Spheres

The spheres are a mysterious feature that dot much of the Elemental Plane of Air. As their name implies, they are moon-sized spheres of steel and bronze covered in an ancient, immense script carved into their surfaces.

History

Records from the most ancient archives of the Jaathoom Empire indicate that these carvings were once much deeper, but uncountable ages of relentless wind have slowly started to wear them away. These symbols defy all translation, even magical, and no one has ever been able to penetrate the spheres via any means. Some theorists once speculated that whatever lies within them is some sort of ancient rival to the plane's native jaathooms from the depths of pre-history.

Jaathooms treat the spheres as deeply taboo, and many of the plane's inhabitants consider them cursed prisons of ancient foes. Settlements and buildings built atop the spheres, which are some of the few points of solidity on the plane, have subsequently vanished without any trace.

Attempts to use divination magic to look inside the spheres reveal images of a churning mass of bloody teeth that have driven some viewers mad. Those who have consulted gods about this mystery note that the most ancient deities seem to show a flicker of ancient regret or remorse before refusing to say anything more about them.

Recent events

As of 4716 AR, a human Pathfinder monk named Zennia Lyn plots the paths and researches the writings of numerous spheres, believing that their movements are not random but actually predict massive cosmic events. Lyn has already seen positive results from her studies, including glimpses of profound unguessed-at truths. However, her studies upset the jaathooms, who plotted to thwart her plans—or perhaps worse.

At some point after 4718 AR, Lyn interpreted a pattern that led her to be present when one of the spheres spontaneously cracked open at the same time as the re-emergence of the Planes of Wood and Metal in 4723 AR.

The Pathfinder reported that the orb contained impaired kizidhars who had been held in indefinite stasis, and whose language was hardly compatible with kizidhars native to the Plane of Wood. The orb also contained rooms that resembled dwellings or cells on its interior walls, which are filled with traps and a projected deep feeling of revulsion. Lyn also claimed that another sphere, this one from the Plane of Metal, had also opened.