The touch of Xoriat will warp your flesh and corrupt your mind. The inhabitants of this alien realm seek to transform or destroy all that is natural, and even the slightest contact with it is dangerous.
At least, that’s the popular opinion—but it’s not entirely true. The plane’s title, “Realm of Madness,” is a label applied by the people of Eberron based on the perception that close interaction with Xoriat can interfere with your ability to process reality. But illithids call Xoriat the Realm of Revelations . . . and this may be more accurate. Where Lamannia embodies the natural world, Xoriat instead embodies the unnatural. It’s a window into the workings of reality that mortals normally don’t see, ones they’re illequipped to handle. It suggests that time and space, order and chaos, war and peace—all of these are inventions. They’re the foundations mortal lives are built on . . . but what lies under those foundations? What was there before the house was built, and what will come after? Xoriat holds the answers to those questions, and infinitely more as well.
Though the fact is often overlooked, all mortals have a connection to Xoriat. Mortals dream in Dal Quor. Shavarath sparks mortal anger. Mabar feeds mortal shadows, while Irian holds their spark of light. When mortals die, their souls are drawn to Dolurrh. Mortals are influenced by all of the planes, and the influence of Xoriat drives the desire to question reality. It can be a source of inspiration, especially for artists; it helps people challenge their assumptions and see things in an entirely new way. But Xoriat’s also the sun that melts the wings of any who draw too close. From a distance, its influence can be a positive force, but mortals who gaze too deeply into Xoriat can lose touch with their native reality, losing the ability to navigate the natural world. So Xoriat is a deeply dangerous place, but the plane itself isn’t evil or destructive. It’s part of the universal balance, as important as any of the other concepts of the planes. Irian brings life, Lamannia is the blueprint for nature, Daanvi provides guiding order. Xoriat is a glimpse at what lies behind and beyond, of the other ways reality could have been—and of the unseen ways it is.