The Abyss

The Celestial Plane of Chaotic Evil

The Infinite Layers of the Abyss, or simply the Abyss, is a chaotic-evil aligned plane of existence adjacent to Boda in the The Astral Sea. The birthplace and home of all demons, the Abyss is a violent and malevolent place where the strong thrive and the weak are crushed underfoot. The multitude of harsh landscapes found within are inherently disturbing, and most who live in the Abyss suffer from permanent and debilitating madness. After the inadvertent creation of Cynos and the emergence of life, death and mortal beings, the Abyss became the final destination for the souls of chaotic-evil individuals. There, they could adapt to their new environment, asserting dominance over other residents and perhaps even seizing the mantle of Demon Lord for themselves. Otherwise, if they lack the strength to hold their own, they would be tormented for eternity, doomed to waste away in demonic madness.

The Infinite Layers of the Abyss

Because of the chaotic nature of Boda, her celestial planes are not built with the same tiered structure as those of Ashra. Instead, both Arborea and the Abyss are ever-expanding, with new regions, biomes and even pocket dimensions appearing and disappearing at random. A Demon Lord might rule its own layer of the Abyss for a century only to find it suddenly gone, spurring on bouts of ruthless competition as it must now seize control of a new domain for itself. When a chaotic-evil mortal dies, there is no way of knowing where in the Abyss their soul will end up.

The Demon Lords

Control of the Abyss is held by Archfiends known as Demon Lords, apex demons who have demonstrated enough strength or guile to ward off most challengers to their title. Because the tides of power are constantly shifting in the Abyss, there is no way of knowing how many Demon Lords there are at any given time. However, some have persisted long enough to stake a permanent claim in the legends of mortals, such as:

The Demogorgon, Prince of Demons

Zuggtmoy, Queen of Fungi

Juiblex, the Faceless Lord

Orcus, Prince of the Undead

Fraz Urb'luu, Prince of Lies

Grazz't, the Seducer

Baphomet, the Horned Lord

Yeenoghu, Prince of Gnolls

It is theoretically possible for a mortal soul to attain enough power in the Abyss to usurp a Demon Lord, claiming the mantle for themselves. However, even as one learns to thrive in the Abyss, so to are they changed by it, and the process would likely turn the being into a demon as monstrous and horrifying as the other Lords.

Post-Impact

For a time after Boda's death in 0 ADB, the task of assessing the morally ambiguous fell jointly to the Lunar Paragons and the Demon Lords. Though both chaotic in nature, the Lords and Paragons are dramatically different, and co-operation was nigh impossible. Before long, the task proved completely futile and had to be abandoned. Since that time, there has been no one to judge chaotic-aligned souls. The natural currents of the Astral Sea can still guide the good and the evil to Arborea and the Abyss, respectively, but chaotic-neutral souls are left floating aimlessly, trapped in a state of limbo for all eternity.