Eighteen Pyres

The Eighteen Pyres is defined by ever-burning pyres of white-hot flame, eighteen in total, each towering like a mountain, endlessly burning without fuel or respite. Between these pyres lie deserts of broken glass that reflect and refract in such a way that nowhere is safe from the focal points of light, which sear and scorch.  

Notable Locations

The Pyres

Eighteen immense pyres of abyssal flame, each eternally blazing with an intensity capable of incinerating mortal flesh instantly. At the top and center of each pyre is a platform where petitioners and demons perform thirty seven rituals; these rituals are done in sequence, and are the only thing close to timekeeping in the layer.  

The Shattered Waste

A vast wasteland filled with glass shards, jagged and razor-edged, that reflect the realm’s destructive brilliance. The waste is spotted with pits from which bright white light bursts constantly; this light is refracted by the shards, creating deceptively beautiful rainbows. Standing still for more than a few moments will cause severe burns, as the light is focused virtually everywhere.  

Fortress of the Pyrophant

At the heart of the layer stands Ba'al Or’s fortress, the Pyrophant Citadel, a colossal structure built from pitch black iron and engulfed in eternally burning flames. Its twisted spires rise against the blinding white sky like pillars of smoke, visible from anywhere on the plane. Here, Ba'al Or sits upon a throne of radiant fire, from which he commands his armies and plots dominion over other realms. Here, the balors are made, trained, and armed. Here, the armies of the abyss have their generals forged.  

The Gate

Right above the fortress, suspended in midair, there’s an enormous ring. Made from Animaurum, twisted and corrupted by Ba'al Or’s power and hatred, it shows the sun and moons of the material planes. It is believed to serves as a one-way portal to strategic layers of the Abyss and to the battlefields of the Blood War, and is constantly guarded by two balors - Tzornagosh and Fradisamer.  

Inhabitants

Aside from the balors, the inhabitants of Ba'al Or’s domain are enslaved or temporary. Cultmasters, Demons, Mezzofiends, and corrupted scholars sometimes journey here, hoping to strike a bargain with or win the favor of the balors, or maybe even Ba’al Or himself.   Mortals that survive within this infernal realm more than mere moments are bound to be powerful spellcasters or mighty fighters, protected by magic items or spells; either that, or they are enslaved petitioners, bound by contract to stoke the flames of the Eighteen Pyres until they are consumed by them.

The layer’s radiant brilliance blinds visitors instantly, literally searing away their eyes unless they are properly protected or especially powerful; even fiends accustomed to the dangers of the abyss are hesitant to visit the eighteen pyres, and if they have no choice to do so they will make sure to properly protect themselves, often traveling to other planes or bargain with other demons that can bestow them with protective spells. Creatures with sunlight sensitivity cannot survive in this layer.   This layer has no shadows, and all areas are brightly illuminated.