Description
Thanatos, nicknamed the Belly of Death, is the 333rd layer of the Abyss, and the dominion of Orcus, the demon prince of undeath.
Thanatos is a cold and unforgiving place that exists without a trace of life. The black sky remains in a persistent state of moonlit night, and the thin air immediately makes any breathing creature weaker.
Its corrupted landscape boasts endless decay, and its residents yearn for the opportunity to drain the life force of any non-dead entity that wanders within. Any being that does perish upon Thanatos is raised as some form of undead or lesser demon within an hour’s time. Only powerful spells like raise dead or wish can prevent this process.
Magic
Necromantic magic works especially well all across the plane, albeit with some unexpected twists. Undead that have been reanimated can be taken over by petitioners or lesser demons. The spell reincarnation always transfers an errant soul to the body of a tanar’ri.
Flora & Fauna
While it is said that nothing “truly lives” in Thanatos, there is sparse plant life that grows throughout the undead realm. Various species of fungi, mould, and even abyssal viper trees can be found in the less-frigid locales across its bleak landscape.
Culture
Despite the utter desolation and horror encountered across much of Thanatos, its two cities are not without some semblance of society found in the lands of the living. A few number of establishments including shops are supported by the rudimentary form of commerce that sprang up within. Similarly, different factions of undead plot against each other to vie for power and the attention of Thanatos’ ruler.
Cosmography
As in other layers of the Abyss, the River Styx passes across the blighted lands of Thanatos. Thanatos is accessible by portal found within the graveyard of Sigil.
Inhabitants
Thanatos is inhabited entirely by endless hordes of undead, and ravenous demons. Notable among the fiends are countless legion of babau and armanites.
Hordes of lesser undead such as zombies, ghouls, and even wights are bound together in masses of undead flesh and drift down the River Styx