The Abyss

The Abyss, alternately known as Hell, the Great Maw, or simply the Pit, is a layer of reality separate from the Terrene Realms, formed by the Primordial Tartarus. It is a collection of countless realms, each linked through geography that defies the laws of physics and space within the Terrene Realms. The Pit is the home of monsters beyond count, brought forth either by the Bloodlord himself, by one of the vile beings who inhabits the Abyss, or spawned by its foul energies. The Abyss is always growing, constantly spawning new realms independent of its creator.

## Geography

### The Planes

The realms of the Abyss are known as the Abyssal planes. Over seventy two thousand Abyssal planes have been documented, mostly by adventuring or scholarly deities, with the majority of them being inhabited solely by monsters, and are given solely numerical designations, such as "the 500th plane" or "the 8,677th plane". Those planes with significance are usually given proper names, such as Gehenna, the thronerealm of Lucifer, or Nav Veles, the realm of Tartarus.

The lower the numerical designation of a plane, the nearer it lies to the Terrene Realms, though such closeness is not entirely linear. Generally speaking, the first two hundred and thirty three planes of the Abyss all have some sort of immediate and direct access to one of the Terrene Realms. Other planes have less direct links to the other layers of Creation, such as the Labyrinth.

Unlike the Terrene Realms, travelling through the Abyssal planes is far from straightforward and direct. While leaving a Terrene Realm and flying out through its Ouranean Sphere (atmosphere) would consistently take one into the Void, it is not so within the Abyss. The pathways to other Abyssal planes are numerous and varied. Sometimes, travelling up into the sky will see one emerge in another plane. Elsewise, one might need to descend into a tunnel in the earth, move through a forest, dive into a particular spot in the sea. Where one emerges in a corresponding realm is also not always consistent. Swimming through a river in one plane might see one emerge into a desert, while slogging through a swamp might end with a traveler tumbling through the sky of the corresponding plane. Nor can one traverse both ways between planes. Many routes lead only in one direction, and several alternate passages must need be taken to return to the realm where one began.

As might be imagined, the Abyss is horrifically difficult to navigate as a result.

### Notable Planes

* Muspellheim, the 1st Plane: The outermost plane of the Abyss, directly accessible from the Netherworld of Niflheim, Muspellheim is home of the Fire Giants. It has numerous pathways that least deeper into the Pit.
* Maglor, the 4,523rd Plane: One of the outermost Asmodean realms, Maglor lies on the fringe of the Iron Lord's territory.
* Nurmengard, the 4,782nd Plane: Nurmengard, with its smog-black skies and endless towering citadels, is the thronerealm of the Fallen Seraph Asmodeus, and his Tenth Angelic Legion. It is a place of insane industry, where forges never go cold and engines of destruction are birthed with every breath.
* Ta'baesh, the 6,324th Plane: Ta'baesh is a realm of frigid darkness, of icy wastes and a scant few frigid forests. The ghoulish fortress of Samael, Fallen Seraph of the Fourteenth Angelic Legion resides there.
* Dudael, the 27,779th Plane: The thronerealm to the Fallen Seraph Abaddon and his barbarous Seventh Angelic Legion, Dudael is a realm of bronze and fire, filled with battlefields and fortresses.
* Shol'Tehom, the 31,909th Plane: Within Shol'Tehom dwells Bel'Shatan, the sorcerous tower of the Seraph Bael and his Fallen Thirteenth Angelic Legion. It is a world composed of scorching deserts, dotted here and there with towering mountains of monstrous size, the only sources of abundant life on the plane.
* Nymera, the 34,548th Plane: Thronerealm of the Fallen Seraph Azazel and his Sixth Angelic Legion, Nymera is a verdant paradise that countless souls have lost themselves to. It is a decadent heaven where depravities of all sorts are indulged in.
* Malakhet, the 52,409th Plane: Malakhet is the thronerealm of the terrible Twelfth Angelic Legion, and its Seraph, Mephiston. It is a place of terror and order, its citizens living in terror of stepping even a single toe out of line, lest indescribable torment fall upon them.
* Gehenna, the 66,666th Plane: Located in the deep reaches of the Abyss is Gehenna, the thronerealm of Lucifer, Prince of the Fallen. It is home to the largest population of mortals within the Abyss, seat of the Second Angelic Legion, a land of austere beauty and magnificent fortresses, a vision of Lucifer's Dream.
* Nav Veles, the 72,401st Plane: Perhaps the most important Abyssal plane, Nav Veles is the realm of Tartarus, the Bloodlord. Filled with monstrous horrors of every imagining, and home to Tartarus's dread fortress of Zov Rabbat, Nav Veles is always the lowest plane of the Abyss, always the most distant from the dimension of the Terrene Realms. Every few years, a new plane is formed, and Nav Veles sinks deeper.

## Inhabitants

### Monsters

There are lots. Most of them come from here, in fact.

### The Fallen

Seven of the eight Angelic Legions who rebelled against the deceit of Ra dwell within the Abyss. Each legion has its thronerealm, where its Seraph resides, and commands dozens of other planes as well.

### Mortals

Some of the mortals within the Abyss were brought into the Pit by monstrous captors, to serve as slaves, food, or both. The vast majority of them, however, descend from faithful worshippers of the Fallen Ynochim, who followed their idols into darkness in order to continue to serve in their war against the treacherous Ra. Nine hundred and ninety nine of every thousand humans within the Abyss resides within one of the realms of the Fallen, twisted to the will of their infernal overlords. Their exact number is not known to most, but the census reaches far into the millions.

## Mental Effects

Main Article: Abyssal Corruption

Residing the Abyss affects the mind. This is known to scholars of the occult who have studied its histories. Most attribute this to the will of Tartarus, the Abyss's fell master, his malice so suffused within his domain that it poisons the minds of all who reside there for too long. Some even postulate that the corrupting effect of the Pit has affected the Bloodlord himself, twisting his own mind to further evil, which in turn influenced the entire Abyss over the course of millennia in a self perpetuating cycle. Some posit that the presence of the Mad Primordial Apophis is the cause, from ancient days when he ravaged the dimension.

Regardless, it is an indisputable fact that residing in the Abyss corrupts the mind and spirit. For some, it takes hours, some years, some even centuries, but all who remain within the Abyss for too long see the nobility in them wither, their passions turned twisted, or their hope turned to ash.