Bottomless Abyss

Biodata

Planar Characteristics

Structure and Notable Layers

Demons, Souls, and Blood Pools

Souls arriving from across the Multiverse may be reincarnated through Abyss Blood Pools as Abyss Worms, the weakest and most basic form of Abyssal life. Their existence begins in immediate mutual slaughter; survivors evolve into true demons, most commonly quasits. 518 519

Abyss Worms contain mutation potential for demons, devils, and other fiends. Advancement can reshape a worm into a stronger base form, though the creature may lose levels as soul energy is spent rebuilding its body. 778

• Abyss Blood Pools — Sources of new demons and a key measure of an Abyss Lord’s strength. A lord without one must buy or capture Abyss Worms from hags and other traders. 1026
• Worm Mothers — Exceptionally powerful worms that refuse normal form advancement. A legendary Abyss Worm can grow to dragon size; a Worm Mother has a creature level of at least 25 and normally guards a blood pool. 519
• Blood Pool formation — Newly formed pools instinctively produce and empower competing worms until one becomes a Worm Mother. 1032 1065
• Fiend commerce — Abyss Worms function as currency, food, and material among lower-planar fiends. Yugoloths, hags, and night hags profit from transporting souls, worms, weapons, and other war resources. 527 778

History

The Bottomless Abyss was once larger: Asmodeus used immense divine power to cleave nine planes from it and remake them as Bator Hell, a Lawful Evil realm ruled by devils. This division established the enduring conflict between Bator Hell and the Chaotic Evil demons of the Abyss. 518

Its oldest known rulers were the Obiris demons, descendants of Chaos and Destruction. Mortal souls entering the Abyss were later remade into the numerous and powerful Tanar’ri demons, who eventually displaced the Obiris in a chaotic war. The surviving Obiris remain among the oldest and most dangerous powers in the deeper layers. 412 668

The Blood War evolved from the ancient struggle between Order and Chaos and has never fully ended. Its frontline shifts between the Myriad Abyss Plain and Avernus, Bator Hell’s first layer. Despite the Abyss’s vastly greater manpower and resources, demon infighting and poor coordination historically allowed devil legions to suppress it. 518 527 1114

Major Powers

• Tanar’ri demons — The dominant third generation of Abyssal demons, born from transformed mortal souls and characterized by continual mutation, infighting, and evolution. 412 550
• Obiris demons — Ancient predecessors of the Tanar’ri. Some, such as Dagon, Pazuzu, and Cang Ye, still hold influence in the deeper Abyss. 668
• Abyss Three Giants — The highest tier of demon lords, historically including Demogorgon, Graz’zt, and Orcus. By Orcus’s return, he is identified as the sole surviving former member. 994 1052
• Orcus — Undying King and master of an immense undead legion. He can challenge gods and draws power from Thanatos and the City of the Dead. 994 1056 1066
• Mecanxus — Succubus Queen and one of the Abyss’s most influential demon lords. Her rise was built on conspiracies, including betraying Demogorgon. 669
• Cang Ye — Ancient Obiris ruler of the 600th layer and mother of numerous demon lords, including Graz’zt. 668
• Kozi Fu — An ancient Chaos Demon Hound whose escape from a deep-Abyss seal alarmed demon lords and temporarily curbed their conflicts. 668

Soren’s Influence

• Soren first entered through the Myriad Abyss Plain and sought to overcome the plane’s rejection of his Lawful Evil alignment by experimenting with Abyss Worms. 518
• He created a demon vessel through the Abyss Blood Pool, beginning as a newborn quasit and growing through the Abyss’s survival-of-the-fittest hierarchy. 519 522
• His demon avatar abandoned the Blood War after killing a high-rank succubus, then began exploring and establishing a foothold in the Abyss. 550
• The avatar gained influence through the Gulumba Arena, used blood pools to create stronger demons, and prepared for advancement into a Balor Flame Demon. 778
• After territorial expansion, the avatar reached Balor Flame Demon [Sixth Order], becoming a major power in the Land of Forgotten. 932
• Soren attached his Divine Kingdom to the Land of Forgotten, introducing a new Evil God into the shallow Abyss and shifting his divine focus toward Slaughter and Death. 953
• He seized territory, subjugated demon lords and Worm Mothers, established temples to modify local laws, and expanded a demon army beyond two hundred thousand. 929 954
• He diverted a tributary of the Styx into his Divine Kingdom, intercepting souls and creating a continuous source of Shadow Lifeforms. 1035 1036
• During the renewed Blood War, Soren emerged as a powerful demon commander capable of rallying other demon lords against Bator Hell. 1114 1123

Trivia

• The Bottomless Abyss is described as the largest plane in the Multiverse; even its smallest known layer is comparable in area to a kingdom. 1117
• Its chaotic nature permits accidental summoning across planes; Soren was once forcibly summoned to the Material Plane in a projection-like state. 664
• The deep Abyss is so vast that Kozi Fu’s escape did not immediately affect the Land of Forgotten near the upper layers. 668