Concordium

The Clockwork Nirvana of Concordium, sometimes also called Nirvana, is an Outer Plane representing the alignment of lawful neutral. It consists of equal measures of light and dark, and equal proportions of heat and cold, and is as predictable as the drip of a water clock.

There is a place for everything and everything is in its place. Even individuals living here exist to fit into the greater scheme of things and thus achieve a perfect society. There is no pain, but the only pleasure is in successfully filling a role like a gear in a machine. Passion, fantasy, and illusion do not exist here, except for what might be brought in by visitors, and any who triy to foment individualism or stir passions for a cause soon find they are not well received. When all consciousness is completely subsumed into the whole, perfection follows.

Sentient creatures that dwell in Concordium include hollyphants, planetars, foo creatures, the occasional deva, wandering imps, rust monsters, achaierai, and occasionally devils. It is not uncommon to see creatures from neighboring planes visiting: shedu, greater and lesser lammasu, and ki-rin for example. Expansionist formians also have hives throughout Concordium. These antlike centaurs seek to colonize all they see and incorporate all living things into their hives as workers, serving the law of their queens.

Concordium consists of two layers, each sitting on top of opposite surfaces of a disk.

The topmost layer, Arcadia, is a land of plenty, an endless stretch of orderly plains dotted with a few mountains and hills. There are abundant forests, lakes, rivers, and open fields. In the harmonious ecosystem, even wild beasts contribute to the ecosystem. It is a well-ordered place with well-tended crops, orchards, and cities all laid out in regular geometric shapes. Properly shaped and arranged flowerbeds of every color are always in bloom and never need a gardener, nourished by gentle rains.

The trees of Arcadia grow in neat forests and regimented orchards. They have bark of iron, copper, silver, or gold, depending on the type of tree. The leaves resembl those of Prime Material Plane trees but are colored dark green to fire red and never fall to the ground. Each type of tree constantly produces a particular fruit which have magical properties like a potion when consumed.

The Orb of Day and Night is a great sphere perched atop Arcadia's highest peak, with one half glowing and the other half dark. It rotates evenly and continually, at all times illuminating one half of the infinite plane and leaving the rest in natural darkness. This causes day and night in Arcadia, though there is no twilight, just day and night.

Many woodland creatures roam the mountains, hills, forests, and fields of Arcadia. They resemble Prime Material creatures except for their coloring, which is metallic like the trees, and their eyes, which are white without iris or pupil. Examples include copper colored rabbits, golden foxes, and sheep with silver wool. Organized, hive-dwelling insects such as ants, bees, and wasps are also found in this plane. None of the animals can speak but all are peaceful in nature and native to the Outer Planes so they are unaffected by magics that usually worke on Prime Material creatures. In addition, their eyes allow them to see through any illusion and the more intelligent animals can be trained into superb watch beasts.

Arcadia connects to Celestia, the Nine Hells, and the Outlands by portals made of either white ivory or black steel, shaped like flower trellises. These portals were few in number but rested at fixed locations in the first layer.

The bottommost layer, Mechanus, is where perfectly regimented order reigns supreme and is the home of the modrons and the Inevitables. On Mechanus all law is reflected in a single infinite layer of clockwork gears, all interlocked, all turning according to their own measure.

Indeed, this plane is filled with an infinite number of country-sized circular interlocking gears which are habitable on one or both sides. These great flat wheels are at least one thousand miles in diameter and have teeth that mesh at right angles, all turning slowly in synchronicity. Each disk has its own gravity that operates in a sphere circumscribing it exactly and pulling normal to the top and bottom surfaces. The void between the gears is filled with air, allowing easy flight. Outside a gravity sphere, objects feel only very weak attraction to nearby disks.

The layer is lit by a white, all-encompassing light springing from the very void for 12 hours, and is dark for 12 hours. Hearing is also normal, though the bass rumbling of cog turning on cog is sometimes audible near the edge of a face.

Creatures native to Mechanus include the modrons, a race of beings organized in a rigid caste system and ruled by Primus, the One and the Prime. The most common modrons are the monodrones, single-function drones used as common laborers, servants, or soldiers.

Another prevalent species of constructs on Mechanus are the Inevitables, and they exist to enforce the natural laws of the universe. Each type of inevitable relentlessly finds and punishes those who have committed such transgressions. Other clockwork creatures, apart from the aforementioned, also call Mechanus home, though they have as little as possible to do with other races.

The inhabitants of Mechanus make their homes on the cogs that turn in the void. The gear faces are normally devoid of vegetation and native wildlife, although colonists from other planes, including the Material Plane, the Nine Hells, and Celestia, transform many faces into elaborate hedge mazes, parks, or nature reserves.

Free-standing portals from elsewhere usually connect at the center of any given cog. Some portals lead to other Outer Planes, Inner Planes, or even the Astral Plane or Ethereal Plane. Some portals even lead to other cog faces.

Portals on Mechanus appear as light green coglike circles, slowly turning. A green portal appears regularly once per revolution of the cog it resides upon, though some portals appear according to the interaction of several cogs (and which ones are not always readily apparent). Once it appears, a given portal usually remains open for at least 1 hour and possibly as long as 24 hours.