Opulence and Diplomacy

Something that immediately stuck out to me when I was reading Book Two was the first few lines of poetry. They read "High on a throne of royal state which far/ Outshone the wealth of Ormus and Ind/ Or where the gorgeous East with the richest hand/ Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold/ Satan exalted sat" (2.1-5). The reason that this stuck out to me is because I never pictured Hell as having something so opulent and fantastic. Hell, to me, kind of looks like the places that I get thrown into when I play Diablo 3. For those who have never played that game, here is an example:

Fiery, terrifying, and filled with things that wants to eat you/cause you pain. Yeah, that has always summed up Hell for me. Heaven, well, I have always pictured a golden gate at the entrance with beautiful architecture and angels everywhere. Milton's Hell is very strange to me. First of all, it seems like these devils are very diplomatic. Rather than Satan immediately making all of the decisions, he does get some input from some of the other devils. He even asks for their opinions on the matter at hand. He tells them "Whether of open war or cover guile-/ We now debate. Who can advise may speak" (2.41-42). I found that really interesting because he has already established himself as their leader. Furthermore, while they have just been defeated, he seemed pretty upset and ready to fight again in the first book. I think it is important to note that he is not just making rash and foolhardy decisions, he is actually taking the time to plan out this entire thing. I think that is also speaks a lot to how much he does care about the people who fell with him. He wants their input on his plans and realizes that his actions affect all of them. Furthermore, he is the one who decides to go to earth. He volunteers himself rather than making one of his subordinates go. Do not get me wrong, I am not getting a soft spot for Satan. The guy does a lot of really questionable things, but I found his actions in Book Two, at least in terms of the people stuck with him, to be very interesting. What do you guys think about Book Two? How is is compared to Book One? (I personally am finding it easier to read)