Gray Waste
Gray Waste

Gray Waste

[ Gray Waste ] [ Oinos | Niflheim | Pluton ]

The Gray Waste

Also known as — (by Planewalkers) The Three Glooms, the Eternal Eclipse, Abaddon; (by Primes) Hades

The Gray Waste of Hades is the lowest of the Lower Planes, the bleakest of nadirs, and realm of unrelenting gloom and apathy that permeates every aspect of its existence. It comprises three layers: Oinos, Niflheim, and Pluton, each feeding the plane’s bottomless well of despair and hopelessness. While each layer has its own flavour of misery, what they all have in common is the draining, colour-leeching atmosphere that saps the will and spirit of any berk who ventures here. In Abaddon, even evil is stripped of ambition and chaotic fervour, leaving behind only a hollow, soul-crushing malevolence that extinguishes all hope.

Oinos, the first layer, is a war-torn battlefield where the Blood War rages endlessly. The landscape is scarred by eons of conflict, littered with the decaying remnants of countless fallen soldiers. The air itself is a carrier of the dreaded wasting sickness, a slow, debilitating disease that saps one’s vitality. Niflheim, the second layer, is a fog-shrouded expanse of cold and mist, where everything is withered and lifeless. The trees are skeletal, and the ground is frozen, embodying the plane’s chilling apathy. Pluton, the third layer, is a land of desolate fields and forgotten memories, where the souls of the dead wander aimlessly. Here, even the gods seem forsaken, and the remnants of Mount Olympus stand as a testament to lost grandeur.

The philosophy embodies by the Gray Waste is profound nihilism. Unlike Baator’s calculated cruelty or the Abyss’ chaotic fury, Abaddon represents pure, purposeless evil. It is a plane where malevolence is not driven by ambition or passion but by a deep-seated, pervasive misery. This hopelessness seeps into everything, eroding the will to live and reducing even the strongest to apathetic shells of their former selves. The plane’s effect on the soul is insidious, gradually extinguishing all joy, hope, and purpose.

Down here, the plane itself conspires against life. Its landscape is a dreary, monotonous expanse of greys, with no clear distinction between day and night. Colours fade, flavours dull, and even the most vibrant emotions are muted to a dismal monotony. The River Styx flows through Oinos, its dark waters reflecting the plane’s sorrow and absorbing the pain and suffering around it. In Niflheim, the fog and cold amplify the sense of isolation and despair, while Pluton’s fields of forgotten souls underscore the futility and emptiness of existence.

The Yugoloths

The native fiends of the Gray Waste are the yugoloths, a race that embodies the most cunning, callous and deceptive aspects of evil. Unlike the violent abusive malice of tanar’ri or the rigid oppressive tyranny of devils, yugoloths thrive on manipulation, subterfuge, and exploitation. Their society is an intricate web of ambitions, double-dealings and lies, where every interaction is a potential trap and every alliance a carefully calculated risk.

At the heart of yugoloth society is a complex hierarchy, stratified by layers of deception and treachery. This intricate structure is not merely a means of governance but a reflection of their very nature. The yugoloths revel in convoluted plots and machinations, with each layer of their society rife with intrigue and betrayal. Their social order is fluid, with power changing hands through coups, assassinations, and elaborate schemes.

Several factions vie for dominance within this fiendish hierarchy, each led by powerful and enigmatic figures. One of the most influential is the Oinoloth, the ruler of Khin-Oin, the Wasting Tower. The Oinoloth commands authority over the wasting plague of the plane, wielding this force as both a weapon and tool of control. This figure is shrouded in mystery, and the throne of Khin-Oin is as much a symbol of power as it is a target for ambitious rivals.

Another prominent figure is the General of Gehenna, a title held by the most formidable and strategic yugoloth warlord. The General commands legions of yugoloths and mercenaries, orchestrating their movements with precision and ruthlessness. The General’s strategies are renowned for their complexity and effectiveness, often playing a decisive role in the endless skirmishes of the Blood War. While they are formally based on the neighbouring Lower Plane of Gehenna, the General has eyes and ears wherever the Blood War is being waged.

In addition to these central figures, many yugoloths align themselves with the Four Horsemen, each representing a different aspect of apocalypse and ruin: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. These factions operate with a degree of autonomy, pursuing their own agendas while still contributing to the broader yugoloth schemes. The followers of the Horsemen are particularly feared for their fanatical devotion, their willingness to unleash catastrophic devastation to achieve their goals, and ultimately, the prophecies that they will bring about the apocalyptic downfall of all life.

Beyond these major factions, numerous smaller groups and independent operators navigate the treacherous waters of yugoloth society. Some form troupes of masquerade and deception, where members constantly plot against one another while presenting a unified front to outsiders. These groups are masters of illusion and guile, their interactions a constant dance of hidden motives and secret betrayals. Others appear to have a familial structure, and the chant goes that the crime syndicates across the multiverse have modelled themselves on these, consciously or not.

Other ‘loths have established commercial organisations, using their cunning to amass wealth and influence through trade and mercantile ventures. These yugoloth merchants are as duplicitous as any warlord, employing espionage, blackmail, and sabotage to outmanoeuvre their competitors. Their dealings are always fraught with danger, as every transaction carries the potential for treachery.

The yugoloths’ delight in deception is not limited to their interactions with one another; it extends to their dealings with other beings across the multiverse. ‘Loths from lower down in the pecking order often serve as mercenaries in the Blood War, ultimately playing both sides against each other for profit and power. Their services come at a steep price, and those who hire them must always be wary of the yugoloths’ ulterior motives.

Despite their constant scheming, the yugoloths share a thinly disguised disdain for the rigid hierarchies of Baator and the chaotic anarchy of the Abyss. They see themselves as the true arbiters of evil, unbound by the limitations of law or chaos. This sense of superiority drives their ambitions, fuelling their relentless pursuit of power and control.

A Fate Worse than Death — Petitioners of the Gray Waste

In the Gray Waste, the petitioners are shades of sorrow and despair, having found themselves in this plane of unending gloom as a result of their lack of compassion, care and wickedness in life. Now stripped of their individuality and vibrancy, these tortured souls are the embodiments of the plane’s oppressive atmosphere. The very essence of the Waste seems to drain them of all will, leaving them as hollow, colourless husks of their former selves.

The petitioners here differ from those on other Outer Planes in their profound apathy and a deep sense of hopelessness. They are not driven by the fiery ambition seen in the Nine Hells, nor the chaotic madness of the Abyss. They do not seek to perfect themselves and finally merge with the plane. Instead, the spirits here succumb to a pervasive sense of futility, trudging through their afterlives in a state of eternal ennui. The land itself seems to sap their strength and vitality, leeching away any remaining fragments of their former personalities. Only when they are finally drained of all potential, they simply cease to exist.

The spiritual malaise of Hades affects these souls profoundly. The plane’s ability to leech hope and willpower extends to the petitioners, who often find themselves losing any remaining sense of purpose or desire. Over time, some petitioners degenerate into maggot-like larvae, embodying the ultimate degradation of their spirit and humanity. These larvae are sometimes harvested by night hags or other fiendish entities, further perpetuating their cycle of misery. Others are twisted by their own despair and hatred, becoming hordelings. Perhaps they’re the lucky ones—at least hordelings retain some kind of drive and personality.

In Oinos, petitioners are often swept up in the relentless tides of the Blood War. Forced into servitude by fiendish press gangs, they become cannon fodder in the endless battles between the baatezu and tanar’ri. Their colourless bodies litter the battlefield, adding to the layer’s ubiquitous stench of decay and the spread of the wasting sickness. They are caught in a cycle of death and reanimation, as their souls are continually resurrected only to be thrust back into the fray, their suffering unending.

Niflheim, with its cold and fog-shrouded expanses, is home to petitioners who wander aimlessly through the mist, their memories and identities slowly eroding away. The oppressive fog and chilling air further numb their senses, making it difficult for them to even recall why they are there or what they once cared about. These petitioners often congregate in forlorn clusters, seeking some semblance of companionship in their shared misery, but finding no solace.

Pluton, the final layer, is where petitioners are left to the quiet despair of forgotten memories. Here, the souls of the dead wander through desolate fields, their once-vibrant identities reduced to vague, indistinct shadows of their former selves. This layer, known as the land of “no return,” holds petitioners who have given up all hope, their existence now a mere formality as they drift through the fields of forgotten dreams and forsaken ambitions.

The Night Hags

Other than yugoloths, night hags are among the most feared and reviled denizens of the Gray Waste. Their sinister presence adds yet another layer of dread to this already despairing plane. These fiendish crones are masters of dark magic and manipulation, thriving on the suffering and torment they create. One of their most infamous trades is in larvae, the most damned petitioners who have succumbed to ultimate evil and now exist as writhing, maggot-like creatures. Some night hags seek to increase the flow by haunting the dreams of mortals and driving them to acts of despair and wickedness. Once transformed into larvae, these souls become a valuable commodity, traded for dark knowledge, potent spells, or fiendish alliances. Other hags shepherd the larvae, sorting them by their quality and potential, in order to command the best prices.

The larvae market is a thriving and grotesque enterprise within the Gray Waste, with night hags acting as both collectors and merchants of these wretched beings. They sell larvae to various fiends, including yugoloths and other infernal entities, who use them as currency, components in vile rituals, or even as food. The trade in larvae is not merely a business for the night hags; it is a perverse form of sustenance, as they draw power and strength from the misery and corruption these souls endure. In their twisted covens, night hags revel in their dark commerce, cackling as they broker deals that perpetuate the cycle of suffering. Their operations are cloaked in secrecy, conducted in the shadowy corners of the Gray Waste, where evil thrives unchecked.

Oinos — Layer the First

Oinos, the Gloom of Anguish, is the first layer of the Gray Waste. It’s a desolate and war-ravaged expanse where the Blood War’s fiercest battles have unfolded for as long as anyone can remember. This cursed battlefield is a pitted and pockmarked plain of mud, trenches, dust, and ravaged corpses, perpetually echoing with the clash of weapons and the screams of the dying. Infused with the essence of suffering, Oinos is plagued by a wasting sickness that drains the vitality of all who tread its tainted ground. The River Styx winds through this gloomy terrain, while night hags herd larvae and press gangs scour the land for new recruits. Dominating the landscape is Khin-Oin, the Wasting Tower, a towering symbol of yugoloth power and ambition, shrouded in mystery and decay.

Find more chant on Oinos here…

Niflheim — Layer the Second

Niflheim, the Cold Despair, is a chilling realm shrouded in perpetual mist and fog, creating an oppressive sense of hopelessness and abandonment. The mists obscure vision, sound, and scent, permeating everything with dampness that rusts metal and dampens spirits. This layer is a haunting landscape of mountainous terrain, forested valleys, and treacherous ravines, where the mists hide predators like wolves, trolls, and frost giants. Notable locations include the roots of Yggdrasil, gnawed by the wyrm Nidhogg, and the realm of Annwn, overseen by the Celtic god Arawn, where the dead are tested and either rewarded or tormented. The Port of Requiem, a city of undead, serves as a scholarly hub for necromancy. The realm’s philosophy of evil lies in its insidious ability to twist nostalgia into bitterness, sapping hope and spreading despair, with inhabitants who become agents of this pervasive futility.

Find more chant on Niflheim here…

Pluton — Layer the Third

Pluton, the Gloom of Grief, is a land of subtropical desolation and profound despair. Its landscapes are adorned with black willows, withered poplars, and barren olive trees, all withered and apathetic from neglect. The air is cool and humid, clinging like cobwebs, under an eternally overcast sky that resembles a deep gray void. This plane exudes a perverse silence and claustrophobic emptiness, even in its wide-open spaces. Shadowy figures haunt the shores and cliffs, ranging from predatory fiends to broken souls who succumb to the poisonous sorrow, often stopping in their tracks to stare blankly into the void until they perish. The few who withstand this insidious woe become hollow agents of the plane’s despair, spreading suffering out of a morbid curiosity to witness the death of hope and the shattering of souls. The realm of Hades dominates with its chilling marble palace, while Hagsend, the domain of Cegilune, teems with night hags trading larvae. Aeaea, the mystical realm of Hecate, adds a layer of arcane intrigue to this plane of perfect despair. Traversing Pluton might be easier than other layers in physical terms, but the emotional and spiritual toll it exacts is immeasurable.

Find more chant on Pluton here…

Location of the Gray Waste

  • Gloom Meet, the
    • A once yearly meeting of the denizens of the Gray Waste, heralded by nightmares. The exact location varies each Meet. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p82
  • Town at the Centre (burg which touches all three layers of the Gray Waste)
    • Planes of Conflict [2e] Player’s Guide p31 (description of the burg)

Cutters of the Gray Waste

  • Dandy Will (planar tiefling [he/him])
    • Planes of Conflict [2e] Player’s Guide p31-32
  • Grellon the Green (planar green slaad [she/her] / CN)
    • A guide who knows the darks of the Gray Waste, Gehenna and Carceri like the back of her claw. Usually found in the Gray Waste but only when she wants to be. Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p32
  • Ke’Mahn, Mowatt(planar lupinal [he/him] / NG)
    • Leader of the Sons of the Silent Age. Faces of Evil [2e] p9,69,72-73,75,77-79; Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p31
  • Sons of the Silent Age
    • A lupinal guardinal strike force that roams the hills of the Gray Waste. Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p31

Hazards of the Gray Waste

  • Gray Wasting
    • An infectious disease which causes the victim’s flesh to waste away. Manual of the Planes [3e] p110
  • Grays, the
    • A slow-acting spiritual poison that entraps visitors to the Gray Waste. Manual of the Planes [3e] p109
  • Ground Thorn
    • A healing herb from the forests of Pluton, said to be able to cure infections when fresh but quite deadly when spoiled. Uncaged Faces of Sigil [2e] p22


Magic of the Waste

  • Hunters of Hades (cleric level 9)
    • Planar Handbook [3e] p99
  • Wastequake (wizard level 9)
    • Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p53; Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p124

Creatures of the Waste

  • Abrian
    • Aggressive flightless Lower Planar ostriches with short arms. They hunt in flocks and have basic intelligence. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p8-9; Fiend Folio [3e] p12
  • Baatezu armies
  • Baku Dark One
    • Eaters of dreams, and enemies of night hags. Appear as elephantine creatures with long tusks and trunk, and the tail of a lizard. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e]
  • Barghest
    • Wolves with the faces of goblins, and hands for paws. Said to be the goblinoid version of fiends, these creatures typically hunt on the Prime. Dragon Magazine #26 p44, #138 p77, #350 p56; Faces of Evil [2e] p88; Planar Handbook [3e] p95; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p32; Planescape Campaign Setting Monstrous Supplement [2e] p6-7
  • Bezekira (Hellcat)
    • Baatorian hunting big cats with the ability to become invisible. Often serve as familiars for baatezu highups. Monster Manual [3e] p54-55; Planes of Law [2e] Monstrous Supplement p12-13 (stats)
  • Bloodthorn
    • Tough carnivorous plant with delicious smelling berries it uses to lure prey. Appeas as brambles with three inch long hollow spikes. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p16-17; Fiend Folio [3e] p23-24
  • Canomorph
    • Hellish dogs which can assume humanoid forms. Haraknin are hellhound canomorphs, Shadurakul are shadow mastiff and Vultivor are vorr subspecies. Fiend Folio [3e] p25-29
  • Catoblepas
    • Seriously ugly creatures with boar-like head, antlers, a thick bull body with spines, a horrendous stench and poison breath. Their gaze can act as a death ray.
  • Cranium rat
    • Psionic rats with exposed brains, capable of forming a hivemind which grows in power the more rats join. Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] Monstrous Supplement p8-9
  • Darklore
    • A mass of flesh formed from spilled Styx water, the darklore can steal horrid secrets. Hellbound [2e] Wargames p94-95
  • Death dog
    • Black furred, two-headed dog the size of a horse with black eyes, crawling with worms and hunting in packs. Fiend Folio [3e] p41-42; Bestiary 4 [PF1e] p44
  • Diakk
    • Sneaky, cowardly and devious predators who live in flocks. There are two known subspecies, the stork-like varath and pelican-like carcene. Planes of Conflict [2e] Monstrous Supplement p10-11
  • Devil, Stitched
    • Sewn together by night hags from the body parts of slain baatezu, the stitched devils are unwilling servants of hag covens. Monster Manual V [3e] p36-37
  • Dragon, Gloom
    • Skeletal dragons with the beak of a vulture, and plates like tombstones along their backs. They are carrion eaters and craven loners, feasting on the detritus of the Blood War. Dragon Magazine #344 p35-37
  • Dragon, Styx
    • Also known as shadowdrakes, the Styx dragons haunt the putrid waters of the eponymous river. Dragon Magazine #300 p33,36
  • Dune stalker
    • Ambush attackers with a kiss of death. Monster Manual II [3e] p88-89
  • Ettercap
    • Poisonous hairy humanoids with spindly arms and legs and an affinity for spiders. Monstrous Manual [2e]
  • Gehreleth armies
    • Raiding party out of Carceri, seeking slaves, food or just mindless violence
  • Giant, Fomorian
    • Monstrous deformed giants who live in clans ruled by depravity and wickedness. Monstrous Manual [2e]
  • Giant, Tomb†
    • Towering lean giants with milk-white skin and scythes. Bestiary 6 [PF1e]
  • Golem, gloom
    • Monster Manual II [3e] p68
  • Hag, Annis
    • Wretched old witches with black teeth and nails, and a wicked bite. Monstrous Manual [2e]
  • Hag, Night
    • Traders in larvae and soul gems. Faces of Evil [2e] p94-95 (physiology, society); Monster Manual [3e] p193-194; Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p80
  • Hell Hound
    • Monster Manual [3e] p151-152 (stats); Monstrous Manual [2e] p187 (stats)
  • Hordling
    • Faces of Evil [2e] p91 (physiology, society); Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p54-55 (stats); Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p50-51
  • Imp
    • Small winged devilish creature, formed from larvae by fiends. Often used a cantankerous familiars. Faces of Evil [2e] p91-92 (physiology, society); Fiend Folio [3e] p97-100 (stats); Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p56-57 (stats); Fiendish Codex 2 [3e] p12-13 (soul harvesting process)
  • Incarnate, Evil
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p58-60
  • Ironmaw
    • A predatory fiendish tree, with blood-spattered leaves, hidden tendrils and a fearsome maw. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p54-55
  • Larva
    • Spirits of the evil dead, reformed into horrid worms with humanoid faces. Faces of Evil [2e] p93 (physiology, society); Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p62-63 (stats)
  • Leomarh
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p60-61
  • Nightmare
    • Flaming equine harbingers of death who carry only the most evil of riders. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p82; Planar Handbook [3e] p72,127-128; Monster Manual [3e] p194-195; Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p216
  • Nightmare, Cauchemar†
    • A more dangerous species of the nightmare, reputed to be able to step into the Ethereal Plane with its rider as well as plane shift. 101 Variant Monsters [PF1e]
  • Pack Fiend
    • A vicious cross between a wolf and a cockroach, masterful hunters and favourite pets of night hags. Planar Handbook p128-129
  • Petitioner
  • Quasit
    • Small winged demonic creature, formed from larvae by fiends. Often used a treacherous familiars. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e]; Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p66, Monster Manual 1 [3e]
  • Rakshasa
    • Monster Manual [3e] p211-212; Monstrous Manual [2e] p299 (stats)
  • Ragewind
    • Monster Manual II [3e] p173-174
  • Reave
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p80-81
  • Shadowdrake
    • See also Styx dragon. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p92-93
  • Shadow fiend
    • Faces of Evil [2e] p95-96 (physiology, society); Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p86-87
  • Simpathetic
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p94-95
  • Skinrat (Oinos)
    • In the Cage [2e] p102-103
  • Slasrath
    • Flying lamprey predators. Fiend Folio [3e] p158 (stats); Planes of Conflict [2e] Monstrous Supplement p24-25 (stats)
  • Stag, Niflheim
    • In the Cage [2e] p94
  • Stench Kow
  • Tanar’ri
    • Almost any kind of tanar’ri — they could be fugitives or Blood War troops
  • Terlen
    • Vicious winged shark predators of the land, rivers and skies. Fiend Folio [3e] p174; Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p114; Monster Manual 2 [3e] p197; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae 13,32,50
  • Thunderbeast† 
  • Vargouille
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p114-115
  • Viper tree
    • Planes of Chaos [2e] Monstrous Supplement p30-31
  • Wastrel
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p122-123
  • Wraithworm
    • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p124-125
  • Yeth hound
    • Monster Manual [3e] p261-262; Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p116-117
  • Yugoloth
    • Arcanaloth
      • Record keepers and contract executors, recording Blood War transactions. They embody death by conspiracy. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p120
    • Baernaloth
      • Elder race of outcast solitary yugoloths, thought of as mythical. Planes of Conflict Monstrous Supplement [2e] p30-31
    • Canoloth
      • Scouts and skirmishes in yugoloth armies, guardians and bodyguards of more powerful ‘lothsManual of the Planes [3e] p185; Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p126
    • Dergholoth
      • Spherical insect-like beasts with five legs and three arms, mercenaries in the Blood War known for devouring the injured and dying on the battlefields. Personification of death by violence and insanity. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p121; Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p66
    • Gacholoth
      • Infinitrators and terrorists of the Blood War. Personification of death by terrorism. Dungeon Magazine #49; Monstrous Compendum Annual Vol, 4 [2e] p93
    • Guardian Yugoloth(Ceustoloth)
      • Summoning fodder of the yugoloths, personification of death by suicide. Monstrous Manual [2e], Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p65 (as ceustodaemon)
    • Hydroloth
      • Elite fighting force for amphibious attacks. Personification of death by drowning. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p122; Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p67
    • Marraenoloth
      • Skeletal ferrymen of the River Styx. Planescape Campaign Setting Monstrous Supplement [2e] p30; Tome of Horrors [PF1e], as charonodaemon
    • Mezzoloth
      • Humanoid insects used as foot soldiers and mercenaries. Manual of the Planes [3e] p186; Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p123
    • Nycaloth
      • Elite cavalry, observers and reporters on Blood War battles. Personify death by falling. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p124, Manual of the Planes [3e] p185
    • Piscoloth
      • Sergeants and overseers of mercenary armies. Personification of death by poisoning. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p125; Fiend Folio [3e] p196; Bestiary 2 [PF1e] 72
    • Purroloth†
      • Generals of massive armies, master tacticians. Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p73 (as purrodaemon)
    • Skeroloth
      • Fiend Folio [3e] p197
    • Ultroloth
      • Officers and generals of Blood War armies. Represent death by oppression. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p126, Manual of the Planes [3e] p185
    • Voor, Lasher
      • Hulking, brutish yugoloths used as guardians or bodyguards. Monster Manual IV [3e] p193
    • Yagnoloth
      • Nobles of yugoloth fiefs. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p127

Canonical Sources

  • Manual of the Planes [3e] p108-111 (description of the plane)
  • Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malenvolentiae p42-64 (Gray Waste overview); Player’s Guide p28-32 (players’ overview)
  • Dragon Magazine #008 p4 (first introduction of the Gray Waste, as Hades); #113 p11-26 (a guide to the realm of Hades, also called Erebus); #324 p66,68 (the ecology of night hags);  #358 p68 (common knowledge about the Gray Waste)
  • Dungeon Magazine #107 p13 (adventure with antagonist from Gray Waste); #146 p71, #149 p41-52 (adventure set in Iggwilv’s Landing)
  • Faces of Evil [2e] p69-71 (history of the yugoloths),75 (yugoloth),91 (hordlings),93-94 (larvae and night hags)
  • Fiend Folio [3e] p158 (slasrath),174 (terlen),196 (yugoloth)
  • Great Modron March [2e] p91-96 (adventure concerns a portal from Carceri to Gray Waste),102 (mentions the modron army of the Blood War)
  • Hellbound: Chant of the War – 7,14; Dark of the War p10-11 (history of the Blood War),31-33 (outsiders in the Gray Waste),36 (River Styx),38 (fiends cannot teleport into Oinos),53 (waste quake spell),56-57 (Field of Nettles),71-73 (powers with links to the Gray Waste); Wargames p4-6 (dangers of the Field of Nettles),9-10 (adventure background),90,95-96 (darklore)
  • Harbinger House [2e] p54 (window in Harbinger House overlooks Gray Waste)
  • Inner Planes [2e] p115 (gate to Elemental Dust from Oinos)
  • In the Cage [2e] p10-11 (portals to the Gray Waste from Sigil)
  • Planar Adventures [PF1e] p196-201†
  • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 1 [2e] p54-55 (hordling),60 (evil incarnates),62-63 (larvae),80 (night hag),82 (nightmare),118 (yugoloth),121 (dergholoth)
  • Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p9 (abrian),42 (giuardinals mount raids into the Gray Waste),114-115 (terlen),123 (wastrell),127 (yugoloth, canoloth)
  • Monster Manual III [3e] p68 (gloom golem)
  • Monster Manual V [3e] p36-37 (stitched devil)
  • On Hallowed Ground [2e] p42,65-66,69,76,78-79,86,123,134,146,156,166,169-170,172,174,176-182 (realms of various powers)
  • Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p7 (River Styx),27 (part of the Gray Waste may be a part of Azzagrat),45 (Mount Olympus touches the Gray Waste); Monstrous Supplement p5,30-31; Travelogue p20-21 (Mount Olympus),42-43 (Yggdrasil on the Waste)
  • Planar Handbook [3e] p127-128 (nightmare),157-158 (Omore’s folly)
  • Planes of Law [2e] Acheron p32; Player’s Guide 13 (gate from Acheron to Gray Waste); Baator p8 (Hecate has realms in Baator and the Gray Waste)
  • Planes of Conflict [2e] Adventures in Conflict p2-9,24,31-32; Liber Benevolentiae p51 (guardinals raid the Gray Waste); Liber Malenvolentiae p5 (magic alterations),29 (yugoloths are native to the Gray Waste),31 (yugoloth promotions),42-64 (Gray Waste overview); Monstrous Supplement p10-11 (diakk),30-31 (baernaloth); Player’s Guide p2-5 (the code of neutrality does not apply on the Waste, planar pathways, getting around),28-32 (players’ overview)
  • Player’s Primer to the Outlands [2e] p19-20 (the Gray Waste gate-town of Hopeless)
  • Planescape Setting [2e] DM’s Guide p12 (magic alterations),40 (calling the Gray Waste ‘Hades’),44-45 (planar pathways),50 (Mount Olympus),59 (Gray Waste overview),64 (Yggdrasil’s roots touch the Gray Waste)
  • Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p 11 (Hopeless),13 (map of the Great Ring),21-22 (brief traveller’s guide),39 (portals to the Gray Waste),124 (wastequake spell)
  • Uncaged Faces of Sigil [2e] p10,99 (sound-muting armour from the Gray Waste),52 (Sigil’s Slags were created by a battle from the Gray Waste spilling over),62-63 (Ly’kritch the shadow fiend)

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. I’ve co-located the plane of Abaddon from Pathfinder with the Gray Waste, nothing controversial here. I assigned the powers and locations between the three layers as seemed most appropriate for their theme.

More details to follow!

Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net

2 Comments

  1. KingCorn

    The old Planeswalker site had an unfinished fan-project, Of Darkest Grey, which expanded on the wastes and specifically on Hags and Hordlings. Its worth a read (though not all the material for it went in the project thread and has to be looked for).
    I’ve also put Izanami’s former domain, Yomi-no-kuni, there.

    1. Awesome, I did not know about this…and I’ve squirreled away some interesting locations. I also found a very cool poem called ‘Gray’, which I just turned into a ballad. Thanks! I hope you enjoy 🙂

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