Outer Planes

The Outer Planes are infinite metaphysical realms of the soul. Interstellar cosmologists divide them into the Unstable and Stable Planes, or those that fall somewhere outside of either category. Stability in the outer planar sense is measured by the amount of "divine coherence", which is a contentious metric that is generally defined as the amount any soul that exists in that plane follows a pattern over time. For example, if a petitioner is left alone in the Stable Outer Planes, then depending on their precise location their transformation can in theory be predicted with perfect accuracy depending on their intrinsic qualities, whereas the future state of that same petitioner in the Unstable Outer Planes cannot be reliably predicted at all. This metric falls apart somewhat in certain cases, for example when taking a demon to the Tutorials, in which case the demon is liable to fluctuate less but still fluctuate.

Stable Outer Planes

The Stable Outer Planes, also known as the Prime Lawful Planes, occupy a relatively fixed place in the cosmology, although they have undergone some extreme changes in relatively recent years.

There are three Stable Planes: the Holy Volcano, the Nine Hells and the Tutorials. According to the general consensus within intergalactic cosmology, each is the seat of immense power, and a fundamental "anchor point" by which all spiritual existence retains coherence.

Unstable Outer Planes

The Unstable Outer Planes, also known as the Chaotic Planes, can not be categorized easily, if at all. Cosmologists that devote themselves to this seemingly futile pursuit typically do so in frenetic and self-contradictory babble. It is exceptionally difficult to travel to these planes as they sometimes cease to exist, change completely into something new, merge into a different plane or "move" to a different "location".

There are two "main" unstable planes: the Abyss and Elysium. Scholars often disagree as to the overlap between these planes. The Wizards Guild 7065, for example, has had a recent push toward a unifying model of the Chaotic Planes that posits Elysium as a layer (or several layers) of the Abyss.

Other Outer Planes

Those planes that are neither notably Stable nor Unstable are simply known as Outer Planes, Ambiguous Outer Planes or Neutral Planes. They exist in a partially unstable state but are far more coherent than the Chaotic Planes. In general, locations in these planes are about as stable as the material plane, depending on how close they border to other outer planes. The planes of Perdition, also known as Gehenna, are located here, as are the Beastlands.