Charon A major altraloth is Charon ( also known as Cerlic ) , the boatman of the River of Blood , who ferries souls down the River for a steep price . The River of Blood links the topmost layers of the Fiendish Planes , and it branches can be found anywhere from the Nine Hells to the Abyss . When encountered , the River is a deep , swift , and unfordable torrent . Those who touch or drink from the River will forget their past lives completely . Charon may be summoned only on the banks of the River . Appearance . Charon ' s appearance is that of a skeletal man with a haggard face and glowing eyes . He ' s typically dressed in fine robes or ermine and silk . Charon is about 6 feet tall , and weighs almost 240 pounds . His hands are bony claws and his feet are webbed . No - one alive or dead has ever seen Charon without his hood up . He will appear with a large black skiff that holds 10 , and if requested will ferry his charges to the topmost layer of any Lower Plane . Price . His price is a magical item , a silk bag of 100 pp , or two gems of 500 + gp value . Charon never carries this treasure but distributes it among his servants , the marraenoloth s . Charon will not transport any beings that do not pay his price , and he has several abilites to enforce this . Motives . Charon is the lord of the River of Blood , from its beginning to its end . He hates and pursues anyone who interferes with his river , and demands payment from all who use its plane jumping properties . He is cunning , self - serving , and deceptive , rarely working toward anyone ' s goals , but his own As defender of all marraenoloths , Charon will come to the aid of any of the fiends who call for his help . However , he charges a stiff price , usually in the order of hundreds of thousands of platinum pieces . As a result , some marraenoloths would rather die than call for the Stygian Ferryman to save them . Realm . All of the River of Blood is considered Charon ' s realm , but he is rumored to have a secret fortress in which he hoards the fees he collects for his services . A planewalker recently came to Sigil claiming to have found a stronghold built entirely of black ice , staffed with " raft - riding skeletons . " It ' s believed that this may be Charon ' s rumored fortress . Followers . All marraenoloths are considered followers of Charon , but they are independent agents who act on their own . They serve Charon of their own free will , not because they are bound to do so . History . Many ages past , the marraenoloths were besieged by repeated attacks by the demodand s under orders from their master , Apomps . Though the skeletal fiends sought aid from the greater yugoloth s , their entreaties were rebuffed , for they couldn ' t afford the exorbitant prices asked by the ultroloth masters of their race . In desperation , the marraenoloths turned to the night hag s . The night hags agreed to use their magic to make create a champion , an " altraloth " , from their number in exchange for free and unrestricted ferry service across the River of Blood , for all time . With no other alternative , the marraenoloths agreed , and so one of them was transformed into Cerlic , the altraloth champion more commonly known as Charon . With his greater , hag - enhanced powers , Charon was able to stop the demodand attacks so thoroughly that the demodands never bothered the marraenoloths again , though exactly how he did this has been kept secret from other races . Notes . Charon is connected to the River of Blood and all life , therefore he cannot be destroyed . If he is defeated in combat his essence returns to the River ' s source . 24 hours later Charon relentlessly pursues those who defeated him . As long as there is there is at least one living creature in the Multiverse the River will continue to flow and Charon cannot be destroyed . Charon ' s form may be destroyed , but he is never truly slain , as he is native to all 5 of the Lower Planes . His form will cease to exist on that plane for a single day before returning .