(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

A few questions were shouted from the back of the room, carried over only
by the polite silence of the attendees. "Where is the Blood War fought?"
"Plenty o' places... usually th' Lower Planes. Anywhere along th' River Styx...
the nine layers o' Baator, th' four furnaces o' Gehenna, the Gray Waste,
cold, red Carceri - the prison plane - an' the pikin' near-endless well o' evil
that's th' Abyss." Somehow, the Gray Waste sounded familiar...
Luckily, someone else was just as curious apparently. "Tell us about the Gray
Waste."
"Also called th' 'Glooms.'" Ghysis shrugged, then shivered, as if by reflex.
"Gray in every sense o' th' word. Colors burn yer eyes there; they shout, are
too loud, and yer dreams are pulled ta th' surface an' poured on th' ground,
lost forever. Only th' night hags rule there... the Gray Ladies o' th' Waste."
One particularly callow, fresh-faced youth had an insouciant smile on his
face. He was either Clueless or spoiled rotten. "How does one get hired into
the Blood War?"
"Ye know, every once-a-when some leather-headed berk comes 'round
askin' about a job in th' Blood War. They want some jink, they want a quick
stint an' then ta get along with their lives. Mayhap I was one o' these
leatherheads. Mayhap I was a sellsword, an' 'eard there was a little jink ta be
made in th' War. Got me interested..."
He shook his head, "Taught me a lesson, it did: we're like ants runnin'
around th' heels of dancin', sod-pike gods. I saw big men, who claimed ta be
big soldiers... Paper soldiers. Wars' a furnace fer them. Makes them wake up
or burn."
The young man wrinked his nose, as if sizing up Ghysis, "So, how'd you
survive the Blood War?"
The man's face darkened. "I... well, that's th' one thing I won't speak of,
cutter. Suffice ta say a man does what 'e 'as ta do ta escape the War."
"Surely you could advise us on how one is to survive the Blood War?"
Ghysis stabbed his gaze at me, "Ye wanna know 'ow ta survive th' Blood
War? Three things, cutter:" He held up a maimed hand with only two
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