Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANESIllus. by W. Reynolds104Abyssal EncountersUse Table 7–6: Abyssal Encounters for random encountersin the Abyss.TARTERIAN DEPTHSOF CARCERIIt is a plane of exile.It is the prison plane of the multiverse.It is where the overthrown plot their return.Carceri seems the least overtly dangerous of the lowerplanes, but that first impression quickly disappears.Acid seas and sulfurous atmospheresmay be rare on this plane, and there areno areas of biting cold orinfernos of raging heat.The danger of Carceri is asubtler thing.The plane is a place ofdarkness and despair, ofpassions and poisons, and ofkingdom-shattering betrayals.On Carceri, hatreds runlike a deep, slow-moving river.And there’s no telling whatthe flood of treachery isgoing to consume next. Itis said that a prisoner onCarceri may only escapewhen she has becomestronger than whateverimprisoned her there.That’s a difficult task on aplane whose very naturebreeds despair, betrayal,and self-hatred.Unlike most inhabitantsof Carceri, the deity Nerullmakes his home on Carceriwillfully, not because of exile.Carceri consists of six layers.Each layer has a series oforbs like tiny planets, in arow. A gulf of air separates eachorb from the next. On a particular layer, little distinguishesone orb from the next, and it’s possible that thenumber of orblike planets on each layer is infinite.CARCERI TRAITSCarceri has the following traits.• Normal Gravity: On the orbs, gravity is exactly likethe Material Plane. Between orbs, there is no gravity,which eases travel for those who can fly beyond theclutches of each orb’s gravity.• Normal Time.• Infinite Size: Carceri may extend infinitely, but it possessesfinite components in the form of its tiny planets.• Divinely Morphic: Nerull and any other entity of lesserdeity power or greater can alter Carceri. More ordinarycreatures find Carceri indistinguishable from the MaterialPlane; it responds to spells and physical effort normally.• No Elemental or Energy Traits.• Mildly Evil-Aligned: Good characters on Carcerisuffer a –2 penalty on all Charisma-based checks.• Normal Magic.CARCERI LINKSPortals on many planes allow travel onto Carceri. Butalmost none allow access in the other direction. One exceptionis the River Styx, which runs through the firstlayer of Carceri, mixing with thebogs and canals that crisscrossthe orbs of this layer, on its wayto the Gray Waste of Hades.CARCERIINHABITANTSAlmost no creatures live onCarceri voluntarily. The exiled,the shunned, and the defeatedare sent here, as are traitors,backstabbers, and the souls ofthose with underhanded ambition.It’s the prison plane, pureand simple.Carceri’s residents are thusa mixed bag, racially and culturally.Most continuallyplot and scheme to leaveCarceri and find their wayback to their homes andformer positions. Besidesprisoners and petitioners,Carceri hosts fiends thatpartake in the endlessBlood War. Demons, devils,and yugoloths all roamCarceri, as do madly gallopingnightmares and otherevil outsiders.Carceri PetitionersEven if they wanted to, Carceri’s petitioners couldn’tleave, so they hold a powerful resentment for visitorsmerely passing through. Most petitioners on Carceri aresouls who abused trust and betrayed friends or family.Like all petitioners, they have no memory of their pastlives, but they remain treacherous. They lie—constantly,compulsively, and with great cunning.Petitioners on Carceri reside on one of five layersaccording to their particular treachery. Orthrys holdspoliticians and national traitors, and Cathrys holds thosewho gave in to animal lusts when logic and reason wouldhave served better. Minethys imprisons hoarders whocould have helped others with their wealth but didn’t,