This supplement for Kindred of the East sets itself to a daunting task: offering a guide to the Thousand Hells from which the Kuei-jin escaped to take their Second Breath. Obviously, given the size, it does not attempt to offer details on the full number (even if it is the full number, a fact brought into question at least once), but instead offers a quick look at a few of the most notable and then devotes itself to rules and guidelines for expanding upon them.
The introductory fiction is properly evocative and gives a very good feel for the extremely hostile environments the hells offer, which is helpful because it is easy to forget and just treat the rest of the book as a spiritual travelogue of places for players to tromp with impunity, something which the authors stress is entirely the wrong approach if you wish to retain any sense of the absolute horror of these realms. The introduction is short and merely outlines the purpose of the book, some key phrases, and a quick sidebar on the difference between the hells depicted within and the one created by the Jade Emporer in the Asian underworld.
Chapter Three (the opening fiction and introduction having been given chapter designations, oddly) then goes on to give a history of the Yomi World and the Yama Kings as well as a general geography of the major features not specific to a particular hell. It is an interesting look at how the corruption of the spirit worlds began and continues to occur and offers a number of question about whether or not it is part of the grand design and the August Personage's plans (as well as noting how obsessed many of the Yama Kings are with this very question). One of the points again stressed is the sheer unpleasantness of these realms, which almost makes me question, at times, the usefulness of the book. While the realms shouldn't be easy or pleasant to traverse, at many times I wondered how they could be travelled through at all, given the various horrific mechanisms which exist within to destroy all you trespass.
Chapter Four goes on to detail specific realms and Yama Kings. The quick run-down is as follows:
- Kakuri: A Japanese underworld realm where your flesh is ripped from your bones by freezing cold and ice-laden winds.
- Lanka: The dying hell of the Rakshas (most of whom are corrupted Hengeyokai) and their lord Ravana.
- The Hell of Being Skinned Alive: A desert hell where shards of powdered glass and metal are driven in great sandstorms that flay sinners.
- The Wicked City: The epitome of the worst anime and cyberpunk dystopias about the future, dominated by a young but powerful Japanese Yama King.
- The Hell of Boiling Oil: A vast sea of boiling human fat.
- The Hell of Burrowing Maggots: Exactly what it says it is, with the decaying husk of the former Yama King being perpetually devoured at its center.
- The Pit of Salt and Iron: A hell of perpetual labor under the worst conditions.
- The Hell of the Seven Burning Seas: A burning ocean inhabited by strange creatures who live in glowing cities along its bottom.
- The Hell of Upside-Down Sinners: A realm where everything is inverted so that pain is pleasure, friends and lovers are hated, and the worst tortures are actively sought.
Obviously, the descriptions do not lack for horrific imagery. However, in deference to the desire (generally) not to condem the PCs to an eternity of endless suffering, these sections detail secret escape routes, hidden allies, and means to overcome the adversities the realms offer. Still, there is little of comfort and any journey to these places, run correctly, should be as horrific and soul-scarred as is called for. A small handful of other realms are given one line descriptions at the end, just as seeds for the Storyteller to use.
Chapter Five covers the Yama Kings of these realms in a little more detail, offering histories, motivations, methods, and weaknesses (such as they are). A lot of good advice is also given about how they should operate and how (and why) to have them influence the PCs existence without lessening their impact through countless direct confrontations. It also devotes a sidebar to the previously noted concern over their place in the grand scheme of things and what reward or punishment awaits them in the Sixth Age. It is also interesting to note the variety of perspectives they have on their place. Some punish themselves for their wickedness, others revel in it, and at least one believes he is still following his mandate and doing as the August Personage requires of him (granted, he's dead now, but still).
Chapter Five is advice on storytelling in the realms of Yomi. While the question of 'How?' is addressed in depth, so are the questions of 'Why?' and 'When?'. The very real problem of lessening the impact by too much or too mild exposure is spoken to and tactics on how to play up the horror of the realms and the reprecussions of dealing with those within are given. Denizens of the hells are given a bit of treatment and some 'crunchy bits' are offered in the form of expansion on Disciplines to allow access to the Yomi World. Lastly, the creation of new hells and Yama Kings is offered in the form of questions that need to be asked in the course of developing them.
Chapter Six gets into the serious 'crunchy bits' with all of the system stuff. How to regain Chi in the Thousand Hells, how disciplines work or are twisted by the energies within, and the altered difficulty of several sorts of things (like meditation and calling on Demon Shintai) are addressed. Additionally, the mechanics of Western vampires in the Thousand Hells are dealt with and the corruption that they are susceptible to due to their lack of spirituality is given a system (yes, the stereotype irritates me). Next, some questions on the mechanics of getting into and out of the Yomi worlds are answered and the stats for a variety of hellish denizens are presented.
The Appendix is devoted to Akuma. The motivations for becoming one, how it is done, and what effect is has on the kuei-jin. One sidebar details a ritual used to contact a Yama King while another page and a half one offers a list of texts useful to those looking to sell their soul for power, money, and fun. Also, the ins and outs of coming to terms on a contract are gone into and a table is offered to determine the results of haggling over benefits so that the player and storyteller don't need to go into convoluted legalese with the latter trying to emulate the legal knowledge and slyness of a centuries old evil spirit. Rites, rituals, and investments are given as well as the rules for greater Akuma (those who sold their whole soul in one shot to a single Yama King as opposed to sell it a piece at a time for single favors or investments). The piecemeal version is handled through 'Soul Points', an amusing game mechanic to represent the amount of an akuma's soul that they can sell off while retaining some degree of self-mastery. A sidebar deals with infernalism among the shen, including the hsien, at last giving some guidance on Kura Sau. Lastly, a few famous akuma are listed with a short paragraph of detail.
If this book had focused too much on just the Thousand Hells and sessions involving them directly, it would be of limited usefulness. However, the addition of information on the Yama Kings, their strategies (both in the Middle Kingdom and the spirit worlds), and their servants (particularly the akuma) makes it a supplement well worth having, particularly if the forces of hell (if not the actual places) figure prominently into your campaign.
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