Red Stardust

Character: Time and ambition were invented. Innocence was lost and can never be regained, nor is wanted. Those that fall may never get up. In their aloofness, the stars' light burns out leaving a cold world.

Powers: Behind the waterfall lies the hall of Fia-So, Lord of Falling Stars, intermediate power of rivers, domination and falling stars. He know no mercy or compassion, so to speak. He was once one of the brothers of Mbo-Ya sleeping in Arborea's stars, but he came to slowly realize their limitations and corrupted many Mbe. In his wake he gained much power, power he indulges to control the other Mbe powers of evil: Nome and Baum.

Description: The River of Blood is an infamous river on Avernus. It makes its way among the blasted plains into a valley and beyond. The waterfall of blood that gives continuity to the river is, however, inverted. The water goes uphill completely vertical as a symbol of Fia-So's power and domination, for Baator is a plane where law is defined by power. The sight of the waterfall is awesome and had been considered one of the most worth seeing sights among Sensates. The sheer stunning feeling caused by the fall rivals, if is not superior, to Demogorgon's Gaping Maw in the Abyss.

Red Stardust does see much activity. Besides merchants in need of safety, many baatezu deal with mbe. The baatezu feel strange about the once-children, as if they were fallen eladrin, but they admire the sheer determination and fatalism of the realm.

The Mbe here have deep eyes that reveal a terrible loss and discipline. They are all trained to fight viciously and to learn the ways of rivers. No empathy is in them anymore, they talk their language and the other trading ones. Here, the Mbe age and wither, unless they are strong enough to keep living. Some say that those that are particularly strong-willed are negotiated with the baatezu to join their ranks. It's said that the Styx found its way into the realm by the means of a lagoon and the mbe deal directly with the marraenoloths for knowledge. In the merging of waters there seems to arise a foul mist that scars one's mind forever.

Principal Towns: The one and only city in the realm is Meteor, a burg that is eternally suspended in midair by the force of the waterfall's current, equal even to that of gravity. The Other minor communities may be found in the margins, but lack any remarkable features.

Special Conditions: It never rains in the realm, except for the increased number of meteors falling. They're smaller here, never causing any damage, but much more constant. The effect at a distance is that of dust from the stars spreading like dead dreams.

All water magic is subject to being sensed by the Mbe. Domination magic is twice as effective in relation to number of non-mbe targets. No Mbe may be dominated in the realm.

Principal Non-Player Characters: The Old Red Man appears once in a while as a master to a promising Mbe. He is usually seem near the rising waterfall. His lessons are harsh and cutting literally like razors, throwing apprentices into the river to swim against the current among sharp rocks. Those that have earned the right to have learned and survived the lessons can even navigate in any river and even change intuitively the force of currents around him. Some say he is an ancient marraenoloth, others that he is a pit fiend that serves Fia-So. There's still the rumor that he may be the power's avatar.

Illustrious guest of Meteor is Lord Kyranthes (Pr/male human F8/Fated/LE), a power-mad dictator from the prime. In his quest to subjugate the world, he tumbled upon the planes and the realm. Now he pays the Mbe to train his men and make him an invincible army. While he fears dealing with the baatezu, they have an interest in him already and his days are counted until the Mbe let the baatezu use him for a major operation.

Riay-Bo(Pl/ male mbe F7/LE) has a large scar on his breast. Some say it was The Shimmering Bow's work in the last raid in the realm of Mbo-Ya. Thing is, he is one of the more driven of the new fighters. Many times he was underestimated by his teen outlook, but he is well over four decades old.

Services: The boats of the realm are very seaworthy, capable of resisting the currents of the Styx or Oceanus. The Mbe are also employed by the baatezu on the occasion to take them to Blood War battlefields. Yugoloths ferrymen do not seem to bother with this, however. Probably because they aren't losing clients, but actually rising the importance of the Styx. Their skiffs were never meant to carry large troops anyway. Styx-imbedded and Blood-imbedded arrows are found here for sale for a hefty price. The first has some weak forget powers and the second imitates the effect of barbazu glaives, but for only three rounds.