Gehenna
| The fires of Gehenna have burnt many a confident hero, and they will burn evermore.
Gehenna is seven levels deep and contains the obsidian rune. It can be accessed via the Vestibule of Hell. |
| A gateway to Gehenna. You can feel the heat. Gehenna seems to be made out of nothing but flames, lava and hellfire. |
Gehenna is the fire branch of Hell, accessible from the Vestibule of Hell.
Useful Info
Gehenna is 7 levels deep and populated by fire-themed monsters. You'll meet many hellions, balrugs, brimstone fiends and packs of hell knights, but weaker monsters such as red devils can be found. All the while a mystical Hellish force will assault you as is usual for all Hell branches, causing multiple nasty effects.
Gehenna's layout is fairly open, with streams of lava that may hide lava snakes or salamanders. You may also run into small sections of permanent flame clouds.
The last level of Gehenna contains the obsidian rune of Zot, guarded by Asmodeus.
Recommendations
The first six levels of Gehenna are not too tough, provided you have rF+++ (rF++ at the minimum) to reduce the damage of most attacks (including being periodically covered in sticky flames from Hell's mystical force) as well as a way to kill the fire-resistant monsters you meet - Ice or Earth Magic will make your travels much smoother. Gehenna:7, a fortress with a moat of lava, can be brutal if you manage to wake up too many enemies at once while inside Asmodeus' chambers: having several hellions all calling down damnation at you at after being tormented by brimstone fiends can mean a quick end even for strong characters. Proceed with caution. Asmodeus himself is a tough customer, a weaker version of Cerebov if you will.
It's wise to carry some potions of curing to prevent your body from rotting away, which may happen occasionally by the effects of Hell. Flying or use of translocations may be useful to traverse lava ponds quickly.
Hell effects
- Necromancy miscast: 16.66%
- Summoning miscast: 8.33%
- Conjurations miscast: 4.16%
- Charms miscast: 2.08%
- Hexes miscast: 2.08%
- Fire magic miscast: 22.22%
- Brimstone fiend: 14.15%
- Summon 1-5 Gehenna monsters: 9.88%
- Nothing happens: 19.75%
Trivia
Gehenna is a term derived from a geographical site in Jerusalem known as the Valley of Hinnom. According to parts of the Bible, the site was initially where followers of various Ba'als, including Moloch, sacrificed their children by fire. The valley later became the common wasteyard for all the refuse of Jerusalem. Here the corpses and ashes of animals and people, as well as wastes and garbage were cast and, according to legend, consumed by a constant fire. In time it became deemed to be accursed and an image of the place of destruction in Jewish folklore. Gehenna is cited in the New Testament and in early Christian writing to represent the final place where the wicked will be punished or destroyed after resurrection.
