Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANES102The environments of the three realms are not terriblydangerous; each resembles a twisted version of theMaterial Plane. For instance, the 45th layer is like aconstantly gray, rainswept steppe. The 46th layer isilluminated from the ground, so that shadows arestrange and rise like columns of darkness into the sky.The 47th layer (only reachable from the previous twolayers, never from the Plain of Infinite Portals) islighted by a blue sun. Here flames are purple insteadof red, and they deal cold damage. Thus, creatures normallyimmune to fire might be surprised when theyapproach the flames.Zelatar: The largest city of Graz’zt’s realm, Zelatarexists in all three layers. Doorways may allow exit ontoa street or into a building, but the building interior orthe street could very well exist on a different layer of theAbyss. The inhabitants of Zelatar (demons, half-fiends,tieflings, and others who revere Graz’zt) soon learn theways of the shifting portals, but most visitors require aguide to get from place to place within the city.Great Mother6th layerPlain ofInfinite PortalsGraz'zt45th -- 47th layerDemogorgon88th layerStyxAbyssJuiblex222nd layerLolth66th layerThanatos113th layerThe Argent Palace is visible from anywhere inZelatar, regardless of which layer the observer is lookingfrom. The Argent Palace is Graz’zt’s abode of sixtysixivory towers and one hundred cold, mirrored halls.The palace is a sterile, echoing space where those seekingGraz’zt’s audience room must wend their waythrough the mirror and portal maze in which ravenousbodaks roam.ThanatosThanatos is the 113th layer of the Abyss. It is a cold layerof ice, thin air, and dreary moonlit sky. The layer belongsas much to the undead as to the tanar’ri—in fact, the layerhas the minor negative-dominant trait. Still, fiendishmosses and fungi grow on the edges of crusty tundra.Tombstones of every imaginable and unimaginable typedot the frozen landscape, sometimes standing alone andsometimes grouped haphazardly as if in a small cemetery.Undead range everywhere.Naratyr: Naratyr, called the City of the Dead, is a coldrealm carved into the surface of a frozen ocean. Naratyr’sicy architecture is a frigid necropolis of tall mausoleums,towering funeral obelisks, crypt parapets, and carpetswoven of hair removed from the thousands of unquietdead that reside in Naratyr. The city’s warlike legionsinclude retrievers, vampiric giants, and liches of all varieties.The rank and file of the population is mostly zombies,ghouls, wights, and other decaying corpses thatmove with a dark purpose.Who rules Naratyr? A good question. For time out ofmind, a powerful demon lord named Orcus claimed theentire layer. However, Orcus was recently declareddead. A drow deity of vengeance and undeath claimedthe victor’s spoils and assumed control of the layer andits crowning jewel, Naratyr. But now there are strongclues that Orcus is not quite as dead as many hadthought. The drow deity has disappeared, and no oneknows whether she fled or was slain. Could it be thatOrcus once again rules icy Thanatos, one bony handclutching his terrible rod?Other Abyssal LayersNo tome could hope to catalogue the innumerableAbyssal layers. However, a few interesting layers aredescribed below. Other realms controlled by the manydemon princes also abide in the Abyss. Intrepid explorerswho care little for their lives may discover them.Realm of a Million Eyes: The 6th layer of the Abyss ishome to the Great Mother, whom beholders revere. Therealm is a network of countless twisting tunnels, andliving eyes stud the tunnel walls like encrusted gems. Infact, each eye on the wall is an eye of the Great Mother.Beholders and beholderkin of particular piety roam theeye-studded tunnels, preying on one another as well asany demons or other visitors who might accidentally fallfrom the Plain of Infinite Portals.Ice Wastes: The 23rd layer of the Abyss is a bitterlycold plane of miles-deep ice, devoid of most life. A distant