Hail Infernal World: The Hellfire Saga Book 1, page 47
Imperial estates: Imperial estates are geopolitical regions that recognize no authority other than the Satan himself. These regions range in size from individual manors and their grounds to vast swaths of territory. Collectively, these regions are known as the Imperium, a word which refers both to the Satan’s physical holdings as well as the political power that flows from him. Imperial estates include Imperial principalities, grand duchies, duchies, countships, margraves and landgraves.
Style of Address: Lucifer is formally referred to as His Imperial Satanic Majesty, Lucifer, Emperor of the Infernal Realms and the Great Satan of Hell.
Imperial Free Cities: Three cities in Hell have been granted status as free cities that pay tribute only to the Satan: Pandemonium, Dis, and Shadow Babylon. The Free Cities are entitled to levy taxes and raise armies so long as they swear allegiance to Lucifer. Dis is ruled by Mammon, King of the Sixth Circle of Hell; Pandemonium is ruled by Prince Arioch; and Shadow Babylon is ruled by Asmodai under the dispensation of Lucifer.
Clerical Territories: While most regions of Hell are ruled by Fallen beholden either to a High King or to the Satan himself, many regions are instead ruled by archbishops, bishops, or abbots of the Black Church. These clerics are usually designated princes of the church, so that a prince-bishop rules a prince-bishopric, etc. Clerical territories are still technically under the direct authority of the Satan, but in practice answer solely to the Black Pope.
Kingdoms: There are eight officially recognized Kingdoms in Hell, one for each Circle save Cocytus, ruled over by the eight High Kings and Queens of Hell. These royal couples are effectively co-rulers of their respective realms; in some cases, they may scheme against each other or even foment war. The high royals typically rules from a capital city, and they also hold their own lands and keeps. Territorial rulers pledge their allegiance and pay tribute in pentacles, souls, and gems.
Style of address: High Kings and Queens are referred to as His or Her Royal Satanic Majesty (RSM).
Archduchies: In Hell, the title Archduke or Archduchess (Latin: Magnus Dux) ranks in honor below King and Queen but higher in authority than a duke or prince. The territories and holdings of Archdukes are called grand duchies; they are often not just contiguous states but may comprise many disparate castles and lands. These titles are generally reserved for Fallen directly in line for one of the eight High Thrones.
Style of address: His or Her Royal Satanic Highness (RSH).
Principalities: Principalities (or princedoms) are either sworn in fealty to a Circle’s monarch or are sovereign states ruled by a prince or princess. Principalities range from vast, wealthy lands to modest holdings. In the upper Circles, princes are loyal to the High King. In the lower Circles, princes often wield absolute power over their holdings. The title of prince or princess is also used to designate offspring of royal families, who are often landless.
Style of address: His or Her Illustrious Satanic Highness (ISH).
Duchies: A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by an infernal duke or duchess. Some duchies are sovereign states within individual Circles while others are sworn bannermen of the High King. The title of duke or duchess is historically awarded by those kings, less often by the Satan himself. Duchies are typically contiguous geographic regions built around multiple castles, keeps and good-sized towns and villages.
Style of address: His or Her Satanic Highness.
Landgraviates: The title landgrave refers to an infernal noble with feudal duty directly to the Imperium. Landgraviates can sometimes stretch over considerable territory and are often found in desolate areas of Hell where the Satan desires new immigration of damned souls. Landgraves are comparable in nobility to dukes, and the style of address is the same. The wife of a landgrave is called a landgravine.
Marquesses: An infernal marquess is ruled by a noble demon or devil titled a marquis or marchioness. Marquises primarily rule large agricultural estates worked by damned souls. They generally do not maintain armies, but they will often employ mercenaries if their holdings are threatened.
Style of address: His or Her Most Satanic Lordship or Ladyship.
Marches: Marches are primarily military regions on the frontiers of infernal kingdoms or grand duchies. They are ruled by margraves and margravines charged with protecting the realm from invaders. Marches are often found near natural veils and feature stout defenses and large armies. Marches are often isolated, and margraves enjoy considerable autonomy. The jurisdiction of a margrave is known as a margravate. The style of address is the same as for a marquis, except in military matters, in which case the margrave is styled Lord Marshall.
Counties: Counts and countesses are generic titles used to describe a wide variety of infernal nobility and offices. The title is usually granted by a duke and is often ceremonial. Those counts who do preside over actual territories are said to preside over counties. Common types of counts include: Military counts, granted their titles to raise armies during war; counts palatine, noble auctors who act as chief justices for the royal judiciary; and hereditary counts, usually the offspring of dukes and duchesses. Counts are often looked down upon as low nobility, even by the damned.
Style of address: His or Her Right Satanic Lordship or Ladyship.
Viscounties: Infernal viscounts and viscountesses are relatively rare. The titles are typically granted by dukes, marquises and margraves to nobles of special renown or accomplishment. The title is more common amongst lictors who become sheriffs of particular provinces.
Style of address: His or Her Satanic Lordship or Ladyship.
Baronies: In Hell, the title of baron and baroness is almost exclusively granted to infernals who achieve renown in battle. Barons function as military feudal lords and typically command a chapter of Knights. They are mostly landed, although Barons often lose their lands through financial misfortune or military defeat, so landless barons captaining companies of mercenaries are common throughout Hell. A barony is also the only title of nobility that can be granted to a damned soul.
Style of address: His Lordship or Her Ladyship.
Warlords: Warlords are not nobility, but the title of warlord is often a path to higher station. It is a formal title granted only by a High King or by the Emperor himself during a time of war. Warlords typically command a legion of troops pledged to a Fallen House; they are sometimes united into chapters granted a charter by a high king.
Magistrates: A catch-all title that describes any upper-level functionary operating within Hell’s bureaucracy. Magistrates are typically styled as Your Grace and may be either infernal or damned.
Clerks: Are the lowest-level functionaries of Hell’s government. They are all either imps or damned souls who have chosen a clerkship as their torment. So mote it be.
A note on the translation
When I received the manuscript of the Hellfire Saga from Herr Valentine along with his prodigiously ambitious ten-volume opus The Compleat Guide to Hell, I knew absolutely nothing about the spoken and written language of the Infernal Realms. It’s hard enough to translate a work from a known language; deciphering an alphabet and tongue spoken by the denizens of Hell adds an entirely new layer of complexity.
Fortunately, the High Tongue of Hell (called Hellspeech) turned out to be a corruption of the Enochian language spoken in the Celestial Kingdom. This tongue was taught to John Dee and Edward Kelly by the archangel Uriel, and Valentine was able to provide me access to Dee’s complete library at Mortlake. Thus was I, after much labor and periods of intense spiritual exhaustion, able to complete the translation of this first volume into English.
In every case I was able, I used the closest equivalent English word in my translation. When certain concepts and titles proved untranslatable, I followed the example of Gene Wolfe and relied on older concepts such as autarch, auctor, and lictor. I trust Mr. Wolfe would approve of the homage.
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About the Author
Rick Ferguson is a globally recognized marketing expert with appearances in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Advertising Age, Fast Company, the Globe & Mail in Canada, the Guardian in the United Kingdom, the Financial Times in India, MSNBC, and the Fox Business Channel. He has delivered keynote speeches on marketing principles and best practices on six continents. He is also a master of time, space, and dimension. He lives in Decatur, GA with his wife Allison, son Ian, and cats Ziggy and Zelda.
Also by Rick Ferguson
In addition to this first volume in the Hellfire Saga, Rick Ferguson is also the author of the award-winning Chronicles of Elberon trilogy. The Chronicles of Elberon includes the following volumes:
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Vol. I: The Screaming Skull (2018)
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Vol. II: The Mace of Malice (2020)
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Vol. III: The Crown of Chaos (Coming in 2024)
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For more information on these books, as well as other books by Phabulousity Press, please visit www.phabulousity.com.
Acknowledgments
The completion of this book is due primarily to two people. First and foremost, love and thanks to my wife, Allison, for her unwavering support and encouragement. Second, a special thanks to Jim Toren for serving as the book’s story editor and being an awesome collaborator.
And, lest I forget, thanks to you, Constant Reader, for listening to the great Satan’s tale. If you like the book, be sure to tell your friends.
HAIL INFERNAL WORLD: THE HELLFIRE SAGA, BOOK I
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Copyright © 2023 Rick Ferguson
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All rights reserved. ISBN-13: 978-1-7325662-5-5
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Published by Mr. Fabulous, LLC dba Phabulousity Press, 2023
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Decatur, GA, USA
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No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book may not be used to train a generative AI model without express permission of the author.
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This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Under no circumstances may any part of this book be photocopied for resale.
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This is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
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Cover image by Books Covered, Ltd. and is used with permission.
RIck Ferguson, Hail Infernal World: The Hellfire Saga Book 1
