Iron Hells

The ultimate realm of law and evil and the epitome of pre-meditated crafted cruelty, the Iron Hells correspond in many ways to the Nine Hells of standard D&D cosmology. This is a place of both imprisonment and strict regimentation in which the deities rule with iron fists and arch-devils carry out endless schemes of betrayal, assassination and well ordered and structured living. Those who command the legions of devils and fiends in the great Blood War as well as against celestial forces dwell here in the depths of the Iron Hells. It is also a place of imprisonment for fallen gods and beings of great but near uncontrollable power. Souls of the most ordered and wicked of individuals find their way here where they are often drawn into service of the dark powers, or put to work in places of torment. Great realms and layers make up these hells of iron. The topmost being the staging point for conflicts in the Outlands and against the demons of the Abyss. The very bottom of this evil realm contains the prison-throne of the great god Maugrim. The five fold serpent remains the most powerful extraplanar Power in creation but the constraints laid upon him by his fellows prevent him from doing more then slending slivers of his persona to the material world and from directly leading his armies in planar conflicts across Creation.

Demons and Devils: In Tenebrae, we don't play up the differences between demons and devils quite so much. Demons and Devils are controlled ultimately by Maugrim, as part of the Iron Hells. All of the gods of Evil make use of them, however. Demons are more commonly found in the Abyss, of the two, and Devils in the Hells, though this is not universal.

Planar Traits

• Infinite Size. Each layer extends outward infinitely

• Divinely morphic.

• Normal Gravity

• Normal Time

• No elemental or energy traits. Elemental and energy influences are balanced except in the realm of Gehenna, which is fire dominant and Hades, which is bitterly cold and has a special cold dominant trait. Creatures there take 3d10 points of cold damage each round they are away from shelter of some kind.

• Mildly law aligned, mildly evil aligned.

Important Sites

The Iron Hells have been an ageless place of imprisonment, torment and the staging grounds for acts of cruel tyranny, opression and the ultimate forms of destructive evil. Souls stolen from other realms, lured here by the promise of power and servants of the darker Powers that make this place their home are among the inhabitants along with the innumerable armies of the devils.

The Chains of Maugrim: The deepest depths of the Hells contain the prison-throne of Maugrim, god of darkness. Maugrim's influence is limited but not utterly restrained. He can interact through proxies with his fellow gods throughout the planes and his avatars stalk the Infernal Aligned Planes but passage beyond these realms and neutral grounds to all the gods is barred from him. He communicates with his followers on the Material Plane but he cannot walk freely in avatar form. On occassion, Aspects (being minor manifestations of a deity) can be summoned or can bypass the Nonmanifestation Pact, but he prefers to use these appearences to direct and inspire the legions who utter his name in awe and reverence more then directly engage his foes in conflict.