You find yourselves inside Fortress Nessus.
It is Hell, where sympathy withers and malice blooms.
It is home to devils.
It is the plane where the rule of laws reveals evil's heart.
The fortress is a place of paradoxical splendor and bleakness. Every surface is decorated with precious metals, rare fabrics, and gems of astonishing size, but a sense of regret and despair permeates its well-appointed hallways.
Despite being Asmodeus personal seat of power, this fortress seems uninhabited. Vast hallways appear to stretch for miles, and muffl ed noises echo emptily through the corridors. Despite its apparent lack of residents, however, the sound of weeping constantly seeps through the walls.
Through a narrow slit window you can glimpse the blasted plain of Nessus floating in a swirling, crimson void. Its roughly ovoid, jagged-edged land mass extends as far as you can see. Devoid of trees, structures, and changes in elevation, its desolate landscape provides little or no cover. Beings moving across its surface can be seen for hours before they fi nally close to ranged weapon distance. A network of crisscrossing gouges, gorges, and canyons scars the dry and rocky plain. The largest of these crevasses are miles across and dozens of miles deep. The canyons intersect confusingly across the surface of Nessus. In a few places, they weave around each other, sculpting towering mesas.
Then you notice that something that appeared to be part of the landscape is actually a structure, the stunningly vast citadel well known as Malsheem sits at the juncture of the two largest canyons. The main structure, built of stone and Baatorian green steel, stretches in an X-shape for miles along the fl oors of both gorges. Additional chambers and garrisons appear to have been created by digging deep into the canyon walls. Legions of winged devils fly around it, and even more seem to crawl through its gates. Luckily the narrow window you're looking out now were expertly crafted to make it all but impossible for those outside to look back in.
Spot, Listen, Search and Survival checks please. Also any special senses and abiities that may help you find directions.
Also DC 40 Fortitude save to avoid becoming listless and distracted, taking 1d6 points of Wisdom damage, 1d4 points of Intelligence damage, and 1d6 points of Charisma damage. This damage heals of its own
accord 12 hours after the affected creature leaves the layer.