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The Nine Hells of Baator, sometimes shortened to Hell or Hells, and named Baator[21] (pronounced: /beɪˈɑːtɔːr/ bay-AH-tor[22]) in Infernal, was the home of the devils and the plane that embodied lawful evil.[23] It was a plane of sinister wickedness and institutional cruelty, its denizens organized into a strict caste system with a very rigid chain of command. Each of the nine Hells had its own physical laws or properties of matter, but all were inhospitable or deadly to outsiders.[15]
“
From the boiling rivers of fluid in Avernus to the sheer crags of Nessus, a body'd be hard-pressed to find a place that sums up the cold cruelty of the multiverse more than Baator does.
Avernus was the first layer of the Nine Hells of Baator.[8][9][10]The most likely beachhead for any attack by demon-kind,[11]it was the primary battleground of the Blood War: legions of devils marched across its plains in continual readiness to repel the hordes of demon invaders that sailed the River Styx into the layer.[9][10]
“Avernus welcomes all.” — Geryon, repeating an old saying[12]
Geography
Avernus was the largest layer of Baator and one of the most traditionally infernal—a blasted hellscape in the most literal sense filled with rivers of lava, barren hills, and low, rocky mountains as far as the eye could see.[3][6] To scale the mountains or move too quickly was unwise at best, since obsidian, quartz, and other crystals jutted from the jagged land, cutting clothes and slicing flesh.[3][13] The ubiquitous presence of rocks and boulders, some of which seemed to resemble tormented faces and shapes of creatures, rendered the terrain extremely treacherous and difficult to cross at any pace quicker than a fast walk. Rubble covered the vast, ashen plains of Avernus's charred wastes,[9][14][15] dotted with bubbling tar pits, sucking quicksand, lakes of lava, and salt flats made from the tears of the damned.[16]
Fireballs raced across the dark sky of Avernus, seemingly at random (but on closer inspection actively targeted motion), and fell to the scorched earth, leaving smoking impact craters and burnt corpses in their wake.[13][17] Travelers would need to find shelter, such as a building or cave, lest they inevitably be struck.[9] The acrid air was clouded with pumice and volcanic ash from the foul fumaroles and blighted with swarms of flies.[6][17] Roiling clouds of red and black flickered with orange flames[6] but the atmosphere had neither sun nor stars, only a constant, blood-red light that suffused the air.[3][9][14][13][15]
Blood, as it would happen, was the leitmotif of Avernus; it was where the River of Blood ran through Baator, collecting rivulets from every gulch, stream, and pool, from the victims of millions of battles.[3][13] Practically all of the plane was bathed in a coat of blood and covered with bones and gore, whether devilish, demonic, or otherwise, acting as a grim reminder of the regular bloodshed that marked an average day in Avernus.[3][13][17]
Cosmography
As with all the lower planes, the River Styx ran through Avernus, with a number of offshoots and falls.[18][14] Rivulets, lakes, and streams flowed across Avernus's plains and fed the Styx.[9][15] The Styx, which at one point flowed at the edge of the layer, was later located at its center thanks to a relentless baatezu campaigning and conquering of gate-towns along the layer's edges.[15]
Government
Whether for the living or the dead, Avernus was the entry point to Baator and the most commonly visited of the Nine Hells, since Asmodeus forbade any portals opening to other regions.[3][13][17] Because of this, damned souls had to come through Avernus before reaching other layers of the Nine Hells and so the layer was frequently inhabited by the servants of other archdevils, such as the barbazus that gathered the forsaken, or imp and spinagon messengers. The primary reason for the magical restriction was that, for a demonic invasion force to access the lower layers of Hell, they would be forced to conquer and claim the layer directly above it.[13]
As the buffer between the Nine Hells and the Abyss, Avernus was incredibly dangerous even without its natural hazards, as baatezu armies trained for future battles.[3][9] While the layer was once bustling with cities and citadels, centuries of fighting the Blood War ravaged it so that only perpetually rebuilt strongholds and fearsome fortresses remained.[19] It was in a state of constant expansion by military conquest.[15]
The ruler of Avernus was titled the Lord of the First.[9] This position was held by Zariel, who had been betrayed by Bel,[9] before she then supplanted him by the late 15th century DR. Bel, a pit fiend general from Dis,[20] was demoted by Asmodeus and made her advisor. She resided in a soaring basalt citadel.[21] When he ruled, Bel dwelled in his own fortress at the center of the Bronze Citadel.[9]
Trade
The famous material known as Baatorian green steel could only be found on the wasteland level of Avernus. This ore was extracted from deep shafts in large-scale mining operations.[22] The ore could be used to forge green-tinted steel, tougher, sharper, and lighter than steel found on the Prime.[23]
History
Avernus was once ruled by then-archfiend Tiamat,[24][25] who served Asmodeus faithfully.[26][20] Her job was to prevent outcast devils on the layer from becoming a threat, but she performed so poorly that Asmodeus demoted her. Knowing her failure was not deliberate by reading her thoughts, Asmodeus deigned to allow Tiamat to remain in Avernus unpunished, and even gave her a chance to regain her position if she impressed him in her new role as the guardian of the main gate to Dis.[27][24][3] This state of affairs lasted until 1346 DR when Tiamat was elevated to status of demigoddess.[28]
Avernus was then ruled by Zariel, until she was inevitably betrayed by Bel, a pit fiend general waging the Blood War and not one of the Dark Eight. He was Lord of the First by 1372 DR. Bel's minions whispered that he kept Zariel prisoner deep within the Bronze Citadel and drained her of her hellish power, slowly turning her into a soul shell while he enhanced his might. Lacking the support of the other Lords of the Nine, bar maybe Asmodeus, Bel could advance no further, at least for the time being.[9][3][25]
During Bel's rule, Asmodeus asked Tiamat to offer covert aid to Zariel in order to prevent Bel from becoming too powerful, in a ploy orchestrated with Bel to keep Tiamat herself in check,[27] effectively making her a prisoner in Avernus.[29]
Some time after the Spellplague, Asmodeus offered Tiamat the rulership of Avernus once more. However, to avoid disappointing Asmodeus again and to prevent a conflict with Bel, Tiamat refused, instead offering to be Asmodeus' champion and devouring all who opposed him.[27]
Some time later, Bel fell out of favor with Asmodeus for his inability to successfully repel a demonic invasion of Avernus. Zariel reclaimed her title as Lord of Avernus following Bel's demotion. He was forced to serve as Zariel's advisor[21][25] and remained one of her chief lieutenants, waiting for her reckless tactics to lead to a mistake, so he could claim his title back.[19]
Before Zariel's second rule, Avernus was known to be a rich and civilized realm of cities and commerce. The Blood War reduced the entire layer to a blasted and abandoned wasteland, whose only functioning structures were military citadels to muster the devilish forces.[19] Upon her return to power, Zariel, still enraged from having been at Tiamat's mercy, assisted Severin Silrajin and a group of Red Wizards of Thay to free her from Avernus, if only to rid the layer of Tiamat's presence.[14]
Notable Locations
The Bronze Citadel: A huge fortress-city dozens of square miles in extent and ringed by twelve heavily defended walls. It housed hundreds of thousands of lesser devil troops and war machines. It was constantly being added to in the form of new fortifications against attacks.[11][9][13] The Lord of the First reigned from here.[9]
The Great Avernus Road: A massive road leading from Bel's fortress for the purpose of transporting large armies of devils swiftly to battle.[30]
The Pillar of Skulls: A hideous landmark of trophy-skulls of those killed in the Blood War. It reached a height of more than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers). It was very close to the entrance to the second layer, Dis.[9]
Peaceable Lands, the realm of Bargrivyek, the goblin god of co-operation and territory.[31]
Tiamat's Lair, a tall mountain that was the prison of Tiamat in the Great Wheel cosmology.[19] It was somehow connected to the Dragonspawn Pits of Azharul, Tiamat's main realm.[32][27] A massive cave mouth near the base of the Pillar of Skulls led into Tiamat's Lair; from here, she could guard the crossing to Dis against demon attacks.[9]
An especially high metal spire of Dis, the plane below, skewered through the haze between layers and emerged in Avernus near the Pillar of Skulls. Its spiral stairwell let devils and petitioners cross on foot between the layers, with many falls, by chance of otherwise.[9]
A portal to Avernus was erected in the spring of the Year of the Bloodbird, 1346 DR in the Burial Glen of Myth Drannor by Banites loyal to the High Imperceptor of Mulmaster, but under the influence of Zhentarim agents and, by proxy, a cabal of alhoon living in the ruins. The alhoon had it erected so that the devils it spawned would prevent the local phaerimms from attacking the liches while they searched the city for magic.[34][35] Although intended to only remain open a short time, interference from Malkizid caused it to become permanent. The portal was eventually closed by the Knights of Myth Drannor in 1357 DR, though the devils it had already unleashed over the previous 11 years continued to infest the ruins until the Elven Crusade led by Seiveril Miritar in 1374 DR.[36]
Dis was the second layer of the Nine Hellsof Baator. It was almost entirely covered by the city of the same name that stood in a valley surrounded by a ring of spiked mountains. As far as most visitors and inhabitants were concerned, the layer and the city were indistinguishable.[7][8]
“Where's the city end and the plane begin? The heat's made you a little addle-coved, clueless.” — Unknown[9]
Geography
Despite being potentially infinite, the city of Dis always felt crowded and oppressive to anyone inside.[7]
The entire city was made of red-hot iron. Every wall and cobblestone burned to the touch. The material exuded a column of smoke that constantly shrouded the layer in a dark haze.[8]
Geographical Features
Someone who managed to leave the city could walk away from it, leaving it behind as its valley lay hidden by a ring of mountains. However, very few accounts of the city's exterior were known.[8]
On the other hand, approaching Dis felt like a break from reality. A traveler could only arrive at the city by following a road paved with skulls. As the walls approached, one was, without noticing a transition, suddenly inside the city, with no edge or outer wall in sight.[7]
Trade
The city hosted numerous markets and bazaars whose wares attracted creatures from various planes.[8]
Notable Locations
The Iron Tower, personal fortress of Dispater, Lord of the Second. It was visible from the entire layer due to its enormous height, as it rose above the haze.[8]
The Garden of Delights, a facility that offered the illusion of sumptuous meals and pleasures of the flesh for exorbitant fees.[2]
Mentiri, the great prison of Dis, which held those that broke the rules of the Hells. It "reformed" its prisoners by constantly tempting them into becoming evil.[2]
Inhabitants
“AAAGH! AAAGH! AAAAAAAAA…” — A petitioner in the Iron City of Dis[3]
The streets of Dis were always crowded with parading devil nobles and workers that constantly remodeled the city at Dispater's behest.[8] The most numerous inhabitants were abishai, imps, lemures, nupperibos, and spinagons, but also shades and other planar creatures could be found.[2]
The city's underground dungeons were filled with petitioners, prisoners of the Blood War, and kidnapped mortals from the Prime Material plane. Their tortured screams could be heard on the surface through vents in the city walls.[8]
Minauros was the third layer of the Nine Hells of Baator.[3][6] Ruled by the archdevilMammon, the Endless Bog[7] was the economic center of the Nine Hells, where new souls were processed and minted, its great wealth belied by its ramshackle appearance and unenjoyed by the vast majority. The Stinking Mire[8] was the layer of greed and the avaricious,[9][10] a wretched fen of toxic influence that promised only sickness and despair, slowly pulling everything beneath the putrid mud.[11][12][13]
“There are more secrets — dead, alive, and otherwise — buried under the muck o' this layer than the Lady of Pain ever knew. I'll tell you a few, berk, for a price...” — Unknown[14]
Description
Minauros was best described as a great stinking swamp, a fetid marsh of mire, muck and misery extending further than one could possibly imagine.[3][11][15] The layer was arguably the most diseased of all the lower planes,[9] a dismal morass of reeking, rotting earth and inches of polluted water[16] where the corrupting powers of poison and illness were enhanced and recovery diminished.[4] Corpses and carrion gurgled to the surface, filling the air with disease, and were so ubiquitous across the hellish bog that stumbling was a constant problem. The occasional falls they induced might be enough to kill, such as from landing on a sharp, up-thrust bone or falling unconscious and drowning in the unclean waters.[16][10]
Much of Minauros was dominated by a dreary urban landscape,[13] a kingdom in a state of endless disrepair constantly teetering on the edge of ruin. The structures that interspersed the plane were in need of constant fixing, upkeep, or outright replacement, all characterized by flimsy materials, cheap construction techniques, and shoddy artisanship.[11] There were cities of ornately carved stone, masoned in cyclopean fashion,[6] but even these suffered from slow decline. Almost everything built in Minauros was left untended to inexorably slide into the bottomless mud, gradually collapsing into the gigantic sinkhole that was the plane.[11][13] Nothing of value stayed in the bog for long, with any treasure of size, magic, or other notability fated to be destroyed or taken.[16][17]
Geography
The black, putrid surface of Minauros was covered in thick layers of scum and dotted with a series of mud flats and cesspools. The bubbling, filthy waters dispersed various foul odors[6][13] and yellow-green swamp gas faintly illuminated[4] the murky, fog-shrouded air.[16] In some places infernal heat rose up from below, boiling and steaming the dank waters and creating mud geysers, while others were so cold the water iced over.[4][3]
Beneath the slowing mud were deep pits,[6] which combined with the other hidden dangers required travelers to cautiously slog their way through the unpleasant swamp.[13][2] Deeper in the plane, the marshes eventually gave way to stretches of lifeless, cinder-choked trees and volcanic ridges, the obsidian and igneous rock meandering eternally through the swamp,[16] undulating across the land like serpents frozen into the ground.[9] Eventually, upon nearing the center of the plane, these ridges rose into a vast and tortured volcanic badland of ash-hills and slime-filled rifts.[16]
Weather
The dimmed, eternally overcast skies of Minauros ranged from brown to leaden[16][15][6] and roiled with fecund, drooping clouds ranging from slate gray to putrescent indigo.[13] More often than not the surface was buffeted by harsh and cold winds.[18]
The weather of Baator was not really weather as such, but rather vigorously regulated features of a lawful plane, all happening for a reason, and the steady, never-ending rains of Minauros were no exception. An incessant pour of acid rain pelted the soil from above, an oily, rusty, pungent and polluted barrage that[15][13][6][18] created a sound like hundreds of beaten drums.[2] Usually this was followed by sleet, which struck travelers and stuck to them to create an icy coating that slowly melted into an oily residue irremovable while still on the plane.[15][2] Lastly came the frequent and sudden rushes of jagged, flesh-flaying hail, composed of balls of polluted ice sometimes augmented with hooks, metal shards, and the still-sharp teeth of long-dead devils.[13][15]
These changes in atmosphere were cyclical in nature, the other effects accompanying the rain. Hailstorms reoccurred at least every five minutes and would take under half an hour maximum to return. The storms lasted anywhere between a few seconds and a couple minutes, made worse by the fact that the bitter winds of a raging storm made flying, the otherwise fastest method of travel, highly dangerous.[15][13][2][3] Away from any kind of structure, the only shelter for those unfortunates caught outside was the ridges, hiding behind which was effectively the same as having none.[15]
Cosmography
By Asmodeus's decree, no planar portals could connect directly to any layer of Hell besides Avernus. This meant that in general, if one wanted to get to Minauros they would have to go the layer above it, Dis, and find a portal, and likewise would need another to get to Phlegethos below.[6] Portals existed from the City of Dis to the Sinking City and Jangling Hiter, as well as from the Sinking City to the lower city of Abriymoch in Phlegethos.[19] It was also possible to reach Phlegethos from the lowest points of Minauros by way of constant dribbles of slimy water that sluiced into long and generally lethal falls.[3]
There were also other means of getting to Minauros without interfering with the other layers. Offshoots and waterfalls of the River Styx could be found on every layer of Hell, and a landing of the Infinite Staircase was known to lead somewhere within Jangling Hiter.[3]
World Axis
In the World Axis cosmology model, the Nine Hells were a planet-shaped astral dominion floating in the Astral Sea, no longer of infinite size nor consisting of layers.[20] In this cosmology Minauros was a dark and brooding cavern about 300 miles (480 kilometers) across and a few 100 feet (30 meters) high supported by columns of rock every 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) or so, the rain caused by the oily water seeping from the ceiling. It was reached by descending down a road lined with gibbets from the lower gate of Dis which gradually broadened out into the layer of Minauros. Traveling scores of miles down dripping steps cut into Minauros's muddy geysers would put one at the feet of great rocky columns before a steep descent to the blackened plains of Phelegethos.[4]
In the World Axis, the Styx plummeted into Minauros from a fuming cavern in Avernus, slowly and sluggishly wandering on a long, dark jounrey before emerging in the icy seas of Stygia.[4]
Notable Locations
The City of Minauros, also called the Sinking City, from which the layer derived its name. It was the largest settlement in the layer,[4][6] the one at its center,[18] and the seat of power of Mammon, Lord of the Third.[6] It received its name from the fact that it was constantly sinking into the planar swamp. As a result, slaves were gathered for expeditions to mine stone and replace its infirm foundations.[15]
Jangling Hiter, a city suspended by chains from the bottom of Dis, the second layer, and thus not sinking into the swamp.[15] It was composed entirely from chains and constantly swayed in Minauros's winds.[21] Those within the city were exempt from conscription for stone-harvesting, a small comfort given that conditions within were worse than without.[18] Mortal visitors and damned souls brought within were ruthlessly tormented, for it was the home of the kyton race.[21]
The Labyrinth of Truths, a grim, isolated fortress of worn, gray stone on the edge of a bubbling swamp. It was a vast repository of records staffed by a horde of lesser devil bureaucrats, guarded by barbazu and narzugons and supervised by pompous amnizu. In it was countless boxed and cased documents compiled over the eons, much of it worthless but some of inestimable value, such as recordings of powerful magic. The lower levels housed journals of corruption operations, the fifth blackmail-rich if highly suspect hearsay on the flaws of mortals that interested Mammon, the sixth a collection of ciphered or incomplete treasure maps, the seventh an incredibly detailed inventory on his layer, the eighth personnel files and advancement records, and the ninth, top floor infernal cult account books.[4][13]
The divine realm of Pisaethces the Blood Queen. The bog around her unmoving form received a constant stream of her "blood", which in truth was a vast miasma of blood-red mucus.[23]
Inhabitants
The primary inhabitant of Minauros was its ruler Mammon, who dwelt in, or rather under, the Sinking City. He preferred an amphibious lifestyle, writhing and spasming through the rank waters of his layer. He did not roam far from his city, preferring to oversee the layer from a singular location,[24] although despite being its ruler he cared little for Minauros and spent most of his time scheming. If he felt tense or frustrated he would don pit fiend form and go on a hunt across the layer.[2]
Notable dukes that formed Mammon's court included the generals Bael, Caarcrinolaas, and Melchon; Focalor, Mammon's seneschal; and Glwa, Mammon's consort.[13] As opposed to fortresses or even houses, these dukes lived in bowl-like craters in the higher parts of Minauros's volcanic ridges, keeping their treasures (typically in chests) in boulder-covered pits guarded by a score or more of their personal retinues.[17]
Garrisoned on Minauros were Mammon's Gleaming Guard, a unit named for their shining armor partially taken from celestials and corrupted for infernal use. Led by General Zaebos of the Dark Eight, it was by far the most well-equipped of Hell's special forces, called upon whenever a strategy required a specific magic item.[25] The sinking of Mammon's capital city, however, saw him delegate valuable fiends to supervise rock-gathering missions far in the wilds, and as a result his Blood War contributions suffered.[15]
Devils
Devils residing in Minauros were pained, if not hurt by the plane's hail. The native high-rankers had enough practice to walk and fly normally through its storms.[13]
The devils in service to Mammon were known to emulate his behavior in the hopes of impressing him. As a result they were indirect to the point where even orders were given like riddles, with their plans convoluted to match.[24] They shared his use of simpering, exploitation, and subversion to better excel in the game of power-based interactions infernal society was built on. To the strong they appeared as pathetic, groveling scum unworthy even of killing, while to the weak they were vicious figures of rage. To both they were ruthless and merciless so long as they held the upper hand.[26][27] Unlike other devils, who saw treasures as a means to an end, his minions were so consumed by greed that they would take moderate risks to protect their hard-won gold,[28] and they specialized in soul-based transactions (though even they marveled at the low prices for which many mortals sold their souls).[29]
The devils of Minauros benefitted from the highest promotion rate out of all the circles of the Nine Hells whilst simultaneously suffering under an excessively high rate of demotion. Mammon was incredibly vindictive, constantly alert for the faintest hint of insult and known to cast down his servitors for the slightest provocation,[13] such that the layer was full of devils hoping to regain his approval.[4] To compensate for this constant onslaught of favor and banishment, a ready supply of least devils was kept as a talent pool. Lemures and spinagons were unusually common, and woeful, demoted nupperibos so ubiquitous it was hard not to trip over them in the swamp.[13]
Other common devil types in Minauros included barbazus, hamatulas, excruciarchs, and kytons[2][4][13][30][31][32] though imps, merregons, and cambions could also be fairly reliably found.[32][4]Narzugons meanwhile were actively sought out for Mammon's entourage to satisfy his need for absolute loyalty, and so his bearded devils often traded for souls suitable for such a transformation.[13]
Abishai and osyluths were somewhat uncommon, but still present in Minauros. Erinyes were infrequent, but even rarer were cornugons, amnizu and pit fiends,[30] as well as paeliryons due to their conspiratorial natures agitating Mammon's paranoia.[13] Most absent of all were gelugons,[30] which found the swampy damp of Minauros outright inhospitable,[13] though they still led his army of osyluths and hamatulas.[33]
Petitioners and Planars
The baatezu of Minauros scoured the layer for beings to enslave and put to work.[18] Normal petitioners, as well as captured intruders, were kept in shallow pits about 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 meters) deep. These "cells" were the only places stone was used out in the marshes. Great chains and manacles of iron or brass were fastened to the prisoners on one end and on the other to stone pillars sinking slightly slower than the Sinking City. Prisoners stood or sat in the cold fetor until death or if taken away for some other wicked intention,[16][15] such as slave labor or a Blood War draft.[2] Those who survived eventually learned to keep close to the rock for protection and support, find elevated bones to stand on and keep their heads above water even when sleeping.[16]
The need for guards to keep order in Minauros was the reason why hamatulas were so common there.[15] Typically they were perched atop the stones and willing to burn or scald captives with precise uses of produce flame.[16] They brought all they captured to the prisons and were active in their duty to track and hunt down those who attempted to escape.[2][15] If Mammon's lieutenants were occupied however, they sometimes let their prisoners escape on purpose just to hunt them for sport.[16] For anything they could not deal with themselves they called upon one of the lieutenants (such as Focalor) or even Mammon himself to deal with.[16]
Despite hamatula vigilance[16] and efforts to the contrary, such as the increasingly distant mining assignments for stone to shore up the Sinking City, escapes did happen, such that there were several communities of runaways banded together to fight off the fiends. The ramshackle collection of hovels they called cities could be bolt-holes against the devils, though unless some escape from the Hells was organized they would always be at risk of destruction. Even when aware of such cities the devils did not immediately move to destroy them, perhaps as a result of seeing countless of them destroyed over the years.[2][15][34]
The souls of the damned, even those fated for other realms of torment, generally made their way to Minauros first. First they arrived in Jangling Hiter to undergo processing, which entailed a regimen of torture to prepare them to become lemures. Other archdukes outsourced much of this work to the City of Chains and its factory-like flaying facilities. Souls were carted in by the tumbrel and then shipped off the same way to the Sinking City when stripped of personhood and ready for transforming.[13] In any event, all lemures passed through the Sinking City where they would be recorded and redistributed as appropriate, the exceptions appropriated and sold by Mammon.[11] He and his greater devils also created soul coins, one of the primary forms of infernal currency, in vast chambers from the spirits of the wicked.[35]
Despite the plethora of dangers and difficulties inherent to doing so, there were still some evil mortals and wayward fiends who willingly came to Minauros, usually crazier and viler than even their chosen masters. Precarious citizenship could be gained by proving one's usefulness to Mammon, with most of such interlopers being soul trade functionaries.[13]
Others
Even the devils feared the things that lurked in Minauros, both from straying too far from their cities[3] and in some cases, from going in too deep.[36] Fiery hellstinger scorpions were common there,[37][4] but there were also rumors of a hive of mosquito-like insects, the seekers of which never returned,[15] and record of monstrous spiders called hellchain weavers which terrified even the kytons ostensibly living in the depths of Jangling Hiter.[36] Beneath the murky waters roamed terrible, nameless creatures and giant monsters of shadow,[15][3] but none were willing to swim deep enough to discover what truly lied beneath the surface.[2]
Legendary among the devil-feared monsters of the plane was the immense Worm of Minauros, a bizarre, purple worm like creature with ivory-plates and a crested head resembling the gnarled skull of an archdevil. This creature eternally haunted the hinterlands of Minauros, always returning when killed, existing only to punish stray or unwary devils and attacking mortals only in self-defense. Non-lawful evil mortals who openly offered themselves to it and survived being swallowed and excreted would be enhanced for a month, but renewal of such power required them to draw closer and closer to lawful evil. It killed the lawful evil, identified by smell, in an attempt to damn them.[13]
History
The sinking effect of Minauros had been in effect for as far back as mortal memory and knowledge extended.[15] Mammon had despoiled vast stretches of his own layer to build his Sinking City.[9]
Glasya's rise to archduchess sometime during 1353 DR[38] frightened Mammon into action beyond Baator. Based on the principle that money was the root of all evil, Mammon whipped the devils of Minauros into a frenzied campaign of economic warfare upon unsuspecting centers of good on the Material Plane. By collapsing the economies of prosperous nations, he hoped to instigate such despair and desperation that millions of souls would be driven to corruption and damnation in the process.[13]
The resultant frenzy during this period saw Mammon's cities creepily depopulated. All his devils were hard at work sabotaging industries, ruining works of charity and otherwise destabilizing major nations of the Material Plane. Each sought ripe targets for the scheme and might be temporarily bought off with worthwhile intelligence.[13]
Trivia
The plane of Minauros was named after the Sinking City of Minauros,[6] and after the Reckoning Mammon changed his name to Minauros.[39]
