Carceri
Encyclopedia
In the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, Carceri (more fully, the Tarterian Depths of Carceri; also, Tarterus or The Red Prison) is a neutral (chaotic) evil-aligned plane
of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Plane
s that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) cosmology, used in the Planescape
, Greyhawk
and some editions of the Forgotten Realms
campaign settings.
; each layer consists of a series of orbs floating in an infinite black void. Light is provided by the orbs only; as one progresses through the layer, the light diminishes, and the orbs are separated by larger and larger distances.
The Bastion of Lost Hope, a fortress controlled by the Revolutionary League
, can be found on Carceri.
live on Othrys in the realm of Mount Othrys; furthermore, Raiden maintains his Palace of Thunder on Othrys.
.
god Faluzure
; Karontor
's The Rack of Injustice; and Trickster's Delight, the realm of the naga
deity Parrafaire
.
, and The Land of the Hunt, realm of the god Malar
, are located on Colothys.
(gehreleth) lord Apomps, can be found on Agathys. The god Nerull
from the World of Greyhawk setting also makes his home on Agathys.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Carceri (more fully, the Tarterian Depths of Carceri; also, Tarterus or The Red Prison) is a neutral (chaotic) evil-aligned plane
Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)
The planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game constitutes the multiverse in which the game takes place.In the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of the Inner, Ethereal, Prime Material, Astral and Outer Planes was introduced; at the time there were only four Inner Planes...
of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Plane
Outer Plane
In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as...
s that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) cosmology, used in the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
, Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
and some editions of the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign settings.
Structure
Carceri has six layers, contained inside each other not unlike the shells of a matryoshka dollMatryoshka doll
A matryoshka doll is a Russian nesting doll which is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. The first Russian nested doll set was carved in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo...
; each layer consists of a series of orbs floating in an infinite black void. Light is provided by the orbs only; as one progresses through the layer, the light diminishes, and the orbs are separated by larger and larger distances.
The Bastion of Lost Hope, a fortress controlled by the Revolutionary League
Faction (Planescape)
The Factions are fictional philosophically based power groups in the Planescape campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Background:...
, can be found on Carceri.
Othrys
The first layer, Othrys, consists of a war-ravaged landscape of swamps and stagnant rivers crossed only by spotted ranges of mountains. Several Greek TitansTitan (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a titan is an enormous, powerful, and godly outsider. Though titans are supposedly of both chaotic good and chaotic evil alignments, the majority of them seem to be good, and hence, those are the ones which will be described here...
live on Othrys in the realm of Mount Othrys; furthermore, Raiden maintains his Palace of Thunder on Othrys.
Cathrys
The second layer, Cathrys (also called The Crimson Jungle), is a layer of thick jungles and open plains of razored grass. Talona's realm Palace of Poison Tears can be found on Cathrys, as can The Steading, the realm of hill giant deity GrolantorGrolantor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Grolantor is the deity worshiped by the hill giant race, as well as ettins, and some frost giants and ogres. His sacred animal is the dire wolf. His holy symbol is a wooden club....
.
Minethys
The third layer, Minethys, is a parched layer of crimson glowing sand and biting, desiccating sandstorms. Notable locations on Minethys include Coeus' Temple, dedicated to the Titan of the same name; The Mausoleum of Pain of the dragonDragon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game , dragons are an iconic type of monstrous creature used as adversaries or, less commonly, allies of player characters...
god Faluzure
Faluzure
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Faluzure is the dragon deity of Energy Draining, Undeath, Decay, and Exhaustion. "Faluzure" is also sometimes spelled "Falazure". His symbol is a draconic skull....
; Karontor
Karontor
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Karontor is the giant deity of deformity, hatred, and beasts. His symbol is the head of a winter wolf.-Publication history:...
's The Rack of Injustice; and Trickster's Delight, the realm of the naga
Naga (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, nagas comprise a variety of similar species of intelligent aberrations with widely differing abilities and alignments. Nagas appear as large snake like creatures with humanoid heads. They often range widely in coloring and scale patterns, but are all...
deity Parrafaire
Parrafaire
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Parrafaire is the naga deity of guardianship. He guards magical secrets and hidden places underground...
.
Colothys
The fourth layer, Colothys, consists of jagged, unforgiving mountains and sudden chasms with little flat ground to find refuge. Crius' Temple, dedicated to the Titan of the same name, can be found here; furthermore, Ellaniath, the realm of the drow deity VhaeraunVhaeraun
Vhaeraun , also known as the Masked Lord and the Masked God of Night, is the drow god of thievery, drow males, and evil activity on the surface world in many Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings.-Publication history:...
, and The Land of the Hunt, realm of the god Malar
Malar (Forgotten Realms)
Malar is the Faerûnian deity of the hunt, evil lycanthropes , and bestial savagery and bloodlust in Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms fictional world of Abeir-Toril for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, are located on Colothys.
Porphatys
The fifth layer, Porphatys, is a cold layer dominated by a shallow, acidic ocean, cut only by sand bars and drifts of semi-solid acid snow. Oceanus' Temple, dedicated to the Titan of the same name, is located on Porphatys.Agathys
The last layer, Agathys, consists of a single orb of black ice alone in the void, almost completely devoid of light and sound, with only the shifting and breaking of ice and the slow, crushing agony of petitioners frozen into it being heard. Apomps' Three-Sided Palace, realm of the demodandDemodand
In the fictional worlds of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demodands are a race of fiends native to the Tarterian Depths of Carceri. The gehreleths worship or honor a patron deity called Apomps the Three-sided One, a renegade baernaloth who was exiled to Carceri for the act of...
(gehreleth) lord Apomps, can be found on Agathys. The god Nerull
Nerull
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, as well as in the game's default pantheon of deities, Nerull is the Flan god of death, darkness, murder, and the underworld. He is known as the Reaper, the Foe of All Good, the Hater of Life, and the Bringer of...
from the World of Greyhawk setting also makes his home on Agathys.
Historic influences
- Carceri is based on TartarusTartarusIn classic mythology, below Uranus , Gaia , and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros . It is a deep, gloomy place, a pit, or an abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides beneath the underworld. In the Gorgias, Plato In classic mythology, below Uranus (sky), Gaia (earth), and Pontus...
in Greek mythologyGreek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Its name is the ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word for prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s. - Othrys is named after a mountainMount OthrysMount Othrys is a mountain in Central Greece in the northeastern part of Fthiotis and southern part of Magnesia. The mountaintop is at the prefectural and the regional border at 1,728 m. Much of the area is unpopulated in the northern part and the southwestern part...
in Greece which was supposed to be a base for the TitansTitan (mythology)In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
.