Minethys

Minethys, the third layer of Carceri, drifts through the void as a series of desert orbs, like planet-sized beads suspended without a string. Vast distances, nearly 5,000 miles, separate one orb from the next, giving the impression of isolation magnified by endless sand and silence. These orbs are smaller than those of Cathrys, yet even more barren, forsaken, and dangerous.   The orbs of Minethys are desolate, wind-scoured wastelands. Their surfaces are cold, brittle, and unrelentingly blasted by eternal gales. These winds whip up clouds of yellow, razor-fine dust, which cut flesh to the bone and choke unprotected lungs. Only heavy, layered garments or magical shielding can prevent the body from being flayed raw. Even fiends and native petitioners cloak themselves in rags or dig into the ground to escape the slicing storms.   The ever-churning clouds of golden sand, tinted crimson by the infernal glow of the orbs themselves, give the entire layer an eerie orange-red hue. The air carries the stench of rot and chemical bitterness, not unlike a stinking cloud. Ironically, simple wet cloths wrapped around the face offer protection from the odor, but nothing less than preparation or magic can shield one from the storm’s bite.  

Notable Locations

Baisha's Cage

The Demi-plane of Baisha - This cage is a labyrinthine fortress of jagged shadows, shifting geometry, and tangled alleys, constantly reshaping itself like a living riddle.  

The Plains of Ash

Endless expanses of choking dust and drifting ash bury forgotten kingdoms. Amidst them are ruins of ancient cities, each crumbling slowly into oblivion. Travelers risk suffocation or blindness from swirling ash storms.  

The Decaying Metropolis of Ephoros

A massive city perpetually decaying. Towers collapse, streets fracture, yet the city never fully disintegrates. Ghostly inhabitants wander, endlessly repeating futile routines, oblivious to their eternal ruin.  

The Crumbling Tower of Vaz’Kreth

A leaning spire of obsidian, once the pinnacle of ambition. Home to a cursed library containing tomes whose words fade when read. Those who enter risk permanent memory loss.  

Lake of Vanished Dreams

A stagnant, gray body of water surrounded by petrified trees. Drinking from it erases hopeful memories.  

Inhabitants and Petitioners

The souls condemned to Minethys are the greedy, the selfish, and the unrepentant hoarders, those who betrayed trust through avarice. Even in death, they refuse to give without payment, bartering for cloth, shelter, or meager services. Some amass enough goods to erect flimsy huts of sand and bone, but these cannot withstand the violent tornadoes that inevitably come to raze all.   These petitioners retain their cunning, if not their humanity. They are deal-makers, sand-schemers, and spiritual merchants of despair, endlessly trading and deceiving in a world that gives nothing freely.

Roughly every ten days, enormous tornadoes sweep across each orb, scouring the landscape and flinging debris into the sky. These are not just destructive forces, they are the only known means of natural inter-orb travel. A traveler with precise timing and divine luck might ride the wind across the black void to the next orb. Most, however, are shredded mid-flight or hurled screaming into the abyss.   Even the native Fiends and petitioners are vulnerable. They dig haphazard pits into the sand, hiding from the tempests and haggling for bits of cloth to wrap themselves in. Survival in Minethys is measured not by strength, but by the weight of what you can barter.

Entering and Escaping

Entry requires travelers through Plane shift, though the spell must be anchored by a relic of abandonment—a forgotten royal seal, a discarded oathblade, or a child’s forsaken keepsake. The symbolism matters; the more personal the loss, the stronger the connection.   Escape isn't simple, it must be undone. Escape requires acts of restoration: creating something meaningful, repairing what was broken, or fulfilling a forsaken vow. Legendary artifacts of hope or tears of muse, may offer temporary reprieve if not permanent.  

Summoning and BInding

Summoning entities native to Minethys requires symbolic offerings, tokens of abandoned oaths, forgotten goals, or neglected responsibilities. These summoned creatures excel in draining morale, inflicting despair, and disrupting willpower rather than dealing direct damage.  

Environmental Hazards

Whispers of Despair

The wind never ceases in Minethys. It mutters fragments of doubt, failure, and regret. Each day, those exposed could become overwhelmed with crushing emotional despair.  

Accelerated Decay

Objects left unattended begin to rot, rust, or crumble at ten times the natural rate. Only powerful preservation magic can delay this disintegration.  

Temporal Decay

Time itself seems to erode the spirit. Each week spent in Minethys, travelers be strong of mind or suffer permanent Wisdom drain, as their identity and purpose slowly fade.