Angel 'verse musing: Hell
Feb. 7th, 2020 08:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
general_radixI have a setting that was supposed to be based heavily on Christian theology, but ended up having several elements from other faiths (and sphinxes). I haven't done much with it in a while, but lately I've been wanting to discuss it again. So let's do that.
There are two planes connected to Earth, both with their own quirks. Hell is divided into nine circles: the Princes' seven territories, neutral ground, and Terminus; the latter-most can't be entered with an escort from one or more Prince, for good reason.
There's been much debate about the origin and purpose of demons. The current Earth-born understanding of them is fairly nuanced, but for much of human history, they were assumed to be universally, inherently evil; divine opinion on demons always ranged from "whatever" to "they're just people" to "eternal thorns in our side". Ephraim even tried asking YHWH what the deal was and got stonewalled; the most common theory is that He made demons like He did the divine, and that their role in the greater scheme of things is to judge truly irredeemable Earth-born. More on that later.
Demons come in four varieties: succubus/incubus (bat-winged humanoid; the most common), beastman (self-explanatory), mutos (humanoids with horn-like protrusions and at least one secondary mutation), and varios (humanoids with natural body markings); there's also a great deal of infernal wildlife. Grey-winged 'cubi are actually humans who descended for whatever reason, usually to continue doing good works on Earth.
--
The seven kingdoms of Hell are as follows:
* Luxuria: home of the 'cubi. Of the seven "main" circles, it and Gula bear the closest resemblance to Earth (perhaps edging out Gula slightly in that its sky is a normal blue); most of it is modern cities with stretches of suburban areas, with a slightly higher frequency of red light districts and the like. Despite what some people would tell you, engaging in public sex will get you arrested--most 'cubi, like most humans, strongly value consent, and you didn't bother obtaining that from the crowd you harassed.
Luxuria's population is about 75% 'cubi; its Prince is Asmodai, quite possibly the softest, fuzziest incubus you're likely to meet. They say that Asmodai earned his position because the sin that Luxuria's ruler is meant to judge, lust, requires a great deal of compassion and nuance to handle.
* Gula: Farmland from here to eternity. It's basically the countryside; aside from the orange sky and infernal cattle, you could easily mistake it for parts of Tennessee. Every demon who wishes to farm--or just wants a relatively peaceful place to live--inevitably finds themselves here; owners of larger farms are tasked with providing not just for themselves, but for the rest of Hell.
Gula's Prince is Beelzebul, Lord of the Flies; he's a serious-minded mutos whose right arm took on the characteristics of a fly's, hence (part of) the title, and is also Satan's closest friend outside of the other fallen angels. Not exactly a man to be trifled with.
* Avaritia: Outwardly the wealthiest circle; everyone living in this golden realm (with yellow sky to boot) is well-off and well-cared for. This is the heart of Hell's economy, with money flowing to and from it and its citizens encouraged to go out and support the other circles. Avaritia is sharply divided into two regions, and the condition for moving into the inner super-upper-class region (as opposed to the comfortably upper-class one) is simple: you must be a responsible person with the capacity for generosity.
Avaritia's Prince is the varios Mammon, the False God of Wealth. Because he's essentially Hell's treasurer, Mammon actually finds money rather trite; he's more interested in collecting vases, which he takes as payment from humans who invoke his aid. (Unless they can't pay, in which case Mammon goes pro bono. Those who won't fork over a vase usually find themselves one valuable item short.) A close look at his clothes reveals that they're made of common materials that he sewed together himself.
* Acedia: Some would call this place, with its extensive cave systems and grey sky, dreary. It's something like the Walled City of Kowloon if it had been built directly into a mountain; Acedia was founded to provide tranquility and security to those who needed it most, and its defenses are remarkably difficult to penetrate. You can pretty much live life at your own pace here.
Acedia's Prince is Belphagor, a mutos whose secondary mutation is a perpetually-open third eye. He's rather sedate...in fact, he's been teetering on the edge of a coma for centuries; Belphagor hasn't quite recovered from a certain battle that the Princes don't like to discuss, and while he's still mobile to an extent, there isn't much he can do these days but sleep.
* Invidia: home of the beastmen. This is where the bulk of Hell's forests, jungles, and swamps can be found; in many areas, the trees seem to reach past the emerald sky; it's a circle well-suited to the hardiest of demons. They don't get many visitors, but those who wish to brave Invidia's wilderness will have little trouble finding a willing guide.
Invidia's Prince is Leviathan, an aquatic beastman. Of the seven Princes, he's the most abrasive and prone to escalating situations to fisticuffs, but deep down, he abhors injustice as much as the others; it was Leviathan who first moved to take action against the former Prince of Ira. He also hopes the hardest that Belphagor will one day return to his old self.
* Superbia: A beautiful land with a lilac sky straight out of '80s fantasy art; Superbia may not have the glittering opulence of Avaritia or the sheer miles per square inch of Gula, but its people care a great deal for each other and their circle and will make sure you're aware of that. To be a citizen of Superbia suggests not just pride in your own accomplishments, but those of others, and the diligence to maintain that pride. To outsiders, they can seem a bit full of themselves, but they'll be the first ones to defend your honour when needed.
It seems strange that Superbia's Prince wouldn't be a demon, but the fallen angel Lucifer--doubly so when you consider that Lucifer, for his admirable intelligence, is not particularly wise. He attained princedom by being the most capable of looking after Superbia and its people, just as he helped his fellow fallen angels.
Superbia's previous prince was a beastman named Stolas, who met Lucifer around the time he was considering retirement.
* Ira: the smallest circle, meant not to lead a normal life in but to house the peacekeepers of Hell. It's not exactly inviting, with its crimson sky and Brutalist architectural leanings, but it's not supposed to be--you're here to keep a watchful eye on the six other inhabited circles and head over in case situations escalate beyond their people's control. Ira has the distinction of receiving the most human visitors, as its peacekeepers are the most qualified (next to the divine) to handle crises on Earth.
Ira's Prince is Satan, real name Temeluchus. A moody, complex fallen angel whose regret over getting half of Heaven's angels exiled was channeled into ruling Ira toughly but fairly, Satan is typically the first to react to injustice, and always with determination and furor. It is his sole authority to bind souls to Terminus, but he's more inclined to simply test individual humans.
The former Prince of Ira...well, nobody likes to discuss him.
--
* Indifferens: Neutral ground whose sky is off-white. The eighth circle of Hell takes the form of vast campgrounds upon which travelers rest and delegates from other circles often meet; it's also the only place where no one would raise an eyebrow at the presence of the divine.
At the very edge of Indifferens is the Infernal Court, the barrier between the eighth and ninth circles where the irredeemable are judged. Each Prince has their own purview, though all seven are usually present to handle overlapping sins, and the common thread of each soul judged is that they knowingly and willingly burned down and/or ended lives by choosing evil again and again. An alarming number of so-called "Christians" find themselves here after failing their whole lives to understand that their views/actions only ever caused others misery.
There's a sort of "holding area" that souls to be judged are shuffled into; no matter how long they're made to wait, the sentence is always the same.
--
* Terminus: The no man's land of the ninth circle; a cold, desolate wasteland from which no soul returns. All the water runs black, there is no sky, and upon every surface are glimpses of the shadows of those who were monsters in life. Every now and then, a Prince may take a living human down here to give them closure, or just to prove to them that whoever they wished to see truly belongs here.
At its farthest reaches, there is an onyx wall. Barely visible on the other side of that onyx is Terminus's sole demonic prisoner: Belial, the former Prince of Ira. A tyrant unlike any other, Belial not only overstepped his bounds in Hell, but attempted to expand his influence to Earth; his bloody reign of his captured regions came to an end when Eisheth Zenunim--Queen of Harlots and beloved Superbian varios dancer--escaped his clutches and sought the aid of the fallen angels. Together with the other Princes, they slowly beat Belial into the corner and eventually sealed him into Terminus; Satan landed the final blow, earning him the position of Prince of Ira (after he recovered, of course). Hell was freed and the rest of Earth was spared, though not without a price: many demons and angels were badly injured in the struggle, and Belphagor took the brunt of a psychic blow meant for heavy-hitting Leviathan.
Every now and then, Satan goes down to make sure the seal is holding. Every time, Belial tries to tempt or shame him into undoing it himself--and every time, Satan coldly and without hesitation refuses. Satan is not the only entity that could break the seal--but surely, nobody would be callous or foolish enough to do that, right?..
There are two planes connected to Earth, both with their own quirks. Hell is divided into nine circles: the Princes' seven territories, neutral ground, and Terminus; the latter-most can't be entered with an escort from one or more Prince, for good reason.
There's been much debate about the origin and purpose of demons. The current Earth-born understanding of them is fairly nuanced, but for much of human history, they were assumed to be universally, inherently evil; divine opinion on demons always ranged from "whatever" to "they're just people" to "eternal thorns in our side". Ephraim even tried asking YHWH what the deal was and got stonewalled; the most common theory is that He made demons like He did the divine, and that their role in the greater scheme of things is to judge truly irredeemable Earth-born. More on that later.
Demons come in four varieties: succubus/incubus (bat-winged humanoid; the most common), beastman (self-explanatory), mutos (humanoids with horn-like protrusions and at least one secondary mutation), and varios (humanoids with natural body markings); there's also a great deal of infernal wildlife. Grey-winged 'cubi are actually humans who descended for whatever reason, usually to continue doing good works on Earth.
--
The seven kingdoms of Hell are as follows:
* Luxuria: home of the 'cubi. Of the seven "main" circles, it and Gula bear the closest resemblance to Earth (perhaps edging out Gula slightly in that its sky is a normal blue); most of it is modern cities with stretches of suburban areas, with a slightly higher frequency of red light districts and the like. Despite what some people would tell you, engaging in public sex will get you arrested--most 'cubi, like most humans, strongly value consent, and you didn't bother obtaining that from the crowd you harassed.
Luxuria's population is about 75% 'cubi; its Prince is Asmodai, quite possibly the softest, fuzziest incubus you're likely to meet. They say that Asmodai earned his position because the sin that Luxuria's ruler is meant to judge, lust, requires a great deal of compassion and nuance to handle.
* Gula: Farmland from here to eternity. It's basically the countryside; aside from the orange sky and infernal cattle, you could easily mistake it for parts of Tennessee. Every demon who wishes to farm--or just wants a relatively peaceful place to live--inevitably finds themselves here; owners of larger farms are tasked with providing not just for themselves, but for the rest of Hell.
Gula's Prince is Beelzebul, Lord of the Flies; he's a serious-minded mutos whose right arm took on the characteristics of a fly's, hence (part of) the title, and is also Satan's closest friend outside of the other fallen angels. Not exactly a man to be trifled with.
* Avaritia: Outwardly the wealthiest circle; everyone living in this golden realm (with yellow sky to boot) is well-off and well-cared for. This is the heart of Hell's economy, with money flowing to and from it and its citizens encouraged to go out and support the other circles. Avaritia is sharply divided into two regions, and the condition for moving into the inner super-upper-class region (as opposed to the comfortably upper-class one) is simple: you must be a responsible person with the capacity for generosity.
Avaritia's Prince is the varios Mammon, the False God of Wealth. Because he's essentially Hell's treasurer, Mammon actually finds money rather trite; he's more interested in collecting vases, which he takes as payment from humans who invoke his aid. (Unless they can't pay, in which case Mammon goes pro bono. Those who won't fork over a vase usually find themselves one valuable item short.) A close look at his clothes reveals that they're made of common materials that he sewed together himself.
* Acedia: Some would call this place, with its extensive cave systems and grey sky, dreary. It's something like the Walled City of Kowloon if it had been built directly into a mountain; Acedia was founded to provide tranquility and security to those who needed it most, and its defenses are remarkably difficult to penetrate. You can pretty much live life at your own pace here.
Acedia's Prince is Belphagor, a mutos whose secondary mutation is a perpetually-open third eye. He's rather sedate...in fact, he's been teetering on the edge of a coma for centuries; Belphagor hasn't quite recovered from a certain battle that the Princes don't like to discuss, and while he's still mobile to an extent, there isn't much he can do these days but sleep.
* Invidia: home of the beastmen. This is where the bulk of Hell's forests, jungles, and swamps can be found; in many areas, the trees seem to reach past the emerald sky; it's a circle well-suited to the hardiest of demons. They don't get many visitors, but those who wish to brave Invidia's wilderness will have little trouble finding a willing guide.
Invidia's Prince is Leviathan, an aquatic beastman. Of the seven Princes, he's the most abrasive and prone to escalating situations to fisticuffs, but deep down, he abhors injustice as much as the others; it was Leviathan who first moved to take action against the former Prince of Ira. He also hopes the hardest that Belphagor will one day return to his old self.
* Superbia: A beautiful land with a lilac sky straight out of '80s fantasy art; Superbia may not have the glittering opulence of Avaritia or the sheer miles per square inch of Gula, but its people care a great deal for each other and their circle and will make sure you're aware of that. To be a citizen of Superbia suggests not just pride in your own accomplishments, but those of others, and the diligence to maintain that pride. To outsiders, they can seem a bit full of themselves, but they'll be the first ones to defend your honour when needed.
It seems strange that Superbia's Prince wouldn't be a demon, but the fallen angel Lucifer--doubly so when you consider that Lucifer, for his admirable intelligence, is not particularly wise. He attained princedom by being the most capable of looking after Superbia and its people, just as he helped his fellow fallen angels.
Superbia's previous prince was a beastman named Stolas, who met Lucifer around the time he was considering retirement.
* Ira: the smallest circle, meant not to lead a normal life in but to house the peacekeepers of Hell. It's not exactly inviting, with its crimson sky and Brutalist architectural leanings, but it's not supposed to be--you're here to keep a watchful eye on the six other inhabited circles and head over in case situations escalate beyond their people's control. Ira has the distinction of receiving the most human visitors, as its peacekeepers are the most qualified (next to the divine) to handle crises on Earth.
Ira's Prince is Satan, real name Temeluchus. A moody, complex fallen angel whose regret over getting half of Heaven's angels exiled was channeled into ruling Ira toughly but fairly, Satan is typically the first to react to injustice, and always with determination and furor. It is his sole authority to bind souls to Terminus, but he's more inclined to simply test individual humans.
The former Prince of Ira...well, nobody likes to discuss him.
--
* Indifferens: Neutral ground whose sky is off-white. The eighth circle of Hell takes the form of vast campgrounds upon which travelers rest and delegates from other circles often meet; it's also the only place where no one would raise an eyebrow at the presence of the divine.
At the very edge of Indifferens is the Infernal Court, the barrier between the eighth and ninth circles where the irredeemable are judged. Each Prince has their own purview, though all seven are usually present to handle overlapping sins, and the common thread of each soul judged is that they knowingly and willingly burned down and/or ended lives by choosing evil again and again. An alarming number of so-called "Christians" find themselves here after failing their whole lives to understand that their views/actions only ever caused others misery.
There's a sort of "holding area" that souls to be judged are shuffled into; no matter how long they're made to wait, the sentence is always the same.
--
* Terminus: The no man's land of the ninth circle; a cold, desolate wasteland from which no soul returns. All the water runs black, there is no sky, and upon every surface are glimpses of the shadows of those who were monsters in life. Every now and then, a Prince may take a living human down here to give them closure, or just to prove to them that whoever they wished to see truly belongs here.
At its farthest reaches, there is an onyx wall. Barely visible on the other side of that onyx is Terminus's sole demonic prisoner: Belial, the former Prince of Ira. A tyrant unlike any other, Belial not only overstepped his bounds in Hell, but attempted to expand his influence to Earth; his bloody reign of his captured regions came to an end when Eisheth Zenunim--Queen of Harlots and beloved Superbian varios dancer--escaped his clutches and sought the aid of the fallen angels. Together with the other Princes, they slowly beat Belial into the corner and eventually sealed him into Terminus; Satan landed the final blow, earning him the position of Prince of Ira (after he recovered, of course). Hell was freed and the rest of Earth was spared, though not without a price: many demons and angels were badly injured in the struggle, and Belphagor took the brunt of a psychic blow meant for heavy-hitting Leviathan.
Every now and then, Satan goes down to make sure the seal is holding. Every time, Belial tries to tempt or shame him into undoing it himself--and every time, Satan coldly and without hesitation refuses. Satan is not the only entity that could break the seal--but surely, nobody would be callous or foolish enough to do that, right?..
