Sheol

**Sheol**, also known as **Hell**, is a dimensional pocket where Lucifer and his followers were banished after a failed rebellion against Michael. Since then, it receives the souls of humans judge unworthy of the Third Heaven, doomed to spend eternity in a everlasting suffering.

## History

### Creation

Sheol was created on the Second Day of Creation, when the dimensional pockets caused by the rapidly expanding Universe closed off from the rest of the cosmos. The dimension was a completely dark and inhospitable place, containing the corpses of Tehom and her Monster Gods, whereupon Tehom's dark womb became the Abyss of Nymbie, a bottomless pit that leads to a void called Limbo.

### Lucifer's arrival

After losing the rebellion in the Seven Heavens, the archangel Lucifer and his followers (about a third of the angels) were banished to Sheol, still able to retain their spiritual form, unlike the Brotherhood of the Renegades. Upon arriving in the dimension, Lucifer, the most powerful of the fallen, began to reorganize Sheol to satisfy his plans. He kindled the furnaces and volcanoes; he reordered the castes, creating the infernal orders; divided the realms, or "circles", and distributed offices and titles of nobility among his fallen angels.

To help him rule Hell, Lucifer appointed nine fallen angels as dukes and three of them would be archdukes. One of the archdukes was Jezebeth, and in an attempt to seize the Dark Archangel's throne, she convinced the other dukes to bow to her. However, Lucifer had an ace up his sleeve: the Lilim, children of Lilith who were promised land and prestige in Hell in exchange for favors. When the usurpation began, the elite guard made up of Lilim was able to hold back the rebel army and kill Jezebeth.

After Lucifer fell into Sheol and established his infernal domain, the angels decided to send the souls of sinful humans to eternal damnation, which would be led by the Baals, fallen Hashmallim. These newly arrived souls had larval forms; those that escaped predators evolved into slave-spirits, who absolutely served their master. These spirits can recruit themselves from the Raptors, imps that hunt or denounce celestials in Haled to other demons; if successful, they are accepted into one of the infernal orders.

### Liberation War

Being a hellish dimension, made up of corrupt and chaotic beings like the fallen angels, it was to be expected that Sheol would be seething with wars. One of these most impactful conflicts is the Liberation War. As Hell contains a social political structure, dukes and barons are constantly trying to conquer territories, riches and slaves from other nobles. The only one who remains eternal on the throne is Lucifer, both because he is a powerful archangel and because of the guardianship of the Lilim.

## Nine Circles of Hell

Unlike the Seven Heavens, Sheol is a homogeneous dimension, composed of only one layer. Despite this, its inhabitants divided the dimension into nine different realms, called "circles", namely:

### Jahannam, First Circle

Ruled by Asmodeus, it is the most sophisticated circle of Hell, much like Earth in the medieval period, full of arts and good food. In this circle, the Satanis act as feudal lords, relying on a retrograde code of honor.

### Avernus, Second Circle

This circle is ruled by Orion, the Fallen King of Atlantis, who was once ruled by Asmodeus. In a nostalgic tone, Avernus is full of ruins that resemble the old maritime city, but with a dirty and abandoned look. In addition, Orion maintains libraries filled with dark magic tomes and scrolls used by Satanis and manuscripts stolen from the Malakim.

### Gerython, Third Circle

Ruled by Molloch, Gerython is the place of torture for human souls arriving across the River Lethe. The Baals organize themselves into the circle and manage the dungeons of Zandrak, an underground complex of prisons and dungeons.

### Dis, Fourth Circle

This circle is home to the Belials in Hell, who live in apartment complexes in a sprawling city of stone, iron, and concrete. On holidays, demons gather to trade souls, discuss contracts, and report on their earthly adventures. The Duke of this circle is Beelzebub.

### Duzakh, Fifth Circle

Ruled by Bael, the Fifth Circle is where the Fields of Death are, where suicides are sent, and the Abyss of Nymbie, which ends up in Limbo. The Cosmic River known as Cocytus, or River of Lamentations, passes through Duzakh, flows through the Pandemonium and falls into Limbo. The Daimoniuns who live in this circle spend their time encouraging souls to throw themselves into the abyss.

### Caina, Sixth Circle

Home to Duke Mammon the Miserly, the circle contains the souls of gluttons. Because of the demon's great hunger, the damned spend eternity eating and eating nonstop. The River Styx passes through Caina, crossing the Valley of the Damned and passes in front of Lucifer's Cave.

### Malbolge, Seventh Circle

Malbolge is controlled by Alastor the Hateful. Filled with lakes and pools of fire, its convicts are tortured by being submerged in hot lava. The circle contains the Castle of Lux, the political center of Sheol controlled by Lucifer himself. Furthermore, it contains the Court of Currents, in the northern lands, where the satanic inquisitors hold their trials.

### Mephasta, Eight Circle

Mephistopheles, He Who Loves Not the Light, is lord of the eighth circle, a land of fire and darkness. The Duke has a large army at his disposal, ready to attack at his command. Mephasta is crossed by the Eridanus River.

### Zaqqum, Ninth Circle

Zaqqum's territories are currently under the control of Apollyon, Lucifer's most loyal henchman. The last circle is the most violent place in all of Hell, where the most chaotic and bloody of demons has power over others.

## Inhabitants

Sheol has no native inhabitants. Lucifer and his Fallen Angels came from another dimension (Seven Heavens) and since then the souls of humans who sinned in their mortal lives fall in droves into Hell, as they were rejected by Heaven.

* Archangel
	+ Lucifer
* Demons
	+ Fallen Angels
	+ Satanic Orders
* Doomed human souls
	+ Cush
* Raptors
	+ Sirith†
	+ Belfegor†
* Lilim
	+ Inanna†

## Hierarchy

### Lucifer

As an archangel, that is, one of the most powerful beings in the entire Universe, Lucifer retains his supreme powers, ruling hell with an iron fist. Although many tried to usurp his throne, all failed due to his mighty power and the powerful guard of the Lilim.

### Dukes of Hell

> *Main Page: Dukes of Hell*
>
>

#### Formerly

Shortly after the Fall, Lucifer appointed 3 fallen angels as the Archdukes and 9 as the Dukes of Hell, namely:

* Archdukes
	+ Azazel, the Obscure†
	+ Jezebeth, Lady of Plagues†
	+ Samael, the Serpent of the Garden
* Dukes
	+ Bel, Lord of Fire (Jahannam)
	+ Asmodeus, the Forgotten Prince (Avernus)
	+ Molloch, the Executioner (Gerython)
	+ Beelzebub, the Lord of Flies (Dis)
	+ Bael, the Unfortunate (Duzakh)
	+ Mammon, the Miserly (Caina)
	+ Alastor, the Hateful (Malbolge)
	+ Mephistopheles, He Who Doesn't Love the Light (Mephasta)
	+ Nergal, the Dark Hands (Zaqqum)

### Currently

After Jezebeth's defeat and Azazel's death, the trinity of archdukes was dismantled and Samael became Lucifer's closest advisor. Furthermore, after the Liberation War, the Dukes of Hell were also changed, namely:

* Dukes
	+ Asmodeus, the Forgotten Prince (Jahannam)
	+ Orion, the Fallen King of Atlantis (Avernus)
	+ Molloch, the Executioner (Gerython)
	+ Beelzebub, the Lord of Flies (Dis)
	+ Bael, the Unfortunate (Duzakh)
	+ Mammon, the Miserly (Caina)
	+ Alastor, the Hateful (Malbolge)
	+ Mephistopheles, He Who Doesn't Love the Light (Mephasta)
	+ Apollyon, the Destroyer (Zaqqum)

### Other titles

Below the Nine Dukes are the Demon Lords, who in turn command the Seneschals, who in turn command the Servants, masters of spirit slaves and captors.

## Cosmic Routes

Like the Seven Heavens, Sheol is cut by Cosmic Rivers, for example:

### Cocytus

Also known as the River of Lamentations, it flows through Duzakh, the fifth circle of Hell, through Pandemonium and into Limbo.

### Eridanus

The River of Darkness. It starts in Mephasta, the eighth circle of Hell, travels through countless dimensions and crosses with the Styx in the city of Tyia.

### Lethe

Descending from Gehenna, the River Lethe flows into the infernal circle of Gerython, dispatching human souls who have failed to redeem themselves or are too sinful for the Third Heaven.

### Styx

Unlike the Oceanus River, it gives access to the "lower" dimensions and is populated by the mysterious Ferrymen, who guide their passengers along the river. The Styx makes a complete turn through the lower part of the cosmos, crosses the plains of Hades and empties into the abyss of Lethe, located in the Ethereal Plane.

## Trivia

* **Sheol** (Hebrew: שאול; transl.: Sheh-ól or She'ol, lit. "Grave") is the world of the dead in Abrahamic mythology. According to the biblical scriptures, everyone goes to Sheol when they die, both the righteous and the wicked.
	+ The Nine Circles of Hell were inspired by the work of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy. In the poem, Hell is divided into 9 layers, each one intended for a type of punishment for different transgressions.
		- The names of the circles of Sheol refer to other mythologies about Hell, such as:
			* Jahannam is one of the names for the concept of Hell in the Islamic religion.
			* Avernus is the name of a crater in Italy. In the past, it was believed to be the entrance to Hell.
			* Dis comes from the City of Dis, a location described in The Divine Comedy. According to the poem, within the city walls, heretics, murderers, suicides, swindlers and traitors were punished. Its walls were guarded by fallen angels.
			* Duzakh is the name of Hell in Persian mythology.
			* Caina is one of the zones in the Ninth Circle of Hell in the Divine Comedy. The name comes from Cain, son of Adam and Eve.
			* Malbolge (or Malebolge) is the name of the Eighth Circle of Hell in the Divine Comedy.
			* Zaqqum is the name of a thorny tree that grows in Jahannam, the Islamic hell.
* As well as the circles, the names of the Nine Dukes of Hell and the Archdukes are also taken from various mythologies, namely:
	+ Azazel appears in the Bible associated with the scapegoat rite. In some traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam it is the name for a fallen angel.
	+ Jezebeth is known as a demon of lies and deception.
	+ Samael means Poison (Sama) of God (El). He is also called the accuser, seducer, blind-god, and destroyer.
	+ Asmodeus is considered one of the seven angels of hell second only to Lucifer and is associated with the sin of lust.
	+ Molloch (or Moloch) was a deity of the Caanite peoples, transformed into a demon in Christian and Jewish traditions. He is associated with sexual acts and child sacrifice.
	+ Baalzebul (or Beelzebub) was also a pagan deity who was transformed into a demon, popularly known as the Lord of the Flies.
	+ Bael (or Baal) was a pagan deity who was turned into a demon, worshiped by many civilizations in the region of Canaan.
	+ Mammon is a demon associated with money, primarily the sins of greed and avarice.
	+ Alastor means "avenger" in Greek and appears a lot as a name for demons in popular culture.
	+ Mephistopheles is a character from the Middle Ages, known as one of the incarnations of evil, ally of Lucifer and Lucius in capturing innocent souls through seduction.
	+ Nergal (Nirgal or Nirgali) was the god of war and death.
	+ Apollyon (Greek; known as Abaddon in Hebrew) is the fallen angel who guards an eponymous abyss and is king of an army of demonic locusts.