Plain of Infinite Portals (3.5e Location)

= Plain of Infinite Portals, Layer 1 of the Abyss =

The first place that any visitor to the Abyss tends to encounter, the Plain of Infinite Portals is more-or-less neutral territory in the Abyss, although Pazuzu has the power to fully control it if he cared enough to do so. It appears to be a large arid expanse, with some mountains and lakes, but no flowing water, and is coated in (what appears to be) fine white sand. Portals to every layer of the Abyss dot its surface, and fierce windstorms regularly sweep across it. Most of the inhabitants of this plane tend to fly, as ground travel is made almost impossible by (literally) flaying winds and sandstorms.

Most travellers are welcome here, unlike with many other layers of the Abyss, and although many of its portals are sites of bitter battles, the frequent storms and large volume of traffic through this plane make extended conflicts dangerous and unlikely. Due to its aridness and deadly winds, only fiendish desert birds (such as vultures) live on this plane.

Physical Traits

 * Gravity: Normal gravity


 * Time: Normal time


 * Size: Infinite (but flat)


 * Morphic: Alterable morphic


 * Glass Sand: Most of the surface of the plane is covered with a fine sand, which actually consists of fine shards of glass. Whenever any creature is subject to an effect that generates a movement of air (including both natural winds and abilities like gust of wind), it deals 1d6 slashing damage per 10 mph of wind speed during each round of exposure. Objects are also dealt this damage. As the sand is heavy, this ceases to apply at heights of greater than 500ft.

Additionally, in any strong or stronger wind, the sand makes visibility difficult. Treat this as obscuring vision identically to an obscuring mist spell. For a windstorm or stronger wind, this instead obscures vision and hampers movement like a solid fog spell would.
 * Hot: The ambient temperature on the Plain of Infinite Portals is severe heat.


 * Windy: Under normal conditions, at least a strong wind is blowing on all locations in the Plain of Infinite Portals. Every hour, the wind has a 50% chance of staying the same strength, a 30% chance of becoming one category stronger, a 20% chance of becoming two categories stronger, and a 10% chance of becoming one category weaker.

Magic, Alignment, and Energy/Elemental Traits

 * Elemental Dominance: None


 * Energy Dominance: None


 * Alignment Trait: Strongly chaos-aligned and evil-aligned


 * Magic Trait: Normal magic

Plane Links
The Plain of Infinite Portals connects to all known layers of the Abyss through at least one (and possibly several) portals on its surface. It has open planar connections, meaning that plane shifting to it is possible from any other plane.

Plane Inhabitants
Due to its very deadly surface, only fiendish birds and creatures capable of flight generally inhabit this plane. Fiendish vultures are a common sight here, as are vrocks and other demons capable of flight. At the same time, however, a lot of demonic armies and groups travel through the Plain of Infinite Portals, and thus, almost any kind of demon can potentially be encountered here.

Movement and Combat
As the Plain of Infinite Portals is flat, there is no horizon - vision on this plane is much less impeded than on any Material Plane planet, or at least it would be if it were not for the sand. Additionally, heat and sandstorms are a perpetual danger here - flight is almost a necessity to avoid both.

Features of the Plane
The plane's chief features are its many portals, leading to different parts of the Abyss. Some are publically-available, while others are kept under guard. Quite a few of these portals are constantly-active, but others require keys, or are only open some of the time. As a general rule, it takes 1d4+1 hours of searching to locate a portal to a desired (and discovered) layer of the Abyss here, although this can take much longer, depending on local conditions and the number of such links.

Plane Encounters
Almost any demon imaginable can be encountered here, although flying demons are more likely than non-flying ones. Additionally, for each random encounter, there is a 2% chance that Pazuzu is encountered instead, with any monsters the GM deems suitable.