Hell, quite possibly the most feared place in all of creation, what with the eternal damnation, brimstone, fire, and whatever else have you. However this does not stop the curiosity of mortal minds from theorizing how it is, as in its appearance, conduct, and how it is structured. Some believe there are layers with each one representing a unique sin, others think Hell is more of a self torture as it makes you face all the sin you have committed, and of course there's the age old being lifted in chains above a boiling cauldron as little goat men stab at you. What's ironic is that every mortal race throughout creation always manages to get just a few things right, or at the very least get themselves in the general ballpark of the truth.
But we are not here to go through every mortal conception of Heaven's opposite, instead we are here to look at one particular circle of the realm as a whole, one that remarkably no mortal has ever conceived to be possible. Unlike all the other circles that either torture or simply house the sinful, it is referred to as "The Ashen Plane" by all who know of it. The reason for this namesake is both simple yet also very grim, for besides a sky that is grey like soot the ground as well is covered in ash. Just like snow it falls from above and covers everything in sight, and as for what makes it or where it comes from well...that is where the grim part comes into play.
Abaddon, once an Archangel who followed Lucifer in his rebellion against Heaven and their siblings ruled this place, and their method of dealing with any souls who came their way was truly terrifying. Any flesh that dared enter this space was reduced to ash instantaneously, with the soul that was house inside made to wander this endless nothingness as a wailing spirit, the weight of their sins drowning them in their emotions. Now it wasn't always like this, during the war Abaddon's circle was the center of the conflict being used as the main battleground for the armies, but that is exactly why it became what it was now. Abaddon hated the sounds of war constantly at its feet, it preferred the quiet and chilling tranquility that came in the absence of life, hence why they always got along with their sister Azrael.
So when the call for peace was made and the treaty forged by both Heaven and Hell, they made certain that the only remnants of life that were present were the relics from war. Armors, weapons, and other such inventions used by the endless forces of both sides littered their circle, giving it in combination with the look and feel of the environment a very apocalyptic appearance. Of course this didn't bother them nor any of the forever sobbing or withdrawn specters that wandered aimlessly, for what were forgotten items of a conflict since buried in history of any significance to them? But what if there were something else that trekked across the ash, something that was not reduced to nothing like every other form of life that found itself here, perhaps then these objects would finally have someone to take an interest in them?
Sadly that was impossible, as said anything that enters the domain is made a shadow of its former life, the only thing compelling its new ethereal visage forward being the pain and sorry it feels, until perhaps one day it is number and remains still like a statue. In truth, the only way something could survive in this part of Hell was if it were a being of pure sin, and only naturally made Hellspawn or the other devils fit into the category. Then there was also the matter of receiving Abaddon's approval, as again the whole reason this place was like this was due to their desire to be left alone, to never be bothered by the affairs of creation again. If they didn't, then regardless if they be devil or demon maybe even one of their own kin coming to see them, if Abaddon rejected their presence they too would be made to ash thus nothing would be gained.
So perhaps it truly was impossible for any soul besides their own to have a home here, as it was clear to anyone that they wanted to be left alone at all costs. And yet, if one were to look upon the
endless stretch of perfectly even ash covered ground of the circle, they would see a lone figure figure shrouded in a tattered cloak walking across it.
"Gooooooooooooood morning Hell!" The voice of Tom Trench called out, as his face appeared on every screen across the circle, "This is Tom Trench with your morning news report! So grab your coffee and your breakfast and get ready to dig into both!" He exclaimed before proceeding to relay actual information.
It had been little over half a year since Doom invaded Lucifer's circle, and to say things had improved since then would be the same as saying a we've come a long way since the invention of the wheel. With the aid of both the Maykrs and Sentinels as well as their technology, what once looked like ticking time bomb waiting to go off was now a paradise, like an actually legit paradise. Some things were the same of course like how the sky looked and sun or moon, and all forms of fauna or flora hadn't been altered in any way. But then you had literally every single thing outside of that, the buildings, the streets, the technology as a whole, and especially how CLEAN everything had become, was all so staggering.
Pentagram City and its neighbor Imp City before now could have been compared to something like New York or Los Angels, sprawling concrete jungles that more often than not were just as depressing as Hell itself. But now they were an amazing blend of that traditional style architecture and futuristic technology, sort of similar to a certain underwater city with a biblical sounding name. To be fair though Lucifer's circle was already used to pretty advanced technology, the Overlord Vox literally embodied this as somehow despite his head being an actual television, he could still eat things like a normal person which made next to no sense at all. However this technology didn't look crude or give off an unsettling evil vibe with just its appearance, it did the exact opposite by miraculously creating a very comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.
With just this the circle was more peaceful than it had ever been in its entire history, but there were two other factors that both contributed and helped maintain it. The first being Lucifer and his family's reformation initiative, which besides setting out to do all that has been described, also sought to punish the absolute worst souls that came to them. Any crimes in the mortal world involving children, anything involving rape, animal abuse, unjustified murder, and other such things landed these souls in their newly established damnation. Now of course there was a way to avoid being tortured for all eternity for these crimes, all one had to do was agree to stay at the rebuilt Happy Hotel and undergo the rehabilitation programs.
Sadly most if not all truly horrible people didn't want to sit through some self help groups and classes, nor did they want to atone for their sins and admit they were bad people, if they ever did they would have done so in life. Thankfully though one of the most notable figures in the circle volunteered to help get things going, the infamous cannibal Alastor, more so known as the radio demon, became the first publicly announced soul of power to take residency, followed soon after by Overlords Vox and Velvet. And while this did certainly help to boost their support and lessen available vacancies, many people especially after the invasion were now speaking up against this, having started and currently led by the Von Eldritch noble family. Yet even with a growing resistance to this reformation and officially sanctioned protests being held, the majority was still on the side of Lucifer and his family, for even with the invasion in mind things had never been this good and each day they only got better.
This is where the second factor came into play, which was the presence of the angels formerly known as Exterminators. In what was by far the most shocking development of the reformation, the former mass murdering angels along with a few Sentinels became the peacekeepers of this circle. Now appropriately referred to as "Authorities" they served a role similar to police in the
mortal world, only if anyone down here did something that changed their afterlife to damnation, things went shit side up real quick. However do not like that misinform your opinion of their conduct, they didn't go around invading homes or keep an oppressive watch over everyone, they were like the old fifties style of police officer, just walking around doing whatever they could to make the community a better place.
Combine this with the presence of the Sentinels and how they had been given armor to match, many of the demons actually wanted to take pictures with them and enjoyed having them around. Yet even with all of this being said, with all of these changes and developments happening, there was one thing that everyone even those who were protesting and objecting agreed on. The Slayer, the stranger who changed their lives forever was a hero, and as such deserved to be respected and honored for his sacrifice in fighting Doom for eternity so that creation was safe. In fact, the first new building that was made when the repairs started was a museum dedicated to him and his story, all of the items inside being donated by the Sentinels and Maykrs, with the exception of the documentary Vega had made which could viewed at any time.
Speaking of both starting with the documentary, to the amazement and relief of Lucifer and the others Tom Trench had held onto the original projection device, he actually planned on broadcasting the same night when the invasion happened. However it wasn't put on television by channel 666 news before being added to the museum, it was the first original program of Slayer Studios. The business was founded by his former co anchor Katie Killjoy, alongside her new partners and close friends former Pornstar Angel Dust and former gang leader Cherri Bomb. After the documentary they quickly became the Hollywood of Hell, minus the murders and child abuse.
Though they quickly decided they weren't going to just make shows and movies, they wanted to be an entire media empire that branched into every possible market, and with the people who headed this department of their company this was a sure thing. Led by former I.M.P. founder Blitzo with additional funds and resources provided by Stolas, who was now officially and publicly his boyfriend, everything from figurines and plushies to video games and music began production. As for the others they all took to a specific market they felt passionately about, Millie and Moxxie designed/worked on the figures, plushies, general toys and clothes, while Loona along with Octavia together handled the music, surprising not only their fathers but everyone else. Yet amazingly this wasn't the most shocking addition to their enterprise, Vox and Velvet also offered their services to help with the digital side of things, such as the aforementioned video games.
When asked why they didn't want to start their own companies again or resume the positions they had before, they said it just wouldn't be right since Sir Pentious, who they had agreed to make a partner, was no longer with them. Altogether this strange group of Hellspawn were a force to be reckoned with, already managing to sit comfortably at the top of the corporate food chain even with it being only half a year since they started.
"And that will do it for the morning news!" Tom Trench exclaimed as he finished covering the headlines for now, "We'll be back at noon should there be any updates, but until then have a wonderful day!" He added before signing off.