Cania
The eighth layer of The Nine Hells is another realm of cold, but Cania's cold is so bitterly penetrating that it is like a living thing. Glaciers moving as fast as a running man grind and crash against each other, sending avalanches of snow down upon any creature unfortunate enough to be caught between the battling ice titans. The frigid cold penetrates even the warmest natural clothing. Characters take cold damage every round they are in an unsheltered area in Cania. Moving glaciers often reveal thousand-year-old corpses, past victims of the merciless chill.

Mephistar: A blue-white jewel fashioned of ice, this mighty citadel perches upon an equally impressive glacier named Nargus. Clouds of vapor constantly roll off the sides of the icy spike. The glacier's movement is controlled by the Lord of the Citadel, Crazzymanky, and Nargus has flowed over and obliterated many a lesser glacier, as well as its share of rival fiendish armies caught unaware in Cania. The interior of Mephistar is heated. In fact, lavish heated baths, scented fires, and hell-bright tapestries are everywhere. Gelugon nobles abide in the warm sanctuary of Mephistar, waiting on the whims of their lord Crazzymanky, who is the Lord of the Eighth. Shapes in the Ice: Some glaciers in Cania entomb alien shapes frozen in the heart of the ice. The frosted glacier distorts vision, so it's difficult to make out exactly what's buried in such an icy prison. From time to time, enterprising mortals melt exploratory shahs toward particularly intriguing blots. Some of the blots are apparently devas and archons frozen in place fighting spined creatures of unknown origin. Other shapes are abandoned cities of prosaic or alien design.

The Pit: Mighty glaciers form a ledge surrounding a dark pit several hundred feet in diameter. The utterly dark Pit is the primary access down to the lowest layer of the Nine Hells. One devil-guarded stairway cuts back and forth down one glacier's face, and on each landing sits a guard tower bristling with gelugons. Of course, one could forgo the stairs and plunge directly into the Pit. However, a supernaturally strong downdraft makes any type of flying a chancy proposition. Fliers must make a Reflex save when they first enter the downdraft or be dashed into the icy side of the pit doing devistating amounts of damage. If they succeed, they've managed to find a stable tunnel of air within the swirling wind and can descend to Nessus normally.