The creation of Aryavarta had been completed but now he faced a task that was darker and more complex building Pataloka, the underworld.
This wasn't just any part of his game; it was a region deeply rooted in the most fearsome aspects of Hindu mythology, a place where chaos, danger, and despair reigned supreme.
"Let's start with Pataloka," Rohan said, his voice firm yet contemplative. "This will be the underworld, a place where players face their toughest challenges. It needs to feel ancient, powerful, and menacing."
The system, as always, responded in its calm, guiding tone. "Pataloka, the underworld. A realm of darkness and chaos, the home of Asuras and the damned. Please describe the landscape you wish to create."
Rohan closed his eyes, allowing the dark, mythological images of Pataloka to take form in his mind.
He saw a landscape filled with jagged rocks, fiery pits, and rivers of molten lava winding through a harsh, unforgiving terrain. The sky above was not a sky at all, but an oppressive setting swirling of ash and smoke, blocking out any light.
"Pataloka should feel like a place where natural laws have been twisted," Rohan began, focusing on the vision taking shape in his mind. "The land should be harsh, intense heat, deep, and a sense of constant dread that hangs over everything."
As Rohan spoke, the white void around him began to transform. The ground beneath his feet cracked revealing jagged rocks and deep fissures filled with glowing lava.
The air grew heavy and thick, full with the scent of sulfur and the distant ominous rumble of what could only be underground fires.
The system's voice cut through the oppressive atmosphere. "Shall we begin with the regions within Pataloka?"
Rohan nodded, already thinking of how to bring these regions to life. "Yes, let's start with Raurava"
Raurava was one of the Narakas, or hells, described in Hindu mythology, a place where the wicked were sent to suffer for their sins.
Rohan envisioned it as a barren, scorched wasteland, filled with lakes of boiling oil and pits of unquenchable fire.
"Raurava should be a place of endless torment," Rohan explained, "The ground should be cracked and burning, with flames and smoke rising from deep fissures. The souls trapped here are in constant agony, and the landscape itself should reflect that suffering."
The system responded immediately, shaping the landscape according to Rohan's vision. The ground turned into a blackened plain, the surface destroyed by deep cracks from which fire and smoke came forth.
Lakes of boiling oil bubbled ominously, sending up plumes of thick and acid smoke. The cries of the damned echoed all around, a reminder of the region's true nature.
Rohan walked through the desolate terrain, taking in the details. The system had captured the oppressive, tormented atmosphere perfectly, but there was more to do.
"There should be demons here Rakshasas and Asuras who torment the souls trapped in Raurava. They need to be powerful, relentless enemies that players must confront to survive."
The system generated the demons as Rohan described them. Hulking Rakshasas, with twisted forms and glowing red eyes, appeared first.
Their dark fur full with malevolence, and muscular forms at a glance predatory. Asuras followed, towering over the landscape with their fearsome presence, their weapons stained with the blood of the souls they tormented.
"These demons should drop rare, cursed items," Rohan added, thinking ahead to the gameplay mechanics. "Items that offer great power but come with a cost maybe they drain the player's health over time, or increase their vulnerability to certain attacks."
"Understood," the system replied, assigning appropriate loot tables to the demons, ensuring that players who dared to take on these formidable foes would be rewarded, but at a risk.
Satisfied with the creation of Raurava, Rohan turned his attention to the next sub-region: Maharaurava.
Maharaurava, according to mythology, was an even more terrifying hell, where the souls of the wicked were hunted by fearsome creatures and subjected to unimaginable pain.
Rohan pictured it as a twisted, nightmarish forest, where the trees were made of iron, and the ground was littered with bones.
"The trees in Maharaurava should be twisted and metallic," Rohan said, imagining the scene. "Their branches sharp with iron thorns that can impale anyone who gets too close. The ground should be covered in the remnants of those who were hunted here bones, armor, broken weapons. And there should be creatures that hunt the souls trapped in this place, relentless in their pursuit."
The system responded, and the landscape shifted once more. Iron trees rose from the ground, their branches twisted into unnatural shapes, their thorns gleaming menacingly.
The ground was indeed littered with bones the skeletal remains of countless souls who had perished here along with rusted armor and shattered weapons that told the story of desperate, failed battles.
"What kind of creatures would you like to add?" the system asked, as it always did when it needed direction.
"Let's add Bhayanakas creatures born from the nightmares of those trapped here," Rohan replied, his mind racing with the possibilities. "They should be fast, powerful, and nearly impossible to escape once they've locked onto a target. Their attacks should cause fear, slowing the player down and making it harder to fight back."
The system generated the Bhayanakas, their forms shadowy and indistinct, as if they were made from the very darkness that surrounded them.
Their eyes glowed with an eerie light, and their movements were swift and silent, like predators stalking their prey through the twisted forest.
"These creatures should drop items that enhance fear-based abilities," Rohan added, thinking about how players could use these items strategically. "Things that allow players to intimidate their enemies or to sow confusion among their foes."
With Maharaurava complete, Rohan moved on to the next sub-region: Kumbhipaka.
Kumbhipaka was described in mythology as a place where the souls of those who committed sins related to food were boiled in hot oil.
Rohan envisioned it as a vast, bubbling lake of molten metal, surrounded by massive iron cauldrons where the damned were boiled alive.
"Kumbhipaka should be a place of intense, unbearable heat," Rohan said, imagining the fiery landscape. "The lake should be filled with molten metal, its surface churning with waves of searing heat. The air should be so hot that it drains the player's strength just by being near it."
The system generated the landscape accordingly, and soon Rohan found himself standing on the edge of a vast lake of molten metal.
The surface bubbled and churned with intense heat, casting an orange-red glow across the scene. Massive iron cauldrons, large enough to hold dozens of souls, lined the shore, each one filled with boiling liquid that sent up clouds of scalding steam.
The heat was almost unbearable, even from where Rohan stood.
"To add to the challenge, let's have Agni Daityas here," Rohan suggested, thinking of the fire demons that would inhabit this hellish place. "They should emerge from the molten metal and attack players. They should be nearly immune to physical attacks, forcing players to use magic or special abilities to defeat them."
The system complied, and the Agni Daityas began to rise from the molten metal. Their bodies were wreathed in flames, their eyes burning with the intensity of the fire from which they had been born.
They moved with a menacing grace, their fiery hands and weapons capable of setting players ablaze or melting through even the strongest armor.
"These demons should drop rare fire-based items," Rohan added, thinking about the rewards for players who managed to defeat them. "Items that allow players to control fire or that enhance their resistance to heat and flames."
Finally, Rohan turned his attention to Tamisra, a region of Pataloka described as a place of utter darkness, where the souls of those who betrayed others were cast into an abyss of shadows.
"Tamisra should be a labyrinth of darkness," Rohan said, envisioning the region in his mind. "A place where no light reaches, and players have to navigate through pitch-black corridors, never knowing what might be lurking just beyond their sight."
The system responded, and the landscape around Rohan grew darker and colder. The ground beneath his feet became rough and uneven, the walls of the labyrinth stretching up into the oppressive darkness above.
There was no light, only shadows that seemed to move and shift on their own, creating an atmosphere of dread and isolation.
"The enemies here should be Chhaya Asuras," Rohan said, thinking of the beings that would thrive in such a place. "Shadow demons that can blend into the darkness, attacking players from all sides. They should be difficult to see, making it a constant struggle for players to keep track of where they are."