Editing Astral Sea (4e) (section)

==Denizens of the Astral Sea==
The Astral Sea is full of many different creatures, and in the best D&D tradition most of those probably want to have you for lunch.

''[[Abomination]]s'' are rare but terrible monsters, living weapons created by the gods and the Primordials alike during the Dawn War but too wild and malevolent to control afterwards. Most are locked up within [[Carceri]], but others roam freely through the Astral Sea.

''[[Angel]]s'', needless to say, proliferate here; it is their birthplace, the center of their civilization, and the primary focus of their duties.

''Astral Travelers'' are, obviously, any beings who have reason to be roaming around the Astral. This term covers anything from planar adventurers to divine servitors to Exalted and Outsiders; it just serves as a catch-all for anybody either living a nomad's lifestyle in the Astral Sea or using it as a way to get from place to another.

''[[Bladeling]]s'' are a nomadic race of razor-skinned humanoid mercenaries, created by the god [[Bane]] from his loyal human servants in the [[Dawn War]] only for them to turn their backs on him when he abandoned them in favor of the [[goblinoid]]s. They are particularly common in [[Sigil]], whose "blade and spikes heavy" architectural style, abundant razorvine, and acidic smog is all very homey to them.

''[[Couatl]]'' are arrogant and vainglorious feathered serpents who seek to slay evil as part of their endless, convoluted dance for status and prestige in their meritocratic society.

''[[Deva]]s'', whilst more associated with the [[Prime Material]], are also found here in considerable numbers, since they are former [[angel]]s.

''[[Devil]]s'' are descended from fallen angels who betrayed their divine master and murdered him, being cursed into hideous, twisted shapes. Although mostly bound to their prison of Baator, they still have freedom enough to roam the Astral Sea, either in service to wary gods of evil or else pursuing their own wicked plots.

''Exalted'' are one of two races covering what, in past editions, were known as [[Petitioner]]s. These are the souls of mortals who worshipped the gods and were chosen to enter the Astral Sea for their afterlives. Mostly they stay in their chosen Dominions, but one occasion may be given cause to travel the greater Astral Sea or even make their way to [[Sigil]].

''[[Exarch]]'' is the general term given to the staggering variety of lesser divinities, saints, proxies and other divine powerhouses who aren't strong enough to be considered full gods. As such individuals either directly serve the gods, or seek to complete the transformation into godhood, it goes without saying that they can be found here.

''[[Githyanki]]'' are an ancient race of piratical raiders, driven to torment all other peoples out of paranoid fear of once-again falling to slavery, as their ancient ancestors did in the face of the [[Illithid]]s. Driven by a lust for raiding and conquering, they use the Astral Sea as an impregnable defense against retaliation, whilst constantly searching for new portals that might lead to new worlds to attack and plunder.

''[[God]]s'', it should go without saying, usually call the Astral Sea their home, ruling over their precious Dominions. There are some exceptions, with the [[Raven Queen]] dwelling in the [[Shadowfell]] and [[Torog]] dwelling in the [[Underdark]], but most deities live in the Astral Sea.

''[[Marut]]s'' are a race of divine constructs - angelic stone [[golem]]s, essentially - fashioned eons ago by the gods as the ultimate impartial arbitrators and mediators, then discarded when they turned out to work all too well. Now they seek to gather a web of favors and pledges, slowly and methodically working to usurp control over the multiverse and reshape it to a more... ''orderly''... form.

''[[Shardmind]]s'' are a race of psychic crystalline living constructs who were created when a magical crystal barrier between the Astral Sea and the [[Far Realm]] was destroyed. As such, they are frequently found traveling the Astral in an effort to understand who they are and what their place is, with [[Hestavar]] having one of the largest known populations of them in the multiverse.

''[[Quom]]'' are a former race of gentle medics and magicians, driven insane with rage by the death of their world-god, Lakal. They now roam the Astral Sea constantly in continent-sized crystal ships, seeking to gather the fragments of Lakal so that they can restore her.

''Outsiders'' are identical to Exalted in all ways bar one: as a symptom of what breaking the Lattice of Heaven has done, these souls are incapable of entering the Dominions of their patron deities, stranding them for all eternity just outside of their chosen heaven. These unfortunates make up the majority population of the Border Isles - smaller worldlets that orbit the various Dominions - although many choose to head elsewhere in the Astral or to Sigil, having no inherent place in the heavens.