I'm trying to do some revision of the Pathfinder Plane of Hell for my custom Pathfinder Roleplaying Game campaign.
Lemme know what you all think of this kay?
I'll start with basic descriptions of the circles of Hell itself:
Avernus: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. These words, inscribed in the language primeval upon the very infinite gates of Hell itself, are strangely decipherable by all, whether by those fluent in the language or not. The Gates of Hell span endlessly across the breath and width of the circle of Avernus, the first circle of hell; a desolate landscape filled with rivers of blood and things that lurk and hunger under a crimson sky filled with falling flaming meteors which explode upon impact with the charred ground. Through the Gates of Hell, an endless chain gang of weeping and bemoaning petitioners is forced to march forward through and yet, at the same time, legions of devils pour outward in rank upon rank to conquer in the name of Hell. The archdevil Barbatos, the Eternal Gatekeeper is the keeper of the keys and lord over this circle of Hell.
Dis: Both an infernal metropolis and a eternal prison, Dis is an entire circle of hell comprised of a literal hellish city (where all manner of devils, diabolists, and worse dwell) and yet at the same time it is a dungeon where petitioners are kept bound by iron manacles and never set free. Petitioners who were jailers or wardens who let their charges languish end up here. Dis is ironically the most habitable of the nine circles of hell yet do not be fooled as danger lurks in the form of countless devil impressment gangs as well as far worse horrors. Furthermore, the iron walls, streets, gates, and grates of the entire city are as hot as tempered steel. The archdevil Dispater, the Iron Duke controls this circle with an iron claw.
Erebus: All that glitters is not gold and money that is “dirty” truly has no worth. These facts are hammered into the souls of petitioners who end up in Erebus; an endless and lightless vault of countless treasures and all of them the property of Hell. Petitioners in this circle of hell are punished for their avarice that they had in life by being chained in the dark and forced to endlessly toil counting, recording, and repositioning the combined wealth of hell. Deities dedicated to lawful greed have their domains here and the circle is under the full control of the Mammon, Archdevil of Avarice.
Phlegethon: Pain and agony is a terrible thing to inflict upon someone else who does not deserve it yet no torturer or sadist can imagine the searing pain of Phlegethon. An endless volcanic wasteland filled with rivers of lava and oceans of molten rock with the occasional continent sized plateau of obsidian. Petitioners who were tortures or out right sadists ends up here and even devils that need to “learn their place” may suffer here as well (by being cast into the dreaded Pit of Festering Flame). This circle is controlled by the archdevil Belial, Lord of Pain.
Stygia: Let all those who sit upon a high place rue the day they wake Leviathan. Stygia, the fifth circle of Hell, is where petitioners who abused their authority or who committed signs of outright envy when they already had all that they needed. An endless turbulent ocean wracked by a thundering stormy sky with the occasional continent sized iceberg that floats upon its surface. More than a few domains of deific patrons to lawful evil aquatic races dwell here and the entire circle is controlled by archdevil Leviathan, the Beholder of All High Things.
Malebolge: An endless steaming jungle filled with colossal beasts that stalk, hunt, and prey upon the endless stream of petitioners here, Malebolge is dotted with continent sized stone cities featuring towering ziggurats and temples all dedicated to lies, heresy, and deception. Liars and deceivers with some sense of working within the law to commit their sins end up here. The plane is home to one or two gods of deceit and is controlled by the archdevil Geryon, the Serpent Sublime.
Caina: No matter how much one obsesses over it, perfection is unknowable, yet as some diabolists say, “the devil is in the details”. Caina is a circle of Hell dedicated to punishing those who perused perfection of their own selfish goals or who ruthlessly went over ever meticulous detail in a contract seeking a way to exploit others for their own good. Petitioners are forced to build perfect cities, towering monuments, and flawless works of art and yet, when finished, their devilish taskmasters deem their near-perfect creations not nearly as flawless as one might think, and thus the petitioners must start over. The landscape is dotted with rubble, strip mines, and endless foundries and construction projects. Yet it is all in vain as no creation can reach the perfection the petitioners hope to achieve. This circle of hell is controlled by Baalzebul; the Lord of the Flies.
Cocytus: As “cold as ice” is a saying used to describe a sociopath, murder, or a tyrant. Yet none can even fathom the cruel cold and indifferent ice that makes of Cocytus, the eight circle of Hell. Here, petitioners who were quite simply cruel and heartless to others have the same done to them. They languish eternally frozen in the ice or dwell admit the frozen tundra and endless icy wastes perpetually hungry, thirsty, and above all else, cold! The archdevil Mephistopheles, the Icy Indifference, rules this circle of hell.
Nessus: Home of the throne of the Overlord of Hell, this circle is his dwelling place, and none enter it without his permission and none even THINK TO ENTER IT without prostrating before him. All devils are but lowly slaves to Asmodeus and yet almost all have never set one foot in the ninth and last circle of Hell, Nessus, and the bottom of the pit. Mortals cannot even gleam any information on this circle of hell (be it with divination magic or via divine aid). Arcane scrying fails outright and the gods do not wish to speak of it. Those few mortals (or even outsiders) who have dared to venture into Nessus (via ancient and obscure means) ramble on about endless armies of pit fiends, chasms and creators dozens or perhaps hundreds of kilometers deep, and a fortresses so utterly massive and horrific that any mortal with any shred of mortality who gazes upon it becomes instantly nauseated.
Next comes the Whore Queens.
Again, let me know what you think.
Here they are:
Ardad Lili: One cannot remain innocent forever and Ardad Lili takes great pleasure in riddling her allies and foes with guilt. She loves to corrupt the souls of the pure hearted and then show them just how far they have fallen before delivering the “final reward” to those who feel the deadly sting of her serpentine kiss.
Doloras: Our Lady of Lust is a pleasure beyond any man has tastes yet at the same time she is damnation eternal. The scion and patrol of the pleasure devils (and some even say their creator), Doloras seeks to pervert love outright by turning love into usury of the body of others and perversion of the flesh and the soul.
Cozbi: Flattery will get you no where, unless of course you’re the whore queen Cozbi; for she knows flattery is merely a way to bide your time whilst you gather intelligence. Queen of spies and mistresses of flatterers, Cozbi is rumored to have created to Deceiver Devils yet all that is known for now is that she remains their patrol.
Xinivrae: Proud as a peacock is a term one can use to describe a women who is vain and above else, proud; Xinivrae relishes seducing those souls the most. Mistress of pride, queen of vanity, and seducer of selfish women; Xinivrae herself is prideful and does not bow to any man save Asmodeus (and even then she does so EXTREMELY reluctantly). Many devils are careful not to “ruffle the feathers” of this whore queen.
Eiseth: Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn and few are able to dish out such fury as Eiseth can. The whore queen of vengeance, scorn, and fury, Eiseth is the undisputed queen of the Erinyes and above all, hates the divine powers of the upper planes of the Multiverse.
Mahathallah: Nothing ever lasts and none know that better than Mahathallah. Once a handmaiden of Pharasma, she once begged her mistresses to show her her own death (a wish that the Raven Queen granted and Mahathallah came to regret). Fleeing to Hell to side with Asmodeus in hopes of avoiding her fate, Mahathallah realizes she is merely on borrowed time and thus cloaks herself (and others) with illusions in an attempt to deny fate.