Mictlān

Mictlān

Also known as	The Plane of Opposition
Type	Infernal plane
Rulers	The Nine Archfiends
Layers	Nine
Inhabitants	Devils and Demons

Mictlān is a plane of complex interplay between mythological suffering and infernal ambition. Nine powerful Archfiends rule it, united by a single purpose: to defy divine rule and overthrow it. Their domains are interconnected in a spiral of spiritual torment and existential challenge, and they operate as a collective - no single entity dominating, but each working through subtle manipulation and shared strategy.

Inhabitants

Beneath the Archfiends serve two kinds of fiend. Demons are naturally occurring beings, born from malice and chaos that corrupted souls; Devils are “constructed” by devilish magic and united by their goal of deposing the gods. The Devils have taken control of the Demons and use them as foot soldiers, while the Demons squabble among themselves and often plot mutiny to climb the food chain - sometimes even against their ruling Archfiends. Directly under the Archfiends stand their trusted generals and advisors, the Archdevils and Demon Lords.

The Nine Layers

Each layer is the realm of one Archfiend, drawing on the old Aztec conception of Mictlān but twisted and corrupted by infernal influence. Each is a trial of the soul’s endurance.

Layer	Archfiend	Realm	Domains
1st	Temeria	The River of Crossing (Apanohuaia)	Greed, arrogance, avarice, fear
2nd	Kroni	The Crushing Mountains (Tepetl Monamictlán)	Unsatisfiable hunger, carnage
3rd	Maricha	The Obsidian Mountain (Itztépetl)	Destruction of knowledge, deception
4th	Rangda	The Obsidian Wind (Itztéecuahuitl)	Dark magic, hunger for power
5th	Chronozon	The Place of Banners (Panécatlacaloyan)	Chaos, insanity
6th	Lucifer	Pierced by Arrows (Temiminaloyan)	Pride, betrayal
7th	Tamamo	Where Hearts Are Eaten (Teyollocualoyan)	Corruption, enslavement
8th	Mara	The Obsidian Place of the Dead (Itzmictlán Apochcalolca)	Temptation, desire
9th	Asmodeus	The Final Trial (Chicunamictlán)	Strategy, ambition

The Layers in Detail

Each layer keeps an echo of the old Aztec conception of Mictlán - a trial of suffering, loss, and purification on the soul’s journey - even as the archfiend who rules it twists that trial toward its own domain.

1. Apanohuaia, the River of Crossing (Temeria) - a dragon-infested wasteland of volcanic mountains, rivers of molten gold, and obsidian spires. Souls wade through liquid gold, scorched yet unable to stop grasping for the treasures buried beneath; fiendish dragons and hellhounds of avarice guard the false hoards. A trial of greed and arrogance.
2. Tepetl Monamictlán, the Crushing Mountains (Kroni) - two colossal, blood-slicked mountains that perpetually crash together over a gore-stained battlefield. Bloodthirsty berserkers and regenerating demons drive souls through an eternal cycle of slaughter. A trial of carnage and unsatisfiable hunger. It was Kroni who loosed upon the world its three great curses - vampirism, lycanthropy, and the wendigo.
3. Itztépetl, the Obsidian Mountain (Maricha) - a jagged, reflective mountain riddled with impossible libraries of true, false, and destructive knowledge. Every step cuts, and the obsidian shows twisted versions of the climber’s past; deceptive scholars and memory-draining tomes distort the truth. A trial of deception and lost knowledge. Maricha is credited with the creation of the Bugbears.
4. Itztéecuahuitl, the Obsidian Wind (Rangda) - a shadowy, cursed forest of blackened trees and ruined citadels, lashed by winds of obsidian shards. Shadow sorcerers and corrupted beasts roam an environment that threatens to consume spiritual essence through forbidden magic. A trial of dark magic and corruption.
5. Panécatlacaloyan, the Place of Banners (Chronozon) - a disorienting plain where reality defies logic: rivers flow upward, mountains spiral, and the sky flickers with impossible colours. Mad, ever-shifting fiends warp time and perception. A trial of chaos and madness.
6. Temiminaloyan, Pierced by Arrows (Lucifer) - a deceptively beautiful city of gold and ivory whose perfection hides rot, where unseen archers rain judgment on every prideful act. Fallen angels and traitorous fiends tempt souls to betray their loyalties. A trial of pride and betrayal. Lucifer is credited with the creation of the Hobgoblins.
7. Teyollocualoyan, Where Hearts Are Eaten (Tamamo) - a luxurious palace ringed by a garden of beauty that twists, deeper in, into a maze of thorny vines and gilded prisons. Succubi and enslavers devour spiritual essence through incremental temptation. A trial of corruption and enslavement. Tamamo is credited with the creation of the Goblins.
8. Itzmictlán Apochcalolca, the Obsidian Place of the Dead (Mara) - a dream-like realm where every desire materialises with terrifying authenticity, and obsidian mirrors reflect a soul’s deepest wishes into traps of perfect, false fulfillment. A trial of temptation and desire.
9. Chicunamictlán, the Final Trial (Asmodeus) - a vast iron-and-obsidian fortress overlooking a black void, all dark order and military precision. High-ranking devil generals test the souls who reach it, and Asmodeus himself offers manipulative bargains. A trial of strategy and ambition.

Notable Demon Lords

Beneath the Archfiends, their Archdevils and Demon Lords command the legions. Chief among the latter is Orceus, Prince of Undeath - a demon lord serving Kroni, born of the negative energy behind the creation of undead, who seeks endlessly to subvert and ultimately unmake life itself.

Cosmology & Philosophy

Mictlān is more than a realm of punishment; it is a spiritual ecosystem where souls are tested, transformed, and ultimately judged. Each layer is a crucible for confronting a fundamental weakness - greed, hunger, deception, and on through pride, corruption, and ambition. Souls are not merely punished but challenged to face their deepest flaws, making the plane a transformative force of profound, often terrifying potential.

History

The fiends of Mictlān once spilled into the world during the Fiend Floods, until they were driven back and the plane was sealed away from the mortal world (see the folklore of the gods). Its archfiends still scheme against divine rule, and its tongue - Mictlānian - lingers in the world among tieflings and gnolls.

Appendix

See Also

• The Mictlān Pantheon - the nine Archfiends as a pantheon of opposition
• Mictlānian - the language born of Mictlān

Sources & Attribution

• Primary lore: content/Fables & Folklore/Mictlān The Plane of Opposition.md (heavy game mechanics omitted), author TrueMichato.

Planes

Planes of Existence

Planes of Existence

The Material	Prime Material Plane
Transitive Planes	Ethereal Plane · Astral Plane
Inner & Elemental	Plane of Fire · Plane of Water · Plane of Earth · Plane of Air · Positive & Negative Energy
Mirror & Outer Planes	The Feywyld The Shadowfell Mictlān
Other Realms	The Dreamtime

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