Minauros

The Third Layer of the Nine Hells

The third layer, Minauros, is an endless bog of vile pollution. The weather on Minauros consists of acidic rain, flesh-slicing hail, and harsh winds. Most of the layer is a vast dismal marsh of foul rotting soil, littered with carrion and pools of water. Through murky fog, one often encounters numerous carcasses soaking up the filthy rain. Another horrid feature of these lands are "cells." These are large shallow pits, filled to a depth of two or three feet with water. Chains and manacles of brass and iron are attached to huge stones laying at the bottom of the cells, where intruders and others captured by Mammon's barbed devil sentinels will be kept. The chained prisoners are forced to stand or sit in the chill, fetid water until they die from exposure or starvation, unless they are taken away for torture or interrogation first. Fortunate prisoners escape, though occasionally the barbed devils will allow a prisoner to escape in order to hunt it for sport.
The huge stone city of Minauros, The Sinking City, is located here. So called because the weight of the city causes it to continually slip beneath the slimy waters; only the endless efforts of thousands of slaves prevents it from doing so. The city is constructed of a black stone gleaned from another plane, perhaps a world on the Prime Material, and rests on mighty pillars that eternally sink into the foul bog that fills the layer. Hanging in the sky over the stink of Minauros can be found the City of Jangling Hiter, City of Chains, suspended by chains.

Mammon, Lord of the Third

Mammon is the archduke of Minauros and the patron of greed and lust. Despised by his peers, no one trusts Mammon thanks to his record for duplicity. Condemned to his stinking mire, he dreams of one day throwing off Asmodeus's curse and attaining his rightful place, with Glasya at his feet. Fully aware that he has exhausted any hopes of gaining allies from the other Lords, he has abandoned the political maneuverings in Hell to focus on subverting mortals to his cause. He invites those who prove themselves loyal to attend him in his court. The service is disgusting, and one must suffer Mammon's vile attentions, but the riches and power to be gained are beyond imagination. Mammon's cults on the Prime Material Plane are widespread and wealthy. Having gained their station from dirty deals, extortion, and coercion, they are invested in the highest ranks of society. Mammon is also popular among non-humanoids. Among his servants he includes beholders and mind flayers, but none are as beloved as the evil dragons he subverts—something Tiamat most keenly resents.

Personality

Mammon is ruthless, greedy and lustful. He is able to use words and magic in a cunning way, establishing a friendship before committing an act of betrayal, often violently.
Mammon invites mortals to his palace and asks them to attend his court, as a test of loyalty, where he grants them riches and power. He prefers to play with mortals, lulling them into a false sense of security, and enjoys seeing them surprised when he turns on them.
Mammon is indirect and venomous. Mammon is known for speaking in riddles, never coming straight to the point even when giving orders.

Relationships

During the Reckoning of Hell, he was allied with Mephistopheles and Dispater, with Glasya as his consort. After his many betrayals, however, no one in the Nine Hells trusts him. He has earned the dislike of Tiamat for his subverting of evil dragons.

Background

Mammon's original form, which he can assume at will, was that of a pit fiend, but he was altered by Asmodeus. As a result of the betrayal, Mammon has to plead to Asmodeus to retain his position. Mammon was cursed by Asmodeus and is confined to the city of Minauros. He lusts for more power than he currently has; his ambition is to remove the curse and return to what he considers to be his rightful place, along with Glasya.

Bael, Duke of Hell

With the Blood War raging for eons and no end in sight, opportunities abound for ambitious archdevils to win fame, glory, and power in the ongoing struggle against the demons. Duke Bael, one of Mammon's most important vassals, has won fame and acclaim for his victories. Charged with leading sixty-six companies of barbed devils, Bael has proven to be a tactical genius, earning esteem for himself and his master as a result of victory after victory over the abyssal host. Mammon relies on Bael, because of his battle acumen, to safeguard his holdings. Mammon has never been ousted during a time when so many other archdevils have lost their positions, which is a testament to Bael's skill on the battlefield.
For his accomplishments, as well as for the hue of his skin, Baal has been granted the title of Bronze General. His accolades notwithstanding, Bael has had a difficult time navigating the quagmire of infernal politics. His critics call him naive, though never to his face. His primary interest has always been leading soldiers in battle, so he finds it frustrating to have his ambitions of ascending to a higher rank constantly stymied by politically shrewd rivals.

Bael prefers to make servants out of his adversaries, and mortals bound to his service earn their wretched place by falling victim to Bael's superior stratagems. Bael gladly spares the lives of those he defeats, but only if they pledge their souls and service to him. Although he is willing to corrupt almost any being in this way, he always destroys any demons he defeats.
Bael also welcomes mortals into his service if they can provide him with an advantage in his own politicking. He recruits savvy individuals and relies on them to represent his interests at Mammon's court, which leaves Bael free to pursue his battle lust.
Despite his lack of interest in affairs outside battle, or perhaps because of it, Bael has gained a small following of cultists. Those who worship at his altar call him the King of Hell, and the most deluded believe that he is the lord of all devils. In arcane circles, certain writings, such as the dreaded Book of Fire, say that Bael revealed the invisibility spell to the world, though some scholars of magic hotly refute such claims. Bael is sometimes depicted as a toad, a cat, a male human, or some combination of these forms, though none of these images reflect his true appearance.

Unique Rules of Minauros

Don't steal, don't kill, don't create chaos.

Other Layers of Hell

• Avernus
• Dis
• Phlegethos
• Stygia
• Malbolge
• Maladomini
• Cania
• Nessus

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Noteworthy Locations

Minauros, the Sinking City

Mammon’s seat of power is the city of Minauros, from which the cavern takes its name. Black muck oozes up between the paving stones, streets buckle and shift, and from time to time entire buildings vanish into the slime below. Mammon’s gilded palace leans drunkenly as its foundations sink, but somehow it never completely collapses. Within the palace, the King of Greed surrounds himself with vast amounts of tawdry and tasteless (but valuable) treasure and legions of lesser devils.
The major industry is the soul trade. Soul trading involves swapping souls for goods or treasure, buying and selling mortal prisoners, dealing out souls that are not lawful evil, and more.

Jangling Hiter, the City of Chains

Jangling Hiter is the domain of the chain devils and is the seat of power for the Duke of Hell, Bael. The buildings of Jangling Hiter are kept from sinking into the layer’s mire by great chains anchored in the rock of the cavern ceiling. Bael uses the city of chains as a crows nest, watching for any attacks and guarding the entrance to Phlegethos. It is here that a set of stairs leading up into the roof of Minauros leads to Phlegethos.

Labyrinth of Truths

The Labyrinth, a grim fortress of worn gray stone, is a vast repository of records kept by Mammon’s underlings. Most of these are useless now, but a few are of inestimable worth— ancient treasure maps, books holding terrible rituals, and scrolls that record words of power forgotten elsewhere. A horde of lesser devils guards the Labyrinth.
In these twisting hallways, Mammon's bureaucrats store a variety of documents. Each of the heavily-guarded nine floors holds different types of documents: Personnel files, inventories of everything in every building in Minauros, dungeon and treasure maps, rituals and scrolls that record words of power.