Nine Hells Geographic Location in Dierde | World Anvil

Nine Hells (/naɪn ˈhɛlz ɒv ˈbeɪtɔː/)

LE Plane of Law

Nine Hells/Baator

The Nine Hells, also known as Baator was the plane of lawful evil, home of the devils. The nine layers were: Avernus, Dis, Minauros, Phlegethos, Stygia, Malbolge, Maladomini, Cania (spelling changed in newer sources), and Nessus, and each extended infinitely in all directions and had its own physical laws and properties of matter. The barriers between layers connected the lowest points of the upper layer with points very high above the surface of the next lower layer, regardless if there was a structure (like a mountain or tall tower) there or not. Some infamous and powerful beings made their home in Baator, such as Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, Baalzebul, Belial, Mammon, and Tiamat.   Great Wheel Cosmology
    The Nine Hells of Baator, sometimes shortened to Hell or Hells, and named Baator (pronounced: /beɪˈɑːtɔːr/ bay-AH-tor) in Infernal, was the home of the devils and the plane that embodied lawful evil. It was a plane of sinister wickedness and institutional cruelty, its denizens organized into a strict caste system with a very rigid chain of command. Each of the nine Hells had its own physical laws or properties of matter, but all were inhospitable or deadly to outsiders.    
“ From the boiling rivers of fluid in Avernus to the sheer crags of Nessus, a body'd be hard-pressed to find a place that sums up the cold cruelty of the multiverse more than Baator does. ”  
— Nomoto Sinh, mortal mage.
   

Realms

The nine circles of Hell were each ruled by an archdevil of great power, but the Nine Hells were also the home of other powerful beings at various points in the history of the Realms. Listed here in alphabetical order are those that directly or indirectly influenced the course of events in Faerûn, Toril, and beyond.  
  • Asmodeus, the Overlord of the Nine Hells, exercised his power from a gargantuan citadel in the lowest rift of Nessus, named Malsheem.
  • Azharul's Dragonspawn Pits were located in Avernus.
  • Baalzebul ruled the seventh circle of Hell, Maladomini, from his huge fortress Malagard. Early source material credited Baalzebul as controlling the sixth circle (Malbolge) through his viceroy Moloch.
  • Bahgtru, the strong but dim-witted son of Gruumsh, once resided in the Nine Hells before moving to the astral dominion of Nishrek as described by the World Tree and World Axis cosmology models.
  • Belial was the ruler of Phlegethos, the fourth circle of Hell, based in the basalt palace Abriymoch the "Mount of Leaping Flames", nestled in the caldera of an extinct volcano. Sometime before the Spellplague he set his daughter Fierna up as the ostensible ruler while he directed from the wings.
  • Dispater dominated the second circle of Hell, Dis, from his high stone (later iron) tower in the city of the same name, also called the Iron City.
  • Fierna, daughter of Belial, was the archduchess of the fourth circle, fiery Phlegethos, as much as her father allowed.
  • Gargauth was thought to have been an archdevil cast out of the Hells long ago for betrayal. He eventually achieved godhood corrupting souls on the Prime Material Plane.
  • Geryon once ruled Stygia, the fifth circle of Hell, from a castle/city called Tantlin. At some point he was replaced or deposed by Levistus before that archdevil was imprisoned in the ice.
  • Glasya, daughter of Asmodeus and former consort of Mammon was the ruler of the sixth circle, Malbolge, after her father removed the Hag Countess.
  • Gruumsh, god of slaughter, chief god of the orcs, once had a realm in the Nine Hells and other Lower planes (see Acheron) before relocating his family to the Iron Fortress in the astral dominion of Nishrek.
  • The Hag Countess held sway over Malbolge, the sixth Hell, after giving unwise council to Moloch causing him to rebel against Asmodeus and be defeated. Asmodeus eventually got rid of her and installed his daughter Glasya as Lord of the Sixth.
  • Hecate, the Greek interloper deity of magic and the moon, had her second realm, named Aeaea, in Minauros.
  • Ilneval, master of strategy and chief lieutenant to Gruumsh, once lived in the Nine Hells before moving to Nishrek as described by the World Tree cosmology model.
  • Inanna, an Untheric goddess of love and war, once had a realm in the fourth circle, Phlegethos.
  • Kurtulmak, god of the kobolds, once lived in the caverns of Avernus named Draukari where he maintained the appearance of friend and ally to whichever archduke was trying to lure him to their faction at the time. He eventually moved his realm to Clangor, according to the World Tree cosmology model, but maintained a portal to the Nine Hells.
  • Levistus was the ruler of Stygia before (and perhaps even while) he was imprisoned in an iceberg floating on the frozen sea.
  • Luthic, mate of Gruumsh and orcish goddess of caverns, female orc fertility, and primitive medicine, shared a realm with Gruumsh in the Nine Hells before moving with him and her son to Nishrek.
  • Maglubiyet the Mighty One, Lord of Depths and Darkness, once had a realm in the Nine Hells as well as other Lower planes as part of his wandering (see Acheron). Later, he moved his realm to Clangor, but he maintained a portal to the Nine Hells.
  • Mammon once ruled Minauros, the swampy third circle of Hell, in a city of the same name built on many huge pillars of black stone that were constantly sinking slowly into the sludge.
  • Mephistopheles presided over the frigid eighth circle of hell, Cania, from his mighty citadel Mephistar, overlooking the Nargus glacier.
  • Moloch ruled the sixth circle of Hell, Malbolge, as the viceroy of Baalzebul before it was taken over by the Hag Countess and later Glasya.
  • Sekolah, the god of the sahuagin, once swam in the deep waters beneath the ice of Stygia in a realm called Sheyruushk.
  • Set, the jackal-headed Mulhorandi Lord of Evil, once controlled a huge realm in Avernus that he turned into a desert under a blazing sun. He called this realm Ankhwugaht. Later it was moved to Stygia.
  • Tiamat once ruled the first circle of Hell, Avernus, from her cavernous lair Azharul, "The Dragonspawn Pits", attended by evil dragons both spiritual and incarnate, and a host of abishai At some point she was demoted to guarding the barrier between Avernus and Dis before moving to her Cave of Greed in Dragon Eyrie. After the Spellplague she became a servant of Bane in Banehold.
 

Geography

Cosmology

The Great Wheel cosmology model placed the Nine Hells in the Outer Planes between Gehenna and Acheron, with additional connections to Concordant Opposition and the Astral Plane. Each Hell was a different infinite layer interconnected at barriers much like a nine-layered cake—the lowest points of one layer manifested barriers that exited high above the surface of the next lower layer. The river Styx flowed through the first layer, Avernus, and also the fifth layer, Stygia, before crossing over into Gehenna.   When the Great Wheel model was overshadowed by the World Tree cosmology model, the river Styx was renamed the River of Blood and it flowed through all the fiendish planes (except for the Supreme Throne and the Demonweb Pits) originating in the Abyss, passing through the Blood Rift—an unusual plane that connected the Abyss with the Nine Hells—bringing the devils even closer to their arch-enemies the demons, resulting in the Blood War. The layers were still described as being infinite but with a central pit of finite size that opened to the next lower layer in a tiered fashion, with a drop of many miles between layers. Cosmologists verified portals between the Nine Hells and the Barrens of Doom and Despair and Clangor and, by agreement with Kelemvor, to the Fugue Plane. The Astral plane connected all of the fiendish planes to the Prime Material Plane, but not directly to each other.   After the Spellplague, Asmodeus consumed the essence of the fallen Azuth achieving (some say regaining) greater godhood and ended the Blood War by casting the Abyss to the furthest depths of the Elemental Chaos. The World Axis cosmology model described the Nine Hells as an astral dominion floating in the Astral Sea, no longer of infinite size nor consisting of layers, ruled by Asmodeus and his eight archdevil vassals. Once again the river Styx flowed through the Nine Hells and the Abyss, but then emptied its pollution into the Astral Sea.  

Geography

Each of the Nine Hells was unique and usually mirrored the malevolent characteristics of its ruler, or perhaps the archdevils were shaped by the domains they schemed to control, no one can be certain. In earlier cosmologies, each Hell was a separate infinite layer rigidly joined to its neighbors by barriers at fixed locations. After the Spellplague, the domains of the archdevils were described as territories (large, but finite) or circles. The relationships between layers and circles are not fully known. What follows are descriptions of the nine Hells reported for different cosmological models that have been collated and summarized.    
Avernus
Avernus, the First Hell.
  The first circle of Hell was also the "topmost" because Astral travelers would emerge from color pools on this layer and reaching the next circle required descending to the lower depths to breach a barrier to Dis. According to the Great Wheel cosmology model, this layer was also connected by portals to Acheron, Gehenna, and Concordant Opposition. By the World Tree cosmology model, portals connected Avernus to Clangor, the Barrens of Doom and Despair and the Blood Rift via the River of Blood. It was believed at the time that some of the archdukes maintained portals to the realms of Bane, Loviatar, and Talona, but the ownership and location of those portals was unknown. The World Axis cosmology model posits the Nine Hells were isolated with no direct connections except via the river Styx to the Abyss. Travelers on the Astral Sea who did not follow the Styx likely found themselves falling out of the sky above Avernus to a fiery death.   By all accounts Avernus was a desolate wasteland with rocky terrain, sparse, twisted vegetation, concealed snake pits, caves and warrens, volcanoes, and rivers of magma. The sky was starless, full of choking smoke, and glowed a dark red due to balls of flammable gas that floated about or streaked across the atmosphere, randomly exploding as a fireball. During the Blood War, Avernus echoed with the marching of legions of devil troops preparing for the next campaign against the demons of the Abyss, the ground was littered with the detritus of countless battles, and blood trickled out of the ground in vein-like streams eventually flowing into the river Styx.  
Dis
Dis, the Second Hell.
  The second circle of Hell, when described as its own layer, was a flat barren plane containing little more than black, stagnant rivers, stretching for thousands of miles until it reached some rolling hills. The sky was a cloudy dull green shot through with lightning. In the center of this plane rose the Iron City of Dis, several miles in height and hundreds of miles wide. The foul rivers radiated from a moat big enough to be called a lake surrounding the Iron City. The World Tree view of the Iron City was much the same but bigger, having been expanded by countless minions following Dispater's grand plan. The walls of the buildings and the stones of the streets glowed the dull red of hot iron; more than brief skin contact resulted in severe burns. Prisoners of war, tormented underlings, criminals, and kidnap victims were kept in underground dungeons where their wails of woe could be heard filtering up through small vents in the iron walls. Above it all rose the Iron Tower where Dispater sat and schemed, untouchable. In the World Axis view, the city of Dis was enclosed in a huge cavern accessible from Avernus through a tremendous iron gate in the side of a mountain.  
Minauros
Minauros, the Third Hell.
  Minauros as a layer was described as an endless bog of vile pollution, decaying bodies, and rotting marsh, repeatedly drenched by rain, sleet, and hail storms. The soggy, bone-strewn, disease-ridden swampland made movement very difficult and was only broken occasionally by serpentine ridges of volcanic rock. Nameless creatures even the devils feared inhabited the swamp. Minauros as a realm was depicted as a broad but low-vaulted cavern connected to Dis. An oily water percolated through the roof of the cave and rained down upon swamps, deserts of mud and oozing black soil, pockmarked by bubbling fumaroles and mud geysers.   Minauros was also the name of the city built of black stone by Mammon on the treacherous surface of this place. Only the ceaseless efforts of thousands of minions and slaves prevent the city from sinking and being consumed by the bog. The city of Jangling Hiter, also known as the City of Chains, hung by massive links of chain above the noisome fen and was ruled by kytons.  
Phlegethos
Phlegethos, the Fourth Hell.
  The fourth circle was the Hell that most resembled the stereotype of a fiery world of eternal damnation, filled with active volcanoes, rivers of liquid fire, molten rock, ash hills, smoking pits, unbearable heat, all wracked by tremors and earthquakes. Even the air seemed aflame and thus Phlegethos was considered to be fire-dominant. In the World Axis view, Phlegethos was a cavern several miles below Minauros, where burning lava poured out of fissures in the ceiling. The city of Abriymoch was the seat of power in this realm, built of hardened magma, obsidian, and crystal in the caldera of an extinct volcano which provided visitors some protection from the elemental environment found throughout the rest of the plane.  
Stygia
Stygia, the Fifth Hell.
  The complete opposite of Phlegethos, Stygia was either a bottomless ocean covered by an ice sheet up to 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) thick, or a frozen sea salted with huge icebergs buried in a cavern several miles below Dis and hundreds of miles away from fiery Phlegethos depending on which cosmological model was in vogue at the time. According to the Great Wheel and World Tree models, the river Styx cut across the ice forming a channel. The older model also suggested the Styx supported small but hardy plants and mosses which, after millennia of decay of this vegetation, resulted in swampy areas along the banks of the river. A few floating islands were the only non-frozen ground in Stygia, their peaks wreathed in lightning arcing from the coal-black sky. Where lightning struck, a strange phenomenon called "cold fire" erupted: white flames of extreme cold that "burned" for a short time and then disappeared without a trace. The great city of Tantlin was built upon one of these islands, in the curve of the swampy Styx, or perhaps on a giant ice floe. Due to the proximity of the Styx, Tantlin was a cross-planar trading post for those brave enough to attempt navigating the treacherous river.  
Malbolge
Malbolge, the Sixth Hell.
  There is significant disagreement between cosmologies on the nature of the sixth circle of Hell. As a Great Wheel layer, Malbolge was a gargantuan tumble of angular black stone blocks, each block ranging in size from a small city to a large metropolis, that formed a pile hundreds of miles thick. The randomly tilted and ill-fitting blocks were honeycombed with angular passages and caverns causing non-flying travelers to frequently need mountaineering skills and risk avalanches. Stinking clouds of vapor rose up from the depths and lit the sky with the color of blood, causing cosmologists to speculate that the blocks of Malbolge may have rested on an infinite sea of lava. Corroborating reports have been heard of flammable materials left on the ground spontaneously combusting. Most habitations in Malbolge were copper-clad fortresses built from black stone.   The World Tree view of this layer was similar to the Great Wheel plane of Gehenna: a steep, infinite craggy incline often subject to avalanches that crushed most anything that got in the way. The copper-shod redoubts were teardrop-shaped or otherwise engineered to deflect tumbling boulders, but even those could not long withstand a direct hit from a major avalanche.   In the World Axis cosmology view, Malbolge was another huge cavern connected to Stygia by icy canals that ran hundreds of miles before reaching their destination. A former godly inhabitant had shaped the realm into a vast garden with fountains, towers, reflecting pools, and all manner of landscaping delights. With the coming of the devils, Malbolge was still beautiful on the surface but creeping corruption permeated the realm, twisting the beauty, perverting the architecture, and poisoning the pools.  
Maladomini
Maladomini, the Seventh Hell.
  The Great Wheel cosmology view of the seventh circle of Hell described it as having vapor-polluted skies similar to Malbolge but the surface was solid. The post-Spellplague view described Maladomini as a colossal maze of passages each several miles across that eventually led to Cania, Malbolge, and Nessus. All three models agreed that the seventh Hell was filled with ruins of old cities, stagnant rivers, exhausted and abandoned quarries and strip mines, stone aqueducts and lava canals, decaying fortresses, swarms of biting flies, and black pools of ichor that erupted from the ground. The Lord of the Seventh was never satisfied with the construction of his capitol and repeatedly built and abandoned city after city. The largest and most beautiful was Malagard, a sprawling metropolis/palace/fortress/arcology with myriad black towers linked by a tangled web of bridges and walkways. Malagard was rumored to contain a million rooms and to cap an equally complex dungeon labyrinth.  
Cania
Cania, the Eighth Hell.
  Both pre- and post-Spellplague cosmologies agree that Cania was a bitterly cold-dominant realm of solid ice mountains, titanic, unnaturally fast-moving glaciers, and nearly continuous snowfall that made Stygia seem balmy by comparison. Unprotected travelers were exposed to temperatures of −60 ℉ (−51 ℃) but on the positive side there were few creatures that hunted in the icy wastes. Earlier lore described the great citadel Mephistar as being constructed of iron but later reports say the Lord of the Eighth's fortress/palace was made of ice. All accounts seemed to agree the tower had a heated, luxurious interior and sat atop a gargantuan glacier called Nargus whose speed and movement were under the control of Mephistopheles himself.  
Nessus
Nessus, the Ninth Hell.
  The ninth and deepest Hell was a land of extremes in the Great Wheel view: regions cold as Cania, volcanoes like Phlegethos, a lake of ice, a flaming forest, sheer cliffs, firewinds, and a citadel even larger than Khin-Oin in Hades (later, the Khin-Oin became part of the Abyss). The World Tree view did not contradict this description of Nessus but focused more on the blasted and torn landscape out of which rose Malsheem, the Citadel of Hell. It was said that Malsheem could hold millions of devils within its mountainous edifice, from the lowest warrens deep in the trench to the soaring spires miles above the tortured plane. The World Axis model agreed that a progression of rifts, pits, and chasms lead down and down, forming a vertical maze hundreds of miles deep that contained great cities, fiendish armies, and the mighty fortress of the Overlord Asmodeus.   The Nine Hells of Baator Layers and their Realms  
Avernus Dis Minauros Phlegethos Stygia Malbolge Maladomini Cania Nessus
Dragonspawn Pits Aeaea Jealous Heart Ankhwugaht
Draukari Sheyruushk
Tiamat's Lair
 

Ecosystem Cycles


Afterlife

Beliefs about the journey of souls to the afterlife changed with the shifting cosmologies and the crystal sphere in which one resided. In some worlds, lawful evil souls were automatically destined for the Hells and arrived as mindless nupperibos or, if they were worthy, as semi-intelligent lemures. For mortals of Realmspace, however, souls first traveled to the Fugue Plane where they awaited escort to their final rest on the plane of their primary deity. While waiting, devils were allowed to bargain with the souls, playing on their fears and doubts to get them to agree that becoming a lemure with a chance for promotion was a better option than their suspected fate. Strong or crafty souls might negotiate a deal that reduced their time as a lemure or bestow a boon or punishment on those they left behind. After the Spellplague, Shar reshaped the Plane of Shadow and folded in what death energy did not get absorbed into the Elemental Chaos and created the Shadowfell. According to the World Axis view, souls on their way to the afterlife started their journey in the Shadowfell. Most made it to the Fugue Plane to await judgment, but a few remained behind or were lost.   Afterlife article on FR WIki

Fauna & Flora

Inhabitants

The principal inhabitants of the Nine Hells/Baator were the devils, and their offspring in varieties too numerous to catalog here. See the main article for descriptions of the myriad devilkind. Unlike the demons of the Abyss, the devils were highly organized in their quest for power and status—scheming and plotting power plays, coups, and assassinations.   In addition to the devils, this plane was home to bonespears, gathra, haraknin, hell hounds, imps, night hags, nightmares, and maelephants. Also occasionally encountered were achaierai, barghests, hellcats, mephits, rakshasa, and stench kows.

Natural Resources

Exports: Steel, Whiskey

Tourism

Trade
Inhabitants of the Nine Hells produced goods exported across the planes, including to the planar City of Doors, Sigil. Green Baator ore and steel smelted from it was mined in Avernus. Another notable export was Baator's own whiskey. It was a pleasantly-smelling steaming-hot drink that resembled boiling goldflow. When consumed, it burned one's stomach with sweet pain. Very few mortals could stomach even a single shot.

Sources
Source(s):
 
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 161. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 115. 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.
  • Richard Baker, John Rogers, Robert J. Schwalb, James Wyatt (December 2008). Manual of the Planes 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 978-0-7869-5002-7.
  • Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 47. ISBN 978-0786965622.
  • Colin McComb, Monte Cook (July 1996). “The Dark of the War”. In Ray Vallese ed. Hellbound: The Blood War (TSR, Inc.), p. 36. ISBN 0-7869-0407-0.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 73. ISBN 0880383992.
  • David "Zeb" Cook (1989). Dungeon Master's Guide 2nd edition. (TSR, Inc.), p. 132. ISBN 0-88038-729-7.
  • Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 256. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  • Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams (July 2003). Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 153. ISBN 0-7869-2889-1.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 16. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 75. ISBN 0880383992.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 109. ISBN 0880383992.
  • Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, Skip Williams (July 2003). Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 162. ISBN 0-7869-2889-1.
  • 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. 64. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • 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.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 140. 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. 81. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 258. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  • Colin McComb (July 1996). “The Chant of the War”. In Ray Vallese ed. Hellbound: The Blood War (TSR, Inc.), p. 6. ISBN 0-7869-0407-0.
  • Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 58. ISBN 978-0786965622.
  • Colin McComb (September 1997). Faces of Evil: The Fiends. Edited by Ray Vallese. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 0-7869-3430-1.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 110. ISBN 0880383992.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 83. ISBN 0880383992.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 141. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 142. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 153. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 139. 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. 73. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • 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, 66. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • Black Isle Studios (December 1999). Designed by Chris Avellone. Planescape: Torment. Interplay.
  • Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 61. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  • Ed Greenwood (July 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part I”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #75 (TSR, Inc.), p. 18.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 116. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Ed Greenwood (July 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part I”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #75 (TSR, Inc.), p. 21.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 117. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Ed Greenwood (July 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part I”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #75 (TSR, Inc.), p. 24.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 119. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Ed Greenwood (July 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part I”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #75 (TSR, Inc.), p. 26.
  • Richard Baker, Joseph D. Carriker, Jr., Jennifer Clarke Wilkes (August 2005). Stormwrack. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 9. ISBN 07-8692-873-5.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 121. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Ed Greenwood (July 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part I”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #75 (TSR, Inc.), p. 30.
  • Ed Greenwood (August 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part II”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #76 (TSR, Inc.), p. 22.
  • Ed Greenwood (August 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part II”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #76 (TSR, Inc.), p. 24.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 111. ISBN 0880383992.
  • Ed Greenwood (August 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part II”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #76 (TSR, Inc.), p. 28.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 122. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Ed Greenwood (August 1983). “The Nine Hells, Part II”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #76 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 32–34.
  • Mike Mearls, Brian R. James, Steve Townshend (July 2010). Demonomicon. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 51. ISBN 978-0786954926.
  • Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 123. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
  • Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 20. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  • Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 44. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  • Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  • Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  • Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 45. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  • Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 49. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  • Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 23. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  • Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  • Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 259. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  • 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. 69. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • 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. 65. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  • Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 48. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  • Gary Gygax (August, 1985). Unearthed Arcana (1st edition). (TSR, Inc.), p. 119. ISBN 0880380845.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 162. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 46. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  • Thomas E. Rinschler (2001-06-06). Deities (PDF). Wizards of the Coast. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2017-07-23.
  • Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 22. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  • Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 47. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  • Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 203. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  • James Ward, Robert J. Kuntz (August 1980). Deities & Demigods. Edited by Lawrence Schick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 112. ISBN 0-935696-22-9.
  • Monte Cook (October 2002). Book of Vile Darkness. Edited by David Noonan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 157. ISBN 0-7869-3136-1.
  • Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 123. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
  • Chris Pramas (November 1999). Guide to Hell. Edited by Kim Mohan. (TSR, Inc.), p. 31. ISBN 978-0786914319.
  • Gary Gygax (August, 1985). Unearthed Arcana (1st edition). (TSR, Inc.), p. 120. ISBN 0880380845.
  • James Ward, Robert J. Kuntz (August 1980). Deities & Demigods. Edited by Lawrence Schick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 126. ISBN 0-935696-22-9.
  • James Ward, Robert J. Kuntz (August 1980). Deities & Demigods. Edited by Lawrence Schick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 110. ISBN 0-935696-22-9.
  • Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 112. ISBN 0880383992.
  • Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 176. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 147–148. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  • James Ward, Robert J. Kuntz (August 1980). Deities & Demigods. Edited by Lawrence Schick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 109. ISBN 0-935696-22-9.
  • 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. 79. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  • Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 225. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  • James Ward, Robert J. Kuntz (August 1980). Deities & Demigods. Edited by Lawrence Schick. (TSR, Inc.), p. 53. ISBN 0-935696-22-9.
  • Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 91. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
  • Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 126. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  • Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 32. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  • Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 150. 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. 238. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.

 
 
Map of the Planes
       

Alternative Name(s)
Baator, Nine Hells of Baator
Type
Plane of Existence
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization

5E Statistics
Nine Hells
Baator

  Plane of Law  

Basic Information

Demonym Baatorian
Natives Devils
hell hounds
night hags
nightmares
bonespears
gathra
haraknin
imps
maelephants
kytons
rakshasas
few mortals
Color Pools Ruby
Tuning fork Iron, F♯
 

Outer Plane

Shape & Size Nine infinite layers
Gravity Normal
Time Normal
Morphic trait Divinely*
Elemental
/energy traits
None, but with exceptions
Alignment trait LE
Magic trait Normal with special cases
Layers Avernus
Dis
Minauros
Phlegethos
Stygia
Malbolge
Maladomini
Cania
Nessus


Baator (Nine Hells)   Asmodeus, the Lord of Pain Dispater, the Lord of the Second Layer Mephistopheles, the Lord of the Third Layer Baalzebul, the Lord of the Fourth Layer Mammon, the Lord of the Fifth Layer Levistus, the Lord of the Sixth Layer Fierna, the Lady of the Seventh Layer Zariel, the Lady of the Eighth Layer Glasya, the Lady of the Ninth Layer
  Inhabitants
Inhabitants of Nine Hells
 
 
  Creatures
Creatures of Nine Hells
 
 
  Deities
Deities of Nine Hells
 
 
  Divine realms
Divine realms of Nine Hells
 
 
  Locations
Locations of Nine Hells
 
 
  Organizations
Organizations of Nine Hells
 
 
  Settlements
Settlements of Nine Hells
 
 
  Roads
Roads of Nine Hells
 
 
  Mountains
Mountains of Nine Hells
 
 
  Forests
Forests of Nine Hells
 
 
  Bodies of water
Bodies of water of Nine Hells
 
 
  Items
Items of Nine Hells
 
 
  Food and drink
Food and drink of Nine Hells
 
 
  Events
Events of Nine Hells
 
 
  Maps
Maps of Nine Hells
 
 
  Images
Images of Nine Hells
 
 
   
See Also: Elysium on Forgotten Realms Wiki  

Cosmology of the Realms

The Great Wheel
  Prime Material Plane   Transitive Planes   Inner Planes   Para-Elemental Planes
  • Frostfell
  • Swamp of Oblivion
  • Fountains of Creation
  • Great Conflagration
  Quasi-Elemental Planes
  • Lightning
  • Radiance
  • Minerals
  • Steam
  • Vacuum
  • Ash
  • Dust
  • Salt
  Outlands
  • Sigil
    Outer Planes  
Mount Celestia Bytopia Elysium Beastlands Arborea
Arcadia ↑Good↑ Ysgard
Mechanus ←Lawful Outlands Chaotic→ Limbo
Acheron ↓Evil↓ Pandemonium
Nine Hells of Baator Gehenna Hades Carceri Abyss
  Planar Pathways
  • Infinite Staircasel
  • Oceanus
  • Mount Olympus
  • Styx
  • Yggdrasil
  Far Realm