Where is Gabriel's volcano?

by Redneck Gaijin <redneck@txdirect.net>

Maya <maya@tcp.co.uk>:

After reading Heaven and Hell, and comparing it to the original IN book and The Marches, I'm a little confused.

The original book says, on page 138, about Blandine's tower:

"... atop the tower, the highest point on the angels' side of the Marches. Against one horizon, he can see Gabriel's volcano outlined against the radiant intensity of the Eternal City. The other horizon glows a deep orange, against which is silhouetted another tower, a dark reflection of Blandine's own."

This seems to suggest that Gabriel's volcano lies somewhere between Heaven and Blandine's Tower / the Marches.

As far as I can see (and I may have missed something) The Marches doesn't comment on the location of Gabriel's volcano with relation to the Marches.

Heaven and Hell, on page 64, seems to suggest that Gabriel's volcano is on the other side of Heaven from Blandine's Tower.

"The tower of Blandine, Archangel of Dreams, marks the boundary between Heaven and the Marches... Gabriel's Cathedral, the Volcano of Fire, marks the other boundary... On the other edge of Gabriel's Cathedral from Heaven is a dramatic caesura between the swelling hymns of Heaven and the discordant atonalism of Hell. Far below, or beyond - the terms are synonymous in this context, at least - is the rim of Sheol, Belial's citadel in Hell."

This seems to suggest that Gabriel's volcano is entirely the other side of Heaven from Blandine's Tower.

I can accept that Heavenly topology may be so weird that both cases can be true at the same time, and beyond our mortal understanding. Would anybody else care to comment?

Eternal City
------------------------------------------------Blandine's Tower
             ---------_____________                        /
                                   ---------_____________ /
                                                    Gabriel's Volcano

Extend the legs of the triangle, as follows:

            Far Marches
                  /
                 /
Heaven----------/-----Marches-------Beleth's Tower
     --__      /
         --__ /
              --__
                  --__
                      --__
                           Belial's Volcano

From Beleth's tower, the glow of the Eternal City would be visible over one shoulder of Gabriel's Volcano. From Gabriel's Volcano, the celestetherial planes dip down to merge Heaven and Hell, while the Marches run parallel but nontangent to the slope, so to speak. Between Beleth's and Blandine's Towers, the plane of the Marches pierces the Celestial plane, allowing heaven & Hell to meet that way as well.

At least, this is how it works for Da rk Victory; at the moment, substitute Lucifer's Lighthouse for Blandine's Tower.

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Elizabeth McCoy <arcangel@prismnet.com>
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