Hades is a two-sided deity, the greek Power of death on one hand and the god of wealth on the other. He is a son of Rhea and Cronus, and thus one of Zeus’ older brothers. He rarely leaves his Realm, the eponymus Hades, The Underworld, in the Gray Waste's third Layer of Pluton, where the dead go to fade into nothingness. Hades has the power to bring death or wealth to any mortal. The right to restore life to the dead belongs to him alone, and he guards it jealously. He wears a helmet which can render him invisible at will. In his true form, he is a large, dark-skinned man with fiery eyes.
Hades is not particularly cruel or vengeful, and his kingdom is not a retributive one. The dead pass through the groves of Persephone. Then they come upon the gates of Hades, which are guarded by Cerberus, who will let the dead enter the shadowy realm but not leave. Upon passing through the gates, the dead meet the divine ferryman Charon and pay him a coin. They are then ferried across the river of woe, Acheron (not to be confused with the Plane of the same name). Later, the valiant dead might be permitted to cross the river of forgetfulness, Lethe, and emerge in the Elysian Fields of Elysium. More unfortunate souls will cross the River Styx into Tartarus (Carceri), a region of eternal pain and torment. The rest will simply fade away into nothingness. Omens from Hades are rare, and usually involve some form of unexpected death or wealth.
Source: Legends & Lore (2nd ed.)
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