Nine Circles of Hell

The **Nine Circles of Hell** are a group of nine massive flat terrains formed by the emperors that make up Hell's geography.

## Description

The Nine Circles are comprised of nine gargantuan flat terrains that serve as the enclosed prison of sinners and respective kingdoms of the Seven Emperors. Once the foundations of Hell were laid, the Circles were stacked and supported atop of one another using the roots of the Tree of Knowledge, with each of the emperors claiming a Circle for their own based on drawing lots. Only seven of the Circles are ruled by emperors whilst the others are governed by high kings or ministers.

The highest of the Circles is Pride while the lowest is Treachery with the two Circles holding the largest majority of sinners. Sinners in question cannot traverse to a Circle relating to a sin that they did not commit in life in accordance to the laws set forth by the Courts of Hell while native demons can do so freely. However, it is possible for a sinner to enter a Circle that is not among their jurisdiction but to do so they would need proper clearance from the Courts of Hell.

It is shown that the Nine Circles have islands of their own. According to Death, the Nine Circles are the conurbation where everyone gets tortured and almost doing whatever they want during punch in. These chain of islands are called Rings instead of Circles and demons describe them as "rundown college towns". The islands themselves are fragments of the Circles the emperors were making during their little "emo rock out" session and simply could care less about. Most of these islands are inhabited by lesser demons such as imps and Mazzikin.

## Circles

* **Pride**: The uppermost and most populated Circle in all of Hell next to the Ninth Circle itself. Pride is ruled by the Morningstar family which consist of Lucifer, Lilith, and Charlie.
* **Lust**: The second highest Circle beneath Pride. It is made up of brothels, hotels, strip clubs, nightclubs, and adult film industries. Lust is ruled by Asmodeus.
* **Gluttony**: The third highest Circle that is almost entirely food themed and comprised of every sort of meal one could think of. Even simple water systems are replaced with wine. It is ruled by the Beelzé family consisting of Beelzebub, Naamah, and their five children; Jane, Sid, Kade, Aiden, and Bryce
* **Greed**: The fourth Circle and one of the most populated in Hell. It is essentially Hell's version of Las Vegas and is famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels together with their associated activities. It is ruled over by Mammon.
* **Wrath**: The fifth Circle. It is one of the more dangerous of the Circles as its terrains mainly consist of deserts, farms, volcanos, and warzones. Unlike the other Circles it is not governed by an emperor but rather a high king and queen which in this case would be the Iram family; Belial, Agrat, and their son Crowley.
* **Envy**: The sixth Circle. It is mostly an oceanic Circle that is comprised of vast seas. It is dominated by dark purple, grey, and black-colored oceans with few fishing villages stationed on the islands connected to the Circle. It is ruled by Leviathan and his two children Thaumas and Pearl.
* **Sloth**: The seventh and third lowest Circle. It is depicted as an advanced and futuristic kingdom, sporting cyberpunk themes. It is ruled over by the Desidia family consisting of Belphegor, Eisheth, and their son Caliban.
* **Fraud**: The eighth and second lowest Circle. A Circle where hypocrites, thieves, and falsifiers (especially politicians) run amok and are tormented by the Malebranche, Hell's secret police. It is also the second Circle not governed by a royal but instead a prime minister which is Lucifuge Rofocale.
* **Treachery**: The ninth and lowest of the Circles. It is a frigid and cold tundra where sinners rarely, if ever, walk through the Circle like most other sinners in their respective Circles. Treachery is ruled by the Validus family which consist of Satan, Eve, along with their sons and daughters; Lucious, Melinoë, Macaria, and Baal.

## Trivia

* The Nine Circles of Hell are based on the way Hell is depicted in Dante Alighieri's first part of his epic poem dubbed as *Inferno* in the *Divine Comedy*. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric circles of torment located within the Earth; it is the "realm ... of those who have rejected spiritual values by yielding to bestial appetites or violence, or by perverting their human intellect to fraud or malice against their fellowmen".
	+ The only difference between the series's depiction of Hell and Dante's is that Violence and Heresy are referred to as "rings" that are intertwined with a Circle that is similar in vice whereas in the poem they are one of the Nine Circles.