Nine Hells

More popularly known simply as the Nine Hells, the Nine Hells of Baator is the home plane of Devils. This lawful evil plane is located in the Outer Planes nestled between the Infinite Battlefields of Acheron and the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna. This plane is renowned for its inhabitants, the devious and ever-plotting Devils always looking to make deals to gain power and prestige over their peers.
The plane is also known for its nine distinct layers of hell, though the further you travel down the layers, the less information can be found. Most petitioners, those who have died their mortal death and are now serving out their afterlife in the Outer Planes, are restricted to the top three layers and only the stronger Devils are allowed to even think about journeying down the different layers. Regardless of where you are in the hierarchy, you need the proper paperwork and permissions to do so in once piece.

Ecosystem

An Outsider’s Perspective
Outsiders will, the vast majority of the time, first appear on the top layer of the Nine Hells known as Avernus. This first layer is a wasteland of devastation and, since the start of the Blood War, has been turned into a constant battlefield. Legions of armored Devils sit in their massive iron fortifications, the light of rusting red suffuses the layer and balls of fire shoot across the sky, sometimes detonating into visitors with devastating results.
The first moments on Baator can be one of confusion and disorientation, the war-torn layer providing very little in terms of geography to orient yourself. New arrivals are hastily greeted by Devils, sometimes to tear apart the intruders or press-gang them into serving in the Blood War to act as fodder. Escaping notice of these Devils, visitors can move across the ruins of this layer, seeing the sights of ancient cities that have been reduced to rubble.
Heading deeper into the plane and the inhabitants become less violent, but the danger becomes even greater. The Nine Hells are filled with Devils and ancient evils that even the Devils are scared of, they often avoid large swaths of areas to not disturb whatever might lie beneath. Exploring the deepest layers of the Nine Hells is almost all but impossible, with many claiming that you can count on one hand how many have made it out of the deepest layer, Nessus.
Visitors to this plane should have a specific reason why they are visiting, and then get out as quickly as possible.
A Native’s Perspective
This plane is focused on law and order, the hierarchy of this order has turned the largest population on this plane, the various Devils, into a powerful force. The Devils have massive armies that they send against the unending waves of demons, stomping out the chaotic tendencies where ever they can, but they also have ‘ambassadors’ that travel the planes, luring in souls with inviting contracts for power, wealth, and glory.
The Devils follow a strict set of laws, forming themselves into three distinct groups: Lesser Devils, Greater Devils, and the Archdevils. Regardless of what station a Devil finds themselves in, they are always seeking ways of improving and are paranoid about ever losing what they have. They can be found making deals with multiple sides of a conflict, cheating through loopholes, and they are only interested in what is in it for them, though they’ll hide that fact behind twisted words and false smiles.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere of the Nine Hells is greatly dependent on which layer you are on with the blistering heat of Phlegethos or the sickening bog rot of Minauros. Stygia and Cania are blistering cold while Avernus is choked in dust and great fiery balls that explode upon the ground. The Nine Hells are unapologetically unforgiving and those who arrive in this plane ill-equipped and unprepared may choke to death on dust, disease, and chains.

History

The Blood War & Politics
The Nine Hells of Baator are in a never-ending war with the demons of The Abyss, sending legions of Devils across Gehenna, Hades, Carceri, and The Abyss. They have been fighting for thousands and thousands of years, ever since the beginning of time and no side is any closer to winning. This conflict is a matter of differing philosophies and there is no end in sight, and everyone in the multiverse hopes there won’t be. If one side were to win out, the celestials of the Upper Planes may suddenly have millions of Devils marching through the planes, enforcing their evil laws on everyone.
For the Devils, they are sure that their stratagems and tactics will end up with them winning against the chaotic and sloppy demons, the only issue they face is just the vast quantities that can be pulled up from The Abyss. The plane is composed of, what many think to be, infinite layers with each layer filled with millions of demons. Many detractors in the multiverse scoff at the idea that The Abyss could have an infinite number of layers each of infinite size with an effectively infinite supply of demons. The lowest any traveler has gone and made it back out alive is the 665th layer which is a black void with no end or bottom, where those who journey there simply exist with no food, no water, and only the blackness consuming them.
Regardless of how many demons there might be, the Devils are confident that they will eventually win, though the Archdevils rarely think much about the Blood War as they are focused on their layers. Only the Lord of the First, meaning the Archdevil in charge of Avernus, is constantly focused on the Blood War due to their layer being constantly used as a battlefield. The entities in charge of the Devil’s war effort are known as the Dark Eight, a group of eight powerful pit fiends who are in charge of different parts of the war effort, from the movement of troops to the construction of siege engines and weapons to the morale of the troops.

Tourism

Travel to the Plane There are three rules that every traveler should learn before arriving on Baator, and they are as follows:
Don’t. Traveling to this plane should be avoided at all costs. If travel can’t be avoided, see Rule #2.
Hire a guide. Hiring a trustworthy guide is an important step in ensuring you will eventually be able to leave Baator and not be taken in by the Devils.
Get Out. Once your business in Baator is concluded, it is time to leave immediately. The longer you stay in the Nine Hells, the greater the chance you will be conned by a Devil or simply ripped apart and your soul torn from you.
Planes of Law, 1995 TSR Inc. Planes of Law, 1995 TSR Inc.
Arriving on the plane is quite difficult due to the inherent orderliness of the Devils, and the archdevil that resides on Nessus has ensured that portals only lead to the first layer, Avernus. There are portals to Baator located in Sigil, though they are heavily guarded to dissuade demons from taking advantage of them. There are also the color pools in the Astral Plane, taking on a ruby color, though there is no guarantee on where you might end up on Avernus. Another option can be finding portals that connect Baator to Acheron or Gehenna, with the portals on Baator taking on the form of reddish circles that form on the layer of Avernus.
The option used the most by the demons, which find themselves constantly traveling to the Nine Hells, is taking ships and rafts down the River Styx and following its passage throughout the Lower Planes where they can then land their vessels on the dust-covered lands of Avernus. This is a dangerous proposition no matter who you are as the River Styx’s greasy water causes any who touches it to forget.
Traversing the Plane Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, 2019 WotC Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, 2019 WotC
Traveling across the plane is very dangerous, and not only because this is the home of Devils. From the roaring balls of fire that explode across Avernus, to the sinking bog mires and greasy sleet of Minauros, to the great rockfalls of Malbolge. Every layer of this plane has its dangers to be overcome by a traveler, but most, if not all, of these natural hazards are well documented, at least on the top layers.
For those wanting to travel deeper into this plane, to one of the lowest layers, it is a long and difficult journey as the Lord of the Ninth, meaning the archdevil who controls the ninth and final layer of Baator and holds the greatest power, has made sure that portals don’t simply link to the lowest layers. While occasionally portals from Sigil might show up on the 3rd or 4th layer, they are not common and the Devils go to great lengths to ensure that they are found as soon as they form and tightly guarded.
Planes of Law, 1995 TSR Inc. Planes of Law, 1995 TSR Inc.
To travel from layer to layer, there are connecting points at the lowest point of the top layer and the highest point on the layer below it. To travel from Avernus, one must travel to the Cave of Greed where there are guards who stop travelers from going to layers they are not authorized to be in. Every outsider must have the proper paperwork specifying which layer they are heading too, sometimes this paperwork can take the form of letters from the various archdevils or powerful entities in the Nine Hells, in which case Devils will steer clear so that you might get on with your business. On the other hand, a traveler can pick up forged documents in the Outlands' gate town of Ribcage but only the lowest of the Devils will be fooled by it.
Once a traveler arrives in the Cave of Greed, which is the lair of a powerful dragon goddess, they must head to the lowest part of the caves where they can find a great iron door. Walking through the iron door, travelers can see a slope heading down a mountain and towards the great iron city of Dis. This isn’t the only connecting point between the two layers, but it is the easiest. Many other connecting points, across all of the layers, simply have a traveler stepping off the lowest, ledge-like projection on the upper layer. This sends travelers plummeting into the lower layer, the distance is highly subjective depending on where the two points connect, but most of the time travelers find themselves a half-mile in the sky falling quickly towards the ground.

Type

Plane of Existence

Location under

Lower Planes

Included Organizations

• Devils