Artic

Artic is the seventh layer of Hell, consisting of a vast snowy wasteland that seems to stretch beyond measure. One can get lost in its entrancing, white plains that freeze all that enter.

Regions of the Artic

Despite being the second largest region of Hell (after Hel), the Artic is only divided into three major regions. Most of this is due to it being mostly unexplored and too large to accurately divide.
Artic is enormous, and few have ever been able to find their way through it. It is designed so that living there alone is punishment enough for most souls.

President Lamashtu by Jarhed

Despite this, many Devils make Artic their home, and many have evolved to survive better here. Most of these Devils end up with paler blue or white skin rather than other colors, helping them acclimate and live in the harsh, cold climate.

Deception Island

The most distinct of the three regions, at the very center of Artic is a lake of water, some of the only natural, non-Styx water in Hell.
Sitting at the center of that water is a mountainous, cold island that looms over the rest of Artic.
A deceptive location, it appears peaceful. It is not dangerously cold, rather its temperature is the most mild and tolerable in all of the Artic layer.
However, going onto it puts one further at risk of her wrath: President Lamashtu.
Lamashtu rules Artic as its President, and is the closest advisor to Satanael, the God of the Devils. It is said she is his second most powerful President, second only to Mephistopheles, President of Laveyorn.
She hunts prey within the layer and causes chaos as she sees fit. Meeting her is, generally, the worst thing one could do when in Artic, so it is advised to avoid her if ever found in the tundras of the seventh layer.

West Artic

West Artic is, of course, the western half of the Artic layer. It is difficult to tell which direction one is going, as compasses don't work in Hell, but if a majority of the ground is ice, you are likely in West Artic.
70% of West Artic is a large ice sheet which is prone to cracking and breaking. This means it is mostly flat land, with its hills largely being artificial buildups of snow covering the sheets of ice rather than natural structures.
West Artic is also known for bordering Piscarius, where the River Styx intersects with Hell, and thus one can fall off of it into the Styx.
Here, the Artic Peninsula is the most notable place to go, where one can see the River Styx and may even have a chance to get over it. It is also here that most souls are dropped off from Styx into Artic.

East Artic

East Artic is the other half of the Artic layer, to the east. It borders the mountains of Taltal, making it impassable from the East and impossible to leave. Of course, it is equally difficult to get over Styx, meaning that escape from either side isn't probable.
In contrast to the flat West Artic, East Artic is a much more hilly area of snow. Most of it is solid ground, albeit covered in snow making it more difficult to traverse.
More Devils live in East Artic, as it is safer and their location is less easily discovered due to blankets of snow and constant blizzards that cloud the land and make travel difficult.
Devil communities can be found scarcely, but more often it is singular homes of Devils.

Artic Dangers

The greatest danger in the Artic is, of course, its environment. The cold climate is deadly to any interloper not intended to be tortured by it, and those intrepid souls are forced into endless pain.

Ardar Tilrak and Rhoziros Nimphonker by Jarhed

Alongside this, there is of course the President and her lackeys and beasts, which hunt residents and visitors alike. Rabid beasts also roam, like ice-affinity Hellhounds, rabid snowy hares that eat flesh, and walrus devils with tusks and horns shaped like tusks.
But the residents are the greatest threats, because it is uncommon to see the President. But one may always stumble upon a native Devil who is upset that you have encroached on their territory.
One may find the dead souls of two dueling Grand Wizards, Ardar Tilrak and Rhoziros Nimphonker, who attack anyone that seeks to interfere if in the Artic between the years 1000 and 1272. One may find the Devil that represents Envy, Ally of the Seven Deadly Spawn, who accidentally freezes all he comes across if there between 600 and 1272.
These are only some examples of those great dangers that may be stumbled across in Artic. It is a vast land with innumerable threats. All one can do there is be on edge and ever vigilant.

Oddities

Artic is the least documented layer of Hell due to its vast size and how much of it is deceptively similar, making it seem as if one is treading the same ground they have already tread.
Still, there are some locations that can be pointed out due to their prominence in stories that people have told.

• The Hunting Hut- Located on Deception Island, the Hunting Hut is an unassuming location. It appears to be a small, wooden cabin that was shoddily constructed. In truth, it's a trap.
  Beneath it is a vast series of tunnels where prey are caught. For this is the home of the President of Artic, Lamashtu. Lamashtu seeks prey of any kind, and so she designed her home to draw them in.
  Of course, she does still live there, but without most amenities that other Presidents would have. She prefers to hunt rather than spend her time inside.

---

• Tsar's Portal- First noted down by Mishan explorers whose journals were found elsewhere in Hell, the Tsar's Portal is said to be the only way out of the Artic layer.
  Where it is, however, is a more difficult question. The journal claimed it was one place, in the West Artic, but others have reportedly found it is not always there. On occasion, it is in the East Artic, and some have said they found it on Deception Island.
  Many believe it moves, but no one knows how or why other than to keep people from escaping. It also is said to have a guard who is meant to keep people from getting out.

---

• Erebus- Despite being found within the coldest layer of Hell, Erebus is the hottest point in all of the underworld.
  A volcano whose magma is constantly heating up beneath the cold surface, when it erupts, the region of the East Artic around it is said to be deadly even to the most resilient Devils.
  Some say that at its peak seasons of activity, its magma can reach even Manhottan.

---

• Queen Meiriris Land- A land claimed by Elves, it is a hollow bastion of an attempted civilization here.
  They built a decadent castle of ice and snow in East Artic, and while they managed to ensure it would remain, they did not keep themselves safe.
  Some say there were few Elves that survived and managed to stay there, but the large force of colonists died in the attempt, their souls destroyed forever.

---

• Green Coast- Unlike the failed Elven attempt, Orcs succeeded in settling in Artic. In a region of West Artic where the ice broke apart, Orcs built settlements to live, finding any way they could to survive.
  It has grown into a rather large area of civilization, though it is still dangerous to enter due to the climate, it is likely the safest place in Artic.