Gehenna

## Description

The four layers of Gehenna were infinite planes with gravity at a forty-five degree angle to the ground, making travelers feel as if they were on the side of a mountain with no base or peak. Anyone losing their footing could tumble for miles/kilometers before finding enough purchase on the slope to halt their fall. Nearly all terrain that was not a river of water or lava was slightly slippery to quite slick. All structures were either built onto or carved into the slopes. Heat and light came from the ground, much like Carceri, but the source was volcanic: lava flows, vents, fumaroles, and mud pots were very common. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occurred often, tearing the land apart. On the hotter layers, unprotected flammable items and creatures would catch fire from the glowing ground or superheated gases being ejected. The barriers between layers were always underground, usually in dead end corridors.

### Khalas

Main article: Khalas
The uppermost layer, Khalas, was the most livable of the four planes with many waterfalls cascading down the slopes, the largest being the river Styx. The Styx followed a rough path down the slope, fell for thousands of feet/meters, ran through twisty rapids before finally disappearing into underground passages. Steam rose into the infinite and empty black sky making the horizon glow a dull red. Khalas touched the Astral Plane and had connections to Hades, the Nine Hells, and Concordant Opposition. The portals looked like black chasms in the floor of deep underground passages. Markings on the walls would often indicate the portal's destination, if you could read them.

### Chamada

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Main article: Chamada
### Mungoth

Main article: Mungoth
Mungoth was a land of falling ash and burning snow. The furnaces of this layer were fewer and farther apart, allowing ice and snow to build up in the darker places between active areas. Travelers had to brave the never-ending avalanches of wet snow and fiery rock. Underground passages were relatively safe.

### Krangath

Main article: Krangath
The fourth layer was devoid of any volcanic activity, even underground. All was dark and cold. The name of this layer meant literally "dead furnaces".

## Cosmography

Mount Olympus connected to Gehenna at randomly changing locations throughout the plane. It was unclear why the mountain had a connection at all to the plane, but some sages speculated that the mountainous character of the plane attracted the planar conduit there.

## Inhabitants

The only creatures known to be native to this plane were the barghests, running through the rifts of Khalas and occasionally found in smaller number on the other layers, and the pyroclastic dragons. All the other creatures originally came from the adjacent lower planes, mostly to hide from more powerful beings that wished to enslave them. Gehenna was often a plane of exile for the less powerful archdevils and daemon taskmasters.

## Realms

Even lesser deities tended to avoid Gehenna. Those that leaned toward Law were recruited into the hierarchy of the Nine Hells and those that favored chaos tended toward Hades. Here is a list of the Powers known to have called this plane home at some point:

* Iyachtu Xvim's *Bastion of Hate* resided on the layer of Chamada.
* Mellifleur the Lichlord had an obsidian citadel on Krangath called *Hopelorn*.
* Memnor, a god of cloud giants, lived in a realm called *Thraotor*.
* Shargaas, Night Lord of the orcs, lived underground on Krangath in a realm called the *Night Below* and controlled the deepest caverns of Mungoth before moving to Nishrek as described by the World Tree and World Axis cosmology models.
* Squerrik, god of wererats, once lived in the realm of *Cheisin* on Khalas.
* Velsharoon's realm of *Death's Embrace* once resided on Mungoth.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `MotP1e-107`
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `MotP1e-108`
3. ↑ Colin McComb (December 1995). “*Liber Malevolentiae*”. In Michele Carter ed. *Planes of Conflict* (TSR, Inc.), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-0309-0.
4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DBD-182`
5. ↑ Colin McComb (1996). *On Hallowed Ground*. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 168. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
6. ↑ Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). *Manual of the Planes 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 114. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Colin McComb (1996). *On Hallowed Ground*. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 176. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
8. ↑ Jeff Grubb, Ed Greenwood and Karen S. Martin (1987). *Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (Cyclopedia of the Realms)*. (TSR, Inc), p. 17. ISBN 0-8803-8472-7.
9. ↑ Gary Gygax (August, 1985). *Unearthed Arcana (1st edition)*. (TSR, Inc.), p. 119. ISBN 0880380845.
10. ↑ Colin McComb (1996). *On Hallowed Ground*. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc), p. 134. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
11. ↑ Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). *Player's Guide to Faerûn*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 162. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
12. ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). *Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
13. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (1997). *Powers and Pantheons*. (TSR, Inc), p. 76. ISBN 0-7869-0657-X.