Orcus (Dungeons & Dragons) - Realms

Realms

The first edition Monster Manual II described the realms of Orcus: "Orcus' manifold layers are populated with skeletal monsters, various sorts of zombies, huecuvae, shadows, sheet phantoms, vampires, and death knights." The first edition Manual of the Planes describes the layer of the Abyss ruled by Orcus: "The dwelling of Orcus is a great palace made of bones, rising out of ground bone meal. His guards and servants are undead. From his empty halls Orcus rules many layers and is said to have conquered a number of Prime Material planes."

In The Throne of Bloodstone, his home layer is given as the 333rd layer of the Abyss. The adventure explains that the Palace of Orcus is found in a deep valley surrounded by immense mountains, which are honeycombed with narrow passages. Other, smaller valleys found in the mountains contain encounters such as cities populated by undead. The text of the module explains that only a small section of this layer of the Abyss is shown, and also mentions that the mountain shown on the map depicting the area completely surrounds the Palace of Orcus and extends off the map edges for several miles. The Lake of Fire is "a long, narrow lake filled with boiling lava", where magmen and lava mephits in the lake use illusions to appear human to fool the characters into rescuing them.

"The Book of Chaos" in the Planes of Chaos boxed set describes the realm Thanatos, the Belly of Death, the 113th known layer of the Abyss, at the time ruled by the goddess Kiaransalee. Thanatos is described as "a frozen necropolis", and "a cold plane of ice, thin air, and a black, moonlit sky, a place that belongs as much to the undead as to the tanar'ri." Edible food is difficult to come by, and the air is thin, and creatures that die on Thanatos are transformed into its servants - usually undead, but occasionally demons. Undead in Thanatos regenerate damage rapidly. Members of the Dustmen faction can be hired as guides by visitors, and most undead will ignore visitors accompanied by Dustmen.

Thanatos is described in the third edition Manual of the Planes, which also includes details on Naratyr. The book mentions that the drow deity which "assumed control of the layer and its crowing jewel, Naratyr" had disappeared, speculating that Orcus may once again rule Thanatos.

Fiendish Codex I describes Thanatos, noting the ash-gray clouds that fill its cold back skies upon which daylight never intrudes. Its immense moon phases at random when covered by clouds, making it difficult to tell time. Cultits of Orcus reside in cities spread across the layer's vast tundras, and thousands of undead roam the land outside the cities. The strongest thralls of Orcus attempt to dominate and command armies of these undead, to invade the Material Plane and the layers of rival demon princes. Remnants of the Dustmen, now a shattered faction, have outposts in all the layer's cities and house themselves in the otherwise abandoned city of Vadrian, managing to "eke out a grim existence here after being exiled from the city of Sigil". The Dustmen continue to offer their services as guides, although mortal Skull Lords and fiends often seek to attack parties led by Dustmen. The book states that Orcus returned to Thanatos only in the last few years, and set about removing the influence of Kiaransalee and her worshippers, destroying or conscripting the demons who swore fealty to her; a few mortal and intelligent undead followers of Kiaransalee remain in hiding to plot revenge against Orcus.

The fourth edition Monster Manual describes Thanatos as "a dark landscape of death shrouded by gray clouds and often obscured by fog. Light filters weakly through the clouds and mists, illuminating the realm like a moonlit night. Dead forests filled with twisted black trees and barren moors dominate. Bleak mountains rise feebly into the black sky, and cities and villages in ruins crouch in hidden places as though fearful. Strewn all over the realm are tombs, mausoleums, gravestones, and sarcophagi."

The fourth edition Manual of the Planes (2008) by Richard Baker, John Rogers, Robert J. Schwalb, and James Wyatt also describes Thanatos on pages 82–83.