Planescape Cant

ADDLE-COVE - A not-particularly friendly way to call someone an idiot, as in, "Did you hear what that addle-coved wizard wanted us to do?" Also a noun: "He's an addle-cove!"

ANARCHIST - Another name for a member of the Revolutionary League.

ANTHILL - City or town.

ASTRAL CONDUIT - A wormhole through the Astral Plane connecting the Prime Material Plane and the Outer Planes.

ATHAR - A faction in Sigil, also called the Lost. Its members hold that there are no true powers. The local priests would like to see them get lost (see "lost", below).

BANG AROUND - To hang around, or spend idle time in. Between adventures, bashers sometimes "bang around the Cage."

BAR THAT - An almost-polite way to say "shut up," or "don't talk about that." It's quick, to the point, and can be used as a warning: "Bar that, Janos, there's Dustmen over there."

BARMY - Insane. As in, "The winds of Pandemonium'll drive a body barmy if he stays too long." Barmies are insane folks, especially those in Sigil, who've been "touched" by the impossible bigness of the planes.

BELIEVERS OF THE SOURCE - A faction in Sigil, also called the Godsmen. They believe that everyone's got the potential to be a power.

BERK - A fool, especially one who got himself into a mess when he should have known better.

BIRDCAGE - A cell, prison, or anything that compares to it.

BLEAK CABAL - A faction with despondent members and a view that says life is meaningless. Also known as the Bleakers, the Cabal, and the Madmen.

BLINDS - The dead-ends of the Mazes, it also means anything impossible or hopeless, as in, "He'll hit the blinds if he tries lying to the factol."

BLOOD - An expert, sage, or professional in any field. A champion gladiator can be a blood, as can a practiced sorcerer. Calling someone a blood is a mark of high respect.

BOB - The business of cheating someone, whether it's of their cash, honor, or trust. Good guides in Sigil warn a cutter when someone's bobbing him. Thieves boast that they "bobbed a leatherhead on the street."

BONE-BOX - The mouth, named because of its teeth, fangs, or whatever. "Stop rattling your bone-box," is telling a berk to lay off the threats or bragging.

BOX - A rogue modron that has taken up residence in Sigil.

BRAIN-BOX - This slang refers to a berk's head, usually in a crude or uncomplimentary way. "Go soak your brain-box," is a common idiom, while "He banged his fool brain-box on it" means a berk finally figured something (obvious) out.

BUB - Booze, wine, or ale - usually cheap and barely drinkable.

BUBBER - A drunk, especially if he, she, or it has fallen on hard times. Bubbers don't get any sympathy from most Cagers.

BURG - Any town smaller than Sigil, in size or in spirit - at least that's how folks from Sigil see it. Other bodies don't agree.

CAGE, THE - A common nickname for Sigil, used by locals. It's derived from "birdcage," so it's a pretty harsh judgment on the place.

CAGER - A native or resident of Sigil.

CANNY - Smart or talented.

CASE, THE - The house or place where a cutter lives. Has a positive connotation as a nice or decent place.

CELESTIAL - An intelligent being native to the Upper Planes. Includes aasimon, archons, eladrin, guardinals, and more.

CENTER OF THE MULTIVERSE - A place that doesn't exist; there is no true "center of the multiverse." No matter where a body stands, he's at the center of things (at least from his perspective).

CHANT, THE - An expression that means news, local gossip, the facts, the moods, or anything else about what's happening. "What's the chant?" is a way of asking for the latest information on a basher's heard.

CHAOSMEN - A nickname for the Xaositects.

CHIV - A weapon, usually something with a blade.

CIPHERS - A nickname of the Transcendent Order faction, used because most folks don't know what they're talking about.

CLUELESS, THE - The folks who just don't get it, usually primes. Use this on a planar and there'll likely be a fight. Also an adjective, like calling someone a "clueless berk."

COLOR POOL - Portals on the Astral Plane that give access to the Prime as well as the Outer Planes.

CONIES - Victims of the cony-catchers.

CONY-CATCHERS - Con-men, tricksters, or thieves looking for someone to peel.

CROSS-TRADE - The business of thieving, or anything else illegal or shady. "A cross-trading scum" is a thief who's probably angered the Mercykillers.

CUTTER - A complimentary term that refers to anybody, male or female. It suggests a certain amount of resourcefulness or daring, and so it's a lot better than calling someone a berk.

DARK - Anything secret is said to be dark. "Here's the dark of it," is a way of saying "I've got a secret and I'll share it with you."

DEAD, THE - Another name for the Dustmen.

DEAD-BOOK - A body in the dead-book is dead. Some people have others "put in the dead-book."

DEADER - Anyone in the dead-book.

DEFIERS - Another name for the Athar.

DOOMGUARD - A faction in Sigil that believes in entropy and decay. Also called the Sinkers.

DUSTMEN - One of the factions of Sigil. They believe everybody's dead. Also called the Dead.

FACTION - One of the 15 philosophical groups that rule Sigil.

FACTIONEER - A general term for any faction member.

FACTOL - The leader of a faction.

FACTOR - One of the factol's high-up advisers or a body who's dedicated his life to the faction. Usually in the highest position of power in a faction, and often considered for the job of factol if the old one steps down or is otherwise removed.

FACTOTUM - A dedicated member of a faction.

FATED, THE - A faction that holds that if they've got something, it's because it belongs to them. This doesn't always sit well with others. Also called the Takers or Heartless.

FEEDING THE WYRM - The act of executing a prisoner. Specifically, a unique type of execution carried out by the Mercykillers.

FIEND - Primarily refers to baatezu, gehreleths, hordlings, tanar'ri, and yugoloths, but sometimes includes any intelligent being native to the Lower Planes (night hags, imps, quasits, and the like).

FRATERNITY OF ORDER - A faction in Sigil, also called the Guvners. They believe that knowing physical laws gives a cutter power over everything. Not the kind of folks to argue logic with.

FREE LEAGUE - A faction whose members live their lives as they please, with no allegiance to others. Some folks figure that makes them untrustworthy right there, but they're pretty useful as mercenaries. Also called the lndeps.

GARNISH - A bribe, as in "Give the irritating petty official a little garnish and he'll go away."

GATE - Another term for a portal. All gates in Sigil are generally called portals. This term is also used in a general sense to describe any sort of passage between one plane and another.

GATE-TOWN - A burg on the Outlands that has a gate to another Outer Plane. Each plane has one gate-town, and the town often has the same basic appearance, outlook, and attributes as the inhabitants, architecture, and terrain of the corresponding plane.

GHOST - A prime who visits the planes via astral spell. Since it involves little physical risk on the prime's part, it's often considered cowardly and even distasteful by planars (the prime hasn't even deigned to come to the planes with his actual body). The term "cord babies" is also used, though less frequently.

GIVE 'EM THE LAUGH - To escape or slip through the clutches of someone. Robbing a tanar'ri and not getting caught is giving it the laugh.

GIVE THE ROPE - What happens to condemned criminals who don't manage to give the law the laugh. Usually thieves are the only folks who use this term.

GO TO THE MAZES - A idiomatic curse meaning "go away" and wishing a terrible fate upon the berk as well.

GODSMEN - Another name for the Believers of the Source.

GRAYBEARD - A sage or scholar. This term refers to the stereotypical wizened old man but can apply to any learned intellectual.

GREAT RING, GREAT WHEEL - The Outer Planes, often depicted in maps and diagrams (which are often misleading) as a ring. This also refers to their infinite size, another allusion to the endlessness of a ring.

GREAT ROAD - A series of permanent, always-active gates scattered throughout the Outer Planes. The Great Road connects all the Outer Planes, although the gates themselves are so spread out that it's said it would take many lifetimes to walk the entire Great Road. A few of the gates are linked by paths, but most are not connected in any way.

GULLY - A potential victim of a peel, a gullible sod.

GUVNERS - Another name for the Fraternity of Order.

HARDHEADS - Another name for the Harmonium.

HARMONIUM - A faction of the planes, also called the Hardheads. Its slogan could be, "Do it our way or no way."

HEARTLESS, THE - Another name for the Fated.

HIGH-UP - Powerful. This refers to a spell, position, or anything else with plenty of power that can theoretically be measured. Also a person of money and influence. Factols, for example, are high-ups. It's bad form to call one's self this; it's a phrase others bestow.

HIPPED - Stranded. "Hipping the rube" means stranding someone by sending him through a one-way portal.

INDEPS - The common name for members of the Free League.

INNER PLANES - The Elemental Planes (Air, Earth, Fire, Water), Paraelemental Planes (Ice, Magma, Ooze, Smoke), Quasielemental Planes (Ash, Dust, Lightning, Mineral, Radiance, Salt, Steam, Vacuum), and Energy Planes (Positive and Negative). They are planes of elements and energy, as opposed to those of concepts and alignment.

JINK - The goal of the poor: money or coins. "That's going to take a lot of jink!" means an expensive bit of garnishing.

KIP - Any place a cutter can put his feet up and sleep for a night, especially cheap flophouses in the Hive or elsewhere. Also, to "call kip" is to make a place a body's home, at least for a while.

KNIGHT OF THE POST, KNIGHT OF THE CROSS-TRADE - A thief, cheat, and a liar - clearly not a compliment unless, of course, that's what the basher wants to be.

LANN - To tell or inform. See "well-lanned".

LEAFLESS TREE - The gallows, which is where some berks wind up after they've been scragged.

LEATHERHEAD - A dolt; a dull or thick-witted fellow. Use it to call someone an idiot. Also an adjective: "a leatherheaded sod."

LOST - Dead. "He got lost" means he ain't coming back without a resurrection.

LOWER PLANES - Also called the dark planes, or nether regions - the Abyss, Acheron, Baator, Carceri, Gehenna, the Gray Waste, and Pandemonium, the planes of evil alignment. Fiends inhabit these dismal planes.

MADMEN, THE - Another name for the Bleak Cabal.

MAZES, THE - The nasty little traps the Lady of Pain creates for would-be dictators. It's also come to mean any particularly well-deserved punishment, as in, "It's the Mazes for him and I can't say I'm sorry."

MARK - To make note of something, as in "Spies guard the portal and mark who comes and goes." To be marked is to be identified, as in "That berk was marked as a Guvner."

MERCYKILLERS - A faction of Sigil that believes in absolute justice. Also called the Red Death.

MINDER - A bodyguard. As in, "He's not so tough, but there's a couple of minders watching over him."

MUSIC - A price a cutter usually doesn't want to pay, but has to anyway. As in, "Pay the music, or you'll never find your way out of here." Not a literal amount.

NAMER - Someone who belongs to a faction in name only, paying lip service to its philosophy but not dedicated to its principles.

NICK - To attack, cut, or strike someone, often used in threats. It's also used to indicate inflicting other injury upon a sod, such as stealing from him, as in "I nicked him good, and got his chiv."

OUT-OF-TOUCH - Outside of the Outer Planes. A body who's on the Elemental Plane of Water is 'out-of- touch.' This vernacular comes from Sigil, which is considered to be the center of the multiverse by those who adopted this phrase.

OUT-OF-TOWN - Like the phrase above, this one's used by Cagers to describe a body who's on the Outlands.

OUTER PLANES - The Abyss, Acheron, Arborea, Arcadia, Baator, the Beastlands, Bytopia, Carceri, Elysium, Gehenna, the Gray Waste, Limbo, Mechanus, Mount Celestia, the Outlands, Pandemonium, and Ysgard. The planes of concept rather than element.

OUTSIDERS - Clueless primes who don't yet know how things work on the planes (and especially in Sigil).

PARK YOUR EARS - To eavesdrop, spy upon, or just simply listen intently. "He parked his ears in the Hall of Speakers to keep up with the very latest chant."

PATH - A means of planar travel that requires actual physical movement. Commonly known paths include the rivers Styx and Oceanus, Mount Olympus, the World Ash Yggdrasil, and the lnfinite Staircase of Ysgard.

PEEL - A swindle, con, or trick. It's often used as a verb. Peeling a tanar'ri is usually a bad idea.

PEERY - Suspicious and on one's guard. What a basher should be if she thinks she's going to get peeled.

PETITIONER - A mortal who has died and reformed on the plane of his alignment and/or deity without memory of his former life. A petitioner's ultimate goal is to become one with the plane he's occupying, although no one (not even the petitioner) knows the whole dark of this.

PIKE IT - A useful, all-purpose rude phrase, as in, "Take a short stick and pike it, bubber."

PIKE OFF - To anger someone, as in, "Once he discovers he's been peeled, he's going to be really piked off."

PLANAR - Any being native to a plane other than the Prime Material Plane. These are living beings, not petitioners.

PLANAR CONDUIT - A wormhole-like connection that links two layers of the same plane, or (rarely) two layers of two different planes.

PLANE-TOUCHED - A planar crossbreed. Any offspring of a planar native and a human. Tieflings are plane-touched, as are aasimar and genasi. Alufiends and cambions are also considered plane-touched.

PLANEWALKER - A cutter who travels the planes looking for adventure, jink, or glory - a plane-traveling adventurer. Usually, to refer to someone as a planewalker carries a tone of some respect, for such individuals are considered capable, knowledgeable, and experienced.

PORTAL - A doorway allowing passage to (and possibly from) another plane. These are always found in bounded spaces like archways, and always re- quire a key. Also called gates.

POWER - A being of incredible might, drawing energy from those who worship it and able to grant spells to priests. Also called a deity or god. Someone a body shouldn't ever mess with.

PRIME - The Prime Material Plane or someone from that plane. Also a single prime-material world.

PROXY - A mighty servant of a power - usually a former mortal servant of that power.

RED DEATH - Another name for the Mercy-Killers.

REVOLUTIONARY LEAGUE - A faction in Sigil that wants to see all the other factions destroyed. Also called the Anarchists.

RIDE - An adventure, task, or undertaking. As in, "What's the ride today, boss?"

RUBE - A naive or clueless person, but not necessarily a prime. Sometimes this term's used to describe any non-Cager.

RULE OF THREES - One of the fundamental rules of the multiverse: Things tend to happen in threes.

SCAN - Look, listen, or learn. "Scan this, berk," can mean "listen up," "look at this," or "check this out." "Scanning the chant" is learning the latest news.

SCRAGGED - Arrested or caught.

SCREED - A monotonous tirade, or someone who gives one. If used to refer to a person, it means someone who speaks at length without any real knowledge, or simply an argumentative person. As in "Don't listen to him, he's just a screed."

SENSATES - Nickname for the Society of Sensation.

SIGNERS - A faction nickname for the Sign of One.

SIGN OF ONE - A faction whose members figure that everybody is the center of his own universe. Also called the Signers.

SINKERS - Another name for the Doomguard.

SOCIETY OF SENSATION - A faction that believes life's got to be experienced to be understood. Also called the Sensates.

SOD - An unfortunate or poor soul. Use it to show sympathy for an unlucky cutter or use it sarcastically for those who get into their own rnesses.

SODDING - A derogatory term used to stress magnitude. A "sodding idiot" is an amazingly stupid berk.

SPARKLE - Specifically a diamond, but also any gem.

SPELLSLINGER - A wizard.

SPIV - An individual who lives by his wits (rather than having regular employment).

TAKERS - Another name for the Fated.

THOUGHT GUILD - An unflattering reference to a faction, used by those who don't believe in factions at all.

TOP-SHELF - Great or best, as in "The really top-shelf pubs are all in The Lady's Ward."

TRANSCENDENT ORDER - A faction in Sigil. The formal name for the Ciphers, who believe that the truest responses occur when a body acts without thinking.

TUMBLE TO - To understand, figure out, or find out something. A body better tumble to the dark of Sigil before he bangs around on his own.

TURN STAG - To betray somebody or use treachery. Saying "He turned stag" is about the worst thing that can be said about a cutter.

TWIG - To take a liking to, as in, "One particular deva twigged to the idea of interfering with the Blood War."

UNITY OF RINGS - The theory that everything forms a logical ring or circular pattern of sorne kind, as illustrated by the Outer Planes in particular.

UPPER PLANES - Arborea, Arcadia, the Beastlands, Bytopia, Elysium, Mount Celestia, and Ysgard. The good- aligned planes.

VORTEX - A passage between an environ- mental extreme on the Prime Material and the corresponding Elemental Plane.

WELL-LANNED - Connected, in-touch, or otherwise blessed with numerous friends, allies, and informants.

WIGWAG - To chat or talk.

XAOSITECTS - A faction in Sigil. Another name for them is the Chaosmen, which does a pretty good job of describing their point of view.

YAWN, THE - The state of being bored: "This place gives me the yawn."

Spazzu, the Port of a Million Eyes

Spazzu - 

The Seeking Port, located on the 6th Layer of the Abyss, the Realm of a Million Eyes. 

Alignment and Type - CE Small City (+1 to stats)

(A chaotic component increases its crime modifier by 1. An evil component increases its corruption modifier by 1.) (Double these for Theocracy)

Time - Time is regulated in the city by a large magical water clock located in a cave entrance 40 feet up on the cave wall. Water droplets fill a container which slowly pulls down a handle, representing the time until the container hits the bottom and a lever dumps the water, shooting the container up and causing a massive Gong sound. Then the new day begins and the water fills again. The clock is protected by magic wards and defended by a Ancient Beholder. The Gong also symbolizes when nearby Beholders come out to gather offerings and inspect the city for the signs of Tanar'ri or Good do-ers.  

Corruption +4 (+1 Small CIty, +2 Evil, +1 Decadent ) Spazzu's corruption is mostly centered on Sect advancement. One Sect may pay another to eliminate a smaller Sect without appearing complicit. Many Sects pay fealty to the larger Sects. Historically, every time one Sect has become too powerful, a cleansing occurs (see disadvantages, below). 

Corruption measures how open a settlement’s officials are to bribes, how honest its citizens are, and how likely anyone in town is to report a crime. Low corruption indicates a high level of civic honesty. A settlement’s corruption modifies all Bluff checks made against city officials or guards and all Stealth checks made outside (but not inside buildings or underground).

Crime +6 (+1 Small City, +2 Chaotic, +1 Decadent, +2 Free City) Crime in Spazzu happens regularly, but usually never within the confines of a particular Sect. Places of business and common areas are particularly safe, however. As any Sect follower who attempts to steal or bring violence to such a place is often met with harsh reaction from all others. 

Crime is a measure of a settlement’s lawlessness. A settlement with a low crime modifier is relatively safe, with violent crimes being rare or even unknown, while a settlement with a high crime modifier is likely to have A powerful thieves’ guild and a significant problem with violence. The atmosphere generated by a settlement’s crime level applies as a modifier on Sense Motive checks to avoid being bluffed and to Sleight of Hand checks made to pick pockets.

Economy +3 (+1 Small City, +1 Decadent, +1 Abundant) Slaves are the true import commodity in Spazzu. Citizens earn money by traveling abroad and kidnapping slaves, returning and selling them to Beholders through their Ocular Adepts. Slaves are used to gather food resources in the caves, assist in building equipment at the forges, or mine out new Caverns to find precious materials. 

As for exports, some weapons and armor are traded throughout the Planes, but its the Material of their make that earns the most money. Abyssal Bloodiron, which is a sort of enhanced Coldiron, is common to the 6th layer due to the Magical machinations of the Beholders in its infinite depths. This is important to the Cultists of Spazzu to gather this material and use it to defend against Demon incursions. If the inhabitants of Spazzu cannot contain Demonic incursions, a cleansing will almost certainly occur (see disadvantages, below). 

A settlement’s economy modifier indicates the health of its trade and the wealth of its successful citizens. A low economy modifier doesn’t automatically mean the town is beset with poverty—it could merely indicate A town with little trade or one that is relatively self-sufficient. Towns with high economy modifiers always have large markets and many shops. A settlement’s economy helps its citizens make money, and thus it applies as a modifier on all Craft, Perform, and Profession checks made to generate income.

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Abyssal Bloodiron - In the Abyss, cataclysmic battles have raged for eons, laying down a sediment of iron, blood, and spent magic. Abyssal bloodiron is mined from thin deposits of mixed blood and ferrous mineral, compacted over the years, then forged at a low temperature to preserve its innate powers. Weapons forged of the metal usually appear dark except for their cutting edges, which are as red as freshly spilled blood.

A weapon forged of Abyssal bloodiron is treated as a cold iron weapon, except that its wielder gains a +4 bonus when rolling to confirm a critical hit.

Abyssal bloodiron has the same weight as iron or steel. A weapon made of Abyssal bloodiron costs an additional 10,000 gp, and any magical enhancements cost an additional 2,000 gp, just as with cold iron. (The price includes 300 gp for the masterwork component.)

Abyssal bloodiron has hardness 10 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness.

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Law -1 (+1 Small City, -2 Free City) There are a few rules in Spazzu, but no laws written. The Ocular Adepts of each Sect provide direction to their Sect, and coordinate with other Sect leaders for specific ends. They provide tormentors or guards for the slaves based upon the size of the Sect. Some Sects are so powerful they push their worker numbers unfairly down. But might makes right in Spazzu. Too much unlawfulness, like widespread rioting, will cause a cleansing (see disadvantages, below).  

Law measures how strict a settlement’s laws and edicts are. A settlement with a low law modifier isn’t necessarily crime-ridden—in fact, A low law modifier usually indicates that the town simply has little need for protection since crime is so rare. A high law modifier means the settlement’s guards are particularly alert, vigilant, and well-organized. The more lawful A town is, the more timidly its citizens tend to respond to shows of force. A settlement’s law modifier applies on Intimidate checks made to force an opponent to act friendly, Diplomacy checks against government officials, or Diplomacy checks made to call on the city guard.

Lore +1 (+1 Small City) The true sources of knowledge in Spazzu are the Ocular Adepts, who retain anything useful in their memory. Treatises are often broken, so they are rarely written down. In fact, when an Ocular Adept dies, all treatises with their Sect or made via their Sect are lost. 

A settlement’s lore modifier measures not only how willing the citizens are to chat and talk with visitors, but also how available and accessible its libraries and sages are. A low lore modifier doesn’t mean the settlement’s citizens are idiots, just that they’re close-mouthed or simply lack knowledge resources. A settlement’s lore modifier applies on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and Knowledge checks made using the city’s resources to do research when using a library.

Society 2 (+1 Small City, +1 Decadent) Spazzu's society is fairly open minded. Racially, anyone is allowed, but worship of the Great Mother is a requirement. This is usually shown my marking the skin with a tattoo or brand. Additionally, the Great Mother's symbol is marked upon buildings and personal possessions, including Weapons and armor. 

Beholder - the unseen leader of a Sect. Each Beholder believes themselves to be the actual physical representation of the Great Mother, and hate all other Beholders because of this. Beholders issue orders to a singular Ocular Adept. Because Beholders are at constant war with each other they use Ocular Adepts to manage their affairs, keeping safe deep in their Territory, only venturing forth during a cleansing if one should be necessary (see disadvantages, below). Open war with other Beholders is crude and very dangerous to their longevity, so Beholders contend with each other through their followers, playing a very careful and thought-out game, meanwhile reaping riches and powerful artifacts to increase their status and power. A Beholder cares about a Ocular Adept as a farmer does a sow, and its followers as handfuls of hay. More than anything, a Beholder favors it's life and well being. This means Slaves often are building defensive trap laden fortresses, designed by the more skilled cultists, to keep the Beholders safe. When a Beholder dies, its Sect is turned into slaves or used to some other vile end. 

Ocular Adept - the religious leader of a Sect. Ocular Adepts gains power and status for their Beholders by the number of followers they can convert, who in turn perform specific tasks for the Beholder. They cause their followers to follow their Beholder fanatically and ensure this by casting Detect Thoughts to ensure loyalty to the Sect. Any questionable thoughts would cause the the followers to be slain or otherwise offered to the Beholders by being caged and left in the streets at before Spazzean Midnight. Adepts show status by having Slaves entrusted to them by their Beholder, though this is rare. These slaves, after careful conditioning, are sometimes, though rarely, converted to evil and then made followers. When an Ocular Adept is slain, a new Ocular Adept is usually chosen from their followers. It is not unheard of a follower or group of followers murder their Adept and a new Adept is chosen. The Beholder cares little about his Adept, just that there is one, and the loss of one Adept usually means replacement by a stronger one. 

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Ocular Adept (Faiths and Pantheons Excerpt) - Each beholder believes that it represents a state of true perfection. Among the desperate wastrels of decadent cities and debased explorers of the subterranean Underdark can be found humanoids who agree, and who have entered into a surgical pact with the beholder race in an attempt to achieve even a sliver of that perfection. These so called ocular adepts, outcasts of their own society,
have pledged their services to one or more eye tyrants and pledged their religious devotions to the alien entity known as the Great Mother, the deity matron of all beholders. Though  Ocular adepts often lead cells of degenerate cultists and fancy themselves important in the schemes of their masters, most beholders view them as self-important pawns at best, and mindless chattel at worst. During the ceremony in which the character becomes an ocular adept, a beholder surgeon cuts the central eye from an eyeball beholderkin (a tiny beholder-like monster described in Monsters of Faerûn) and places it into a partially disintegrated niche in the supplicant’s forehead. A blasphemous incantation grants the
eye functionality, opening new vistas of sight to the supplicant. Thereafter the character takes on a more detached, alien demeanor, as the vestiges of the dying beholderkin’s personality taints his troubled mind. Surviving the ritual requires a hardy body and spirit. Clerics who have fallen out of favor with their deity are the most common ocular adepts (disgraced clerics of Bane, whose worshipers often use beholders as allies, are particularly common), though some fighters and barbarians have been known to fall victim to the allure of the spheres of many eyes. Adapting to the psychic imprints of the eyeball graft takes the type of focused concentration common among the spellcasting classes; most wizards, bards, and sorcerers, however, usually are either too weak, too chaotic, or too image conscious to live amid hostile monsters with an alien eye grafted to their skulls. Ocular adepts often are calculating, mad cult leaders who plot against surface nations according to the whims of their eye tyrant
masters. They negotiate the purchase of slaves, defend access points to beholder hives and lairs, and accompany correspondence and trade from one beholder outpost to another. Using their charm person and charm monster abilities, ocular adepts amass a group of
followers to aid them in their duties. Ocular adepts occasionally are used as intermediaries between powerful beholders and heads of state at such times when the personal appearance of a beholder would be dangerous or undiplomatic. Rarely does a beholder create more than one ocular adept at a time, so these beings rarely see another of their
kind. They share their masters’ hatred of “imperfect” beholders and their “tainted” servants, so ocular adepts of rival beholders never work together.

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Cultist/Follower - The Cultist or Follower of a Sect is the skilled worker, usually performing a duty to his Sect that a slave could not, or otherwise would not perform. They may be a merchant, slaver, or artisan of some degree, more often then not they are simply a skilled warrior. Living as a Follower in Spazzu costs nothing. Once you belong to a Sect housing and food is afforded to you, as well as any number of ways to keep a steady income. Some skilled cultists of one Sect may have more wealth than an Ocular Adept of a lesser Sect. The more fanatical of a follower, the Ocular Adept will make this known by gifting better equipment, special pay, or incentives. 

It is important to note that the citizens of Spazzu also make up it's army when the city is attacked. 

Slave - Slaves are the lowest form of life within Spazzu. Any person who travels here that is not a protected member of a Sect risks being enslaved immediately. Slaves are sent to the caverns where they perform the most grueling labor that a Beholder requires. A slave that shows particular skill may be elevated to a follower, thought his is very rare. 

Society measures how open-minded and civilized A settlement’s citizens are. A low society modifier might mean many of the citizens harbor prejudices or are overly suspicious of out-of-towners. A high society modifier means that citizens are used to diversity and unusual visitors and that they respond better to well-spoken attempts at conversation. A settlement’s society modifier applies on all Disguise checks, as well as on Diplomacy checks made to alter the attitude of any non-government official.

Danger - 20 (+5 Small City +10 Decadent +5 Free City)

Base Value - 5,000 (Small City 4,000 gp, +25% Decadent)

Purchase Limit - 64,000 (25,000 gp Small City, +25% Decadent, Double for Abundant)

Spellcasting - 6th Level (6th level Small City)

Minor Items/Medium Items/Major Items - 12/8/0

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Qualities - 4 (Small City)

Decadent - The slave trade in Spazzu has allowed the inhabitants that live in the city basic necessities such as housing, food and drink. When not attending Sect Ceremonies, they can usually be found getting tattoos, piercings, or simply lounging around. If in need for any spending money, they will ask their Ocular Adept to go to the caverns where they can guard or torture slaves. Extra income is usually spent on jewelry, eating rare foods at the local Inns, or getting 'entertainment' at one of the local pleasure houses. 

(Special Restriction Evil communities only)The settlement’s vast wealth and proud, ancient heritage has made it a haven for corruption and sin. Increase Corruption +1, Crime +1, Economy +1, Society +1, Danger +10. Increase Base Purchase Limit by +25%

Free City - The average inhabitant of Spazzu usually belongs to a Sect. Attacking Sect members usually leads to Sect warfare, but Ocular Adepts have to be cautious not to instigate a cleansing (see disadvantages, below). While killing off a rival Sect might seem fun, instigating Rampaging Beholders is usually not worth it. 

(Special Restriction Chaotic communities only) 

The city’s libertarian laws make it a haven for fugitives and outcasts of all kinds, from runaway children, serfs who escaped their lord’s lands, criminals and escaped slaves alike. Foreign adventurers and bounty hunters cannot arrest or capture fugitives within the settlement’s borders. Increase Crime +2, Danger +5. Decrease Law -2.

Abundant - Plane-traveling Slavers gather slaves from throughout the Planes, but usually stay to the meekest of races, Humans particularly though other mortal races work the caverns. Ocular Adepts send out worshipers to capture slaves and trade in materials such as Abyssal Bloodiron. Free labor allows every inhabitant of Spazzu to do what they want, when they want (as long as their Ocular Adepts allow it). 

The settlement has access to extraordinary natural resources: rich farmland, a deep lake, excellent hunting grounds nearby or even a convenient source of magical sustenance. The local food surplus makes the settlement a major exporting hub, and increases the standard of living for its inhabitants. Increase Economy +1. Reduce the purchase price of most forms of locally-grown food and livestock by 25% or more.

Trading Post - Basic Goods and services aside, all trading in Spazzu is overseen by Ocular Adepts. Often, travelling slavers or merchants will meet with a particular Ocular Adept and try to work out a trade deal, where slaves will be ferried in for the precious materials Spazzu provides. This meeting is set usually on another Plane or layer of the Abyss, and the visitors are protected by their Sect.  

The settlement’s primary purpose is trade. Merchants and buyers from all over the world can be found within the settlement. Double the Purchase Limit for the settlement.

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Disadvantages- 

Monster Cohabitation - Ocular Adepts provide their Beholders with Slaves, who work the Caverns and generate wealth for Spazzu. The Beholders requests for their Sect may vary, but usually involves plane travelling for an exquisite artifact that would make the Beholder worthy of the Great Mother. Once per day, Beholders venture into Spazzu from a the caverns to ensure it is in compliance with the Great Mother. The Water clock gong sound symbolizes Spazzean Midnight when those Beholders come out to gather offerings and investigate the city.   Any dead bodies on the streets are disintegrated or eaten, and living creatures are usually taken away as offerings into the caverns for vile purposes. To not draw particular attention, citizens of Spazzu dim their lights during this time. 

Beholder Cleansing - Countless Beholders exist within the infinite caverns of the Realm of a Million Eyes. Whenever times would call for a Cleansing (as mentioned earlier), 2D3 Beholders come out and begin to destroy all life within Spazzu for 20 minutes. If any Beholder is slain, 2D6 more will arrive within an hour. If there are Demons attacking, and the Spazzean Cultists cannot hold them off, the Beholders will still cleanse as above, but with priority to Demons then as punishment, they will still cleanse the inhabitants.  

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Government - Theocracy - Spazzu is managed by about 50 Ocular Adepts who each worship a separate local Beholder. Their Beholders give them orders and (sometimes lofty) goals, and the Adept is duty bound to carry these orders out. The Ocular Adept is king of his Sect, and his word is law. The Ocular Adepts despise one another, as they all believe their Beholder was created in the image of the Great Mother and must be superior. And its not that they do not want to kill off all other Sects, they spend particular time preventing a Cleansing, which has not happened in some years. The Ocular Adepts are the spiritual leaders of their Sects, but also manage trade of Abyssal Bloodiron and Slaves. Ocular Adepts measure wealth in followers and grandstand by displaying numerous slaves they their Beholder has allowed them to personally own. 

The settlement is ruled by its patron faith: secular and theological power are one and the same here. Priests, clerics and oracles decide every facet of life in the settlement. Double the modifiers for the settlement’s alignment. The settlement gains any one of the following qualities as a ‘bonus’ quality: desecrate/hallow, Holy Site, Pious, Racial Enclave, Racially Intolerant, Unholy Site.

Population - 

City 6000 (5700 Citizens, 300 slaves); 

Citizens - Human (plentiful), Orc (common), Half Orc (uncommon), Drow (rare), Elf (rare), Dwarf (rare), Bugbear (rare) Hobgoblin (rare) Goblin (rare). 

Slaves - Human (plentiful), Elf (uncommon), Dwarf (rare), Aasimar (rare), Tiefling (rare), halfling (rare), gnome (rare) 

Caverns, 17000, (2000 Soldier-Citizenss, 15,000 slaves)

Notable NPCs - 

Synopsis 5, The Journey to the Abyss

The party consisting of Alusair, Peck, Galdroon, Ulrich, and Voxen set traps in the hope of killing some of the attacking Dretches. The Dretches took their time falling to in the traps while the party got into position to attack. 

Off a nearby road, Rorrick was looking for his beloved fiancee Elayne. He saw the Purple light and raced off to investigate. Similarly, Sionnciadh (Schoon-chee) appeared nearby and she raced her fox friend to the fight. 

After some consideration, the only way they could follow where the demons were taking the slaves was to let themselves be teleported as victims, so they allowed the Dretches to encircle them. 

Instantly they appeared in a large room with a burned mark on the ground appearing like the one they saw in the Farmhouse and on the field. They quickly dispatched the foes and move into an adjacent hall.

Large arrows careened at the party, and Ulrich rode to meet the creature shooting the hail or arrows. An Arrow Demon, they later learn, did well until Shoon-chee bravely stole its arrows and the party beat it down. At the end of the hall there was a special chest with a Snowflake on it. Galdroon casted Ray or Frost at it, opening it where it provided gifts for the party. After the din of battle, the party noticed this strange humming noise emanating from he next room. 

Peaking into the next room, the party sees a Beholder (they find out later that Kalx was a Gauth, a form of lesser beholder) ordering stolen villagers to jump into a large violet dome. The villagers did so, on a threat of death. The party attacked, and despite Kalx trying to stop them or warn them about his importance, the party defeated him. 

The moment this happened the severe Planar Breach began to suck in the surrounding area like a whirlwind. The ceiling came down and a chunk of rock through Ulrich into the air... the rest of the party falling into the purple void below. 

Soon the party would arrive at an Island where there were more civilians had been teleported prior to them. The island was small and had a city of black glass in its center. Once they stood up, Alusair threw Chisai's sword (which she had been practicing with) over on the ground. A splinter of light emanated from it and soon Alvar was returned to the party! He quickly explained he had been watching the whole time from inside of the sword, which made Alusair blush. Schoon-chee casted fly and checked out the island. 

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On the 245th layer of the Abyss, on an island of black glass in a vast sea of acid, stands the ruins of a small town made entirely of that same black glass. Embedded in the walls of this town are its former inhabitants, creatures that seem human but might be half-elves or even aasimars. All are frozen in attitudes of extreme agony, their mouths open as if to utter one last scream. In the center of this macabre village sits a large public fountain, still working after countless centuries - though rather than spraying out water, the fountain sprays out potent, searing acid.


The Fountain of Screams is a planar touchstone, granting powers over acid to those who can withstand its dangers.
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Alvar, Sa'ar and Voxen, in cat form, decided to help the trapped citizens while the others moved to the other side and approached a vessel. The vessel, Schoon-chee discovered, was one of the Ferryboats of the Marraenoloth.

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Marraenoloths/Charonodaemons are thin, gray, pale-eyed humanoids are easily identified by their skeletal faces, somber hooded robes, and eyes that glow red when they are angry. They are a cold species, mercenary at heart, like all yugoloths. They are telepathic and, in addition to speaking all languages, maintain mental contact with others of their race at all times.

Habitat/Society: Marraenoloths are unique among the yugoloths in that they havy an established task: They are boatmen who pilot small skiffs on the black waters of the River Styx. Unlike many other fiends, the marraenoloths can pass from plane to plane without arousing suspicion in the minds of others. They are ferrymen and ferrymen only. Other fiends would love to subvert the marraenoloths to spy on their Blood War enemies, but these creatures are only concerned with their passengers.

Marraenoloths have an innate understanding of the twists and bends of the River Styx’s channels, so they never get lost (unless it’s convenient to do so). These creatures also can pilot their crafts through the Astral Plane and to the boundary of the Prime Material Plane. They can actually enter the Prime Material, too, but they must leave their skiffs behind. A marraenoloth without a vessel is lost and useless, so they are naturally reluctant to venture far from their crafts. Occasionally they are summoned or sent to the Prime, anyway, to transport some being to or from the Lower Planes (using a special plane shift ability that work for this task only).

Marraenoloths carry passengers but never cargo, always demanding immediate payment for their services. (Greater fiends may ignore this, forcing the marraenoloth to serve them.) The may demand a magical item, a bag of 10 platinum coins, or two gems of 50 gp value (or more). If not paid, the marraenoloth will seek to prevent the would-be passenger from entering its boat, and it will teleport itself and its craft away at the first opportunity.

Even if a marraenoloth is paid (as opposed to being sent by a higher evil force), there is still a 15% chance that the creature will betray the passenger, either by delivering him to the incorrect destination or plane (85% chance) or by leading the summoner into an ambush (15% chance). This chance of betrayal can be reduced by making additional contributions to the marraenoloth’s hoard (-5% per additional payment listed above).

Since all marraenoloths are aware of each other, all know of any person who cheats or harms anyone of their kind. They won’t come to each other’s aid (that would indicate concern for their fellows), but the identity of the transgressor is noted, and future services from any of these yugoloths will require greater payments and incur a significantly higher risk of treachery. The cheater can return to the good graces of the boatmen only by making a suitable sacrifice to all their kind. The nature of this tribute is left to the DM, but a typical one would be the surrender of rare gems or several unique magical items, presented with due ceeremony and contrition.

Ecology: There are among the most neutral of the evil yugoloths, existing to collect their fares and nothing else. They stay clear of the politics of the Blood War. Because their skills are valuable to tanar’ri and baatezu alike, the other fiends tolerate this neutrality. As much as some infernal lord might like to subjugate them, it’s understood they would no longer function properly if that happened.

As a marraenoloth without its sailing duties is fairly worthless, even as a lowly foot soldier in the Blood War, no one has attempted to take control of them. However, they may unwittingly play pawns in the subtle plottings of some baatezu or tanar’ri.
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After dispatching some Dretches and a Babau, the party noticed a black building, with the bodies shaved off, with smoke billowing from a chimney. Once inside the party was stunned to find that this was simply a shop. The owners had hoped there would be more business this way but dropped prices down for the adventurers. They provided some basic information about how to travel the Abyss.

The party made it to the Ferryboat, where the Charonodaemon in human form was ready to transport the citizens away. The party paid for the citizens to be ferried home to the Material plane, and one such citizen, who lived in Baldur's gate, Malcolm Reynolds, said to look him up. The party paid the cost and the entire group was taken through the Acid Ocean to the River Styx and onward to the 6th Layer of the Abyss, the Realm of a million eyes.

The Ferryman dropped the party off in the coastal city of Spazzu, a city rising from the River upwards and into a enormous cave. All around, the party could see eyes situated throughout the caves, looking about. With the crazy looking cultists of the Great Mother all about, the party realized they needed to fit in. With a chance of luck, Schoon-chee and Rorrick were able to notice a slave! But not just any slave, Rorrick's fiancee Elayne!

After talking with her the party decided to stay at a local inn. They learned about the city, the slaves and their purpose, the Ocular Adepts, and their Factions. There will be another post about the city itself.

Being the Order of the Broken Chain, the party sought a chance and attacked a M'kar Cult Gathering, dispatching a 9th level Cleric of the Great Mother, and after another meeting with Elayne, are planning to attack the Cult that has enslaved her.

(please make any comments of anything I have missed)