Ribcage

**Ribcage** was a gate-town in the Outlands that led to the Nine Hells of Baator.

“
*Rules are made to be taken advantage of.*

”
— From *The Wit and Wisdom of Lord Paracs*, ruler of Ribcage.

## Geography

The city was located in a narrow valley in the mountain range known as the Vale of the Spine. The valley was barren and deserted and surrounded by two ridges of steep mountains that arched inwards, resembling the ribs of an enormous creature. Moving away from the city, the mountains became less steep, acquiring a more angular and cubic shape toward Rigus. The Vale extended from the edge of the Outlands spireward until near the River Ma'at and was surrounded by dusty plains.

The city occupied the entirety of the valley. All passages to the mountains were closed off, so the only way in or out of the city was through its iron gates, located on both ends of the valley.

## Government

Ribcage was ruled by Lord Quentill Paracs and a council of five senators. Paracs hid his authoritarian tendencies and political ploys behind the illusion that the council could overrule his decisions, although he made sure to have a sufficient number of them held in his favor at any time through bribery and threats.

## History

Ambran the Seeker, a half-elven paladin of Oghma from Cormyr, was sent on a mission to explore the planes of existence, according to his unpublished journal that dated from during the reign of King Azoun Obarskyr IV. Traveling with Glin, a bariaur guide hired to take him from Sigil to the Outlands, Ambran spent a few days in Ribcage, which both were happy to leave behind on their way to Automata, where they observed the start of the Great Modron March of the 13th century DR.

## Notable Locations

* The Citadel, the largest building in the city and the seat of power of the Lord and Council. It was also the location of the *portal* to Baator.
* The Gymnasium of Steam, a bathhouse built over volcanic springs on the ringward side of the city.

## Inhabitants

The majority of Ribcage's population consisted of tieflings, but also included humans and other humanoids, bariaur, githzerai, and a few other races. There was a surprisingly small number of devil inhabitants, due to the council's policy of keeping them out. This policy was part of an effort to prevent the city from shifting its alignment too far into lawful evil, which would incur a risk of it slipping into Baator and becoming a part of it.

## Appendix

### Appearances

* "The Plane Truth Part II: A Journey to the Outlands", *Dragon* #204
* *The Great Modron March* (mentioned only)

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 David "Zeb" Cook (1994). *Planescape Campaign Setting, Sigil and Beyond*. Edited by David Wise. (TSR, Inc), pp. 46–50. ISBN 978-1560768340.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Jeff Grubb (May 1995). *A Player's Primer to the Outlands*. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 22. ISBN 0-7869-0121-7.
3. ↑ Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins, James Wyatt (2014). *Dungeon Master's Guide 5th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 67. ISBN 978-0786965622.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 David "Zeb" Cook (April 1994). “The Plane Truth Part II: A Journey to the Outlands”. In Kim Mohan ed. *Dragon* #204 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 28–30.
5. ↑ David "Zeb" Cook (1994). *Planescape Campaign Setting, Sigil and Beyond*. Edited by David Wise. (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 978-1560768340.
6. ↑ Christopher Perkins, Adam Lee, Richard Whitters (September 1, 2015). *Out of the Abyss*. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 183–184. ISBN 978-0-7869-6581-6.

### Connections

The Concordant Domain of the Outlands
**Realms**
Caverns of Thought • Court of Light • Dwarvish Mountain (Deepshaft Hall • Soot Hall • Strongale Hall) • Flowering Hill • Gzemnid's Realm • Hidden Realm • Labyrinth of Life • Marketplace Eternal • Mausoleum of Chronepsis • Palace of Judgement • Semuanya's Bog • Sigil • Sleeping Lands • Tir na Og (Deep Forest • the Great Smithy • House of Knowledge • the Pinnacle • Tir fo Thuinn) • Thoth's Estate • Wonderhome
**Gate-towns**
Automata • Bedlam • Curst • Ecstasy • Excelsior • Faunel • Fortitude • Glorium • Hopeless • Plague-Mort • **Ribcage** • Rigus • Sylvania • Torch • Tradegate • Xaos