Awmyu ((Awe-myoo))

Awmyu is a plane of torment and opportunity, consisting of twelve distinct layers, each with its own treacherous environments and inhabitants. The highest layer, Henom, serves as the surface, while the lowest, Hithom, is a chaotic and unending abyss. Across these layers, infernal and demonic forces vie for dominance, resources, and power, shaping a brutal hierarchy defined by might and cunning.

The most coveted resource in Awmyu is the Evshahim, or Demon Heart. These hearts serve as the lifeblood of the plane’s power structure, fueling its infernal fires and granting immense strength to those who possess them. The deeper one descends into Awmyu, the more potent and numerous the Evshahims become. However, stronger demons guard these valuable hearts, making the pursuit of them a perilous endeavor.

Evshahims are used for a variety of purposes. They can be traded for influence, used as currency, or consumed to increase power. The champions of Awmyu descend through its layers not only to claim territories but also to farm Evshahims. In territories such as Armashfa, demons like the Vrock roam in isolation or small groups, offering lower-risk opportunities for harvesting. In deeper layers like the Glassy Caverns, however, these same Vrock form flocks numbering in the fifties, presenting far greater risks for those seeking the hearts they carry.

Each layer of Awmyu between Henom and Hithom is distinct, housing domains claimed by champions and factions that vie for supremacy. The deeper one descends, the more potent the Evshahims and the greater the risk of annihilation. The intermediate layers are marked by brutal competition, as demons and infernals alike struggle to farm Evshahims for trade or personal empowerment.

The damned souls of mortals populate the layers of Awmyu, serving as laborers under the dominion of infernal rulers. On the lower layers, some Archfiends implant these souls with demon maggots, transforming them into "Schalklings." These creatures, humanoid in form but bound to the ways of the infernal plane, possess free will—a rare and dangerous quality in Awmyu. Many Schalklings rebel, fleeing to the Abyssal Fields in search of freedom or establishing their own territories. However, few escape servitude entirely, as they are frequently enslaved or destroyed by stronger beings.

Schalklings have one unique attribute: their ability to consume Evshahims. This trait allows them to harness demonic power, making them valuable and feared in equal measure. One notable Schalkling is Rslaya, a formidable figure residing in Henom who trades mortal souls for demon hearts, growing her influence and power while dining amongst the very fiends who would enslave others of her kind.

Despite their potential for resistance, most Schalklings meet grim fates. Those who fail to escape servitude or carve out their own domains are consumed—body and soul—by the voracious infernal machine that powers Awmyu. In this plane of endless conflict, survival is the ultimate struggle, and true freedom is a fleeting dream.

Layers of Awmyu

Henom - Surface

Henom is the surface layer of Awmyu, home of the Devil Kind. Devils predominantly make their homes in Henom, which is Hell in every conceivable sense: pools of magma, searing heat, mountains of igneous rock, and crystallized minerals like obsidian forming massive, jagged surfaces across the geography. Known as the "Gateway to Hell," Henom is the entrance to Awmyu for all, including damned souls. These souls pass through Henom as if it were a crossroads, shepherded to their final resting places either there or below.
Unlike the layers beneath, Henom has a single governmental overseeing body known as the Ruk'im—Shepherds guided by Haiyta, Goddess of Infernals and Queen of Awmyu herself. The Ruk'im guide the damned souls as they arrive at Avernus, a sheer cliff where the damned fall onto pikes and spears before being collected. Damned souls serve as the primary working force in Henom, with devil society built upon their suffering. A devil residing in Henom is akin to nobility, where only the most vital, intelligent, or important of their kind live. This layer also houses the Obsidian Palace, the crossroads to the domains of the evil gods.

Armashfa - Sub-Surface

Armashfa is the second layer of Awmyu and has the second-highest population density of devils. It is here that the practice of "Mishithom" begins. Starting in Armashfa and continuing to Muresh, each layer is divided into claimed territories known as Tach'oms or "Abyssal Domains." Each Tach'om contains a "Well," an interplanar portal connecting to Hithom, allowing for the summoning and shackling of demons to use as servants.
Each Tach'om specializes in a particular breed of demon, from the destructive Tevohu to the gluttonous Zoleni. The reigning Archfiend of a Tach'om commands their forces to build and maintain their domain. Weak devils residing in Armashfa rely on these territories to survive, as demons claw their way up from the Abyss to invade every layer they encounter. This eternal push and pull between captors and captives begins in Armashfa.
Armashfa is ruled by three Archfiends, with the most prominent being Phamne, Daughter of Haiyta and Queen of her Tach'om, "The Mound of Fear." Known as the "Echo of Fear", Phamne is capable of instilling terror even in the most fearless fiends. Sometimes referred to as the "True Queen of Armashfa," she maintains a tenuous balance of power among the Archfiends. The geography of Armashfa is barren, resembling an endless desert of ash punctuated by sparse oases near the hearts of the Tach'oms. These oases are powered by the hearts of demons, fueling the Tach'om and its ruler. This fuel can be used to enhance strength, meaning that even lowly devils can clandestinely cultivate power by offering demon hearts to Tach'oms they discover, allowing them to rise in prominence. However, Tach'oms are a gamble, as many remain hidden throughout Awmyu.

Gashemper - Glass Caverns

Gashemper is a vast landscape of gleaming obsidian, illuminated by the trapped souls beneath its glassy surface. These trapped souls act as lanterns, casting an eerie glow across the otherwise dark expanse. On occasion, burning ash falls like fiery rain, each particle capable of consuming mortal bodies with hellfire—a blaze that kills and sunders them beneath the glass.
Most life in Gashemper exists underground in its sprawling maze of caverns, illuminated by the lights of the trapped souls. The Tach'oms of this layer are scattered throughout these subterranean systems. The caverns themselves shift unpredictably, with passages disappearing and reappearing at random, ensuring that most souls thrown into Gashemper wander endlessly. Only the Tach'oms remain stationary, their hearts fueled by the infernal light of the trapped souls.
The most prominent figure of this layer is Krutra, known as the "Mole." He is the only Archdevil capable of navigating Gashemper’s twisting caverns and maintains control of four Tach'oms. Despite the presence of ten other Archfiends, Krutra’s dominance is unmatched, and were it not for their collective resistance, he would rule the entire layer himself.

Veleiam - Corpse Hills

Veleiam is deceptively beautiful, with fields of red spider lillies flowers surrounding Tach'oms, dark rivers cutting through rolling hills, and mountains rising in the distance. However, upon closer inspection, one finds that the land is layered atop the corpses of demons—millions of them. This layer marks where the devils halted the demonic advances from the lowest levels of Awmyu and laid to rest the legions of demons born of the first Elder Evil.
Veleiam is home to two Demon Lords and three Archdevils. Among them is Rotre'Denus, the Betrayer—a Demon Lord who turned against his own kind. While not the most powerful ruler on this layer, Rotre'Denus commands significant influence, hiding his forces among the countless corpses that make up the hills. His true strength remains unknown, as he keeps his numbers and power shrouded in secrecy.

Yeoshel - Ocean of Maggots

The only landmasses in Yeoshel are created by the Tach'oms, and they float endlessly across the black ocean. Called the Ocean of Maggots, as scooping at the water will reveal dozens of them in one swipe that will burrow into the skin and feed on any flesh they touch. Spawn of the Abyss, an entire sea of them, waiting to be fed.
The most prominent Archfiend of the seven residing in Yeoshel is Hezde'o, Demon Lord, Spawn Feeder. Enemies killed in battles are fed to the maggots, which are collected and stored in silos. These raging, hungry creatures are plumped and then unleashed during sieges upon other drifting Tach'oms, giving these hungry children access to the lands and allowing them to consume their enemies. Some say Hezde'o himself was once a simple spawn, fed and grown until it was strong enough to reach land.
This is the end of the journey for any mortal souls capable of reaching this far. There is no way forward, not unless they swim in the ocean of maggots, letting themselves get consumed and dispersed amongst the hungry children beneath the surface of the waters.

Nuchatoshel - Chained Lands

Nuchatoshel is a dark expanse of black fog choking the entire layer. None want to know what lies below the fog, but above it, the Tach'oms rest in the air, chained together by massive chains of cemented damned. The despair, malice, and wrath of mortality manifest and turn into a wailing chain that pervades the entire space with the nonstop ambiance of harmonious but harrowing moans. Residing within this layer without the ability to fly, or taking the chance to walk the massive titanic chains, is a death wish, as falling from them means spending an eternity in the layer below.
The most prominent Archfiend is Vage-Hitri, the Fallen Angel. Vage was a celestial that threw himself into Awmyu to banish, alongside himself, a powerful pit fiend whose name he stole for his own. After driving the infernal through five other layers by sheer might and will alone, Vage stopped in Nuchatoshel, devouring the pit fiend he sought to vanquish as the only way to stop himself from being defeated by the surrounding infernals, and in turn, fell from the grace of light. He became the primary enemy of the other eight Archfiends on this layer, all of them writhing to kill the Fallen Angel. The constant onslaught from all sides forged Vage-Hitri into a relentless force capable of withstanding any attack, allowing him to take control of vast Tach'oms and turn the fiends against themselves.

Hizhagdul - Belly of 'It'

Not a single entity in Awmyu aside from the very gods that observe it knows what Hizhagdul resides within. The entire layer exists within the bounds of a great thing's body. The pulsing walls, the humidity, the rivers of flowing ichor—all form the bowels of a great thing none can name. Hizhagdul is a living layer. Tremors of motion and sometimes powerful roars shake the entire expanse so loudly that even the most prominent Archfiends bow their heads in reverence of their true master. Here, the influence of the gods does not persuade these fiends to look anywhere but around themselves for reverence. They lie within it.
The walls pulse with infernal heat, glowing faintly as if alive. Rivers of bile acid flow between jagged teeth formations, dissolving anything that falls into them, swallowing everything, even souls, completely erasing them from existence. The walls and ceiling occasionally "breathe" or shift, crushing or expelling intruders.
The Tach'oms of Hizhagdul are almost all conquered and controlled by the Demon Lord Kor'zax, whose reach extends even against the very walls, seeking to devour whatever touches them. The two other Archfiends on this layer bow to Kor'zax like a queen, and all residents of Hizhagdul regard her as the tamer of the 'thing' in which they reside.

Sorotahm - Storm Desert

Sorotahm is a vast, open landscape dominated by an unending storm of lightning and red glow, the rain of hellfire from above like diving missiles, and, most destructively, the winds themselves, capable of obliterating and disintegrating weaker fiends up to 25 miles away from its epicenter. Tach'oms in Sorotahm are the only safety from the storm, as they create underground havens for residents lasting as long as needed for the storm to pass.
The storm does fade with time, but it can last centuries, turning the entire layer into an apocalyptic hellscape within hell itself.
Few Archfiends choose to reside in Sorotahm, being the Demon Lords Cez'tish and Mawe'gin, as well as the Archdevil Sia, who monopolize a resource of Sorotahm: demon hearts. Because demons cannot be destroyed, when they arrive in Sorotahm during a storm, their hearts are the only things left of them after being obliterated by the winds and shockwaves. When the storm fades, the hearts can be found by sifting the sands of bone and ash left in the wake of the storm. The three Archfiends trade these hearts to upper and lower layers during storms, resupplying when the winds settle.

Roga - Tar Bog

Roga is a jagged, fragmented terrain filled with broken towers, cracked mountains, and massive craters. Rivers of tar and oil bubble through the landscape, spewing noxious fumes that corrode flesh and metal. Tach'oms are in craters or carved into the broken remains of ancient fortresses. Archfiends often die in Roga due to its proximity to Bebeim. This is the largest Abyssal Field of all the layers, with only ten percent of all Tach'oms claimed by an Archfiend.
Two Archfiends have survived since claiming their domains. Irgol, the King of Roga, is the first and only Demon Lord to reach Henom, while his twin sister, Irgil, the Queen of Roga, is the strongest Demon Lord in Awmyu.

Bebeim - First Demon

Named after the First Demon and the First Concubine of Haiyta, Goddess of Infernals, Bebeim was slain by his two children and laid to rest on the tenth layer.
The First Demon's lingering consciousness manifests as Echoes, infernal apparitions that assault the minds of intruders. The body itself can awaken briefly, causing seismic upheavals. Demons that drink from the resting form of the First Demon and survive the transformation become powerful threats to the layers and Tach'oms above, making Roga extremely dangerous to the unprepared. No Tach'oms have been claimed in Bebeim.

Muresh - Prison Layer

Muresh is the eternal prison, where the most dangerous beings in existence are shackled and trapped within its confines. The Warden, and the most feared Archfiend in the twelve layers of Awmyu, Epoljigiath, or simply "Warden," handles the imprisonment of all trapped within the layer.
Muresh is an endless, shifting maze. Walls of molten metal, spiked obsidian, and chains of writhing souls constantly reconfigure themselves, ensuring no prisoner can escape. Gravity is mutable. Cells may hang suspended upside-down, float in voids, or be buried beneath endless layers of stone and iron.
The entrance to Muresh is a massive infernal gate forged from the bones of dead gods, kept alight by the constant burning of the worst souls to grace the plane. This is the only known passage to and from the layer, guarded by legions of fiends—devils bound by law, demons shackled by the Tach'om. Beneath lies the Abyssal Lake, a swirling mass of unformed demons and chaotic energy. The lake acts as a final deterrent: if a prisoner escapes their cell, they are drawn into the lake, where they are dissolved and reconstituted endlessly in a loop of torment.

Hithom - Abyss

Hithom is the Abyss, and the Abyss itself is a never-ending myriad of layers, most of which cannot be documented or catalogued and simply exist. The worst of Demon Kind exists within the Abyss, waiting for the day they can be unleashed upon anything and everything to make good on their nature of absolute destruction.
Hithom itself is the topmost layer of the Abyss and where Awmyu ends. Hithom is also called the layer of "Anywhere but Here" or the portal realm. Stepping simply into the wrong patch of ground can transport you into one of the many undocumented layers of the Abyss, into another plane of existence, or two feet to your left. Not even the Archfiends of the eleven other layers would dare test their luck in the rifts, lest they discover an entity far beyond their imagination.

Alternative Name(s)

The Gateway, Hell, The Twelve Hells, The Underworld, The Damnded Fields

Type

Plane of Existence

Owner/Ruler

Haiyta, Goddess of Infernals

Characters in Location

• Hoaslien, Goddess of Malice