Avernus
Avernus is the first layer of The Hells.
The most likely beachhead for any attack by demon-kind, where the devils would defend - it was and is the primary battleground of the Blood War: legions of devils march across its plains in continual readiness to repel the hordes of demon invaders that might soon sail the River Styx into the layer.
THE RIVER STYX
The Styx, also known as the River of Blood, is a cross-planar river that linked the topmost layers of The Hells, Acheron plane: The Infernal Battlefield, and The Plane of Void. The huge and stinking river flows deep and fast - making it uncrossable. Those who touch or drink from the Styx risk completely forgetting their past lives temporarily or permanently.The river is so deep and swift, a torrent that cannot be forded. The water at the surface moves slowly and sluggishly, hiding a dangerous subsurface current that can quickly pull boats and swimmers to the bottom.
Travelers are advised to use the boatman Charon or his servants, the merrenoloths, to navigate the river. (If called via spells such as summon monster VIII, holy word, or blasphemy, a merrenoloth typically answer the call within seconds.) They charge a fee of 100 gp in advance per passenger and never carry cargo.
Geography
Avernus is the largest layer of the nine layers of The Hells, and one of the most traditionally inferna - a blasted hellscape in the most literal sense filled with rivers of lava, barren hills, and low, rocky mountains as far as the eye can see.
To scale the mountains or move too quickly is unwise at best, since obsidian, quartz, and other crystals jut from the jagged land, cutting clothes and slicing flesh. The ubiquitous presence of rocks and boulders, some of which seem to resemble tormented faces and shapes of creatures, renders the terrain extremely treacherous and difficult to cross at any pace quicker than a fast walk. Rubble covers the vast, ashen plains of Avernus's charred wastes.
Fireballs race across the dark sky of Avernus, seemingly at random (but on closer inspection actively targeted motion), and fall to the scorched earth, leaving smoking impact craters and burnt corpses in their wake. Travelers need to find shelter, such as a hopefully empty building or an abandoned cave - lest they inevitably be struck. The acrid air is clouded with pumice and volcanic ash from the foul fumaroles and blighted with swarms of flies and cockroaches. Roiling clouds of red and black flickered with orange flames, however the atmosphere has neither sun nor stars, only a constant, blood-red light that lingers above.
Blood, as it happens, is the leitmotif of Avernus; it is where the River of Blood runs through The Hells, collecting rivulets from every gulch, stream, and pool, from the victims of millions of battles. Practically all of the plane is bathed in a coat of blood and covered with bones and gore, whether devilish, demonic, or otherwise, acting as a grim reminder of the regular bloodshed that marks an average day in Avernus.
To scale the mountains or move too quickly is unwise at best, since obsidian, quartz, and other crystals jut from the jagged land, cutting clothes and slicing flesh. The ubiquitous presence of rocks and boulders, some of which seem to resemble tormented faces and shapes of creatures, renders the terrain extremely treacherous and difficult to cross at any pace quicker than a fast walk. Rubble covers the vast, ashen plains of Avernus's charred wastes.
Fireballs race across the dark sky of Avernus, seemingly at random (but on closer inspection actively targeted motion), and fall to the scorched earth, leaving smoking impact craters and burnt corpses in their wake. Travelers need to find shelter, such as a hopefully empty building or an abandoned cave - lest they inevitably be struck. The acrid air is clouded with pumice and volcanic ash from the foul fumaroles and blighted with swarms of flies and cockroaches. Roiling clouds of red and black flickered with orange flames, however the atmosphere has neither sun nor stars, only a constant, blood-red light that lingers above.
Blood, as it happens, is the leitmotif of Avernus; it is where the River of Blood runs through The Hells, collecting rivulets from every gulch, stream, and pool, from the victims of millions of battles. Practically all of the plane is bathed in a coat of blood and covered with bones and gore, whether devilish, demonic, or otherwise, acting as a grim reminder of the regular bloodshed that marks an average day in Avernus.
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