Sea of Fire

Without question, the most dominating feature of the Elemental Plane of Fire is the Sea of Lava, which covers nearly the entire plane. While it is an environment of nearly incomprehensible danger to non-natives, it serves as the main thoroughfare for those who call the fiery world home. Still, much like its watery counterparts, the Sea of Lava presents a number of dangers even to those who can stand its heat and traverse it frequently. There is the risk of getting lost at sea, and stormy weather can prove disastrous. Even creatures that are resistant to the scorching heat of the waves of lava may not be able to swim long enough to reach land, should their boat capsize far from shore. Like any other ocean, the Sea of Lava has a complex system of currents, and on the open ocean, waves can be tens of feet high. The fact that the waves are made of scorching hot molten rock and fire makes it vastly more dangerous than seas made of mere water, however.

Natives to the plane will tell you that, in fact, it is not just one massive ocean, but that there are several distinct seas with distinguishing features; to visitors, however, one region of endless, molten lava seems just like another, and often travelers are too busy trying to survive to appreciate much else about the boiling sea. Once beyond the view of the few islands of civilization that dot the Plane of Fire, there are many dangers that threaten those who would sail on the Sea of Lava, and many details about the sea and its inhabitants are still unknown. Even the greatest of planar travelers have never seen the bottom of the sea’s vast depths, and even those who are comfortable swimming in the molten waves fear the sea’s lurking inhabitants. Fire serpents and worse roam the waves, eager to strike at unwary travelers; few who attempt to swim any distance through the Sea of Lava reach their destination alive.

Despite its many dangers, those who want to travel from one place to another on the Plane of Fire must brave the fiery waves. In order to do so, the efreet have developed ships that can withstand the heat of the lava. These ships are often made of brass or volcanic rock, and are used almost universally for traveling about the plane. Occasionally there are those who think that it would be safer to fly above the sea to get to their destination, rather than floating through it, but the dangers of the skies are not to be underestimated: those who attempt flight will have to be prepared for the terrible firestorms which often rage across the plane, and if a creature can’t endure the heat of the lava sea, such storms spell a similar doom for him. Even if able to withstand the fires, however, travelers who adventure through the sky will find a number of other deadly threats await them: the air is often filled with choking fumes and gasses, and clouds of smoke can make even the most experienced navigator lose his way. And of course, one cannot rule out the chance that a passing dragon or other malicious flying predator might attack. When it comes down to it, most decide to trust the efreet’s ships, which have been (relatively) reliably transporting passengers for countless generations, rather than take on the uncharted dangers of the skies.

Newcomers to the Elemental Plane of Fire will soon find it painfully clear that the efreet do, in fact, strictly control maritime travel and trade. Those who wish to buy or captain a ship across the Sea of Lava can do so only with the permission of an efreet lord (something that is typically very difficult for any non-efreeti to obtain), and with the purchase of an expensive license. Attempting to bypass these laws is punishable by death. Even so, piracy and freebooting are an everyday problem in the Sea of Lava, and maritime marauders constantly threaten trade and stability. Most who travel on the Sea of Lava, however, are merchant vessels transporting heavy cargos of gems or foodstuffs to or from the City of Brass or other civilized places on the plane, or else belong to the efreet navy, which constantly patrols the region with large warships manned with elite efreeti warrior-mages, bent on ensuring the rule of efreeti law.

While the fabled City of Brass is the most prominent location on the Sea of Lava (and, perhaps, the entire plane), there are many other notable areas that travelers often wish to visit. The Pillar of Issum and the Everburning Reef are both major sites of interest in the Sea of Lava, and besides these places there are numerous islands throughout the region where one can find unique and varied creatures and cultures. Chief among these are the five great island cities, which provide a sense of civilization away from the large mainland regions of the rest of plane.

--A Tourist’s Guide to: The Elemental Plane of Fire, Copyright 2013; Authors: Alex Riggs, Joshua Zaback, Rosa Gibbons