| natives
| - archons, solars, hollyphants, planetars, foo creatures, devas, agathia, shedu, lammasu, ki-rin, dragon horses
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| abstract
| - The plane of Seven Heavens (also called the Seven Mountains of Goodness and Law or Mount Celestia) was the pinnacle of lawful goodness in the Great Wheel cosmology. The Seven Heavens were dedicated to goodness shaped by law and justice tempered with mercy. Some characteristics of this plane were ascribed to the World Tree cosmology planes of Green Fields and the House of the Triad when that cosmology became popular. Both Green Fields and House of the Triad (which became known as Celestia) survived the Spellplague and became part of the World Axis cosmology.
- Heaven is a very odd plane. First, like all the Lawful planes it has a very definite and mostly-finite geography. Heaven is a mountain of impossible size, with a slope that is anything from a slight incline to a sheer vertical cliffs, higher than planets. Heaven is the only plane with its own gate. Souls (called petitioners) are greeted by archons (angelic beings) who briefly give the soul some guidance before giving it a form (usually related to how they looked in life) and allowing it entrance into heaven. Tales speak of those who (after a prolonged discussion) are turned away at the gate, but it is said not to be a bad thing. Those petitioners willingly depart to somewhere else on the plane, and are never seen again. Heaven is broken up into 7 layers. To reach the first layer, petitioners must climb a difficult cliff and walk quite a distance up lonely paths. This is to give the petitioners time to reflect on their lives and the advice given by the archon. The first layer could be generously referred to as the "Blowjobs and Jetskis" layer. The Celestial word for this layer means "denouement", and the layer is filled with what many would expect from heaven. Buildings serve bottomless supplies of food and drink, while different places offer other delights for the sexes. This hedonistic layer serves as a "Get it out of your system". When a petitioner has truly eaten, fucked, drunk or seen everything they could want to, they then travel to the next layer. The second layer would be called "catharsis" in common. This is the layer where you find those loved ones who've gone before, and reunite with your family. This layer also offers the ability to find and interact with any on this layer that you may wish to speak to, such as personal idols or those you wish to apologise to or thank. Owing to the nature of this layer, it is possible to contact anyone within Heaven from here. It's not uncommon for souls to skip the first layer entirely, to first find their loved ones, then to climb back down to the first layer. The third layer is that of betterment. The celestial name for this place has no direct translation, but "purification" or "ascension" are both good guesses. Here one begins to ignore the things from life, but the hedonism of the first layer and the arbitrary connection to those they met in life. You can begin to truly exist as a citizen of heaven here, and to understand your place in the multiverse. Indeed, you can begin to understand everything, as this level is filled with libraries, temples (of a sort) and training areas. Here a petitioner can discover who they really are, without the shackles of life. Were you truly a gifted dancer although you were born with no legs, or perhaps you would have been a master of sail, except that you were born 1000 miles from the sea? Then the third layer allows a level of self discovery and improvement. Once a soul truly knows themselves, they can ascend to the fourth level. Certain mean-spirited scholars have suggested that heaven is a careful mechanism for the purpose of stripping a petitioner of their humanity until the soul is all that's left, and the rebuilding the soul into a heavenly creature. Your humble author has no opinion on the subject, but the fourth layer or "the forging" lends some credence to such claims. Here is where a petitioner, free of their worldly ideas and wise to their true self, takes their last steps into becoming a heavenly creature. This is not the same as an archon, but is rather just a creature more native to heaven than to where it was born. There is no name for this creature, but your author suggests "halos". A petitioner becomes a halo by overcoming trials to show them how much they've grown, and what they are to become. A halo now heeds the advice of the archon it first met, as this advice tells the halo where it must go next. It is worth noting that the fourth layer is the 'shortest' and most complex of all the layers, as each petitioner's path up from the third layer will always land them in a perfect trial for that person. Where a halo goes from here is up to them. The gods own land is scattered across the layers, depending on the specific portfolio of their god. Muir's grounds for example were on the fourth layer, where she and her followers constantly worked to test the newly arrived petitioners. Dwerfater is on the fifth, and Thyr was on the second. The fifth level is called "The Harvest" and that is exactly what it is. The hunters of Erastil work alongside the dwarves of Dwerfater and the smiths of Torag. In this layer all industry is conducted, collecting the staggering amount of raw materials needed to keep Heaven running. The grace of the plane itself means that the rivers never run out of fish and game never fail to inhabit the woods. Mining the inside of the mountain is an undertaking like no other, and Dwerfater's palace is said to be the greatest of it's kind in the outer sphere. The sixth level is hard to translate, "the gift" or "the given" both come close without really quite managing it. This level is home to the archons and it is here that they train and drill, while being armed and assisted by the halos. As far as this author is aware no gods inhabit this layer, as the archons do not worship them. This layer has more structures on it than any other layer, but their use and purpose is known only to the archons. The seventh layer is "The Summit". What is found here differs from person to person, but it has some similarities. One generally sees a small, windowless house with a large fence around it, that obscures all sight and sound of what is within. The entrance is a silver gate that does not open, but if one stares through the crack they can just make out what's inside. It is different for each viewer. A single tree, a frozen lake, a marvelous sculpture. The author saw a golden throne, stained with blood. It haunted me so that I never returned to heaven again after that day
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