Carceri

Also known as — Tarterus, the Red Prison, the Tarterian Depths of Carceri, The Sixfold Realm, The Great Cage

Carceri—the Grand Gulag of the multiverse, a place where even the bravest planewalkers hesitate to tread, lest they never find a way to escape. It’s a plane woven from layer upon layer of despair, betrayal, and imprisonment, where every orb and chain that floats in the infinite void is a prison unto itself. The layers are diverse, but each shares the common theme of confinement and isolation, trapping its denizens in a cruel, endless cycle of torment. And red. Endless crimson. They don’t call it the Red Prison for nothing, berk.

Carceri is an ancient plane formed, they say, from the collective guilt, betrayal, and malice of countless souls. Perhaps the plane was born when the first act of true treachery occurred—the first time one power betrayed another, the essence of that act seeped into the multiverse and began to shape this prison of planes. The Greek Pantheon claim they created the plane to house the defeated Titans after the epic generational battle that raged on Olympus called the Titanomachy—but it’s likely Carceri existed long before then. Over the aeons, Carceri has become the holding cell for those who had committed the most unforgivable sins: betrayal of trust, loyalty, and love. The plane has always served as a cosmic penitentiary, a place where traitors are cast to rot and where hope is an illusion.

Getting there… and getting out

It’s the perfect gaol, for a few reasons. Most of the portals that lead to Carceri are one-way, and the ways out of the plane are closely guarded secrets. Now that doesn’t mean that the ways to get out of Carceri are surrounded by guardians; no, it’s the plane itself that jealously protects its inmates. Even if a cutter is canny enough to track down a portal that leaves the plane, they’re going to have some fun finding the right key. While there is always a real key, Carcerian portals have a nasty habit of also having treacherous keys. These nasty little traps will open a portal, sure, but will take the would-be escapee to a lower layer of Carceri rather than freedom. Planewalkers beware! If you’re stranded in Carceri and find a portal and a key and it all seems to easy, it’s probably a trap! True ways out of the Red Prison usually involve some kind of sacrifice, be it an eye-wateringly expensive key, a dangerous and painful ritual or even a final delicious act of betrayal. Stories vary from planewalkers having to leave behind their most precious possession, to being forced to abandon one of their group to allow the others to escape, as that act of cruel betrayal was itself the portal key. Cutter, Carceri is nothing if not brutal.

Petitioners of Carceri

The inhabitants of Carceri are as varied as the sins that brought them here. Chief among them are the petitioners, souls eternally damned to this plane for their acts of betrayal. These beings take on different forms depending on the layer they occupy, often reflecting the nature of their treachery. For instance, on Agathys, petitioners might be encased in the ice, only their faces visible, forever gasping out promises that will never be kept. The souls inflicted with Cathrys are barbaric and savage, having reverted to a brutal, instinct-driven state of permanent fear in the poisonous jungles.

The Gehreleths

Then there are the demodands (or gehreleths), the native fiends of Carceri. Created by the barmy power Apomps, these dreadful fiends thrive on the misery and treachery of the plane. They serve as jailers, ensuring that no one escapes their eternal punishment. The gehreleths are twisted and cruel to the core, embodying the very essence of the plane they inhabit. They revel in the suffering of others and are always on the lookout for new prisoners to torment.

The Yugoloths

You’ll also find the occasional yugoloth or other fiendish entities lurking about, who often drawn to Carceri for the same reasons as any visitor—seeking secrets, power, or just a way to twist the knife a little deeper. However, even these denizens of the lower planes tread carefully, for Carceri’s nature is unpredictable, and it has a way of ensnaring even the most cunning.

The Philosophy of Carceri

Carceri’s philosophy is one of retribution and inescapable guilt. It’s a place where every cutters are forced to face the consequences of their past actions, particularly the most heinous ones—betrayal, treachery, and the abandonment of trust. The plane operates on a simple relentless principle: those who have betrayed others are themselves constabtly betrayed by the very plane they inhabit. Every layer of Carceri reinforces this, trapping its denizens in cycles of punishment that mirror their sins. There is no chance of redemption here, only a perpetual state of penance and paranoia, where everyone and everything is a potential threat.

Another main theme here is the futility of escape. No matter how hard one tries, the chains of betrayal are almost unbreakable. Even if you think you’ve found a way out, the plane itself will conspire to drag you back in, deeper into the mire of your own making. It’s a lesson that echoes across the layers: you can’t outrun your own guilt.

Thirdly, Carceri stands as a cautionary tale. It’s a reminder that the multiverse has a long memory and that betrayal, no matter how well-hidden or justified, will catch up with you in the end. Berks who wind up here are forced to confront their own darkness, often too late to do anything about it, but they also serve as a warning to others: betray, and you may just find yourself in the Red Prison, with nothing but monsters and your own regrets to keep you company.

So, if you find yourself hipped in Carceri, take heed. The very ground beneath your feet wants to see you suffer, and the only way out is to embrace the cold, hard truth—there’s no escape from your own treachery.

Othrys — Layer the First

Othrys is a grim and treacherous landscape of towering mountains and dense swamps, where deceit and betrayal reign supreme. The layer’s home to exiled titans and other fallen divinities, who plot endlessly to reclaim their lost power. The atmosphere is thick with decay and distrust, and the very ground shifts beneath one’s feet, making navigation perilous. In Othrys, nothing is as it seems, and alliances are even more fragile than the treacherous terrain.

Find more chant on Othrys here…

Cathrys — Layer the Second

Cathrys is a wild and untamed land of dense, predatory and poisonous jungles and endless plains of blood-red razor-sharp grass. The very environment seems to hunger for flesh, with plants that can rend skin and beasts that stalk their prey relentlessly. Here, the landscape mirrors the primal instincts of those who dwell within—savage, feral, and driven by base desires. The air is thick with the scent of decay and blood, and survival is a constant struggle against the aggressive and insatiable nature of the plane itself.

Find more chant on Cathrys here…

Minethys — Layer the Third

Minethys is a desolate wasteland of endless, scouring winds and barren red sands. The layer is a realm of gnawing hunger and greed, where those who hoarded and coveted in life are tormented by eternal scarcity. The glassy sands whip and tear at anything exposed, stripping away flesh and hope alike, while the cursed souls here scrabble for what little they can find, only to have it torn away by the next gust. It’s a plane that embodies the futility of grasping for more, a stark reflection of insatiable avarice.

Find more chant on Minethys here…

Colothys — Layer the Fourth

Colothys is a realm of towering mountains and treacherous cliffs, where sheer rock faces rise into the dark sky and deep chasms cut through the land. The terrain is brutal and unforgiving, a mirror to the struggles and obstacles created by those who climbed over others in life to achieve their selfish desires. The souls here are cursed to endlessly climb these peaks, only to be thwarted by avalanches or sudden drops—a reflection of their relentless ambition and the isolation it brought them. It’s a place of constant struggle, where the journey is both punishing and pointless.

Find more chant on Colothys here…

Porphatys — Layer the Fifth

Porphatys is a desolate realm of shallow, acidic seas and drifting black snow, where selfish souls who hoarded all for themselves in life are condemned. The landscape is bleak and lifeless, with small sandbars barely rising above the corrosive waters, offering little refuge. The constant acidic drizzle and frigid cold drive inhabitants to huddle together for warmth and survival, yet even in their misery, they remain as isolated and uncharitable as ever. It’s a layer that embodies the emptiness of a life lived in self-centeredness, where even in death, there is no solace, only a cold, bitter reflection of their inner moral emptiness.

Find more chant on Porphatys here…

Agathys — Layer the Sixth

Agathys, the deepest and most desolate layer of Carceri, is a realm of pitch-black ice and eternal night. Here, the souls of those who betrayed the closest friendships and lovers are trapped, slowly encased in the ever-creeping ice that spreads across the landscape. The atmosphere is suffocatingly cold, and the distant red light barely pierces the darkness. Agathys is a place of frozen despair, where the silence is broken only by the muffled cries of those entombed in the ice, reflecting the ultimate coldness and isolation of their treachery.

Find more chant on Agathys here…

Creatures of Carceri

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
Ahool†
- Giant ape-bat hybrids with fleshy wings and clawed paws who dwell in jungle ruins. Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p15
Ahuizotl
- Muck-dwelling predators with the body of a monkey and the hind legs of a dog. Fiend Folio [3e] p14; Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p10
Athach†
- Mutant ogre-giants with tusks and a gangly third arm. Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p33
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]
Bloodthorn
- Tough carnivorous plant with delicious smelling berries it uses to lure prey. Appears 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. Shadurakul are shadow mastiff and Vultivor are vorr subspecies. Fiend Folio [3e] p25-29
Carcerian monkey
- In the Cage [2e] p93, a skull of dubious lineage
Carcerian snail
- In the Cage [2e] p61, menu item
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.
Chimera
- Hateful hunters of primordial evil with the body of a lion, dragon wings and the head of a goat. Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p44
Crawling Head
- Giant heads slithering on decomposing entrails, these horrid monsters are spawned from the severed head of a giant. Fiend Folio [3e] p35
Cyclops
- A once-great race, now reduced to solitary monsters. Cyclops are one-eyed giant with gaping mouthes. Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p52, Monstrous Manual [2e]
Dragon, Styx
- Also known as shadowdrakes, the Styx dragons haunt the putrid waters of the eponymous river. Dragon Magazine #300 p33,36
Dragon, Tarterian
- Dragon Magazine #300 p37-38
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]
Euryale†
- Powerful medusa matriarchs, among the most favoured agents of Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters. Euryale have the upper body of human women, the lower body of a snake and a mass un writhing cobras for hair. Bestiary 6 [PF1e] p120
Fen mauler†
- Sasquatch-like creatures who have mastered witchcraft, these looming creatures decorate their fur with the bones and teeth of their victims. Bestiary 6 [PF1e] p127
Gallowdead†
- A skeletal horror with a noose around their next or a hook through their chest, the gallowdead are executed criminals who have reanimated as vengeful undead. Bestiary 4 [PF1e] p199
Gautiere
- Rag-wrapped wandering nomadic humanoids of Minethys. They seek escape from the plane but are tragically unable to leave. Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Malevolentiae p13,20; Monstrous Supplement p14-15
Gehreleth
- Acerbar†‡
  - Also called smotherscum. Barely gehreleth at all, and too primitive to even have a real form, these creatures are mindless oozes with acidic skin which paralyse bodies and dissolve them. Wayfinder Bestiary [PF1e] p144
- Farastu
  - Lithe and lean with tattered wings, the tarry demodands are the grunt trrops and servants of the gehreleth high-ups. Planescape Monstrous Compendium; Fiend Folio [3e]
- Kelubar
  - The slimy demodands are frog-headed humanoids who drool constantly and have clammy skin which glistens with sweaty slime. They’re the shock troops, slavers, jailers and middle class of the gehrelth. Planescape Monstrous COmpendium [2e] p42; Fiend Folio [3e] p44; Bestiary 3 [PF1e]
- Keratoku†
  - The squamous demodands, the scaly keratoku are enormous muscular brutes who are too stupid to lead the race, instead they are the siege engines of gehreleth war bands. Book of the Damned [PF1e] p244
- Mycotar‡
  - If a gehreleth dies in Carceri but the body is not burned, it can become infected by spores and reanimated as a mycotar
- Pellagrakk‡
  - The weakling runts of the race, the leftover bones and tendons from a body burned away by an acerbar
- Pemphigar†‡
  - Also called skinshrouds, or peeling demodands, These awful fiends steal bodies of humanoids by turning inside out and enveloping them. In this way they can progress to becoming farastu. Wayfinder Bestiary [PF1e] p141
- Sarcodar‡
  - Ulcerated, swollen, tumescent lumpy skin, warts upon warts, boils and cysts which erupt with acid puss. When attacked, limbs drop off and can move and attack separately, but always regrow, bursting out of boils.
- Shator
  - The tyrant lords, ill-advisors to titans and battle generals of the gehreleth, shator are obese, bulldog-mawed and bat-winged humanoids. They are also called shaggy or matted demodands. Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p42; iend Folio [3e] p45; Bestiary 3 [PF1e]
- Shenatve†
  - Lanky winged humanoids covered in layers of ropey skin growths, the so-called stringy demodands are the kidnappers and slave masters of the race. Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p73
- Sogazro†
  - The gristly demodands are obese humanoids with enormous wide mouthes, bat-like wings and pale fluid which seeps from rolls of greasy obsidian-black skin. They are the assassins, executioners and torturers of the race, Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p72
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]
Gholdako†
- Undead cyclops mummies with a single sunken milky eyeball, the gholdako are guardians of tombs and relics. Bestiary 4 [PF1e] p125
Golem, shacklelock
- A shambling mass of chains, shackles, and manacles, created to entwine and bind its foes. Monster Manual 3 [3e] p66, mentioned only
Griefgall†
- Parasitic plants which feed on emotion, they have thorn-tipped tendrils and flowing filaments which sprout from a squiriming, grublike plant. Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p133
Grootslang†
- Primordial creatures banished to Carceri, these beasts are part elephant and part serpent with six tusks. Bestiary 3 [PF1e] p144
Gug†
- Brutal and savage hunters, the gug are towering menaces with an enormous vertical mouth and two bizarre arms that split into four hands at the elbow. Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p151
Hecatoncheires†
- Fifty-headed, one hundred-armed abominations that roam the plane looking for those who venerate the Greek pantheon, before tearing them to shreds. Bestiary 3 [PF1e]; also mentioned in Deities and Demigods [3e] p99; On Hallowed Ground [2e] p116,129; Planes of Conflict [2e] Liber Maleveolentiae p11
Heikegani†
- Scowling crabs with furious eyes, the heikegani are said to be trapped samaurai spirits. Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p141
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
Lamia and lamia matriarch†
- Attractive women with the lower body of a lion and the eyes of cats, the lamia are hate-filled inheritors of an ancient curse. Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p186; Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p175
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
- Predatory lion-hyenas from the Outlands. Planescape Monstrous Compendium 2 [2e] p60-61
Minotaur
- Part burly human, part bull, minotaurs are grudge-bearing cursed creatures. Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p206
Mngwa†
- Large jungle cats with dark stripes, black teeth and claws and a black mane. The mngwa are malevolent jungle spirits who appear at night to destroy those who wrong them. Bestiary 5 [PF1e] p173
Mobogo†
- Gigantic toads with leathery wings, fangs, horns and three eyes. The mobogo are ancient creatures treated as gods by boggarts. Bestiary 3 [PF1e] p194
Mutant† (template)
- Misshapen twisted creatures with special powers and deformities, these are creature warped from exposure to magic, or the evil of the Lower Planes. Bestiary 5 [PF13] p180
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]
Peryton†
- With the body of a stag, the wings of a hawk and the head of a wolf, peryton are vicious creatures of nightmare. Bestiary 2 [PF1e] p207
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]
Salka‡
- Quasi-demonic entities, akin to vampiric fiends
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
Shrieking terror
- A nightmarish flying starfish with five necks, each with a hideously distorted humanlike head with scaly skin. Beware its kiss! Dragon Magazine #330 p24; Monster Manual III [3e] p154
Slasrath
- Flying lamprey predators who dwell in the voids between Carceri’s spheres. Fiend Folio [3e] p158 (stats); Planes of Conflict [2e] Monstrous Supplement p24-25 (stats)
Stench Kow
- Lower planar cattle. Monstrous Manual
Swarm, rapture locust
- Beautifully coloured insects with scintillating bodies, who dazzle and entrance creratures before devouring them. Fiend Folio [3e] p170
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†
- A huge six-legged beast with the head of a hippo and ears of a pig, the wide mouth with small upright tusks jutting from its lower jaw of a boar. Tome of Horrors Complete
Urhag†
- A bat-like creature with a body that’s mostly a giant toothy maw, flying on leathery wings. It has a whip-thin tail tipped with a stinger. Said to be originally natives of Leng, some have slipped through the cracks of reality and into the voids of Carceri. Bestiary 6 [PF1e] p269
Vaath
- A hideous insect-reptile cross with dark scales and a tentacle tongue, vaath are relentless vicious predatory killers who love to inflict pain. Planes of Conflict [2e] Monstrous Supplement
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
Wrackworm†
- Immense worms with scythe-like claws and a massive fanged mouth, these worms usually gnaw on the flesh of imprisones Rovagug, but occasionally escape to wreak havoc across the planes with the ability to bite through dimensions. They seem to favour the stinging sands of Minethys. Planar Adventures [PF1e] p250
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 ‘loths. Manual 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 #300 p37-38; #315 49; #357 p62-63; #358 p68; #55 p45; #97 p47; #149 p44
Faces of Evil [2e] p69,75,95
Fiend Folio [3e] p23,42-45,174
Great Modron March [2e] p8,90-92,100-101
Hellbound [2e] Dark of the War p10-11,32,36,57,60-61,72
Planescape Monstrous Compendium [2e] p43-45,118,121,128
Planescape Monstrous Compendium Volume 2 [2e] p9,16,18-19,42,114-115,120,124
Monster Manual III [3e] p66,114,124,154-155
On Hallowed Ground [2e] p53,57,100-101,105,114,116,128,159,166,173-176,179-181
Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p7,23,34,39,45,104
Planar Handbook [2e] p159-160,177
Planescape Campaign Setting [2e] Sigil & Beyond p9,35-36,56,61
Planewalker’s Handbook [2e] p10,12,20,24,39,43,48,56,67
Something Wild [2e] p2,4,9,15-16,18,23-39,43,48-49,59-60; adventure set in Colothys
Well of Worlds [2e] p56-71; adventure set in Colothys

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. Since Pathfinder does not have the concept of the plane of Carceri, I’ve relocated creatures, powers and locations from the Abyss to Carceri where they seemed to fit well

More details to follow!

Source: Jon Winter-Holt, mimir.net