Blood Clefts

Blood Clefts

(Abyssal realm)

Ruler

Areshkagal

Ecology

Blood-drenched badlands

Denizens

Demonic sphinxes, lamia-kin, chaotic evil souls

Description

A scarred wasteland of bloodthirsty or no vegetation, webbed with chasms, rivers of blood, and hills; the temporary exile of Areshkagal.

Source: Descent into Midnight, pg(s). 56

The dead region called the Blood Clefts is the home, for now, of the demon lord Areshkagal. Here, she plots and raises armies to assault her half-sister, Aldinach, who is also a daughter of Lamashtu.

History

This formerly unknown realm has now become relatively important in Abyssal politics, since Areshkagal, demon lord of portals and riddles, fled there in exile. It now serves as a staging ground for weak but spirited attacks on Aldinach and her forces, who stole the neighbouring Sea of Whispering Sands from her sister. Areshkagal's armies were decimated by the surprise coup, and Areshkagal does not take the time to recuperate her losses.

Denizens

Areshkagal has relatively few followers, so there are only a few of the greater demons in her service. She does have half-demon and fiendish sphinxes, due to her favored form of a six-legged sphinx, and of course the chaotic evil souls she has claimed also are found in the Blood Clefts.

Terrain

The Blood Clefts are a region of crimson rock and earth, cut with rivers of seeping blood, where some say no plants grow; others claim that the stunted, scraggly plant life craves the blood of the living, though it generally subsists on the available "groundblood." The landscape is harsh, with sheer cliffs, deep-cut ravines, jagged rocks, and no surface water—only blood—to be found, as demons do not need to drink.