Niflheim

[ Gray Waste ] [ Oinos | Niflheim | Pluton ]

The Gray Waste — Layer the Second

The Gloom of Loss, the Cold Despair, the Abode of Darkness

Themes of the Layer: Hopelessness, loss, melancholy, obscuring mists and gnawing sorrow.

The philosophy of evil in Niflheim is one of insidious despair. The mists part only to reveal scenes that twist nostalgia into bitterness, goading travelers with memories of lost love, ruined happiness, and the inexorable march of time. It is a realm where hope is systematically ground down, where even the strongest souls can find themselves succumbing to the pervasive gloom. The true danger of Niflheim lies not just in its physical threats, but in the way it erodes the spirit, leaving its victims hollow and despondent, agents of its own perfect despair.

You can listen to a rare skaldic ballad from Niflheim here.

The Lay of the Land

Niflheim, the Cold Despair, is a realm steeped in chill and dripping in shadow, a place where the air itself stinks of hopelessness. This second layer of the Gray Waste is cloaked by an ever-present mist that envelops the landscape, whispering stories of loss and abandonment. The fog’s thick and unyielding, distorting not only sight but also sound and scent, making navigation treacherous and fraught with peril. Unlike the barren, disease-ravaged expanses of Oinos, Niflheim’ boasts a more varied terrain which might even be called beautiful, in a tragic kind of way—mountainous, forested, with rivers and lakes and fjords that could almost pass for those of a Prime world if not for the oppressive gloom that pervades everything.

The mists of Niflheim ain’t toxic or acidic, but they don’t need to be to instill a deep sense of dismay and confusion. They cling to a body’s skin like cold, damp cobwebs, slowly rusting metal and soaking through a berk’s clothing. This relentless dampness ensures that every step feels heavier, and every movement more laboured. The fog, ever thick and swirling, limits vision to mere feet, making it impossible to see threats until they are nearly upon you. Sounds are muted and distorted, often making it seem as though danger is coming from all directions at once. Although let’s face it cutter, it probably is.

*The Misty Mountain Forests of Niflheim*

Among the endless forests of dark pines, a cutter can find the roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, chewed upon by the terrible wyrm Nidhogg. This monstrous linnorm is an embodiment of the endless gnawing despair that characterizes the Gloom of Loss. The endless roots provide cover for countless predators that lurk in the mist, waiting to pounce on the unwary. Wolves, both dire and ghostly, are common, as are gloom trolls—creatures perfectly adapted to the cold, damp environment. These predators are emboldened by the mist, using it to their advantage as they stalk their prey.

Niflheim’s climate ranges from the chill of a cold spring morning to the bitter bite of a winter’s night. Snow and ice cover much of the terrain, making travel hazardous at best, and downright treacherous at worst. Steep cliffs and ravines, cloaked by the fog, can spell sudden death for an unwary traveller. The cold is pervasive, seeping into bones and sapping strength. The few hardy plants that survive here, such as black willows and withered poplars, seem to thrive on the misery, their twisted forms and weird faces adding to the realm’s eerie ambiance.

This layer is the domain of both Hel, the Norse goddess of the dead, and Arawn, the Celtic god of death. Hel’s palace Eljudnir is a dark and foreboding mirror of Valhalla, and lies at the heart of Niflheim. The structure is cold and colourless, a place where poisonous snakes slither across the floors and venom drips from the ceilings. The gates of this palace are guarded by Garm, a monstrous hound destined to kill the god Tyr come Ragnarok. The hound’s malevolent presence is a reminder of the fate that awaits even the gods in this desolate place.

Arawn’s realm, Annwn, also known as the Isles of the Cursed, is a cluster of rocky islands surrounded by a vast sea. The journey to, and through, Annwn is perilous, with treacherous waves and great sea serpents to deter all but the most determined travelers. Once there, the dead are tested by Arawn, who rewards the worthy and punishes the unworthy. The realm is dotted with reflections of places from the petitioners’ pasts, twisted by the mists to evoke sorrow and regret. Here, each spirit is granted a personal area, a mockery of their earthly home, where they are left to dwell on their failures and unfulfilled dreams.

Niflheim’s most notable secular settlement is the Port of Requiem, a city of the undead and the de facto headquarters of the Heralds of Dust outside of Sigil. This city is a place of scholarly pursuits, where necromancers and undead beings alike explore the transition from life to death and the mysteries of undeath. The city is a paradox, named a port yet lacking any major waterway. Instead, it is seen as a port of departure into True Death, a place where members of the Heralds come to witness and study the passing of their fellows.

Locations of Niflheim

Annwn, the Ten Isles of the Cursed (realm of Arawn)
- Ainnira(site)
  - Fionna (site)
- Albain(site)
  - Arawn’s Palace (site)
  - Cauldron (realm town)
- Annoeth (site)
  - Fortress Annoeth (site)
- Bran (site)
- Branwallis (realm town)
- Brighid (site)
- Conie (site)
- Culwhych (site)
- Harthlech (site)
- Macness (site)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p69,73,172; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p48,53-56; Player’s Guide p4,31; Uncaged Faces of Sigil [2e] p80
Arthenmyr’s Wrath (site)
- Planar Handbook [3e] p158-159
Dark of Night (realm of Ratri)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p156,179
Death of Innocence (independent burg)
- Manual of the Planes [3e] p110; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p56-57; Player’s Guide p31; Planewalkers Handbook [2e] p22
Helheim (realm of Hel)
- Corpse Gate (site)
- Eljudnir (Hel’s Palace) (site)
  - Hel’s Banquet Hall (site)
- Gjallarbru (site)
- Gnipahellir (entrance to the Underworld)
- Helvig (road to Niflheim)
- Hvengelmir (spring and source of River Gjoll)
- Iron Woods, the (site)
- Lair of Nidhoggr (realm of Nidhoggr)
- River Giöll / Gjall / Gjoll (the River of Echoes)
- River Slith (the River of Blades)
  - Corpse of the Beast (site)
- Strand of Corpses (site)
  - Nastrond (the Hall of Hel)
- Roots of Yggdrasil (planar pathway)
- Suffering City (realm town)
  - Crystal Spire (site)
- Valgrind (realm town)
- Deities & Demigods [3e] p163-165,171,180 (165); Dragon Magazine #113 p12; #356 p61; Dungeon Magazine #149 p44,58; Manual of the Planes [3e] p110; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p69,138,146,156,170,172,177-179,181; Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p104; Travelogue p42; Planar Handbook [3e] p158; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p5,43,45,47-48,50,53-59; Player’s Guide p4,30-32; Planescape Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p45,59; Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p13
Iggwilv’s Landing (site)
- Iggwilv’s Manor (site)
- Dungeon Magazine #149 [3e] p44-52 (adventure set here)
Lodestone of Misery (site)
- Planes of Conflict [2e] Player’s Guide p31
Palace of Loss, the (realm of Shar)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p170; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p47
Port of Requiem (burg of the Heralds of Dust)
- Manual of the Planes [5e] p207
Rezuriel (realm of Panzuriel)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p177
Scythe for the Poor (independent burg)‡
Shadow Keep (realm of Mask)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p181; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p47
Similarity (independent burg)‡
Sword for the Rich (independent burg)‡
Town at the Centre (independent burg)
- Planes of Conflict [2e] Player’s Guide p31 (description of the burg)

Powers of Niflheim

Arawn (Celtic power of the dead)
- Great Modron March [2e] p28; Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p73; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p20,42,47,66,69-70,75,172 Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p48,50,53-56; Uncaged Faces of Sigil [2e] p80
Hel (Norse power of the dead)
- Deities and Demigods [3e] p165,170-171,180-182; Dragon Magazine #113 p11-12; #177 p48; #178 p46; #356 p61; Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p72-73; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p42,47,141,146,178; Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p104-105; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p5,48,50,57-59,61; Player’s Guide p4,30-31; Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p59; Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p22
Lao Shu Po of the Apocalypse (Tian Xia power of night, rats and thieves)†
- Planar Adventures [PF1e] p198
Mask (Faerûnian power of thieves, shadows)
- Dragon Magazine #357 p87; Manual of the Planes [5e] p208; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p156,171,181; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p47; Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p59
Panzuriel (the Writhing One) (sea pantheon power of murder, confusion, subversion)
- Dragon Magazine #334 p61,63; #343 p89; #353 p45; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p96,177; Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p21; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p47
Ratri (Vedic power of darkness, night)
- Dragon Magazine #113 p11-12; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p154-155,179; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p48
Shar (Faerûnian power of the night)
- Dragon Magazine #333 p52-53; Manual of the Planes [5e] p208; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p156,170; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p47; Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p59

Movers and Shakers of Niflheim

Bone Warriors, the
- Protectors of Annwn. Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p55-56
Eirikka the Bloody (human rogue proxy of Hel [she/her] / NE)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p146; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p48
Garm (planar monstrous dog)
- Deities and Demigods [3e] p165,196; Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p104; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p57
Goin (planar linnorm)
Grabak (the Gray-Back) (planar linnorm)
- Dragon Magazine #356 p61
Grafvitner (the Gnawing Wolf) (planar linnorm)
- Dragon Magazine #356 p61
Grafvollud (the Field Gnawer) (planar linnorm)
- Dragon Magazine #356 p61
Iggwilv (Hura, The Witch Queen, Mother of Witches, Queen of the Night, Tasha) (prime human wizard [she/her] / CE)
- Dragon Magazine #333 p28; #336 p76-78; #358 p30,68; #359 p30,62,70,76,98; Dungeon Magazine #148 p75,80-81; #149 p41-52,58,75; #150 p62-69,77,93-96; Fiendish Codex 1 [3e] p63,66,118
Modgud (frost giant proxy of Hel [she/her] / NE)
- Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p57
Moin (planar linnorm)
- Dragon Magazine #356 p61
Nidhogg (Niddhogg, Nidhoggr, The Dread Biter) (planar linnorm)
- Deities and Demigods [3e] p165; Dragon Magazine #356 p61,64; Dungeon Magazine #149 p63; Fiendish Codex 1 [3e] p113; For Duty and Deity [2e] p63; Planes of Chaos [2e] Monstrous Supplement p23,30; Travelogue p42-43; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p45; Player’s Guide p4; Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p59
Ofnir (the Entangler) (planar linnorm)
- Dragon Magazine #356 p61
Pryderi (human fighter proxy of Arawn [he/him] / N)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p20,69
Pwyll (human fighter proxy of Arawn [he/him] / NG)
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p69; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p48,55-56
Queen of Annwn (prime human [she/her])
- Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p54
Svafnir (the Sleep-Bringer) (planar linnorm)
- Dragon Magazine #356 p61
Wyrmsdotter, Ingrid (human rogue proxy of Hel [she/her] / NE)
- Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p59-60

Canonical Sources

Deities and Demigods [3e] p163-165,171,180
Dragon Magazine #356 p61 (linnorms in Niflheim)
Dungeon Magazine #149 p44,58 (adventure set in Niflheim)
Manual of the Planes [3e] p110
Manual of the Planes [5e] p204-209
On Hallowed Ground [2e] p69,138,146,156,170,172,177-179,181
Planar Adventures [PF1e] p196-201†
Planar Handbook [3e] p158
Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p104; Travelogue p42
Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p5,43,45,47-48,50,53-59; Player’s Guide p4,30-32
Planescape Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p45,59

Canonwatch: Entries are from D&D canon unless otherwise marked, although when the canon is sparse I’ve got creative with the details; † adapted from a 3rd party publication; ‡ homebrew.

More details to follow!

Other Sources:

Jon Winter-Holt