Gehenna

Gehenna

The Bleak Eternity of Gehenna (pronounced: /gɛˈhɛnnɑː/ ge-HEN-na or: /gɛˈhɛnə/ ge-HEN-uh) is one of the Outer Planes in the Great Wheel cosmology model representing alignments between neutral evil and lawful evil.

Description

The four layers of Gehenna are each infinite planes with gravity at a forty-five degree angle to the ground, making travelers feel as if they are on the side of a mountain with no base or peak. Anyone losing their footing can tumble for miles before finding enough purchase on the slope to halt their fall. Nearly all terrain that is not a river of water or lava is slightly slippery to quite slick. All structures are either built onto or carved into the slopes. Heat and light come from the ground, much like Tarterus, but the source is volcanic: lava flows, vents, fumaroles, and mud pots are very common. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur often, tearing the land apart. On the hotter layers, unprotected flammable items and creatures can - and do - catch fire from the glowing ground or superheated gases being ejected. The barriers between layers are always underground, usually in dead end corridors.

Khalas

The uppermost layer, Khalas, is the most livable of the four planes with many waterfalls cascading down the slopes, the largest being the river Styx. The Styx follows a rough path down the slope, falls for thousands of feet, runs through twisty rapids before finally disappearing into underground passages. Steam rises into the infinite and empty black sky, making the horizon glow a dull red. Khalas touches the Astral Plane and has connections to Hades, the Nine Hells, and Concordant Opposition. The portals look like black chasms in the floor of deep underground passages. Markings on the walls often indicate the portal's destination, if you can manage to read them.

Chamada

The second layer of Gehenna is the most violently active layer, with lava cascades thousands of miles wide and city-sized volcanoes yawning open on the slopes. The air is foul with acrid smoke for 10 miles above the surface. It will cause blindness to unprotected eyes and has the effect of a stinking cloud on the lungs. Below ground, the air was fresher but stinks of burning flesh and hair.

Mungoth

The third layer, Mungoth, is a land of falling ash and burning snow. The furnaces of this layer are fewer and farther apart, allowing ice and snow to build up in the darker places between active areas. Travelers must brave the never-ending avalanches of wet snow and fiery rock to navigate this land. Underground passages are relatively safe.

Krangath

The fourth layer is devoid of any volcanic activity, even underground. All is dark and cold. The name of this layer literally means "dead furnaces".

Cosmography

Mount Olympus connects to Gehenna at randomly changing locations throughout the plane. It is unclear why the mountain has a connection at all to the plane, but some sagesspeculated that the mountainous character of the plane attracts the planar conduit there.

Inhabitants

The only creatures known to be native to this plane are the barghests, running through the rifts of Khalas and occasionally found in smaller number on the other layers, and the pyroclastic dragons. All the other creatures originally came from the adjacent lower planes, mostly to hide from more powerful beings that wished to enslave them. Gehenna is often a plane of exile for the less powerful archdevils and daemon taskmasters.

Realms

Even lesser deities tend to avoid Gehenna. Those that lean toward Law are recruited into the hierarchy of the Nine Hells and those that favored chaos tended toward Hades. Here is a list of the Powers known to have called this plane home at some point:

• Bhaal - Lord of Murder, once had a realm her on Khalas called the Throne of Blood
• Gaknulak - God of kobolds, had a realm called Aknuthrak on Khalas
• Iyachtu Xvim - His Bastion of Hate resided on the layer of Chamada
• Loviatar - The Maiden of Pain, had a fortress of ice in Mungoth named Ondtland before moving to the Barrens of Doom and Despair as described by the World Tree cosmology model
• Maanzecorian - A mind flayer god, had a realm on Chamada called Rictus
• Mellifleur - The Lichlord had an obsidian citadel on Krangath called Hopelorn
• Memnor - A god of cloud giants, lived in a realm called Thraotor
• Shargaas - The Night Lord of the orcs, lived underground on Krangath in a realm called the Night Below and controlled the deepest caverns of Mungoth before moving to Nishrek as described by the World Tree and World Axis cosmology models
• Squerrik - God of wererats, once lived in the realm of Cheisin on Khalas
• Velsharoon - His realm of Death's Embrace once resided on Mungoth

Type

Dimensional plane