Aetherial Ream - Ruels and Geography

Finding the Aetherial realm is rather easy, just find some place that is higher than you are, and keep going up. The realm stretches above the clouds of the Penumbra, and is relatively easy to find from the Near Umbra as well. Sense all moon bridges pass through this realm at their highest point, werewolves can just simply leave one and find themselves there.
Leaving is just as easy, if not easier. All a traveler has to is jump. Really. Jumping through the breaks in the clouds will lead one down to a fall back to the rest of the Near Umbra, landing that is as gentle as if one were to had jumped not but a few feet. There is no guarantee that his surroundings will be safe though. One can fall into any of the other near realms from here, with the exceptions of Erebus and Flux.
For those interested in a more predictable landing, moon bridges and moon paths function well enough as a means of exit, particularly if called up from Sokhta's realm. The Wyld, Weaver and Wyrm Reaches all possess gateways to appropriate Near Realms --- The Flux Realm from the Wyld Reaches, CyberRealm from the Weaver and there are tunnels leading to Malfeas from the Wyrm Reaches.



The geography of the Aetherial Realm is a lot like the vault of the sky itself. the lowest point still considered part of the realm is a layer of shifting clouds. These clouds are solid on top and easily navigable. The clouds shift and billow in immense mountains and wide plains, creating s sort of "landscape" all their own. Here spirits of birds and flying beasts soar above the clouded layer and claim aeries in some of the mountains. Any kind of aerial spirit, be they elementals, weather-spirits or those of flying mythical beasts can be found in this realm. The occasional tower or other structure dots the cloud-scape as well, a marker of those who have come before.
Above these clouds the Aetherial sky shines in all its glory. Free of pollutants, plains, or obstructions. It is a deep blue, just a shade or too away from the black of midnight. Luna hangs larger than she does in the physical world. And Helios claims the other side of the sky, very bright, but a little smaller and somewhat removed, as if viewed from Mars and not Earth. Each of the planets are also brighter and more visible, and the starts are clear and crisp.

The Moon
Along side Gaia, the Moon is one of the core elements to Garou Mythology. She is the one who blessed them with their Rage, their ability to change. No surprise is it that many Garou dare taking journeys to see her in person, even if it takes days, even weeks to get there (despite humans say). If they are lucky, she may grace them with the favor of Sokhta/Phoebe. These journeys are not with out risk. Lunes guard the path to the Aetherial moon, ensuring that their patroness isn't disturbed lightly. If travelers ignore the Lunes' demands to turn back, they may try to divert the shapeshifters onto moon bridges that lead elsewhere. And seeing through these changes is very difficult. However once past the Lunes visitors arrive at the realm of the Lunar Incarna. Whiles humans see the physical moon as a dead an lifeless place, the realm itself is liken to a vast garden. The soil brightly shining moonsiver and the vegetation soft and luminous. The incarna's throne lies in the Center of the Garden, where she grants audience to those wise and perseverant enough to reach her. Many Garou under take this journey to request Pathstones(in order to link their cearns with others via moonbridges) or even to ask for moonsilver.

The Sun
Although the Aetherial sky is generally dark, as one gets closer to the Umbral sun, this all changes. The closer one comes to Helios, the brighter and hotter the air gets. Fire elementals dance around the Aetherial Sun, providing a deadly gauntlet for visitors to run. Getting past this gauntlet one must endure five separate "attacks". These do aggravated damage, and are nearly unsoakable. Those with the gifts of Luna's Armor or Master of Fire can aid in passing the gauntlet. However only those blessed with the gift Kiss of Helios can negate all damage.
Pas the fiery gauntlet lies the domain of the sun's Planetary Incarna; it may appear as a blazing citadel if the Incarna manifests in his Hyperion guise, or as a brilliant tipi if he appears as Katanka-Sonnak. The sun has many names, and takes on many forms. But his nature is roughly the same; he prizes valor and despises deceit. He can prove a vital ally for those who seek his blessing, but he is an exacting spirit to please.

The Reaches
Beyond the sun and moon, and beyond the realm's sky; the planets have their own domains, and even farther past that are places were the Triat's power begins to bleed into the realm.
At the very pineical of the Aetherial sky there is the reams' Membrane, the border into the Deep Umbra. The Essence of the Triat bleeds over here, each member claiming a section of their own.

The Weaver Reaches are covered in a gridlike spider web, much like an astronomer's computerized map. The life that pulsates in the stars is else where in the realm is not evidence here. The stars and the world of the Weaver reaches just hand still and cold in the web, arranged in unnatural symmetry. Only Weaver spirits call this place home. Geomids and huge "Star Spiders" walk and watch these webs, making sure that everything is in its proper place. There are no Anchorheads here; travel across the Membrane is hard-fought. Legend tells that many lost fetishes and powerful spirits have been embedded in the Weaver Reaches, just waiting to be freed and fight for Gaia once more.

The Wyld Reaches in contrast, are constantly swirling with unusual sounds and strange lights. Odd planetoids and strange dance here in apparently no patters whatsoever, although they seem to narrowly avoid collisions. Anchorheads are in abundance here; The Wyld Reaches are probably the safest and easiest pat through the Membrane to the Deep Umbra (but hell.. that's not saying much). Indeed, enigmatic paths and gates to all portions of the umbra seem to come to existence here, although there isn't any real way of telling whether a spirit gate will take one to a tribal homeland or the bottom of hell itself. Many Garou come here to search for Wyldstones. These are Natural Fetishes because they are so imbued with the raw force of the Wyld. One can find these treasures floating among the planetoids.

The Wyrm Reaches on the other hand are dark and forbidding. The Anchorheads here lead largely to Malfeas, or even worse, to the region of the Deep Umbra were the Wyrm itself is tangled. (the latter is mostly speculation and theory, after all nobody has survived a trip to meet the Destroyer face to face.) The Star and planetary spirits here are warped and ominous, spelling out dire omens as they cycle around one another, even devouring one another. Balefire elementals dance on the asteroids, and the constellations have a dire aspect. When the nebula of pure pollution isn't blocking the starts of this portion of the heavens, it is said that one can read the future motions of the Wyrm in the sky.



The "outer space" of the Aetherial Realm is still breathable and temperate to shapeshifter visitors (although visitors that aren't part spirit, such as mortals, may be in trouble). The only hazard a shapeshifter need overcome in the depths of realm's "space" is weightlessness.

Falling does no physical damage in the realm, no matter the distance. A werewolf could fall from the height of the Reaches, plummet past the cloud layer entirely, and land on the ground by the Abyssfar below without being injured (although his mental state isn't guaranteed).

All visitors, spirit, shapeshifter or otherwise, can walk on the surface of the cloud layer as if it were solid ground.

It's notably easier to summon Lunes, star-spirits, fire elementals and other spirits of celestial origin in the realm.

All moon bridges travel through the Aetherial Realm. Any astrology-related Ability or Gift involving celestial objects or astrological phenomena also has a reduced difficulty.

The clouds in the Wyrm Reaches increase the difficulty any attempts to see.

The Aetherial Realm simply is the Penumbral reflection of outer space; anyone stepping sideways in the realm emerges in an appropriate point in the physical world (probably to decompress and die).

All shapeshifters can fly while within the realm. (This is not automatic knowledge, however, and the more experienced visitors and residents give it out only to those they deem most trustworthy. Gifts that increase movement also increase this distance.

The Silver Fang Gift: Lambent Flame does not cost enrgey activate whiles in the realm, and the shining aura leaves a trail like a comet as the Fang crosses the skies.

Any shapeshifter in Luna or Helios' favor is able to use Gifts related to the relevant Celestine, such as Luna's Armor or Halo of the Sun, with much more ease.