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--- settings:beneath [2021/08/04 21:31] – created eliu
+++ settings:beneath [2023/10/16 18:03] – quiddlesticks
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 ====== The Beneath ======
-=== Current Public Knowledge of The Beneath ===
+A hellish world, the Beneath is the subject of many people's nightmares. It is home to all sorts of [[races:supernatural#infernal_origin|fiends;]] creatures that have been long known to feast on mortal souls for sustenance. Unlike many of the other planes of existence, the Beneath has a well-known, unchanging shape and form that consists of seven layers, each placed directly on top of the next in a shape that resembles an upside-down cone. It has been mostly mapped - and it is possible for a mortal to set up a permanent home here, although the quality of life in Hell is not likely to be anything pleasant.
-The Beneath is one of the largest demon planes that has the strongest connection to the plane of Jaern. It appears the demons of Jaern are native and come from this plane. There are no known ways to enter The Beneath, but increased demonic activity have revealed some knowledge about this place to adventurers.
+Flowing through each layer is a river of some viscous black liquid known as the **Way of Black Tears.** This river seems inert, like any other mundane river at first sight, but anything living that strays too close will meet an unfortunate end as the river seemingly comes to life, reeling the victim in with tar-like strands before dissolving their very being within its depths. Even the demons residing in the Beneath are not quite sure what the river is or why it does this, and give its banks a wide berth.
-There have been reports of an adventuring party known as The Chained Leviathan who seems to be involved with something concerning The Beneath, but little is known of their motives. Other adventurers ((Wyren van Otto, Slate Talus, Nys, Fulgurite, Mercy)) have been sent to investigate on behalf of the Xurora Assembly in Tephis, Ageron to investigate their movements and the ruins of Belthega...
+==== Demons as Adventurers ====
+For innumerable centuries, the Beneath was cut off from the normal flow of magic through the planes, and its inherently magical inhabitants were left with one choice: find some other way to eat, or starve to death. The solution for demons has, until recently, been the energy contained within souls. By forging contracts or simply devouring them whole, demons sustained themselves.
+However, in late 10080, a group of adventurers assisted in establishing an arcane wellspring within the Beneath, allowing demons to survive without the need to consume souls. Of course, a soul is still an immense bit of power, so the more ambitious and power-hungry individuals simply carry on as normal.
+Without a need to constantly harm others to survive, many demons found themselves with an entire world opened to them. Some began to live more peaceful lives within the Beneath, while others travel to the Cefa'zisto to become adventurers.
+===== The Layers =====
+Each layer is variable in its depth, and they all host wildly different landscapes. Furthermore, each layer is subject to a certain "law" - this is not something set by the people residing on the land, but seemingly by the land itself. These "laws" have existed perhaps since the Beneath itself has. Following is a summary of each layer, its landscape, and its people.
+==== Bathemot, Wasteland of Wrath ====
+//Law: None//
+To most mortals, this is what they think of the Beneath. This is a land ravaged by desolation as rivers of magma flow and volcanic eruptions are a daily occurrence. This barren land of fire and stone is inhospitable to all life. With no soil but the volcanic rock and no rain except showers of boiling blood, no plant life could ever grow in this gods’ forsaken region. Here the only source of food is scores of bodies littered throughout the terrain - as Bathemot is the battlefield for most opposing demonic armies.
+Infernal pools of thought, belief, and power swirl here, giving rise to the innumerable imps that form footsoldiers of the Beneath's many armies. Additionally, the omnipresent war on this land has driven many demons to madness, twisting them into the terrifying Wrathborne.
+Notable locations within Bathemot include:
+  * **The Black Crag:** A crack in the earth with seemingly no bottom, and a spawning place for countless twisted, bestial monstrosities. Demonic generals frequently send out expeditions of underlings in attempts to capture these creatures for their war efforts.
+  * **Lustrous Guard:** Former palace of one of the Fallen Servitors of Rudri, Barbatos. Since the [[history:modernage#demonic_invasions_on_ageron|10080 demonic attack on Ageron]], however, Barbatos vanished and her palace has gradually been abandoned, the demons seeking out other lives in other layers or joining the constant clashes of Bathemot.
+  * **The Gate of Ancients:** A remnant of the Empire of the Veil, an ancient civilization which stood on Jaern directly after Torandor's destruction. Though it has lain inactive for millennia, rumors persist that it is not entirely broken and can still open a portal onto the mortal plane.
+  * **Annals of Rage:** An oasis in the constant war that makes up Bathemot, this place is an almost idyllic monastery located atop a craggy plateau. Within it, scholarly fiends toil away, recording each battle that takes place on the layer and telling the stories of the armies without end.
-If you are not a GM, do not follow the below link!
-The Beneath is described in [[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WQUqA7xMWoIPZ1Q2eoHb_QVAROF9hwM6npE0PrAohhU/edit?usp=sharing|this Google document]].