Post by Morty on Jan 10, 2012 22:15:29 GMT -5
Notes on the nature of hell:
Affluence in Hell is based on the number of souls reaped by a group or individual, to which the Prince is entitled a large sum. What qualifies as a reaped soul varies, but usually equates to someone whose demise you have brought about in some way. The princes have the alternate privilege of being able to reap souls that qualify as being guilty of their respective sins. The "worst" sin comitted by a damned soul is the circle that sinner belongs to. So a vain serial killer would not go to Pride, but Wrath instead. Demons working under the banner of a Prince can also claim souls; such as that of their followers and their follower's sacrifices.
Each circle has a number of demon aristocracies, or the equivalent, which are usually just the most powerful or respected demons, where the relationship between power and affluence are pretty much the same. For example a demon with jurisdiction over suicides would be in charge of collecting those souls and part of them would go to the Circle. There are many different jurisdictions and sub-juristictions, and each circle has a vaguely defined norm of how the system works, but pretty much always it's more power = more souls = more power.
Nobles often have their own domain in their circle which they preside over in much the same way as a prince, the amount of leeway they're given depends on the laxness of the prince and the demon's own prowess. It's all fairly convoluted, but you get the idea.
The remaining princes are:
Belphegor
Class: Sloth Demon
Gender: Usually referred to as female
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Acedia
Age: Quite old, perhaps the second-oldest Prince next to Asmodeus.
Wise and pragmatic, Belphegor, as well as being the chief demon of Sloth, is considered the patron demon of inspiration and discovery. She is the least outspoken of the princes; she usually speaks through her priests and priestesses, who protect her sleeping form. It is said that she has spent the last several thousand years dreaming and communing with the outer spirits. As such, those who seek knowledge often pray to her for wisdom. She seems to be more concerned with the affairs of mortals than the running of her kingdom. Most of the other princes regard this as irresponsible, but Asmodeus has taken to defending her while she is "absent"; as ancient demons she and Asmodeus have known eachother a very long time.
Followers, especially priests of Belphegor often cowl themselves in the colours of moths and butterflies. Dead souls take the form of small, white moths, wheeling around the false sun that dimly lights the permanent night of Acedia. Emissaries of Belphegor may also take this form, or that of an owl, when carrying out her will.
Belphegor herself has left the city, though long before the great volcano began erupting. Her silk-wrapped body lies enterred in the great chamber of the moth priest temple, set in what was once a birch copse, on the tallest of the hills surrounding the capital.
The landscape of Acedia itself is usually covered in pristine white ash; it falls as regularly as snow in winter there. The same ash that coats the fields of Acedia also blot out the sky, bringing about an eternal twilight. Instead the land is lit by the natural glow of the massive soul crystal to which the dead belonging to Belphegor are drawn. The crystal floats above the capital, a quiet city of once-tall buildings buried in the ash. This being the domain of Sloth, none of the occupants have yet been bothered to sweep the streets years. The only sign of life is the occasional sloth wraith, sleepwalking through the ash-choked city. Many have simply chosen to fall asleep, awaiting the day their master awakens, and the flap of her wings will sweep away the centuries of ash in one great gust. Out past the capital the ash thins and falls less regularly, and daylight sometimes pierces through the veil. Some cities have been completely buried, with nothing but ash-filled towers remaining above the soot, while others still have formed protective barriers around their domains.
*********
Ba'al
Class: Gluttony Demon
Gender: Prefers to be called Male
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Gula
Age: About middle-aged as far as demons go. XD
Ba'al, named after the original tenant of his position, is a very smug, self-indulgent and falsely magnanimous demon. He considers himself a gentleman and an aristocrat (and a conoisseur of every kind of food under the sun, but that basically went without saying). He can't go anywhere unless accompanied by a gaggle of privileged friends and toadies. The wealthy oligarchy of Gula usually take turns on who gets to be Prince every few hundred years, like a mad teaparty. Though very long-lived the demons of Gula are still susceptible to the more mundane causes of death. The body count for liver failure and ruptured stomach lining combined is staggering. Really.
The prince's partisans have about 8 banquets, feasts and/or buffets daily. Which is even more impressive when you know a day in Gula is only 12 hours long. (How does anyone at all wait 24 hours to have breakfast again? D:) Luckily, food is plentiful. The whole of Gula could probably be fed off the scraps from the Prince's table. No such luck for the damned dead, though, as each day they are forced to watch the denizens gorge themselves on wine and delicacies of every kind from the barred gutter windows of the banquet hall.
Ba'al, unlike most of the demons, doesn't wear a false form, as the pleasure of eating he feels is lost when you're not in your own body. He appears as a fat, distended, 6-limbed eel-like monster, with a mouth full of long, dagger-like teeth that extends almost 2/3rds of the way down his body. Two hollows take the place of his eyes; two tall slits for nostrils and long, prehensile tongue are all he needs to find his way around. What else does one need when all one does is eat?
He is the patron demon of cannibals and those mortals guilty of the act will often claim the voice of Ba'al commanded them to do it.
Ba'al has a tendency to eat his subjects, too, and he has a very strong stomach, so this threat is generally enough to keep the well-fed populace subdued.
If he has to send a message via emissary he usually gets a lesser demon to do it. In formal situations, though, vultures have always been used as the traditional courrier for princes of Gluttony.
The landscape of Gula is all ripe arcadian farmland, exotic jungles, and verdant hills, supplying the capital with the vast amounts of food and wine required to fuel the Prince's mad parties. There are sectors dedicated solely to the growing of foods from a specific world or culture, and miles of vineyards and hop plantations as far as the eye can see. The capital of Gula as a distinctly greco-roman style, replete with white pillars and luxuriant balconies overgrown with grape vines, pomegranate plants, and who knows what else. Though not particularly whimsical Ba'al does tend to change the decorations to suit any particular theme the day's feast might be to suit his fancy, and for the entertainment of his guests.
He gets along well with most of the other princes, but most of them just get fed up with having to deal with a new Prince of Gula every five freakin' hundred years.
*************
Agha
Class: Greed Demon
Gender: Female
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Avaritia
Age: On the young side for a demoness
Agha is a young and impetuous demon of Greed, the eldest of the litter of the last prince of Greed; the title is an inherited one for the princes of this circle. Though long-lived, it is said that the demons of greed were cursed with mortality because they valued material wealth over the wealth of the eternal soul. Many thousands of years have been spent accruing the mind-boggling wealth of the royal bloodline; most of which was acquired through dubious means. Agha takes wealth very seriously. She may accept offerings of gold in exchange for power or good fortune; she has been known to influence the luck of mortals for good or for ill, if wealth hangs in the balance.
Agha has three forms that she favors most: the first is the form of a man with the head of a wolf, the second is a three-headed dog, the third is a black and white bird.
Her circle is similar to Asmodeus's in that it is mostly desert, though through it run huge, sluggish rivers that allow transport between Hell and other worlds. The dead arrive on ships and inhabit the cities and palaces as serfs. The land is fairly fertile thanks to the abundance of water, there are even inland seas nestled among the dunes, and a wilderness of rugged cliffs riddled with extensive caves where shelter can be sought. Every so often the sand gives way to grassy savannahs, and near the edges, where Agha's power wanes, the ground turns into peat bogs and evens out into the Wastes.
Avaritian cities generally follow an Egyptian/Middle-eastern motif. The capital was built around a circular plan, with the great palace of Ashik-hur at the center, its onion-domed roofs and massive central atrium dominating the city skyline. The city was built like a coliseum around the palace proper, with the districts of the well-to-do closer to the center, while eventually tapering out into industrial buildings and shanties. And entire semilunar section of the city's diameter is dedicated to the open market, where innumerable stalls sell goods from the planes of Hell or beyond. This street widens in the daytime to admit the throngs of market-goers, and constricts again during times of little activity. Agha tends to move parts of the city around as it suits her. Her circle is one of the most prosperous and yet the most dangerous as thievery goes basically unpunished until someone needs to be made an example of.
****************
Ahrima
Class: Envy Demon
Gender: Usually depicted as male
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Invidia
Age: Hardly anyone is really sure, he's a shapeshifter, and a damn good one, so who knows if he's the same guy as 5000 years ago. XD
Ahrima is one of the more elusive princes of Hell. At least among those who aren't either sealed away in skulls or taking permanent cat naps. Being a shape-shifter he can be very hard to find at the best of times. Even among the princes his secrets are well-guarded He is, however, quite affable, though this usually comes off more sinister than genuine. Like Belphegor, he is more concerned with the mortal realm than the daily tribulations of Hell. He can be in many places at once, and can assume any shape he wants, and so has little need for consorts or emissaries. This independance makes him untrustworthy by the standards of many princes. This is only worsened by the negative connotation held by Leviathan since ancient history in Hell.
Though able to take any form he chooses, Ahrima often appears as a thin young man in dressed in rags. His real form is a matter of some speculation, and it is said he can only be killed when forced to assume it. This conjecture is enough to throw off most would-be insurgents.
The circle of Invidia rivals Ira itself in desolation. The land is beset by an eternal fog, and the ground is gray and marshy. Still, the damned dead are made to till the dead soil, where nothing but weeds will grow by way of a curse placed on the house of Leviathan. The capital is nothing but a sinking ruin of stone and rotten wood gradually succumbing to the lake that is swallowing it up. If one were to dive into this lake one would only see ruined buildings for miles aound. The wilderness is mostly hollow mountains in the east and deep woods in the west, where the curse's effect is is not as strong. Here an ancient forest grows, overgrown with moss and ivy. It is easy to get lost here. One is just as likely to fall into a rocky chasm as they are to stumble upon an ancient ruin. Few people dare venture far as the forest is unwelcoming, but it is still better than the waterlogged archipelago of the capital and the surrounding grounds.
Affluence in Hell is based on the number of souls reaped by a group or individual, to which the Prince is entitled a large sum. What qualifies as a reaped soul varies, but usually equates to someone whose demise you have brought about in some way. The princes have the alternate privilege of being able to reap souls that qualify as being guilty of their respective sins. The "worst" sin comitted by a damned soul is the circle that sinner belongs to. So a vain serial killer would not go to Pride, but Wrath instead. Demons working under the banner of a Prince can also claim souls; such as that of their followers and their follower's sacrifices.
Each circle has a number of demon aristocracies, or the equivalent, which are usually just the most powerful or respected demons, where the relationship between power and affluence are pretty much the same. For example a demon with jurisdiction over suicides would be in charge of collecting those souls and part of them would go to the Circle. There are many different jurisdictions and sub-juristictions, and each circle has a vaguely defined norm of how the system works, but pretty much always it's more power = more souls = more power.
Nobles often have their own domain in their circle which they preside over in much the same way as a prince, the amount of leeway they're given depends on the laxness of the prince and the demon's own prowess. It's all fairly convoluted, but you get the idea.
The remaining princes are:
Belphegor
Class: Sloth Demon
Gender: Usually referred to as female
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Acedia
Age: Quite old, perhaps the second-oldest Prince next to Asmodeus.
Wise and pragmatic, Belphegor, as well as being the chief demon of Sloth, is considered the patron demon of inspiration and discovery. She is the least outspoken of the princes; she usually speaks through her priests and priestesses, who protect her sleeping form. It is said that she has spent the last several thousand years dreaming and communing with the outer spirits. As such, those who seek knowledge often pray to her for wisdom. She seems to be more concerned with the affairs of mortals than the running of her kingdom. Most of the other princes regard this as irresponsible, but Asmodeus has taken to defending her while she is "absent"; as ancient demons she and Asmodeus have known eachother a very long time.
Followers, especially priests of Belphegor often cowl themselves in the colours of moths and butterflies. Dead souls take the form of small, white moths, wheeling around the false sun that dimly lights the permanent night of Acedia. Emissaries of Belphegor may also take this form, or that of an owl, when carrying out her will.
Belphegor herself has left the city, though long before the great volcano began erupting. Her silk-wrapped body lies enterred in the great chamber of the moth priest temple, set in what was once a birch copse, on the tallest of the hills surrounding the capital.
The landscape of Acedia itself is usually covered in pristine white ash; it falls as regularly as snow in winter there. The same ash that coats the fields of Acedia also blot out the sky, bringing about an eternal twilight. Instead the land is lit by the natural glow of the massive soul crystal to which the dead belonging to Belphegor are drawn. The crystal floats above the capital, a quiet city of once-tall buildings buried in the ash. This being the domain of Sloth, none of the occupants have yet been bothered to sweep the streets years. The only sign of life is the occasional sloth wraith, sleepwalking through the ash-choked city. Many have simply chosen to fall asleep, awaiting the day their master awakens, and the flap of her wings will sweep away the centuries of ash in one great gust. Out past the capital the ash thins and falls less regularly, and daylight sometimes pierces through the veil. Some cities have been completely buried, with nothing but ash-filled towers remaining above the soot, while others still have formed protective barriers around their domains.
*********
Ba'al
Class: Gluttony Demon
Gender: Prefers to be called Male
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Gula
Age: About middle-aged as far as demons go. XD
Ba'al, named after the original tenant of his position, is a very smug, self-indulgent and falsely magnanimous demon. He considers himself a gentleman and an aristocrat (and a conoisseur of every kind of food under the sun, but that basically went without saying). He can't go anywhere unless accompanied by a gaggle of privileged friends and toadies. The wealthy oligarchy of Gula usually take turns on who gets to be Prince every few hundred years, like a mad teaparty. Though very long-lived the demons of Gula are still susceptible to the more mundane causes of death. The body count for liver failure and ruptured stomach lining combined is staggering. Really.
The prince's partisans have about 8 banquets, feasts and/or buffets daily. Which is even more impressive when you know a day in Gula is only 12 hours long. (How does anyone at all wait 24 hours to have breakfast again? D:) Luckily, food is plentiful. The whole of Gula could probably be fed off the scraps from the Prince's table. No such luck for the damned dead, though, as each day they are forced to watch the denizens gorge themselves on wine and delicacies of every kind from the barred gutter windows of the banquet hall.
Ba'al, unlike most of the demons, doesn't wear a false form, as the pleasure of eating he feels is lost when you're not in your own body. He appears as a fat, distended, 6-limbed eel-like monster, with a mouth full of long, dagger-like teeth that extends almost 2/3rds of the way down his body. Two hollows take the place of his eyes; two tall slits for nostrils and long, prehensile tongue are all he needs to find his way around. What else does one need when all one does is eat?
He is the patron demon of cannibals and those mortals guilty of the act will often claim the voice of Ba'al commanded them to do it.
Ba'al has a tendency to eat his subjects, too, and he has a very strong stomach, so this threat is generally enough to keep the well-fed populace subdued.
If he has to send a message via emissary he usually gets a lesser demon to do it. In formal situations, though, vultures have always been used as the traditional courrier for princes of Gluttony.
The landscape of Gula is all ripe arcadian farmland, exotic jungles, and verdant hills, supplying the capital with the vast amounts of food and wine required to fuel the Prince's mad parties. There are sectors dedicated solely to the growing of foods from a specific world or culture, and miles of vineyards and hop plantations as far as the eye can see. The capital of Gula as a distinctly greco-roman style, replete with white pillars and luxuriant balconies overgrown with grape vines, pomegranate plants, and who knows what else. Though not particularly whimsical Ba'al does tend to change the decorations to suit any particular theme the day's feast might be to suit his fancy, and for the entertainment of his guests.
He gets along well with most of the other princes, but most of them just get fed up with having to deal with a new Prince of Gula every five freakin' hundred years.
*************
Agha
Class: Greed Demon
Gender: Female
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Avaritia
Age: On the young side for a demoness
Agha is a young and impetuous demon of Greed, the eldest of the litter of the last prince of Greed; the title is an inherited one for the princes of this circle. Though long-lived, it is said that the demons of greed were cursed with mortality because they valued material wealth over the wealth of the eternal soul. Many thousands of years have been spent accruing the mind-boggling wealth of the royal bloodline; most of which was acquired through dubious means. Agha takes wealth very seriously. She may accept offerings of gold in exchange for power or good fortune; she has been known to influence the luck of mortals for good or for ill, if wealth hangs in the balance.
Agha has three forms that she favors most: the first is the form of a man with the head of a wolf, the second is a three-headed dog, the third is a black and white bird.
Her circle is similar to Asmodeus's in that it is mostly desert, though through it run huge, sluggish rivers that allow transport between Hell and other worlds. The dead arrive on ships and inhabit the cities and palaces as serfs. The land is fairly fertile thanks to the abundance of water, there are even inland seas nestled among the dunes, and a wilderness of rugged cliffs riddled with extensive caves where shelter can be sought. Every so often the sand gives way to grassy savannahs, and near the edges, where Agha's power wanes, the ground turns into peat bogs and evens out into the Wastes.
Avaritian cities generally follow an Egyptian/Middle-eastern motif. The capital was built around a circular plan, with the great palace of Ashik-hur at the center, its onion-domed roofs and massive central atrium dominating the city skyline. The city was built like a coliseum around the palace proper, with the districts of the well-to-do closer to the center, while eventually tapering out into industrial buildings and shanties. And entire semilunar section of the city's diameter is dedicated to the open market, where innumerable stalls sell goods from the planes of Hell or beyond. This street widens in the daytime to admit the throngs of market-goers, and constricts again during times of little activity. Agha tends to move parts of the city around as it suits her. Her circle is one of the most prosperous and yet the most dangerous as thievery goes basically unpunished until someone needs to be made an example of.
****************
Ahrima
Class: Envy Demon
Gender: Usually depicted as male
Rank: Prince of Hell
Circle: Invidia
Age: Hardly anyone is really sure, he's a shapeshifter, and a damn good one, so who knows if he's the same guy as 5000 years ago. XD
Ahrima is one of the more elusive princes of Hell. At least among those who aren't either sealed away in skulls or taking permanent cat naps. Being a shape-shifter he can be very hard to find at the best of times. Even among the princes his secrets are well-guarded He is, however, quite affable, though this usually comes off more sinister than genuine. Like Belphegor, he is more concerned with the mortal realm than the daily tribulations of Hell. He can be in many places at once, and can assume any shape he wants, and so has little need for consorts or emissaries. This independance makes him untrustworthy by the standards of many princes. This is only worsened by the negative connotation held by Leviathan since ancient history in Hell.
Though able to take any form he chooses, Ahrima often appears as a thin young man in dressed in rags. His real form is a matter of some speculation, and it is said he can only be killed when forced to assume it. This conjecture is enough to throw off most would-be insurgents.
The circle of Invidia rivals Ira itself in desolation. The land is beset by an eternal fog, and the ground is gray and marshy. Still, the damned dead are made to till the dead soil, where nothing but weeds will grow by way of a curse placed on the house of Leviathan. The capital is nothing but a sinking ruin of stone and rotten wood gradually succumbing to the lake that is swallowing it up. If one were to dive into this lake one would only see ruined buildings for miles aound. The wilderness is mostly hollow mountains in the east and deep woods in the west, where the curse's effect is is not as strong. Here an ancient forest grows, overgrown with moss and ivy. It is easy to get lost here. One is just as likely to fall into a rocky chasm as they are to stumble upon an ancient ruin. Few people dare venture far as the forest is unwelcoming, but it is still better than the waterlogged archipelago of the capital and the surrounding grounds.
