Hell's Garden: SiNNeRS

Denizens

Damned

The Damned are the main inhabitants of Hell; the souls of humans who sinned in life and were consequently cast down into the Inferno after death. Self-actualized and with an ego, they - as they do in heaven - take an idealized form upon arrival or acclimatization, though one with stigmata of their sins in life.

The continually changing and esoteric criteria used by Heaven has maintained roughly a 50/50 split of souls failing and being sent to Hell; the unconscious influence done every time a soul falls continues to refresh Hell. That said, many old-timers complain that Hell is not nearly as entertaining (ie, awful for everyone not them) thanks to the shockingly petty evils being deemed sufficient to damn a soul.

The lot of the Damned is typically one of being the underclass, though in the ultimate meritocracy the exceptional Damned achieve dizzying power.

The Ordinal Vice for the Damned is Sin.

Devils

The original betrayers, Devils are, to a metaphoric pitchfork, all fallen Angels. The oldest and most powerful (and they can be indeed very, very old and even more powerful) are Lucifer's generals, lieutenants, compatriots and allies from the War in Heaven - the most prestigious of Hell's nobility, though most have left their lessers to their own devices. Most 'common' devils are of more recent vintage, Angels of the Third Sphere that have willingly turned their back on Heaven for multitudious reasons, often due to getting too close to Humanity or going native, trading their harps for pitchforks are the saying goes.

Given how many devils return to Heaven - and sometimes back to Hell - many disparagingly speak of the Revolving Halo when it comes to these serial turncoats.

The Ordinal Vice for Devils is Rank.

Others

Shedim

The Shedim are inhabitants of Hell who do not possess a complete soul; unlike Demons, Shedim are created out of ambient aether of Hell; they are the metaphysical reincarnation of souls who's egos have been completely extinguished and dispersed - this includes the souls of animals that fall to Hell and likewise disperse upon arrival, as they lack an ego. Ironically, this means Shedim have no intrinsic sin but, at the same time, due to being spawn of Hell they have Original Sin. By and large, Shedim have the minds of beasts (a predictable result of their unformed and incomplete souls) and invariably are beastly in physique as well. Shedim are essentially the 'wildlife' of Hell.

A lack of defined ego is typically not a hinderance for Shedim the way it would be for others; they have naturally strong Corpus (some say as befitting beasts). The lack of ego does mean that Shedim are natural recipients of bodycrafting and many inhabitants of Hell are well-reknowed for their skill at creating new and unique Shedim, replicating and controlling what happens 'naturally'. With time and effort (and often beatings), Shedim can even be brought to a state of intelligence and even self-actualization.

Shedim as a label is also applied to those that are unformed human souls that have drifted from Limbo and landed in the 'wild'; these chimerical beings are part demon, part beast. Many of the most powerful and cunning Shedim in the deep reaches of Hell have a human soul buried deep inside under uncountable layers of Beast.

The Heavenly equivalent is the Lamassu, sometimes also called (patronizingly) Shedu.

Individuals

Seven Princes

Are these still the original princes, or replacements? The only people who know aren't telling.

Lucifer - the Dragon
The Great Adversary and originally the greatest of Heaven's servants. Lucifer is a dragon 3996 cubits from head to tail and both his physical puissance and intellect are only exceeded by his pride. A distant ruler, it is rumored that he walks Hell as a supernally beautiful young man. Those who know him better say he would never stoop to being less than his perfect draconic self.

Belzebub - The Lord of the Flies
Devastatingly attractive, personally powerful, possessing a sharp mind and generous almost to a fault, Belzebub continually fails to measure up to the unreasonable expectations she sets for herself, particularly when compared to her fellow princes. Surrounding herself by inferiors to salve her wounded pride, she runs Hell's bureaucracy while enjoying a succession of lovers, philosophers and artists and is the star (on pain of pain) of Hell's glittering social scene.

Sathanus - the Destroyer
The original berserker, Sathanus (or sometimes just Satan) normally appears as a well-dressed, healthy man of indeterminate age and polite mien. However, if enraged he can swell hugely to the stature of a giant where he wields awesome strength - the only individual, it is believed, who can defeat Lucifer in a contest of arms. Considering himself further damned every time he loses control, Sathanus is known to be a recluse, but one who will gladly share his vast accumulated wisdom with those who manage to find him and pass his tests.

ABBADON, Inc - Hellishly Productive
The only case where a true succession of power has been confirmed, the fallen angel Abbadon all but single-handedly created the productive industry of Hell centered around an all-encompassing guild with him at its peak. At some point he retired (or was perhaps 'retired') and the Guild of Abbadon went through a number of successive structures and leaders. Today it is the ABBADON hypercorporation, a fully vertically integrated pillar of the infernal economy, though merely one of several.

Mammon - The Golden Lord
The ultimate capitalist and Randian angel, Mammon is the mother of the Infernal economy and lover of all things that glitter. She is known for a particularly idiosyncratic approach to wealth, namely, she will amass a commanding share of it (greater than 51% of Hell's GDP, by recent statistics generated by the Infernal Revenue Agency) then contrive some way to lose it all (often spectacularly) - only to repeat. It is an open question if this is an ancient curse placed upon her or an actual hobby.

Belphegor - The Genius
By all accounts the most intelligent fallen angel, Belphegor amuses himself by conducting all manner of research and development in his palace-laboratory. He is a great teacher, though wrapped in all his lessons are flaws - only those truly worthy of his teachings will spot these and avoid them. Belphegor has a particular fondness for vacationing in Isreal.

Asmodeus - The Lover
The only Prince of Hell that isn't a fallen angel, Asmodeus is the offspring of Adam and Naamah and thus a demon, not devil. She is also the weakest (though this is highly relative), but the others put up with his antics because she is just so damn cute. Always appearing as the perfect match for the latest target, Asmodeus is the embodiment of too good to be true. Most inhabitants of the abyss consider this a fair trade though, as time spent with Asmodeus can be very, very enjoyable - and is probably why lust is the most popular of vices.

Rules

Vices

Cardinal Vices

Superbia (Pride):

Invidia (Envy):

Ira (Wrath):

Acedia (Sloth):

Luxuria (Lust):

Gula (Gluttony):

Avaritia (Greed):

Vices of the Demiurge

Ego:

Id:

Corpus:

Wille: