Baator

Also known as — (by Planewalkers) The Pit, the Land of Broken Promises; (by Primes) the Nine Hells, Hell

Lead us not into Temptation

Baator is the home of the baatezu, and if that ain’t enough to put you off the place, then maybe I’d be better off talking to the corpses of sods who were leatherheaded enough to go there without a sure fire means of escape. Oh yes, berk: Baator’s a plane you’d best avoid unless you have business there. And it had better be good…

The road to hell is paved with works in progress.
—Philip Roth

Avernus — Layer the First

A blasted wasteland under a blood-red sky, dotted with ruins, rivers of blood, and mountains of slag. It’s a battlefield, devastated by wrathful war between the baatezu and tanar’ri. The River Styx flows through Avernus, serving as a staging post and battleground for the Blood War. Countless portals lead to other planes, making it a strategic location. The layer is dominated by the baatezu, both those in the heirarchy and the rabble of devilkin outside of it. The Lord of Avernus is either the pit fiend Bel or the fallen archon Zariel, depending on whom you ask.

Find more chant on Avernus here…

Dis — Layer the Second

Dis is a vast city built from iron and stone and the blood of petitioner-slaves. It dominates the layer of the same name, although the voracious gluttony of the city has stripped the rest of the layer of virtually anything useful. Dis is perpetually shrouded in smoke and lit by the glow of countless forges. This labyrinthine metropolis of oppression and despair is ruled by Dispater, the Iron Duke, from his Iron Tower. The majority of the noble houses of the baatezu race can be found here, their infernal machinations playing out endlessly as they jostle for the favour of Dispater and the Dark Lord.

Find more chant on Dis here…

Minauros — Layer the Third

Minauros is a festering swamp of greed, corruption and decay, where acid rain falls endlessly, and the stench of rot pervades the air. The city of Minauros, half-sunken in the mire, is ruled by Mammon the Serpent, who hoards uncountable wealth and schemes endlessly to acquire even more.

Find more chant on Minauros here…

Phlegethos — Layer the Fourth

Phlegethos is a hellscape of volcanoes, rivers of molten lava, and firestorms. It’s a realm of intense heat and flame, where passions burn hot and lust for power even hotter. The city of Abriymoch, built into a volcanic crater, is the centre of power. Fierna and Belial, the lord and lady of Phlegethos, rule this fiery domain.

Find more chant on Phlegethos here…

Stygia — Layer the Fifth

Stygia is a frozen sea of polluted ice and oily black water, where glaciers float and deadly cold winds blow endlessly. The city of Tantlin, built on a massive iceberg, serves as the capital where Levistus, the imprisoned archdevil, rules from within his icy tomb.

Find more chant on Stygia here…

Malbolge — Layer the Sixth

Malbolge is a disgusting disaster of a realm, splattered with body parts which seek to consume travellers who dawdle or faulter. The very terrain shifts and collapses unpredictably, a prison of ever-changing horrors. This layer of sloth and lazy shortcuts is ruled by Glasya, hand-picked for the role by her father the Dark Lord of Nessus, whether she deserved the promotion or not.

Find more chant on Malbolge here…

Maladomini — Layer the Seventh

Maladomini is a ruined wasteland of crumbling cities, abandoned temples, and desolate wastelands. The almost-perfect city of Malagard, already a decaying metropolis, is the centre of power. Baalzebul, the vain Lord of the Flies, rules this realm, constantly rebuilding his cities only to see them fall apart when they fail to meet his perfectionist standards. Maladomini is also the centre of Baator’s bureaucratic government, where corrupt officials, infernal architects and power-hungry politicians meet and scheme.

Find more chant on Maladomini here…

Cania — Layer the Eighth

Cania os a frozen hellscape of shifting glaciers, grinding icy peaks, and bottomless chasms, where the cold is beyond mortal endurance. The perilous chain bridges which criss-cross the layer are treacherous to cross, making travel, or even existence, in Cania a challenge. The fortress of Mephistar, home to Mephistopheles, the envious archdevil who rules Cania, is the centre of power.

Find more chant on Cania here…

Nessus — Layer the Ninth

The deepest layer of Baator, Nessus is a realm of dark, twisted chasms and treacherous cliffs, leading to the heart of Hell. The grand fortress of Malsheem, an impregnable bastion, is where Asmodeus, the Dark Lord, holds his court. Nessus is the seat of ultimate power and the essence of pride and tyranny. The most powerful baatezu, including pit fiends and countless sycophantic archdevil nobles, serve Asmodeus directly.

Find more chant on Nessus here…

More details to follow!

Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net

Canonical References: See also the excellent Planes of Law boxed set for more details on Baator.