Olympus
The vaults of Olympus (and those of neighboring Gladsheim) are at first glance a quandary. Their position in the great wheel of the outer planes places both of them on the chaotic side of the wheel, yet both of them sport organized pantheons. Olympus is the home of the Greek and elvish pantheons, while Gladsheim is the native land of the Norse mythos.
- Olympus Description
- Reaching Olympus
- Color Pools
- Features of Olympus
- Survival in Olympus
- Movement in Olympus
- Encounters in Olympus
- Magic in Olympus
Olympus Description
The vaults of Olympus (and those of neighboring Gladsheim) are at first glance a quandary. Their position in the great wheel of the outer planes places both of them on the chaotic side of the wheel, yet both of them sport organized pantheons. Olympus is the home of the Greek and elvish pantheons, while Gladsheim is the native land of the Norse mythos. In truth, only the topmost layer of each plane is dominated by the realms of these mythoi, but their realms hold sway over such a large area that extraplanar travelers and scholars took the planes' names from these mythoi. In the case of Olympus, the Greek pantheon receives the nod (and the name) due to the existence of the permanent multiplanar conduit known as Mt. Olympus (Features of the Astral Plane).
Of secondary importance is the fact that most of the barriers in the realms controlled by the elvish and Greek pantheons are tightly controlled by these pantheons. The barriers to the layers adjacent to the elvish lands open into the water layer of Tethys, while those in the Greek realms connect to small islands in that infinite sea.
For this reason, in Prime Material planes where the elvish and Greek pantheons are worshiped, this plane is known as Olympus. In the planes where Mount Olympus does not exist and the gods of the ancient Greeks are therefore unknown, the plane is known as Arvandor, the High Forest, and its layers are given elvish names.
The plane of Olympus is divided into three layers: Olympus (or Arvandor) is the name of the topmost layer of the plane as well as that of the plane itself. It is the domain of the realms of the elvish and Greek pantheons, which are separated by a few thousand miles of wilderlands unclaimed by any realm. This layer is one of steep mountains cut by great passes and monstrous broadleaf trees rivaling the heights of terrestrial sequoias. Its hillocks are the size of Prime planar mountains.
They are covered with arbors of grapes, untended orchards, and fields of wild wheat. The layer itself is slightly convex, so that while Olympus and Arvandor both occupy the highest pinnacles of land within their realms, neither citadel can see the other. Away from the settled and claimed areas, the layer grows wild quickly. Many fell beasts and creatures such as giants and cyclops roam the lands to challenge those who adventure within. Ossa (called Aquallor by the elves) and its barriers are usually found in the watery domains of Sashelas of the elves and Poseidon of the Greeks. It is the outflow of the river Oceanus which began in the farthest layer of Elysium, Thalasia. (There are often reports of huge, funnel-like maelstroms that lead directly back to Thalasia in an unending circle.) Unlike Thalasia and the waters of Lunia in the first of the Seven Heavens, the seas of Ossa are for the most part shallow, no more than three feet in depth over most of the realm. Great chasms open up in places there, and it is in these that other chaotic good sea gods make their domains. Pelion (called Mithardir [white dust] in the elvish tongue) is the third layer of Olympus. It is a dusty place of blowing white sand and snow. It is temperate in most of its domains, but all things are covered by the dust. Both Greek and elvish pantheons have their own legends concerning other powerful beings who once dwelt in these regions. They are now gone and their realms and the treasures are buried beneath the dust. What creatures or powers still live within this disintegrating land is unknown even to the more adventurous of the deities. As noted above, the barriers from the first to second layer and those from the second to third layer, tend to be rarer than those found in the other outer planes. The portals from the adjacent planes have been identified by the ruling Powers. They appear as spinning crimson disks that do not reveal their egress points for anything less than divination spells. The Powers of the plane have located the permanent portals from their domains within a few thousand leagues of their abodes in all directions. They have surrounded these portals with stone walls and iron gates, not so much to stop intruders as to slow the curious and prevent dangerous and stupid creatures from wandering in. Neither of the great pantheons worry much about extraplanar viewing points zipping through their realms, but those that are particularly bothersome (remaining too long in one spot, as if belonging to a thief casing the joint) are dispelled and the peeping mage and company are brought into the outer plane for instruction in the dangers of such viewing.
Features of the Plane of Olympus
The creatures usually identified as being of the upper planes can be found in parts of Olympus: hollyphants, planetars, foo creatures, devas, solars, and agathia. The plane of Olympus is also the home of great beasts and fantastic creatures that either fathered or were created from similar beings on the Prime Material plane. Massive boars, bears, and wild cattle greater than any seen on the Prime roam the wilderlands of the plane. Many rocky mountain fastnesses are home to powerful medusae, chimerae, and gorgons. Rebellious titans still roam over parts of the first layer, and giants are found there to challenge both man-god and elf-deity. Only creatures from the Greek or a DM's elvish legends should be found in the plane of Olympus: giant eagles, lions, bulls, wolves, serpents, hawks, pegasi, harpies, Cyclopes, and sphinxes are examples of such creatures. The statistics, appearances, and abilities of these creatures are altered as follows: • The creatures are larger than those of the Prime Material plane. Small creatures should be considered medium and medium creatures are large (large creatures, though increased in size, are still large). The demeanor and bearing of such creatures are more powerful as well. • Subtract 2 from the listed Armor Class. • Creatures and monsters that strike with claws gain a +2 bonus to hit opponents. • Hit dice are doubled for purposes of determining hit points and effects of combat. • One in 20 human-like creatures (such as medusae or harpies) have some magical ability (as a magic-user of level 1d10). These attributes only exist in the plane of Olympus. While an Olympus native is in another plane, its abilities are reduced to those in the monster books.
As noted above, the first layer of Olympus is the home of two huge realms that contain the pantheons of the Greeks (from Legends and Lore) and the elves (from L&L and UA). Each these oversized realms contains the domains of the Powers of each pantheon. Many of these these domains are larger than the realms of gods in other planes. The Greek pantheon tends to be a short-tempered, lusty, partying lot; more chaotic than any other pantheon save perhaps the Norse. Yet they have gathered together into a common front on at least two occasions: once to defeat the great titans and cast the majority of them into Tarterus, and the second time to fashion Mount Olympus as a continuous conduit that reaches from the plane of Olympus through the Astral and into Hades, touching all of the Prime planes where the Greek gods are known. It is not certain that the Olympian gods forged this mountain; others claim that the Olympians are little more than inheritors and usurpers of a conduit that existed since before the titans ruled Olympus. Whatever the case, the gods of the Greek pantheon have remained together in the same location, at the head of the mountain, for mutual benefit and defense. This does not mean that the various Powers do not seek to advance themselves over others or create mishaps for each other's followers, only that they operate out of the same general area.
The greatest of the domains is that of Zeus, the leader of the pantheon, who maintains a great citadel of polished marble and gold at the highest spot of the Olympian Realm. There he rules alongside Hera, his wife. Other Olympian powers dwell according to their own needs and fancies. Aphrodite lives in a nearby palace of mirror-like quartz and gems, while Apollo's domain radiates internal sunlight.
The lair of Ares is a massive battlement near the portal to the Mount Olympus passage, mirroring that of Athena, who dwells in a palace on the far side of that portal. Ares's palace is said to be made of bone, Athena's of iron. Dionysus's palace is overrun with vines, each hanging heavy with grapes. Hermes lives in a den of gambling. Poseidon makes his abode in a great sea that borders the realms of these gods. The lesser powers, such as Artemis, Demeter, Nike, Tyche, and the titan Prometheus, make their smaller realms among these huge domains, any one of these domains being larger than a human nation.
The elvish pantheon is similar in outlook, but less organized and regimented, having no chief foe to overthrow or continual conduit to maintain. They are more good and chaotic than their Greek neighbors. The two pantheons get along well enough becauses they compete for neither land nor followers. The elvish powers lack the mighty fortresses of their human counterparts, inhabiting small shrines, circles of natural stones, and small but ornate homes in the midst of their domains.
The elven gods are led by Corellon Larethian, who rules the Seldarine (as these powers call their pantheon) and is the only Greater Power among them, the remainder being lesser gods. They include Erevan llesere, whose portfolio is mischief and change, Solonor Thelandira, whose domain is thick with forests and rapidly-flowing streams, and Labelas Enoreth, the god of longevity and the opponent of Erevan. Hanali Celanil, the goddess of elvish beauty, has a crystal palace in the center of which is an enchanted fountain that gives birth to the Charisma-enhancing pool known as Evergold. Hanali shares this boon with Aphrodite, who pilgrimages once per Prime planar year to renew her own beauty (to the Greeks, the pool is named Canathas). The sea that laps at the borders of the great elvish realms is the realm of Deep Sashelas, venerated by the sea elves (it is through his realm that the barrier to the second layer can be reached). Finally, Rillifane Rallathil is both his own realm and his body at once—the Leaflord is depicted as a great tree. He has the power, like a sentient form of Yggdrasil, to penetrate with his roots to the Prime Material plane. These roots function through conduits, not as separate entities into the plane itself. Aedrie Faenya makes no true home in Olympus, but wanders among the layers of Olympus and Gladsheim in the company of a multitude of great birds (10d10, modified in abilities as noted for creatures of this plane).
In the shadow of these mighty Olympian (or Arvandorian) pantheons, a lesser goddess of the Egyptian mythos makes her home in a great palace of dun-colored stone in the center of a desert as far removed from the green lands of the elves as these domains are from Olympus. Whether Nephthys is the cause of this lone desert, whose blowing sands are reminiscent of those of the third layer, or if she is the restraining force is unknown.
The elven and Olympian pantheons (and Nephthys, to a lesser degree) are served by the Chosen, spirits of those beings thought worthy of entry into Olympus. These are similar in appearance and abilities to the einheriar of the Norse in Gladsheim, save that their weaponry tends toward spears and broad swords, and they are equally balanced between males and females.
Time Distortion
