Background Notes: Notable Places in Ḩ̸̻͎̓e̷̢̲̯̘͒̈́̍ľ̸̞l̷͉̠͛͜

In One Knight Stand, Hell is a spiritual plane of existence that's in its own dimension separate from Earth and its natural afterlife, so it'll be quite a bit different from the classic depictions. But perhaps there's a bit of t̶r̶u̴t̶h̷ buried in the stories, hmm?

These are the names most likely to come up in discussion during the games (with all the spoilery truths removed from the notes 😅). A lot of the actual commonly known named locations in pop media Hell originate from Greek myths, Hebrew religion, and Dante Alighieri's Inferno.

Hell (origin: Abrahamic)

• aka Tartarus (Greek/Roman), Naraka (Hindu/Buddhism)

• Where the sinners are punished in many religions

• The native dimensional plane for those regarded as demons in One Knight Stand

Sheol (origin: Hebrew)

•  Often linked to Hell in pop media, originally seems to be a state akin to Limbo/Purgatory (an afterlife similar to Hades, Aralu, the Underworld, etc before judgement).

• Another word for mortal afterlife in One Knight Stand.

Limbo (origin: Abrahamic, Dante's Inferno)

• Afterlife for those who achieved neither Heaven nor Hell.

• In Dante, the first & largest circle, reserved for the souls of virtuous pagans.

• Another term (the most popular one) for mortal afterlife in OKS.

Hades (origin: Greek, Dante)

• Originally the Greek Underworld/realm of dead split into three parts Asphodel Meadows (normal limbo), Elysian Fields (heaven), and Tartarus (Hell).

• Lots of the features of Hades appear in Dante. Also the name of the god ruler of the same land.

• The entrance to the Limbo of afterlife in One Knight Stand.

Gehenna  (origin: Hebrew)

• fiery land, IRL linked to the Valley of Hinnom

• ruled by Satan (Wrath) in OKS

• In OKS, it inherits the features of the Seventh Circle of Violence surrounded by the river Phlegethon. The equivalent of Hindu Tamisra.

• Segmented into three sub-circles or rings, with the outer ring reserved for murderers (Violence Against Neighbors), the middle ring for suicide victims (Violence Against Self), and the inner ring the Plain of Burning Sand (Violence Against God, Nature, and Art)

• Eternal fiery rains, populated by harpies & black dogs

• Pandæmonium (origin: Paradise Lost), the capitol of Hell, should be in Gehenna in OKS)

Cocytus (origin Greek, Dante)

• In Greek lore, the river of lamentation and wailing in Hades that flows into the Archeron. Ruled by the naiad Minthe.

• In Dante's Inferno, the Ninth and innermost circle of Hell reserved for Treachery. Cold lands that encompasses a frozen lake split into four parts. The fiery river Phlegethon crashes down here to form Cocytus' frozen lake

• Caina - for betrayors of relatives (named after Cain)

• Antenora - for betrayors of their country/side (Antenor of the Trojan horse)

• Tolomea - for betrayors of guests (Ptolemy who killed guests at banquet)

• Judecca - The center of the Ninth Circle & capitol of Cocytus, ruled by the Devil (previously Lucifer as Pride, currently Satan) Named after Judas Iscariot.

Malebolge (origin: Dante)

• The Eighth Circle, a large, funnel-shaped cavern divided into ten concentric ditches for the fraudulent. Reserved panderers,seducers, flatterers, false prophets, liars. Lots of demon torturers here.

• Ruled by Belphegor (Gluttony), hunger for power leading to fraud. This also means it inherits traits from the Dante's Third Circle of Gluttony

• Freezing mud, ever ice cold raining, and be torn apart by Cerberus the three-headed dog from Greek lore, sinners howling like dogs. Equivalent of Hindu Andhatamisra.

• Basically, look out for the hellhounds that originate from here.

Dis (origin: Dante)

• Originally the CIty of Dis at the edge of the Sixth Circle which guards the way into the lower circles (Sixth - Ninth Circles)

• Walled city suffering from extreme heat guarded by fallen angels

• The Sixth Circle is dedicated to Heresy featuring flaming tombs surrounded by Styx

• Ruled by the archdevil Dispater in lore (aka Mammon of Greed in OKS) which means it also inherit's traits from Dante's Fourth Circle (those who hoarded or squandered their money) makes it also the equivalent of Hindu Raurava.

• Pushing great weights to rebuild the ever crumbling walls in a Sisyphean labor)

Acheron (origin: Greek, Dante)

• In Greek lore, the principle river of Tartarus from which the rivers Styx and Cocytus spring. Some Roman legends assign the role of Acheron to the Styx instead.

• Also, a real life river in northwest Greece.

• In Dante, misty river that circles around Hell (with Limbo on the other side)  ferried by Charon. People who lived neither virtuously nor sinningly lived on its shores.

• The border to Hell/the Underworld.

Phlegethon  (origin: Greek, Dante)

• In Greek lore, a flaming river, one of the five principle ones of Hades. Feeds into the Archeron along with the river Cocytus.

• In Dante, river of blood that boils souls that circles around the Seventh Circle of Hell dedicated to Violence.

• Eventually crashes down to form the icy lake of Cocytus.,

Infernum (origin: Latin)

• means "depths of the Earth"

• ?̴̯͇̯̌͘¿̵̜͔̬̰̹̮̮̔̓́?̷̳̖̍͒͗̿¿̸͈̈́̅̀̊͌͛̈́?̴̘͚͛̾̀¿̶̨̡̢̛̞͇̠̈́̾͝ ̴̨͎̹̖̹͊ͅ

Stygian Marsh/Styx (origin: Greek, Dante)

• In Greek lore, the outermost river of Hades ferried by Charon who brings in the newly dead souls. The dread river of oath (and also the name of the Goddess who oversees it) Forms the boundary of Hades & flows up to the surface.

• In Dante, the Styx (aka the Stygian Marsh) comprises the Fifth Circle of Wrath full of swamp mud and toxic, brackish liquid where the wrathful fight on surface while sullen gurgle beneath it. Its guardian is Phlegyas.

•  Unlike what's to be expected, it's not ruled by Satan (Wrath) — at least not anymore —, but instead by Beezebub (Envy).

Avernus (origin: Roman/Greek)

• Legendary entrance to Hell, a lake with toxic fumes that killed all those who came hear (including birds flying above)

• Actual IRL deadly crater lake in Southern Italy with sulfurous vapors and Cyanobacterial blooms

Lake of Fire (origin: Abrahamic)

• An unnamed fiery lake in Hell,

• Damn near everyone's getting tossed here according to the Bible.

Abaddon (origin: Hebrew, Greek)

• As Greek Apollyon means "destroyer"

• In Hebrew, means "destruction" often linked in the Bible with a place of destruction or bottomless pit in Sheol.

• Other Hebrew sources link it to Gehenna, Belial, and ascribe it as a region where the damned lie in snow & fire.

• The name of the Angel (fallen or otherwise) of the Abyss who rules over the self-same Bottomless Pit.

• In One Knight Stand, it exists beyond Gehenna, the Abyss that can touch the mortal world of Earth.

Nod (origin: Hebew)

• Means "to wander"

• In the Bible, the Lands of Nod existed to the east of Eden where Cain was banished after killing Abel. Interpreted as outside the presence of God, land of trembling, opposite of Eden.

• In pop media, sometimes depicted as a dessert or dark Underworld full of monsters.

• Inherits the features of the Second Circle of Lust where sinners are punished in a never-ending tempest (eternally dark, stormy, and windy) bordered by the Archeron.

• In OKS, it's no set land but an eternally state of wandering ruled by Asmodeus (Lust).