Bel

Bel is the plane of the Corrupted Gods, built to confine them and prevent their corruption from leaking into the other planes, as well as to stop them from fulfilling their deranged ambitions. It was built by the Light-God Venadak at the moment of his own corruption, a final act to prevent the destruction of order in the living world. Bel is, for the most part, a bleak hellscape. While it was originally crafted to be nothing but a sort of void, created hastily as a prison, the degenerative ether constantly flowing through it and the corruptive will of many of the Gods within it has since resulted in it being reshaped into a dark land. In order to truly understand it, however, one must know its layers, or 'Mantles' as they are often called.

The Three Layers

The Layers, or Mantles, of Bel are divisions once crafted by Venadak for a specific purpose. Each layer has its own general appearance (or plethora of appearances, in the case of Velyar) and a particular dynamic within the overall framework of Bel. These will be explored below.

The Mantle of Arun

The Mantle of Arun, or Arun, is the top-most layer of Bel and is where the Endless War takes place. Arun is often called the 'watering hole' of Bel, where all of the followers of the Corrupted Gods -- whether their spirits or cultists -- and the Gods themselves, come to contend for supremacy. It is an endless orange-brown wasteland, divided by scorching rivers of mud and crag-mountains shaped like spikes, or jagged teeth. It is also filled with crypts and undercities, with most of its residents forming secluded collectives to avoid the dangers of the surface. The Corrupted Gods rarely fight one another in the open field, but they use Arun as a field for their own proxy war, seeking information or divine artifacts that they can use to extend their own power. Interestingly, the most prominent beings of Arun tend to be the children of the Corrupted Gods, who are often called to Bel upon learning their identity, where they are asked to serve their creators in the Endless War. These are called the Warmongers of Bel, and they are frequently aided by powerful spirits and cultists.

Arun was created first, and as a result it - metaphysically - appears to have the closest 'connection' to the other planes. This is the greatest reason the Gods contend for it; whichever God dominates Arun is most capable of influencing the other planes, such as manifesting their power within Reverie or projecting their will onto the surface. While they are not able to escape through Arun, they can use it as a filter for their power, some of which can leak out into the world, allowing them to acquire more followers. As an example, the Dranoch were able to be created by Valteran only because he had a dominant position within Arun; he was able to project a semblance of his power through Bel using Arun as a keyhole, where he could then create a race capable of fulfilling his objectives in the mortal plane.

The Mantle of Velyar

Velyar is where the Corrupted Gods live, spending most of their time within this Mantle. It is here that they have their own realms, acting as a disconnected series of enclaves for them. The spirits that will fight in the Endless War are created in Velyar, and the Demigods are first called here to learn their purpose and how they might serve. There are a total of seven realms within Velyar, each belonging to a Corrupted God. The details for these can be found in the articles of the Corrupted Gods themselves. It should be noted that Velyar is the middle layer of Bel, while Arun is the uppermost. Other than being divided into seven different planes, the areas in-between them tend to be darkly colored and bleak, appearing as an endless hollow shrouded by night.

The Mantle of Adena

There is little known of Adena. It is where Venadak reigns, and only those permitted to enter by him are allowed within; even other Gods are unable to break through the division between Adena and Velyar. Adena is the lowest Mantle of Bel, and it is also said to be the smallest. It appears as a ruined city -- in fact, those who have returned from it claim that it is a spitting image of the capital of the old Empire, where the Bleeding took place... the one that supposedly fell into the sea. From within the core of this devastated city, Venadak rules with an iron fist, creating a multitude of spirits and delegating tasks to his powerful Demigods. Mostly, he lives in isolation, supposedly whispering to a hollow voice at his lonesome.

Adena is incredibly dangerous, due to the mad levels of corruption dwelling within it. Even Venadak's children find themselves unable to withstand it, becoming corrupted and malformed before long, their natures changing the longer they dwell. All spirits created within Adena are almost instantly made gnarled and spiteful, and even blindly violent. These spirits -- and indeed the majority of Bel's twisted spirits -- are called Dregs.

The Endless War

The Endless War is a battle fought by the Corrupted Gods of Bel, as well as Venadak's children, who fight to pursue their own crown. It is a battle for physical domination over Bel, as the greater presence of a particular God within the upper layer allows them to shape and command the land as if it were their own, their corrupted ether forming the wasteland around them. As mentioned earlier - and perhaps most importantly - this has the effect of allowing more of their being to leak out into other planes, which in turn empowers them further. The Gods of Bel rely on their cults to maintain their power, mainly to acquire the souls of their followers upon their death.

Additionally, the Corrupted Gods do what they do largely because their corruption brings them a sort of compulsion. Almost all of them, since becoming afflicted, have been driven towards mad fixation. Many seek conquest and rule, or to amass endless power, to engage in blind destruction -- perhaps even to corrupt the world of man and God purely to satisfy their rage. The war within Arun serves to placate those desires, and to offer them the hope for more.

The Endless War is fought by countless factions, though they are several major armies acting as the primary contenders for rule over Arun. First among these is the Imprisoned Glaive, the weakest of the Great Armies, though still heavily prominent. It is commanded by Lyria, daughter of Venadak, who wields - along with her followers - corrupted light, their banners that of a blackening star.

Another Great Army is the Red Sun, a large faction ruled by Valteran, but primarily administered by Dranoch -- those loyal to their God, who came to him in Bel rather than seeking to rule Sil-Elaine. Often called the Bloodlords of Arun, these Dranoch - some of whom appear to be Huntsmen - scheme eternally alongside and against one another, many of them leading small factions of their own within the larger grain of the Crimson Order. The banner of the Sun is the Blood Cross, the same symbol that appears to be the Mark of Blood Magic.

A famed group on the surface world, largely due to their connection with Summoning, is the Choir of Fog. These powerful Dregs lead a Great Army of their own, largely comprised of their Archetypes. They appear to be led in secret by one of the Corrupted Gods, though who this is, is unknown. The Choir is one of the more enigmatic factions, and one of the most diverse due to the nature of their Archetypes. Their creations are often seen roaming the surface of Arun, seeking out unknown things.

There are more Great Armies in Arun, and they will be written over time.

The Laws of Bel

Bel is a plane that is separate from the realm of the Gods (or Muid), Reverie, the mortal realm of Atharen, and the other planes layered throughout reality. While all planes have specific rules, Bel is perhaps the most restrictive in how and to who they apply.

No God can enter or exit Bel. This prevents the Living Gods from entering, but more importantly prevents the Corrupted Ones from escaping. It is this law that has maintained peace through the planes, separating the entities from one another and preventing a full-scale divine war, similar to the Endless War that rages within the plane. This law does not apply to Gods who are not truly Gods; the Eldashan, for example, could enter. The Choir of Fog could leave. However, only through access to the portals.

There are three portals, or Gates, in Arun that are heavily fought over. One is called the Gate of Markhan, another the Gate of Ghalainn, and finally the Gate of Zahn. The Gate of Markhan is located in the east of Arun, and is connected to the ruins of the old Unbroken Empire, in Mornoth. This was the first portal to be created, done so when the plane was first crafted by Venadak. The second is the Gate of Ghalainn, located in the western sector of Arun, opposite of Markhan. This portal leads to the molten wastes of northwestern Atharen, a region that was once prosperous before the portal was opened, leaking out corruption into the land and making it noxious and unlivable. The Gate of Ghalainn was created by one of the Corrupted Gods in an attempt to escape the plane, only to no avail. Now, it serves as one of the primary methods through which Dregs are sent into the world, and cultists and others are brought in.

Finally, the third Gate is the Gate of Zahn, located near the center of the continent of Icheron, within a valley surrounded by the continent's mountainous chasms. This gate is located in southern Arun, and was crafted by Venadak later on to expunge Corruption from Bel.

All of these portals bleed into a wild vortex of destructive ether, a crimson-colored storm rising above them, surrounded by a twist of black fog along the edges of the whirlwind. Though they are heavily fought for, the area directly around the portals is clear, as the Corrupted have made a truce not to immediately cull followers who enter through the portals. Mortals are capable of entering and leaving Bel as they desire, though few have any reason to do so, and few would risk the corruption and likely death that come with remaining within the plane. Spirits and Dregs have similar laws applied to them, and notably there are a few unique exceptions to entering and leaving Bel.

To begin with, a Resoner can use Interplanar Resonance to enter any point of Bel from anywhere in another plane. The exception to this is Adena, as it is totally barred by Venadak, who created Transposition. Additionally, Summoning forms a pact with the Choir of Fog that allows their Archetypes to move through the planes without needing to access the portals, due to their powers imbued as Patrons.

Aside from this, moving through Bel is fairly straightforward. At the center of Arun is a sort of gorge, a split in the earth that leads to a system of tunnels, tied to various undercities managed by Great Armies and other followers of the Corrupted Gods. This is the center of life and 'commerce' in the plane, and by moving through these tunnels - typically for days on end - one can make their way to Velyar.

Only those permitted to enter the realm of a Corrupted may do so within Velyar. There is also no obvious way to enter Adena from above, meaning one may hit a dead-end in seeking it out. There are various ways to acquire permission to enter one of the realms, not necessarily requiring the direct approval of a God. Demigods of a certain deity can enter their realm freely if they are physically before it. Dranoch, interestingly, can enter Redspear even if they have no connection to Valteran. One may also acquire permission from one of the Warmongers, as they are given rights over the realm of their God as well.

Related Articles

• The Barrengates
• Dregs
• Gods
• Planes
• Religion