Manual of the Planes

directional gravity. Unless stated otherwise, thosetraits function the same in the Abyss as they do everywhereelse.FEATURES OF THE ABYSSThe Abyss has more layers than anyone knows, mortal ordeity. A few of the most well known are described below.Vision in the Abyss is normal except on layers whereenvironmental conditions inhibit it. Unless noted otherwise,hellish suns, phantom glows, or similarly unpleasantradiances illuminate all layers of the Abyss.Unless a particular layer somehow inhibits sound,hearing is also normal in the Abyss.Plain of Infinite PortalsThis is the topmost of the uncountable Abyssal layers. Itis a barren, dusty place without life or greenery, bakingbeneath a hell-red sun. The dusty plains are broken bythree features: huge pits in the earth, great iron strongholds,and the River Styx.The pits of this first layer are portals to deeper layers.Dropping down a given pit soon deposits the travelerinto the associated layer, though jumping into randompits that lead to unknown planes of the Abyss isinsanely dangerous. Most of the pits are two-way portals,but some are only one-way, leaving travelersstranded on the new layer.pqsRANDOM ABYSSAL LAYERSWhat if your characters wind up being sent to the Abyss as aresult of an adventure gone wrong? Or what if they flee powerfuldemons on the Plain of Infinite Portals by jumping down thenearest pit?Use the following table to randomly determine the generalterrain type of an unknown layer. If desired, roll twice (or more)and combine the results.d% Type of Layer01–05 Air-dominant06–10 Blood War battleground (demons against devils)11–15 Burning hellscape16–20 Demonic city21–25 Desert of sand, ice, salt, or ash26–30 Earth-dominant31–35 Fire-dominant36–40 Grass plain (filled with predators)41–45 Mixed elemental-dominant (as Limbo)46–50 Mountainous51–55 Negative-dominant (minor or major)56–60 Normal (as the Material Plane)61–65 Ocean of water66–70 Realm of powerful Abyssal entity71–75 Sea of acid76–80 Sea of insects81–85 Sea of magma86–90 Subterranean91–95 Undead realm96–100 Water-dominantpqsIron strongholds here most often house powerfuldemons and their court. Such fortresses often serve as arallying point for demonic armies on their way to join theendless Blood War. Some of that war’s greatest battles takeplane in this layer, deeper layers, and nearby Outer Planes.The River Styx flows a winding course on this layer.Some channels pour into the pits, while other pitswell up with foul water, serving as tributaries of themighty river.A character entering a new, unknown layer of theAbyss via a pit (or another method) can wind up inalmost any sort of terrain. Develop this layer of the Abyssyourself, or use the Random Abyssal Layers sidebar toprovide guidance.Broken Reach: Red Shroud, a succubus sorcerer, rulesthe town of Broken Reach, which serves as a gatheringpoint for Blood War mercenaries, a way spot for travelersinsane enough to explore the Abyss, and a place for trade.The town is a set of crumbling towers surrounded by outworksof trenches, walls, and spiky barricades.Several important precincts are underground. Theportal to Plague-Mort, a town in the Outlands, is beneaththe main hall, for example. The food stores, the arsenal,the interrogation halls, and the crypts are likewise underground,connected by narrow tunnels. Rooms for visitingmercenaries and merchants are above ground, off themain towered hall. The inhabitants are a mix of petitionerslaves, demons of all types, and mercenaries from theMaterial Plane and beyond.Ferrug: An abandoned iron stronghold is situatednear the Lakes of Molten Iron, a series of natural whitehotcrucibles filled with molten iron. Ferrug’s formerdemonic lord was slain as she lay senseless whileastrally traveling to the Material Plane to corrupt mortalhearts. Since then, Ferrug has hosted countless armiesof demons interested in gathering workable iron tobuild other iron strongholds. Because the demonshighly value iron, devil strike forces often attack theLakes of Molten Iron, so Ferrug currently serves as acommand center for a force of demons charged byDemogorgon to protect the lakes.AzzagratAzzagrat is the realm of Graz’zt, an Abyssal lord. Azzagratstretches over three layers, the 45th, 46th, and 47th.Because all three layers are ruled by the same Abyssallord, they share many traits and have many portals connectingthem.One of the common threads among the three layersis the River of Salt, a sparkling crystalline mass ofliquid salt crystal. Needless to say, submersion in theriver is deadly.Other features include portals between the three layersthat appear as groves of viper trees and ovens of greenfire. But given Graz’zt’s cruel sense of humor, somegreen-fire ovens are simply full of fire and don’t containportals at all.CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANES101