DOUMUSNHAM
Places
Earth
Earth is the main setting for this story. Imagine how your Earth looked around the year 2015: that's it. All the same rules apply. The only real difference is that there are more species living secretly among us humans than we know.
Earth is a planet in the Sol system of the Milky Way galaxy, which has been over-populated by the Humans, who consider themselves the rulers of the planet. It also has an immensely diverse eco-system containing millions of species of plant and animal life.
It is considered by lower class Helvetians to be a place of vast freedom, and many others agree when comparing the neutral countries of Earth with the military rule of Hell.
Heaven
Heaven is where God has the power over all. This is where all good is welcomed when life ends, but it's not necessarily where it resides. The population of Heaven is free to travel between Earth and there. Those who choose to stay can decide between living in the capital - Utopia - a huge ancient city and richly populated, or to build their own paradise on a plot of land to rule over. Heaven is an endless space, making it possible for anyone who wants to to claim land for their own. Heaven's residents are all free to shape their homes however they want with but a thought.
In the middle of Utopia lied the Garden and God's temple. The grounds are open to the public , but to keep possible ill-doers at bay, the seven Archangels reside in hidden lands around the Garden.
The temple is a massive marble dome poised on top of a circle of pillars, each of which represent a different religion found throughout the planes. The pillar room - the ground floor - is an open area for anyone to visit. It's also the exact center of Heaven: all roads web out from here. A large spiral staircase circles just inside the pillars. leading up and down. Up, on the first floor, lies the chapel, where the people are welcome to commune with God by prayers. The Archangels are frequently seen here. Above the chapel lies the core of the temple, a restricted area to all, in the dome itself.
Beneath the temple's ground floor lie the portals to the Archangels' homes. It's a round room lined with magic portals, each with restricted access to the Archangel it belongs to. Those who have been cast out - such as Michael and Lucifer - have had their portals sealed to prevent their access to Heaven. They can still enter their homes through portals they may have created elsewhere in any other plane that connects to their realms. There is one additional portal that no one knows who it belongs to or how to open. This leads even further down underground, to yet another portal which in turn leads to a factory. It's impossible to tell how big it is, but its purpose is to create and care for God. It is also where They control and observe the creation of everyone's worlds. Other things may occur here too, but no one knows what.
Hell
Hell is not simply a place for sinners. There are those who are born in Hell that have never done anything wrong, but have just gotten unfortunate in where they were born. Lucifer - the second oldest Archangel, cast down by God - rules over Hell. He resides in the palace at the center of the Capital.
Hell is roughly the size of Earth and has only three exits, though only two are ever used: those in the 2nd and 1st Sector. The third, which is located in the royal palace, leads to Heaven's Garden, but it has long been sealed. Hell is divided into three Sectors bu thick, high walls that are constantly patrolled by the H.R.G.
The 3rd Sector – lower class; the poorest of all.
The 2nd Sector – middle class; farmers and "average" people.
The 1st Sector – higher class; the rich and royal.
In the 3rd Sector lives all those who cannot afford a single days meal. The poorer one is, the further they live from the wall. They have their own language, a form of Helvetian that the upper classes see as dirty and don't understand, which in their opinion is good because then they won't have to listen to their complaints. The citizens of the 3rd Sector are viewed as garbage and are not funded in any way by the government. The only way to make something remotely close to a living is by prostitution along the walls, luring the soldiers or slightly more fortunate to play their games, or by becoming a farmer and sell their crops and other valuables. However, the soil in the southern hemisphere of Hell is muddy, and therefore crops are highly unlikely to grow.
The citizens of the 2nd Sector speak either or both Higher and Lower Helvetian. Those closer to the 3rd Sector naturally speak Lower Helvetian, and vice versa. They earn enough money to survive with modest to great comfort. Many have common jobs, working for the government in some way, but most people in the 2nd Sector are farmers. They provide the higher Sectors with large portions of their crops and meats. The soil in the central hemisphere is much richer than that southward.
The 1st Sector is home to high class citizens who speak the "proper" variant of Helvetian: Higher, which they're all taught in school. Here resides doctors, lawyers, politicians and other prestigious families. The Helvetian Army, also known as the Royal Guard or H.R.G, has its headquarters here, as do other well-known organisations, such as the Reapers. H.R.G is however, posted all over Hell, just as the Reapers work all throughout the four planes.
Most citizens of the 1st Sector can afford transportation, and since Hell is a medieval world, it's usually horse-drawn carriages. They can also afford food in excess and whatever else they may want. Those closest to the 2nd Sector are not as wealthy but still never have to fear poverty.
The Oceans of Time
(The Space Between Planes)
To get from one plane to another one must travel through the space between planes, known to most as the Oceans of Time. Not much is known of this place, save that its waters constantly change and are difficult to navigate for the inexperienced.
Those who commandeer the ships that travel through the Oceans have spent their lives learning its secrets from their predecessors, and despite most of them being simply myth, all captains take them to heart and proceed with caution whenever they set sail.
The more experienced captains charge greater fees to make sure their passengers arrive at a certain time and place, and thus only the rich can afford a completely safe journey. The richest of the captains are Sirens that have the ability to cloak themselves and their surroundings so that they may manipulate the looks of their ships to fit their destination. These ships only travel between Earth, Heaven and Hell's 1st Sector.
The cheaper journeys from Hell's 2nd Sector to Earth are made on old ships with cramped accommodations and mediocre captains that can only travel the waters but not predict their currents, and thus don't know how long the journey will take, or when and where on Earth they will arrive.
There are two main ports in Hell; in the 1st and 2nd Sector, from which these ships travel. In Heaven there are several ports scattered across the plane.And on Earth these ships travel from old harbour towns known for old shipyards and the like, where their appearance wouldn't raise as much suspicion as in a modern city.
Not all species are allowed to travel to Earth due to their appearances. To be allowed through they must look inconspicuous to the native species: the humans. If their species have a cloaking ability they may be permitted on the journey if they can prove that their abilities are good enough to fool the natives.
The tickets to ships that travel between planes all look different from ship to ship, but they all state three things: the passenger's full name, their origin, and the signature of the one who has issued the ticket. These are made from one slip of paper that's parted in half. On both halves the same information is stated. The captain of the ship receives one half upon the passenger boarding their ship, and the passenger keeps the other half in order to prove their identity and right to be onboard for the duration of the journey. The tickets are issued in the language of the place it has been bought from.
