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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 9581378" data-attributes="member: 58172">The term "branches" seems to mean the planes themselves. The plane of Arvandor is one "branch". Arvandor is a part of the Astral Plane.But there is also a "line" between Astral Arvandor and Material Toril. This line passes thru other parts of the Astral Plane, outside of Arvandor. For example, to get from Toril to Arvandor one can enter the Forgotten Realms Astral Wild Space (Realmspace), and from there enter the Astral Sea, and finally while traveling the Sea arrive at the destination of Arvandor. These "shifts" in frequencies are happening at the "speed of thought", virtually instantaneously until one arrives at the frequency of Arvandor. Even so there is this pathway from Toril to Arvandor.This Tree branch "line" passes thru the Astral Sea that exists in the 4e Axis and the 3e Wheel. But it is like one is driving on a highway that passes thru a town but lacking exits to get off the highway into the town. Technically, the portal has passage thru the Astral Sea, but there is no exit in the Astral Sea itself to actually visit this Astral Sea. One cannot get off planeshift highway until one is arrives in Arvandor.The Astral Sea of the Wheel and Axis exists. But the Tree doesnt get there.The Tree map isnt a map of the multiverse. It is a map of the planeshift portals.It is like a map of a subway system. Rather than the road map of the city. The subway can only visit very specific locations in the city, but not the rest of the city.The subway system works fine. But it prevents one from getting off anywhere except the specific stops of the subway route. Moreover, each Toril subway route only has two terminuses, without any additional stops in between.Precisely correct. The spellcasting limitations with regard to planeshift destinations only exist in the Forgotten Realms setting.The Tree is a highly restricted passage thru the multiverse. The rest of the multiverse is out there beyond the dark tunnels of the subway route.The Forgotten Realms setting, modifies spells, in order to prevent access to other settings.This is a limitation of the tightly controlled Weave. It is not a limitation of the multiverse. If the government of a country controls and censors its internet, that country (Forgotten Realms) doesnt actually cause all of the other countries to cease to exist. It is merely the citizens of the (Forgotten Realms) country who are kept in the dark, ignorant about what is going on in other countries.If one is casting a spell on Toril, then one is already part of the Forgotten Realms setting and its Weave. Ones magic is already controlled and censored by the Weave. The Weave prevents access to the rest of the multiverse. The Weave censors magic.But the rest of the multiverse still exists.The Tree is the only part of the Astral Plane that Forgotten Realms is allowed to see.The description of the Tree cosmology even says: in fact, it is "possible" to see other parts of the Astral Plane − except it is "difficult" to get there when using the Tree.The Tree even officially admits, the Axis and Wheel are correct. The Tree is only a tiny sliver of the rest of the Astral Plane.This spellcasting limitation is only true in the Forgotten Realms setting, and because of the regulation of the Weave. The rest of the multiverse has nothing to do with this kind magical censorship.But actually, there is no disagreement. The Tree even admits other parts of the Astral Plane exist, such as the part of the Astral Plane that is "between" Celestial Arvandor and Infernal Fury. Namely, the Astral Sea exists but it is difficult for the Tree travelers to get there.The Axis and the Wheel describe the Astral Plane and its Sea more fully. But all three cosmologies agree, even the Tree.Arvandor is part of the Astral Plane. If one is in Arvandor, it is correct to say one is in the Astral Plane. However, the vastness of the Astral Plane extends beyond Arvandor. It is that vastness, the Astral Sea − this part that isnt Arvandor,  the part of the Astral Sea that "surrounds" Arvandor − that the Tree routes can only access with "difficulty".The Tree enforces restricted access to the Astral Plane.According to the Tree:"The Astral Plane surrounds all the other planes in a shapeless cloud, allowing astral travel directly from one plane to any other. But Toril’s Astral Plane shares the treelike shape of the cosmology as a whole."The Astral Plane exists and "surrounds" planes like Toril and Arvandor.But Toril can only access subway tunnels thru the Astral Plane.Toril and its specific access points suffers extremely restricted access to the rest of the Astral Plane.According to the Tree:"It is difficult (though not completely impossible) to jump from branch to branch of the tree − that is, to cross directly from one ... Outer Plane to another."The Astral Sea exists. It is "not completely impossible" to visit the rest of the Astral Sea, even when using the routes of the Tree. But it is "difficult" to get to the Astral Sea from the Tree routes.In sum, all three cosmologies agree. The Astral Sea that is between the Celestial planes exists, but the Tree doesnt access there.</blockquote>

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