Acheron (/əˈkɪərɒn/)
LE / LN Plane of Law
The Infinite Battlefield of Acheron (pronounced: /ˈætʃɜːrʌn/ ÆTCH-ur-un listen) was an Outer Plane in the Great Wheel cosmology model representing alignments between lawful evil and lawful neutral with emphasis on law. Some characteristics of this plane were ascribed to the World Tree cosmology planes of Clangor, Nishrek, and Warrior's Rest when that cosmology became popular. Nishrek and Warrior's Rest survived the Spellplague and became part of the World Axis cosmology model.Acheron
Acheron was located between lawful evil and lawful neutral in alignment and was a place where armies of the Outer Planes would come to do battle in the afterlife. The four layers (Avalas, Thuldanin, Tintibulus, and Ocanthus) each consisted of huge blocks of hard black iron-like material the size of countries that floated through air, joining for a time and then parting again. While blocks were touching, a being could move from one block to the next. Gravity pulled toward the center of each block. Great Wheel Cosmology
“ Acheron is the home of dreams gone wrong. ”
Realms
- Bahgtru, son of Gruumsh, held a realm on a smaller block which orbited Gruumsh's block.
- Bane, God of Strife, Hatred, and Tyranny, once had a realm in Acheron before he was slain by Torm during the Time of Troubles. After his resurrection, he carved out a realm in the Barrens of Doom and Despair as described by the World Tree cosmology model. (After the Spellplague he had his own realm, Banehold, that floated in the Astral Sea as described by the World Axis cosmology model.)
- Deep Duerra maintained the Citadel of Thought in Thuldanin.
- Gilgeam, Supreme Ruler of Unther, had his realm, Zigguraxus, on Avalas.
- Gruumsh of the orcs at one time made his home, Nishrek, consisting of several large citadels, on a large block in the first layer.
- Ilneval, lieutenant of Gruumsh, had holdings on a smaller block which orbited Gruumsh's block.
- Khurgorbaeyag, goblin god of slavery and patron of the Batiri, resided in his pantheon's realm of Clangor in Avalas.
- Laduguer, the Gray Protector of the duergar, maintained his realm of Hammergrim on Thuldanin.
- Luthic, the cave goddess and wife of Gruumsh, lived on a smaller block that orbited Gruumsh's block.
- Maglubiyet, war god of the goblins and hobgoblins, shared the same block as Gruumsh and maintained citadels as well in the never-ending battle between these hated enemies. His realm was named Clangor.
- Nomog-Geaya, the divine General of the hobgoblins, resided with his superior in Clangor.
Geography
Description
Acheron was the bridge between the ultimate order of Nirvana and the regimented evil of the Nine Hells and as such, each layer emphasized order over evil. The land masses on each layer were blocks of geometric simplicity the size of nations floating in a sea of air. The blocks would slowly collide and part without causing any upheaval or tremor, allowing beings to move to a new block if desired. The dance of the blocks was carefully orchestrated and creatures of high intelligence could usually discern a pattern for an area by studying the motions. It was said gravity pulled toward the center of the blocks but in practical terms gravity was normal to each surface.Avalas
Acheron was sometimes known as the "iron-shod battle planes of Acheron" due to the characteristics of the first layer, Avalas. The blocks of the top plane were black with a metallic hardness that allowed the sounds of battle and troop movements to reverberate loudly. Avalas had the most block-like worlds and the highest population as the armies of the Outer Planes spent their afterlife clashing in neutral territory over differences both subtle and gross. The landscape consisted of cone-shaped mountains and pits plus the iron fortresses of the various armies. The only other remarkable feature of this layer was the river Styx that would bubble up from one pit, meander across two or three sides of a block, and then disappear down another pit. The Styx did not visit all the blocks, but those it did could be reached by Charon and his servants. Avalas touched the Astral Plane and had spherical portals to the three adjacent planes: Nirvana, the Nine Hells, and Concordant Opposition. The portals hung at fixed locations in space and would pass harmlessly through the blocks, becoming inactive while inside a block and reactivating when they reappeared. Anyone emerging from a portal would start to fall toward the nearest block and almost certainly required some form of flight to avoid a high velocity impact. The portals were activated by touch and the destination could be determined by the sound it made when activated. A harmonious chord indicated a portal to Nirvana, a dissonant chord meant the Nine Hells, and silence indicated Concordant Opposition. Avalas was the location of the orc realm of Nishrek and the goblin realm of Clangor. Bane's realm, the Black Bastion, was also on Avalas. Gilgeam's realm Zigguraxus existed here until that god's death.Thuldanin
This layer was the Sargasso Sea, Elephants' graveyard, and scrap heap for countless contraptions, creations, weapons, armor, failed experiments, broken devices, fallen buildings, and shipwrecks of sea and air. The blocks of Thuldanin were hollow and pockmarked with pits that lead to the interior a few miles/kilometers down. There the flotsam and jetsam of the ages turned to stone in a matter of days or weeks due to the magic of this layer. Thuldanin had no inhabitants, only the occasional visitor from Avalas looking for some piece of magic or technology that might turn the tide of battle. Laduguer's realm Hammergrim was here.Tintibulus
The third layer of Acheron had blocks different than those of the other layers. Here the blocks were made of gray volcanic stone and the faces were six-sided, eight-sided, or even higher in number of edges. When the blocks of Tintibulus collided the surfaces would fracture along natural fault lines into hexagons great and small. This layer had no inhabitants but was attractive to magical researchers for its emptiness and isolation.Ocanthus
The blocks of the fourth and final layer were square and so razor-thin as to be almost two-dimensional. They ranged in size from a few inches/centimeters to several miles/kilometers across. Both sides of the hard black squares had normal gravity pulling to the surface and could be walked upon. Being hit by the edge of one of these razor-sharp squares could be deadly.The Infinite Battlefield of Acheron
Layers and their Realms
| Avalas | Thuldanin | Tintibulus | Ocanthus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bastion | Citadel of Thought | ||
| Clangor | Hammergrim | ||
| Nishrek | |||
| Resounding Thunder | |||
| Zigguraxus |
Sources
Source(s):
- Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 113. ISBN 0880383992.
- Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 123–127. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
- Jeff Grubb (April 1987). “Plane Speaking: Tuning in to the Outer Planes”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #120 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 42–43.
- Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 62. ISBN 0880383992.
- Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 49. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 47. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 73. ISBN 0880383992.
- Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), pp. 78–82. ISBN 0880383992.
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 978-0786965622.
- Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
- Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 147. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 161. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 163. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 64, 65. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- Wolfgang Baur (February 1995). “Acheron”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Law (TSR, Inc), p. 2. ISBN 0786900938.
- Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 177. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 176. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 182. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 102. ISBN 978-0786906574.
- Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 172. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 114. ISBN 0880383992.
- Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.). ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- Jeff Grubb and Ed Greenwood (1990). Forgotten Realms Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 37. ISBN 0-8803-8828-5.
- Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 238. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 145. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
- Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 62. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 133. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 85. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 132. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 71. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
Alternative Name(s)
Plane of Conflict, Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, Infinite Battlefield of Acheron
Type
Plane of Existence
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
5E Statistics
Acheron
Infernal Battlefield of Acheron,
Infinite Battlefield of Acheron
Plane of Law
Basic Information
| Natives | None known |
| Color Pools | Flame |
| Tuning fork | Iron, G |
Outer Plane
| Shape & Size | Infinite void, four layers shaped like floating blocks |
| Gravity | Objective Directional: toward the surface of each floating block |
| Time | Normal |
| Morphic trait | Divinely* |
| Alignment trait | LN / LE |
| Magic trait | Normal with special cases |
| Layers | Avalas Thuldanin Tintibulus Ocanthus |
Acheron (Plane of Conflict)
Tiamat, the Dragon Queen
Graz'zt, the Demon Prince of Pleasure
Yeenoghu, the Demon Prince of Slaughter
Orcus, the Demon Prince of the Undead
Fraz-Urb'luu, the Demon Prince of Deceit
Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons
Inhabitants
Inhabitants of Acheron
Creatures of Acheron
Deities of Acheron
Divine realms of Acheron
Locations of Acheron
Organizations of Acheron
Settlements of Acheron
Roads of Acheron
Mountains of Acheron
Forests of Acheron
Bodies of water of Acheron
Items of Acheron
Food and drink of Acheron
Events of Acheron
Maps of Acheron
Images of Acheron
See Also: Elysium on Forgotten Realms Wiki