So I'm going to share one of my fantasy settings: the world of the Elemental Borderlands.
This world was created for use with D&D. As such, it is more generic than most of my creations: it's got elves, dwarves, standard wizards, and the like. In other words, it is relatively familiar, and thus a great starting place for sharing some of my ideas.
The Elemental Borderlands
It is a world in the midst of elemental chaos, where one is capable of physically traveling into the elemental planes just by heading in the right direction for a while. In the material realm, at the center, the five races (humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, and halflings) rule; further out, the world descends into raw elemental energy that is unfit for mortal habitation. At the borders between material and elemental, occasional incursions from the denizens of the elemental realms cross into the material realm and seek to spread their influence ever-inward.
Even with a persistent external threat, however, all is not well among the mortal races. The xenophobic dwarves isolate themselves in their mountain strongholds, their religion claiming that foreigners are unclean and thus to be avoided. The orcs, sick of scratching out an existence in the resource-poor desert and scrubland, dream of the day when they can expand their territory, all the while licking their wounds from their recent failed attempt to do exactly that. Humans struggle against the spirit of exploration which tempts them to make increasingly dangerous incursions into the elemental realms.
And the elementals watch, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Welcome to Fronteira, the realm of the Elemental Borderlands.
The Five Elements
The elemental realms are divided into five regions of roughly equal size. Each region is in a fixed direction with relation to the material realm, but once a traveler crosses into the elemental realms all bets are off. A group of halfling nomads may track their prey into the frozen realm of Air in the north, only to turn around and find themselves in the realm of Fire south of the material world. More dangerous than the chance of getting lost, otherworldly creatures born of pure elemental energy stalk the realms, defending against incursions from the mortal races.
Most dangerous of all, the very essence of these elemental regions is anathema to mortal kind; traveling too deeply into the realm of Water, for example, causes the surface to vanish, leaving only crushing depths with miles of water overhead. Even the locations relatively close to the material realm are dangerous, though livable.
Air
To the north, beyond the frozen tundra, lies the Zephyreal Borderland, commonly called the elemental plane of Air. At first, the only indication that one has crossed into this realm is the starkness of the landscape; everything is flat and white, an endless expanse of snow and ice unbroken by any noteworthy landmarks. Traveling deeper, the wind picks up into an eternal storm of snow and ice; at the same time, the ground begins to soften, hard-packed snow melting away into solid cloudstuff.
The farthest reaches accessible to the mortal races is this floating world of clouds. Beyond that, even the clouds drop off in a great cliff and only creatures capable of flight may continue. At this point, the raging whirlwinds are so harsh that even if a mortal were able to obtain the gift of flight, only natives to the realm of Air (who are immune to even the harshest winds of their region) may continue.
Water
Continuing clockwise, the Littoral Borderland lies to the east. Commonly called the elemental plane of Water, it is reached only by sailing across the mundane ocean of the material realm. In fact, it is almost impossible to notice when one has crossed from physical to elemental; the first clue is a misty fog that clings permanently to the water's surface.
Deeper in the realm of Water, the fog thickens and the air becomes so saturated with water that it feels more like breathing liquid than air. Eventually, further travel becomes impossible without some magical means of breathing underwater, as the fog thickens to such an extent that it becomes water, and the surface vanishes entirely. In the great depths of the realm of Water, the weight of endless water overhead crushes any living thing other than the native denizens of Water.
Wood
To the southeast lies the Verdant Borderland, sometimes called the Choking Jungle but most commonly known as the elemental plane of Wood. It is impossible to miss the border between physical and elemental, as it is marked by a thick hedge of vines and thorns, brambles and bushes. Pushing through this barrier, a traveler finds herself in a vibrant jungle full of life, both animal and vegetable.
At first, the plants and beasts are recognizable; most are obvious relatives to their counterparts in the material realm. Eventually, however, the chaotic nature of the elemental realms makes itself known as the creatures and vegetation become increasingly alien and hostile. Additionally, trees and vines grow ever-closer together until deeper travel becomes impossible; even before reaching this point, however, most explorers are picked off by the variety of ferocious predators native to this hostile realm.
Fire
Southwest of the material plane, beyond the scorching desert, lies the Calescent Borderland. Better known as the elemental plane of Fire, this is widely considered to be the most dangerous of the five elemental regions. Crossing from material to elemental, the temperatures surge even higher than those found in the bordering desert; worse, there is no respite as the temperature remains high even at night.
The landscape is marked by pools of molten rock and twisted mockeries of trees wreathed in eternal flames. The pools of molten rock grow more common the deeper one travels into the realm, and the temperatures continue to soar. Eventually, the land itself falls away into an endless lake of molten lava and the temperatures become high enough that most materials begin to spontaneously combust; travel beyond this point is impossible for any other than the native denizens of this realm.
Earth
Finally, to the west of the material realm and directly counter-clockwise from the realm of Air, lies the Hypogeal Borderland. Sometimes called the Underworld or the Underdark, more often simply called the elemental plane of Earth, this is a realm that exists entirely underground; attempting to climb over the mountains at the edge of the material realm quickly becomes impossible as they continue to stretch ever-higher into the sky.
A maze of pitch-black caverns, tunnels and caves, the realm of Earth is dangerous more out of risk of getting lost than of any inhospitable nature of the terrain. As the caverns are ever-changing, it is impossible to map this realm and thus every incursion carries of risk of being unable to find a way out. At the deepest reaches of the realm of Earth, the caverns thin out and eventually vanish entirely; only the natives, capable of swimming through solid rock as if it were water, can continue beyond this point.
Next Week
Join me next week to continue exploring the world of the Elemental Borderlands. We will discuss the five races: an overview of their cultures, religious beliefs, and homelands. Xenophobic dwarves, nomadic halflings, and more await!
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