The first layer of the Nine Hells, Avernus, is also the most widely traveled by outsiders and even the devils. This layer was once beautiful, filled with forests, gardens, and wildlife, though the Blood War and demonic presence have destroyed it. This layer is constantly being used as a battlefield, from the devils holding back the demons, to a staging ground for legions upon legions of devils, their metal-clad boots destroying any life that might spring up. 

This layer is known for the great balls of fire that shoot across the sky like shooting stars, occasionally landing on the ground and exploding as if it is a massive fireball. The devils pay this little heed, as they are immune to its fire, but outsiders find this layer incredibly hostile. Not only are there fireballs that explode around them, but the ground itself can no longer support life, and what it does is often corrupted by demonic ichor or is more trouble than its worth. Even the devils here are less civilized than the lower layers, though that is mostly due to them being lesser devils who haven’t quite mastered the ability to make deals and contracts. Unprepared travelers might stumble across a devil who will happily write out a contract, and then rip them apart, the devil cooly stating that the contract didn’t say they couldn’t kill them.

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Bronze Citadel

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The Bronze Citadel was once a gleaming symbol of power for the devils, though now it appears to be tarnished and beaten, its once gleaming walls, pitted, dinged, and crumbling. This is the seat of power for a war mongering Lord of the First, known as Wuthuren, where he protects the Nine Hells from the demonic threat. Wuthuren is the ruler of this domain, along with Kella his beloved mate.