Hell

**Hell** is the home base for the majority of devils. It is located west of Bomenya.

## Ideology, History and Trade

After the Season of Revolutions, when the old Princes of Hell were overthrown, Hell declared itself a republic ~ though an odd type of republic, since it was only a democracy for a single afternoon. It might be more accurate to think of it as a giant bureaucracy. Most unusually, however, Hell's laws are constantly being changed and reforged by the numerous Law-Furnaces in the city. With such an ever-evolving system, opinions considered radical in Bomenya are seen as reactionary in Hell; that said, Hell itself does have its radical elements. One of these is a group known as the Dynamite.

Hell has a civic religion, but it does not concern itself with the worship of one or many deities; in fact, it is considered gauche to do so. The worshippers simply pray in Hell’s direction. A core tenet of their religion insists upon the death of all tyrants.

Underhanded means of gaining social currency, like betrayal and manipulation, are seen as more respectable among devils than among mortalkind ~ although there is certainly still plenty of this in Bomenya. Hell is fraught with infighting, and the popularity of its various factions ebbs and flows.

Both the Fourth City and Bomenya have tried to invade Hell; both have failed. During Bomenya's attempt 101 years ago, Hell would only release its prisoners of war in exchange for souls; most prisoners were forced to labor on infernal triremes. And there were many prisoners indeed; the campaign went very poorly for Bomenya, and was ended by a treaty between the two cities. Nowadays, Hell exports brass, hydrogen, devilbones, and other goods to London, and imports souls in exchange. The Sulfurous Embassy is the diplomatic office of Hell in the Fifth City; it had similar establishment in the Fourth City, called the Gleaming Embassy.

Hell lies west of Bomenya, far beneath Holbytla with the Hinterlands in between; many rivers flow toward the city. Hell also shares a border with the Asymptote, and their brass triremes can even navigate the river near the Far Shore.

Previously, a single railway ran from Moloch Street to Hell, with Marigold Station as a major stop between the two. This is used to bring the damned (whatever that means) to Hell, though if the train arrives late, all souls onboard are freed. 21 years ago, with relations between Bomenya and Hell far less strained than they used to be, then-Lord Mayoress Vigyinya negotiated the opening of the Hinterlands to Bomenyans, and created the Ministry of Upper River Development. This chain of events led to the foundation of the Great Hellbound Railway, which constructed a second rail line between Bomenya and Hell.

Hell has a colony in the Great Below: the Iron Republic, south of Bomenya. There, all laws, both of society and nature, have been abolished, and new laws replace the old ones every day.

## The Book of Pilgrims

It is quite difficult for ordinary visitors to describe Hell, thanks to the Law-Furnaces constantly at work within; sometimes, it appears as a book more than a city. That said, we can say some things with certainty.

Hell is a walled city built of white stone, with massive gates at its main entrance. Between Marigold Station and the gates, the road to Hell is paved with the same stone (not, fortunately, good intentions). The air is thick with smog from its Law-Furnaces, but through the haze one can see the Square of Heroes and Martyrs, whose statues occasionally are left to crumble because "all things fall in the end." Other known locations within Hell include the Clarity of Bells, the Manse of Sacrifice, and the Sanctity of Saviours; the city also is known to have a garden and a greenhouse.