Underworld

The Underworld of Theros is a subterranean realm where the dead end up and dwell, located beneath the mortal plane and ruled by Erebos. Those who escape the Underworld become the undead Returned.Wizards RPG Team (2020), D&D Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Wizards of the Coast It is the equivalent of ancient Greek Hades.
==Description==
As it lacks the night as much as it lacks the Sun, the Underworld is speculated to not be connected to Nyx. Its landscape is characterized by huge columns, giant chains, and poplar trees. Like Nyx, the Underworld cannot be planeswalked to directly. Necromancy magic can resurrect mortals as normal, however Erebos can block certain uses of those spells.
==History==
At the dawn of humanity, Klothys and Kruphix waged war against their predecessors, the titans. Victorious, the twin gods sealed the Titans in the Underworld with Klothys to keep watch.
Some myths claim that when Heliod first came into being, his shadow became Erebos which he banished into the Underworld. However, other myths claim that Erebos came first and that he was banished following the birth of Heliod. Given the nature of Nyx, neither story is true, though Kruphix implies that a god of death (Erebos or otherwise) preceded the original sun god (stated not to be Heliod).Kelly Digges (June 11, 2014). "Kruphix's Insight". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
==Locations==
Different sections (or wards) of the Underworld are aligned with the five colors of mana. Mortals believe these wards to be directly underneath Theros, but they are separate planes of existence (each infinite in scale) connected by the Tartyx River.
===Entrances===
Entering the Underworld is an endeavor requiring physical travel to material locations, which lampads guide the dead toward. These areas are where the barrier between the two realms is at its weakest, such as deep caves and foggy bodies of water. Most are guarded by monsters placed there by a god or drawn to its energy. The following locations on the mortal plane are rumored to lead to the Underworld (with varying degrees of validity):
*The Blood Tree near Asphodel bleeds into the surrounding mire, turning the waters red.
*Cronemouth Cove in the Dakra Isles is guarded by a trio of sea hags.
*The Empty Eye in the Oraniad Mountains is a dormant volcano with a shadowy caldera.
*The Enorasi in the Nessian Wood is the lair of Arasta, some of whose webs lead to the Underworld.
*The Bothros is a bottomless pit in Odunos into which the Returned dump stolen loot.
*The Pharagax Bridge in Akros is built over a large chasm that monsters occasionally emerge from.
*The Winter Nexus in Setessa lies in a rocky cave that serves as a burial ground.
===Tartyx River===
The five Rivers That Ring the World, collectively known as the Tartyx River, is the confluence of five tributaries, each originating in one of the five Wards of the Underworld. It is the boundary between the mortal realm of the living and the afterlife. Athreos ferries souls across this river, regardless of whether or not they have perished, so long as they pay him with a single gold coin. Many islands are said to dot alongside the river, including the library Oneirrakthys and a treasury where Athreos stores his earnings. Tartyx is equivalent to the River Styx.
====Path of Phenax====
Phenax was able to ascend to godhood after escaping the Underworld by traveling through the Tartyx River and shedding his identity, making him undetectable by the gods. While the exact path he took is unknown, it is speculated to have ended at the Crypts of the Lost in Phoberos. Many mortals have replicated this feat, manifesting on the mortal plane as the Returned.
===Phylias===
Ordinary or indifferent souls who lead uninspired lives are sent to the tedious ward of Phylias.Flavor text for <c>Dreadful Apathy</c> Generally thought to be the highest layer of the Underworld, the residents live in featureless buildings and perform repetitive tasks for the remainder of eternity. Phylias is aligned with white mana.
===Agonas===
Honorless fighters are doomed to battle forever in the arenas of Agonas.Flavor text for The largest arena is the Stadium of Dishonor, which holds a twisted eternal version of the Iroan Games. A trail of fallen monsters called the Wall of Anikthea was left by the demigod Anikthea and leads from Agonas to the gate to the surface.Enduring Enchantments deck insert Agonas is aligned with red mana.
===Ilysia===
Those who die as Heroes are permitted to dwell in the tranquil and vibrant Ilysia.Flavor text for <c>Ilysian Caryatid</c> Erebos is believed to have no authority over this realm, and it is the only ward in the Underworld that Heliod's sun can reach. It is aligned with green mana and is equivalent to the Elysian Fields.
===Nerono===
The final resting place for souls haunted by their memories are the glassy oceans of Nerono.Flavor text for Drowned sailors also end up in this realm. A maze of waterways called the Labyrinth of Memories traps travelers by sending them in circles for eternity. Sirens torment lost souls by whispering true directions -- words that fade immediately from the listener's mind. Nerono is aligned with blue mana.
===Tizerus===
All hope crumbles to dust in the bleak realm of Tizerus.Flavor text for <c>Cling to Dust</c> Said to be the lowest ward of the Underworld, this is the final punishment of murderers and those who have committed unforgivable offenses against the gods themselves. Those caught attempting to escape the Underworld spend the rest of their existence in the Mire of Punishment.Flavor text for Somewhere in this ward is the Palace of Erebos, the home of the god of the Underworld.Flavor text for <c>Fruit of Tizerus</c> Within the palace is the portal Lathos, which leads back to the land of the living. Tizerus is aligned with black mana and is equivalent to Tartarus.
==Inhabitants==
===Gods===
The Underworld is governed by the god Erebos, who rules it with an iron whip. He is jealous, tyrannical, and paranoid.
The River Guide Athreos ferries souls across the Tartyx River and maintains the barrier between life and death. Klothys has lived in the Underworld ever since the binding of the titans, but she left following the apotheosis of Xenagos to untangle the threads of fate in the mortal world.
After the fall of the Archon empires of the Age of Trax, some of the celestial archons took refuge in the Underworld. There, their minds, souls, and bodies were twisted, turning them into sadistic monsters known as the .
Following the events of Theros Beyond Death, Heliod became trapped in the Underworld by Klothys as punishment for his hubris.Wizards of the Coast (January 10, 2020). "Theros Beyond Death Story Summary". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.Represented in Heliod's Punishment
===Mortals===
Every mortal is destined to pass into the Underworld upon death. The souls of the dead are generally divided into three categories:
*Neoli have recently arrived in the Underworld, still vibrant and lively.
*Glazers have spent more time dead than alive, becoming vacant.
*Misera have been petrified after countless deaths in the Underworld.Flavor text for These eventually erode into dust.
====Economy====
Denizens of the Underworld don't value gold as currency due it its abundance. Instead, they use ostraka, or clay shards from their funerary masks, as a tool for barter.
===Monsters===
Just like humanoid mortals, many Monsters are also able to pass into the Underworld, sometimes becoming guides or wardens for mortal souls. These include chimera, cyclopes, harpies, and sphinxes, among others. Other monsters (typically Nyxborn) are said to be native to the Underworld such as hags, lamia, Nightmares, and nymphs (especially lampads).
Erebos creates a multitude of monsters to guard his realm. Athreos and Klothys also employ these same monsters for their purposes. Cerberi are used to guard the Tartyx River, with two-headed cerberi on the mortal side to keep the living out and three-headed cerberi on the other side to keep the dead in. The most famous cerberus is Kunoros, the Hound of Athreos. Skeleton soldiers called phylaskia (from phulaxis meaning "guarding" or "watching") guard the borders of each ward, ensuring no souls leave their final resting place.Flavor text for 
Some souls in the Underworld become twisted and hateful throughout their afterlife, the most evil and malicious of them also transforming into demons or typhons. Woe striders are also said to dwell in the Underworld, the result of mortals attempting to untether themselves from fate. 
==In-game references==
==References==