The Nine Hells of Baator, also called Hell, Baator, or commonly the Nine Hells, is a lawful evil aligned outer plane that is best known as the home of the baatezu devils in the Great Wheel cosmology.[1]
Layers of Hell[]
The Nine Hells is divided into nine layers, each with its own archdevil ruler. Asmodeus, Lord of the Ninth, is the realm's ultimate ruler.[1]
- 1—Avernus: The first layer of Hell, Avernus is a wasteland destroyed by endless warfare. Currently ruled by the fallen angel Zariel, though in the past it has been ruled by the general Bel.
- 2—Dis: A burning city of iron. Its ruler is Dispater, who inhabits a great Iron Tower.
- 3—Minauros: A polluted swamp of acid and poison. Its capital, the City of Minauros, is constantly sinking into the marsh. Its ruler is Mammon the Viscount.
- 4—Phlegethos: A realm of fire and pain. It is ruled jointly by Archduke Belial and his daughter Fierna.
- 5—Stygia: A frozen sea of icebergs and glaciers. Its ruler, Prince Levistus, is trapped deep within an iceberg here.
- 6—Malbolge: An treacherous rocky slope. Ruled by the Hag Countess, one of Moloch's trusted advisors prior to the Reckoning of Hell.
- 7—Maladomini: An expanse of abandoned cities under a black sky. Its ruler is the Archduke Baalzebul.
- 8—Cania: A lethal frozen wasteland ruled by Mephistopheles.
- 9—Nessus: A land of trenches and ravines of impossible depth. Its ruler is Asmodeus, who resides in the deepest pit, called the Serpent's Coil.
Creative origins[]
The Nine Hells appear to be inspired by Dante's Inferno, a 14th century epic poem describing a journey through Hell. In this story, Hell is divided into nine concentric circles, each more terrible than the last, with those who sinned in life sent to a circle appropriate to the nature of their sin.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Manual of the Planes (3e) (2001), p.115-123.