Exalted: Planes & Dimensions

The events of this adventure take place almost entirely in the boundaries of Creation. However, there are other dimensions that reside alongside or overlap with Creation, into which The Circle and others occasionally venture.

Shadow Lands & The Underworld
What little is known of the Underworld to all but the learned of Creation is that it is a realm where many among the dead linger, supposedly those with regrets or matters left unfulfilled in life. Cults and Religions that venerate the Ancestors of their adherents maintain that this is where their ancestors reside, and that their offerings and prayers keep these spirits alive and safe in the Underworld, preparing a place for their descendants to join them one day.

There are certain places, often places of single great or small ongoing tragedies and suffering such as sites of terrible battles or slaughter, where the echoes of that pain poison the land, weakening the boundaries between Creation and the Underworld. Here the air is cold and smells faintly of blood, the light is grey and living creatures either shun the area or grow sickly and weak over successive generations. One such place is the clearing to the south of Guimen and Hontari, where the villagers would leave their unwanted or mutated children to die of exposure as offerings, until the boatman Bal Sho reformed their practices into more structured worship of the ancestors.

The Mirrored Hall
What was once a First Age research outpost was, at some point after the Usurpation, occupied by an Unshaped Rakshasa, That Which Preceded Nolquieth, which repurposed it into a pocket dimension called The Mirrored Hall, into which it lured mortals to perform quests in exchange for fantastical gifts... at the risk of a terrible death, or a fate even worse. The Circle explored this realm during the events of The Tale of the Mirrored Hall and others, such as the Horned Man, are known to have also succeeded in their quests.

The Dreamlike Realm
After his experience acting as a conduit into the Mirrored Hall (see above), Reeds Whisper found that he would occasionally drift into a trancelike state where he was in some different version of the Swamp. Here the trees were older and grew higher, strange shapes figures could be seen in the distance (though none made their presence known save for a distant flute on one occasion) and in one excursion at night gigantic shapes were seen flying far above in the nighttime sky. Only Reeds knows how to get to this realm thus far, and even he doesn't know how he's managing it, but with the Bronze Tide currently bearing down on the people of the Cinder Isles he has yet to have chance to explore this realm further or articulate his experiences to his Circlemates fully.

The Thunderbirds' Sanctum
Like many greater spirits, the Thunderbirds have a shared spirit sanctum where they could dwell when not manifesting in the physical world. Theirs took the form of a great circle of tall pillars, carved with the likenesses of themselves fighting each other and other enemies, the centre was an arena of sorts surrounded by steps leading to it that could be used as seats by spectators. The Circle stayed here for what was only a matter of hours in the real world but which felt like weeks, as they consumed the ritual drug Bhang, shared stories and wrestled with the Thunderbirds as they struck a deal for the Thunderbirds to attack the Bronze Tide in the coming battle.