Nine Hells
Ervenian Era, 1051 AB
From the boiling rivers of fluid in Avernus to the sheer crags of Nessus, a body'd be hard-pressed to find a place that sums up the cold cruelty of the multiverse more than Baator does.The Nine Hells of Baator, sometimes shortened to Hell or Hells, and named Baator in Infernal, is the home of the devils and the plane that embody lawful evil. It's a place of sinister wickedness and strict hierarchy, where devils are organized into a rigid caste system. Each of the nine hells has its own unique physical laws and properties, making it a hostile environment for outsiders.
The Nine Layers of Hell
Avernus - The Warfront and Gateway
A scarred plain of craters, meteoric bombardment, and brass fortress-roads. Astral travelers fall here if they stray from the Styx. War camps, infernal siege engines, and mustering fields stretch for leagues.Dis - The City of Iron
A vast barren expanse crowned by the living city of Dis, whose iron streets glow with inner heat and whose shifting alleys confound even its own citizens. Foul rivers radiate from its walls, forming a moat the size of nations.Minauros - The Sinking Mire
An endless, acid-laden swamp under ceaseless rain and hail, riddled with mud geysers and rotting carcasses. Entire districts subside into the muck, swallowed without trace.Phlegethos - The Infernal Furnace
Volcanoes belch molten rivers and ash hills. The city of Abriymoch, seated within a volcanic caldera, is a rare respite from the surrounding torment. Here pain is an art, and fire is law.
Stygia - The Frozen Sea of Treachery
An endless ocean of black ice broken by floating islands crowned with stormfire. The Styx winds through these floes, giving rise to the trade city Tantlin, a perilous crossroads for planar merchants.Malbolge - The Tumbling Prison
A labyrinth of titanic black stone blocks piled in unstable heaps, constantly shifting and grinding. The air reeks of brimstone vapors; settlements cling to their stone perches with fortified desperation.Maladomini - The Eternal Construction Site
A wasteland of abandoned cities, stagnant rivers, and swarms of biting flies. The archduke endlessly builds and abandons new capitals; Malagard, his current project, sprawls across towers and bridges over a labyrinthine dungeon.Cania - The Prison-Glacier
Mountains of razor ice and glaciers that grind at unnatural speed. The cold here bites deeper than death itself, reaching −60°F in the open wastes. Only the most adapted horrors endure.Nessus - The World-Pit and Throne of Ashmedai
A chasm of impossible depth ringed with iron strata and threaded by bridges into the void. At its nadir lies Malsheem, the fortress-palace of Ashmedai, where every law of Hell is ultimately ratified.
Inhabitants
The Nine Hells teem with Devils each cast into a strict hierarchy from the lowest lemure to the mightiest archduke. Unlike the chaotic legions of the Abyss, Baator’s armies and bureaucracy move with terrifying precision. Non-devil residents include night hags, hell hounds, rakshasa, kytons, imps, nightmares, and stranger horrors such as haraknin and maelephants.Hunting Grounds
Most souls in the nine hells aren't directly influenced by devils but are inherently evil. Devils establish territories on the Prime Material Plane called "hunting grounds", each overseen by an undercontroller or Factotum. Factotums are highly coveted positions, reserved for those favored by archdevils. They indicate particularly fruitful hunting grounds teeming with evil souls. Any soul arriving in the nine hells without direct demonic influence is attributed to the undercontroller or factotum in charge. Factotums are highly coveted positions within the Nine Hells, reserved for those who have earned the favor of archdevils. These elite devils oversee particularly abundant hunting grounds teeming with lawful evil souls. Any soul that arrives in Baator without direct demonic influence is attributed to the undercontroller or factotum responsible for that region.- Maintaining Order
Devils are notorious for their infighting, especially in hunting grounds teeming with evil souls. Undercontrollers and factotums must maintain order and prevent conflicts between devils and mortals vying for dominance. These power struggles often arise from superiors assigning the same territory to multiple undercontrollers, a tactic used to manage troublesome devils. The logic is simple: a deceased troublemaker poses no threat, and a successful undercontroller brings more souls to Baator, enhancing their superior's standing. - Cultivating Evil
Undercontrollers and factotums ensure that their assigned societies adhere to lawful evil principles. They manipulate customs and laws to achieve this goal. A well-managed hunting ground exhibits the following characteristics:- A rigid police state with harsh punishments.
- Unquestioning obedience to authority.
- A society obsessed with brutal honesty and record-keeping, yet exempting the ruling class from these same rules.
- A general population that believes in collective thought that marginalizes or demonizes minorities.
- A strong conviction in the superiority of their system, coupled with a desire to force it upon others.
Trait Type |
Description |
|---|---|
| Gravity | Normal, except where edicts say otherwise (some courts impose directional gravity). |
| Time | Normal, except where edicts say otherwise (some courts impose directional or “adjourn” time during deliberation). |
| Shape & Size | Infinite |
| Morphic Traits | Divinely Morphic (Only deities, or demigods can alter terrain) |
| Elemental Energy | None Dominant |
| Alignment | Strongly Lawful Evil |
| Magic | Compulsion, binding, and lawful spells are enhanced, when cast with a witnessed seal, tithed ink, or signed writ; Chaotic spells, uncontrolled teleportation/plane shift automatically fails unless keyed to a registered route. |
Alternative Name(s)
The Nine Hells, Hell, Hel
Type
Plane of Existence
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Related Tradition (Primary)
Inhabiting Species
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