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Sheol I (pronounced: Shee-OL), also known as the Territory of the Suzerain, is a penal colony controlled by the Rephaim. It was established in the nineteenth century in the city of Oxford.

Description[]

Sheol I is used as a control center for the operations of the Rephaim. They import Scion-captured voyants. Sheol I is completely inaccessible except by train, which arrives and departs once every ten years. The purpose of Sheol I is to train, indoctrinate, and subjugate human clairvoyants. Those who fail their tests are forced to live in squalor in the Rookery, located on the Broad, and they are starved and beaten by anyone with higher status. Those who succeed in their tests are made to fight the Emim. The humans' ranking is shown by their jacket color.

Sheol I also serves another purpose. It draws the Emim away from the rest of the corporeal world. The Emim are attracted to ethereal activity at Sheol I. When the Emim breach the ethereal threshold, the breaches are announced by a siren. Then the red-jackets are summoned to destroy the Emim. After Paige Mahoney stages the revolt during Blood Season XX, the penal colony is destroyed and now the Emim "will be tempted by the great hive of spirits in London."[1]

The clairvoyants in Sheol I live in poverty and are starved and beaten, but they are free to use and develop their abilities. They become slaves and entertainment for the Rephaim and guard the city from the Emim. There are about thirty Rephaim living in Sheol I. Sheol I operates on a nocturnal schedule as the Rephs sleep during the day and because spirits are easier to see at night.

Upon arriving in Sheol I, each voyant is given an identification number and is assigned a Rephaite keeper. Keepers are the masters, and they test the voyant's abilities and asses their value. Amaurotics are put to work in the Rep's residences to serve them. They live in the barracks. Clairvoyants that fail their first test or earn the yellow tunic twice are placed under the control of the Overseer who turns them into performs for the entertainment of the Rephaim and those in their employ. There are over two hundred humans, voyant and amaurotic, living in Sheol I.

Each residence is a small district. There are seven residences for humans: Balliol, Corpus, Exeter, Merton, Oriel, Queens, Trinity. A very few humans also live in the Residence of Magdalen, and it's one of the safer residences for humans. Warden and Paige live in the Founder's Tower of Magdalen. Most of the Rephs in Magdalen don't take humans though. The Residence of the Suzerain is where Nashira lives. Opposite her residence is the Room, a massive building that no one knows what it's for or likes to talk about it. The amaurotics live in barracks in Amaurotic House, where they are under the control of the Gray Keeper. Amaurotic House has the Latin phrase Domus Stultorum, translating to House of Fools, on it. The Emim use the woods around Sheol I as hunting grounds. The train in Sheol I can only be activated by the Westminster Archon. It is programmed to come and go on particular dates and at particular times, and they can’t be changed. Officially, the Residence of Balliol is the only residence where electricity can be restored. This is where the red-jackets coordinate with the Westminster Archon during the Bone Seasons. However, the Residence of Magdalen secretly also has modern electrical wiring. The Guildhall is named after the NVD's headquarters in London. Port Meadow is used by Rephaite keepers to train their clairvoyants in fighting the Emim. Most of the confiscated blacklisted items from Scion are sent to the Old Library, but voyants in Sheol I aren't allowed in there. The Hawksmoor is the building that guards the Old Library. A secret memorial to the victims of Bone Season XVIII is hidden in the Old Church. The Castle is also known as the Detainment Facility. The House is where supplies are stored, and no humans are allowed in it. Tom Tower is where medical supplies are stored.

Notable Locations[]

  • Residence of Magdalen
  • Residence of the Heir
  • Residence of Oriel
  • Residence of the Suzerain
  • Residence of Trinity
  • Residence of Exeter
  • Residence of Queens
  • Residence of Merton
  • Residence of Corpus
  • Residence of Balliol
  • The Rookery
  • The Guildhall
  • Port Meadow
  • Amarotic House
  • The Room
  • The Old Library
  • The Old Church
  • The Hawksmoor
  • Tom Tower
  • The Castle
  • The House

Notable Inhabitants[]

Trivia[]

  • Sheol I is mainly inspired by the heavenly city described in the medieval poem Pearl.[2]
  • Animals are not permitted within city limits by Nashira.
  • The Residences of Magdalen, Oriel, Trinity, Exeter, Merton, Corpus, Balliol, and Queens are all real colleges at Oxford University. Corpus is part of Corpus Christi.

References[]

  1. The Song Rising: page 152
  2. https://sshannonauthor.tumblr.com/post/166405174948/is-sheol-a-bit-inspired-by-platos-ideal-city
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