Asmodeus the Prince of the Nine Hells

Prince of the Nine Hells

Asmodeus is the Prince of the Nine, the Lord of Baator. He is the most powerful Archdevil in existence and overlord of the Hells. As the Prince of the Nine, Asmodeus rules over the the Nine Hells and their Dukes, working to tempt the mortals of the Material Plane into succumbing to evil. Asmodeus oversees the torture of such doomed souls and extracts power from their pain, using it to feed his own divinity and his plans.

His rule over the Nine Hells is what allowed Asmodeus to reach the power of a High God. Asmodeus is the God of Ambition, Tyranny, and Trickery. He is a lawful evil tyrannous deity, overseeing ceaseless warfare and diabolical schemes, both in the Hells and in the world. As the God of Tyranny, Asmodeus works to control and dominate the world. The followers of Asmodeus are primarily evil, worshipping him as an act of self-interest. Asmodeus favours those with ambition and the flawed morality to do great and terrible deeds. The Fell Comet is willing to grant power and pacts to warlords, tyrants, schemers, and the self-interested, for it does not matter if they succeed or fail. In their pursuit of ambition, they inevitably fall to evil and the clutches of the Nine.

Ambition. Follow your ambition and desires, stop at nothing to bring about your goals.

Power. Power is a grand tool and a valuable goal in itself. It is for the powerful to wield power, and to use it as they see fit.

Tyranny. Your grip on your subjects should be an iron grasp and your rule absolute.

Asmodeus is part of the faiths of the Infernal Faith and the Dawnstars.

Asmodeus is mostly worshiped by evil creatures, such as devils, and by certain cults. His cults teach followers to seek power over others, repay evil with evil, that kindness is a weakness which should be exploited for personal gain, and to show no mercy or compassion in your rise to power. Many of his followers seek to make a pact with Asmodeus for their own gain.

Some cults worship Asmodeus as the god of tyranny, functioning as strict hierarchies under their tyrannical leader. Members join out of a desire to rise in the ranks and gain the power to rule over others, both in the cult and outside.

The Blood War

As the Lord of the Nine, Asmodeus is the supreme commander of the Blood War raging throughout the upper planes of Baator. The Blood War is a brutal conflict raging between the Devils and Demons, between lawful evil and chaotic evil.

Many stories are told of Asmodeus and the Blood War, especially surrounding its beginning and its ever distant end. One telling is that the Blood War is a continuation of the conflict that raged between the angel Asmodeus and the Demons, that after his fall the Devil Asmodeus continued the Blood War for the sake of annihilating the Demons. Another story tells that the Blood War began due to Asmodeus stealing a Shard of Evil from the depth of the Abyss, and that it will not end until the Demons have reclaimed it or Asmodeus has stolen the remaining pieces. Should the Shards of Evil be united by either side, the victor would be so powerful they may seize the cosmos. Some believe that Asmodeus could win the war if should wish so, but that he does not want it to stop as it keeps his Infernal Legions experienced and ensures the greatest of their umber rise to serve him as generals.

The Many Falls of Asmodeus

Many stories are told of why Asmodeus fell from grace to rule in the Nine Hells. Many stories are told, yet none know the true telling. Perhaps Asmodeus knows himself, but he has not granted this knowledge to anyone. Perhaps the Lord of Lies is served by the many stories, by the concealment of truth, and by his nest of lies.

The most commonly believed telling is that Asmodeus betrayed the harmony of the High Gods and started the War of the Gods in service of his own ambition.

Asmodeus the Betrayer

In the Age of Creation, harmony existed between the gods. They created the cosmos, forming planes that embodied their domains and virtues. They also created the Material Plane. Here, the Primordials were the first, each embodying the aspect of earth, air, fire, or water. With these beings in the Material Plane the world itself could be shaped and created by the High Gods, power being lent to them by the primordials. The seas, the continents, mountains, and forests were all created, and the gods populated them with mortal beings.

However, with the creation of the cosmos, the High Gods also created the concepts of Good and Law, which they embodied. These cosmic forces, however, necessitated an opposite force. The cosmos provided, with the birth of Evil and Chaos. From the force of Evil and Chaos the swirling Abyss was formed and the Demons poured forth.

To battle the forces of Evil and Chaos and to enact the will of the gods, they began to create servants for themselves, their own angelic courts. The very first angel to be created was Asmodeus, who served the First Dragon. Asmodeus was the strongest champion of the angels and led them in countless battles against the demon hordes. In time however, Asmodeus was corrupted by the allure of Evil, ambition seeping into his mind.

Asmodeus would betray the harmony of the gods. Travelling into the Material Plane, he slew each of the primordial beings, seeking to take their power for himself. Before he could steal it however, the High Gods intervened, taking the spirits of the primordials and forming them into the Elemental Planes. With him, Asmodeus had an army of fallen angels and many ancient races that would follow him, and was joined even by some gods. Faced with the gods of Law and Good, they elected war.

The War of the Gods rages for eons but would in time end with the defeat of Asmodeus. He was cast into the depths of Baator, the gods seeking to lock him away. There however, his power would grow. In time he would form his own realm there, that of Nine Hells.

Sôlus

Asmodeus is opposed to Sôlus as a force of Good. While law and order should be absolute in the cosmos, the forces of good lack the power and determination to enforce it. The rivalry between the Hells and Celestia has existed since the War of the Gods, the two diametrically opposed.

Zenara

Asmodeus is to Zenara as a force of Chaos. Asmodeus does not seek the desolation and destruction of the cosmos, only to rule it.