Manual of the Planes

StygiaThe fifth layer of the Nine Hells is a realm of cold andice. Most of the plane is drowned in a sea of crushing icefloes and icebergs. The only open water is the rushingRiver Styx, though icebergs and fiendish sharks makenavigating it quite dangerous. Lightning constantly ripsthrough the sky, so flying creatures are particularly rareexcept for those that are immune to electricity.Ice floes serve as the foundation for many devilishcities and castles.Tantlin: Called the City of Ice, Tantlin is the largestcity of the layer. Like the smaller cities, it is built on anice floe, but it has a “harbor” bordering on one side ofthe nearby River Styx. The city is ruled by a pit fiend,though she rarely stirs from her citadel. This “handsoff” approach leaves the streets to various gangs interestedin dispensing their own law at the expense ofeach other. The gangs are a motley assortment of devils,though a few planar mortals of evil disposition also runwith the packs. Despite the disarray in the streets,Tantlin actually serves as a cross-planar trading stop,due to its location on the Styx.The residents of Tantlin can’t long forget the ruler ofthe layer, Levistus, because he is frozen deep within theheart of an iceberg (Levistus’s Tomb) that floats in themiddle of the harbor. Despite his immobility, Levistus isfully aware of the events occurring on his layer, and he isable to telepathically communicate with the other devilsof Phlegethos at will within a ten-mile radius.Sheyruushk: This underwater realm is accessiblefrom a crack between two icebergs not too far fromTantlin. The icy waters are dark, but that does not botherthe sharklike sahuagin who live here. The sea devilscavort in the court of their deity, Sekolah. Awful rites payhomage to the brutal shark deity in which captive devilsfeature prominently as sacrifices. Sharks of every size andevery type constantly roam the waters of Sheyruushk,though both the sharks and sahuagin often swim up intothe River Styx. They love to sink River Styx boatmen andmerchant craft; Sekolah’s blessing is sufficient to renderthe raiders immune to the influence of the waters of Styxfor a short time.MalbolgeThe sixth layer of the Nine Hells is an endless rocky slope.Cascades of boulders are frequent, pulping anything intheir path. Above, the sky boils with leprous colors. Thedevils on this layer take shelter in copper-cladfortresses, designed to channel and deflect the frequentrock-flows. However, nothing can withstand the worstof the avalanches.The rocky slopes of Malbolge are like Gehenna’s, anda Climb check is required to move around on Malbolge’ssurface. See Falling on Gehenna, earlier in thischapter, for a list of Climb DCs and the consequencesof failure.Maggoth Thyg: Rumors describe ancient placesbuilt underneath the slopes of Malbolge. Below thehellish rock and stone, creatures older than the devilsthemselves—the ancient baatorians—might still roam.A certain hard-to-find defile leads to a cavern whosewalls glow with a brain-numbing, grayish light. Boulderfalls often clog the defile, but somehow the cavern isreopened time and again. Devils sent by the Lord of theSixth to investigate have never returned.Terrible cries sometimes issue forth from the cavern,echoing across Malbolge’s slopes. Strangely, petitionerson this level cannot hear the cries. But devils can, and thesound is innately terrifying to them.MaladominiThe seventh layer of the Nine Hells is dotted with ruined,abandoned cities. Under the blood-black sky, petitionersquarry, carve, and build new cities for the Lord of the Seventh.Mine pits, slag heaps, and brackish canals cover theland like sores. Newer cities are built upon the backs ofolder ruins. As each city is finished, the Lord’s dissatisfactionforces his subjects to begin anew.CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANESpqqqqrsLORD OF THE FIFTH: PRINCE LEVISTUSNo one knows what Levistus looks like, because the prince isfrozen deep within an iceberg. From the exterior, the princelooks like a great dark clot blearily realized through the ice.Asmodeus originally imprisoned Levistus in ice for a pastbetrayal. Though he allows the prince control over Phlegethos viamental contact with other devils, Asmodeus will not free Levistus.Despite his imprisonment, the plots of Levistus run deep. ShouldLevistus break free, his vengeance on the other lords of the NineHells, especially Asmodeus, would undoubtedly follow.layer, but was cast down when he defied Asmodeus duringthe general rebellion that ripped through the Nine Hellssome time past. Most authorities acknowledge that the Hag,one of Moloch’s most trusted advisors, counseled Moloch torebel. Of course, the rebellion failed, and during theReckoning the Hag was set in Moloch’s place. Moloch fled,and wherever he is hiding, it is certain that this archdevilbears a terrible grudge.The Hag Countess’s stronghold is the core of a mountainsizedboulder that perpetually rolls down Malbolge’s slopes,though none of her nobles know exactly where it is or on whatpath it rolls. Instead, they host her when she occasionally visitsthem in their copper fortresses, assuming they can pierce herexpert disguises.LORD OF THE SIXTH: THE HAG COUNTESSThe Hag Countess is not an archdevil but a supremelypowerful night hag from Hades. Moloch once ruled thispqqqqrs121