Do the dead go immediately to a conscious afterlife (paradise or torment), or to a general “realm of the dead,”?

In Christian theology, what is understood to happen immediately after a person dies? Some biblical passages seem to suggest that the dead go to a general realm of the dead (often referred to as Sheol or Hades), while others describe conscious states such as paradise or torment. Additionally, Scripture strongly prohibits consulting the dead, yet there are passages that appear to depict interaction with deceased individuals. How do mainstream Christian doctrines(Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations) reconcile the following questions: 1. Do people, upon death, go immediately to paradise or torment, or do they enter a general realm of the dead awaiting final judgment? 2. Are the dead in paradise ever consulted or able to communicate with the living? 3. How should passages such as the medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28) and Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16) be interpreted—literally, parabolically, or otherwise? I am looking for a doctrinally grounded answer using Scripture and recognized Christian theological frameworks.