The Abyss

The Abyss is a dark twisted realm created by the Neamhaí to banish the god Obscurus. The Abyss is the birthplace of all demons, of blood magic, and is the focus of all dark magic in the Prime. The Abyss's place in the cosmology of the multiverse have shifted over time, but the nature of the plane remains fairly constant: a violent, malevolent place where the strong survive on the backs of the weak, the weak conspire to overthrow the strong, alliances only last while convenient, and the landscape itself tortures the mind and body of all who dared to pass. Some estimate that the Abyss has 666 layers, while the Archmage Council claim to have catalogued 679 layers. It is possible that the number of layers is infinite, but no one can be certain. Some branches of the Rivers of Styx flow down the holes and some of these holes supply water to the Styx in reverse waterfalls. The number of layers in the Abyss is unknown and perhaps unknowable, but this article attempts to list them regardless of which cosmology model was in favor at the time of discovery. Each layer had its own characteristics, which were as varied as the demons themselves. All types of terrain, atmosphere, weather, gravity, and material composition were represented in the many layers. Many layers of the Abyss retain the characteristics of other planes such as the Feywild and the Nine Hells. Marjorie Greaves had made some observations on the nature of the Abyss before her passing. “Something I’ve noticed in my expeditions is that gateways to the Abyss always hum with a particular note when opened. The note in question is a strong, resonant D note. My hope is to look into this detail to see if other planes react the same way.” The overworld layer of the Abyss is the Filth, with the 2nd layer being the Queen of Decay's muddy underground domain. Both layers are classed as one single plane. The 3rd layer is Nerium, an off-shoot of the Feywild ruled by Rhainir. The 4th layer is Hades Simulacrum, an overgrown and abandoned off-shoot of the Astral plane. This is the highest plane that has access to the Rivers of Styx. The 5th layer is the Mirror, another off-shoot of the Astral Plane ruled by Lenore. The 12th layer is the Dretchland, ruled by Dagon. The 13th layer is Endless Maze, ruled by Baphomet. The 14th layer is the Steaming Fen, ruled by the Queen of Chaos, daughter of the Queen of Decay. The 19th layer is Misfortune, ruled by Beshaba. The layers 20 through 30 are all ruled by Demogorgon, and are classed as one large singular plane. The 31st layer belongs to The 45th layer of the Abyss is the web, and the 46th layer is the Web of Lies, both domains of Lolth and off-shoots of the Underdark. The 49th layer is an abandoned beehive realm once ruled by Umberlee the Bitch Bee. The 51st layer is the Deep, and inky watery layer that is the domain of the Old God Cthulhu. The 52nd layer is one of Zuggtmoy’s many layers, belonging to Zuggtmoy’s Abyss. The 61st layer is Narrian’s layer, known as Ravenloft. The 62nd layer are the Dragonspawn Pits of Azharul. The 63rd layer is the Bone Guard, ruled by Orcus. The 73rd layer is the Crucible, an off-shoot of the Nine Hells ruled by Sseth from the 74th. The 74th layer are the Viper Pits, ruled by Sseth. The 241st layer is Palpitatia, ruled by Grankhul. The 299th layer are the Antipoles. The 586th layer is the Prison of the Mad God. The lowest layer of the Abyss is the largest. An expansive plane where the dirt is a dark red and the trees are a fluorescent green. This plane is inaccessible and there is a high chance of soul corruption here. It was used to imprison the Dark God Obscurus.

Type

Dimensional plane

Included Locations