The Sandman - Issue 27 - Season of Mists - Chapter Six

On which the vexing question of the sovereignty of hell is finally settled, to the satisfaction of some; the finer points of hospitality; and in which it is demonstrated that while some may fall, others are pushed.

And so we come to it, the final disposition of Hell in this penultimate issue (#27) in Season of Mists. Except perhaps for the Kindly Ones, this might be the most mythologically heavy arc of The Sandman series. If you’re like me, who loves the story of older gods, this volume has been a feast and certainly whetted my appetite, albeit unknowingly, for Neil’s later novels. So, without further ado, let’s get into this recap.

A new day dawns in the Dreaming and Cluracan is gleefully drunk on Morpheus’s wine cellar and recounts his night’s dalliances with a member of the Egyptian delegate, Seneferu to Nuala. Interesting side note, Seneferu was the First Pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom.

Nuala is unimpressed by this invasion of her privacy until Cluracan informs her that the guests are gathering in the hall in anticipation of Morpheus’s announcement. When she asks what are their chances of Morpheus deciding in their favour, Cluracan scoffs at that outcome. Too many powerful entities have a vested interest in Lucifer’s Hell, and Morpheus will probably cave in to pressure from one of them. Nope, he’s attending for great wine and sex. I think we can all get behind that. 🙂

Nuala’s needs are less. She just wants a good night’s sleep, which I assume she’s gotten. After feasting on petals, Nuala heads out, catching snippets of Bast and Anubis’s discussion, revealing that Bast doesn’t really know where the Prodigal is. She just has bits of information that she hopes they can barter for Hell. At Nuala’s arrival, they abruptly fall silent and continue on their way.

We also hear conversations between two other delegates whom I don’t think we’ve seen before. One is clearly The Merlin, but I’m not sure who the faceless guy next to him is. Speak up in the comments if you know. The duo discuss the absence of the Greek Gods, who are probably sitting out this story considering how heavily they feature in Perez’s then-current Wonder Woman run.

Nuala approaches the hall to hear Odin’s frustration with the proceedings and how he wishes he could have tricked Morpheus out of Hell. Thor is suffering a monster hangover and has no patience with Loki when the God of Mischief tries to engage with Nuala. Nuala moves on, entering the hall where Cluracan and the rest of the embassies are awaiting their host to arrive with his decision.

Morpheus is still in his private sanctum, undecided. Matthew, ever the loyal Raven, asks if he’s slept at all. The Lord Shaper doesn’t sleep, he informs the concerned bird and further reveals he spent half the night in private meetings with his guests, and the other half trying to decide what to do. Before he can elaborate on the difficulty facing him, Duma and Remiel visit. Until now, the angels appeared to be the only parties uninterested in any private audiences.

Remiel inquires if Morpheus has made a choice and the Dream King reveals he hasn’t. Despite the threats and gifts offered in exchange, he wonders if perhaps Hell should be left empty, like the Faerie wish. At his answer, Remiel reports he has a message to relay.

“There must be a Hell. There must be a place for demons; a place for the damned. Hell is Heaven’s reflection, it is Heaven’s shadow. They define each other. Reward and punishment; hope and despair. There must be a Hell, for without Hell, Heaven has no meaning.”

The message from the Creator stuns and horrifies the poor angel relaying it. As Remiel is momentarily overcome, it is clear what he’s been charged to do, even as Morpheus is trying to catch up. After a few seconds, a despondent Remiel reveals that the upkeep of Hell is far too important to leave in the hands of anyone not serving the Name or the Creator directly. Thus, Remiel and Duma must now take charge of Hell and never return to the Silver City or enter the Presence. Harsh!

Remiel descends into despair, threatening to rebel because he and Duma have done nothing to deserve this fate. However, he soon concludes that this was probably what Lucifer did ten million years earlier and he would have nowhere to go if he disobeyed. As he continues to plead to the Lord at the unfairness of it, Duma approaches Morpheus.

Still silent, he speaks volumes when he extends his arms and opens his palm to take the key. He will do what the Name has asked of him. Morpheus does not object.

The fight leaves Remiel when he sees how courageously Duma has behaved and tells Morpheus, he will go to Hell. He won’t allow Duma to languish in Hell alone because he refused to obey the Name. Morpheus offers his sympathies and invites them to join him as he goes to inform his guests of his decision.

We return to the Hall in time to hear the punchline of the oldest known Thor joke in existence. I mean that really. Lacking the delivery of Robin Williams, the joke falls flat and the God of Thunder fumes as he returns to his day job. Around him, the nerves of the guests are getting more frayed by the minute, with Azazel and Anubis getting into a pissing contest about who will end up owning Hell. Morpheus enters the fray like John Houseman in any classroom and brings everyone to order.

Morpheus then goes into a mini-speech, explaining the delay in his deliberations and running a roll call of all the assembled guests. This infuriates Azazel, who demands the key to Hell with a typical lack of manners. Morpheus then reveals that he cannot hand the key to any of them. This has a seismic effect on all the embassies, who insist on knowing why. Fortunately, Morpheus does not have to answer them. That duty falls to Remiel.

Remiel explains Hell will remain the home of the damned to be punished for their sins. The demons are invited to return home, to take up their duties to rehabilitate the wicked. The war between Heaven and Hell is over, with Heaven taking direct control of Hell with Duma and Remiel acting as regents. When Anubis challenges them to explain with whose authority they are taking control, Remiel’s answer says it all. “Whose do you think?”

Susano-O-No points out to Morpheus, he doesn’t have to submit to this, but Morpheus explains rightly that he did not make Hell or Hell. If its Creator intends to take it back, he cannot object. Nor would he. With that, the negotiations are over and Morpheus apologises to those who are disappointed in the outcome but is confident they will understand why it had to be this way.

All except Azazel.

Azazel voices his intention to make good on his threat to devour Nada, convinced that since the Dream Lord offered Azazel his hospitality, Morpheus can do nothing to help her. Except that the offer of hospitality extends not only to Azazel but also to Nada and, surprisingly, Choronzon. He will not allow them to be hurt. But the Prince of Hell will not be denied and Azazel challenges Morpheus to free them if he dares, renouncing the Dream Lord’s hospitality at the same time.

Once inside Azazel’s fabric, Morpheus wastes no time locating Choronzon and Nada. He reaches Choronzon first, who is lamenting his fate as a gift of torture, but Morpheus allays those fears immediately. Reaching out, Morpheus retrieves Choronzon’s soul. He then finds Nada. Nada sees her former lover Kai’ckul, surprised by his rescue after long last. But there’s no time to go into lengthy reunions. Morpheus orders Nada to reach for his hand. With her soul retrieved, Morpheus reminds Azazel of the agreement to let them go if he found Nada and Choronzon.

Of course, Azazel reneges on the deal, too vindictive and prideful to let Morpheus win.

Azazel’s triumphant speech about devouring Morpheus is cut short, however, when he realises the Dream Lord is nowhere within him. When Morpheus reveals himself, it is as a towering figure standing over Azazel, now encased in a glass jar, like a child’s pet. As Azazel comes to grips with what is happening, the Lord Shaper explains that reality in the Dreaming conforms to his wishes and he may manipulate it and those within it at his whim. It was extremely unwise of Azazel to refuse his hospitality. I have to say, next to the palm scene with John Dee, this revelation is glorious.

The jar and Azazel are put away in Morpheus’s private trinket chest, occupied by such keepsakes as the Corinthian’s skull and a little teaser from Issue 50, which I’ll hopefully cover in the future. After that display, Morpheus receives no further argument from his remaining guests and bids them to move into the outer lobby, where he will say goodbye to each embassy personally.

First to say their peace is Kilderkin, the Lord of Order. Despite his disappointment with Morpheus’s decision, he cannot fault its reasoning. Next up is Princess Jemmy, who does not actually intend to bring down the wrath of Chaos on his head. Her masters just didn’t want anyone else to get Hell. For an agent of Chaos, she’s remarkably sweet, thanking Morpheus for having her at his lovely party. Adorable.

Choronzon, now released, greets Morpheus with The Merkin. The outcome of Morpheus’ decision has worked out well for them. They’re now joining the line forming at the gates of Hell, eager to go home. The Merkin wonders what Morpheus plans to do to Azazel. Morpheus has no intention of harming the demon, merely giving Azazel some time to reflect and learn some manners. Good luck with that.

The Egyptian delegation prepares to leave with Bast, reiterating her offer to help Morpheus find the Prodigal if he so wishes. Morpheus declines, his brother wants privacy, and Morpheus respects that.

When Morpheus encounters the Asgardians, he regrets refusing Odin. I get the sense that he rather likes the All-Father. Then again, who doesn’t? Odin reveals there are no hard feelings, and that Dream is still welcome in Gladsheim. Thor, the big lug, apologises for his behaviour and admits that he’s a WYSIWYG kind of guy, which we sort of love. When Morpheus notices Loki’s silence, Odin explains Loki’s not happy to return home. Remember the snake, entrails and venom? Who could blame him? When Loki protests this, Thor flattens him with the blow he’s wanted to deliver for 1200 years. And with that, the Asgardians take their leave of the Dreaming.

As he watches them go, Matthew joins him. It seems Cluracan and Susano-O-No would like to stay another day, having more matters to discuss. Morpheus instructs Matthew to tell the servants to attend to their needs and he will talk to them later. When Matthew asks how it feels not to have the key anymore, Morpheus admits relief at being free of the burden. The key is evil and corrupts; he is good to be free of it. However, he cannot answer Matthew’s question when the raven asks if the angels are immune to it.

Before Matthew can return to Eve’s cave, Morpheus has one more request for his raven. Nada, who is being attended to by the Fashion Thing, is in the East Wing. He requests her presence at dinner. Matthew assumes erroneously that Morpheus wants to talk to her. The Lord Shaper does not, and doubts Nada will either, but talk they must.

It’s time.

And like all good serials, this is where this installment ends for now. See you all in a week!

NEXT - Issue 28 - Epilogue

PREVIOUS - Issue 26 - Chapter Five