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Abyss (plane)

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In Dungeons & Dragons, the fantasy role-playing game, the Abyss or more fully, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence. It exists as one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) cosmology, used in the Planescape and Greyhawk campaign settings. It also exists as one of a number of faith-based outer planes that form part of the Forgotten Realms cosmology. While the published 3rd-Edition source books indicate that the Abyss of the standard D&D cosmology is not the same plane as the Abyss of the Forgotten Realms cosmology, they are for all intents and purposes identical.

The description of the Abyss varies some between different editions, campaign settings and even individual accessories. This can be viewed as canonical status of the plane of the Abyss changing, or as an in-character explanation that the conflicting information is the result of misinformation spread by the demons themselves, and of misunderstandings by those who study them.

One description of the Abyss presents it as a region of intense, extreme, and unforgiving climates, with layers consisting of overwhelmingly fierce desert sandstorms, explosively unstable volcanic activity, boiling lava, and molten rock, blinding, sub-zero arctic glaciers, bottomless oceans filled with enormous leviathans, nauseatingly putrid environments saturated with disease-causing fungi, and the endless, existential void of infinite space.

Contents

Inhabitants

The Abyss is the home of one of the principal combatants in the blood war, the Tanar'ri, a class of demon that rule the plane. Various other chaotic evil creatures and deities inhabit the plane, including bebiliths, bodaks, undead and even some renegade devils.

The petitioners of the Abyss are called manes. They have pale white skin, sharp teeth and claws, and maggots are reported to crawl through their flesh. Manes that survive for many years may be promoted to lesser forms of demon.

The demon lords inhabit the Abyss, including Demogorgon, Graz'zt, and Pazuzu. Many evil deities make their home here including Lolth, the Great Mother and Diirinka, deity of the Derro.

Structure

Like other outer planes, the Abyss is spatially infinite and supposedly consists of an infinite number of layers, or sub-planes.

In the standard D&D cosmology, the first layer shares its borders with the neighboring planes of the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium and the Tarterian Depths of Carceri; travel is possible between the Abyss and these planes at certain locations. The River Styx flows through the Abyss to many other lower planes, and as such can be used to gain access to those planes.[#endnote_manual_of_the_planes_2001]

In the Forgotten Realms cosmology the Abyss links via the Astral Plane, to Toril, the Material Plane. A number of portals directly connect it with the Barrens of Doom and Despair, Clangor, and on occasion, with, Deep Caverns and The Fated Depths. The River of Blood originates in the Abyss and flows through the lower planes, allowing travellers access to those planes by navigating the river.[#endnote_players_guide_to_faerun]

Layers

The Abyss is said to consist of an infinite amount of layers, though the total number of layers is also quoted as 666. All known layers are listed here:

Footnotes

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  10. ↑  (and Dungeon #107 "Test of the Smoking Eye")
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Outer Planes
Celestia Bytopia Elysium Beastlands Arborea
Arcadia Outlands
Ysgard
Mechanus Limbo
Acheron Pandemonium
Baator Gehenna Hades Carceri Abyss

 

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