Carceri (car-SEHR-ee)
Ervenian Era, 1051 AB
This ain't a prison my friend, it's the prison.Carceri, also known as Tarterus, The wound of the multiverse and Oth-Narûl, is an Outer Plane representing alignments between chaotic evil and neutral evil. Situated between Hades and the Abyss, Carceri is a plane of contention between the warring Mezzofiends and Demons but few of those interlopers would challenge the native Demodands. Carceri in Theras is not merely a prison plane, it is punishment made reality, a sentient wound in the planes, formed from betrayal, rage, and vengeance too deep for death. Unlike the other outer Planes, Carceri is not a moral dimension but a metaphysical cage of unresolved wrath. This plane functions as punishment of immortals where deities, archfiends and planar lords, are cast down into carceri, as they are almost indefinately, unable to killed, but only contained. The plane itself, feeds on broken vows, familiar betrayals and shattered alliances. One particular feature is that forgiveness is impossible here; The plane mutes mercy and amplifies resentment.
Denizens of Carceri
Except for the natural denziens, mainly the Demodands and the warring Demons and Mezzofiends are:- The Chain-Bound, who are fallen celestials, once radiant judges of the divine order, who turned bitter under the weight of their own hypocrisy. Now shackled by fate, they wander the layers of Carceri as both guardians and prisoners, enforcing punishments they themselves cannot escape.
- Wrath Wraiths are spectral echoes of the vengeful dead, souls that refused to rest because their hatred burned hotter than death. They haunt the cracks between realms, murmuring ancient grudges into the ears of travelers, fanning dormant guilt into wildfire.
- The Wound-Kin are physical incarnations of trauma, walking, bleeding scars given horrific shape. Shambling and malformed, they speak only in the voices of those the victim has wronged, echoing accusations with uncanny intimacy.
Influence on Theras
Though an evil realm, even good entities, use Carceri as they create Divine Seals, who can bind the most dangerous foes within Carceri's layers, foes too perilous to destroy outright. Gods such as Shevarash, Abel, use Carceri as a vault for ancient enemies whose mere presence would destabilize reality. Some warlocks, driven by desperation or forbidden knowledge, form pacts with Carceri's imprisoned powers. Such bargains are never made freely, always bound by harrowing conditions, cycles of pain, or guilt too vast to name. These warlocks channel the suffering of Carceri itself, their magic steeped in anguish and memory.Geography
Carceri is a plane where suffering is structure, where betrayal crystallizes into terrain, and where faith collapses into obsession. Once a shard of a higher plane, it fell into malevolence and now binds the multiverse’s most dangerous or accursed beings.
Unlike Hell, which operates under law, or the Abyss, which revels in chaos, Carceri is defined by containment without resolution, no trial, no judgment, only eternal replay of pain and rage.
The six layers of Carceri have a seemingly infinite number of worlds arranged like a string of pearls stretching into the air-filled void. There is no sun but the soil of each orb gives off heat and a dull reddish glow, similar to the phosphorescence of fire beetles. The planets do not rotate and there are no day or night unless a greater deity wishes it so in their realm. Seasons and weather occurred randomly and what little plant life there was would rapidly mature after rainfall and then wither hours later. The barriers between layers are always located at the deepest points on each planetoid and always lead to the same sphere in the next layer, so the worlds of Carceri can be imagined as spheres nested like Matryoshka dolls and each layer contained a string of orbs of a particular size.
Othrys
The outermost and most frequently encountered layer of Carceri. Othrys serves as the primary gateway to Carceri, imprisoning those guilty of betrayal, treachery, and forsaken oaths. The very air whispers accusations, and every shadow hints at forgotten sins. The very air whispers accusations, and every shadow hints at forgotten sins. Othrys embodies the painful initial realization of guilt, an eternal moment of shame from which few escape. The terrain of Othrys are so close together that a traveler could easily fly from one to the next. For those who do not wish to fly, the river Styx flowed through all the worlds of this level in the usual mystical fashion. Many other rivers feed the Styx, and the surfaces of this layer are mostly marsh, bogs, and quicksand. Othrys is the brightest (due to the proximity of equal-sized worlds on either side) and warmest layer; no worse than a hot summer day on the Prime Material Plane. Other than the mountains, the ground is soft, like peat, and cut by deep chasms. Othrys can be reached via the Astral Plane and have portals to the Abyss, Hades. Long ago it could also be reached via High Forest of Olympus.Cathrys
The second, deeper sphere within the prison plane of Carceri. Cathrys is an endless subterranean labyrinth of jagged caverns, crimson tunnels, blood-red crystals, and obsidian chasms filled with the echoes of eternal torment.Minethys
Minethys, known as the Ashen Desolation, is Carceri's third and bleakest sphere, a plane of relentless ruin, emptiness, and decay. Unlike the fiery torments of Othrys or the anguished labyrinths of Cathrys, Minethys imprisons those whose betrayals came through neglect, apathy, or ambitions turned hollow.Colothys
The fourth layer of Carceri is Defined by isolation, futility, and inescapable despair, it imprisons those whose betrayals involved ruthless ambition, endless strife, or merciless conquest. Here, souls suffer in an eternal wilderness of sharp, mountainous terrain that perpetually rises and crumbles.Porphatys
Porphatys, is the fifth layer of Carceri. Defined by endless despair, overwhelming grief and emotional imprisonment, Porphatys imprisons souls whose betrayals involved emotional manipulation, devastating abandonment, and profound neglect.Agathys
The smallest, coldest planetoids occupied the sixth layer and are so far apart that neighboring orbs can not be seen at all. Every surface is covered in dark ice that showed streaks of red and the air is so cold it made breathing difficult. If any layer exists beyond Agathys, the barriers would have been buried under miles of ice.
Localized Phenomena
Time
Timeless for aging and hunger; subjective time loops may occur to denizens. Though time changes sporadically in relation to the Prime Material plane, where it can be faster or slower.Magic Traits
As described upon the changes, in addition, the plane has effects of Enhanced Spells in relation to pain, curse, and binding, while spells associated with healing or emotions, are impeded. Wild Magic Zones: Regions under Chroneth storms (5% chance per spellcast for unintended temporal effects, GM's discretion)Trait Type |
Description |
|---|---|
| Gravity | Normal |
| Time | Special - Changes sporadically |
| Shape & Size | Infinite |
| Morphic Traits | Divinely Morphic (Carceri reshapes to torment or imprison souls; only deities or demigods can alter terrain) |
| Elemental Energy | Varies by layer (some layers enhance air, others impede fire, etc.) |
| Alignment | Neutral Evil / Chaotic Evil |
| Magic | Divination requires betrayal; negative energy enhanced; elemental magic varies by layer |
Inhabiting Species
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