Stygia

Stygia is the fifth layer of the Outer Plane of The Nine Hells. It is a vast frozen sea dominated by ice floes and icebergs, and is named after the river Styx, which crisscrossed its entirety.

Geography

Stygia is a vast ocean of saltwater that is almost completely frozen. Its surface is almost entirely covered in ice floes and icebergs that crowd and completely cover the ocean. The only open body of water is the Styx, which kept its dark, oily water separate from the saltwater and meanders through the layer as if it were crossing a plain. Some of the ice floes are large enough to support cities. Navigation between settlements is made relatively easy by the presence of the Styx. Small arctic plants grow in some locations, creating vast icy swamps that are slightly warmer than the rest of the layer. Those areas attract several creatures and wildlife, but are at a larger risk of the thinner ice breaking. The sky of Stygia is in a state of perpetual twilight and is constantly struck by lightning, which makes it extremely dangerous for flying creatures. Thunder sweeps the land in a continuous rumble. Stygia is unique among the layers of Baator in that it is almost entirely untamed and wild, with no significant part of its territory devoted to any particular purpose. For that reason, its wilderness is inhabited by several aggressive creatures such as dire wolves, frost worms, krakens, mammoths, polar bears, sharks, and remorhazes, which are used as practice for devils in military training.

Government

The layer is ruled by the archduke Levistus, who is kept prisoner deep within a large iceberg known as the Tomb of Levistus in the city of Tantlin's harbor. Levistus issues his commands and gathers information telepathically, as he is able to communicate with any other devil within 10 miles.

Notable Locations

Tantlin - the City of Ice, largest city of the layer. It is built atop an ice floe on one of the banks of the Styx and is ruled by an unknown pit fiend. Levistus, Lord of the Fifth, is kept imprisoned here in a large iceberg known as the Tomb of Levistus.

Alternative Name(s)

The Fifth Hell

Type

Planar Sphere/Grouping

Location under

The Nine Hells