Elysium (Pathfinder)

Elysium (also referred to as the Promised Land, or the Realm of Heroes) is the Chaotic Good plane in the Pathfinder Great Beyond cosmology.

It has little in common with the Elysium of the D&D Great Wheel and is more analogous to the plane of Arborea.

Elysium exemplifies "diversity in chaos", it is a plane of extremes: The mountains are taller and the oceans are deeper than anything that could possibly exist on the Material Plane. Life is absolutely bountiful, vibrant, and varied, with most souls appearing as idealized versions of their race; even the base animals are considered to be more cunning than their mortal kin.

The openness and acceptance of the plane makes it one of the most welcoming places to visit in the multiverse. But at the same time, such traits also make it the most dangerous good aligned plane for the same reason: not everything they accept is necessarily required to be friendly.

Locations

Elysium is almost invariably an incredibly lush and fecund environment. No matter where you are, from the top of the mountains to the depth of the sea you would find it suitable for some form of life or another.

The plane is a chaotic mess where territories often roll over each other. While "time" is mechanically considered normal, it actually holds little relevance for the purposes of "timekeeping": days and nights can be different lengths, lasting minutes in one cycle to hours in the next. Also, despite running off to infinity in all directions, it occasionally bleeds off to other more malevolent planes at different points meaning that navigation can be perilous.

Elysium is home to a large number of deities, who are all capable of imposing their own desires on their surrounding environment, introducing at least some form of standardization, at least as long as the whim is maintained.

Elarian is the home of the Elven pantheon of the Pathfinder setting. It is practically indistinguishable from the forests that surround it, steadily becoming more and more civilized and urbane the closer to the center that one travels. It is almost impossible to reach for enemies of elves, protected by wards and tantalizing visions that keep intruders walking in circles until they are forced to give up.

Jotungard is the home of the Giant pantheon. Much like the traditional fairy tale kingdoms of giants, Jotungard is indeed a nation built in the clouds, occupying a continent sized plate of oversized terrain features. Despite being a chaotic good plane, the giants are quite xenophobic and small-folk are only permitted on the outer edges and only if they have important business. Perhaps due to this outlook, the continent-plate occasionally drifts off into the more neutral Maelstrom.

Inhabitants

Because of its nature, Elysium is home to a veritable smorgasbord of varied inhabitants.

First and foremost would probably be the Petitioners, referred to as the Chosen. They appear as idealized versions of their former selves, though as is typical with most planar afterlives, they have little to no memory of their mortal existence. However, atypically of most other planes, the petitioners from Elysium are the some of the most likely to ascend to higher classes of outsider. Quite possibly because the Chosen have an affinity with an "ideal" in ways that no other petitioners do, the Chosen often quickly transform into half-celestials, perhaps within a few days or even hours of their arrival. Many more go on to become true Angels or Azatas in the fullness of time.

Azatas then represent the second-largest population on the plane, with it being their home. While they are fiercely independent, they do place great stock in community. Azatas usually pledge themselves to various factions known as Courts, though allegiances shift all the time.

The race of Elysian Titans probably represent the third major group, who migrated here following a conflict with the gods that saw their other titan-kin banished to the Abyss. The titans mostly keep to themselves in the most remote regions of the plane, though whether they have any connection to the Giant Pantheon is left unmentioned.