Hades
This sprawling metropolis is the heart of Inferno. It might not have the immediate danger of much of the landscape of that plane, but it has all the corruption and threats from other beings. Paranoia and the predators that are other people are some of the biggest dangers.
in some ways, the reason the entities in Inferno are as cruel and terrifying as they are is that they are used to life there, and Hades is a perfect example. Every seedy bar and every dark street has the potential to ruin one's life. The easiest and most common way to deal with this is to take one's anger and frustration out on others. There is an endless cycle of physical and psychological abuse as everyone tries to hurt others more than they hurt themselves. Ultimately, just being in the city makes everyone's outlook bleak and violent without compassion.
Demographics
Roughly a third of the population here are demons of various kinds. About half are souls of the dead who were dragged here after the death of their body. The remaining population consists mostly of beings enslaved by the demons, but there are also a few who are here because they would be shunned anywhere else.
Government
The servants of Asmodeus oversee the practical matters of Hades. The ruler of Cruelty and Lust gives equal attention to providing temptation and punishing anyone who strive to stand above it. The bureaucracy to get anywhere is a nightmare as every demon in control will do its best to take their frustration out on those they can.
Most of the city is in a constant state of disrepair due to only bribery resulting in actual aid. Businesses and people are heavily monitored, unless they pay in services or valuables. More than one soul has offered themselves up in order to survive.
Defences
Nergal police Hades even more than other locations in Inferno as it is a place that spawns corruption, and sometimes that corruption acts against the interests of the Descending Hierarchy. As usual, they follow the principle that everyone is guilty until proven innocent. Since most of the servants are undercover, this results in extreme paranoia, which is exactly how the Infernal Prince wants it.
Infrastructure
The city is a mess as it has been developed according to bribery and the whims of Asmodeus. There is an electrical grid fuelled by power plants of unknown function. It is said that souls are sometimes dragged into such, ever to return and they are the ones who power the city. Still, the grid is unreliable and surges and blackouts are common.
Most other parts of the infrastructure is equally unreliable. The exception is heating, as the ground is always warm from the fires deep beneath the city. Vents in the streets let out the fumes.
The drainage system is quite advanced and has led to some living in the sewers to stay away from oppressors on the surface. The sewage itself empties into the various rivers of Inferno — mainly Styx.
Guilds and Factions
There are too many factions and factions-within-factions for anyone but possibly Lucifer and some Princes to keep track of. Most of the population have to be a member of a faction just to survive, and many secretly join more than one so that they can pick sides if needed.
Loyalty never expected in Hades, but disloyalty always harshly punished. It isn't uncommon to see the body of someone on the spikes that jut out from some buildings.
Tourism
The most common reason for someone from a different plane to visit Hades is to get away from someone or something. But there are a lot of temptations here as well, for those prepared to deal with the corruption, murder, and hate. You can find powerful weapons, useful slaves, and disturbing secrets.
Architecture
Except for the overcast reddish sky, there are few lights in Hades. What street lanterns are there, they seem to be fuelled by feelings of compassion by those nearby, burning any of it away. Some such lanterns have been brought to other planes, but too much of its source of power makes the lantern burn too quickly and get destroyed.
Buildings here stem from every era. It is often obvious how wealthy a district is, as tall skyscrapers and imposing mansions can be seen along the streets of the affluent sections. Other parts are just run-down buildings, decrepit Victorian homes, and rusty industry. Most citizens live in shacks that have been pieced together from older structures. Venues have wooden signs of ages past tempting customers alongside garish neon signs.
Architectural styles are almost entirely twisted versions of what one might have found in a human city on Earth, but rarely taken care of. Also, Hades is always behind trends in all but its richest areas.
Some parts of the city are violent enough to have paths along buildings or streets to let blood flow towards the sewers. There are pikes along sidewalks where the bodies or heads of betrayers are impaled.
Geography
The river Styx flows through Hades. Other than that, tall, jagged mountains that can sometimes be hard to see because of the volcanic ash spewing from several active volcanoes surround the city. The air is hard to breathe and smells faintly of sulphur, though inhabitants quickly grow used to this.
The more open direction away from the expanding city leads to the planes of Abaddon.
Founding Date
~20,000 BCE
Alternative Name(s)
City of Hell
Population
Tens of millions
Inhabitant Demonym
Hadean
Location under
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
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