- "A dismal agglomeration of tropical islands choked with impenetrable jungles and surrounded by oceans of heaving blood."
- — Trikante the Incantifer, on Vudra[1]
Vudra is the 531st layer of the Abyss. It is nicknamed the "plane of poison" for its toxic air and oceans of poisonous blood, making it highly dangerous to humanoid life.
It is ruled by Shaktari, Queen of Mariliths, and her perpetually scheming marilith vassals.[1][2][3]
Traits and environment[]
Vudra consists of vast oceans of blood, sparsely dotted with hundreds of islands. An orange burning sun can be seen in the sky. The weather here is sweltering.[4]
Everything here is poisonous. The ocean, referred to as the Bloodsea, consists of the blood of poisonous creatures. The plant life, most of it unique to this layer of the Abyss and found nowhere else in nature, is inedible without spells like purify food and drink. Even the air itself is toxic to humanoids, who cannot breathe it for more than twelve hours without suffering ill-effects. Tanar'ri demons are immune to the plane's poison, as are various other native inhabitants.[1]
A rare and naturally occuring substance named q'laari, also called Shaktari's Ichor, grants immunity to poison for a full week. It is a brown, viscous liquid which is distasteful to the tanar'ri, and can be used as an ingredient of a potion of neutralize poison.
Inhabitants[]
Rulers[]
Vudra is ruled by mariliths, powerful six-armed snaked-bodied demons who serve as generals in the Blood War.
The ultimate ruler of this plane is Shaktari, the Queen of Poison, a gargantuan eight-armed marilith demon with deep black skin and burning red eyes. Shaktari spends most of her time sleeping at the bottom of her realm's blood oceans, and leaves the management of the realm to her marilith vassals.
The islands of Vudra are controlled by Shaktari's vassals, who each wear a magic item known as a necklace of Shaktari as a symbol of their loyalty. These vassals constantly plot and scheme with each other to increase their power. Among the most powerful are the marilith Kaliva.[1]
Other inhabitants[]
In addition to the mariliths who rule this plane, Vudra is inhabited by various other tanar'ri, including goristro, armanite, and bar-lgura demons.
Non-tanar'ri inhabitants include rakshasa, yuan-ti, and eyewings.
The marilith Kaliva's island is home to several hundred humanoids stolen from the material plane to satsify her teaste for blood. The humanoids are not immune to the plane's poison.
Numerous planar petitioners inhabit this layer. A great deal of jungle wildlife is also found here, including reptiles, serpents, poisonous insects and predatory plants, but there are no birds or mammalian animals.
Notable locations[]
Broken Beach[]
Broken Beach is a massive ruined fortress whose ramshackle appearance belies the fact that it is actually very well defended. A portal to this plane stands before the fortress, separated by a twenty foot wide canyon which is crossed by a bridge built of humanoid skulls and mortar. The bridge is guarded by two armanite demons, Arkom and Mokra; Arkom serves as a messenger and has orders to escort visitors wherever they wish, while Mokra kills anyone who tries to speak to him or to cross the bridge without Arkom's permission.
Broken Beach is guarded by the goristro V'tanor, as well as numerous other tanar'ri demons and petitioners.
Kaliva's island[]
One of many islands ruled by Shaktari's vassals, this island ruled by the marilith Kaliva is a treacherous jungle. It features beaches of black sand, a plateau inside the jungle surrounded on all sides with sheer cliffs rising a hundred feet tall, and three tall mountains.
Mount Drasve is the only source of the antipoison q'laari, and hosts a secret lair. Mount Charaga is topped with a temple operated by the rakshasa Raja Khan and dedicated to the demigod Dhanazar, consort of Shaktari. Mount Garzok is home to the Shrine of Shaktari.
A central jungle area known as the Taboolands is inhabited by tribal humanoids captured from the material plane.
Travel[]
A portal leads from the planar city of Sigil to Vudra. Travel requires a live snake as a gate-key, which must be within five feet of the portal in order for it to open. The portal leads outside a deceptively well-defended ruined fortress called Broken Beach. It is a one-way portal only.
The river Styx flows through this plane. The marraenoloth Krikon operates a ferry service here. The floor of his gondola is filled with venomous snakes.[1] Krikon appears to take perverse pleasure in escorting passengers only to watch them die after breathing the air.[4]
Publication history[]
AD&D 2nd edition[]
Vudra first appeared in Dungeon #60 (Jul/Aug 1996), in the adventure module Nemesis, by Christopher Perkins. As of 2020, this is the sole source for all canonical information about this layer.
D&D 3rd edition[]
Vudra was listed in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006), p.155-157.
D&D 4th edition[]
Vudra was listed in Demonomicon (2010), p.80.
Creative origins[]
Vudra was originally created by writer Christopher Perkins, who wrote the Planescape adventure module Nemesis. He credits Stephen Daniele for inspiring the adventure module.