The Nine Hells
"You feel the eyes of countless souls, eternally screaming in their torment, turn their wretched gaze upon you.
Nine of them... nine of the screams shift into mirthful laughter."
Geography
The Nine Hells are a plane made of nine distinct demiplanes, which are stacked on top of one another to create a slow spiral. Each of the Hells directly mirrors the personality of its creator and whatever malice they portray, ranging from a fiery world of damnation to a great icy wasteland.
The Layers of Hell:
Avernus is the sole port of entry to the Nine Hells from the means of a standard interplanar traveller (that is, through the Astral Sea). All tuning forks are attuned to this Layer by decree of Ba'al, Archdevil of Avernus. Dis is the second layer of the Hells, containing the most populous city in the plane. This is where the vast majority of tormented souls end up, in thanks to its vigilant and sadistic Lord Dispater. The Infinite Swamp of Minauros forms the third layer, horribly toxic to any mortal life. Its ruler is Mammon, Lord of Greed with an unquenchable desire to own everything. Of the Nine, Phlegethos most closely resembles the traditional ideal of "hell" - a plane of scorching heat and eruptive flame. Fierna is its treacherous Lord, having slain her father to gain full control of the Layer. Stygia is a vast frozen sea dotted with icebergs and ice floes. Since its current Lord - a cunning, manipulative creature named Levistus - is encased in an icy tomb, the Layer is ruled by his manipulative telepathy. Malbolge is an eternal garden of horrifying warped flesh, constructed of the bodies of the damned and fertilized by their agonizing souls. It is led by the capricious Glaasya, easily the most sadistic of the nine archdevils in her adoration of pain and suffering. The Eternal Maze of Maladomini was once owned by a fallen archon named Baalzebul, who was soon usurped by the seductress Lilith. Maladomini is a maze that seems to spread for eternity, where devils feast on the souls of the damned. Cania is the eighth Layer, and is a realm of seemingly 'living' cold - a violent, eternal chill that eats away at energy and life. The temperatures in Cania are comparable to the Frostfell (otherwise known as the Elemental Plane of Ice), and is possessed by the most powerful arcanist in all the Multiverse - Mephistopheles. The Final Layer of the Hells is called Zenith, where Asmodeus presides over all of his subjects. A land of utter extremes, no mortal soul has ever emerged from Zenith intact.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
