The Seven Layers of Chthonia

The Seven Layers of Chthonia
The Holy Words of Saint Thomas Aquitanus, as recorded by the Abbot Scholas Anselm.


My Brethren... My Friends... Please, gather round and hear my words, for I have been visited by Theuses, a guardian of Chthonia, who was sent to me by the son of Sol Deus. Our Lord God wishes all to know what awaits them upon their death in this world so that all of his earthly children have a chance to choose wisely in life, and to honor His Wisdom.

As all of you have learned from your studies, (Yes, even you Reathee), Chthonia is ruled over by the just Leontoceph, who sits behind his bench and judges fairly all who appear before him. This each of us must do upon leaving this world to cross the river Lethe and enter his realm of Asphodel. Here all must await their turn, be they Lord or Vellein, Criminal or Righteous, and none may move forward for their judgement until those ahead are judged. Some of those who wait though, lack the courage to hear his final judgment of their past lives and turn away, knowing too well their sins and the impact it had on others. Yet those who run cannot escape, for nobody can escape judgement forever. And just as confessing one’s sin gives one relief, hiding from such judgment eats away at the soul, and those who run endure unending agony that grows with the passage of time. These poor, foolish souls weep and wail pathetically, and continue to avoid judgement, even though the longer they wait the more harrowing their lamentations become. So too, the more harrowing is their final judgement.

For those who put aside their fear and face their final judgement with courage, there exists Six possible destinations for their souls.

The first realm, Caelum, lies above Asphodel, fully basking in His Light. With fertile lands filled with everbearing fruit, vegetables and rapidly replenishing game that all may harvest at their need, every inhabitant wants for nothing. Great estates and counties are populated with the faithful and are led by worthy nobles and saints. Each being forever seeking wisdom and enlightenment with joyful souls full of love and content.

Limbus is the first true level of hell sitting just below Asphodel, filled with the offenders of the minor sins, mostly populated with those who do not virtuously follow Sol Deus but still lived virtuous lives. It is also filled with those who constantly question or challenge the status quo of our existence. Not those who seek to better serve Sol Deus and our fellow man, but those who use so called wit or humor to belittle those around them. Those who focus on status (such as many of our minor gentry), or are too much the simpleton and commit the most basic sins are also sent here. It is also where those who broke the laws of their rightful Lords in small ways, such as poaching or who willfully sell defective goods and services, but do so not for pure greed but to provide the basic necessities for their families, rather than seek out the help of our church. Limbus is a barren wasteland, and those dwelling here are buffeted back and forth by the terrible endless winds of a violent storm. There is no rest for the souls of Limbus, nor shelter from the wind, for those here seek that which they should have sought in life. The comfort of faith in Sol Deus.

Below Limbus is the second level of hell, named Asmodei which is filled with the Lustful and the Gluttonous. Here too are the Drunkards and the similarly Addicted, as well as the Greedy and the Simoniacs. These sinners and their like are separated from the inhabitants above them for their sins are more serious than those with moments of weakness. These sinners willfully choose to partake in their sins, caring not for the souls and their final judgement. Instead they continue with their behaviors, often celebrating their debasement in the face of the righteous. The best that can be said of these poor souls is that their sins were mostly against themselves. As such these poor beings wallow in their own excrement, the depth and degree based upon their level of sin in the living world.

Archeron is the next level of hell, composed of an unending swamp of fifth and decay. Those who are sent here damned themselves with repeated crimes against their sistren and brethren. The first inhabitants sent here are the Wrathful, who fight each other viciously on the surface of the swamp slime which covers them from head to toe. Forever they seek an end to their combat and weep for the battle is unending. Here too are the Rumormongers and Panderers, who move in circling but separated lines while being whipped by the guardians, for they exploited the passions of others and so drove them to serve their own interests and pleasures. Not only are they forever scourged for their sins, but they forever think they are punished unjustly and worse than those in the opposing line. A third circular line apart from the previous two contains both Hypocrites and Usurers, who together whip those ahead of them in anger and resentment, for each strike is as equal as those they received, for their sins were as much against themselves as their fellows.

The fourth level of hell is Phlegethon, and those sent here committed crimes against Sol Deus of a greater nature than those found in Archeron, for here can be found those who more actively sought to lead the faithful astray. Heretics, who lead those away from the light of Sol Deus can be found here, existing in total darkness while they stumble around in fields of piercing thorns. Here too are the Fraudulent, built into the walls of a cell like bricks, forever wailing for mercy. Thieves too can be found here, locked in a massive cell whose walls are composed of the fraudulent, with a single golden key amongst them. Forever do they covet ownership of the key, and forever do they steal the key from each other before any of them can unlock the door. Joining these sinners are the Blasphemers and the Alchemists. Both of which falsify either the spirit or material of things, and both of which are covered in leprous lesions and scabs, which they unsuccessfully pick at to remove.

Cocytus is the final level of hell, where the destroyers of life, realm, love, association, and faith are sent for grim punishment. Traitors, who betrayed kindred or country, are encased in ice, the depth of which is based upon the level of their betrayal, unable to move and forever denied the warmth of belonging. Barrators are similarly encased, but in pools of burning pitch which clings to their flesh and they to escape, only to plunge back into the fiery depths. So too are Murderers thus encased, but for them it is in burning blood and acrid fire. Again, does the level vary based upon their number of acts against His Children, and their contrition shown after such deeds. Here too are the destroyers of love, the Seducers who intentionally lead astray their victims into a choice they would not have made if they were not in a state of arousal. These sinners find themselves as grotesque caricatures of their former selves, while demons in the appearance of those they seduced beat them with thorned clubs. The worst to be found here are the destroyers of Faith, those who practice Sorcery, often using the power gained with the assistance of evil spirits for purposes of divining the future or manipulating His natural order of the world. These foul practitioners of sorcery are bound with chain as their flesh is slowly consumed by the demons they conspired with.