The Divine Comedy: Tales from The Inferno (IC)

[Legens Legentis]

"IN the midway of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray
Gone from the path direct: and e'en to tell
It were no easy task, how savage wild
That forest, how robust and rough its growth,
Which to remember only, my dismay
Renews, in bitterness not far from death.
Yet to discourse of what there good befell,
All else will I relate discover'd there.
How first I enter'd it I scarce can say,
Such sleepy dullness in that instant weigh'd
My senses down, when the true path I left,
But when a mountain's foot I reach'd, where clos'd
The valley, that had pierc'd my heart with dread,
I look'd aloft, and saw his shoulders broad
Already vested with that planet's beam,
Who leads all wanderers safe through every way."

-Dante Alighieri

Alas, what a sad truth it is that all life must one day end. Beyond our mortal scope of vision lies three realms of existence that transcend time and space. There is The Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise. The worst of mortal souls are tormented within the dark depths of The Inferno, Purgatory for the morally neutral, and Paradise has been set aside for the righteous and the brave. It was Dante who became the first mortal soul to escape the putrid pits of The Inferno and find his way to Paradise.

As inconvenient it may sound, you are dead. Something is off when you notice the lack of the Pearly Gates, and instead find the demon Charon ready to ferry you into The Inferno, where King Minos the serpent judge decides what circle to cast you in.

It can be said that Divine Judgement has cast your soul down to the dreaded, everlasting, fire. There are spirits and demons down there, as well as other sinners. It is your goal to escape The Inferno and enter Paradise. Or, if you don't mind an eternity of darkness, perhaps the Devil would be entertained by your company? After all, the Prince of Darkness himself would gladly enjoy more demonic souls to join his army. There are others who share your goal to escape, and you must make the fateful choice of helping them, or sending them down further into the fires. What will you decide?

Circles of The Inferno

1. Limbo: A place for those who are neither good nor evil and those who wasted their lives doing nothing. King Minos judges the new-coming souls and their punishment.
Torture: Stung by wasps and forced to chase after a flag
2. Lust: Whoever lived their lives with an undying hunger for pleasure will find themselves cast about the eternal storm.
Torture: Thrown into a black hurricane
3. Gluttony: The foul sinners who did nothing but bask in food and drink are the favorite meal for the equally foul Cerberus.
Torture: Never-ending rain of hail and putrid slush
4. Greed: Mortals who have gathered great wealth at the expense of others shall be punished for their desire of earthly material.
Torture: Forced to push boulders up an eternal mountain and boiled in gold
5. Anger: The humans who showed no compassion for their fellow mortals, and only anger, shall face their sentence in the murky waters of this circle.
Torture: Dragged to the bottom of an ocean of conflict, where those on top fight to breathe
6. Heresy: Quite obviously, it is the heretics who are tormented down here. The geography of this circle has been an enigma for centuries. This circle contains the hottest fires in all of The Inferno.
Torture: Trapped in flaming tombs
7. Violence: In this horrific circle, the Minotaur guards the souls of humans that have committed violence against others and themselves.
Torture: Trees of sorrow are to grow from flesh until the sinner becomes one with the Forest of Pain. These trees are then are fed upon by Harpies.
8. Fraud: Liars, hypocrites, and thieves are given their special brand of everlasting torment. For whatever their sin in life was, so shall be their punishment in The Inferno.
Torture: Marched by demons while being whipped, having their heads snapped backwards, and thrown into a boiling lake
9. Treachery: Within the circle of Treachery lies the Giants and Titans of myth and legend. Humans that have actively turned against their own community face the consequences of their actions here within this icy realm. Satan is the most infamous resident here, and he is the most tortured being in all of the Inferno.
Torture: Frozen within icy lakes and devoured by Lucifer's true and monstrous form.

A Guide to Purgatory

Purgatory, otherwise known as Mt. Purgatorio, is a massive obstacle for the souls reaching salvation. It consists of seven Terraces for whoever belongs there as well as an Ante-Purgatory. The realm itself is where the brave survivors of The Inferno traverse in order to reach Paradise. It acts as the only realm in which the stay is not forever-lasting.
Ante-Purgatory: The Excommunicate- The terrace dedicated to mortals whom deprived themselves of spiritual enlightenment.
The Late Repentant- Unsurprisingly, those who had reached divine truth far too late were subject to the struggle of climbing Mt. Purgatorio.
Purgatory:
1. The Proud: Ye who display pride to their meager accomplishments are first sent here.
2. The Envious: The jealous are placed within this terrace, for they showed contempt towards others.
3. The Wrathful: Even acts of wrath made in good judgement are not looked upon kindly.
4. The Slothful: Laziness had prevented these people from achieving any true progress in life.
5. The Covetous: Although these souls loved many things, their passion had become their undoing.
6. The Gluttonous: Like in The Inferno, souls who found comfort in food and drink only are cast down.
7. The Lustful: In ignorance, mortals sent here had acted only for their thirst for pleasure.

On top of Mt. Purgatory lies The Garden of Eden. Whoever conquers the depths of The Inferno and Purgatory shall be given glory and peace within the Garden, and by finding peace, they shall ascend into the wondrous realm of Paradise.

Special Locations of The Underworld

Pandæmonium: In the 9th circle lies the largest city in all of The Inferno. This monolithic place is where Lucifer controls every demon in his army, and only the most loyal of demons are allowed to live there. It was built by fallen angels to glorify the devil and his dark deeds.
Dis: The walls of this city spread across every circle from Heresy to Treachery. Even here souls are granted no rest, and here they "live" to serve their demonic masters. Only madness lurks within this city. It is oddly shaped like an inverted cone, to express the descent of misery down in The Inferno, and beneath it lies Lucifer in his true form. The City of Dis burns brightly with the sins of many.
Castle of Pagans: It seems as though Limbo is the only place in which certain humans are exempt from punishment. This castle is a parody of heaven, built to house great mortals like Socrates or Plato. As those outside the castle run away from swarms of wasps, the philosophies of ancient times perform eternal discussion within.
Acheron: Before any soul can be taken down into The Inferno, they must first cross the river of Acheron. The demon Charon guides all sinners across his ship once they enter the gates of the cold, the hot, and the everlasting darkness.
Titan's Rapture: An entire valley within the wasteland of the 9th circle holds the ancient titans from a time long-forgotten, such as Goliath. The titans are chained down to the rocks and ice as a reminder of their pride in life and cruel dominance over humans.
Cocytus: A frozen river in which souls swim into the 9th circle. It contains horrid creatures under the snow and ice, ready to consume any unfortunate human who they drag under.
Phlegethon: A literal river of fire that leads into the 6th circle. The flames that scorch the crossing souls are nothing but a candle compared to what awaits them on the other side.
Lethe: A river beside the 3rd circle, Lethe is a stream in which its waters force souls to lose their memories temporarily. It is a great burden to cross it, for many simply forget why they needed to get across in the first place.
Styx: A mighty river of whose infamy was told by the ancient Greeks. It flows into the 5th circle. The river Styx can inject extreme and irrational hatred into those who make contact with the water.

My Character Application

C.S.-Other Races
Name: Lucifer
Appearance:

Race: Demon
Personality: Viciously cunning and ruthless, Lucifer seeks total domination over all souls. He is deceptive and rebellious, as well as wrathful. Even the slightest sign of disobedience can force him to go ballistic.
Back-story: Made on the Second Day of Creation, Lucifer was created as the most beautiful angel in all of Heaven. Due to his charm and intelligence, Lucifer was beloved by many of God's angels. Of course, his ego grew to such a size that Lucifer considered himself superior to The Creator and all of creation. God was displeased with Lucifer's arrogance, and so He forced the devil to bow before the newly-made Adam and Eve.

Lucifer was stunned that God would force him to bow before these creatures. After all, he was crafted from smoke, while humans were made from earthly clay. Surely he was superior! When Lucifer refused to submit to humanity, he was banished from Heaven. With his army of fallen angels at his side, Lucifer waged war against God and humanity. When he was defeated, Lucifer fell down to the Earth as a shooting star; thus his name meaning "Bringer of Light". The crater left behind by the impact of Lucifer's fall into The Inferno resulted in Mt. Purgatorio's formation.

This would not be the end for Lucifer. While trapped within The Inferno, he took the form of a serpent to deceive Adam and Eve. When they bit the fruit of the Forbidden Tree, Lucifer was granted immense power over mortals. He turned The Inferno into a place of punishment for the very people he tricked and corrupted. Now, Lucifer desires to grow his demonic army and try once more to claim Heaven and take down his Creator once and for all.
Reasons for traveling to The Inferno: Lucifer is the King of The Inferno. He has been there ever since he was cast from Heaven by the Archangel Michael and God themselves. His only purpose now is to ensure the full corruption of humanity and the everlasting torture of every soul.

 

[Legens Legentis]

Lucifer opened his blazing eyes to greet another miserable day, only to be met with the freezing cold of the 9th circle. His punishment was the most morbid in all of The Inferno; Lucifer was condemned to an eternity away from the throne of Paradise. There was no peace down here. Little did the other demons and sinners have any idea of Lucifer's true form, for it was a three-headed beast unlike any other heathen creature down in the eternal fires. Every waking moment was spent thrashing the skulls of Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. Was this to be the fate of the Angel of Light?

"These souls bore me, I thirst for entertainment..." Lucifer ripped out his heart, and it released a black smog from the leaking arteries.

The devil had thrown his spirit out from his body, which sat frozen on a wretched throne of ice. The screams of the three worst sinners in all of history made for delightful music. In his shade form, Lucifer could travel the entire Inferno if he chose to. But even then, he could still feel the pain being inflicted on his body, just as everyone else here. Lucifer walked across the ice and gazed towards the souls trapped beneath his feet. He grinned at the miseries of the mortal treacherous.

"But at least I'm not the only victim of His will. You shall stay here for eternity!" he gloated and grinned further from their sobs of woe. Walking over to the nearest frozen limb protruding from the ice, Lucifer crushed it with the might of his heel. The blood froze red solid and the winds encrusted it down. "Surely there must be more down here. New souls to torment, I shall seek them,"

 

[MagnoliaSweet]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The scent of the flowers were sweet and bitter, the rotting of the fruit laying on the ground masked the sweetness of the air, or was it the flowers? Scents confused Enjeru now, ever since she was turned into one of God's angels. She had figured out that the scent of the others realms were not like the ones on earth, they had there own uniqueness to them.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]As with all angles, they are given a name when they are given their power from God. Enjeru was the name given to her, it meant Angel in her homeland back at earth. Her name on earth was not supposed to be used, it was disrespectful to the One True Lord who had given her this power. She looked back at her feathery white wings, that she had to get used to. The pair of wings twitched as the wind blew on them. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Atop Mt. Purgatorio she was at in a beautiful garden that was filled with fruit trees, blue and red flowers, and beautiful paved walkways of gold and silver. The wind blew her white dress-like garb that she was wearing. The wind was gustful as ever at the top of the mountain, the wind was a sign of coming danger. She must get moving if she is ever to get to Inferno where she is to save the souls condemned to the same fate as she. Heresy.[/BCOLOR]

 

[Legens Legentis]

The devil felt the bitter tundra bite at his feet, and his wings were nearly white from the flakes of burning snow. It reminded Lucifer of his time in the kingdom of Paradise. He snarled in contempt. Across the demon king was Titan's Rapture, home of dead giants and other massive creatures. They too felt the torments of the cold thrust down on them by the raging winds of the 9th circle. Lucifer held the objective in his mind: the city of Pandæmonium. It was the only way Lucifer could get to the other circles. Well, it wasn't a direct path, but through the capital of The Inferno the devil could arrive to Dis. He had no plan after that, but it was better than spending another thousand years down in the circle of traitors. "I feel the presence of Paradise above me," Lucifer growled. He felt as though God was sending something down into his kingdom. Lucifer cast out the thought and he pressed on his journey. Other demons watched from cracks in the walls of ice. They stared intently as their master walked forward with the rage of an army. Lucifer would be sure that nothing stopped his conquest, absolutely nothing.

 

[RafaDark]

Using the demon to open the Hell's Door, RafaDark saw the souls of humans fall from the black empty space that was in front of him. Looking down, he could see the Limbo, when RafaDark tried to look more close to it, he could see the souls being "categorized" by some kind of demon or something, when he was looking to that scene, the demon that was guarding the door "helped" him to get a closer view of it by pushing him with one of his hoof legs. While RafaDark was falling, he could hear the screams of pain and horror of the souls and he saw the perfect place to land, he landed painfully in a stone ground in the Limbo.


((Sorry for not posting, my net don't help and i was not having any idea of how to begin...))

 

[MagnoliaSweet]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent]Enjeru [/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Enjeru spread her beautiful wings of marble white feathers and flapped them so that she soared down the mountain at a tremendous pace. The wind blew in Enjeru's plain face, her long brown hair swayed gracefully. She saw the ground and flapped her wings to slow her descent, she was only a few feet from the ground when Enjeru saw Melancholy. She set her bare foot upon of the on the paved streets of the town.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She walked down the streets and she saw the citizens of town, they stared in presence. The walkways were filled with Forsaken which looked like normal humans. She didn't like to be stared at, it was impolite and rude. But she needed supplies from a old friend who lived in the town, her dead uncle Tomiyuki. She felt sad when her uncle died, he was a comical and sincere man. Enjeru wasn't sure why he didn't go to paradise. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent][BCOLOR=transparent] Moriko[/BCOLOR][/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]The pain was unbearable, Moriko could feel a deep sting in every part of her body. She felt that she was on the brink of shedding tears, but somehow they didn't come out. The circle Moriko was in was the 6th circle of heresy. The circle was a large tomb, that covered her on every side. Moriko was condemned here by being in a cult one that made her participate in a mass suicide. She was sure that this was hell, the fire, the demons, the torturer. But there was something she wasn't sure about, those darn forsaken ears and tail that she had on her.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She wasn't alone here of course, a demon had come to prey on her defenselessness. The demon had gotten out a large whip and started to snap it at her. She was still not crying. Though the fact she was being whipped, naked, and feeling complete pain throughout her whole body. She hoped somehow that she could leave this wretched place. Her two cat ears twitched she could sense something coming.[/BCOLOR]

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

Frankie Harrold
Human- Purgatory​

As Frankie looked at the very edge of the Inferno that was hell, her heart broke for the souls that screamed. It was a never ending and horrific sound, something she knew she would never get used to. However, she forced herself to, not even considering making the hike up the mountain for the guilt she felt weighed her down. It wasn't that she feared failure, it was that she felt she deserved the pain that she felt from her spot on the edge. How had she participated in condemning so many of these souls to an eternity in hell? As a pimp she had participated in allowing lust to reign men and women alike, and she profited from it! It was a mystery she had never understood, why she wasn't shoved into the deepest ring of hell to be tortured by Lucifer himself?

She thought of the girl, Jamie Stardust is what her customers called her but Lucy was her real name, who she had taken the job from. Lucy was a hard worker, doing what she did to get ahead in the world and acquire the wealth she had been deprived of her whole life. By the 'good lords' laws she would have been condemned for living a life of greed, but there was absolutely no way to justify condemning some to an eternity based off of her measly 19 years. That was another reason that Frankie forced herself into her own personal hell, her hate for Heaven. How dare they reject souls for an eternity, knowing damn well what they were forcing them to, based off of a tiny lifetime of incomparable pain and fear.

She saw a man land in Limbo(@RafaDark), large wings and all, and wondered lightly about him. Every day was the same here in the afterlife, souls come and get categorized, and then the souls receive the treatment it was determined they deserved. There wasn't much change, but he looked different. There was something about him that made her think, really think.
​

Kid
Forsaken​

Kid stretched his wings as he stood near the top of Mt. Purgatorio, ready to fly down. He enjoyed the activity and was sick of the time he had just spent in 'Paradise'. He knew, logically of course, that the reason he did not stay in one realm of the afterlife was due to his heritage, forever torn between the two opposing forces, but he couldn't help but view it as a personal preference. He thought of this as he descended the great length of the mountain. It was a while but when he got to the stone of Limbo he wasn't the only to land.

He looked over at RafaDark (@RafaDark) with curiosity, wondering what he was doing here. He had overheard some demon talking about this kid, a half human half demon hybrid. He hadn't heard anything about the kid dying though, and wondered why on earth he would come to the afterlife. He couldn't honestly expect to get into Heaven could he?

"Yo," Kid said, walking up to him(@RafaDark). "You need help?" You look like you do.. His mind wandered to Frankie as he spoke to the boy, he had promised her he'd see her after he got out of Heaven (he was still trying to convince her to go at least to the upper levels of purgatory) but this was important.​

 

[Legens Legentis]

Pandæmonium had lived up to its namesake when Lucifer arrived. The demons there were highly unstable, just has he had wanted. They chanted and howled in pain and pride as their king walked in their presence. No one had seen the devil walk in this city since the meeting of the Infernal Council centuries ago. Lucifer's former throne sat atop a massive stone orb in the heart of the city. Previously the demons were much more careful in keeping out the bitter cold from the halls of Pandæmonium, but even now the walls were encrusted with sharpened icicles. The souls of traitors were thrown onto the ones that pointed upwards, just so their laments could reach heaven itself. Lucifer thrust his dark wings in the city walkway. The sheer power threw several humans from their entrapment in the ice and rock beneath the devil's feet. Several demons flew by and dragged them down into crevices, their pleas for mercy becoming worthless. It had been quite some time since the demons of Pandæmonium had devoured a traitor's soul, and now was their perfect chance. A pulse went through Lucifer's mind, distracting him from the wondrous sounds of souls being consumed. It was almost as though there were beings entering his realm, yet not from paradise. After all, the portal to Purgatory was across from Lucifer's throne.

"Demons of The Inferno, scatter from my sight before I impale you with your own spines!" he roared to his most loyal demons.

They obeyed and flew to the spires around the walls of the city. Eventually Lucifer came to the ceiling of the 9th circle, and he sent his claws running through the stone above his head. A stream of boiling water poured through the cracks, scorching the devil mockingly. The water froze upon contact with the ice. With simple brutality, he had now carved a path into the other circles of The Inferno.

 

[RafaDark]

When RafaDark hit the ground, he begin cursing the demon that tossed him in there with a mumbling voice. When he was trying to get up, from nowhere, he heard a voice of a man. He really thought it was strange to someone say yo in a place like that but he didn't care, he was totally hurt from the fall and needed a little help. "Yo, yes i would appreciate a help..." he responded trying to put his hand up to compliment that guy but a loud sound of bone cracking didn't let him. "DAMN!!!...I hate gravity..." he thought as he tried to get up from the ground to see who was that guy, lifting his head from the ground, he saw it was a human in appearance not a demon he thought that the guy would be "what? a human? this is not hell? why there is a human walking around here?" he thought as his hands tried to lift him up of the ground but the sound of bone cracking and him cursing the pain was not letting him get up.

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

Kid
Forsaken​

"Yo, yes i would appreciate a help..."

Kid sighed and squatted down next to @RafaDark. The hybrid wasn't doing too well, that much was obvious. From the shape of him, he'd been kicked in. Kid put his wings up, retreating into his shoulder markings, before speaking.

"Well I guess that's good," He said, wondering why this dumbass was here. He could tell Lucifer was no-longer in the center of hell, and while he didn't think he'd hurt Kid, he didn't want to hang around and find out. "Let's get you a little farther away from Hell, shall we?"

"DAMN!!!...I hate gravity..."

Kid laughed heartedly before picking up the boy with ease, popping his wings out, and stretching. He re-considered popping them in, as it always made them feel constrained. He shook them and wondered what all this guy knew about the afterlife. Did he know of the neverending war? What a Forsaken was?

"Would you like to get out of here?" He asked, "I've got a friend who might help you out. She's better at... help than me."

Frankie Harrold
Human - Purgatory​

Frankie watched as Kid helps the falling man, smiling as she did. Kid was.... She wasn't sure how to describe him. She didn't have much time to look at the now crippled man as a demon popped up behind her.

"What's a lass like you doing so far away from my land?" A demon said, wearing nothing but the stereotypical leather pants.

Frankie 'ugh'-ed and jumped away, hoping to run faster than the demon. The demon didn't appear to be going after her, his wings flapping lightly as he laughed at her fear. She didn't care though, she ran straight to the fallen and Kid, not comfortable alone.​

 

[RafaDark]

"Sorry, but getting farther away from hell is not on my schedule..." talked as he looked to something that get up from the guys back. That guy was different from an angel, he was having a strange aerie aura around him. Picking him easily from the ground, RafaDark looked at what the guy was having in his back, it was wings that just popped out of his back "Thanks, but i can't get out of here, i need to go onward...and more help would be good..." he said as he was trying to struggle to stay in the ground. As he was struggling, a female human appeared running in fear of something, he thought that in hell humans was supposed to suffer really bad but that one was not showing any sight of damage in her.

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

Kid: Forsaken
Frankie: Human- Purgatory​

"Sorry, but getting farther away from hell is not on my schedule..."

Kid looked at the guy incredulously. He had to be kidding him. No one wanted into hell, that was the purpose. He didn't even really like it, yeah, he flew around it all of the time, but he was Forsaken, practically a reason in and of itself to stay away.

"Thanks, but i can't get out of here, i need to go onward...and more help would be good..."

"KID!!!" Kid looked over to see Frankie running towards him, towards Hell, what the f- was up with people today? Frankie, for herself, was really happy to see KId. When she reached him she half crashed into the Forsaken. "Oh god, " She said, wondering again why Kid had no cold or warm body temperature. "There's a demon where I usually sit."

Kid sighed, this woman was going to get herself sucked into Hell. Demon's were attracted to her anguish and guilt.

"Okay, look, @RafaDark, why do you need to go into Hell?" He asked, trying to set the guy down to stand. Frankie was looking at him with curiosity, Who is this guy?

 

[RafaDark]

Trying to stand but a little weak from the fall "The only thing i need is a weapon and maybe a map to go to the center of hell, where the Prince of Darkness stays..." he answered feeling a bit awkward about the girl who crashed on the winged guy looking at him. Looking to the way the girl came, he saw some kind of winged demon was coming where that were "I think we have company..." said pointing a finger to the demon who saw him doing it.

 

[Legens Legentis]

With Lucifer out of his incarceration in that world of ice, he now had the power to travel anywhere in The Inferno that he wished. Sadly, the prince of darkness would be unable to perform any physical harm on anyone now. Lucifer was constricted to his ethereal form at the moment. Even now he could feel the gusts of wind down in the bottom of The Inferno, but now the feeling that something was invading his kingdom grew. Lucifer shut his red eyes, concentrating through the sounds of misery. He was in the 8th circle, and surrounding Lucifer was those fraudulent sinners whom he enjoyed greatly. The ones on the shore were whipped and their heads snapped by joyous demons, while the others were boiling in the hottest waters in The Inferno. When Lucifer closed his eyes, he could see two beings contaminate precious Limbo. It was by far Lucifer's most hated circle, since the pagans in that accursed castle received no torture whatsoever. At least the worthless souls up there were accompanied by swarms of wasps. Using sheer willpower, Lucifer called through one of his demons and possessed it.

"Intruders! Lucifer watches you, and he will grant you no quarter! Turn back or never leave!" he thundered to the trespassers through the possessed demon. Sadly Lucifer had terrible eyesight when controlling another being.

The demon king sent an order to the demons of The Inferno to place guards ant traps throughout the nine circles, in case these poor fools chose to stay here for a while.