Hades

The Gray Wastes of Hades is the Neutral Evil plane in the Dungeons & Dragons great wheel cosmology.

Its favourable location of equal "subjective" distance between the Abyss and Hell make it the most active battle-zone in the Blood War, where Demons and Devils clash over who is the most evil. Unfortunately this distracts from what Hades is all about.

It is the inverse of Elysium, being the place of ultimate evil in the existence. Worse perhaps than the Abyss or Baator if only because it is not subject to the capricious whimsy of Chaos or the restrictions of Law. Therefore it is a bleak place of suffering and misery.

Layers

Like Elysium, Hades has an all pervading aura that causes visitors to be ensnared by its nature. In this case the removal of anything joyous or worthwhile.

By merely stepping onto the plane, non-evil individuals will be subjected to harsh penalties to their mental faculties, which makes colours appear duller and sounds seem more muted. Emotions seem more alien, and visitors find themselves less empathetic or caring than they used to be.