In the Dungeons & Dragons

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...

, the Gray Waste (more fully, the Gray Wastes of Hades; also, Hades, The Three Glooms, Hope's Loss or The Nadir) is a strongly evil aligned plane 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.

Description

The Gray Waste is the plane of strongly focused evil within the D&D cosmology; its main theme is that of hopelessness and despair. In the Gray Waste, colors fade to muted shades of gray (except for the occasional portal, which are colored bronze, silver, or gold, depending on where they lead) and the land itself works to remain as soulless as possible. Extended visits to the plane cause travelers to lose interest in leaving; soon after, the entrapping effect of the plane takes over, causing increased apathy and despair. Eventually their sanity and memories fade away, and they become permanent petitioners of the plane.

Inhabitants

The plane is used primarily by the Tanar'ri and the Baatezu as the battlefield for the Blood War

Blood War

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Blood War is an eternal conflict between the fiends of the Lower planes. The Tanar'ri are the demonic forces of the Abyss, an evil plane of chaos. Representing the equally evil but lawful realm of Baator are the Baatezu, the dominant caste of...

. Native creatures include Yugoloth

Yugoloth

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, yugoloths are neutral evil natives of the lower planes of the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna and the Gray Waste of Hades...

s, Diakka, Hordlings, Larvae, and Night hags. Several Deities live here, Hades of the Greek Pantheon, Cegilune

Cegilune

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Cegilune is the hag deity of larvae, hags, and the moon. She is the patron goddess of all hags, including night hags...

 the Mother of Night Hag

Night hag (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the night hag is an outsider that comes from the Gray Waste of Hades. The night hag's relationship to other types of hags is unclear...

s, and others.

Structure

The Gray Waste is a spatially infinite plane, consisting of three layers or sub-planes, sometimes referred to as the Three Glooms. The River Styx flows through the first layer, Oinos, connecting it with the other evil-aligned Lower Planes. The Gray Waste shares its borders with the neighbouring planes of the Tarterian Depths of Carceri

Carceri

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Carceri is a neutral evil-aligned plane of existence...

 and the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna; travel is possible between the Gray Waste and these planes at certain locations.

Khin-Oin, the Wasting Tower, a fortress built and maintained by the yugoloth

Yugoloth

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, yugoloths are neutral evil natives of the lower planes of the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna and the Gray Waste of Hades...

s, can be found on the first layer of the Gray Waste.

Oinos

Oinos is the location of a number of godly realms, including Incabulos

Incabulos

In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Incabulos is the god of Plagues, Sickness, Famine, Nightmares, Drought, and Disasters...

' realm of Charnelhouse, Kelemvor's realm of the Crystal Spire (formerly Myrkul

Myrkul

Myrkul was the fictional Lord of the Dead in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting based upon the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Further aliases of Myrkul include the Reaper and Old Lord Skull. His symbol is a skull against a black field, known to occur in nightmares of many of the...

's Bone Castle), the orc

Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, orcs are a primitive race of savage, bestial, barbaric humanoid.-Publication history:The orc was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game. The D&D orc is largely based upon the orcs appearing in the works of J.R.R...

 deity Yurtrus

Yurtrus

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Yurtrus is the orc deity of death and disease.-Publication history:...

' realm of Fleshslough, the dwarf

Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...

 deity Abbathor

Abbathor

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Abbathor is the dwarven deity of greed. His holy symbol is a jeweled dagger.-Publication history:...

's realm of The Glitterhell, and the urd deity Kuraulyek

Kuraulyek

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Kuraulyek is the patron deity of urds.-Publication history:Kuraulyek was first detailed in the book Monster Mythology , including details about his priesthood.-Realm:...

's realm of Urdrest. It also holds the majority of Blood War

Blood War

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Blood War is an eternal conflict between the fiends of the Lower planes. The Tanar'ri are the demonic forces of the Abyss, an evil plane of chaos. Representing the equally evil but lawful realm of Baator are the Baatezu, the dominant caste of...

 battlefields and Khin-Oin, home to most leaders of the mercenary yugoloths.

Niflheim

Niflheim is the location of a number of godly realms, including Hel

Hel (being)

In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...

's realm of Niflheim, after which the layer is named, Shar's realm of The Palace of Loss, Panzuriel

Panzuriel

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Panzuriel is a deity of murder, confusion, subversion, and evil creatures of the sea...

's realm of Rezuriel, Mask's realm of Shadow Keep, Arawn's realm of Annwn, the Isles of the Cursed, and Ratri's realm of Dark of Night. Furthermore, Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil

In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...

, the World Ash, has its roots in Niflheim.

Pluton

Pluton is the location of a number of godly realms, including the hag

Hag (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, hags are witchlike beings that use magic to spread havoc and destruction, and slay all whom they encounter.-Dungeons & Dragons :...

 goddess Cegilune

Cegilune

In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Cegilune is the hag deity of larvae, hags, and the moon. She is the patron goddess of all hags, including night hags...

's realm of Hagsend, Hecate

Hecate

Hecate or Hekate is a chthonic Greco-Roman goddess associated with magic, witchcraft, necromancy, and crossroads.She is attested in poetry as early as Hesiod's Theogony...

's primary realm of Aeaea, and the god Hades

Hades

Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...

' realm of Hades, the Underworld. Furthermore, Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...

 is based in Pluton.

Creative origins

The Gray Waste is based on the underworld

Greek underworld

The Greek underworld was made up of various realms believed to lie beneath the earth or at its farthest reaches.This includes:* The great pit of Tartarus, originally the exclusive prison of the old Titan gods, it later came to be the dungeon home of damned souls.* The land of the dead ruled by the...

 of Hades

Hades

Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...

 in Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek 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...

.