The Nexus
Roleplayer Training
Avernus, is a vast charred wasteland of rubble over which the iron towers of the Dukes of Hell stand. Legions of devils march across the plains in continual readiness for the next battle of the Blood War. A red light suffuses the sky and huge fireballs fly across the layer, randomly exploding wherever they hit. Beneath the blood-red sky, balls of fire burst unpredictably. They are said to be the embodiments of the rage of the formerly-imprisoned Lord of the First, Zariel.
The River Styx flows through this layer, as does the appropriately named River of Blood. From the gate in Ribcage the nearest site is the ruined city of Darkspine, where refugees desperately try to avoid the Baatezu, thought police, while trying to do enough good to shift their town back to the Outlands.
Bel, the former Archdevil of Avernus, rebelled against Zariel, and remained as the Lord of the First until Asmodeus disliked Bel's actions and demoted him permanently to be the advisor of Zariel
The Bronze Citadel is a huge fortress city, housing massive numbers of devil troops and war machines. It is constantly being added to in the form of new fortifications against attacks. Lord Bel, formerly a powerful pit fiend before his ascension to noble status, is a former ruler of Avernus, having betrayed the former lord, Zariel, to obtain the position. He resides in a personal fortress at the center of the Bronze Citadel.
The largest series of astral conduits on Baator lead to the Maggot Pit, a sea of squirming infernal larvae, beyond which the Dragonspawn Pits of Azharul sprawl in a cluster of tall hills and mountains. Tiamat, the five-headed deity of evil dragons, stands watch over the way to the next layer with her draconic and abishai servitors. Nearby exists the Pillar of Skulls, a hideous landmark of trophy-skulls of those killed in the Blood War that reaches a height of more than a mile close to the entrance to the second layer.
A number of godly realms exist on Avernus, including Draukari, realm of kobold deity Kurtulmak, goblin deity Bargrivyek's deceptively titled realm of The Peacable Lands, and Abthalom, the Nether Reaches, realm of dragon-queen goddess Takhisis. Vast legions of abishai serve the Queen of Darkness, milling through the Rallying Grounds and near the Temple of Takhisis and the Tower of High Sorcery. The towns in Draukari, hidden in the hills, mountains, and deep forests of the realm, are Frekstavik, Nibellin, and Snjarll. Kurtulmak's realm is often raided by goblins serving Bargrivyek.
A number of unique devils cast from the hierarchy of the Hells also dwell on Avernus. Known as the "rabble of devil-kin", these exiles number roughly 50 former consorts, dukes, vassals, and other unique devils who lost favor with their masters. To prevent them from being summoned, they have been stripped of their names.
Archduke of Avernus, Bel
As the first archduke to be promoted from within the ranks of the baatezu, General Bel of the Third Command holds a special place in the eyes of many of his fellows, a sign that perhaps someday they too will be able to reach similar heights. Yet Bel is no grunt; he is and always has been one of the premiere tacticians of the multiverse, the mind behind some of the greatest victories of the baatezu in the Blood War and unmatched in the art of the ambush or double-cross. Having served his masters almost since the Fall, it was a surprise to few when he claimed the mantle of Lord of the First. His present power base is unmatched, having extended the Third Command into every baatezu holding of significance upon Avernus.
Bel holds court from the Bronze Citadel, the former palace of Zariel Once of the Mount, though it has long since been scoured and purged of all Bel saw as decadence. It is from here that he plans the activities of the Third Command; while he is ostensibly under the command of Dagos of the Dark Eight even today, his title and his brilliance have given him largely free reign to determine the proper tactics to enact the orders given to him. Even now, he often fights in the field alongside his men on the more significant missions, but he has assembled a coterie of those devils he has determined most skilled and most loyal, giving each the right to act in his name either within Avernus or in the field. This collection includes the co-generals of the Third Command Meritos and Hanariel, as well as a number of other officers he has personally judged worthy: such military heroes as Goap, Amduscias, Yeddikadir, Malphas, and Nalebranc are included among his hand-chosen ranked, each publicly pledged to abandon the political schemes of the nobility and devote themselves fully to the defense of the baatezu.