The Underworld

“Everybody hungry
Everybody tired
Everybody slaves by the sweat of his brow
The wage is nothing and the work is hard
It's a graveyard in Hadestown”
- Way down Hadestown, Hadestown ¹⁾

The afterlife. Hell. The Land of the Dead. In the living world, this place has a lot of names, but round here it's just known as the Underworld. The place people go when they die. We get all sorts here, people from different times and places, nobles and beggars, eventually you die. And that old life? That's gone. Now you've just got to find a way to while away eternity, like the rest of us. Getting by's the best anyone can hope to do in the underworld. Making things better for yourself usually means making someone else's life worse - there's not many resources to go around.

The entirety of the game Anabasis will take place within The Underworld, the afterlife to which humans are sent irrespective of their beliefs or moral alignment to exist as shades among the largely barren landscape of the dead. It is a place stuck in time - think American Dustbowl, 1920s and 30s. Technology is limited, most things are still mechanical, but rudimentary electronics are beginning to be available. Cities are few and far between, with Hadestown being the only major population of note. Elsewhere people mostly reside in smaller shanty towns, with the occasional local able to leverage enough power to wield a bit of influence. Corruption is rife - though that would imply anyone is trying to be secret about how they're running things.

However, there is one name that commands respect in every corner of the Underworld - Hades. He set up the railway. He runs Hadestown. And he is the one who can issue a ticket back the the Living World.

The citizens of the Underworld who were once mortal, and joined the ranks of the Underworld after death. Shades stay the same age as they were when they entered the Underworld. They can be injured and hurt, but can't die (after all, you're already dead). Similarly other bodily functions remain the same - people get plenty hungry, and the search for the next meal is top of most people's minds.

There are other inhabitants of the Underworld. Those that aren't Shades are creatures of this place, usually superhuman, with agendas of their own. To look at them you wouldn't know the difference, they can eat and drink, will have jobs, and generally integrate into the communities around them. Though in some cases, such as with Hades, this means being in charge of things. The other main difference is they cannot leave the Underworld, even with a ticket (though that doesn't mean they won't try and get you to part with yours).

Some kinds of beings you may encounter:

Demons: Superhuman beings whose metaphysical purpose is to mislead and torment shades.

Psychopomps: Superhuman beings whose metaphysical purpose is to guide and comfort shades.

Fates: Enacters of destiny. Sometimes destiny is sealed in paperwork; and those desperate enough may sign a contract to seal their fate.

“And wasn't it electrifying
When I made the neon shine?
Silver screen, cathode ray
Brighter than the light of day”
- Chant, Hadestown ²⁾

This is where most Shades live. This is the City Hades built, and keeps the closest eye on. Life here is tough - back breaking work day in, day out. But certainty is a hell of a drug, and knowing you're getting a meal at the end of the day and a bed to sleep in is a very appealing trade in the Underworld.

Even if you don't live in Hadestown, you'll have made a visit to see Hades and ask for your ticket out of here.