Seven Cities of Hell
The last plane of law, the Seven Cities of Hell was among the lowest of the lower planes.[1]
A realm of devils proud of their civilization, the Seven Cities were each ruled by an archduke who schemes to ascend to the Throne of Hell. Living in a world of bureaucratic law, the devil denizens of Hell have little interest in other planes. Life is so much more interesting down here.[1]
The seven dukes of hell conspired together once, agreeing to create the Order of Desolation, also known as the Illriggers. An order created with the purpose of serving Hell first and their patron archdevil second.[2] Doing so was meant to extend their power into the Timescape, and to defend the Seven Cities from the demon hordes below.[1]
Bureaucracy
Workers of hell's civil service, or, as it was better known "the trade", spend their days hoping or scheming for promotion.[3] Draconian chains of command placed each devil in service to a higher authority - typically a more powerful devil.
While lawful, they were always looking for another way up the ladder, being able to twist every rule and take advantage of any loophole in order to gain power.[4] A quick path up was through the Exchange.
Exchange
Mortals in the Mundane World who performed the right rituals could summon a devil (who signed up for the service ahead of time), who bargained with the supplicant on behalf of their archdevil. Archdevils could grant temporary worldly power in exchange for a supplicant's soul, with the summoned devil acting as a broker.[3]
Seven Cities
Gehennom, City of Darkness
Ruled by Belial. Origin of the Wheel of Gehennom.[2]
Sheol, City of Death
Ruled by Moloch. Origin of the Chariot of Sheol.[citation needed]
Kasyrgan, City of Pain
Ruled by Baal. Origin of the Wall of Kasyrgan.[citation needed]
Styx, City of Lies
Ruled by Moloch. Origin of the River of Styx.[2]
Acheron, City of Fear
Ruled by Asmodeus. Origin of the Chain of Acheron.[2]
Dis, City of War
Ruled by Dispater. Origin of the Tower of Dis.[2]
Naraka, City of Blood
Ruled by Astaroth. Origin of the Gate of Naraka.[2]
Other Places
Eighth City Advocacy Services (ECAS)
A demiplane within the Seven Cities of Hell. A place of business where devils offered contractual, legal, and advocacy services to desperate creatures in need of deal.[6]
Here ruled and dwelt Infernal Chancellor Lazivos.[6]
Lazivos had many contacts and deals with solicitors, banks and other businesses across the Timescape. These then had a private consulting room with a silver-framed painting of a handsome human (Lazivos depicted as if he were a human). If one of their client needed the very best service, a simple ritual can be performed to turn the painting into a portal.[6]
There were also many entrances that could be found all over the Seven Cities of Hell. Simply opening a door lead to the foyer.[6]
ECAS's part which was open to any creature was called the Office. But it also contained a secret, concealed part, the Agency which functioned as Lazivo's headquarters and extensive intelligence gathering and "reputation management" operations.[6]
This demiplane had interwoven into it magic which soul-minded pieces of information from the creature's mind and transmitted them to the archivists in the Vault of Leverage.[6]
People
The native ancestry to the Seven Cities of Hell are devils.[3]
People from the Seven Cities of Hell
- Infernal Chancellor Lazivos[4]
- Riyalkin[3]
- Lady Dazran[2]
- Arzarach, merchant[7]
Anjal
The dominant language in the Seven Cities of Hell.[8]
It is also known as the Language of contracts. contract law isn't written purely in Anjal, but a lot of legal jargon in any contract, as well as some of the language of trial courts, feature many Anjal words. The Seven Cities' bureaucratic nature and its inhabitants' attention for detail made their language popular among lawyers.[8]
Anjal is also related to the Hobgoblin language, in which most lore about Zodiakol, the Bloodmetal, is written.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules for Patreon Packet July 2024 (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 10, 11. Retrieved on 2024-07-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Matthew Colville, et al. The Illrigger. (MCDM Productions).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules for Patreon Packet July 2024 (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 15, 16. Retrieved on 2024-07-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Matthew Colville, et al. Flee, Mortals!. (MCDM Productions), pp. 64.
- ↑ Matthew Colville, et al. The Illrigger. (MCDM Productions), pp. 25.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Matthew Colville, et al. Where Evil Lives. (MCDM Productions), pp. 193-207.
- ↑ Matthew Colville, et al. The Illrigger. (MCDM Productions), pp. 39.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Matthew Colville, et al. Draw Steel Rules for Patreon Packet July 2024 (PDF). (Patreon), pp. 88. Retrieved on 2024-07-29.