Astral Plane
The Astral Plane is a place at once unknowable and familiar. The plane takes the form of a vast calm crystal-clear lake, shallow enough to walk along for anyone who visits or passes through. In the skies, there is no sun, but every star that ever was or ever will be can be found there. The lake waters mirror that vast and dreadfully beautiful sky. The plane is inhabited by thin reeds and creatures entirely alien to the Material Plane. To visit there is to peer into the collective unconscious and, simultaneously, to look introspectively at yourself.
Minds and Souls¶
The Astral Plane is the reservoir of thoughts and souls. The waters of this place are formed from the lingering thoughts and experiences of countless others that have been filtered through the reeds before them, and even of those that have yet to pass through after. Peering into that water is literally looking into the collective thoughts of all life. Through our reflection that we see in those waters, we can see our thoughts, or actions, and the choices we've made and continue to make. We can see both what we think of ourselves and what others think of us.
This is where the spirits of those recently passed naturally sort themselves towards the different Outer Planes, seeking out their destined afterlife after a period of calm and lucid self-reflection. Through the meditative process of coming to terms with one's self, the spirits of the dead chip away at themselves, refining themselves until they expose their true ego. After that, it becomes obvious where in the Outer Planes they are destined to spend their afterlife.
Until a soul passes into the Outer Planes, it can be resurrected through the spell Raise Dead. After that, it cannot be resurrected through any spell less than Resurrection. This period of time, in reality, greatly differs from person to person. They may experience countless aeons struggling with their passing, but they each ultimately come to a conclusion and, for those who remain on the material plane, that time will only ever be a day.
Life¶
Besides the dead souls of mortals, there are living creatures native to the Astral Plane. Some of them are harmless or even friendly, but many are entirely alien and terrifying. And, besides that, there are creatures who have come to the Astral Plane from elsewhere. It is said that if fate deems that you should not be in the Astral Plane but visit it anyways, then you are doomed to die to its inhabitants before you leave. Regardless, many have come back to the Material Plane without even encountering these creatures, offering comforting stories of the friendlier creatures that live there.
Many living creatures native to the Material Plane have also found their homes there. Some find themselves to be lost castaways in an endless and hostile sea. Others are more in tune with the nature of the Plane itself, finding a home for themselves. Many who find themselves at home, metaphorically, in the Astral Plane easily come to find an island among the reeds, and are able to construct a literal home upon its shores. These islands tend to come together over time, forming small communities focused around communing with the nature of the Astral Plane and thereby melding to a degree with the collective unconscious.
The occasional Celestial, Fiend, or Icon wanders into the Astral Plane, hoping to collect the souls of the dead for their own purposes. Doing so, however, seems to greatly anger the life of the plane. Those beings from the Outer Planes that make it back alive rarely come back with the spoils that they sought when entering.
Aberrations have long been present in the Astral Plane. Surprisingly, they keep to themselves there. As long as you keep your distance from their well organized lines, they rarely seek out the denizens of the plane itself or the travellers passing through. It's possible that they do not want to anger the plane. It's also possible that the plane holds no significant value to them.