator and the evil fortress of Stonemire. The portal allows the pit fiend that rules that accursed city easy access to great and fearful Ogremoch, the Prince of Evil Earth Elementals. While it is clear the two conspire together, the nature of this alliance is unknown.In order to use this two-way portal, a user must have a large diamond, which will turn to powder upon use. Further, both sides of the portal are heavily defended.

Movement and Combat
Two kinds of movement are possible within this plane: digging and walking through the plane's caverns and tunnels. Digging is a tiring activity, done at a rate of 5 feet per 10 minutes. Moving through the passage is as normal movement. Individuals who can burrow move through the earth as a fish moves through water, leaving no tunnels behind.

Earth Combat
Combat is as normal. When burrowing, treat combat as akin to combat in a No Gravity setting, assuming the assailants can burrow as well.

Earth Inhabitants
Much of life on the Plane of Earth is unknown to travelers from the Material Plane, due at least in part to the nature of the plane. Most visitors spend time only in the caverns and tunnels that snake through the solid world of the plane, so creatures that live deep in the heart of the plane are unknown. Elementals are sentient parts of the plane themselves, able to effortlessly move between the rock and soil that makes up the plane.

Earth elementals are uncomfortable with open spaces. On their home plane they will, unless restrained or driven off, collapse any tunnels or rifts. The outsiders who call this plane home oppose this destruction, because they value trade with other planes and desire that their homes remain hospitable. Dao outposts, for example, are continuously vigilant against the natural and sentient hazards of the plane, protecting spaces open enough to allow them to deal with other genies and travelers. Mephits also seek such clear spaces, and are as common as vermin in settlements. Creatures able to burrow through the earth with easy, such as the xorn, care neither one way nor the other about open areas.

The plane is also home to creatures with a natural affinity toward earth and stone, denizens comfortable in tunnels of their own making. Dwarves, dragons, giants and gargoyles all call this plane home, and as each one prefers open spaces to the wall of earth the elementals favor, will often ally themselves with each other or the dao to fight off the elementals. The native tongue of the plane is Terran, a deep and rumbling tongue. Natives who deal with visitors may choose to speak another language, such as Common, but many do not, believing those who wish to speak with them should learn their language.

Geb
Unlike many of the gods of the Egyptian pantheon, Geb has chosen to live outside the realm of Heliopolis on Arcadia. Instead, he makes his home in a vast series of caverns hidden away at the heart of the plane. Geb's labyrinth realm is known as the "Cavern Under the Stars," where rumor has it a portal to Elysium sits, where his wife (and sister) Nut resides. More about the cavern is below.

Geb has a good nature, and is unusually active in the affairs of his worshipers and petitioners. He does not mind visitors, and so long as the visitors behave, his petitioners make good hosts. The greatest of his petitioners become the stars that twinkle above. Most become friendly spirits with black hair and dark skin, willing to lend a hand to guests.

Geb's greatest problem is that Shu has been commanded to keep him away from Nut. While this has never led to open warfare, there is a constant struggle between them. Any visitor who brings news of his beloved sister-wife will be treated as an honored guest.

Grumbar
The largest and most powerful Earth Elemental you will ever meet, he is known as the Living Mountain and the Earth Father. He is the master of all Neutral Earth Elementals. He rarely intervenes in the affairs of the plane.

Ogremoch
Ogremoch is an archmental, one of the Princes of Elemental Evil. He is ten feet tall, with a body made of mica and his eyes are gleaming obsidian. His home is an immense fortress known as Stonemire, which sits upon a gigantic plateau near the Paraelemental Plane of Magma. The temperature here is so great few living things can bear it. His plateau has fountains of molten stone and clouds of searing hot smoke as decorations.

he is the master of Black Earth and the Stone Tyrant. It is said he awaits the ascent of a truly powerful villain, one he can carve into a juggernaut of pure evil to crush his hated rival, Sunnis.

Sunnis
The Princess of Good Earth Creatures is a tall and muscular woman with features chiseled from stone. Mercy and understanding shine from her sapphire eyes. Also called the True Stone or Lode Mother, though she does not concern herself with attaining followers. She makes her home in Sandfall, near the Quasielemental Plane of Dust. The heart of her fortress is reportedly a fifty foot crystal, the likes of which has never been seen before. Some say it is the heart of a star, or the finest gem ever gleaned from the Quasielemental Plane of Mineral. It is said anyone who brings her a truly unique treasure will receive a mysterious and powerful boon.

Queen Hapshepsut
A half-elf who serves as Geb's loyal servant and primary agent in the world of mortals. She is a fierce defender of her lord. She is rumored to have been the first mortal to reach this plane, and Geb made her the powerful creature she is today as a reward. Anyone who fancies themselves as worthy enough to challenge this slender, almost frail-looking woman quickly learn their mistake. Her dusty skin is as hard as granite and her magical flail unleashes an earthquake with every strike.

Kaylef
Whispered tales tell of a powerful creature named Kaylef that wanders the plane in an endless journey of destruction and carnage. Most relate that Kaylef was a dwarf warrior/priest from a world of earth and fire. His loyalty and ferocity earned his Ogremoch's attention. The Stone Tyrant tested Kaylef, thinking he might be the instrument of evil he long sought. To Kaylef's disgrace, he was found wanting. The testing procedure left Kaylef with great and terrible powers, but Ogremoch has cast him aside and forgotten him. Kaylef blames only himself for his failure, and seeks solace in the destruction and carnage of everything he sees.

Features of the Elemental Plane of Earth
For a traveler, the single greatest danger is getting caught and suffocated within solid earth. When using known portals and pathways, this is not much of a risk (unless a cave-in occurs), but if appearing on the plane randomly could easily lead to a speedy and brutal death. Even creatures immune to suffocation can be entombed, forced to either be rescued or die of dehydration or starvation.This plane is as dark as the darkest dungeon, so creatures here either have special vision or must provide their own light.

Pressure
When one first appears in the plane, they can feel the heavy weight of the plane. Characters trapped in earth take 1d6 damage every round, and this damage cannot be resisted or prevented.

Breathing
In areas outside of dao control, there is no air to breathe. Without a spell or ritual that provides air, suffocation will occur.

Earthquakes
The Elemental Plane of Earth is constantly in motion. Usually it is slow, but sometimes it is sudden. Those caught in an earthquake (generally within 30 squares of the epicenter) suffer the effects of an earthquake spell (Stun, save ends, and 8d6 damage from cave in). In addition, characters in caverns or passages take an attack versus Reflex (Level + 5) or wind up buried in dirt and soil. Characters so buried must either dig themselves out or be rescued by their allies.

Special Discoveries
For every 8 hours that a character who group of characters spends digging, there is a 10% chance of coming across something of interest. If such a discovery occurs, roll 1d8 to determine how many hours pass until the discovery and 1d10 on the table below :

Elemental Pocket
Most adventuring on this plane takes place in the clear spaces, the caves and tunnels that crisscross the plane. Many of these intrusions are eventually closed by the nature of the plane itself. A more permanent clear space is one created by an elemental pocket. However, these are incredibly dangerous. An elemental pocket of air may be a relief, but an elemental pocket of fire will scorch everyone and the elemental pocket of water will fill a cavern with water.

Metal Seam
This type of deposit is usually a precious metal on the Material Planes, such as gold, silver or platinum. Such a seam produces 1d6 x 1,000 gold pieces per hour for 4d10 hours before running out.

Gem Seam
These smaller, but more valuable discoveries produce rough, uncut gems. Such a deposit nets 2d10 gems valued at 2d6 x 1,000 gold pieces each. A jeweler on retainer would be capable of polishing the rough, uncut gems for significantly more value, anywhere from two to five times as much depending on quality of the work.

Fossil
This is a generic term for objects and creatures (living and dead) that have been trapped in the stone until a rescue by prospectors. Roll a random encounter from a table of your choice. If the chosen creature would die from suffocation, dehydration or starvation, it is dead and the finders can relieve it of treasure. If the creature would have survived such things, the prospector now has a new problem.

Great Dismal Delve
The most civilized race on the plane are the dao, as they would gladly tell you. These genies are found in a number of communities and are often at odds with the native elementals because of the dao's desire to trade with other races. The greatest of the dao communities is the Great Dismal Delve, also called the Great Mazework. It is here the greatest leader of the dao makes her home, the Great Khan.

The Delve itself is a maddening maze of passages, memorized by the dao but meant to confuse visitors. The dao and their slave races live here in dark splendor, eagerly mining gems for barter and trade. Slaves, often losers in bets and bargains made with the dao, build and rebuild passages, fend off attacks form elementals, and are otherwise slowly worked to death by their uncaring masters.

Glowing crystals line the Delve, and great vaults are set with them unlike anything seen on the Material Plane. Food is grown here as well, mostly luminous fungus that thrives in the dark. This smelly and foul-tasting food is primarily used to feed slaves, as the dao themselves only eat and drink because they enjoy the sensation and survive easily on rocks. Some even consume rare gems, thinking them delicacies.

The Delve spans a number of unstable large natural caverns, so earthquakes and cave-ins are frequent occurrences. The dao consider this a way to keep their slaves busy. The connections and passages of this place lead to a bewildering array of portals that link to other Inner Planes, the subterranean reaches of some of the Outer Planes and the deepest dungeons of the Material Planes. It is rumored that somewhere in here is a freestanding gate to almost every secret location within the Great Wheel. The dao encourage these rumors and make their portals available to travelers who crave secrecy in their comings and goings. They charge very reasonable fees and offer complete secrecy, not even maintaining records of customers.

The only things keeping the Great Dismal Delve from being a more popular destination is that most of the portals are one-way (and the dao keep that fact secret), and the dao's own devious nature. The dao assume everyone is as untrustworthy as they are, and they keep a long list of grudges against any deity or mortal who looks at them sideways.

The Aviary
Anyone who has ever dreamed of flying like a bird will love this location. It is a large pocket of air, roughly 15 miles wide, populated by a colony of avariel. The winged elves have built a wonderful city so open and airy it is easy to forget you are inside a cavern. A visitor can purchase or rent a pair of wings that allow for flight within this location.

The Cavern Under the Stars
This is Geb's domain, supposedly built around a portal to Elysium at its center. Geb has never allowed this portal to be discovered, however, so some believe Shu discovered and destroyed the portal long ago. The realm is a vast pyramidal chamber, thirty miles on a side. The shape is not apparent, however, as the upper half of the structure is obscured by the night sky (this expanse of twinkling stars and midnight blue is a gift to Geb from his estranged wife). A sprawling city of magnificent stone buildings and temples, not too dissimilar from Heliopolis, covers the bottom of the cavern. Geb's palace stands at the center of all this, encircled by a river of pure, sweet, water. A visitor here should visit the open air markets, which offer a great selection. be warned that haggling and trade are taken very seriously, and an unskilled haggler will pay more than he or she should. However, Geb does not tolerate swindlers either, so even if you pay more than you should, you won't get bobbed. Hospitality and friendship are the orders of the day.

Planewalkers in Earth
Those traveling here should prepare for long stays. Portals and vortices in and out are rare, and the tunnels that exist are rarely direct. The dao are untrustworthy, and will enslave visitors who show weakness. While not as rich in treasure as the Quasielemental Plane of Mineral, there is much treasure here. For the dogged explorer, much wealth can be found. Some outsiders use this plane to hide things best not found, such as dangerous monsters and cursed artifacts. The powerful dwellers of other planes sometimes hire adventurers to come here and bury such items. Others may instead hire adventurers to find such items.

A few cities have managed to form here. Rianttyr Na-Mecas is a human city, and Totholia is a dwarf and gnome city, though both boast populations in the thousands and are welcome to visitors of other races. This plane can be a lonely place, after all.

Long term adventurers should prepare as if they are mining, and bring lots of supports and plenty of supplies. Prepare as one would for any underground expedition, but even more carefully.

Earth Encounters
On a d% result of 96-100, roll for an encounter below. Roll the d% once per hour.