The Abyss

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	The Abyss
Alias(es)	Infinite Abyss; Bottomless Abyss; Abyssal Plane
Original Name	无底深渊
Type	Neutral Character (AI)
Species/Race	Lower plane; chaotic pan-consciousness
Occupation/Role	Embodiment of Chaos; source of demonic life; principal theater of the Blood War
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 3 (referenced); Chapter 570 (first detailed depiction) 3 570

Nature and Planar Traits

The Abyss is the Multiverse’s fullest manifestation of Chaos: a place where nearly any phenomenon can occur, yet whose fundamental nature remains Chaotic Evil. Its laws do not directly suppress outsiders’ power, but they make lawful and good creatures instinctively unwelcome among demons. 570

Planar Properties

Trait	Effect
Infinite layers and space	The Abyss is described as infinitely layered, though roughly eight hundred layers are known. Individual layers can be as large as kingdoms and may require special means to reach. 570 1210 1211
Variable gravity	The Plains of Infinite Portals has normal gravity, but other layers may possess radically different gravitational conditions. 570 1211
Normal time	Time normally passes at the same rate as on the Material Plane, though legends speak of a layer with reversed temporal flow. 570 1211
Divine morphic nature	Altering an Abyssal layer’s fundamental characteristics requires power on the level of a lesser deity or greater. 570 1211
Mixed elemental traits	No element dominates the Abyss as a whole; individual layers can instead be ruled by fire, negative energy, volcanic activity, cold, or other environmental extremes. 570 1137 1152
Chaotic Evil tendency	Lawful creatures suffer a −2 penalty to Charisma-based checks, Good creatures suffer the same penalty, and Lawful Good creatures suffer both penalties. 570 1211
Hostility toward law	Demons instinctively find lawful outsiders irritating or hostile; Soren’s Lawful Evil alignment causes demons to be predisposed against him. 570

Consciousness and Influence

The Abyss possesses a tyrannical, chaotic pan-consciousness capable of corrupting the River Styx when the Netherworld’s protections fail. 1117

Its influence can erode restraint and encourage violence. In the Realm of the Forgottens, it also causes visitors and natives to lose memories unless they resist its effects. 624 645

History

The Abyss was among the foundational planes created in the ancient age of the gods. Its earliest known rulers were the Obyrith, ancient demons associated with chaos and destruction. 445 936

Mortal souls later began entering the plane. The Obyrith reshaped many of them with chaotic power, creating the modern Tanar’ri demons. The Tanar’ri’s numbers and strength eventually allowed them to overthrow the older demon lords. 445

In a distant era, Asmodeus severed nine planes from the Abyss and remade them into Baator, establishing a Lawful Evil realm for devils. This split transformed the older struggle between order-aligned gods and primordial demons into the modern Blood War between devils and demons. 570

During the Time of Troubles, weakened seals and planar barriers destabilized the Abyss. Kezef the Chaotic Hound escaped from imprisonment in its deepest regions, while demon lords, gods, and fiendish armies faced renewed upheaval. 736 737 761

Soren later detached his merged Half-Elf and Shadow realms from the Shadow Plane and anchored them to the Abyss’s third layer, the Realm of the Forgottens. The Abyss resisted the realm’s arrival slightly, but accepted it because of Soren’s Slaughter and Destruction portfolios and earlier marks left by the Dead Three. 1037

Demonic Cycle and Society

Souls and Abyssal Blood Pools

Abyssal Blood Pools transform souls into Abyssal Worms, the plane’s weakest and most numerous lifeforms. These worms are born into immediate slaughter and must consume one another to evolve into true demons. 570

• Souls of greater quality are more valuable to demons, devils, and gods; souls reborn through blood pools are generally regarded as inferior fodder. 570
• River Styx water can pollute the pools and erase the memories of newly reborn demons. 571
• Abyssal Worms may evolve normally into dretches, retain their worm form while becoming vastly stronger, or mutate through consuming powerful bloodlines. 571
• A worm that survives without changing form can become a colossal Mother of Worms, a demigod-level creature with powerful psionics and corrosive acid. 571
• Demons also reproduce through propagation and crossbreeding, producing hybrid bloodlines unique to the Abyss. 530

Demonic Hierarchy

The Tanar’ri are the Abyss’s dominant modern demon race, while surviving Obyrith remain among its oldest and most dangerous inhabitants. 445 736

A typical humanoid demon advancement path progresses through forms such as dretch, quasit, succubus, vrock, glabrezu, nalfeshnee, marilith, and balor. Balors are the strongest common high-tier demon species, though only a small fraction awaken into true Balors with exceptional destructive origin power. 583

Demon lords generally possess substantial divinity, command large bodies of followers, and compete brutally for territory, souls, and the power of rival fiends. 304 733

Economy and Warfare

The Abyss has abundant resources but little stable production. Most demons lack the safety, discipline, or longevity to develop crafts, leaving many dependent on Yugoloths, hags, night hags, and other neutral fiends for weapons and equipment. 579 738

The Blood War is the Abyss’s greatest military institution. Demon armies can field vast numbers of expendable troops, but their chaotic nature historically leaves them at a disadvantage against the disciplined legions of Baator. 570 1207 1211

Known Layers and Regions

Layer / Region	Description
1st Layer — Plains of Infinite Portals	The Abyss’s uppermost layer and a principal battlefield of the Blood War. It has normal gravity and time, but borders unstable voids and planar routes. 570 1211
3rd Layer — Realm of the Forgottens	A River Styx-tainted region where memory loss affects residents and visitors. Once rulerless and chaotic, it became the site of Soren’s attached divine realm and Abyssal kingdom. 617 624 1037
113th Layer — Thanatos	A cold, negative-energy-dominant realm formerly associated with Orcus and populated by undead. Soran began transforming its nature through volcanic fire and the creation of a massive blood pool. 1137 1152
421st Layer — White Kingdom	Doresain’s ghoul realm, a wasteland of corpse remains, bone ash, and hunger-driven ghoul armies. 1193
422nd Layer	Formerly ruled by Yeenoghu, the Gnoll King. It contained the Ruins of Azar and the dying Obyrith Storm Lord Bachar. 545 936
600th Layer	A labyrinthine domain ruled by the ancient Obyrith Obox-ob, who sought influence through the creation of powerful demonic offspring. 736

Relationships

• Baator — Once part of the Abyss before Asmodeus severed and transformed nine layers into the lawful realm of devils; the two planes remain locked in the Blood War. 570
• Asmodeus — The Lord of Hell reshaped part of the Abyss into Baator, becoming central to the eternal conflict between devils and demons. 570
• River Styx — A major conduit for souls through the Lower Planes. Its waters feed Abyssal Blood Pools, erase memory, and can be corrupted by the Abyss’s chaotic consciousness. 571 1117
• Demon Lords — The Abyss’s territorial rulers. Their constant rivalries define its political landscape, though major threats and the Blood War can temporarily force cooperation. 736 737 1207
• Soren / Soran — Soren entered the Abyss to cultivate a hidden native demon identity, Soran, and later established a divine realm on the third layer while expanding his demon armies and blood pools. 570 574 1037 1111
• Kezef the Chaotic Hound — An ancient imprisoned evil creature whose escape endangered the Abyss’s most valuable resource: souls. 736

Story Role / Major Arcs

Soren’s Initial Incursion

Soren first enters through the Plains of Infinite Portals and studies the plane’s laws before approaching an Abyssal Blood Pool. His objective is to create a demon vessel native to the Abyss and reduce the plane’s hostility toward him. 570 571

After entering the blood pool, his soul is reborn as the dretch Soran. Stripped of his true body’s abilities but retaining his memories and combat experience, Soran begins evolving through demonic slaughter. 574 576

Blood War Advancement

Soran is forcibly conscripted into the Succubus Queen’s 7th Legion as cannon fodder. He survives through discipline and intimidation, becoming a low-ranking dretch commander before rapidly evolving through battlefield kills. 581 589

His later victories in the Blood War elevate him through elite demon forms, including hezrou and eventually balor. His demonic evolution grants abilities such as Fear Aura, flame-based combat powers, domination, summoning, and the Flame Whip of Balor. 604 605 1014

Establishment of an Abyssal Realm

Soren anchors his divine realm to the Realm of the Forgottens, publicly declaring himself an evil god of Slaughter and Destruction. The event alerts nearby demon lords and establishes him as a new major Abyssal power. 1037

He avoids disrupting the Abyss’s native blood pools and fundamental laws too aggressively, using the Demon Avatar and Balor Lord Soran as intermediaries while building influence through fear, proxies, and selective conquest. 1039

Blood Pool Expansion and Planar Transformation

During the Netherworld’s collapse, the Abyss corrupts unguarded Styx tributaries and triggers explosive Abyssal Worm reproduction. Soran secures an enormous new blood pool on the Crimson Plains to expand his army. 1117

Soran later transforms Thanatos by combining volcanic fire, Styx water, Abyssal blood-pool essence, soul gems, and his own blood. The resulting blood pool redirects souls and weakens the undead realm’s negative-energy advantage. 1152

Renewed Blood War

Following the defeat of Orcus, Doresain, and Yeenoghu, Soran becomes powerful enough to unite multiple demon lords against Baator. His demon armies resume the Blood War from the Plains of Infinite Portals. 1193 1201 1207

Under Soran’s command, millions of demons conduct a disciplined siege against the devils’ final Abyssal fortress. The campaign demonstrates an unusual transformation of Abyssal chaos into coordinated military force. 1211