The Gray Waste is the hidden mist, the underside of the mortai born on the bottom of the Tree of Runes. Nightmares came from there, who birthed hordlings. The corruption of the nightmare egg by the Wicked Spore (the Heart of Darkness, also known as the Apple of Eris and the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is the same as the Tree of Runes or Yggdrasil) resulted in the baernaloths, who made the ultraloths from hordlings. Their children were the arcanaloths, who brewed the rest of the yugoloth castes in their tower.
The story of the Heart of Darkness is a parable for the seed of knowledge that sparked the alignment wars. It's not to be taken literally, except by eladrin and by those who seek to find the gem (it exists, but it isn't safe to use, being a parable).
Great columns were built in the Waste by the King of Despair, who uses them as fuel for his realm City-in-the-Center, though some columns are older still.
Power. The principal power of Chthonia is none other than Demeter, the sister of Zeus and an extremely high-up power among the Olympians. Most know Demeter in her aspect as the Great Mother, the goddess of the harvest and of all of nature. She is kind and terrible, but all look to her for her maternal sustinance, aware that she can cause both fertility and blight.
Demeter Chthonia is a far darker creature. Not evil -- just dark. She represents the death that comes with birth and the waiting that precedes it in the womb. She represents the deep ties that bind death with fertility and the warm earth with the grave.
As such, she has two realms. The Great Mother lives among the passions of Arborea with her siblings. Demeter Chthonia lives in the Gray Waste, near her daughter.
It seems that Demeter's daughter was abducted and raped by Demeter's brother Hades. After this crime, Demeter withdrew all support to the material worlds under her jurisdiction, and allowed them to become as cold as bitter as her own Arborean realm, and her heart. Meanwhile, Demeter Chthonia welcomed her daughter into the deep mysteries of darkness, and taught her much about supporting the primal cosmic forces. It came to pass that Persephone -- initially a creature purely of the light -- evolved into a dual entity like her mother. With the balance restored, the Mother restored springtime to the worlds.
The question of why a creature as plainly Neutral as Demeter Chthonia should dwell in the Waste begs itself. The answer is simple, my ill-lanned friends: this is where she's needed.
Description. Chthonia is a dark mass of tunnels adjoining Hades' Underworld in the layer of Pluton, made mainly of limestone and lined with dark, rich soil. Cutters that gather some and bring it to the light will find it blooms almost immediately. The feature of the realm that visitors notice right away is the pigs. Pigs of all shapes and descriptions fill most regions of the realm, oinking and rutting like pigs do everywhere, feeding on the exotic and common forms of fungi (of all shapes and sizes!) beneath and above the soil. The petitioners here (and there are many, all worshippers of Demeter and Dionysus with appropriate dispositions) variously claim that this realm is the origin of all pigs, and that these pigs are pig petitioners sacrificed to the goddess on the Prime. Some will make both claims in the same sentence.
One thing that will surprise some is the presence of myconids and moldmen. It seems that many of those strange races are devotees of Demeter as well.
Principal Towns. City of the Voice of the Feminine Mystery. City of the Watchers of Death. City of Death Reborn. Cities in Chthonia tend to be female-themed villages heavily emphasizing a sense of community and sharing over the desires of the individual. They are lead by matriarchs, most of whom have significant ESP abilities.
Special Conditions. Death in Chthonia isn't final. Instead, a deader can look forward to being instantly born as a human, swine, or fungoid of some type. While the corpse doesn't get to choose, it's better than living with the Wyrm forever.
Principle Nonplayer characters. Matriarchs,
Services. One surprise to greedy berks is that Chthonia ain't got a currency. All trade is by barter, and there's precious little Demeter's blessed need. Those who want something from them, like exotic mushrooms or favor from the Underworld next door, had better expect to do some hard work in the middens or have a bit of exotic water or fertility-related magic.
niflheim
Niflheim ("house of mists") is the far northern region of icy fogs and mists, darkness and cold. It is situated on the lowest level of the universe. The realm of death, Helheim is part of the vast, cold region. Niflheim lies underneath the third root of Yggdrasil, close to the spring Hvergelmir ("roaring cauldron"). Also situated on this level is Nastrond, the Shore of Corpses, where the serpent Nidhogg eats corpses and gnaws on the roots of Yggdrasil.
Niflheim is the plane of frozen potential. It is the Fimbulwinter that will come to pass. It is the paradise that will emerge from it.
Digging into Niflheim's icy soil reveals millions of never-seen creatures and fully grown civilizations not yet born, requiring only the activating power of Muspelheim's flame to become new worlds and realms.
Muspelheim and Nifflheim faced each other in the midst of nothing, and they were everything: twins, lovers, and eternal opposites. Nifflheim is pure potential, and it contained all that would be. Nevertheless, it remained cold and still as death until its twin awakened it. Muspelheim is the power of creation, insight and inspiration. It is the spark of creativity that can, with skill and determination, be shaped into sagas and cities and sacrements; into worlds and wonders.
The region where the two met was called Ginnungagap. Two archetypes frozen in Nifflheim's potential -- Ymir and Audumla -- became the multiverse in between Muspelheim and Niflheim, which is all of it.
In the beginning, before the world of men and gods existed, the spring Hvergelmir, deep in the frozen wastes of Niflheim, gave rise to eleven rivers known as the Elivagar. Over a long period of time, water of the Elivagar ran across Niflheim and poured into the northern part of Ginnungagap. The water froze, forming vast sheets of ice in the void. Hot air from Muspell melted some of the ice, creating a zone of meltwater amid the ice and snow. Here life began, and the first living thing was a frost giant.
Helheim ("house of Hel") is one of the nine worlds of Norse mythology. It is ruled by Hel, the monstrous daughter of the trickster god Loki and his wife Angrboda.
This cold, dark and misty abode of the dead is located in the world of Niflheim, on the lowest level of the Norse universe. No one can ever leave this place, because of the impassable river Gjoll that flows from the spring Hvergelmir and encircles Helheim. Once they enter Helheim, not even the gods can leave. Those who die of old age or disease, and those not killed in battle, go to Helheim while those who die bravely on the battlefield go to Valhalla.
The entrance to Helheim is guarded by Garm, a monstrous hound, and Modgud. The giant Hraesvelg ("corpse eater") sits at the edge of the world, overlooking Helheim. In the form of an eagle with flapping wings he makes the wind blow.
Chant. Seek the Staff of the Sun, a lost artifact of good or evil, for it
holds great power. It is believed to
be in the City of Glass and Vine and guarded by
a half-glimsed thing, a degenerate shadow-fiend or quickened hordling. . Then travel at the
Pillar of Thieves where we may study
it. Destroy it!
We will await you in
the Never. We offer a bag of gold.
Character. Transparant destruction, taunting prisons leeching, voyeurism, chokings, suffocating, lucid nightmares, tainted visions, warped conduits and connections, etc.
Ruler. Polly the Wraith, a night hag, and her hordling lover Chickenneck Spook. The two have many children, both night hags sired by Chickenneck and hordlings formed from larvae Polly gave birth to parthenogenically.
Behind the Throne. Penaroch the Chill, a tiefling spectre. Penaroch (sometimes called thethe Penaroch)
lives within Chickenneck Spook somehow, and at the same time without him. Penaroch is a child of Polly the Wraith yet not a child of Polly the Wraith, because I'm an asshole.
Description. Covered in razorvine, a city of geodesic domes and gothic towers. Behind the glass, gray shapes swirl. A great number of hordlings live in this town, filling a wide variety of roles from menial labor to high ministers of torment and destruction.
Special Conditions.
Principle Nonplayer Characters.
Services.
the Never (Realm) Character. Denial, rejection, nihilism, paradox,
Power. The Never is ruled by a thin, wasted human-appearing creature with no name. He is a demigod without worshippers, a self-created power who once created worlds and peoples but now sits more or less alone, mourning his lost love.
Description. The Never is exactly like most of the rest of the Gray Waste, with a single tower rising in its center like the Spire. The Lord of the Never dwells there with his ravens.
Principal Towns. The towns of the Never exist along its edges, for none dare desturb the Lord. The properties of the realm attract a crowd that relishes secrecy and the idea that things can exist and not at the same time. A few homesteads have sprung up around the borders, mostly inhabited by Bleakers attracted to the character of the place. Some enterprising Merkhants have found that bottled water from the Never's springs are very fashionable among certain classes in Sigil.
Special Conditions. The Never is very hard to find, making it a secure place to hide things from the outside world. Even more useful (and dangerous) are the paradox waves that flow through the realm, randomly erasing things from existence.
Principle Nonplayer Characters. ravens
Services. Elimination. Secrecy. Securities. Banking.
The Pillar of Joy thieves {Site)
Heresay. This is said to be one of the few places on the plane where objects of extreme good can be touched by fiends. As a consequence, many valuable holy items are secreted here.
Description. A tall pillar, similar to others found on the Gray Waste.
Special Features. Good-aligned items do not radiate an alignment here, and cannot shock or destroy evil or neutrality.
The city of witches (Town)
Character. We are. We are power. We are wickedness incarnate. We are pride. We are made to be what we are. We will defend our right to exist.
Ruler. The Scarred Ones are the ruling caste of Witches. The broken spiral pattern on their faces is congenital. Every Scarred One is thus easily recognized from birth and raised in the optimum manner to ensure that they are the most qualified for the job. Despite the constant bleeding, Scarred Ones wear their scars with pride. They rule equally, and solve disagreements through contests of skill. The most powerful currently is the self-styled Rozvankee II, who is probably not related to the famed wizard Rozvankee the Strategist, rumored creator of the vargouille.
Behind the Throne. The Witches' yugoloth allies have controlled the city's major issues of policy for centuries. The Witches tolerate this with great reluctance, but fear expelling the 'loths would force them to submit to the hags once again.
History. Once there was a night hag, a powerful mistress of her kind, known as Hateful. Hateful was known throughout the Gray Waste as a builder of cities, a shaper of bodies and a creator of beasts. The reason she was known for this is threefold.
The first reason was a city of embryos. The seed of humans, diakka, and vaporighu were mingled to create her brood. The long rows of unformed life that filled the city were just an experiment on Hateful's part, but it was sufficiently impressive that bloods took notice. Attempts by the yugoloths at killing her were thwarted when they found the city destroyed.
The second reason was a city of warriors made from the stock of the first civilization with the addition of ogre and mezzoloth essences. This was the first complete creation the hag had made, and it was skillful enough to provide an able defense against any invasion the yugoloths, angry at the unauthorized use of their substance, could afford to muster. Still the hag itched to create something greater. She desired to see a city that could be her equals in all things, that could share her dark fascination with creating new life. She destroyed her second city and began work on its replacement.
The City of Witches became the third reason for Hateful's renown.
Unfortunately, it didn't last. The yugoloths infiltrated the city Hateful had built and convinced the Scarred Ones that this city, too would be destroyed to make way for their mother's next work. When her own troops turned on her, the ancient hag was forced to flee to the plane of Ash. Several samples were found missing, but not enough to upset any of the Witches' current projects.
Description. The city is divided into a rigid caste system. Witches, male and female, are born to a caste, fulfilling a design built into them by Hateful at the city's founding. On top are the aforementioned Scarred Ones, all proficient wizards specializing in divination. Except for their faces, the Scarred Ones are tall and beautiful, with the essences of the root ogre race of Krynn and the ultraloth Purgus, slain in a failed siege, mingled in their dark blood. The next caste has no authority to rule, but is considered to be the most important, the reason for the existence of the city and its people. These are the Shapers, made from elves, humans, diakka, gnomes, Purgus' arcanaloth aides, and Hateful's own tainted eggs, who labor without sleeping, endlessly creating new entities for the city's use and pleasure. Beasts of burden, slave laborers, courtesans, experimental witch castes, blooming gardens, tall trees, and heavy, perfumed fruit make the spiraling pathways of the city a riot of sensations in every conceivable shade of gray. The smooth, circular buildings and roads themselves are designed by a caste of elementalists with the blood of svirfneblin, githyanki, and piscoloths called the Bowed Ones after the shape of their legs and their lowly status.
Militia. A caste of war wizards specializing in invocation and necromancy, the Lords of Ichor, almost purely human except for the illithid-like tentacles growing where one would expect to see beards or hair. Soldiers identical to the ones that guarded the Witches' predecessors fill the rank and file of the city's armies.
Services. The Witches have thrown away more unique organisms than most planewalkers will ever see. A high proportion of them are completely useless, and others go in and out of fashion among the city's residents and the somewhat behind times yugoloth settlements elsewhere on this plane and Gehenna. Still, the City of Witches has proven itself to be a valuable asset for the yugoloth hosts.
Current Chant. An ash witch, one of the last creations of Hateful before her ignomious death in the Inner Planes, has come to the city claiming kinship. She also has some very interesting darks about the yugoloths she's willing to share, for a price...
saurum (town)
Character. Visit a great city whose culture has been perverted in the name of greater evil. See how it infects the settlements it trades with like a virus.
Ruler. Saurum is ruled by Missy's Tongue, a night hag named after a favorite organ. Mme. Tongue is said to be a very nasty customer, responsible for many acts of despotism. Saurum is a gloomy town with wiry towers, broad streets, and cool Stygian waters. Other areas are mazelike warrens nearly as confusing as Sigil's Hive. The previous rulers were driven out by Missy's Tongue and her yugoloth allies.
Behind the throne. Yugoloths infest most of the positions of power in Saurum. Missy's Tongue rarely makes a move without consulting her arcanaloth advisor, and most of the city's wards are controlled by yagnoloth "bosses" who ensure that things are managed to the general detriment of all.
Description. The contributions of Saurum to the culture of Oinos are great. Missy's Tongue, and her great Library, has provided this part of the Styx river valley with a common measuring system, a common currency, and common way of dealing with the problem of aesthetics on a plane where all passions die.
The Yugoloth Gallery of Evil is a- showcase of all things Evil, including torture and massecre choreographed in intriguing patterns. Of particular note is the Showcase of Vulgarities, a display of cutesy-wootsy puppies and children that even inhabitants of the Upper Planes admit does more to discredit Good than to promote it. Another series in this vein is Artificial Beauty, a succession of empowering and inspiring images filled with rot and decay.
The Wall of Heads is a pile of skulls that lies against Saurum's entire western wall.
The tower of silent bells.
Saurum's Mouth: a library.
hag canal, hag mount, hag ride. Hag tgable, hag dinner
Militia. Saurum is defended by yugoloth mercenaries with nightmare mounts. They patrol the land and skies with great regularity, ensuring that the town is not violated.
Services. The work of dark artisans without peer is available in Saurum. This is also a good place to get destroyed by critics. Knowledge is available here, but it is always twisted by the propaganda of Missy's Tongue.
Current Chant. The old leaders of Saurum, petitioners who ruled the town before their decadence pulled it into the Gray Waste long before the coming of the Tongue, still exist. They travel the city in secret and disguise. While Saurum seems to be fully under the control of the fiends, they have hope they can change things by instituting a new decadence; artworks and knowledge based on honest principals of good and neutrality. A growing underground of petitioners, tieflings, and diakka have indulged themselves in this "new" style, and Mme. Tongue's suppression of it seems to have actually improved its noteriety. The Land of Eternal death (Realm)
Pluton: The Land of Eternal Death, where all who enter die over and over again in a thousand ways until they are either rescued or until they waste into larvae form. Once they die, they find themselves at the edge of the realm again, right where they began.
Bleakers in Hades.
Hades -- RoseFields
Mayan lords of Evil. The Waste Giant is one of the few living remnants of his ancient race. Dead specimens can be found lining the Sea of Drown'd Mothers and forming the base of several cities, including Ribcage.
the plains of form (realm)
The diakka construct their own reality which changes with their mood. They build it out of the dust of the Waste. Sometimes, their realms are completely diverse without any overriding theme or discernible common ground. Other times, one fad or movement will dominate the realm to the exclusion of all others.
An adaptor hires the PCs to recover something from it (his fated love).
Locate and recover an entire city. Be
mindful of sentient spam. Three
knights will try to stop you. Seek aid
fromEldunn. I offer half my kingdom to
whoever solves this problem. Three Knights are yugoloth warriors. Eldunn is an enormous hordling, fully a mile in diameter, grown fat by devouring his cousins. Eldunn has devoured the Crossed-Out City. Accessing it requires disguising oneself as something tasty and impregnable, like a Wooden Hordling created in Enzog's Decoy Shop, in the City At the Edge of Torment. Sentient Spam refers to unsolicited advertisments sent via Crowded Women from the yugoloths in an attempt to corrupt the diakk thought-constructs to their own ends. About the Women the landscape shifts into preprogrammed illusions. Crossed-out city (Town) Character.
is an unfinished metropolis created by the diakka just before one of their great mood shifts.
Moonroads of the NighthagsParasites of Hag Gut.planar spider traders and pretty saucer ships
The Spires of White Bone (Town)
Character. Secrets of the bone: Memories, the falseness of protection.
Ruler. The current ruler is Neboim, a stunted thing with a tapir-like trunk and boneless limbs (male tanar'ri (Nalfeshnee) ring-giver, W9, CE). Neboim rules by a Saxon code of keeeping his warriors placated with gifts, while remaining a respected warrior. Neboim is a 9th-level earth elementalist.
Behind the Throne. Factions. Yugoloth ascendents.
Description. This is a city caught in the Blood War because of secrets long forgotten by its inhabitants
The yugoloths built it in a place where the Styx flowed more or less directly from the Abyss to the Waste. They fortified it with strong cannon and wards against teleportation and then awaited the rewards of their cleverness.
Although they expected retaliation from the tanar'ri when the baatezu seized the Slope of Flayed Children in Gehenna, the idea that an Abyssal Lord would empty its entire layer in order to occupy one corner of the Gray Waste was dismissed by the arcanodaemons as laughable.
The stategic value of the site, as well as tantalizing rumors of the purpose of its spires, drew them in. The lord in question (a petty, toadlike thing called Anasquat), now defenseless, lost its throne quickly, but the Spires of White Bonewere firmly in the claws of the much-reduced tanar'ric host.
The Yugoloth builders styled much of the settlement in the Evil Overlord school of monumental architecture, complete with enormous columns and facades decorating with leering skulls and great iron spines. The rest of the city followed the Labyrinth of Madness tradition of endless tunnels spiraling and twisting about one anoth, reflecting the ghastly disintergration of a broken mind. It is the latter areas the tanar'ri made their base of operations, while the old grand halls and vast arenas are left empty and hollow except for the wandering descendents of beasts and tieflings created by yugoloths, asssisted by their vassals from the City of Witches.
The white spires of the city's name predate the settlement by several ages. They are the color of old ivory and taller even than the tallest of the abandoned structures of the modern era, scrimshawed with stylized friezes of dancing, eating, and copulating 'loths of many breeds, some currently extinct. They cannot be ddestroyed by any means the tanar'ri have come up with, and tanar'ric ingenuity is proverbial (unlike their foresight or coordination).
Militia. Cannon. Weapons of viral hate. Dark engines that steam with synthetic fluids unrelated to water. A tanar'ric host.
Current Chant: There truly are secrets within, though many have begun to doubt it. Breaking the obelisks isn't enough to unleash them: the ancient ivory must be devoured. This causes the devourer to transform into one of the elder yugoloths originally trapped within. The released yugoloths are perfectly willing to use their knowledge to help one side or another, for a price...
