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Nine Hells

The Nine Hells are the Outer Depths found closest to the Terrestrial Sphere, each a realm of terrible punishment. The Golling flows through each successive layer, transforming in nature (indeed many of the Hells are named after what said river is called), which can be conceived as a twisting serpent coiling around the Pit. Some even conceive of each Hell as associated with a body part: Avernus as the maw, Dis as the brain, Hades as the throat, Phlegethon as the stomach, Kokytos as the heart, Lethe as the gizzard, Stygia as the intestine, Asphodel as the anus, and Caina as the tail.   The Hells are embodied Evil, but also Law due to their proximity to the Lower Throne. When the Pit pierced through the soft belly of the Firmament during the Second World, the Hells formed almost naturally, some say from the dessicated souls of those cast into the Pit during the first Apocalypse. When Asmodeus was cast down from Heaven for good during the dawn of the Third World, he found himself in the Hells and claimed them for his own dominion, and certainly has shaped them, but he does not have complete dominion over them, something that is a source of great consternation for the Great Adversary.   Entering the Nine Hells without the use of magic is only possible by passing the Chthonic Gates, which is a remote but real possibility. Most do so as disembodied souls after their death. Truly wicked individuals aligned with Evil are denied the chance to experience the cleansing purgatory of Tartarus and be reborn, and are cast into the Pit to be devoured. A soul will pass through each successive hell and be tempted to join the service of devils, though only after cruel sentences. Those who agree are transformed into wretched lemures, the "building block" of much of devilkind. If one makes it all the way to Caina without accepting any "penance" from the devils, they fall into the Infinite Abyss, where arguably worse fates await them.

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