The Nine Hells

The nine hells is a plane that is closely connected to red and black mana. The plane was once whole but shattered into nine shards or lairs during the celestial war. The nine hells is unique among planes as truly evil souls from every plane go to the nine hells once they die. This makes the hells and Parsidia the only planes that can planeshift non planeswalker souls.

The nine layers of the hells each serve as a cruel way of punishing people who have wronged themselves or others by one mean or another. This can be physical or emotional torture as once a soul enters hell and its sent to one of the lairs, the archduke and the devils of that plane know what the soul did and the souls feelings, notably fear and love.

The nine hells is also where the demonic energy of all planes originate from. The primevals where born on the nine hells and used to rule the plane until the celestial war and the great fall. During the celestial war and the sundering, demonic energy from the nine hells leaked into the aether, causing other planes to develop their own demons.

## History

The nine hells was originally known as Morestaria and was a whole plane ruled by the eight primeval demons. The plane has little to no connection with nature as the plane was one continues strech of infernal wasteland that was interupted here and there by great mountain ranges or seas of lava. The demons of the plane created an echo system based on the souls of mortals.

#### Early history

During the planes creation, it was struck with a wave of chaos flux which caused it to develop several strange attributes. First of which was that organic life was made impossible. The plane had a steady temperature of 140°C and sported no water. The plane also lacked a sun and instead had a devouring darkness that orbited the plane like suns on other planes. Second of these strange atributes was that souls from other planes in the multiverse could appear on this plane once they died. So many souls appeared on Morestaria that they started to conjoin into a great river that would later be known as Styx.

During the great dragoning, the Ur-Dragon essence did meld with Morestaria, but instead of creating dragons, the primeval demons arose from the ground itself. These where mindless brutes and faught for power. During their many conflicts, there dark energy would meld with the souls of styx and create lesser demons. The demons held a strange ability to grow and alter form the more they killed, leading to an endless cycle of kill or be killed. For aeons, this plane was utter chaos.

The angels of Parsidia despited Morestaria as it stood in polar opposition to their way of life. The archangel Gabriel decided to put together an army of angels and destroy the plane once and for all. Lucifer, another arch angel argued that its not in their hand which planes live and die, and that the demons had as much right as him to live. Gabriel disregarded his brothers pleads and launched an attack on Morestaria.

##### The Celestial War

The angels launched their attack, using a primitive version on a flux splitter to travel the aethter. The primeval demons banded together to defeat this common threat and the war continued for many countless milenia. Both demons and angels had the power to respawn in their home plane once killed, so no side could get any real footing. That was until the chaotic and malicious aura of the demons started to infect the lesser angels of the war. More and more angels defected, beckoming the first devils. These where snuffed out quickly however as the devils do not respawn like their angel brethren.

##### The Great Fall

Lucifer had grown annoyed at his brother Gabriel and suaght to end this war one way or another as the arch angel had been nelecting his dueties. Lucifer travelded to Morestaria and stood in the way of Glurieax and Gabriels conflic. Gabriel however was overcome with the zeal of battle and struk his brother out of the was witht he blunt side of his blade. Lucifer had finaly had enough and indulged himself ont he demonic ooze of the plane, beckoming Lucifer the Fallen, the first Archduke of the hells. Many angels who saw that Lucifer, an arch angel could fall to the demon forces, also gave up the fight and decided to eat the ooze as well, becoming great and powerful devils.

##### The Sundering

Seeing this, Gabriel cut his loses and severed the connection between the two planes, leaving Morestaria to its fate. But Micheal, the oldest of the arch angels, was not contempt with just leaving the traitor to his fate,a nd powered up an ancient war weapon built for the war. This weapon was made to destroy an enitre plane, however, the weapon was malfunctional and, instead of destroying Morestaria, shattered it into many shards. This was devastating to the inhabitants, but Lucifer and many of the demons and devils of the plane survived, and took up home on the layers of the new plane called hell.

##### The Whispering Era

Many of the devils started to worhsip Lucifer as a god of the new plane, and he decided to rule the planes from the lowest layer of hell, which he named the pale palace. He ordered the devild to build him a citadel. During the sundering, the palnes dark pool of mana settled at the bottom of its plane, so any weak being that would seek Lucifer out in his kingdom would be destroyed and shattered into fragments. Lucifer blessed some of the most powerful devild and gave them each a layer to rule over. Lucifer also decreed that this plane would be a plane of punishment for the souls who ventured here.

## Culture

The nine hells is a surprisingly orderly plane as much of Lucifer's angelic morality still remains intact. The plane feeds a culture of comradery among devils but also undermining to rise to power. This has resulted in many gangs of both demons and devils forming to both grow as a team and destroy competition

##### Bloodgreeting

Blood is seen as a important ingredient in rituals in the nine hells, so its not uncommon to greet one you do not yet know in the plane by splining your blood for them. Most often so you spill the blood from the wrist or torso, but if you wish to show you have little respect for who you greet, you prick your finger or do not bleed at all.

##### Celestial Hate

Its common place for infernals to hate celestials and more often than not hate undead. A undead that keep its soul in seen as a insult by most infernals as it's one less soul that would flow in the styx.

##### Speak in Half Truths

Infernals recent lies at it goes ageinst their lawful-evil nature, they do however speak in half truths and obscure parts of the truth with complex describitions. When devils write contracts, they can be meters long to account for all possibilities while hiding the devils true intent with the pact.

##### Infernal

Infernal is the most spoken laungage in the nine hells. Many devils also speak common, yugoloth or even draconic.

##### Culture of Ostium

Ostium has little culture as the devils there are the most focused on their job. Laziness in not accepted  int he demiplane of Ostium.

##### Culture of Ungrowtha

Ungrowtha has a culture of resentment and hatred. While the souls are often forced to work, there is no real culture of work.

##### Culture of Mercrotha

The demipalne of Mercrotha fosters a culture of eat or be eaten and the demons and the devils of the plane constantly feast on the flesh of the plane.

##### Culture of The Golden Citadel

The golden city is know for its never ening orgies and the lust culture. The manufacture of sex toys and pornography keeps getting worse and worse.

##### Culture of Fercyria

The culture of Fercyria is nearly non excitant for the mortal souls as survival is the most important for them. The devils of the plane however engage in decadent parties and masquerades.

##### Culture of Efferacxa

The culture of Efferacxa is non existance. The devils of the plane do however enjoy the psychological torture more than physical.

##### Culture of Recothinazth

Recothinazth's culture is one of rage and war. The devils of the palne engage in constant war. Abaddon also forces the devils of the plane to train for planar invasion.

##### Culture of Arastygia

The plane of Arastygia in one of decadent parties and fine wine. The mortal souls are seen as less than dirt.

## Geography of the Nine Hells

The nine hells are each stacked on top of eachother, floating roughly one kilometer above one another. At the bottom is the whispering void, a source of anti magic that ripps appart weak souls. The planar menbrane is very weak so cosmic debree enters the plane easily.

##### The River Styx

A river of souls runs from Ostium to The Pale Palace. The river runs through each of the layers and the souls fitting of each plane is washed ashore by Alastors command. Boatmen go up and down the river so that the devils do not need to fly to the top of the bottom of the plane. Devils and demons who are submerged in the river will start to die due to the energy of Styx. Mortals Can survive but will drown if submerged, which is probable as the many souls of the plane drag anything thrown into the river down to the bottom.

##### Ostium

All souls that enter the nine hells enter through Ostium. The plane is surounded by great mountains. Ostium seems to be a temprate forest, but all the trees and grass are made out of human skin, flesh and bone. In the middle of the plane is the dark tower where Alastor and his devils look out for fleeing spirits. Alastor is Ostium's archduke.

##### Ungrowtha

Ungrowtha is a vast and dead swamp filled with acid. The souls of the lazy go to Ungrowtha where they are forced to work, builing great monuments for the archdukes and crypts for the lazy devils. Ungrowtha is also the palne where you can find the most Sorrow Stone and Hell Steel. Belphegor is the archduke of Ungrowtha.

##### Mercrotha

The entire plane of Mercrotha is made out of the flesh of the gluttonous. The souls are trapped in this flesh and forced to be eaten and regenerated over and over again. Beelzebub is the archduke of Mercrotha.

##### The Golden Citadel

The golden city is a vast city scape made out of gold. The devil Asmodeus hosts the house of sin, a giant brothel where he is rock hard all the time. The plane is littered with orgies at every corner. Asmodeus is the archduke of The Golden Citadel.

##### Fercyria

The waters of the golden city fall down into the plane of Fercyria where the greedy are stripped of all their belongings and thrown into the west frozen wastes of the plane. The plane is caught in a constant blizzards and from any point on the plane, the warm glow of Mammon's castle is seen. This plane is also a great ocean where the surface is frozen, and from many places on the plane, you can see through the ice and see a sea floor made out of gold. Mammon is the archduke of Fercyria.

##### Efferacxa

Efferacxa is a geometrical plane of mirrors and floating cubes. The devils of the plane can shapeshift and the mortal souls are stipped of all defining characteristics, becoming blank slates. The devils rejoice in taking the shape of the lost souls form, dressed in elaborate clothes. Stolas is the archduke of Efferacxa.

##### Recothinazth

The warm desert landscape of Recothinazth is covered in dangerous palnts and andimals. The winds of the plane cut like blades into mortal flesh, but the demons and devils of the plane are unharmed. While the nine hells do not sport any sun, the reflecting light of Efferacxa act as a artificial sun and greatly increases the heat of Recothinazth. Abaddon is the archduke of Recothinazth.

##### Arastygia

The realm of Arastygia punishes the prideful by making them servants for the devils of the plane. The plane is adorned with alabaster and gold. Minos demands that each surface of the plane must constantly be cleaned. Minos is the archduke of Arastygia.

##### The Pale Palace

The pale palace is the castle of Lucifer, the most powerful creature in all of the nine hells. The plane itslef is the most damages due to the sundering, being only kept together by chains. Beneath the castle is the whispering void, where Lucifer trapped the primeval demons. Lucifer is the archduke of The Pale Palace.

## Native Wildlife

The nine hells are one of the most ecologically unique planes in the multiverse. Most if not all the creatures in the hells can only be found there unless summoned.

##### Demons

Demons where the original inhabitants of the plane. A demon is created either as a corrupted mortal soul or as a bi product of the primeval demons. The demons are chaotic and more animalistic than their devil brethren. If a demon where to die, as long as its liniage primeval is alive, the demon regenerates on its native layer of hell.

##### Devils

Devils are created from fallen or corrupted angels and are the undesputed rules of hell. Most low rank devils could win conflics ageinst even demon lords. They follow the commands of Lucifer to the grave, but unlike demons dont regenrate when killed unless their archduke choses to sacrifice perotions of their power to revive them. Devils are cunning yet lawful creatures and make long pacts and contracts with both eachother and mortal souls.

##### Yugoloths

Yugoloths are a strange group of infernals that are not originally from the nine hells, but they have taken up residence here. Many work for Mammon as a Yugoloths has no use for a mortal soul and instead act for coin. Yugoloths can be hired to preform a task, but has no binding contract and will serve whoever pays more.

## Playing in the Nine Hells

The Nine Hells, like any other plane is a living world where playable characters can come from. Those who come from the nine hells gain their choice of proficiency in intimidation, deception or arcana.