The Underworld
The Underworld is the place of final rewards and endless suffering. Although many believe the Underworld is literally beneath the ground, in truth the plane is distinct from the mortal world, reachable only via magical means, hidden pathways, or by death. The souls of all dead sapient creatures awake on the banks of the Tartyx, where they meet Athreos the River Guide. From there, those capable of paying for his service are ferried to their new home in the Underworld.
Legends tell of places where the boundary between the mortal world and the Underworld is weak. These paths lie beyond lands controlled by the poleis and other civilized beings. Dark caves with tunnels leading down into darkness and rivers quietly lapping at fog-shrouded gravel shores give way to the Underworld’s borders. Though Athreos ferries the dead across the Tartyx, he’s not above accepting a one-way fare from those who still breathe. Even the other fearsome Underworld guardians that keep watch over the dead often allow the living to enter. Leaving the Underworld isn’t so simple, and once beyond the Tartyx River, the living find themselves in the same predicament as the dead. Within the Underworld, characters who entered bodily are still fully alive. They age, suffer damage, heal naturally, and require air, food, drink, and sleep as normal. The Underworld isn’t conducive to mortal life, though, and between deadly creatures and dangerous otherworldly environments, the living might soon find themselves numbering among the dead.
Agonas is the last home of warriors and soldiers who battled in life without honor, as well as the souls of cowards, mercenaries, and others who lived by the sword. Their cries of pain and triumph echo on the faintest wind, stirring bloodlust in all who hear them.
The clash of weapons echoes over every ridge and canyon of Agonas’s rocky expanse. Great stadiums and platforms rise from the arid landscape, some carved from the remains of titanic ruins, others hanging from massive, rusting chains. The many theaters of battle blend with dwellings carved into natural rock towers, forming an extensive network of arenas and errant fortifications. At the ward’s heart thrums the Stadium of Dishonor. Here fierce soldiers test their blades against one another and against the teeth and claws of vicious monsters.
Upon arriving, dishonorable souls relegated to Agonas are met by oreads, the souls of other dead champions, and cyclopes, who guide them to the scene of their endless battle.
Deep within the Stadium of Dishonor and down, lies a hidden path that can take you forward to Nerono, but it is guarded by the Underworld's fiercest monsters.
The souls that occupy Phylias were uninspired and didn’t strive for greatness in life. They plodded through existence and left no mark upon the world through their deeds or their deaths. In the afterlife they perform repetitive tasks in close quarters with others just like themselves, all in a mockery of a living community.
Artless architecture of plain, gray stone gives Phylias an outward appearance of normalcy at first glance. But the buildings are titanic, blocky masses of hodgepodge construction erected seemingly without plan. Although the structures might be impressive in size or number, they are cold and hollow, derelict monuments in an endless slum.
Those who arrive in Phylias are met by no one. They are simply left to wander away and slip into a place among the shuffling masses.
If one can find a way forward through the ward, you'll find your way to Agonas.
In Ilysia the souls of heroic mortals and of those who died unjustly find eternal rest and comfort. Erebos’s grim influence holds no sway here and no connection to the other wards is present.
Ilysia is a sanctuary of peace and tranquility. Majestic temple-palaces stand amid lush forests, the colorful vegetation draping luminous marble in living mantles of flowers and sweet fruit. At the ward’s heart towers the Citadel of Destiny, where heroic souls gather to honor the gods, trade tales of glory, and feast with worthy companions. They also hold elaborate physical contests in which any Ilysian soul is welcome to participate.
When the worthy dead arrive in Ilysia, they are welcomed by dryads, majestic chimeras, or the souls of legendary heroes.
Additionally, it is within the Citadel of Destiny that Klothys bound herself to the Underworld. She resided there until now as the Twilight of the Gods began. Her departure from the Citadel actually went smoothly, having left strands of her hair behind to maintain a connection to it and keep a part of herself within the Underworld. However, Erebos was furious that she left, having loved the fact that the God of Destiny was imprisoned within the Underworld, and is the actual cause of the flood of horrid creatures that started to seep out of the Underworld and into the mortal realm. It is his lust for power and her premonitions that allowed Klothys to piece together the results of his plan to gain more power and the reason she decided to leave to help the Twilight along its way.
Nerono is the final home of souls haunted by their memories and of mariners who were lost at sea.
Vast oceans fill Nerono, a realm dotted by lonely islands and crisscrossed by aimless ships. Titanic ruins and great, algae-slick chains rise out of the sea, as do the weathered hulls of legendary shipwrecks. The sky is a misty blur of color that hangs over water as still as glass. Despite the ocean’s normally placid appearance, mighty storms often arise from nowhere, casting souls into waves and whirlpools by the scores. Somewhere within the great oceans hides a twisting tangle of tides and winds called the Labyrinth of Memories. This maze of waterways confounds unwary travelers and twists their course into an inescapable path for eternity.
To pass through the Labyrinth of Memories successfully, would put you out in the next ward Tizerus, but can only be done if a mortal could successfully confront, maintain, and survive the pain of their memories and few do.
When a soul reaches Nerono, sirens, naiads, or sphinxes might guide them into the ward.
The deepest ward of the Underworld, Tizerus is the final punishment of murderers and those who committed unforgivable offenses against the gods themselves.
The ward is a gloomy, miserable expanse where the ruins of titanic architecture loom over a wasteland of black rock. At its center looms Erebos’s palace, an ominous structure of polished darkness embellished with gold ornaments and streamers of crimson silk. The god of the Underworld broods in his halls, occasionally striking out with his lash to drag wayward souls into his realm. Deep beneath the palace lies the lone glimmer of hope amid the ward’s gloom: the portal called Lathos, which leads back to the world of the living. Beyond Erebos’s palace sprawls a stinking swamp of rotting muck and dead vegetation known as the Mire of Punishment. Souls trapped there suffer eternal torment at the claws of demons and other monstrous creatures.
Beneath the Mire of Punishment and extending beneath Erebos's castle is a hidden cavern that leads to the Scythe of Kroxa. To reach the cavern you must pass through the Mire and survive the pinnacle of your personal torment- a feat no mortal has yet to accomplish. Beyond that challenge, the cavern is hard to find but easy to navigate. A single channel that leads down the resting place of the Scythe, which is embedded in the black rock that forms this ward's ground. Traversing back up through the cavern miraculously leads you not to the bog but to the bottom floor of Erebos's castle. Here, you'll find the portal, Lathos, guarded yet again by the Underworld's fiercest minons.
When souls damned to Tizerus arrive, they quickly find themselves dragged away in a whirlwind of pain and terror. Demons, Underworld harpies, lamias, and nightmares compete for the chance to haul the doomed away to their own personal punishments.
Denizens of the Underworld
When a spirit reaches the Underworld, they find that they’re far from alone. The nature of the Underworld under Erebos’s rule takes its toll on even the heartiest souls. As time wears on, most of the dead feel the weight of ages and misery. Souls suffer injury and pain just as living creatures do, and even the dead can perish over time or after enduring multiple deaths. When a soul arrives in the Underworld, it has all the memories and skills it enjoyed in life. In all respects, it is identical to its living self, including its game statistics. Though souls can enjoy the acts of eating, drinking, and sleeping, they don’t require them. They feel hunger and thirst and might be tormented by deprivation, but they don’t suffer the effects of exhaustion because of it. The result of these forms of spiritual weathering divides the dead into the following groups:- Neoli are newcomers to the Underworld—vibrant spirits who remember their lives and, in many cases, are coming to terms with death.
- Glazers are vacant, misery-worn souls who have endured decades of existence in the Underworld. Most have spent far more time dead than they did alive and remember life as little more than a faded dream.
- Misera are souls permanently turned to stone after enduring numerous deaths in the Underworld. These corpses of the dead linger where they petrified until they crumble to dust. Every time a soul dies in the Underworld, it reanimates at the start of its next turn with 1 hit point per Hit Die it possesses, and it gains one level of exhaustion that can’t be removed unless the soul returns to life, at which point all exhaustion gained in this way vanishes. With each level of permanent exhaustion, the soul becomes faded and dull, its eyes glazing over more and more until they are blank, staring pools. A soul that suffers level 6 exhaustion from the continued application of this effect petrifies into a statue, and it doesn’t rise again.
Paths of Escape
Despite the inexorable pull of Erebos’s lash, even death itself can end—or at least be forestalled. Simply walking out the way one entered isn’t an option—Athreos refuses to ferry souls back across the Tartyx. Other pathways that connect the Underworld and the living world are guarded by vicious creatures. Still, there are a few means by which a dead soul can return to life.Resurrection Magic
By far the simplest means of return for a dead soul is for someone who yet lives to cast a raise dead, resurrection, or true resurrection spell. If a mortal is a frequent recipient of resurrection magic, Erebos might take a special interest in that soul. A soul in the clutches of Erebos himself isn’t free, so it can’t be returned to life by mortal magic.Demon Flight
Creatures that fly across the Tartyx without Erebos’s permission find themselves attacked by flocks of vicious monsters. The demons of the Underworld make this flight with better success than most, though. By bargaining or force, a demon might be convinced to carry a soul on this lengthy, dangerous flight. Should a soul manage to survive the harrowing journey, it finds itself restored to life in the mortal world. Escaping Characters. To attempt this means of escape, a party must bargain with a demon or acquire another means of flight in the Underworld. Then they’d better be ready for the fight of their lives as demons, harpies, and other deadly foes pursue them.Lathos
Hidden in the bowels of Erebos’s palace is the portal Lathos, which leads to the mortal world. Moreover, tales say that Lathos can restore a soul to life without any cost or loss of one’s identity and sense of self. This isn’t to say that Lathos is an easy path to walk, however. Erebos’s most fearsome servants guard the portal. So far, no one has succeeded in escaping through Lathos, and the location of the portal’s exit in the mortal world is unknown. Escaping Characters. Escaping through Lathos is likely an appealing option as the portal exacts no price. The trick is reaching it. Perhaps the characters know some secret that Erebos covets and so might bargain for access. Alternatively, they might conduct an elaborate infiltration of Erebos’s palace. Such would be a challenging endeavor but also a feat worthy of legend.Path of Phenax
The god Phenax, once a mortal who died and passed into the Underworld, was the first to discover a way to escape, forever known as the Path of Phenax. As part of his escape, he swam across the Tartyx, whose waters stripped away his identity. Without that vital part of his being, Phenax couldn’t be detected by Athreos, and Erebos couldn’t snare him with his great whip. Since Phenax’s escape, other souls have repeated his dangerous journey. When mortal souls travel the Path of Phenax, the Tartyx washes away their identities, symbolized by their faces, which become nothing more than blank flesh. Souls that successfully emerge on the mortal side of the Tartyx River become Returned, with no knowledge of their former name or past life. As this is a known consequence, most souls forge a gold mask to carry with them. This mask becomes the proxy identity worn by all Returned. Souls’ lost identities continue to exist, though, becoming eidolons, which scatter throughout the mortal realm, having no connection to their Returned bodies. Escaping Characters. Traveling the Path of Phenax can present an exciting but challenging option for most parties, as it results in affected characters becoming a monster of some type—either an eidolon or a Returned. If you’re comfortable with characters playing as monsters or retiring their characters at the end of the quest, this can be a rewarding arc to play through. You might also introduce some means to reunite a character’s eidolon with its Returned body and restore the character to at least some semblance of their former self. This should be a monumental undertaking, as it shakes the foundation of Theros’s division of life and death. The exact details of Phenax’s route are unclear, and aside from forging masks and a final swim, any number of challenges among islands in the Tartyx might comprise the path.The Wards
Most imagine the Underworld’s wards as being stacked atop one another, but their actual relationships defy mortal understanding. While the Tartyx River reaches each ward, Phylias is typically defined as the entry to the Underworld, while Tizerus is farthest from this entrance. The other wards hold their own equal places in between. Regardless, souls destined for each realm reach their destinations with equal efficiency and permanency. Each distinctive Underworld ward is effectively infinite in scale, with the space between noteworthy locations endlessly expanding and contracting. Traveling between locations is typically impossible on foot. Secret paths that defy mortal logic, magical steeds, and the intervention of powerful Underworld denizens all might speed one’s travels, though. Attempting to escape the Underworld is an entirely different, nearly impossible matter, though. Although vast beyond understanding, the Underworld’s most noteworthy regions are detailed here.The Tartyx River
The Tartyx forms the boundary between the mortal realm and the Underworld. It is also known as the Rivers That Ring the World, as it is formed from the confluence of five tributaries, each originating in one of the Underworld’s five wards. The Tartyx is vast, with one far shore impossible to see from the other. Countless drifting islands dot the river, some forested by leafless trees, others heaped with crumbling ruins. Still others are the domains of powerful demons and strange entities that death proves not quite able to claim. None of these tiny lands are hospitable to either the living or the dead. Even the waters of the Tartyx hold their own threats, both mysterious creatures that slither beneath its rippling waters, and their own infamous power to wash away memories and all sense of identity.Agonas
Phylias
Ilysia
Nerono
Tizerus
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