THE PLANE OF FIRE
Of all the Inner Planes, it's the plane of Fire that inspires true fear in all the but the most addle-coved traveler. Sure, there are other planes that're worse, like life-sucking Negative Energy Plane or the impassable plane of Earth, but these just don't have the sheer theatrical horror and evil feel of the plane of Fire. With its leaping flames, scorching heat, and choking brimstone smoke, it's no surprise that gullible primes often mistake this plane for one of the layers of Baator or Carceri. Still, few doubt the plane of Fire is the most evil of all the Elemental Planes, though that's purely a judgment call. Fire's probably the most powerful of the Elemental Planes, for it attacks and consumes its enemies, just because they're there.
The efreet are lords of this domain, ruling from the City of Brass, which floats in a sea of fire. Here one finds realms called the Charcoal Palace, the Obsidian Fields, the Furnace, and Slag. Like the dao, the efreet keep many slaves. Revolt and escape are impossible, since only the magic of the efreet protects slaves from the fiery element (who'd want to flee into the Fire?). Eighty miles from the City of Brass is Jabal Turab, the Mount of Dust. From its top rises a plume of smoke, a vortex to the plane of Air. Elsewhere throughout the plane are other efreet outposts, smaller palaces that float on the fiery seas.
Special Physical Conditions. The plane of Fire looks like a normal landscape with one major difference: Everything is cloaked in flame. The majority of the plane is a flaming ocean, but occasionally pockets of solid "land" float upon this. All things burn and scorch mercilessly. The air, too, will scorch and kill those without protection. Efreet are able to grant anyone they desire - mostly their slaves - temporary immunity to the land; otherwise, a traveler must use spells or magical devices to protect himself. Without such aid, a being must successfully save vs. breath weapon or die immediately. Those who do save still suffer 5d10 points of damage each round.
This plane has a definite "up" and "down," logically because flames leap upward, so movement on this plane is relatively normal. Food and water must both be imported and protected - the heat is so intense that it destroys these in mere moments. A create food and water cast without preparations does nothing more than conjure up a flash of steam and an inedible lump of charcoal and ash. Potions will boil in their vials and burst. A traveler's got to plan carefully before venturing about in this element.
Pockets of most other elements are rare, since the intensity of the plane destroys them almost as quickly as they're formed. Most common are pools of Magma, once pockets of Earth. Ash and Smoke pockets swirl though the air. When Water pockets appear, almost immediately disappear in an explosion of steam. True Water pockets are rare beyond imagining, and Ice pockets have the proverbial "snowball's chance in hell" of existing.
Special Magic Conditions. The plane of Fire has more effects on magic than most, and many that can't be overcome by keys. Many magical effects can't withstand the plane's scorching heat. Water and ice instantly boil away, metal melts, even earth shudders and eventually falls into magma. Conjuration/summonings can only reach the planes of Fire, Magma, Smoke, Radiance, and Ash, and even then some beings summoned won't be able to survive this furnace. Natives and Hazards. Azer, efreeti, fire elemental, fire mephit, fire minion, fire snake, firetail, flame spirit, harginn, hell hound, phantom stalker, salamander, and tshala all call this plane home. The plane of Fire has more dangerous creatures than any of the other Elemental Planes. Perhaps it's because there are fewer high-up men to interfere. Only two powers live here: Kossuth (the tyrant-king of all elementals) and Sultan Marrake al-Sidan al-Hariq ben Lazan (the Lord of the Flame, the Potentate Incandescent, the Tempering and Eternal Flame of Truth, the Smoldering Dictator, and so on). Both are greater powers. The elemental king has his palace at the hottest point of the plane - so hot that even fire creatures suffer 1d2 points of damage each turn while there. The efreet lord lives in the Charcoal Palace. Nonliving dangers include sudden fountains of flame (3d10 points of damage, save vs. breath weapon for half), cinder rain (2d6 points of damage per round to all exposed), and volcanic eruptions that can suddenly block the path.
