The Plane of Pain (#17/31, #351/365)
"The Plane of Pain is a rock-strewn wilderness of smoking vents belching fire and brimstone, of stinking sinkholes full of sludge bracketed by rugged cliffs of black stone, and of spiny forests where one may mischance upon impromptu crucifixions and tortured executions. It is a place of bleak cruelness and blind raging hatred of the light, where unspeakable atrocities are inflicted upon the powerless, and indescribable horrors shockingly rendered as commonplace and mundane. Captivity is its law, where ragged hordes toil in the dust for no reward whatsoever."
Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 12)
Due to the proximity of the Palace of Agony, the Plane of Pain is the effective nerve-centre of the Pit, and as such staffed with highly-trusted entities such as Lesser Night and Snake Demons, Greater Shadow Demons, and Plague Demons. On their missions these creatures will be guarded by lesser minions, including Hell Demons, Horned Demons, and the Diabolus. Lurking in the wastes are simpler things; Soulstealers, Rock Demons and Hellfire Spirits.
A map of the Demonic Pit itself can be found in the Rough Guide to the Pit (p. 38), as well as general encounter tables (pp. 40-41), and some notes on potential terrain and special features (pp. 31-33) relevant specifically to the Plane of Pain.
The Plane of Pain is a place of torture and agony. All prime characteristics of a Hero are insidiously subject to a constant painful assault on the senses. Every week a Hero spends on the Plane of Pain, they must decide what one characteristic point (SKILL, STAMINA, LUCK, or MAGIC/PSIONICS) has been lost to pain that week (if a score reaches zero, the Hero perishes). Such losses are usually permanent, though great magical resources may restore them. As a result, to survive here requires high levels of mental fortitude and tolerance of pain, both mental and physical.The Palace of Agony (#18/31, #352/365)
The great work Titan by the demented sage Mh'ark Ghazcoin described the Palace of Agony thusly (and accurately):
"The three Snake Demons, Sith, Ishtra and Myurr govern the pit from the ornate blood-diamond thrones of the echoing league-wide Ruling Hall of the Palace of Agony, at the very centre of the Demonic Plane. Ostensibly they rule by combined strength of will, but in truth they argue and disagree so often that it is only when two side together against the third that any decisions are actually made. Elsewhere the armies of Hell are commanded by the four Night Demons, Kalin, Relem, Shakor and Vradna. They sit in the war-room of the Palace of Agony, huddled in their carved thrones around a deep, misty pool set in the cold stone floor. The pool allows them to watch the results of their plans on the Earthly Plane. The Princes are devious tacticians, working subtlety or blatantly, according to the situation, to further the evil ends of the Forces of Chaos on Titan.
Despite their perpetual differences, squabbles and cruel and violent wars, the Demon Princes and their favoured minions frequently gather together at the Palace of Agony to take part in gigantic banquets. Here you might find several thousand undead and demonic beings, sprawled and slumped at tables covered by curious blood-red cloths with the texture of flayed skin, and piled high with all manner of dead, semi-dead and very-much-alive foodstuffs. The stomach-churning food frantically gibbers, squeals and scuttles until caught and eaten by the obnoxious revelers. Some diners get so excited they start to feast upon their fellow guests!
For entertainers there are the merry antics of the torturers, who gleefully flay new arrivals to produce the most exquisite music; the Demonspawn jugglers who mutate endlessly and juggle with loose parts of their bodies, and the more traditional singers and musicians playing naughty ballads. With the floor knee-deep in blood and slime, and the air rent by the screams of the dying and the sounds of so many vile things chewing other vile things, the whole scene is how a pious man would imagine Hell - except that this is Hell and it is far worse than any mortal man could imagine."
Titan by Mh'ark Ghazcoin (pp. 72-73)
Aside from major areas detailed above such as the Ruling Hall, War Room and Grand Banquet Chamber, the majority of the Palace of Agony is a warren of random corridors and rooms, best created using the Random Dungeon Generator in the Advanced Fighting Fantasy rulebook (pp. 134-137).
For inhabitants of these rooms, roll two dice to determine potential
encounters here on the table below:
2 2-7 Adventurers. (Roll on the table (p. 58) in Heroes of Titan for party composition, and assume all are Champion grade level (see Combat Companion, pp. 7-9)
3 1 Monster. Roll for type: 1-2 Kragon, 3-4 Quag-Shugguth, 5-6 Skeleton Dragon.
4 2-4 Spirits. Roll for type: 1 Spirit Stalker 2 Nightshade 3 Hellfire Spirit 4 Shade 5 Glyth 6 Dire Spectre.
5 2-7 Pets. Roll for type: 1 Xlaia, 2 Undead Steed, 3 Hellcat, 4 Hellhound, 5 Demon Steed, 6 Devil Hound.
6 2-7 Guards. Roll for type: 1-2. Spike Demons, 3-4. Hell Demons, 5-6. Rock Demons.
7 2-12 Servants. Roll for type: 1-2 Minor Demon, 3-4 Demonic Servant 5-6 Demonspawn.
8 2-7 Entertainers. Roll for type: 1-2 Minor Demon, 3-4 Demonic Servant 5-6 Demonspawn.
9 2-12 Prisoners (Roll for type: 1 Demons (roll on the Servants table) 2 Humans, 3 Orcs, 4 Goblins 5 Ogres 6 Trolls) with 2-7 Guards (see above for type)
10 2-7 Undead. Roll for type: 1 Death-Knight 2 Wight 3 Greater Ghoul 4 Soulsucker 5 Vampyre 6 Lich.
11 2-7 Constructs. Roll for type: 1 Corpse Golem, 2 Bone Golem, 3 Flesh Golem, 4 Minor Thassaloss, 5 Brimstone Golem, 6 Major Thassaloss.
12 Delegation. A legation is here to observe and report. Roll on the @ table below for the Prime Delegate and * table below for the 2-12 Delegates.
* Table (Delegates)
Roll for type: 1-2 Diabolus, 3-4 Plague Demon, 5-6 Netherworld Demon.
@ Table (Prime Delegates)
Roll for type: 1-2 Lesser Snake Demon, 3-4 Greater Shadow Demon, 5-6 Lesser Night Demon.
The All-Seeing Eye (#19/31, #353/365)
"This is allegedly the greatest viewing artifact in the multiverse; a mountain-sized black sphere of obsidian, housing within an epic eye, whose orange pupil within a black iris have scanned the cosmos since the dawn of time. Whereas scrying devices elsewhere in the Pit, such as the war-room of the Night Demons, focus on specific places or times, the Eye sees All. As such, an army of recorders and archivists has grown up around the Eye, dwelling in colonies of cell-like mud huts, focusing only on one particular aspect of the multiverse visible to the Eye. As with anything in the Pit, competition between these Eye-recorders is rife and collaboration is rare, resulting in vast seams of knowledge being collected with little, if any, effort put into collating such information into more useful and thus more dangerous formats."
Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 13)
Much knowledge is collected by the Eye, but its use and distribution is dissipated by the warring actions of the seven major Gazer-Clans of the Eye, whose myriad scrying devices, from crystal orbs to telescopes, are all directed at All the Eye Sees. The Eye is also attended by maintenance workers, visiting scholars and delegates and its own ecosystem of parasitic pests and symbiotic mini-avatars.
Roll two dice to determine potential
encounters here on the table below (for any entry marked by a symbol, such as *, + or @, roll further on the appropriate sub-table, also below):
2 2-7 Visiting Scholars attempting to glean forbidden knowledge from the Eye. Roll for type: 1 Dark Elve Sorcerers, 2-3 Caarth Scryers, 4-5 Lizard Men Priests, 6 Brain Slayer Psionicists.
3 2-7 Attendant Eye Beasts. Roll for type: 1-2 Eye Stingers, 3-4 Diadrones, 5-6 Walking Mouths.
4 Gazer Clan: The Blinded Eye. Sphere: Nihilism. Anarchists who are attempting to destroy the Eye or impair its functioning. Roll on the @ table below for the Gazer Clan Chief and * table below for the 2-12 Gazer Clan Believers, and the + table below for the 3-18 Gazer Clan Followers.
5 Gazer Clan: The One True Eye. Sphere: Monomania. Fanatical zealots using the Eye to justify the power of their Chosen Truth. Roll on the @ table below for the Gazer Clan Chief and * table below for the 2-12 Gazer Clan Believers, and the + table below for the 3-18 Gazer Clan Followers.
6 Gazer Clan: The Twin Eyes. Sphere: Duality of Conflict. Each follower of one twin Eye hates the other faction more than the other Gazer Clans combined. Roll on the @ table below for the Gazer Clan Chief and * table below for the 2-12 Gazer Clan Believers, and the + table below for the 3-18 Gazer Clan Followers.
7 2-7 Maintenance workers. Roll for type: 1-2 Animated Cloth-bearing Hands polishing the surface of the Eye, 3-4 Demonspawn workers, cleaning the surroundings and exterminating pests and irritants, 5-6 Demonic Servant scribes, bearing 2-12 devices bearing lore gleaned from the Eye - roll for type of device (1-2 scroll, 3-4 recording orb, psy-sensitive mushroom) and lore (1-2 Demon Lore, 3-4 Religion Lore, 5-6 Undead Lore).
8 Gazer Clan: The Three Eyes. Sphere: Balance. Their belief in the equality of all views is sorely tested by the seething Chaos around them. Roll on the @ table below for the Gazer Clan Chief and * table below for the 2-12 Gazer Clan Believers, and the + table below for the 3-18 Gazer Clan Followers.
9 Gazer Clan: The Many Eyes. Sphere: Understanding. Jaded defeatists who realise that struggle is futile, and that there is no absolute truth, simply degrees of shadow and light that define one's soul. Roll on the @ table below for the Gazer Clan Chief and * table below for the 2-12 Gazer Clan Believers, and the + table below for the 3-18 Gazer Clan Followers.
10 Gazer Clan: Eyes! Eyes! Everywhere! Sphere: Paranoia. Insane mystics who claim the influence of the Eye upon All! It sees! It does! Your will is not your own! Roll on the @ table below for the Gazer Clan Chief and * table below for the 2-12 Gazer Clan Believers, and the + table below for the 3-18 Gazer Clan Followers.
11 2-7 Interfering Pests. Roll for type: 1-2 Mind Warp Beasts, 3-4 Quagrants, 5-6 Medusa Coven.
12 Delegation. A legation from the Palace of Agony is here to observe and report. Roll on the @ table below for the Prime Delegate and * table below for the 2-12 Delegates.
* Table (Delegates, Gazer Clan Chiefs)
Roll for type: 1-2 Diabolus, 3-4 Plague Demon, 5-6 Netherworld Demon.
@ Table (Prime Delegates, Gazer Clan Believers)
Roll for type: 1-2 Lesser Snake Demon, 3-4 Greater Shadow Demon, 5-6 Lesser Night Demon.
+ Table (Gazer Clan Followers)
Roll for type: 1-2 Minor Demon, 3-4 Demonic Servant 5-6 Demonspawn.
The Tower of the Wheel (#20/31, #354/365)
"This cyclopean tower of black basalt rises up from the surface of the Plane of Pain, a short distance from the Palace of Agony, and troops of demonic pilgrims and servitors readily travel between the two. The purpose of the Tower is to contain the great Wheel of Destiny, an enormous basalt disc that is spun to determine the fate of all souls brought before it (such as when a Demon's Essence is entirely drained from them). The precepts of the Wheel are many and varied; a Greater Demon brought here for being too nice may find themselves reborn as a Demonspawn galley-captive in a warship on the Plane of Blood; an evil Necromancer lusting after lost knowledge may find their sentience imbued in the blood moss that grows on the summit of the Palace of Agony. It is staffed by bureaucratic cults of demons skilled in both interpreting the whims and results of the Wheel, as well as carrying out their more explicit instructions savagely, personally and with extreme prejudice."
Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 13)
The Tower of the Wheel has been the sight of many dramatic denouements and rebirths. When especially propitious or ominous souls are scheduled for judgement, armies of tourists and spectators, along with the attendant hangers-on, are rife. In a Demonic campaign, this location could be the site of many dramatic adventures when a Demon's Essence is reduced to zero. Regardless, the Tower is always a hive of activity.
Roll two dice to determine potential
encounters here on the table below (for any entry marked by a symbol, such as *, + or @, roll further on the appropriate sub-table, also below):
2 Saviours! 1-3 Sumas are attempting to rescue the soul of a Goodly champion from an unjust fate!
3 A Petitioner * and 2-7 Scribes +
4 A Condemned Demon * guarded by 2-7 Wheel Spinners (see below)
5 2-7 Wheel Spinners. Roll for type: 1-2. Spike Demons, 3-4. Hell Demons, 5-6. Rock Demons.
6 2-7 Wheelies. Strangely common in this region for some obscure reason! Roll for type: 1-2. Cleaners, with mops, 3. Maintenance, with hammers, 4. Mechanics, with wrenches, 5. Pilgrims of the Chaos Circle Rune Cult, 6. Priests of the Chaos Circle Rune Cult.
7 2-7 Scribes +
8 3-18 Pilgrims +
9 3-18 Spectators + and 1-6 Shysters (Roll for type: 1-2 Soulstealers, 3-4 Lesser Shadow Demons, 5-6 Hellfire Spirits)
10 A Lawyer * and 2-7 Scribes +
11 A Judge @ , 2-4 Lawyers * , and 2-12 Scribes +
12 Delegation. A legation from the Palace of Agony is here to observe and report. Roll on the @ table below for the Prime Delegate and * table below for the 2-12 Delegates.
* Table (Petitioners, the Condemned, Lawyers and Delegates)
Roll for type: 1-2 Diabolus, 3-4 Plague Demon, 5-6 Netherworld Demon.
+ Table (Scribes, Pilgrims and Spectators)
Roll for type: 1-2 Minor Demon, 3-4 Demonic Servant 5-6 Demonspawn.
@ Table (Judges and Prime Delegates)
Roll for type: 1-2 Lesser Snake Demon, 3-4 Greater Shadow Demon, 5-6 Lesser Night Demon.
The Voidal Sump (#21/31, #355/365)
"This is an immense waterfall, composed entirely of blood, bile, ichor, slime and other effluvia, draining the Pit of waste as it billows down into the Void; the nothingness that exists outside of existence; infinitely large and eternal. Guilds of weird demonic scavengers exist here, picking over the scraps floating in the currents of the Sump's waters before they flow over the edge. Some of the scavengers are fast swimmers, others are flyers, and some skilled with various sorts of boats and water-craft, but all must move quickly lest they get stuck in the currents and are hurtled screaming into the Void themselves."
Vade Mecum Infernum by Aughm Lightchaser (p. 13)
Anything that falls off the edge, into the Void, is effectively destroyed. Nevertheless, here at the Final Gateway to Doom exists a thriving ecosystem of chancers and scavengers, those right at the very bottom of the heap, scraping the residual dried film of scum off from the bottom of the very barrels of life itself.
Roll two dice to determine potential encounters here on the table below:
2 Lithogen, whose mouth is a cave in the substrate wall behind the Sump.
3 Castaways, 1-6 on a rocky outcrop surrounded by the waters of the Sump. Roll for type: 1-2 Minor Demons, 3-4 Demonspawn, 5-6 Demonic Servants.
4 Flock of 2-7 Ectovults, flitting through the spray-mist of the falls, 1-in-6 chance each Ectovult has a Magic Object stored within their transparent body.
5 2-7 Demons on a flimsy fungal raft, netting for refuse. Roll for type: 1-2 Netherworld Demons, 3-4 Soulstealers, 5-6 Hellfire Spirits.
6 Flyers, flitting for flung garbage. Roll for type: 1-2. 2-4 Horned Demons, 3-4. 2-12 Lesser Shadow Demons (Minor), 5-6 4-24 Stygian Imps.
7 Swimmers on the Edge. Roll for type: 1-2. 2-7 Sea Demons, 3-4. 2-12 Yuemo, 5-6. 2-7 Muck Demons.
8 Floaters, drifting through the air. 1-3 Slime Demons in a floating gas-bubble dirigible, with 2-7 Quag-Shugguth along for the ride, and all with tentacles extended.
9 2-7 Demons in a warped wooden skiff, harpooning larger objects before they careen off the edge. Roll for type: 1-2 Hell Demons, 3-4 Smoke Demons, 5-6 Brimstone Demons.
10 Shoal of 2-7 Anemorus, patrolling the waters above the falls for scraps.
11 1-3 Barbmesh Plants, (CHAOS PLANT, SKILL 6 STAMINA 20, 4 Attacks, Tendrils or Large Bite, Heavy Armour, +1 to Damage Roll, Mutations: Gigantic, Throttle Loops (Test for Luck to avoid, or lose 2 STAMINA per Attack Round until cut free), Gaping Mouth, Tendrils). Large yellow tree with sprawling ochre net-like branches that grows on the sides of the Sump, sifting the waters of the fall with its foliage.
12 2-7 Shadow Entities flitting up from the Void: (Roll: 1, Shadow 2, Shadow Fiend 3, Shadow Ghoul 4, Shadow Monster 5, Shadow Self 6 Shadow Stalker)
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