Mount CelestiaThe only way to reach Celestia is by entering its first and lowest layer, Lunia, also called the Silver Sea. Visitors always find themselves in the surf of an ocean surrounding Mount Celestia. Very few portals from other planes lead anywhere on Celestia other than to the Silver Sea. A sequence of portals connects Celestia's 7 layers. Each portal to a higher layer sits at the highest physical point of the next lower layer. Moving through the layers is one and the same as ascending Mount Celestia. But what makes ascending Mount Celestia more than just a matter of climbing is that each layer has many paths leading to the next. Only those who have found some truth regarding law and goodness can find the path. Thus, attaining the pinnacle involves a series of trials during which the supplicant is slowly washed of ideals that do not conform to the plane. However, there are rumored to be nonspiritual shortcuts for the traveler who knows where to look or whom to talk to.

From the seashore at the bottom of the first layer to the heights of the seventh, paths wind up the many peaks, ridges, canyons, and passes of Mount Celestia. Somehow, every incline looks up to the next layer, which shines like the sun on the layer below. Each rift eventually leads down past arching waterfalls and rushing brooks to the Silver Sea. Even from many layers above, the ringing chimes of each wave breaking on the shore of Lunia are faintly, reassuringly audible.

You will not find any self-satisfied, self-righteous people on Mount Celestia. You can climb to the next layer only by being faithful to one of the paths of virtue taught by the world's faiths or philosophers. The locals can automatically distinguish visitors to a particular layer from real climbers.

Lawful-good creatures are immune to all magical or psionic mental influence, and have a bonus of 2 on armor class and saves. Magic has a percentage chance to fail for non-lawful-good types, depending on their moral and ethical distance. On Mount Celestia, a paladin's warhorse is able to talk.

The most popular saying on the Holy Mountain is, "You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. These are the two great laws, and they are inseparable."

Lunia - 1 st layer - The Heaven of Innocence Also referred to as The Silver Heaven, due to its vast dark Silver Sea of holy water and beautiful shining cities of white stone. The Silver Sea itself is pure freshwater, not salt, and filled with many aquatic life forms. Numerous portals to other planes connect near to the shores, the masses of holy water acting as an effective deterrent to evil outsiders. The sky above Lunia is perpetually dark, filled with beautiful constellations of silver stars bright enough to illuminate the base of the mountain. The shore is dotted with citadels and redoubts of polished white stone of various architecture and inhabitants.

Lunia is ruled over by the archon Barachiel, the patron of trumpet archons, whose Citadel of Stars sits on the shores of the Silver Sea. Barachiel is charged with defending Celestia from incursion, a task which, even on this lowest and most accessible layer, he rarely has to act upon.

Lunia ("the moon"): The heaven of innocence. Here children and simple folk enjoy peace and safety and find opportunities for fulfillment. In some places, social animals live together as they do in children's stories. Their defenders are invisible, but powerful. The lawful joys of childhood are the theme here. The heaven of holy innocence is an infinite sea of holy water ("the silver sea") under a summer-night sky full of silver stars and eternal moonlight. When holy water touches an evil creature, it is that creature's evil, not the water, that burns. Every creature might glimpse, reflected in the water, the best that he/she could be. People come to Mount Celestia to learn about themselves. Sapphire pools to the astral may be found as bright spots in the water. The stars and moon are far brighter and more beautiful than on any prime plane. From the sea rise the grand mountain-islands, while other holy beings live in the water itself. All portals from other planes open in or just above the ocean, so that new arrivals are immersed, recalling the initiations of certain world-faiths. Unholy creatures will be severely damaged, while others will be rescued if needed by dolphins, sea folk, or Michael, the ultra-likable and ubiquitous boatman of the upper planes. Some souls newly-released from the body may float for a time in the air as points of light before their spiritual bodies form on the plane. "Speak with Dead" will result in good conversation. This is a common plane for the headquarters of sects devoted to child care, education, and simple goodness. Visitors will probably find opportunities to raise their constitution and dexterity scores. On the islands, you can also find communities of good social animals. There is a kingdom of holy rats on one of the islands -- long ago, rats rescued a great minion of goodness. There is a realm of wise and good dinosaurs. Good dogs are extremely common. Many of the animals can talk. "And a little child shall lead them."

Mercuria - 2 nd layer - The Heaven of Learning Also known as The Golden Heaven, so called because a mysterious golden light permeates everything within it. Gentle hills and lush green valleys comprise this layer, dotted with small settlements of archons and other good-aligned beings. Mercuria is known for its great tombs and monuments to noble fighters and paladins who now rest on this layer. These warriors are honoured during an annual Day of Memory.

Mercuria is ruled over by the sword-wielding Domiel from the Golden Spire of Aurilon, a 400-foot-tall (120 m) golden tower in the midst of a valley fed by four rivers.

Mercuria ("the planet Mercury"): The heaven of learning, the spiritual home of all who advance human knowledge for good. The layer is full of the spirits of those whose first concern was using their special skills and knowledge for the good of others. Unimpeded thought and free scientific inquiry are the theme here. You will find the greatest universities in the multiverse here, and any book that a good person could use might be found. If you bring "comprehend languages" and make an intelligence check, you can probably find any single piece of information you want. Mercuria is a realm of perpetual sunrise, far more glorious than dawn on any prime plane. There are realms with a high-tech focus, and other realms where good magicians can learn most anything they would want. This is a common location for the headquarters of good, decent sects devoted to athletics, commerce, communications, dawn, knowledge, or good magic. Characters will find opportunities to improve their dexterity and intelligence scores on this plane. All poison is slowed here and above, as per the "Slow Poison" spell. Any act of creation is doubly successful, including "Creation" sphere spells, as is all artistry and craftsmanship. There are rumors of an ancient race that can make technological replacements for any lost body parts.

Venya - 3 rd layer - The Heaven of Love Also known as The Pearly Heaven. This layer is somewhat colder than the previous two and its slopes are often seen covered with a gentle layer of snow. Peaceful brooks and carefully terraced fields are common on Venya.

Erathaol the Seer, an incredibly handsome archon with subtle masculine features, governs Venya from his underwater library-fortress of Xiranthador. Within its pearl-lined halls are said to lie more tomes of knowledge than can be read in a thousand lifetimes.

Venya ("the planet Venus"): The heaven of love. The layer exemplifies family love at its best. Here also is the spiritual home for doers of good deeds for the larger human family. "The Pearly Heaven" or "Summerland" is a lush and fertile mountain universe glowing with a pearly light as bright as a prime plane noonday. It is the spiritual home of all decent, right-living, ordinary folk. The weather is milder here than on the other layers. Plants grow twice as fast as usual, and all plant magic is doubly strong. Pearly Heaven is also the spiritual home of the finest artists. Denominations that serve decent communities often have their headquarters here. This is a common location for the headquarters of holy sects devoted to agriculture, ancestors, or genuine family values. Characters will find opportunities to improve their strength and charisma scores. All poison is immediately neutralized here and above.

Solania - 4 th layer - The Heaven of Wisdom Also called The Crystal Heaven. Many valleys comprise Solania, covered with luminescent fogs and strange scents. The peaks are homes to numerous holy shrines, including monasteries and magnificent cathedrals. Many of the slopes are rich in precious ores and minerals and are mined by populations of dwarves that reside there.

Pistis Sophia, called the Ascetic due to her monk like tendencies, holds no abode but travels the misty hills of her layer, helping out all who greet her along the way.

Solania ("the sun"): The heaven of wisdom. Here the multiverse's philosophies and theologies, and its honest doubts, come together in peace. "The Golden Heaven" or "The Heaven of Wisdom" is filled with colorful glowing mists, soaring mountains and tremendous canyons, all under a sunlit golden sky. Light here is more brilliant than any noonday on the inhabited prime plane, but it is not oppressive. This is the spiritual home of the good philosophers and teachers, of those who have preserved the best traditions, and those who organized worthy charities. On the mountain tops are monasteries where all worthy questions are answered truthfully and completely, where a lawful-good cleric can gain experience, and where any creature that presents itself will obtain mercy. Those receiving mercy must in turn show mercy to others later. Fourth Heaven is a common location for the headquarters of holy sects devoted to healing, kindness, light, oracles, philosophy, or the sun. Characters will find opportunities to improve their intelligence and wisdom scores here. Here and above, all curses are permanently nullified.

Mertion - 5 th layer - The Heaven of Courage Also known as The Platinum Heaven, is a layer of gentle slopes and wide plains. The many great citadels that dot the layer are the mustering grounds for forces of paladins and celestial creatures. The City of Tempered Souls, Empyrea is located on the edge of a cold mountain lake. It is known to host many magical fountains with powerful healing properties, as well as many hospitals and expert healers.

Raziel, known to his peers as the Firestar for his judicious wrath, rules Mertion from Empyrea. As the patron of paladins and warriors, he holds no permanent fortress but can be found in any of the city's many hospitals and infirmaries, providing spiritual guidance and protection to the clerics and patients within.

Mertion ("the planet Mars"): The heaven of courage. It is the home for all who fought for goodness and decency. Also here are the pacifists and martyrs, who gave their lives for good causes without fighting back. "The Platinum Heaven" or "Camelot" is the home of heroism and self-sacrifice. Here the armies of holy angels are marshaled for just wars. The realm is filled with sweat, blood, and friendship at their finest. The sky glows with a platinum-colored light, brighter than the fourth heaven, and painful for creatures who are not either extremely good or native to the upper planes. Unholy creatures take 1d6 damage/round, no save. Chivalry and the best bonds of military comradeship are real here. This is the spiritual home of paladins and all others who were organized to fight for good. Equally, this is the home of all holy martyrs, souls who renounced violence and advanced the cause of righteousness by their sacrifices and death. Atop the mountains are colossal ruby-domed citadels. Here all kinds of creatures receive the best possible combat training, and perhaps fighters can gain experience here. There is a battle training ground where every wound heals at 1 hp/hour and even mutilation and death are temporary, provided that the battler is there by approval of those in authority. There is a city of hard work and healing, where anyone can be cured of diseases, insanity, lost body parts, or lost life levels -- but using the waters tends to turn the user Lawful Good without penalty. Metal from this heaven is probably used to make Holy Avenger swords and similar weapons. This is a common location for the headquarters of sects devoted to healing, missions, strength, and just-wars. Characters will find opportunities to improve their strength and constitution scores here. Here and above, all diseases are cured, even mummy rot and lycanthropy.

Jovar - 6 th layer - The Heaven of Justice Also known as The Glittering Heaven. Its hills are studded with precious gemstones that glitter in the light. Yetsirah, The Heavenly City is a huge seven-layered ziggurat, with a large staircase on each face connecting the terraces of each layer. The stones that make up the city are made of precious gemstones, similar to those seen around the surrounding hills. On the topmost terrace is the bridge of al-Sihal, formed of pure light. Here lies the portal to the topmost layer of Celestia, Chronias; the bridge of sheer blinding light known as the Bridge of al-Sihal is guarded by one of the mightiest of the solar named Xerona who allows those who are righteous and good to pass.

Yetsirah and all of Jovar is ruled over by Sealtiel the Defender. Sealtiel commands one of the most impressive standing armies in the Heavens from his fortress of Pax Exaltea, and is charged with preventing impure beings from reaching the uppermost layer of Celestia.

Jovar ("the planet Jupiter"): The heaven of justice. At the center is a ziggurat, intricately carved. Good folk see their own good deeds engraved here. Wicked and selfish folk see the good deeds of their enemies. And perhaps good folks of all ethical persuasions see the hidden things that make sense of seemingly-senseless events. Atop the ziggurat, a court meets in perpetual session. Any being presenting itself to the court will receive justice. Beware, all who approach the court! "The Glittering Heaven" or "Heaven of Gems" has a silvery sky filled with huge celestial bodies of every color, glowing with intense light, like thousands of suns. No one knows who or what inhabits these bodies, but it is rumored that they are worlds inhabited by the spirits of contrite sinners who have done their penances and passed beyond the known outer planes. Jovar is the spiritual home of all who administered justice, all who planned wisely for the good of all decent folk, and (depending on the region) also for those for whom organized religion was the means of promoting love and kindness. Here the councils of holy angels rule and plan for the good of all creatures. And here, every visitor knows the wrongs that he or she has done, and the evil that he or she still harbors. This makes all but the very finest folks uncomfortable. The finest of all sacred music is heard here. There are pools where any creature making a wisdom check can view most any place in the multiverse for 1d6 hours. There is the multiverse's best law library, and if a visitor knows where to look, he or she can find a catalogue of every being's morally significant actions (well-repented sins have been erased). Regardless of merit, merely entering this plane heals all physical, mental, and spiritual ills, and restores all lost abilities, levels, and body parts. Perhaps one could even find lost memories from Styx/Lethe or a cure for insanity caused by casting "ESP" on the Lady of Pain. The courtroom provides the only entry to the seventh heaven.

Chronias - 7 th layer - The Cloud of Unknowing Also called The Illuminated Heaven. Chronias is the topmost and final layer of Celestia. There is no real account or description of Chronias, as no entity that has entered has ever returned. It is thought to be the ultimate goal of the inhabitants of Celestia to ascend the layers one by one in order to reach Chronias, where their souls will join with the essence of the plane itself.

If anyone can even be said to rule in Chronias, that being would be Zaphkiel. Zaphkiel is the mysterious ruler of the Hebdomad, and is the only one who has held his position since it was created; all other previous members having perished in combating fiends or gone on to join the essence of their planes. Zaphkiel embodies the "perfect good", and only the most righteous and exalted individuals can stand in his presence without being consumed. Zaphkiel is the patron of dead children and stillborn babies and watches over their spirits. Beyond this Zaphkiel's motivations and plans are unknowable, though it is known that he intends to make the planes as good as they can be, and only he can promote an archon into the Hebdomad.

Chronias ("the planet Saturn", or "Father Time"): The cloud of unknowing. For Dante, this heaven was the home of the contemplatives and mystics, whose prayer was their whole life, and who sought grace to receive the direct vision of God during mortal life. Dante's "heaven of Saturn" is cold and silent, yet with a central instrument for further ascension to the true home of all blessed souls. In the TSR worlds, no player character has ever returned from Chronias, but it must be a realm of truth, goodness, love, and light beyond description. The wise say that the seven heavens only reflect the joy for which all beings were created.

*****************************************************************************************************The palace of the good dragon deity Bahamut moves about the first four layers of Celestia. It is made entirely from Bahamut's enormous treasure hoard, with walls made of mithral and windows composed of huge gemstones. Inside, seven great wyrms closely guard the huge hoard of amassed treasure.

Lunia is the location of a number of godly realms, including Tyr's secondary realm of The Court, Brihaspati's realm of Nectar of Life, and the Shichifukujin's realm of The Eight Happinesses. Trishina can be found wandering on Lunia when not with her consort, Deep Sashelas.

Mercuria is the location of a number of godly realms, including the god Rao's realm of Sweet Reason, Torm's realm of Trueheart, Surya and Mitra's realm of Goldfire, Vishnu's realm of The Divine Lotus, and Amaterasu's realm of Radiant Light.

The Green Hills, a separate plane in the 3rd-Edition Forgotten Realms cosmology is located on Venya. It is a place of safety for the many halflings that live here; their crops always give plentiful harvests and there are no large predators to speak of. It is also home to the halfling deity Yondalla, and other members of the halfling pantheon (Arvoreen and Cyrrollalee).

The Fields of Glory are the realm of Heironeous, the deity of justice and valor.

A vast dwarven mansion called Erackinor is located on the slopes of Solania, where the dwarven deity Moradin makes his domain, with his wife Berronar Truesilver. Here exists the giant Soul Forges, that Moradin is said to use to temper the spirits of his people.

Solania is the location of a number of other godly realms, including the couatl deity Jazirian's realm of Uroboros, the Gates of Wisdom, Paladine's realm of The Dome of Creation, Chung Kuel's realm of The Ministry of Virtue, Kuan Yin's realm of The Lotus Garden.

*****************************************************************************************************1st Lunia heaven of innocence silver heaven moon chastity // lust Charisma2nd Mercuria heaven of learning golden heaven mercury diligence // sloth Intelligence3rd Venya heaven of love pearly heaven venus charity // greed Dexterity4th Solania heaven of wisdom crystal heaven sun patience // wrath Wisdom5th Mertion heaven of courage platinum heaven mars kindness // envy Strength6th Jovar heaven of justice glittering heaven jupiter temperance // gluttony Constitution7th Chronias cloud of unknowing illuminated heaven saturn humility // pride !!!

*****************************************************************************************************