The Elemental Plane is the prison plane constructed by the titans in the Twisting Nether,[1] where they imprisoned the elementals millions of years ago,[2] after they defeated the Old Gods.[3]
Location
The Elemental Plane is described as "a prison plane in the Twisting Nether".[1] However, Highlord Demitrian describes it as "at the core of this world",[4] and Khadgar appears to agree as he thinks that "atop of the Elemental Plane sat the mortal, material worlds".[5]
History
Creation
During the battle where the titans defeated the Old Gods and brought order to the world, the Elemental Lords fell and their forces dispersed.[2] One of the first acts of the titans was to banish the Elemental Lords and their servants to a prison within the Twisting Nether. These agents of chaos could not be allowed to roam freely, or they would disrupt the new order the titans sought to create. Thus, the titans fashioned a separate[6] abyssal[3] plane to hold their old foes;[6] it was called the Elemental Plane.[2] Over the course of a short period, they cast all the elementals they could find into this hastily crafted "jail."[6] There, they would contend with one another for all eternity,[3] one of such battles, is the Elemental Sundering.[4] With the elementals' departure, nature calmed, and the world settled into a peaceful harmony.[3]
Aftermath
During the several millennia the elementals grew attached to their adopted home.[3] Then, the sorcerers of Quel'thalas and the human sorceres learned to command beings from the Elemental Plane,[7] opening momentary pinholes between the plane and Azeroth.[8] Elementals are sometimes called back to Azeroth for short periods of time, but most are eager to return to their world when the spell that summoned them ends.[3]
Ragnaros the Firelord once commanded the Fire domain in the plane, but 300 years ago Dark Iron dwarves in the Redridge Mountains summoned him to battle their enemies. The catastrophic summoning blasted the land and immolated the Dark Irons, and Ragnaros sunk into the depths of Blackrock Spire to prepare his return.[1] Currently, Ragnaros seeks to return to the Elemental Plane.[9][10]
World of Warcraft
Now the elementals have learned to open portals to start Elemental Invasions. At the beginning of an elemental invasion, portals will open to the elemental planes and invaders will begin to pass through. Thus, during an invasion you will find two to three times as many elementals in the area, usually slightly higher in level than the standard ones found there.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
After Deathwing breaks through the ceiling of Deepholm, the entire elemental plane is brought up (or down, in the case of Skywall), and can be reached through various means by the mortal races of Azeroth. The Firelands and Skywall will both become raids, Abyssal Maw will become two dungeons, and Deepholm will become the central hub zone of the expansion and will also contain a dungeon.
Geography
The Elemental Plane is a three-tiered realm.[6] This plane created by the titans is spherical and comparatively small — about the size of a single world.[6]
It would look like any other world to an outsider — at least, when looked upon from above or on the ground:[6] one large continent surrounded by water, with a yellow sun burning above.[1] A casual visitor, arriving on the surface, might even believe he is on an ordinary — if somewhat violent — planet.[6] The lava flows, earthquakes, windstorms, and tsunami are common, making the Elemental Plane is a very dangerous place to visit.[6] Normal levels of gravity pull physical objects toward the bottom of the sphere, where the realm of fire lies.[6]
A glowing yellow orb, casting forth light and heat, hovers near the top point of the globe, acting as the "sun" for the entire plane.[6]
The sphere of the plane itself is curved in a curious way that tends to baffle creatures of Azeroth's reality. As befits the plane's prison function, escaping through ordinary movement is impossible. A creature attempting to move out of the sphere simply curves inexorably around, moving toward the other side. Thus, if one were to sail across the ocean in a boat, he would eventually arrive on the exact opposite side of the plane's sole continent. The land itself is slightly larger than Kalimdor, while the seas are about the same width in all directions.[6]
Each kind of elemental has claimed a portion of the world as they do not tolerate each other, in total there are four distinct realms:[1]
- In the air is the Skywall, home of Al'Akir the Windlord and his air elemental servants.[1] It sits atop the middle layer[6] and never reach the fiery turbulence beneath.[6]
- The middle layer supports both, the Water and Earth domains.[6] Neptulon the Tidehunter controls the oceans or Water domain and calls his realm the Abyssal Maw. And the soil and stone of the plane's single continent, and the ground beneath the sea, is Deepholm, the Earth domain, riddled with tunnels and under the rule of Therazane the Stonemother.[1]
- Apparently, the surface of the realm is divided almost equally between deep ocean and a gigantic continent dotted with active volcanoes.[1]
- A thick layer of permanent, tunnel-ridden stone supports the earth and water on the surface.[6]
- Beneath these domains (Abyssal Maw and Deepholm[1]) lies a third layer of Fire, the Firelands.[6] It is a realm of flame, lava and molten rock that constantly struggles to break free of its bonds. This domain was once ruled by Ragnaros, who was later freed by Dark Iron dwarves, as explained above.[1]
There are also rumors that a forge similar to the Black Forge in Blackrock Mountain exists in the heart of the Elemental Plane, where dark iron is much more common. A journey to this site would not be for the faint of heart.[11]
Traits
Communicating with elementals is difficult, and they have provided little information about the nature of their ream.[1]
But it is known, that the four elements that make up the plane are constantly in opposition and tend to shift and tear at each other, sometimes violently. Volcanoes rip through the solid mantle, assaulting both the land and sea realms wherever they can. The air swirls in unpredictable storms, producing whirlwinds and hurricanes that rake the surface.[6]
Inhabitants
Current rulers
- Al'Akir the Windlord rules the skies over the Elemental Plane.[12]
- Neptulon the Tidehunter.[13]
- Therazane the Stonemother.[14]
Creatures
Life exists, filling the skies and lands with creatures similar to those on Azeroth, as well as those as yet unknown to sages.[6]
- The phoenix is a natural predator of the Elemental Plane.[15]
- Salamanders[16] also originate from this Plane.[citation needed]
- Various types of Mephits also hail from this Plane.[16]
- Various revenants also live here.[16]
- And besides the basic elemental types, there are examples of Elemental Conglomerates as well.[16]
Regions & sub-regions
- The domain of Air is called The Skywall.
- The domain of Earth is called Deepholm.
- The domain of Fire is called The Firelands.
- The domain of Water is called The Abyssal Maw.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, 22
- ^ a b c Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 216
- ^ a b c d e f The Old Gods and the Ordering of Azeroth
- ^ a b Highlord Demitrian#Dialogue
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 129
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Shadows & Light, 136
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 128
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 128
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 99
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 105
- ^ More Magic and Mayhem, 154
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 100
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 102
- ^ Shadows & Light, pg. 106
- ^ Manual of Monsters, pg. 81
- ^ a b c d Shadows & Light, pg. 141
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