Avernus
Avernus is the first layer of the Nine Hells of Baator. The most likely beachhead for any attack by demon-kind, it is the primary battleground of The Blood War: legions of devils marched across its plains in continual readiness to repel the hordes of demon invaders that sail the River Styx into the layer.
Cosmology
Avernus, is traversed by the River Styx, which branches off into numerous rivulets, lakes, and streams. The Styx once flowed along the edge of the layer but was redirected to the center through the efforts of Baatezu conquerors.Government
Avernus serves as the entry point into Baator, making it the most frequented of the Nine Hells. Ashmedai, the ruler of the Nine Hells, forbids the opening of portals to other regions, forcing damned souls to pass through Avernus. This has led to Avernus being populated by servants of other archdevils, such as barbazus, imps, and spinagons. These creatures gather the forsaken souls that arrive in Baator. The strategic importance of Avernus stems from its position as a buffer between the Nine Hells and the Abyss. Constant warfare has ravaged the land, leaving behind ruined cities and fortresses.Divine Realms
- Draukari, the realm of the chief deity of the kobolds, Kurtulmak.
- Peaceable Lands, the realm of Bargrivyek, the goblin god of co-operation and territory.
- Tiamat's Lair, a tall mountain that was once the prison of Tiamat. It is somehow connected to the Dragonspawn Pits, Tiamat's main realm. A massive cave mouth near the base of the Pillar of Skulls led into Tiamat's Lair;
Inhabitants
The layer is inhabited primarily by abishai, lemures, nupperibos, and spinagons. Imps are also common, as well as dragons, goblins, and kobolds. Legions of devils dress in mail stand an eternal watch on Avernus, in readiness for a sortie in the Blood War.Geography
Avernus is the largest layer of Baator and one of the most traditionally infernal—a blasted hellscape in the most literal sense filled with rivers of lava, barren hills, and low, rocky mountains as far as the eye could see. To scale the mountains or move too quickly was unwise at best, since obsidian, quartz, and other crystals jutted from the jagged land, cutting clothes and slicing flesh. The ubiquitous presence of rocks and boulders, some of which seem to resemble tormented faces and shapes of creatures, rendered the terrain extremely treacherous and difficult to cross at any pace quicker than a fast walk. Rubble cover the vast, ashen plains of Avernus's charred wastes.
Fireballs race across the dark sky of Avernus, seemingly at random (but on closer inspection actively targeted motion), and fall to the scorched earth, leaving smoking impact craters and burnt corpses in their wake. Travelers need to find shelter, such as a building or cave, lest they inevitably be striken. The acrid air is clouded with pumice and volcanic ash from the foul fumaroles and blighted with swarms of flies. Roiling clouds of red and black flickered with orange flames but the atmosphere have neither sun nor stars, only a constant, blood-red light that suffused the air.
Blood, as it would happen, is the leitmotif of Avernus; it is where the River of Blood runs through Baator, collecting rivulets from every gulch, stream, and pool, from the victims of millions of battles. Practically all of the plane is bathed in a coat of blood and covered with bones and gore, whether devilish, demonic, or otherwise, acting as a grim reminder of the regular bloodshed that marks an average day in Avernus.
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