Gehenna

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Gehenna
Rune of Gehenna
Alignment Neutral (Lawful) Evil
Number of layers 4
Associated Faction None
Gate-Town Torch
Inhabitants of Gehenna
Previous
Grey Waste
Next
Baator

While the qualities of Gehenna are widely known — massive fragments of rock, of varying levels of volcanic activity, floating in an infinite void — the core nature of Gehenna is less so. Gehenna is nothing less than the plane of the apocalypse, of the violent end of worlds upon the Prime. Shattered, crumbled, rent asunder by the actions of those that have dwelt upon their surfaces. And that which remains dumped into the Furnace of Perdition. As the Beastlands show the gentle harshness of the land before the touch of sentience, Gehenna shows what remains from its hubris.

Physical Conditions

The layers of Gehenna are each made up, as described above, of massive planetary fragments, ranging from a few inches across to thousands of miles. Earth worlds, being the most likely to suffer such a cataclysm, make up the vast majority of Gehenna, but on occasion one can find the undulating remains of a Water world, or a massive glob of a Fire world mistaken for erupted magma; the remains of Air worlds are likely to manifest here too, though any such would probably be indistinguishable from the native atmosphere. For those planets large enough to form a gravity shell, gravity points to the center of the fragment, meaning that for the most part level ground is at an absolute premium; most ground ranges in slope from as shallow as 5 degrees to as steep as 80. On the steepest surfaces, one must be careful in maneuvering, as it is quite easy to build up enough speed in a fall to tumble off into the void entirely.

Most of the very largest fragments in Gehenna still have the lifeblood of worlds running through them, magma running hot in their depths. This activity makes for the sole natural source of light and heat in the plane, leading to very different experiences throughout the layers. On all of them, though, any natural light is a dull red, the radiation of the liquid rock and slag that so often erupts to the surface. Because of their role here, those locations where it does breach the surface, flowing free above ground, are the areas colloquially known as "furnaces". They are most common upon Chamada, where the most blatant volcanic activity is to be found.

The layers of Gehenna are of ascending age, those fragments in Khalas of the most recent disasters, and those of Krangath the oldest. As a fragment ages, it sinks relative to the others, and given enough time it transitions over into the next. The actual process of transition has never been observed; it seems to occur only when unobserved from the outside.

Of the natives of the plane, the yugoloths are certainly the most well known. Though originally of the Gray Waste, they migrated to Gehenna eons ago; many say this was in order to pick over the remains of countless civilizations, to collect the lost knowledge powerful enough to bring end to any number of worlds, but only the 'loths know for sure. Still, here is the center of their society, home to both the great Crawling City walking its layers, center of their society, and the Tower of the Arcanaloths, center of their knowledge and research. Besides yugoloths, there are other native species that make their homes here: barghests and nightmares can be found across the first two layers, slasraths fly throughout the void of the first three, and gaseous phiuhls walk the entirety of the plane, among many others.

Non-natives can also be found across all but Krangath. The baatezu and tanar'ri are especially numerous here, as Gehenna serves as a major battleground in the Blood War. Though the baatezu hold ground most commonly here, the tanar'ri have been known to make surprising inroads every so often. A few towns dot the plane as well, both above and below ground. Though there are few natural resources to be had here but volcanic rock, occasionally remains of past Prime civilizations can be found, especially in Khalas. The small trickle of adventurer and archaeologist alike is enough to sustain a few communities. And some settle here merely because they have nothing else; it seems that Gehenna is an attractive destination for those that have lost all but their need to press on, with such people desiring to carve out a home in a plane that's lost just as much.

The petitioners of Gehenna show this quality in spades; if nothing else, they are marked by their indefatigable willpower, a tenaciousness that leads them to cling to a world that no longer seems to want anyone. Hubris is also common, of course, as the two often go hand in hand. The fact that it is exactly this quality that caused most of these worlds to be destroyed in the first place is not something one should bring up around Gehennan petitioners. Petitioners of all species can be found here, though kobolds do have a very slight plurality. Surprisingly, despite (or perhaps because of) the presence of the power Shurgaas, Gehenna does not have an appreciable number of orc petitioners. A large number of undead can also be found here, especially in the lowest two layers where even the potential for life has begun to recede.

Magical Conditions

Abjuration No change
Conjuration Summoning spells on Gehenna are incapable of drawing inhabitants from off plane, as Gehenna is somewhat separated from other planes due to its inner nature. Further, the summoner must pass a DC 15 Spellcraft check to rigorously define the terms of the summoning spell or allow the summoned creature to have total free will.
Divination Gehenna, being the plane of the apocalypse, in a sense has no future. Thus, any divinations which intend to read events yet to come require the stealing of the future of another; a casting of the entrails of an intelligent being following their death. Divination spells which merely offer detection can be cast freely.
Enchantment Impeded
Evocation Heightened by 1 spell level
Illusion No change
Necromancy Spells to harm: heightened by 1 spell level; spells to heal: impeded
Transmutation No change
Elemental Due to the large amount of elemental material dumped from the Prime, many elemental spells function in differing ways in Gehenna. Earth spells are heightened by 1 spell level throughout the plane. Fire spells are similarly heightened in the first three layers, and impeded in Krangath. Water is impeded below Khalas, and Air is unaffected throughout the plane.

Spell Keys

Spell keys in Gehenna tend to relate symbolically to the school they represent; for example, the current spell key for Fire is a piece of still-warm obsidian. However, these keys tend to change over time, as the shifting fragments alter the thaumatic matrix of the plane; in general, any given key is valid for only one to three years. Occasionally an invalidated key will still function in the lower layers, but this is spotty at best.

Layers

Powers

References

  • Manual of the Planes, pp.111-114
  • Planes of Conflict - Liber Malevolentiae, pp.24-41
  • Planes of Conflict - Player's Guide to Conflict, pp.24-27
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