The Worlds of Fall from Heaven

A long essay by the creator of FFH2 that expands the Lore.

• Posted by Derek “Kael” Paxton l on Jul 25, 2009 on Reddit "r/fallfromheaven"
• Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/fallfromheaven/comments/amb5af/the_worlds_of_fall_from_heaven/

Please refer to orginal Reddit post for comments and futher clarifications by author.

Creation (Bitu, Erebus)

https://imgur.com/yHwypAF Fashioned by all the gods, Creation exhibits the best and worst of each of them. Nowhere in the realms of Erebus is there more variety, scale and beauty. It is the place that was once close to true heaven. But the godswar, the Age of Ice and a thousand other tragedies have deeply scarred it. Still, there are places where beauty remains.

Yggdrasil sits at the heart of this world, it’s branches reach up into the Infinite Garden and its roots down into the Wildlands.

The Heavens (Albios)

The Fields of Dawn

https://imgur.com/a/fwOZYbI Lugus- Angel of Light

There is no darkness in this world. Everything is lit evenly and perfectly. There is no distortion for distance or loss of clarity allowing everyone on this flat world to see from one end to the other as clearly as they can see someone standing beside them. It is a dizzying and overwhelming experience for mortals new to the world, but after growing accustomed to it travelers report that they forever feel partially blinded and smothered on other worlds.

This is often called the highest heaven because all entrances to it start below, gazing up at the brillant wall that surrounds the world, and the blazing light radiating out of it. Petitioners must pass up out of darkness into the perfect light of the world, and frequently the journey requires them to sacrifice or face their own tragedy or suffering before they can continue.

Once through the gates it is a world of low, golden fields with a burning sun at its heart. Gazing at the sun reveals every imperfection in the petitioner. Often overwhelming them with shame and self-loathing. They then spend days, months or years with their head down, recovering and worshipping before glancing up again. New petitioners often try to build defenses and excuses to protect themselves from the revelations, but these will be burnt away as well. Over centuries they are eventually able to face the light unhindered.

There is little in the world outside of petitioners, angels and occasional creations of Lugus. There are scattered open amphitheaters where petitioners gather, gleaming mosaic roads leading from the gates to temple of Lugus at the world’s heart and the gleaming sun that is above it.

If a lie is told within this world it creates a tear in the world, an effect that is felt instantly by every petitioner and angel. With enough lies a portal can be opened, for the speaker to escape, or for invaders to enter.

The Isle of Birds

https://imgur.com/a/QW61f26 Sirona- Angel of Wisdom

Petitioners new to this vault are greeted by an idyllic island. The water is perfect, sun warm, sand soft and cool. It is a place of perfect tranquility and peace. A place to meditate and reflect. In the beginning there is no other life except for distant white birds gliding lazyly through the sky.

After years/decades/centuries of reflection the world slowly begins to change, introducing more life and eventually other spirits; calm, reflective angels and petitioners like themselves. In time they become part of a small island community that spends its days in quiet reflection.

Eventually the most advanced learn to allow their spirits to travel to creation where they can soothe and inspire those in need. The forms of these petitioners are often seen on the beaches, sometimes sitting unmoving for generations.

The Endless Ash

https://imgur.com/a/EqeA0Ra Bhall- Angel of Fire

One of the stones that Agares stole out of heaven is here, the Heart of Fire. It quakes and sends out torrents of magma and fire across the vault with little control or warning. It was a blazing sword into the sky while Bhall reigned here, but now it is wild and has destroyed the structures, temples and shrines the vault once contained.

Few still remain here. Even the archangel Brigit the Shining is gone. Occasional parties of demons or angels, and occasionally powerful creatures of other types attempt their way across this world to claim the power of the Heart of Fire. But so far, it has destroyed anyone who got to close. The gods fear that only Bhall will be able to come claim the stone, and when she does, she will destroy worlds with it.

The Peliguard

https://imgur.com/a/ZyTfSUs Nantosuelta- Angel of Faith

The Peliguard is a massive temple that is continuously being constructed by a race of powerful golems. They pay little attention to any of the petitioners, angels or even Nantosuelta herself unless anyone attempts to stop their work or damage the temple. In which case they react violently.

The temple itself is an academy and arena in one. This is the place where angelic champions are trained and prepared for war. Most of this time is devoted to combat, but magic, siegecraft, armorsmithing, weaponsmithing, military strategy, history and mental, physical and spiritual endurance are also trained along with a wide variety of other subjects. Anything that helps prepare them to battle the forces of hell.

This is one of the few vaults where angels of other dominions travel freely. Angels of the other good and neutral gods can often be found here training, or teaching.

There are various, elaborate training programs. But the most intense is known as the Suffering. The Suffering is an assault on the body, mind and spirit of those going through it. Nantosuelta herself watches over the trial. And those that fail often do so by falling and becoming demons. If so Nantosuelta destroys them. Those that survive become paragons of faith. It has been said that no one that survives the Suffering will ever fall. And so far, that has been true. To these few are given the most sensitive of tasks, to bear an artifact that cannot be lost, to travel into the hells or to serve one that cannot be betrayed.

The Infinite Garden

https://imgur.com/a/yp6ksJz Nemed- Angel of Life (now ruled by Sucellus)

One of the stones that was stolen out of heaven by Agares lies here, the Font of Life, and from it pours the infinite sentient souls that can be born upon creation for all time. As long as the Font remains here, the entire world is one living creature.

The petitioners of this world are charged with overseeing the cascading waterfall of life that passes through this vault and directing each spirit to their birth. They are valkyries at the beginning of life instead of the end. In some cases they seek the spirits of those with unusual promise, affinity or potential to be born into lives that will require their strengths.

The archangel, Basium, has abandoned his guardianship. It was once his role to stand before the Font of Life, an eternal, unyielding guard. But Sucellus retains close watch on his vault and it has largely been unthreatened.

The Vault itself is beautiful. It is always spring and scattered with empty tombs covered in vines and wildflowers. The tombs exist because this was once a part of Arawns vault when he ruled both the dominions of life and death. And the verdant growth is the influence of Sucellus’s former dominion of nature.

The upper branches of Yggdrasil reach from creation into this world. It is thought that life passes through Yggdrasil into creation.

The Painted Lands

https://imgur.com/a/oTo11Fg Amathaon- Angel of Fertility

This vault is malleable, able to be made and remade by anyone that passes through it. Even the weakest petitioner can remake the world around him, and the strong can exert their influence across areas the size of cities or countries.

Because of its nature, the world is a beautiful mix of wonders blended together in elaborate and impossible ways. It is a world where size, color and sound transform into each other.

Although creations of this world fade away when taken into others, some mages have found ways to open small portals to this world, enough to keep the impossible manifestations of this world alive in Creation.

There are less petitioners here than in any other vault. Those few have created an elaborate paradise for themselves. They dream of the world after another Godswar has destroyed Creation. And it is said that after that happens, the new world will come from the creations that were made here.

Agares has been whispering to a few devout and talented worshippers of Amathaon during their lives. Planting tiny seeds that they will carry with them into this world. The effects are already starting to influence the Painted Lands. Some areas of darkness or fear, small fractures in the lands, wondrous creations slowly fading and falling to dust.

The Halls of Honor

https://imgur.com/a/7E8UAks Junil- Angel of Justice

This entire world is ruled by a great metronome at its heart. In every corner the steady, perfect, slow boom can be heard and the entire world steps with its sound. An endless sea of soldiers field the ground around a great fortress. Each soldier marches with its beat, in drills soldiers stab in rhythm, the entire world is a great machine working as one.

To petitioners it is a perfect machine that they can become a small part of. To others, it is maddening.

This beat echoes silently through all worlds. Clockmakers unconsciously set their clocks to it. War drums are pounded to it, and it sends fear into the hearts of chaotic or demonic enemies. In temples, a metronome beating at the same rate is often enough to keep evil spirits at bay.

The Inner Worlds

The Otherworld (Orbis Alius)

https://imgur.com/a/VtVUCi5 Arawn- Angel of Death

Man was never intended to be mortal. When the gods took immortality from man they charged Arawn with collecting the unclaimed souls. At that time Arawn was the god of life and death, so he would ferry the souls into creation and out of it.

Arawn was supposed to offer the souls an opportunity to pass on to the vaults of the other gods. The Otherworld was indended to be a temporary place for souls before they passed on to their god. But Arawn didn’t perform his task, and kept the souls in his realm instead. He reasons for doing so are unknown.

As the god of life and death Arawn died once each year, on the eve of Samhain. He would then be reborn the following dawn. Killed by death, reborn by life. While Arawn was dead many spirits would escape from the Otherworld back into creation, making Samhain a night of haunting and strange tales.

During the Age of Ice Sucellus was killed and wandered the Otherworld. The night of Samhain, while Arawn was dead he claimed the power of life and used it to resurrect himself. His followers claim Arawn gifted the dominion of life to Sucellus, but this isn’t true, it was stolen.

Without the dominion of life to resurrect himself Arawn is a shattered fragment of his previous self. He is a ghost haunting the Otherworld. The spirit master Laroth realized this and has lead an army into the Otherworld to claim the dominion of death for himself.

The Rings of Carcer

https://imgur.com/a/wRNLqF5 Oghma- Angel of Knowledge

Oghma’s vault is not open. Instead the knowledge it contains is hidden in increasingly difficult layers. Only those who study and pursue the knowledge the vault offers will be able to find it. Many petitioners believe they have reached the innermost circle, only to discover that there are nearly infinite depths ahead of them.

As a safeguard, the outermost ring was protected by a mist that stole the memories of anyone who touched it. So that no one could escape Oghma’s vault with its secrets. During the Age of Magic an army entered the vault and attempted to rob it. The mist was released and now all that remains are mountain peaks that rise above the released mist. The army scrambled up out of the mist, forgetting where they were, or why there were there. Over the intervening centuries they built cities in the mountain peaks, as well as enchanted ships that sail on the sea of mist. An entire civilization has been created without knowing that they live in the vault of a god.

The angels have done little to interfere with the men living in the outer ring of their vault. Petitioners arrive at the outer ring unaware that they have died, they come out of the mist and have little memory of what happened before. There are enough clues in the outer ring that a petitioner who is perceptive and questioning can begin to understand the mysteries of the ring. Once he is able to understand the ring and its function he will will be able to go into an inner ring. This is a trial, this is a vault of knowledge, but it is not freely given, it must be earned.

From the perspective of the people that live in this ring they believe these people are a different race they call the “Caligo” or the children of the mist. The Caligo rise out of the mist confused and lost, remain in the city for a few months or years and then typically disappear. On most of the peaks the Caligo are treated as lucky, they are often happy to work and have no real needs (they don’t need food or water). There are numerous stories of how caring for a Caligo has led to some fortunate act years after the Caligo is gone, and stories where people claim to have seen a Caligo unchanged that they knew as a child for a brief moment.

But on some peaks the treatment of Caligo’s isn’t as kind. From being ignored and forced to live on the streets, to being enslaved. Some peaks have built defenses so that no one can come out of the mist onto the peak.

The Shimmering Depths

https://imgur.com/a/pQfsdsc Danalin- Angel of Water

One of the stones that Agares stole out of heaven is here, the Ocean’s Tear. It is the source of all oceans, rivers and lakes. It pours out into this world and into many others beyond.

There is a war waging within this vault. And it is nearly lost. Condatis, the archangel of this dominion leads the resistance with the angels and petitioners that still serve. But most have been lost to the darkness and corruption that lies within the shimmering depths. Few new petitioners join Condatis, because the church in creation has become corrupt as well. In time, this new force will have its way, and Condatis will be lost.

Danalin lies at the deepest levels of the vault, bound in darkness, but he pays no attention to the war or Creation.

The Divine Court

https://imgur.com/a/1YzZ58h Dagda- Angel of Balance

This world is a series of halls and chambers all leading to increasingly complex courtrooms. In the lower courts groups of judges evaluate cases against mortals. In the higher courts true angels and demons are tried. And in the court of Dagda the gods themselves are tried. This is where Mulcarn was tried in absentia and it was decreed that Sucellus would enter creation to battle him.

The angels of Junil are usually the ones to bring demons and angels to trial. It is typically for breaking the compact and demons and angels are equally likely to tried and convicted. Angels of all the gods have faced these courts. And notices make clear who the courts are seeking for trial, Basium and Cassiel are at the top of that list.

Those that are convicted are sentenced either to imprisonment for a time within the Otherworld. Arawn keeps a portion of his world just for the imprisonment of angels and demons. Or if the crime is great enough they are remade. The immortal can never truly die so their sentience is removed and they are transformed into bestial versions of themselves and released as creatures within the Wildlands.

The Eternal Mountain

https://imgur.com/a/CalBph8 Kilmorph- Angel of Earth

One of the stones that Agares stole out of heaven is here, the Wishstone. So called because it can produce endless amounts of gold, gems, castles or entire mountain ranges.

Although there are occasional buildings, parapets and balconies in the side of the mountain Kilmoph’s heaven is mostly within the sprawling tunnels, caverns and chambers carved within the mountain itself. Most run through the mountain naturally, like veins of minerals. But these chambers are mostly empty.

Thick veins of Seraphim Gold run through the mountain and this is where most of the world's inhabitants dwell. Not within pockets of air, but existing as creatures within the gold. The angels and petitioners can pass through stone easily and passing through Seraphim Gold allows them to perceive anything within the Gold. Kilmorph herself dwells within the heart of the gold deep under the mountain.

Seraphim Gold is valued on all the planes for its incredibly durability and its ability to conduct and amplify magic.

The Wildlands

https://imgur.com/a/9XbHtNQ Sucellus- Angel of Nature (now ruled by Cernunnos)

When Sucellus ruled this was the domain of plants and largely peaceful animals. Predators existed, but they were rare and most animals lived their entire lives without knowing fear. A petitioner or traveler was often greeted by curious animals.

But Cernunnos has transformed this world. Predators have become stronger and more aggressive. The prey still exist, but they have had to become faster and more cautious to survive. The entire world is a giant hunt that demands the most out of everyone in it. Cernunnos himself hunts each night and it is the greatest fear, and the greatest honor for any creature in the vault to be hunted by him. Especially for those few who manage to escape him.

New petitioners here instantly become predators that must hunt and kill to survive. Travelers often find themselves as prey. Though occasionally powerful explorers come here just to hunt the mythical creatures that live here.

There are powerful and unique versions of the creatures that exist here. They are incredible examples of their species, unlike any animals found on other worlds. They are viewed as legendary creatures and paragons of their species. In truth they don’t belong to the species they appear as. They are formed true angels that have broken divine law and be transformed by Dagda’s court and placed here to live as beasts.

The roots of Yggdrasil reach into this world. It allows powerful creatures to wander from this world into Creation.

The Changing Sky

https://imgur.com/a/8Bq7L2A Tali- Angel of Air

One of the stones that Agares stole out of heaven is here, the Seed of Storms. During the Age of Invention the Seed is stolen, though few know this.

This world contains floating islands that drift in what seems to be endless sky. Beneath the islands storms rage, including tornados that dwarf anything that has occurred in creation, though the islands are left relatively untouched.

Each island can have a dramatically different variety of petitioners living there. From the ramshackle homes of thieves that dip into creation for robberies, to an island of dancers and martial artists, to dreamers, caretakers of animal populations, skilled glassblowers and artists, and much more. Each island is almost its own tiny world with its own culture and customs. And since they move, islands are constantly changing their position relative to each other (and making it nearly impossible to find your way back).

Most of the worlds petitioners wander aimlessly between the islands, delighting in one until becoming bored and jumping to the next.

What few know, is that far beneath the floating islands, below the storms of rough days and the haze of calm days, there is land. This terrain is a scrapyard for everything that has been discarded from the islands since the beginning of creation. It is a rusting junkyard piled on shifting sands. There are people that live in this wasteland, though they hate the inhabitants of the islands, and try to find shelter from the storms in temporary shelters they build from the junk. They dream of being able to build a tower back to the islands, to kill those that have forgotten about them, but the distance is to far.

The Hells (Dubnos)

The vaults of the evil gods are bound together. They are seven hells intertwined for one purpose, the forging of mortal souls into the infernal.

The Throne of Hell

https://imgur.com/a/IBJo2Wh Mulcarn- Angel of Ice, who would become the Angel of Winter

The vault is dominated by a great mountain. The mountain is larger than any on Erebus, it is steep, rigid and punishing. The pinnacle is called the throne of hell (not an actual throne) and is the main gateway between the hells and Erebus (in the Fane of Lessers) and the portal through which souls are drawn into hell. The mountain gets colder the higher you climb, and its base and rocky spires are hunted by the remaining servants of Mulcarn, frost giants, frostlings, aquilan and the nive. Below a vast waste slopes away from the mountain. The rough tundra turns into a swamp. Each step through the swamp is a battle and the languid pools pull at anyone trying to get through them. Beneath the surface the largest source of petitioners in hell are trapped, this is the purgatory for the non-committal. They lay here for ages, consuming their own excrement and feeling nothing but slight pain and lethargy. In time they will overcome their passive nature and continue down into hell, but for now they are victims of their own inaction. Tar demons are pulled from these pools, gelatinous blobs with little humanity remaining. There are creatures in the swamp, mites and bugs that leaving horrid burning blisters where they bite. They are not deadly, most that travel here are immortal, but the creatures steal the strength of those that pass through the swamp, inviting petitioners to lay beneath the black waters and succumb to mindless eternity that this realm offers.

Dis- The City of Brass

https://imgur.com/a/Wz9WPGx Mammon- Angel of Foresight, who would become the Angel of Greed

There is one great city in hell and it dominates this entire world of Mammon. The wastes of Mulcarn’s realm lead down into it and eventually the souls will be drawn to the city. As they get closer to the city they are transformed from ethereal spirits to a physical manifestation similar to their body in life. As each petitioner enters the city he is given a coin, and the only way to progress through the city is to give seven coins to the Balors that guard the gateway at the city's heart. As such the entire plane is a trial to gather the seven coins needed to escape (little do they know that only worse lays beyond). Balors guard the city and maintain some illusion of order. This keeps wars from breaking out and makes for some safe areas where you can’t simply attack people to take their coins. The point of this realm isn't to teach the petitioners how to effectively get the coins, but to have them spend years, decades and centuries wanting them. Getting them to the point where they are completely subject to their greed and unbound by any morale constraints in getting them. They will lie, they will steal, but mostly they will become ruled by their desire in a city full of lies, false hope, and degradation. Some few never leave this stage of hell and intentionally become permanent citizens of this city. They occasionally rise into powerful positions, slave traders, dream merchants, cult leaders, etc. Mammon may take those that seem stuck and wipe their memories, forcing them to restart their entry into the city, but sometimes he leaves them be. Mammon is quite proud of his city, and one of the few (along with Esus) who views it as something more than just a part of a great machine. Oddly the city features a long street full of various temples. There are hundreds of gods represented, and temples are regularly switched from one religion to another. Most of the "religions" are unique to this city. Some worship various demons that may or may not be in the city, some worship petitioners pretending to be gods. All of the gods of Erebus are represented except one, though most in blatant parody of the real religion. There is a temple to Lugus, for example, that claims that Lugus is dead and they worship hideously disfigured statues of their fallen god. The only god without a temple is Mammon. Mammon believes that the entire city is his temple.

The Bloodfield

https://imgur.com/99lTDLE Camulos- Angel of Peace, who would become the Angel of War

Petitioners who pass through Mammon's trial are dropped into the eternal war of Camulos. There is no order here, there is little logic or reason. Only pain, hatred and battle. The world is as chaotic as those that fill it and volcanoes blast the sky while earthquakes raze and create mountains. The point of this hell is to desensitize the petitioner to any form of pain. To go beyond any moral qualms at hurting or killing anyone. To delight in inflicting pain and build a need to torment others. To enjoy feeling pain themselves. A petitioner that is born here begins small and weak. Their exact form and abilities vary widely based on the personality of the soul. There is little pattern to them. They are the subject of pain for a long time before they ever have any chance to inflict it. They start as little more than savage beasts, their memories are lost when leaving Mammon's world and they are reduced only to their base nature. In time that nature will grow, but the memories of life will be faint or gone altogether from this point on. In time they become stronger until eventually their conquests will be legendary. If Mammon's hell is the corruption of the mind, this hell is the corruption of the spirit. Land is held by the powerful warlords of the plane, who travel in bands that are constantly betrayed by their members. Once a petitioner has grown strong enough they will simply be swallowed by the earth and surrounding warlords will be quick to step in and fill the void of the missing warlord. Occasionally powerful demons will come to this vault on hunting expeditions. They hunt the greatest or least of the spirits here and take them as servants (to fight in their own arenas as they aren’t worth much else) or merely for the pleasure of killing them. There are occasional wastelands here, the shallows, where some spirits hide to escape the constant battle. Whatever peace they find doesn't last long, and the hell hounds and demon hunters make regular trips into the shallows to gather new slaves. Sometimes demons pull petitioners directly out of this vault to serve them in Erebus. These are enraged, wild demons. Strong, but without reason. The pits and tunnels beneath this vault are filled with vast prisons were the victims of war are kept. Here they suffer the worst physical torments and are forever unable to die. If there is any art in this violent hell it is in the perfection of torture. Trapped within dark holes, blood pouring through the ground like water and with the walls trembling with earthquakes and explosions you find the least fortunate of hells denizens.

The Temple of Supplication

https://imgur.com/a/uQ8VEL4 Aeron- Angel of Strength, who would become the Angel of Rage

The chaos is ended. The vault of Aeron is formed to train demons in all the skills they will need on Erebus. It could be thought of as a great academy, but it’s closer to say that it is a great temple. Demons learn to fight, lie, and channel power. They learn the great deceptions, and to subjugate themselves to their superiors. Through this training they become a part of the infernal hierarchy. Priests as well as warriors, commanders and soldiers. Many demons are tasked with missions in Erebus as part of this training. Imps are students early in their training. Many of the intelligent demons in Erebus are just in a stage of their training here. Those that have passed beyond this vault are the most rare and powerful of processed souls, demonic lords and princes. Occasionally particularly vile petitioners (priests of the veil, etc) will skip all the earlier stages and start here in Aeron’s vault ready for training.

The Plains of Dust

https://imgur.com/a/Nz8btqx Agares- Angel of Hope, who would become the Angel of Despair

This is the conclusion. Agares takes little interest in the powerful figures that make their home in the mutable surface of his world. From the runs of Nyx the demon princes raise dark palaces and lay claim to their own small fiefdoms. There is little beyond this, the demons are drawn to it because of their affinity to Agares but few remain here long. Instead they begin their plots on Erebus or join the ranks of a god that appeals to them. In time their fiefdoms vanish and their palaces fade back to dust. Bhall lays burning in this realm and her corrupted angels with her. It is at the edge of her influence that the most demonic activity happens. As was never true before her fall the demonic denizens of this realm have begun to act together, impassioned by her presence they now delight in their schemes and have taken a much greater interest in creation. Cabal's have formed and even Hyborem seeks to challenge Erebus itself.

Mirrorhaven

https://imgur.com/a/9EnzgrB Ceridwen- Angel of the Stars, who would become the Angel of Magic

Ceridwen's vault is the largest and has no size at all. It is what binds all the hells together, and them with Erebus. It is not what’s on either side of the doorway, but the space between, the doorway itself. Some of the strangest creatures in creation have come from this world.

Though there are no physical bounds to her world there are shadowy gaps within it, places between worlds. The laws of nature are not fixed within these worlds, that which is set in the laws of creation is mutable here. By drawing from these places, pulling them into creation these laws can be bent. Fire can be made to move and leap, the dominions that were once subordinate only to the gods can be commanded by men. Esus may be the god of deception, but Cerdiwen is the queen of secrets. Even her highest angels are only privy to tiny parts of the vast web of portals and hidden spaces that make up her world. It is known that she has countless passages into Erebus and the hells, but most suspect that she travels between many more worlds. Perhaps even beyond those created by the gods of Erebus.

Among these secrets is the Nexus. This is a labyrinth with passages to many worlds. It is guarded by a timeless race from beyond and is rarely used by anyone beyond Ceridwen and her closest angels. This is where Ceridwen met other versions of herself from the beyond. And these other forms were goddesses of other forms. The Nexus is where Kylorin was trained in magic, by versions of Ceridwen from the worlds of Erebus and those beyond. This is where Tebryn Arabandi was brought through and introduced to Erebus that he should forward Ceridwen’s inscrutable plans.

There is another joining place of some note. A great inn with countless rooms and halls called the Tapestry House. Where strange and enticing pleasures are beyond each door. The place is always active, filled with people, angels and demons of all types, drinking, laughing and fighting. And at its center Ceridwen’s archangel, Kanna, Mistress of Pain rules.

The Dreamlands

https://imgur.com/a/liWHwSG Esus- Angel of Trust, who would become the Angel of Deception

Occasionally a petitioner refuses the processing of hell and attempts to escape. A handful of fallen angels have risen, or petitioners have triumphed over hell by manifesting the virtues that each vault attempts to remove from them and going through it backward until they climb the mountain of Mulcarn’s realm and pass by the throne of hell itself back into Erebus. But this is an incredibly rare event. Most commonly those wishing to escape hell find their way into the illusionary world of Esus. This world appears as Erebus in every way. It is even populated by simulacrums of the people the petitioner knew in life. They can return to their life here, they can believe that they have escaped from hell. But such joy will be short lived. The function of this hell is to remove any motivation that is keeping a petitioner from his processing. Those that escape hell for love will find their love again, but it will sour and fade. Those that escape to follow their duty will find their tasks to be eventually flawed and meaningless. Those that are searching for a new faith will find their worship empty and hollow. Everything in Esus’s realm is a lie, and it is the most cunning trap of hell.