Sheol is the kingdom ruled over by both El'Shaddai and Abaddon, still caught in their immortal game of chess — the pawns, the souls of those people in their domain. This is how it is, this is how it must be for the balance to be maintained. So El'Shaddai and his rival rule two kingdoms that are unusually close to each other, each attempts to outdo the other and the game goes on. Theirs is a land of peril and punishment, rife with danger and wonder.
As one might expect, it is not only the gods here who are at odds, playing their eternal game with the afterlives and souls of those that follow them, but their followers as well.
The realms of Sheol
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The lands of El’Shaddai and his Elohim are a verdant realm, beautiful sunlit fields, dappled meadows and rivers that dance with pure sunlight. The Abyss and the regions on the other side its depths, are governed or corrupted by Abaddon, such as the Valley of Gehenna where the wicked dead dwell, or the crater of Be’er’Shachath, otherwise known as the Well of Corruption, or the Tzalmavet, the Shadow of Death, a place of danger and perpetual night.
El’Shaddai entices souls to his kingdom with promises of everlasting life, an existence devoid of suffering and a place in his City of paradise. Abaddon condemns these promises, and would prove that a life without danger or pain is a life without any meaning at all.
The Purification of Souls
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The magic of this realm wipes the sin from the soul as over time and renders the soul as a clean slate, a clear vessel for the light of the Immortal Court. This may take many years for some, during which time they remain outside the city of Paradise, and most go to live out their wait within the walls of the city of Purgatory. When the soul is finally allowed to pass through the gates they are welcomed into the City of Paradise and embraced by the population and the Elohim. It is this process, known as the Purification of Souls that rankles Abbadon and ensures that the demon-god will never truly be at peace with his rival. He works to undermine the purity of soul. He wishes to twist the pure souls into shreds of their former selves, to prove to El’Shaddai that not every redeemed soul will remain that way.
The Waters of Tehom
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The Tehom, the Great Ocean of Mausolea that are the endless, deep, primordial waters of creation itself. The Tehom feeds into every river in the afterlife, touching all corners of the underworld where there’s water. The Tehom is the flow and ebb of all things, and its waves surge and flow with the untapped power of the universe.
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Leviathan
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Often mistaken for a large archipelago of partially submerged islands, or a sandbar of some sort, this monstrous beast of myth and legend lies at the bottom of the ocean and it is so huge that its upper body crests the surface of the water. Leviathan was once a force of destruction and power, but for now, the creature sleeps deep in the water and the souls of Sheol pray that it never wakes.
City of Paradise
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El’Shaddai’s city, and the home of his Court of Immortals, called Elohim, a pantheon of lesser deities who are numerous in number and who all serve as his watchers, advisers, confidants, and constant voices that speak for law and order in the city. The City of Paradise is an impressive place with golden and silver walls, circles of wonderful pure white stone that cascade and flicker with light. The lamps that line the streets all blaze with a radiance that warms the soul and drives the darkness to the furthest corners of the city.
There are many grand places in El’Shaddai’s city, including the Hall of Light, where he and his court reside.
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Lands of Limbo
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The region that makes up much of the land mass that runs along the edge of the Abyss on the side that contains the Valley of the Saints, is known as the Lands of Limbo. They are a dark and grey place, with many wandering lost souls and deceiver spirits sent by Abaddon to tempt the righteous souls that venture there. These lands are also the favorite hunting ground of the Lionheart who serves his mission and duty to rescue those souls who get too close to temptation.
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Valley of Gehenna
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A dangerous and treacherous place, found on the other side of the Abyss. It is the home of the wicked dead in Sheol, those souls who have been corrupted by Abaddon and trapped in the valley by his wicked magic. They wander endlessly looking for a way out they can never find, falling on those souls who are foolish enough to enter the valley and devouring them.
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The Abyss
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The great canyon that stretches across Sheol. The Abyss is the home of Abaddon and those souls who pledged themselves to him, those who would seek to undo the works of El’Shaddai and oppose the Immortal Court.
Abaddon’s dark kingdom is built into the very walls of the Abyss, riddled with tunnels and gaping caves, and lit with lamps that burn with the decaying soul energy of spirits, these condemned souls provide power to his various dark machines and in some cases serve to satiate the many dark seductive creatures that flock to him like flies to a corpse. Abaddon dwells in the depths in a lightless palace with his demon warriors, scheming and whispering into the ears of mortal souls all across the domains of Sheol.
