Purgatory

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1. #1Purgatory as a Wholeconstantselective

   Setting: The Dantean afterlife played completely straight. Heaven is full of transcendent bliss and perfect beauty -- artists have perfect muses, so it's never boring. Purgatory is where the saved purge themselves of their sins so that they're permitted to enter Heaven -- a cosmic self-improvement program. Hell is where the damned wallow in their own sins for eternity. It takes only the slightest bit of remorse to escape Hell and reach Purgatory. Hell is almost completely empty -- the only people who are damned either chose to reject salvation at the last second, or were so gleefully evil they never felt guilt even once. God is infinitely merciful like that.

   Purgatory: Purgatory is an island with a single mountain on it, the peak of which reaches Heaven. Not a void by any means, you can easily see the sky from anywhere. Purgatory's technology mirrors Earth's, slowly advancing as technology on Earth advances. As each of these are intended for the penitent’s own good, they can pause their labors at any time, for as long as they want (with the sole exception of the Sloth terrace, which has a strict schedule). However, they can only move closer to Heaven once the sin of this terrace is purged from their being. There are modest dwellings on each terrace for resting penitents, with food, baths, replacement clothing, and entertainment. Some penitents have been 'taking a break' since Christ walked the Earth, and they may still eventually enter Heaven. Each terrace is overseen by angels who are helpful and nonjudgemental to the best of their ability. An average, morally neutral penitent takes between 100-150 years of active labor to complete all seven terraces and become fully absolved.

2. #2Ante-Purgatory 1selective

   Keys: Excommunicate, base, Ante-Purgatory 1

   Ante-Purgatory 1 — Excommunicate A fleet of ferries circling the island-mountain at a respectful distance. The vessels are modest but seaworthy, their designs updating with the eras—wooden barques give way to steamers, then hydrofoils, then hovercraft skimming the waves. The penitents here were excommunicated in life but reconciled before death. They wait to be processed into Ante-Purgatory 2. The wait is not punishment, merely bureaucracy. Prayers from the living can expedite the process, pulling a ferry to shore like a favorable wind.

3. #3Ante-Purgatory 2selective

   Keys: beginning, entrance, Ante-Purgatory

   Ante-Purgatory 2 — Late Repentance A vast, featureless waiting chamber carved into the base of the mountain. The architecture is neutral, with white walls and even lighting. Comfortable benches line the walls. Vending machines dispense food and drink that's reasonably pleasant, but nothing special. Penitents are provided their own dorm-style bedrooms, then encouraged to make friends and form a community. There are gaming consoles, billiards tables, and shelves of books. Penitents wait. And wait. And wait.

   The purpose of ante-purgatory isn't to absolve penitents of any specific sin. Rather, it's to teach the penitents to go and sin no more.

4. #4Pride Terraceselective

   Keys: humility, first, humble, pride, humbled, 1 · Secondary: terrace, quarry, rock, boulder

   Terrace 1 — Cleansing Pride The first terrace is a quarry. Pentients select a boulder scaled to their pride and begin hauling it up a spiraling path carved into the mountainside. The path is exactly the vertical ascent of Mount Everest. Holographic displays line the route, playing scenes of humility on loop: a king washing a beggar's feet, a general bowing to a child, a trillionaire quietly donating her entire fortune and telling no one. The holograms are crisp, high-definition, and utterly inescapable.

5. #5Envy Terraceselective

   Keys: 2, Envy, Second · Secondary: terrace, hologram, ampitheater

   Terrace 2 — Cleansing Envy The second terrace is a series of circular amphitheaters carved into the mountainside. Penitents sit in concentric rings, their bodies hidden beneath holographic shells — featureless, identical outlines with no distinguishing characteristics whatsoever. They are told to tell stories of generosity. When a penitent speaks, their voice is modulated to a neutral tone. When they listen, they can only watch the featureless shape of the speaker and hear the story.

6. #6Wrath Terraceselective

   Keys: Wrath, meek, third, meekness, 3 · Secondary: terrace, fumes, smoke

   Terrace 3 — Cleansing Wrath The third terrace is a choking wasteland of acrid black smoke. Visibility is near zero. Pentients stumble forward blind, breathing in the stinging fumes. Telepathic scenes of meekness are broadcast directly into their minds — a soldier lowering his weapon, a victim forgiving her abuser, a woman calmly walking away from an insult. The smoke is both punishment and protection; it forces the penitent inward, where the real work happens. Over time, the smoke becomes less acrid. Air filtration systems are installed -- they're calibrated to subtly clear the air around less hostile pentients, and worsen it near angrier pentients. The telepathic broadcasts become more nuanced and personally targeted, rather than showing all pentients the same thing.

7. #7Sloth Terraceselective

   Keys: fourth, 4, Sloth, diligence, diligent · Secondary: terrace, build, workshop, craft

   Terrace 4 — Cleansing Sloth The fourth terrace is a vast workshop, open to the sky. Workbenches stretch in every direction, stocked with tools appropriate to each penitent's era and abandoned projects. The rule is simple: create a great work equal to all the works you conceived and declined to make in life. By default, this is a temple, but most penitents choose to finish their incomplete projects. The schedule is rigid: twelve hours of labor, twelve hours of rest, no exceptions, no pauses. You cannot linger here. You work until you're done. The workshop has fabrication technology far beyond anything she knew in life. The benches are smart-surfaces. The tools are adaptive. Shrines can be designed in virtual reality before a single stone is laid.

8. #8Greed Terraceselective

   Keys: fifth, charity, greed, charitable, 5 · Secondary: terrace, facility, factory

   Terrace 5 — Cleansing Greed The fifth terrace is an immense sorting facility carved into the mountainside, staffed by penitents. The facility processes donations for the souls of the impoverished. These souls pass through Greed quickly — they have little to purge — but they spend a short time here receiving what they were denied in life. Warm meals. Medicine. Clothing. Books. Comfort. The goods are real. The gratitude is real. Penitents who were wealthy or greedy in life are given a manifest: every person they could have helped, every cause they could have funded, every community they ignored. They work the factory floor with their own hands, then carry the finished goods through the winding corridors to deliver them personally.

9. #9Gluttony Terraceselective

   Keys: fasting, gluttony, moderation, sixth, moderate, 6 · Secondary: terrace, fruit, pavilion, orchard

   Terrace 6 — Cleansing Gluttony The sixth terrace is an orchard of impossible beauty. Trees with gnarled, ancient trunks spread their branches wide, heavy with fruit that glows faintly in shades of gold and crimson. The air smells of honey, fresh bread, ripe peaches, roasted meat, cool water. Every craving has a scent here. The fruit hangs just out of reach. The branches lift gently when a penitent approaches. No amount of jumping, climbing, or cleverness will bring them closer. This is a terrace of moderation, not starvation. Penitents are fed simple, nourishing meals at regular intervals. Clean water flows from stone fountains. The hunger in your belly is never allowed to become dangerous. The thirst is never allowed to become desperate. But the fruit overhead is always just a little sweeter than what you're given. The shade is always just a little cooler than where you're sitting. The lesson is patience. Enough is enough. The resting spaces here are small stone pavilions scattered through the orchard, roofed with flowering vines. Inside, simple cots and chairs. Pentients may pause their fast at any time — step into a pavilion, request a meal, eat their fill, nap in the shade. The angels bring whatever is asked for. No judgment. No hurry. But you will not progress while you rest. Many penitents spend centuries dozing under the fruit trees, enjoying the breeze, convincing themselves they'll continue tomorrow.

10. #10Lust Terraceselective

    Keys: last, seventh, final, 7, lust · Secondary: terrace, ring, run, fire, running, plasma

    Terrace 7 — Cleansing Lust The seventh terrace is a miles-long ring of plasma that encircles the mountain's upper reaches, burning at the temperature of a star's corona. It is contained by an electromagnetic field that hums at a frequency felt in the teeth. The ring is wide enough for two columns of penitents to run in opposite directions: heterosexuals clockwise, homosexuals counterclockwise. When the two columns meet, runners exchange a brief kiss of greeting and a sign of peace before continuing. The fire burns without consuming. It purifies. The plasma ring is managed by a swarm of AI-controlled drones and an angel who oversees operations from a control pulpit overlooking the track. The penitent's running path is lined with impact-absorbing material that repairs itself between laps. There's a secondary track outside the fire, with water dispensers at regular intervals. Medical drones monitor vitals. This is self-improvement, not torture. Resting spaces are small, climate-controlled pods that hover just outside the plasma ring. Inside: a small but cozy apartment with a cot, a shower, a meal dispenser, and a viewport looking out at the stars. Pentients may pause at any time. The angel encourages breaks, knowing how difficult it is to purge corrupted love.

11. #11Earthly Paradiseselective

    Keys: peak, eden, paradise

    The Peak — The Earthly Paradise The Garden of Eden, unchanged since the dawn of time. The summit of the mountain flattens into a lush plateau untouched by time or sin. The trees are the same trees Adam and Eve walked beneath. The rivers are the same four rivers—Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, Euphrates—flowing clear and sweet. The air is thick with the scent of blooming flowers that have no name in any living language. Birds sing harmonies that predate human music. No technology here. No upgrades. No modernization. The Garden has no need of it. Angels walk the paths in silence, their presence a warmth rather than a sight. Souls who have completed all seven terraces rest here in perfect peace, awaiting entry to Heaven. The gates of Heaven are visible from anywhere in the Garden—towering, luminous, always open—but souls enter only when they are ready.

    By the time they reach the Earthly Paradise, penitents will have been completely forgiven by God. The last step towards Heaven is for them to forgive themselves.

12. #12What about Hell?selective

    Keys: devil, hell, demon, adversary, demonic, satan, hellish

    Demonic incursions on Purgatory are rare, and it's even more rare for them to reach past Ante-Purgatory to the Terraces. It's difficult to get demons to cooperate long enough that they can militarize, even for the Adversary himself.

    Demonic raids have the goal of abducting penitent souls, to be tortured in Hell. When this happens, the entire Heavenly Host goes on high alert, drops whatever else they were doing, and counter-invades Hell to rescue the hostages as quickly as possible.

13. #13Is sex banned?selective

    Keys: sex, chastity, pussy, chaste, cock, fuck

    Strictly, vanilla sex isn't forbidden in Purgatory. It's discouraged unless it's with your spouse, but it's permitted. However, rough or kinky sex is forbidden.

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