Atlas of the Planes

Mount Celestia: Lunia - The Darker Side of the Silver Heaven

Credit to /u/kylorazz for doing the first post on Lunia. My conception of Lunia was so different than theirs
that I wanted to post my own. Their Lunia is to me how the subsequent layers would be, but first you must pass
through...the "darker" Lunia.
Unlike my past Atlas posts, which I wrote in preparation of the players entering that plane, my players have
already passed through Lunia, so I feel like I have a better idea about this one than my previous ones.
"Welcome dear traveller to Mount Celestia! Now, I know many of the Archons here are a bit long
winded, and I am certainly no exception, so please pull up a seat. I'm sure you have many
questions. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here! After all, Mount Celestia is a plane of learning. At least,
it is if you hope to climb it. Oh, and don't mind the guards, there has been word of devils about."

Politics
Mount Celestia is the most Lawful and most Good Plane, if I do say so myself, so what kind of guide
would I be if I didn't touch upon the politics and laws you'll be expected to maintain here? Well, lucky
for you, you're just on the first layer, Lunia. Here, there are few rules to follow.
But let me back up. Everyone who comes here wants to climb the mountain, eventually. It's
something about the plane itself, it gives everyone that drive to climb, sooner or later. But don't
worry, that's good! The higher you manage to climb, the more idyllic the plane becomes! In fact, no
one who ever climbs to the top has returned. It's just so perfect, why would you want to? At least,
that's what they say. I guess I don't know how they could know since no one has returned, but I
guess that kind of doubt is why I haven't been able to climb.
In order to progress from one layer to another, you have to prove yourself. The road to perfect
enlightenment is not easy! But don't worry, Archons everywhere, especially the Greater ones, won't
hesitate to assist you in a quest to discover the path upwards, and if you listen closely to their
sermons, you'll find the way. The trials will allow you to prove how much you have learned about the
divine truth on your journey. If you have not learned, you will not be allowed to pass.
What does this have to do with the humble layer of Lunia? Well, as you could probably tell when you
arrived, you didn't have to go through any trials to be here. That means that anyone can come,
angels, devils, modrons, anyone!
And that, my friend, is why all these guarded fortresses are everywhere. There is a war on between
Archons and Devils. Though most of the fighting happens between Acheron and Arcadia, bands of
cunning devils manage to avoid the natural defenses of this plane and regularly raid innocent towns.
Now, I don't want to give you the wrong impression here, we in Celestia believe that everyone is
welcome, and anyone can achieve enlightenment. Here in Lunia, everyone is just begining their path
upwards, and will have a lot to learn. In order to live peacefully here, all you must do is demonstrate
that willingness to learn. No one is expected to be a saint just yet.
Even Devils and Demons can come and learn the true path to holiness, if they are able to forgo their
past atrocities and change their ways. And so here are the laws of the land: we do not attack fiends
on sight here, for fear of ostracizing beings who are on the path to improve themselves. In fact, no
one is allowed to raise a weapon against another here except: 1) in self defense, 2) in defense of
another, 3) against a clearly unrepentent being who does not intend to climb. Once travelers cross to
the upper layers, they will be expected to maintain stricter rules, but here they are free to learn about
their new, improving selves. If they become aggressive in the process, we will detain them and teach
them peace, with ruthless efficiency if necessary. If they come as a war band, then they will be
destroyed without hesitation.

Discovery
Let's go outside and I'll give you a tour.
I'm sure you noticed when you came in that the entire mountain of Celestia is surrounding by an
infinite ocean of blue-silver water. Maybe you couldn't tell the color, since it's always twilight on this
plane, so it's sometimes hard to see. The only light comes from a distant light from the top of the
mountain and the silvery stars, which is why this layer is also called the Silver Heaven, and the
surrounding ocean is called the Silver Sea. Well, also all the Lantern Archons floating everywhere
provide plenty of light, but I'll get to them later.
The sea is full of peaceful aquatic life, but most notably, it is blessed. That's right, the entire ocean is
made of Holy Water. And all the portals into Lunia are out in the ocean, in sight of the great
mountain, so any evil beings who wish to enter must first pass through the burning water. Of course,
most of the more intelligent devils know this, and bring ways to protect themselves as much as
possible, but it serves as an excellent first deterrent. That's the real reason why few battles take
place here.
But not every good being can swim, right? I knew you were wondering about that. So what do they
do? Well, the lantern archons keep a close eye on the ocean, and can tell when someone new has
teleported in. They are our first eyes in case of an attack, and they are always eager to prove
themselves worthy of progressing up the mountain and up the archon hierarchy. A lantern archon
who notices a drowning swimmer will immediately notify a more corporeal archon, ideally a flying
Trumpet Archon, to come and help. Until one arrives, any nearby sea creatures, abnormally
intelligent compared to the ones on the Material Plane, will pull the drowner up. It's not uncommon to
see people being pulled to shore by dolphins, or held out of the water by a giant octopus tentacle.
For some, this is the first test: either use your skills to save yourself, or trust in the aid of others. For
a surprising number, this proves difficult.
Once ashore, a visitor will find themselves amidst craggy rocks. Again, lantern archons love to help
people who are lost, and will help guide visitors to a nearby town. Unfortunately, to find any path in
Celestia, you must search for it yourself. Guides can help you, and indeed trust is important here,
but so is independence. Luckily, many of the archons who reside here have not learned that lesson
and will guide anyone anywhere just to try to gain "points."
Paths between citadels on the shore are easy to find, relative to the path up. There are a myriad of
paths upwards to enlightenment: Humility, Generosity, Devotion, Honor, and so on. Each literal road
up the mountain requires you to learn one of these figurative paths to enlightenment. As you
progress, you will have to deomonstrate your wilingness to grow along that path. No one in Lunia is
expected to be a master of these paths, or to have reached enlightenment. Here, it is sufficient to be
willing to learn. And don't worry, further up, you are not required to stick to the same path forever.
You may indeed have to learn many beatific traits in your ultimate journey up the mountain.
Because of the periodic raids, most cities here are citadels and castles for defense. Let's go to one
of my friends, Lord Mahlhevik, in his castle.

The Locals
Oh, don't mind Mahlhevik here. He may look like a mad old necromancer, but he's convinced us he's
had a change of heart. We're still trying to teach him to call them "guest rooms" instead of "cells," but
I'm sure he'll learn. When he first came, he tried to bring a cadre of zombies to help him build a
castle, but the archons wouldn't have any of it. After a reasoned dialogue, where he pleaded to learn
the ways of goodness and law, the archons themselves helped build him this castle to help him feel
at home. He's just one of the recently-evil beings you might find here.
The more powerful archons watch Mahlhevik and other penitent fiends closely. They may be
trusting, but they're not foolish, and there have been plenty of devils who thought one ordered
society would be like any other, and tried to kill someone to get promoted up the mountain. With so
many to watch, it's not surprising that small groups of truly evil devils occasionally sneak their way in
to try to gather information, or to sabotage fortifications to assist their armies. Be wary of any fiend
you meet, but attacking without provocation is against our rules, and will result in swift retribution.
On a lighter note, you'll find all kinds of archons here, as well as a fair few aasimar, but it is primarily
the home of the Lantern Archons. These hopefuls are spirits who wish to reach enlightened
apotheosis, but still have yet to learn the way and prove themselves. (For 5e, see below for Archon
stats) These hopefuls are generally very friendly and helpful, guiding travelers with their light, though
they have many different interpretations of what "helping" entails. I've heard of some that will guide
travelers into trouble, hoping to teach them through experience the righteous way to deal with
conflict. They all just want to demonstrate in their own way that they are worthy of ascending.
When a lantern archon does ascend, it will become a Hound Archon. Hound Archons are noble
beings, tending towards honest, but more subdued means of expressing their righteousness. They
represent the infinite potential of growth you can find here, and they can often grow to great strength
before being promoted themselves. You'll be able to recognize them instantly, with their gleaming
mail, greatswords, and dog heads. When a lantern archon becomes a hound archon, it is allowed to
ascend to the next layer, Mercuria, though some lantern archons who were especially righteous in
life are allowed to ascend early.
The higher archons, like Trumpet and Sword Archons, tend to only visit Lunia on more military
matters, or to check up on aspriring travelers like Lord Mahlhevik. Warden Archons (who generally
look like large Hound Archons with bear heads) are stoic and self-contained. They are the guardians
of the paths between layers. In order to pass through from Lunia to Mercuria, you must find one and
pass its test.
Lunia is fairly crowded between all the Lantern Archons. Only those who are worthy can progress,
but more arrive every day hoping to climb the mountain to reach paradise.
Travel
Celestia is a gated community, and the Warden Archons guard the gate, while Lunia contains
everyone who wants to pass in, regardless of their natural tendencies, so be careful. As I mentioned,
as long as you can survive Holy Water, it's easy to get to Lunia from a neighboring plane.
Again, the key to Lunia is proving that you are willing to learn and grow, and accept others who are
on the same journey. Not everyone in Lunia is "good," but everyone in the next layer, Mercuria, has
already proved themselves at least not "evil." Beyond that, travelers are filtered out further, and only
the most righteous can progress.
The point of Celestia is to climb. Everyone here, and every aspect of the entire plane, is focused on
the climb to the top layer and ultimate transcendence. As you saw, the terrain consists of sandy
beaches, dotted with castles and citadels, but as soon as reach the foot of the mountain, the
landscape is entirely rocky crags and cliffs, filled with cracks. To an evil visitor, it would appear an
unclimbable cliff. To an earnest visitor, willing to learn and grow and show their goodness, the cracks
in the rocks and cliffs appear wider, wide enough to climb, even as wide as a small valley. This is
how those who are worthy are able to reach the peak and enter the next layer.
When traveling as a group, it's possible that some people will appear to be climbing impossible
cracks and avoiding obvious paths. It can be a little mind bending and confusing, but worry not! In
this, one of the most Lawful planes, there is no trickery, just a logical solution. Many cracks
represent the heavenly traits I mentioned earlier: Mercy, Charity, Honor, and so on. Your friend was
probably just more virtuous in one way, while you were virtuous in another. Both paths will lead to
the peak! Someone who has many virtues will be able to always take the fastest path up. But don't
worry about losing your friend to another path, as friendship is the greatest ally of Good. If you are
traveling with friends, it is easier to help those less virtuous friends along your path than it would be
for them to travel on their own. It takes humility to allow your friend to help you, and that is a
heavenly virtue. It might not get you far past Lunia, but for the jagged terrain of this layer, stragglers
aren't heavily punished.
When you finally get to the highest points of Lunia, you will encounter a Warden if you wish to pass
on to Mercuria. In order to prove yourself to the Warden, you will have to perform some task which
would be impossible with an impure heart. It might be easy to cheat, or to sacrifice others' progress
to assist your own. In a truly honorable society, everyone helps each other, and so you must help
others rather than harm them, even if it appears that it will disqualify you from progressing yourself.
The Wardens have kind hearts, and like all Archons, enjoy lecturing, and will show leniency if you
show that you are willing to listen. Only those who can listen and grow can pass. That is the true
test, not whatever task they have set before you.
Should you need to return back down the mountain, you will of course find it easier than climbing, as
with any mountain. The paths you treaded to climb will still be there, mostly, and flying down offers
none of the resistance of flying up the first time, and you can follow the same path back up again,
even making use of flight. You just can't fly past where you've been by climbing. If you try, the cracks
seem to close and hide, and the wall of the mountain appears to be an infinitely tall cliff. This is
especially true for evil flying creatures, who might not even be able to find any flat ground to set
down on short of the Silver Sea.
And so I must leave you, but I am confident that you can find harmony and mercy on this plane, and
progress up the path of righteousness.

Mysteries
Celestia is, of course, the most lawful and good plane. It is easy to lean too far to one side or the
other, but it is really equally both. Archons and inhabitants of Celestia enjoy organized cities with
strong individual freedoms. In the upper layers, the Archons won't allow any individual to be destitute
or downtrodden by society, but on Lunia, that society has not yet been reached. In the towns, you
will find unfair power differentials, like rich merchants while paupers roam the streets, and
occasionally selfish or desceptive individuals, but typically these will be much less common than in
cities on the Material Plane. Finding and chastising such people might be a good way to prove that
you're learning the correct ways to be, which can reveal the path upwards, but only if done in a
proper way. Shame and humiliation are tools of evil, or at least lawful neutrality, but simple
chastisment and instruction are more noble ways forward. Similarly, mercy and charity to those who
have been downtrodden is of course a way to show your righteousness.
Learning the proper way to behave is key to climbing Celestia, and if you're on Celestia for any
reason besides climbing, then (according to the Archons), you're there for the wrong reason.
Descriptions of the way the rock cracks are affected by the perception of climbers creates interesting
challenges for encounters, where ambushes can come from any crack, and yet escape is a matter of
finding a path your persuer can't follow.
Although combat is discouraged in Lunia except in self defense or against non-repentent evil, most
archons above Lanterns are heavily armed and armored. On higher levels, they train for large scale
battles against devils in other planes, and to protect Celestia. Lunia, then, is the last battleground. If
devils got a foothold here, they can lay siege to the upper layers. Lantern archons serve the
important role of providing first notice of evil and iluminating evil doers, yet they are themselves fairly
defenseless. By keeping the heavily armed archons out of Lunia, some evil has a chance to repent
without fear of being smited. This also means that it might be up to the players to hold off an
incursion in time for Sword or Trumpet archons to arrive.

Archons for Fifth Edition

5e DMs might notice that there is no "Archon" entry in the 5e Monster Manual. They were in all the
previous editions (at least back to 2e, not sure about before that), so I was surprised at their
absence. In general, they cut out non-evil beings, which makes sense for a Monster Manual. Here
are some options to reflavor monsters into classic Archons in 5e. I also arranged them in heirarchy
order for your convenience. There were more introduced in various sources, but here are the core
ones. For each, change the type to Lawful Good Celestial:
 Lantern Archon: Will-o'-Whisp, remove Consume Life and Invisibility, increase attack range to
30 feet and damage type to Radiant. Can cast Guidance as the cantrip.
 Hound Archon: Werewolf, remove ability to spread Lycanthropy, give it a Greatsword and a
Breastplate and adjust damage and AC accordingly. Damage immunity becomes damage
resistance from nonmagical weapons (removing silvered stipulation). Instead of a wolf, it turns
into a hound, but the stats do not change.
 Warden Archon: Werebear, remove ability to spread Lycanthropy, give it Full Plate and adjust
AC accordingly. It can choose to keep the full plate when in bear form or rely on the natural
armor instead. Damage immunity becomes damage resistance from nonmagical weapons
(removing silvered stipulation). Gain the ability to speak any language.
 Sword Archon: Deva (angel), remove Healing Touch and Change Shape. Add: Can change its
hands into swords or back at will. Cannot be disarmed. Gain Parry as an Erinyes. Enemies
slain by a Sword Archon's blades have their souls sent to a prison in Celestia where they are
bound, unable to be restored to life without being freed.
 Trumpet Archon: Planetar (angel), remove Healing Touch and the spells Invisibility and Insect
Plague. Add: As a bonus action the sword becomes a trumpet, or vice versa. As an action, the
Trumpet Archon can blow its trumpet (as long as it's not a sword). All creatures except
Celestials who can hear it within 100 feet must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be
stunned until the end of the Trumpet Archon's next turn (as the Vrock's Stunning Screech
ability). Any creature who succeeds on the saving throw is immune from the Trumpet Archon's
trumpet blast for 24 hours.
 Throne Archon: Planetar (angel), remove the spell Insect Plague, Add: All creatures except
Celestials who can see the Throne Archon feel remorse for their past sins. They gain one
level of exhaustion (cumulative) and take 1d12 damage each turn they can see the Throne
Archon. They can avert their eyes (like against a basilisk) to avoid this affect. Exhaustion
caused by this ability is reduced by one level for each minute since the Throne Archon was
last seen. The Throne Archon can activate or deactivate this ability at will. If it is killed while
this ability is active, it remains active for one minute on the remaining body. A creature can
only gain five levels of exhaustion from this ability. If they had at least one from another
source, this ability will knock the affected creature unconscious at six levels instead of kill
them.

Toolbox
As you can imagine, most encounters in Celestia will be non-combat. Some relatively mundane
encounters have new meaning here, like someone asking for directions or a begger asking for
money. Here are some examples:
 Two aasimar climbers are having trouble, though the path appears clear to the PCs. One
thinks the other is holding him back. The other says the first insisted on bringing all their junk,
and that's what's holding them back. Both refuse to listen to each other, but might listen to
PCs.
 A lantern archon is headed the wrong way. It stops to ask the players which way is up, and
can't really tell which way the players are pointing, and if questioned, tries its hardest to give
the "right" answers, but they're not actually helpful.
 In Heart's Faith, a central hub town that trades goods delivered from upper layers to travelers
in other planes who can only make it so far, a begger stops the players to ask for some money
for climbing gear and food. She clearly tries to get the most out of the players that she can.
 A lantern archon is admonishing all climbers who pass, and being very harsh and self-
righteous. A tiefling is getting angry at the chastisement, even though it's trying its hardest. It
looks like it might give up, or outright attack the lantern archon if it goes on any further.
As discussed above, the lack of heavily-armed defense on this border layer has interesting
implications for combat encounters. The Silver Sea provides some defense against devils by burning
them with Holy Water, but some may find a way through, and other evil creatures which are no
susceptible to holy water, like Humans, can find their way in easily, even if they can't climb far. Here
are some combat encounter examples:
 A powerful devil and some minions have managed to sneak into the layer (probably by
sacrificing Lemures). They are now convincing lantern archons to turn evil and follow them
back to hell (probably to replace the lost Lemures; devils love corrupting innocents). The
players may need to fight these archons, or the devils, or both at once (depending on PC
level). If this is allowed to go on, maybe the lanterns form a picket line. "Stratification by caste
is immoral! Stratification by deed is logical!" "Only the cruel would keep the masses from
experiencing equal bliss! In Hell, everyone experiences power together!"
 One of Lord Mahlhevik's friends has heard about the greatness of climbing the mountain, and
wants to do it himself. Unfortunately he's too evil to find the path, so he has been ambushing
people to try to capture slaves that can lead him up.
 A xorn or other earth elemental type of creature has found climbing easy: just go through the
rocks. But it has been blasting through cracks and hurting defenseless archons. One escaped
and tells the players about it and asks for help.
 Should the players act evil, or try to attack a climber (even a devil who has not yet shown
whether they are repentent or not), in sight of a lantern archon, it will flee to find a more
powerful archon to stop them. The paths will seem more closed off and difficult to them
because of evil acts.
All encounters, both combat and non-combat, if completed virtously or in a "Lawful Good" manor,
give the reward of an easier climb and progress up the mountain. Many travelers go lightly, only
bringing what they need for the journey, so money will not be a common reward. On the other hand,
vendors are unlikely to scalp the players, and will often sell "at cost" as a show of generocity, so they
should require significantly less money than usual.
Most of the population of Lunia is congregated in the citadels and fortresses along the shore of the
Silver Sea, and in humble towns dotting the slopes, like Heart's Faith and Castle Mahlhevik. Here
are some NPCs one might find in them:
 Lord Mahlhevik (and sometimes his friends): This ex-evil necromancer once traveled the
planes, especially the evil ones, before deciding to finally change his ways. Now he sits on a
 throne of skulls in an austere castle, trying his hardest to listen patiently to archons teaching
him the ways of Lawful Good. He tries sincerely, but is bad at it. He has trouble with certain
words, like calling people "puny guests" instead of normal "guests," and the guest chambers
he calls "cells." He has difficulty telling curious travelers his life story without tying them down
so they are "forced" to listen to his monologue. His friends include Sytris "the Soul Reaver"
and Japheth "Lifeleech." (I introduced them to my players by having one of these visitors try to
get the castle blacksmith, an aasimar, to forge a weapon out of some black-ichor-dripping
organ. Of course, the aasimar refused, and the visitor exclaimed "what good is this plane if
you can't forge a soul-sucking weapon here anyway?")
 Barachiel, The Messenger: The lowest of the Hebdomad, the organization of powerful archons
who govern the seven layers of Celestia. Barachiel governs Lunia, watching for incursion,
then rushing off to notify the others if one occurs. His eyes are on the bigger picture, and
intentionally turns a blind eye to dangers smaller than an army. He may recruit powerful,
righteous denizens (like the PCs, or groups of lantern archons) to keep an eye on smaller
groups and report back.
When the players get to the top of Lunia, they will have to face a test before progressing. There are
some suggestions here, and feel free to add more ideas here. I found creating trials somewhat
difficult, though I still think the one in the OP of the linked post was pretty clever if I do say so myself.
The trials are run by Warden Archons, and in Lunia, the purpose is for the players to demonstrate
that they are willing to learn. It doesn't matter yet just how virtuous they are, since they must have
been somewhat virtuous to be able to climb. It is the duty of the Wardens to reward those who pass,
not punish those who fail. It is the duty of the DM to allow ways for the players to progress, so most
Wardens will allow the players to continue even if they fail the test, if they perform it in good faith and
listen to a lecture on the value of intention versus deed. Sometimes, the test will be neigh-
impossible, and they're just looking to block cheaters. If your players are planning on climbing into
subsequent layers, keep in mind the "lesson" each is supposed to teach, and thus what they need to
prove to have learned the lesson. For example, if the third layer, Venya, is heavily focused on
cooperation, then the trial to get to the fourth layer should require teamwork to surpass. That means
that the trial to get to the second layer could be easier with teamwork, but might not require it, since
travelers haven't "learned" that lesson yet.
There is a common conception that the Good planes are boring, and no one would ever want to go
there, since there is no conflict. So here are some reasons for players to come to Celestia:
 To rescue or gain knowledge from the soul of a paladin
 To consult a god
 To gain a powerful anti-evil weapon
 To gather allies in a war versus evil and/or chaos or warn them of an attack (the archons of
Celestia excel at gathering a powerful Good military)
 To hide from an evil being who is hunting them
 To prove themselves to a Lawful Good order
 To entomb an evil artifact, like a philactory, where it can be watched by the army of Good for
all time
It's true that the players might be unlikely to go there on their own, but when I had an npc tell my
players that they had to gather an army from among the planes, they almost immediately decided to
check out Celestia. It helped to have a paladin of Moradin, though.