Sounds like an interesting concept. So if I understood it correctly, even though it's a city, it's still supposed to be the hellish kind of underworld where people are punished for their sins (meaning that, after being sent there, they don't just live there on their own)?
If so, is there some kind of governing body (i.e. demons or the like) ruling the city and taking care that the "inhabitants" are being punished accordingly? Are there other cities like this or is Dis the only one? Are there similar cities for people who are good?
Prison labor sounds like a somewhat logical solution, especially if you have to build your own cell, since, if by being a bigger sinner you bring more building materials with you, the harshness of the punishment is set automatically to correspond your past deeds. However, if it is a fully functional city you're planning, there's all kinds of "community service" you could be forced to do.
Now the idea of an "Old Town" is an interesting one. If "the management" tend to turn their focus on newly arrived inmates, it could be that some of the long-term inhabitants are kind of forgotten and come to have a decent life. Can you be promoted in this city if you've lived there long enough? Could you move from a poorer, more hellish ring of the city to a wealthier one? Could an inmate become a member of "the management"?
What it comes to the way the inmates are brought in, you could always play with the ferryman of the underworld archetype. Since this is a city, you could combine this with the classic scene of immigrants arriving in New York by making their first sight of Dis be "The Statue of Slavery" of something along those lines.
edited 28th Jun '14 7:27:57 PM by Paradisesnake
What?
The management and security staff are composed of what one can consider "angels".
If they think a a group of souls might be growing too powerful or suspect an attempt to escape this afterlife, they would intervene in the blink of an eye and would disarm the groups before scattering them to another part of the city.
As seen from the eyes of the damn, they appear as a white clad SWAT team.
Of course they don't do day to day policing, the city is Hell and as such the streets are regularly filled instances of massive gang wars.
Also, what to do about those who in their lives brought great prosperity to some and great suffering to others.
edited 28th Jun '14 7:56:35 PM by Worlder
If you are only slightly familar with The Divine Comedy, the City of Dis is a suppose to be the set of circles of Hell from six to nine.
In my story, Dis is populated solely with damned human souls.
But that's kinda of the only thing I've kinda of pinned down, I need opinions on the following.