Jonathan was waiting in his cave, perusing the notebook, but he eventually stood, and headed out. The city was rapidly growing beneath him, and it had started to expand upwards as well as outwards. There were two wall sectors now, with the second, and larger, one about a mile out from the interior wall, which had been repurposed into a dwelling space. With the surging levels of the citizens, making such a wall had been child’s play, and the construction within was going at a similarly quick pace.
The noises of construction were loud, even from here, and the newer members of the faction were hard at work showing that they deserved to be here. Further down the mountain, construction had begun on a shelter for the eventuality of an assault, where the weaker citizens could flee. It had been dug into the mountain, with a large stone door that could be slid in front of the entrance to stop any attack. It extended down for quite some distance, and was loaded up with enough food and supplies for weeks, which wasn't all that much, considering that higher level people didn’t have to eat as much.
In any case, Jonathan had begun to draw together a city defense plan with Edgar and the council members, and they had managed to conscript more fighters to join the guards than they had expected. The total number of guards now was almost 500, but that was boosted a lot by the promise of free leveling from Jonathan and Edgar.
The potential to reach a level previously only dreamed of was quite the temptation. However, there were still a majority that had come here to escape the horrors of the world, rather than relive them. The city needed people with other vocational skills anyway, not just fighters, and it was doing well for that. Woodworkers, stone carvers, all manner of useful and talented craftsmen were flocking here. They were all still quite low level, as a life of crafting relied more on pathway skills than levels, but they were still good at their jobs. Stats had little impact on their abilities to work, unless it was with high tier materials, something that was not really a problem in such a weak realm.
Although the Ash Heaps might have seemed powerful to a level 10, they were the very weakest of the Hell circles. The references to the power of beings in the higher realms within the diary were limited, but from what Jonathan could tell, even the tenth realm was powerful beyond anything he had seen before. The book spoke of flying cities and beings with the strength to crush countries with a single punch.
It was not out of reach for Jonathan to understand, but seeing as there were still another ninety tiers after that one, it was mind boggling. He would be in for a tough time as he ascended the planes, or rather descended. Perhaps it did not even matter. There were no real relations in space between the Hell circles. They were more like self contained realms that were causally linked. One could not ascend or descend to the next one by simply traveling down into the earth or up into the sky. There was a host of other bits of information about the Hells that Jonathan had begun to note down, seeing the book presented them in a rather long winded manner. He absently pulled out the notes, which were affixed to the book, as he walked.
Circles Layout
9 realms of Hell, each with 11 circles. Seems to be modeled after the Seven Deadly Sins, with two more added on. The current realm is that of Sloth, which fits with the whole desolation theme that the Ash Heaps has going on. The final circle of Hell is separate from all the others. It's where Angranor dwells, and although it is nominally part of the 9th realm, it is much harder to get to. Each circle is meant for a specific Tier, going up by one each time to a maximum of Tier 100.
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Circle Lords
Each circle is ruled by the most powerful being in that circle, generally considered to be an undefeatable opponent. They are always at the peak of what their realm can support. A motley crew of monsters and humanoids, with a diverse array of power sets. All of them serve under Angranor, and there is some sort of hierarchy to them called the Infernal Court. Not explained well by the book.
Power levels
Each circle of hell is one Tier higher than the previous one, both in terms of mana density and in terms of the souls that are sent there. However, there is no lower limit on the Tier of the inhabitants. Looks like even Tier 10s need some servants to do their dirty work for them. The circle lords are always just below the maximum level for the Tier of the realm, and in most realms, there is no mana inhibition like there is here. The reason for this is that the Ash Heaps needed a Tier 2 ruler, as there is too little available strength in Tier 1 to cement Granath’s rule, no matter how talented he was. In the later circles, there is no demerit to power like there is here. Good for me, but also means that the circle lords can pursue me.
The rest of the information that he had gotten was less essential, and he had trusted it to his memory rather than writing it down. There was a lot of useful information in the book, but it was sometimes hard to get to, seeing as it was usually referenced in a random section rather than there being an entire chapter on the subject.
For example, the information about the elements had been spread across much of the first section of the book, with Jonathan having to piece it together. However, it was now cemented in his mind, and he checked it one more time. His own interpretation of it was less precise than the actual wording.
On the Elements
The backbone of the cosmos, upon which all things rest, are the twelve elements, the primal building blocks of everything. Taking up the aspect of many diverse parts of creation, they are what renders the physical world possible. Fire, the spark that tore the universe out of an inert, lifeless state. Earth, the solidity that built the various worlds of Telvaria. Water, the willingness for change that was required to make sure that life could continue. Air, the ideal of freedom and unfettered desire that brought the flighty emotions of gods and mortals alike into existence. Those four make up the Natural Sphere, the basest of the elements.
On the next level are the Conceptual Sphere of elements. Light, the beacon of hope in the darkness, and the power behind the universe. Dark, the absence of light, but also the presence of the more shadowy aspects of the universe, those that all would rather remain hidden. Life, the element that sustains the myriads of beings in this universe. Death, the natural leveler of all, that force that will claim even the gods one day.
After those are the Ethereal elements. Time, the construct that exists both in the minds of mortals and in the wider universe. Fate, the divine engine that keeps Time’s entropic grasp in check.
Finally, the first elements, those of the Primal Sphere. Order, the desire of all things to be in perfect alignment. Chaos, the desire of all things to be opposed to one another. These elements all exist in harmony, with each pair balancing the other. Water curbs Fire’s desire to consume all in its rampant heat. Life ensures that all does not fall into the embrace of death. Because of these balances, creation keeps on running.
However, there is another element, one only whispered about. That of the Quintessence, the natural desire of existence to revert to nothingness. It serves as a final Sphere of sorts, but one that cannot be easily detected. For how can one detect the absence of existence, the cessation of all that renders such a search even possible? Only through obtuse gleanings from arcane studies, or through the perusal of ancient artifacts do we even know of its existence.
It was a bit long winded, but quite poetic in its wording. Jonathan would have enjoyed it more if it had been all in one place, but he could hardly complain.