Minauros
Minauros as a layer was described as an endless bog of vile pollution, decaying bodies, and rotting marsh, repeatedly drenched by rain, sleet, and hail storms. The soggy, bone-strewn, disease-ridden swampland made movement very difficult and was only broken occasionally by serpentine ridges of volcanic rock. Nameless creatures even the devils feared inhabited the swamp. Minauros as a realm was depicted as a broad but low-vaulted cavern connected to Dis. An oily water percolated through the roof of the cave and rained down upon swamps, deserts of mud and oozing black soil, pockmarked by bubbling fumaroles and mud geysers.
Minauros was also the name of the city built of black stone by Mammon on the treacherous surface of this place. Only the ceaseless efforts of thousands of minions and slaves prevent the city from sinking and being consumed by the bog. The city of Jangling Hiter, also known as the City of Chains, hung by massive links of chain above the noisome fen and was ruled by kytons.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Nine_Hells
Society-
The civilization of Minauros was always on the edge of collapse, filled with cyclopean cities of well-carved stone and once grand fortresses perpetually submerging further into the mud. The newer structures showcased second-rate materials and shoddy constructions techniques and so constantly had to be repaired, redone or entirely replaced. The capital city that Minauros was named after was also referred to as the Sinking City due to its ever-descending nature; it would only take a few millennia for the world-sized city to fully sink into the frigid muck. It was thought that all of the original structures of the city had fallen long ago, and that some had been stolen from the Outlands. What streets weren't made of uneasy, buckling paving stones that could make wheeled travel impossible at times were merely large stones that were always being replaced when they inevitably sunk beyond vision. The architects attempted to alleviate the effects of the hail by building large canopies, but this only increased the frequency with which the teetering buildings collapsed thanks to the precariously placed pillars that were their shifting foundation. Teams of lower class devils would repurpose the debris to be used in the foundations and often fought, sometimes to the death or to the point of critical injury, on who would get the stones. Even Mammon's home, a golden, gem-studded palace, more comparable to a mausoleum than a dwelling, had been slowly sinking into the scummy soup from its haphazard position. The reason for the dismal state of Minauros was that Mammon's greed was as bottomless as the swamp. Her nameless residence itself was built out of exotic black stones, likely brought from the Prime Material Plane, was crowded with innumerable, treasures and anything of worth within the layer was swiftly destroyed or taken inside the pillared halls. Yet despite her immeasurable levels of wealth, Mammon seemed uninterested in the well-being of her own domain and unwilling to invest more than the minimal amount of wealth needed to perform maintenance, even in regards to the practical upkeep of her home. Normally stone was saved for the construction of prison cells, which in reality were simply pits in the marsh with rocks at the bottom and chains tying them to a higher surface, while the money in her treasury was only ever used to keep the soul market of Minauros functional. The Sinking City was one of the most bustling, robust soul markets in the planes, where heinous devils and worse mortals acted as functionaries for those wishing to prove their worth to the Viscount of Minauros.
The civilization of Minauros was always on the edge of collapse, filled with cyclopean cities of well-carved stone and once grand fortresses perpetually submerging further into the mud. The newer structures showcased second-rate materials and shoddy constructions techniques and so constantly had to be repaired, redone or entirely replaced. The capital city that Minauros was named after was also referred to as the Sinking City due to its ever-descending nature; it would only take a few millennia for the world-sized city to fully sink into the frigid muck. It was thought that all of the original structures of the city had fallen long ago, and that some had been stolen from the Outlands. What streets weren't made of uneasy, buckling paving stones that could make wheeled travel impossible at times were merely large stones that were always being replaced when they inevitably sunk beyond vision. The architects attempted to alleviate the effects of the hail by building large canopies, but this only increased the frequency with which the teetering buildings collapsed thanks to the precariously placed pillars that were their shifting foundation. Teams of lower class devils would repurpose the debris to be used in the foundations and often fought, sometimes to the death or to the point of critical injury, on who would get the stones. Even Mammon's home, a golden, gem-studded palace, more comparable to a mausoleum than a dwelling, had been slowly sinking into the scummy soup from its haphazard position. The reason for the dismal state of Minauros was that Mammon's greed was as bottomless as the swamp. Her nameless residence itself was built out of exotic black stones, likely brought from the Prime Material Plane, was crowded with innumerable, treasures and anything of worth within the layer was swiftly destroyed or taken inside the pillared halls. Yet despite her immeasurable levels of wealth, Mammon seemed uninterested in the well-being of her own domain and unwilling to invest more than the minimal amount of wealth needed to perform maintenance, even in regards to the practical upkeep of her home. Normally stone was saved for the construction of prison cells, which in reality were simply pits in the marsh with rocks at the bottom and chains tying them to a higher surface, while the money in her treasury was only ever used to keep the soul market of Minauros functional. The Sinking City was one of the most bustling, robust soul markets in the planes, where heinous devils and worse mortals acted as functionaries for those wishing to prove their worth to the Viscount of Minauros.
Geography
Mammon's realm of Minauros was a murky, miserable mire plagued by perpetual rain. The fetid, blackened dirt had been melted into cesspools and marshes by the precipitation of oily sludge, occasionally accompanied by hailstones of polluted ice mixed with metal shards and teeth. The only light source arose from the stinking clouds of yellow-green swamp gas and heat could only be found underground, turning some spots of otherwise cold water into geysers of mud. Various foul odors bubbled up from the putrid waters, and intaking the contaminated ooze was an easy way to catch a horrible disease. Closer to the centre of Minauros were rifts filled with slime and ash-spewing volcanoes.
It was said that Minauros was built upon the bodies of the dead, and indeed the blighted bog was littered with carrion and bones. Trying to navigate the murky layer could lead to accidentally tripping over the scattered remains of the dead or falling into a sinkhole. Amorphous lemures and cowardly spinagons were abundant in the swamp due to Mammon's paranoia and short temper forcing him to keep plentiful supplies of worthless devils nearby in case he needed to spontaneously fire someone important. Pitiful, demoted nupperibos could also be found blindly slogging through the filth, along with lesser devils seeking to redeem themselves in Mammon's eyes.
Alternative Name(s)
The Third Layer
Type
Dimensional plane
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
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