One of the paradoxes of Chaos is that, whatever the pronouncements of it's Powers and Lords, it is defined by ideas they were only possible when a lack of Unity was manifest in the multiverse. Philosophers have noted that as with Mechanus, the Plane of Law Absolute, there are core paradigms or truths without which the planes of Chaos could not exist. It is the centrality of those truths that separates the border regions of Chaos from the more encompassing Chaos of Limbo.
Arborea is a plane built upon the ideal of sensate experience. Its inhabitants reject any notion that formlessness or nonbeing is equivalent with being, and they reject the shackles on experiences and individual freedom regarding them that Law would forge.
Arborea typically appears as a vast, archetypal forest. Within there are glades or small manors where in the revels take place. These are sometimes open to the view of passersby, sometimes not, and they may be larger internally than they appear; effectively they are subrealms of the plane. Dramas of love, intrigue, daring, and violence, play out within these alcoves, but only among the likeminded who have chosen those experiences. The games are impermanent; diversions lead to no lasting harm, and may be replayed again and again, or abandoned and others taken up instead.
The only crime in Arborea is coercion or the abrogation of choice (unless a participant's choice was to have limited abridgement of choice). Violators of this rule who don't heed a warning are given over to the caprice of the eldarin, who devise a lesson of some sort--which like all the pleasures of Arborea, is not permanent. Habitual violators are barred from the plane.
The Devils are angered by the very existence of Arborea. Its uncoupling of actions from consequences, and the general frivolity and indolence of its inhabitants, make it an frequently cited example of what the cosmos would be like if Chaos got it's way.
That last paragraph fascinates me.
ReplyDelete"The Devils are angered by the very existence of Arborea. Its uncoupling of actions from consequences..."
While I get what the intent here is, the phrasing makes me wonder if Arborea (like any Chaos plane, probably) has the occasional, ah, issue with causality not working the way a Primer would expect. Usually it's just a lack of aftereffects from the revelry, but maybe sometimes events get a bit out of order, or time itself hiccups and shudders. There's sure an eternal tea party of the mad somewhere in Arborea, with attendance imposed upon those who offend time.
"...and the general frivolity and indolence of its inhabitants, make it an frequently cited example of what the cosmos would be like if Chaos got it's way."
Diabolic public relations are really hit-or-miss, aren't they? Sure, they're good at tempting folks into behavior that will get them stuck in Hell, but then we get this kind of thing. An entire plane that acts as a hedonistic holiday theme park/Las Vegas mashup with nigh on to zero consequences for your actions and they're using it as an example of how awful Chaos is? This is not how you sell your average mortal on Law's agenda.
Particularly inept given that Pandemonium (which almost any mortal would be appalled by) is just a few doors down. :)
Ha! Well, I don't think that's the diabolic play to mortals. That's there internal messaging.
ReplyDeleteHeh. And now I want to do an adventure where a bunch of infernal agents are running around Sigil trying to catch a reporter who's gotten ahold of one of Hell's internal memos and plans to use it for an embarrassing article in the broadsheet she works for. Maybe some middle management pit fiend complaining to a peer about how one of the Big Bosses took a vacation at some pleasure-palace in Arborea staffed by (gasp!) succubi, that'd be newsworthy.
ReplyDeleteBonus points if the journalist's initials are LL, of course.
Great stuff.
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