The Trailokya Trilogy Companion is a continuing online manuscript that illustrates and explains some of the details of the story, helping readers to keep things straight while they travel through the series. Readers can view this live companion book on Wattpad (either using the website or an app for their phone) absolutely free.
The companion is organized in alphabetical sections for convenience. In each section, the entries are organized like a dictionary along with original artwork and excerpts from the Trailokya Friday blog posts. In the coming weeks and months the blog will feature specific entries, to give you a taste of what is available in the companion.
Acheron, Acherites. (n.) A central province of Acheron ruled by Prince Belial and his nobility; the inhabitants of Acheron. This is where the Pit of Acheron can be found (also called the Labyrinth), and the River of Woe. Baron Morgentus rules the Labyrinth and makes the most use of the souls that fill this province. Belial hides in his broken castle on the outskirts of the ruins of a city he once ruled on Earth.
Acheron is one of the most important locations in the hellscape of Jahannam. It sits central to the rest of that dark world, and its heart serves as a prison for many wayward souls taken by the danava. The care of this facility was given to Prince Belial’s baron, Morgentus, and is called The Pit of Acheron.
The Pit has become a prison for many distinguished duta who have caught the attention of the danava. Certainly it is the goal of any marditavya or danava to control and corrupt a duta, but the efforts are not unfocused. Being at war requires strategy, and the goal is to win. Danava are of the mind that corrupting certain duta will precipitate another mass burn down. Duta, however, who are true to their charge, are quite impossible to sway. The effort takes an incredibly long time and must be accomplished with careful manipulation that reveals the flaws of the atman, which will then be leveraged to ignite the burning.
The effort of burning down duta or souls is best accomplished within the confines of the pit. Here, the imprisoned face untold hardship, caught in a seemingly endless and confusing maze, which is often dark. The calls of the marditavya and danava wandering the passages creates an eerie atmosphere. Being caught by one, the soul or duta become a food source. Repeatedly drained to their crystal, the prisoners can lose their way. The stress preys on the mind. Even the strongest of duta are believed to have their limits. Danava are willing to push until they find them.
The pit changes shape at regular intervals, so that the labyrinth is never the same at any given time. The only fixed points are the entrances/exits, the deep-cloistered cells, and the Baron’s manor at the center. The baron’s seal marks the ruins of an earthly home he stole from an ancient leader, along with that man’s wife, who became his baroness.
The entirety of Acheron is under the rule of Prince Belial. Once a seraph, he betrayed the King of Zion by committing crimes against those of which he was charged to watch over. Belial rebuilt his menagerie of fallen Aghartians, dolls as they are called in Jahannam, after his fall. He and they are housed in the broken castle that was cast into their twilight realm with him.
The landscape of Acheron resembles a dark city. Dust of the conflict lies thick all around. Deviously whimsical buildings line cobble streets. It is a grave for a bygone, decadent era.
Find out more about Acheron by reading the series…
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