In the course of the grand project to explore the
Abyss, several Grey Sages made discoveries outside the bounds of Rhineglade’s
challenge. These additional works and some other matters are presented in this codicil to the other two treatises.
The Infinite Layers of the Abyss Part III
Layer 101: The Endless Enigma by
Grodog
A prison layer of non-euclidean and tesseractian chambers, created through the
combined powers of Alrunes, Fraz-Urb'luu, Sceirion, Obox-ob, and Abraxus. This
level is often the destination of gate traps. The only being to have ever
escaped its confines, Baphomet, entered on a bet and emerged 7500 years later.
Most demonic scholars believe that each of the plane's creators built special
strongholds and caches throughout its structures. In addition to creatures
indigenous to this unique environment, the plane is inhabited by various failed
experiments, political prisoners, invaders, adventurers (Prime-planar, demonic,
and otherwise), and such.
Layer 217: The
Abyssal realm of Wagamawezwik "Ravenous"
by Osmund-Davizid
This layer strongly resembles the Prime Material Plane, being a layer of huge
forests of evergreens and sharp jagged mountains. The air is always cold, and
there are two distinct seasons on the plane (unusual for the Abyss - the
metaphysics of what causes the seasons to change may be beyond a mortal mind to
comprehend - it is likely that Wagamawezwik himself controls the weather
according to his whims). There is a short "warm season" which the
temperature is just very chilly, but otherwise endurable. There are very few creatures
that inhabit this plane, giving a very spooky feeling of emptiness. Because of
the warm season, many planar travelers have made the mistake of marking this
layer as a plane of (relative) safety in the Abyss.
This is just a cruel trick, as when the cold season strikes, the true nature of
this horrid plane becomes apparent. The sky turns black, the temperature
plunges to far below zero, snow and wind whips though the air, and travels are
forced to seek shelter. Once forced to hide from the storms, the servants of
Wagamawezwik start to walk the lands.
These servants include shapeshifters, who turn into images of other party
members in order to separate them and slay them. But most terrible is the fact
that there is NOTHING to eat on the plane for man or demon. The plant life
appears to be as a terrestrial evergreen forest, but in appearance only, the
plants are not edible and cannot sustain a mortal creature. Attempting to eat any plant of fungus on this
layer will result in having an undigestible mass in one’s belly with no
satisfaction of hunger pangs. The snow
is not really made of water as we know it, and thus cannot sustain life
(although it feels as though it is working to slake thirst). Gates to and from
this layer have a nasty habit of being blown about by the high winds, so a
portal that was available in the warm season may have moved once the winds pick
up.
Finally, the emaciated ghasts of Wagamawezwik love to torment their prey by
whispering in their ears thought of food and how they can satisfy their
victims' hunger. These ghasts and ghouls are so thin that they can only be
viewed from the side (like a duo dimensional spell). So they often creep up to
the huddled masses of travelers trying to stay warm and tell them how easy it
would be to slay their companions in order to get such sweet, sweet meat...
The plane has a horrid effect on the human mind, driving people slowly mad with
hunger (akin to the phenomenon of "cabin fever" on Oerth) the longer
they spend there. Should a person resist, then the ghouls just rip them apart.
But if they succumb to this torment and slay their companions for food (or even
eat the flesh of the ones who have died from other causes), instead of
surviving, the victim becomes thinner and thinner, wasting away until there is
nothing left but a new ghoul in Wagamezwik's realm.
Most demons know better than to enter this realm, for they can get nothing to
eat as well (although some babau demons have leave by Wagamawezwik to maraud
during the warm season). This is a great plane to avoid at all costs, if you
value your sanity and your life.
Layer 88: The Silent Swamp of Mangroves and
Malevolence by Wilfrick
This layer consists of an endless swamp dominated by several species of
mangrove trees growing out of brackish water (a mixture of fresh and salt
water). The air of this plane is thick and fetid, and the temperature remains
constant at 88 degrees (F) with 90% humidity. No wind ever blows here and the
swamp stinks of decay and rotten vegetation.
The sky, when not obscured by the thicket of mangrove branches, is a uniformly
hazy greenish-gray color. It continually radiates a sort of late afternoon
level of “sunlight,” although no sun is actually ever visible and there is no
apparent cycle of day or night in this domain. In addition, the ambient light
does not negatively affect the undead.
The mangrove trees themselves reach heights of 35-40 meters, and various types
of ferns, mosses, fungi and orchids also grow here. The flowers are generally a
sickly greenish-yellow color and produce a disgusting scent reminiscent of
human feces.
Food and Drink
The water in which the mangroves grow can reach a depth of up to 6 meters,
although 0-2 meters is more common. The water is dark, almost black in color,
and is not potable due to the salt content its general polluted state. The
beasts of this plane have apparently adapted to this and are able to filter out
the salt in one way or another. But given the heat and extreme humidity in the
swamp, dehydration quickly becomes an issue for any non-native creature without
its own supply of fresh water.
Even if the foul liquid could somehow be desalinized, any PC ingesting it has a
75% non-cumulative chance per half-liter consumed of contracting a severe case
of dysentery. Purification spells and the like will not function in this layer
because of the baleful influence of the Abyss. Cure Disease and similar spells
will work, although they are only effective 60% of the time.
Numerous animals live in the swamp, but the ecosystem’s biochemistry differs
slightly from that of the prime material plane. Thus, any non-native creature
ingesting “food” from this environment winds up introducing a bio-toxin into
their system. Plus, the food (fish, meat or fowl) uniformly tastes rancid. No fruit grows in the swamp and none
of the flora is edible.
The effects of the bio-toxin are cumulative such that a typical PC would accrue
a lethal dose after eating the number of meals equal to 1/3 of his or her
Constitution score (rounded up). Purification spells will again be of no use
here, although magical protections from poison will work at roughly 60% of
their normal level of effectiveness.
Denizens of the Swamp
The “natural” fauna living in this awful place include crustaceans, fish,
reptiles, mammals, small primates and all sorts of birds. Most appear deformed
in some way relative to their prime material analogues. For example, a commonly
seen crustacean-eating fox-like animal has greasy brown fur, a gnarled,
corkscrew-like tail and eyes the color of fresh blood. The birds especially are
bereft of their normal bright colorings, being either a dull grayish-brown or
various putrid shades of ochre and green.
The swamp is infested with tiny but voracious and bloodthirsty flying insects.
Any unprotected warm-blooded visitor to the plane will be bitten an average of
three times per turn. Each bite has a 1 in 10 chance of imparting a virulent
tropical disease (malaria-type).
Essentially, if unprotected creatures are not somehow magically or otherwise
immune to disease, they are virtually guaranteed to contract one in fairly
short order. Cure Disease spells will rid an infected PC of this disease with
the same 60% effectiveness noted above, but with each bite received he or she
has a 1 in 10 chance of being re-infected.
PCs unfortunate enough to become trapped on this vile plane may not survive
long enough to die from the symptoms of this disease (or from dehydration,
starvation, poisoning, dysentery, etc.) as countless hostile creatures populate
this reeking swamp. Some of these are deadly but non-magical, such as
crocodiles, jaguars, poisonous snakes and various prehistoric reptiles.
Dangerous giant animals (catfish, frogs, etc.) are also common. And finally,
PCs must of course contend with the undead and demonic denizens of the plane.
Random Encounter Table for the Silent Swamp:
01-20 Animal, giant (see subtable)
21-27 Crocodile (normal)
27-29 Daemon, Hydrodaemon
30-31 Demodand, Faratsu
32 Demodand, Kelubar
33 Demodand, Shator
34-36 Demon, Chasme
37-41 Demon, Dretch
42-45 Demon, Type II
46-48 Demon, Type V
49 Demon, Type VI
50-54 Demon, other type or mixed group
55-58 Dinosaur, Dimetrodon
59-65 Dinosaur, Pterosaur
66-67 Dinosaur, Tanystropheus
68 Froghemoth
69-75 Ghast / Ghoul
76-77 Green Slime
78-79 Jaguar
80 Naga, spirit
81 Shadow
82 Son of Kyuss
83-87 Snake, constrictor (normal)
88-93 Snake, poisonous (normal)
94-96 Stirge
97-98 Throat Leech
99 Vampire
00 Wraith
Giant Animal sub-table:
1 Beetle, giant water
2 Catfish, giant
3 Centipede, huge
4 Centipede, giant
5 Crab, giant
6 Crayfish, giant
7-9 Crocodile, giant
10-11 Frog, giant
12 Frog, giant killer
13 Frog, giant poisonous
14 Leech, giant
15 Lizard, giant
16 Snake, giant constrictor
17 Snake, giant poisonous
18 Spider, huge
19 Toad, giant
20 Turtle, giant snapping
Special Features of the Layer
The most unique aspect of this plane is that it is totally silent. Sound waves
cannot be produced here and even if they could, they simply would not travel
through the air or ground. Thus, spells with a verbal component will not
function in this layer and verbal communication is impossible. PCs will be
unable to hear the splash of a crocodile entering the water or their
compatriot’s cries for help, etc.
The utter lack of distinguishing landscape features renders navigation on this
layer extremely difficult. The massive, gnarled mangrove roots and the
interminable maze of interlocking shallow waterways significantly impede normal
movement. If not assisted by some magical means, PCs will move at only 30% of
the standard rate. Travel by mount, cart or coach is simply out of the
question.
Boating is possible along the larger tributaries, but the resident crocodiles
have learned that vessels usually contain food and will move swiftly to attack
and overturn them (50% chance for a crocodile encounter every turn spent
boating or rafting).
Similarly, it may be possible to fly above the canopy of mangrove trees, but
doing so will often result in hostile pterodactyl encounters (50% chance per
turn of flying, triple the number of pterosaurs normally encountered).
Most beasts of this plane will not attack the undead or natives of the lower
planes, although they will defend themselves if attacked by such creatures.
Thus, a group of evil PCs with a demonic or demodand escort would be able to
pass through the swamp relatively unmolested as long as they practice a “live and let live” policy -- and their
escort does not turn on them.
There is no source of metal or stone in this layer, and the twisted,
salt-infused mangrove branches and roots are useless for most types of
woodwork. Metallic items other than pure silver, gold or platinum will rust
here and/or corrode away to nothing over time, and paper items (including
scrolls and spell books) are vulnerable to mold and mildew with prolonged
exposure to this humid environment.
Politics and Planar Ecology
Apparently, no demon lord rules this land directly, although Demogorgon
reportedly banishes unfortunates who have displeased him to this plane from
time to time. Pazuzu may visit this realm on rare occasions to patrol its
skies.
Gates to other lower-planar destinations are somewhat more common on this plane
than elsewhere in the Abyss, and one of the winding tributaries of this endless
swamp may in fact eventually connect up with the river Styx. Thus, Demons of
many types, Demodands and perhaps others of the lower planes sometimes use it
as a conduit for transit. Most gates here are unstable, however, and how the
fiends manage to navigate from point to point on this plane remains a mystery. Unless visitors have a very good reason for
staying, the only good thing about this reeking, horrid plane will likely be
taking their leave of it.
This ends the formal findings of the Grey Sages. There were other findings of the Abyss done
by the Grey Sages. In particular, the
Sage Rasgon gave information on many layers based on his and other sages work. These efforts show the resilience of humanity
to push the expanse of knowledge even to the depths of the ignorance that is
the Abyss. But for the time being, this
series of treatises is at an end.
Notes:
This three-part series of articles is a reposting of a forum
thread on the Canonfire website. CF
member Rhineglade proposed the thread with the following instructions:
“I found a similar forum
to this in another website that I thought was kind of an interesting idea and
allows for the exchange of creative ideas. I, for one, have always been
interested in the Inner and Outer Planes of D&D. Although some information
exists on the planes, there is still a lot of room for development.
How this forum works is I will start by making up an idea for one of the layers
of the Abyss. I will describe the layer and then end the post with a made up
name for another random layer. The next person to post will take that name and
make up a description about it. That person will then end her or his post with
a new name for a random Abyssal layer and the process continues from there. The
numbering system for the layers is not so important as it is an opportunity to
get the creative juices flowing and to share ideas.”
The entire thread is available here:
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=219
I gathered the layers mentioned in the thread, made some minor
editing and created the bumper story in order to preserve the ideas from the
thread and to respect and credit those who participated. I sincerely thank all those who contributed
and hope that they take these articles in the manner intended. The thread itself is worth revisiting (as are
many on the Canonfire forums) due to the exchange of ideas and discussions
involved. Kudos to all!
Osmund-Davizid