Letters from Baator 23: Realms of Deception 1.0.1.

Department of Humanities

Psychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief Engineer

Subject: Valley of the Pale Fire

 On Dis, just a short distance outside the Iron City, lies the Valley of the Pale Fire. This valley houses a large torture house that doubles as an entertainment site for the Baatezu. Within this massive structure is an energy well whose name doubles as the nickname of the whole valley: Cold Fire.

 At any given time, there are upwards of 10,000 lemures, prisoners, and contract breakers on hand to fulfil the Baatezu's pleasures. Within the walls of the massive structure, numerous arenas, torture rooms, and "examination" tables await the use of the Baatezu. Each area has stone benches that encircle the room's entertainment.

 The room of the Cold Star burns with a cold light that offers the only relief from the heat of the layer. However, this seemingly benign energy is excruciatingly painful. Stygia and Nessus are warmer than this eerie star. Victims who are fed to the Cold Star are done so in a painfully slow manner. An inch of flesh touching the Cold Star is enough to cause all but the hardest of hearts to pass out.

 Freezing the flesh is just part of the fun. The exposed area is fragile and extremely brittle. If care isn't taken the flesh that touched the Cold Star will break off. Doing so provides the Baatezu some pleasure after the victim's been reawakened, but it's far more fun for the Baatezu to carefully thaw the body part and freeze it again much to the horror of the victim.

 Other entertainment values are the gladiatorial combats pitting lemures against prisoners and contract breakers. These brutal contests allow the contestants to rip each other to pieces. Wagering booths allow the spectators to bet on the contests. Some venues include Bezkria fights. These bloody events are a great sport as the fallen and mindless Baatezu tear each other apart.

 In the examination rooms, various beings are dissected while alive. Some are even reconfigured and medically manipulated in new combinations for whatever grotesque and malign purpose the Baatezu fancy at the time for furthering their hold on mortals and possibly to give them an edge in the Blood War.