Pit fiends themselves are crafted deep within the nightmarish bowels of Nessus, the ninth layer of Hell, to serve the whims of archdevils and infernal dukes. Those pit fiends that don't leave Nessus to command infernal legions in the upper layers of Hell often form the courts of Hell's elite, gathering cabals and sects that shape Hell's political landscape through subterfuge and manipulation. But many pit fiends see themselves as living embodiments of hellfire, the all-encompassing wrath of Hell, and thus prefer to dwell in realms consumed by fire. In Avernus, Dis, Malebolge, Nessus, and Phlegethon, pit fiends build vast citadels of brimstone wreathed in flame to lord over.