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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ripzerai" data-source="post: 3377066" data-attributes="member: 38324">The only tricky parts are the places that would have to be in the Outer Planes, particularly Curnorost (the realm of dead aasimon) and the Ten Courts of Hell. Curnorost, a realm of misery and despair only accessible from the celestial planes, would probably be part of the Gray Waste, or possibly Pelion - isolated parts of those planes whose only known portals are within the Upper Planes. Another, more radical and subversive, option would be to make Curnorost the mysterious seventh heaven of Celestia.I would tie the Ten Courts of Hell with the Court of Judgment in the Outlands. They would have to be the main way in, and the main source of the Ten Courts' prisoners. On the other hand, I would open up the various other courts a bit, so they could interact more with the rest of Baator's population. That's the main benefit of having seventeen big outer planes with lots of little realms in them, instead of having a separate plane for each god, planar species, or pantheon. - you get more interesting interactions.The First Court probably actually exists within the Outlands' Court of Judgment - it's just the part where sinners are sent before being shipped off plane.The Second Court, the court of slave breakers, exists somewhere on the River Styx, probably in Avernus or on a cube in Avalas. The fact that its ruler is half slaad would make Avalas more likely - Avernus is a more lawful plane than Baator, but it's also more accepting of foreign mercenaries.The Third Court would be in Avernus, probably also on the Styx, where the baatezu come to buy agricultural products from it. It could also be in Stygia, since it fits in some ways with Set's realm.The Fourth Court, known for its academies of sorcery, I'd put in the City of Dis so that many fiendish creatures could benefit from it. The Fourth Court is also the home of many rakshasas, so there is probably a lot of traffic from the rakshasa cubes of Acheron.The fifth through ninth courts are noted as constantly plotting to undermine one another and depose their respective rulers and steal their prisoners. As such, their location is somewhat in flux: they could slide to other layers or planes depending on whose plans are successful.A place of fire and torture, the Fifth Court is probably in Phlegethos.The Sixth Court, filled with serpents and yuan-ti, might actually be in the Abyss, perhaps in Merrshaulk's layer of Smaragd. It could be in Minauros, but its weather wouldn't be as sunny and pleasant as it's made out to be. Conceivably, it shifts between the two over the eons.The Seventh Court I would put in Baator's seventh layer, which also has a fallen celestial ruler obsessed with perfection. In fact, Triel and the Bronze Bell King might even be one and the same. If they're not the same, Triel would still appreciate having the Bronze Bell King within his domain. One adventure hook that occured to me was having Autochon the Bellringer hire the PCs to venture to the Seventh Court of Hell to find a way to end his curse, since the Bronze Bell King is constantly experimenting with a magical bell, attempting to make perfect tones. If anyone can heal the curse of Sigil's Demon of the Bells, it's him. The tsnng might also be interested in the layer, volunteering to help the Bronze Bell King with his project or being kidnapped by him for that reason.The Eighth Court, a realm of utter cold, closely resembles Baator's eighth layer of Caina. That's where it belongs, and the rivalry between the Bronze Bell King and the Snow King might closely resemble the rivalry between Triel and Mephistopheles.The Ninth Court, a realm of utter darkness, would fit in one of Nessus' trenches.The Tenth Court is a mysterious place where no one has entered and returned, so it isn't really important where it is - probably in a deeper pit of Nessus, though, or in a completely unexpected place like Mechanus, near Shang-Ti's realm. The Eleventh Court is just a rumor, but it's likely in one of the upper planes, particularly Mount Celestia, probably near or in Kuan-Yin's realm.The Crystal Roads of Deleur are also somewhat tricky. They're either part of the Plane of Mineral, or a demiplane. I'd put them in one of Mineral's border regions.The planar trade city of Carrigmoor I've been thinking about a lot. I've decided to blame the plague that largely destroyed it on the mercane, so they could bring its most valuable citizens to their newly created city of Union. The plague could also be related to the one the Lady of Pain used to destroy much of the Free League, or to the Iron Shadow from Tales From the Infinite Staircase. I've tied Carrigmoor's creation to Sigil's Great Upheaval - it's where most of the guilds and exiled factions went after Sigil's factions were reduced to fifteen.After the Great Upheaval, the guilds who had run Sigil for centuries saw the new factions as a terrible threat to their power. Already they had seized control of many of the Cage's most crucial centers of power. The common histories don't say how ruthless the Fated were in taking over the office of taxation, or how uncompromising the Godsman takeover of the Great Foundry was. When the Hall of Speakers passed a law declaring dual membership in both a guild and a faction illegal, the guilds were sure it was their death sentence.A little-known but ambitious gate-city called Carrigmoor was their salvation. Although founded by wizards - refugees from the destruction of an entire world - almost a century before, Carrigmoor had not had much luck persuading planar merchants to use its newly minted portals. Eager for planar-savvy contacts, the masters of the city gave the guilds generous offers of power and influence if they would relocate to Carrigmoor.The Planewalker's Guild moved to the Infinite Staircase instead, while others settled for a lesser role in Sigil, but enough of the guilds accepted Carrigmoor's offer that it was suddenly elevated from Obscure Clueless Hole to Exciting New Place to Be. With the knowledge and experience of the exiled guilds, soon trade and skilled professionals were coming to Carrigmoor from all across the planes. For a time, it seemed as if Carrigmoor would rival the City of Doors itself.Then, about forty years ago, Carrigmoor suffered a terrible plague. Reports of the exact nature of this disease are mixed. Some of the oldest guilders insist they symptoms were identical to the plague that decimated most of the Free League soon after Sigil's Great Upheaval. Others said it was more of a drain on creativity and spirit taken to extremes, a more immediately fatal strain of what would later be known as the Iron Shadow. Still others compared the malady to devil chills or other feared lower planar diseases.Members of the enigmatic race known as the Merchants Arcane, or simply the mercane, came to the decimated, terrified population of Carrigmoor and told them that they had recently created a city of their own, and that they were offering space for merchants and artisans at very reasonable rates. Desperate for escape, much of the remaining citizenry of Carrigmoor accepted. Only those too poor to leave or too proud to give up their power remained. A few even blamed the mercane for starting the plague, but most dismissed this idea as pure paranoia.</blockquote>

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