Excerpts from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv: The Glooms of Hades |
|
| Posted on Sat, August 18, 2001 by Dogadmin |
|
grodog writes "A short treatise on The Thirteen Glooms of Hades, spread across the Marches of Xalta, Minythys, and Sarendathos, including information on each plane's magical resources, mineral wealth, geography, and notable inhabitants.
Author: grodog
Excerpts from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv:
The Glooms of Hades
by grodog (see also http://www.rpg.net/ehp/imrryr/greyhawk.html)
Copyright 2001 by Allan T. Grohe, Jr. Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.
The Three Glooms of Hades lie between the planes of Hell and the Abyss. They are the middle marches of the Lower Planes; demons, daemons, and devils can be found throughout this dark realm.
The thirteen planes of Hades are divided into three marches: the first, Xalta (zal tuh), has three layers and lies closest to Hell; the second march is Sarendathos (sahr in daath ohs), has four layers, and is nearest to the Abyss; lastly, the main proper of Hades, which consists of six layers, is generally known as Hades, but more properly as Minythys (mihn nigh theez).
Xalta
The Three Marches of Xalta are named (from top/Astral-most to lowest) Syrithol (sear ih thole), Khalas, and Ocanthrus (uh can thriss). They are lands of perpetual fire and darkness, due to their flowing lava rivers and lakes, explosive eruptions, and the ashen-clouded sky.
Xalta is a prison-and-exile plane, a place of perpetual burning, smoke, and heat. Few, if any, creatures are native to this march, though it boasts a sizable population of exiled and out-of-favor devil and daemons, plus their servitors, spies, miscellaneous lordlings, and powerful individuals seeking solitude. Xalta is reputedly home of the demonic xuphaitz, beings of fire and shadow, but this is contested (most strongly by the xuphaitz themselves). Otherwise, only some devils (minor, especially Abishai and Barbed) may be native.
Xalta has few, if any, resources, save its heat, fires, ash, and smokes. These, however, make the plane a desirable location to forge fire-related magic items (such as rings of fire resistance, flaming blades, and fire stars). Rare deposits of ruinium are guardedly mined as well.
Sarendathos
The Four Marches of Sarendathos are a chaotic, tumbling gloom, and draw most of their influence from the Abyss. Sarendathos is a favorite vacation/disporting ground for powerful demon lords "looking to get a little Law" in their lives. Sarendathos' layers are Labyarax (lah bee ar ax), Pheletho (fell leth oh), Pazandillan (pah zann dil lann), and Myhkaz (my kazz). As mutable and changing as the Abyss, the Marches of Sarendathos are inhabited by many demons, daemons, and chaotically-minded demodands, hags, and such.
Sarendathos boasts two resident Demon Lords (Dementhrus and Nergal), as well as native Lords of Daemonkin---Bybilis, Queen of Annis; Xondolor, Lord of the Mezzokin; and Warate (wahr ah tay), Matron of Sea Hags. They each have personal estates and largely ignore one another (although Xondolor and Nergal are friendly and possibly allied).
Labyarax boasts a gigantic, enclosed maze over 10 miles by 7 miles in area, up to 250 feet high and 250 feet deep. It has only one entrance and one exit, on opposite ends. The plane derived its name from this structure, constructed by Baphomet millennia ago.
The rare metal duranol is native to Labyarax. Duranol is silver-sea green in hue, and relatively strong (as strong as alloyed iron). When tempered with mithril and sharpened, its edges turn a bright sea-green, and the rest of the blade will be veined with lighter sea-green traces. Duranol will only alloy with mithril and steel, and can be enchanted to +4.
Pheletho is home to Xondolor, and he alone. He does not encourage visitors, save perhaps Nergal and his undying company. Xondolor doles out various estates to his vassals, each of whom has a fortress as well. The mercenary armies of mezzokin in service to Hades and the Abyss are garnered from this plane---and are quite expensive. (A little-known fact is that Xondolor and Nergal are brothers, each descended from Baphomet and Chandorah).
Pazandillan is home to Warate, who lives under its vast seas, and many races of demons and daemons, including malvachuu, ssilhex, and hydrodaemons. The sea, known as Tavlompea (Tahv lohm pee uh) also contains kraken, demonic sea dragons, leviathan, etc. Its waters are thicker than water, and an orange/yellow shade. They are useful in inks for scroll manufacturing and in potions (especially growth, elixir of madness, and water breathing).
The non-aquatic environs of Pazandillan are typically hilly rifts and chasms, with many ash-spewing volcanoes (although eruptions are rare, the planes skies are always filled with ash). The leaden sky is continuously dismal, filled with ash clouds, lightning storms, and strong winds. Pazandillan's mineral wealth is above average---deposits of ayrn, iron, silver, and gold predominate. The land-bound inhabitants vary greatly, since Pazandillan is the most cosmopolitan of realm of Sarendathos. A large population of ghrednadaemons dwell here, as well as caco- and nycadaemons. Among land-preferring demons, shadow demons, areex, nickomar, and dygozeth predominate (the latter especially near the seas).
Minythys
The Pits of Minythys are the darkest, remotest, and dankest of Hades' Three Glooms. The six layers are named Plathys (plahth iss), Nuolopt (new ool ahpt), Chamada (kah mah dah), Gehenna, Acheron, and Tarterus. These planes are home to the dreaded Nycadaemons, spawning grounds of the Ultrodaemons, and parceled out to vassals by the Dark King, Nerull, The Reaper.
Ruinite/ruinium is a native product of Minythys (small deposits are also found in Xalta), as are liches, Dark Constructs, and soul eaters. Vargouille and Nyt Stalkers roam Minythys' planes, as well as demons, devils, daemons, and all other creatures who pay homage at Nerulll's Dark Court at Mortathenheim (also known as Mortath, Mortheim, and Drotheim).
The Overlord and Dark Emperor of the Lowest Realms holds court once per decade and all powers of the lower planes who do not seek his ire appear to pay their respects. Needless to say, few demons or devils appear, and most daemons do.
==== END FILE ==== "
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Average Score: 4.16
Votes: 6
|
|
|
|
|
|
