06/25/2016  My rules PLEASE SIGN 1) Be 18. I am very adult orientated character with very adult oriented RP. Be legal age to RP such themes or do not RP with me.  2) I am a bad person. I am not nice. I am the most powerful of all archdevils, the supreme ruler of the nine planes of hell. I do horrible things. Do not RP with me if you want happy rp. 3) By choosing to RP with me you accept that this character will do bad things to you. This character will assault you on every level. Physical, sexual, psychological, mental, spiritual. I will rape your soul. I will rip you apart and put you back together. I will dismember you and eat your flesh. I will violate you in every way oimaginable and in ways yet to be thought of. By signing these rules you understand that this character will abuse you in every way. Any complaints of "RP rape", "Godmoding" and "autoplaying"  will therefore be null and void.  4)I can not kill your character... no one can except you. No one can end your RP but you. Anything I do to your character only sticks if you allow it, and only in the RP you let it happen in. This is nto so much a rule but a simple fact.In any RP you belong to only you can control what happens to your character and what stays with it. Knowing this if you sign my rules and I do something you do not like feel free to ignore it in your future RP, just don't complain about it.  5)there are many versions of Asmodeus. Asmodeus has been portrayed as a men, a woman, snake, and everything else. Which version am I? Simple. I am every version. I am as likely to be female as male on any given day and as likely to be humanoid as I am to be an animal. being as I have no real set form you could say I am omni sexual. If you have problems with this do not RP with me.   6) NO OOC. Period. i am here to RP as a foul vile creature from hell.  7) if you have a particular version or RP you wish to do with me email me.  8)If you have any problems with me or my RP either Email me privately or delete me.  04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  In brief Asmodeus – Prince of Darkness God of tyranny, slavery, pride, and contracts Alignment: LE Domains: Evil, Fire, Law, Magic, Trickery Favored Weapon: Mace Centers of Worship: Cheliax, Isger, Nidal Nationality: Devil Some say that when the world was forged, Asmodeus wrote the contract of creation, agreed to by the gods. His faithful believe that this contract holds the key to their lord’s final victory, ushering in a new age under his infernal reign. Asmodeus believes in strict discipline, unwavering obedience, and the strong ruling the weak. He loves the art of negotiation and delights in deals that appear fair but actually give one party a disparate advantage. The Prince of Darkness expects and appreciates flattery, although he recognizes it for what it is. Frequently shown as a red-skinned human with black horns, hooves, and a pale aura of flames, Asmodeus often appears as a foil in art depicting good deities. In his temples, such roles are reversed, with the Prince of Darkness standing tall over the other deities bowing before him. Public temples dedicated to Asmodeus thrive in Cheliax, where they often share space with the nation’s bureaucracy, although secret shrines are scattered across Golarion. Asmodeus’s impeccably clean and orderly clerics dress mostly in dark tones, usually black with red accents; many ceremonies use horned masks or helms. His faithful abound among slavers, bureaucrats, tyrants, and even some silvertongued nobles. Temples built to him look and feel distinctly diabolical, but many are actually temples of other gods that were abandoned or purchased and redecorated to suit their new master, with rituals designed to blaspheme what was once practiced there. His doctrine is recorded in the Asmodean Disciplines, although that work is greatly simplified and relies on numerous appendices and supplementary volumes. Asmodeus is also the most powerful of Hell’s archdevils, and the only one of that realm’s rulers to rightfully claim the title of deity. The eight other archdevils have long sought Asmodeus’s throne, but to date, none of them have been able to displace the Prince of Darkness from his position of power. Of all the evil gods, the other deities find Asmodeus the easiest to bargain and deal with, although few are foolish enough to do so unless it is absolutely necessary. The most legendary tale of such an event was the imprisonment of Rovagug — after Sarenrae cast the Rough Beast into the Pit of Gormuz, it was Asmodeus who locked Rovagug away. He carries the key to that lock still. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  Versions in popular culture Asmodai[edit] In Kaori Yuki's manga Angel Sanctuary, Asmodeus is the Demon of Lust and one of the Seven Satans encountered in Hell. He plays an important role in the development of the story. In Dungeons & Dragons, Asmodeus is the ruler of Nessus, the ninth layer of Baator (Hell), and the most powerful of the archdevils. In NetHack, Asmodeus is the strongest demon prince who guards the upper underworld levels of Gehennom. In Brian Jacques' novel Redwall, Asmodeus is one of the main antagonists. He is a gigantic adder who stole the sword of Martin the Warrior around a century before the main story. Asmodeus is feared amongst almost every creature in the story, even rats and ferrets, who say Asmodeus is the name of the Devil himself. The adder Asmodeus has a hypnotic stare which is his main weapon of choice. He also has immense strength, displayed in his crushing coils. He is eventually defeated by the very same sword he stole from Redwall when Matthias saves the sword and challenges Asmodeus. Named Sydonai, he is the final boss in the computer game Hellgate: London. He looks similar to Cthulhu. Asmodeus is the demon summoned by the Devil tarot card in Atlus' Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen, and as Asmodee, is one of the Gods represented by the Elemental Pedra of Bane in Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber. In "Voices in the Dark", the first installment of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, a man named Simon Burke was possessed by a demon who claimed to be Asmodeus, acting as a part of God's strategy to bring mankind back to the Church. Though he is not revealed until the last pages, he is the principal antagonist of the novel Asmodejev šal (Asmodej's shawl) by the prominent Croatian author Ivan Aralica. In Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Asmodean is one of the Forsaken. In the PS2 game Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Asmodeus appears as one of the main enemies. His crest gives the user magic abilities. Asmodeus is revealed to have let Grigori Rasputin make a pact with him in order to obtain his dark power. After Rasputin is confronted, Asmodeus appears in the form of a pale mass of bloated flesh in the shape of a butterfly, with six arms and an old man's head with long black hair on the end of a long fat neck. In the anime and light novel series Shakugan no Shana, Sidonay is the name of a Bal Masque member. He is shown to be able to change his form into that of a large sea monster and a flighted creature, as well as change his limbs into different forms. He is extremely protective of Hecate. In Equinox, Asmodeus is the controller of various demons and spirits. In the Australian movie Gabriel, he is one of the demons fighting against archangels sent to Earth. He owns a brothel and expresses an interest in plastic surgery. He is shown to be extremely vain: he is enraged when Gabriel shoots him in the face with a shotgun, hideously disfiguring him. Asmodeus is the villain in the 1979 comic-fantasy novel And the Devil Will Drag You Under by Jack L. Chalker. In Megatokyo, Asmodeus is the name of Piro's anti-conscience. In the film Born, the reincarnation of Asmodeus is the central theme. In the game Angels Online, Asmode transforms into his powerful demon form, Asmodeus, and must be defeated. Asmodai appears as a female with three heads in the anime Rental Magica as the most powerful of the 72 demons that Adelisia Lenn Mathers summons with her Solomon Magic and has control over. Asmodeus makes an appearance in the novel Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. Ashmodai / Asmodeus makes a significant appearance in the novel Lady of the Lamp by Caiseal Mór Claws of Asmodai is a book by Uzzi Ornan. It deals with religious-secular relations in Israel, from a point of view critical of what Ornan considers "religious coercion." In the RPG In Nomine, Asmodeus is the Demon Prince of the Game, tasked with leading Hell's secret police. In Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Asmodeus is one of the Seven Stakes of Purgatory, seven demon sisters who serve to the Golden Witch. In the 1999 Sierra computer game Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, Asmodeus is summoned by the villain to fight the protagonist in the game's final challenge. In the Examu Inc. Vs. fighting game Daemon Bride, the character Asmodeus often accompanies his playable partner, Kureha Yamisaka, in battle. He is depicted as a snake with demon wings and can transform into a scythe, Kureha's weapon of choice. In Warhammer 40,000 the Dark Angels have a special character known as Asmodai. He is the chief Interrogator-Chaplain of the chapter. In the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game, there is a Monster Card named Darklord Asmodeus. In the Korean MMORPG, Aion: The Tower of Eternity, the demonic faction is known as the "Asmodian" race. Similarly, their homeland is called "Asmodae." In the novel "Rogue Male", by Geoffrey Household, the protagonist [played by Peter O'Toole in the film adaptation], is befriended by a stray cat whilst hiding underground from the authorities, after attempting to assassinate Adolf Hitler in the 1930s. He calls the cat Asmodaeus, but Asmodaeus is shot, and killed, by his Nazi pursuer 'Major Quive-Smith'. By using the cats corpse to fashion a small 'ballista', the hero succeeeds in killing the Major, and escaping his lair. In Robert A. Heinlein's novel Job: A Comedy of Justice, Alex and Margrethe are granted their request to spend eternity together operating a small town diner and soda-fountain which they purchased from "Mr. & Mrs. A.S. Modeus". Japanese producer Akuno-P referenced Asmodeus in his Vocaloid song "Dance with Asmodeus", or "The Madness of Duke Venomania", depicting a duke who, through a deal with the devil, enchants all women who see him and brings them into his harem. The founder and lead guitarist of heavy metal band Melechesh uses the stage name Ashmedi, which is the Semitic version of the name from whence "Asmodeus" (which is Greek) was derived. The demon Azmodan, the Lord of Sin, is one of the Lesser Evils from the Diablo series of games, most notably appearing as a major boss in Diablo III. Asmodeus is a chief villain in the Felix Castor novels by Mike Carey. The books, which follow the actions of an exorcist who works in London, play host to a number of infernal characters. The demon Asmodeus appears as an ongoing villain in the horror fiction eBook series The Weird Adventures of Daniel Rumanos. In the Future Card Buddyfight Card Game, there is a Monster Card named Demon Lord, Asmodai. Asmodeus is a historical figure in the High School DxD series, one of the four original rulers of the Underworld, with at least two other figures bearing their name: one being their descendant, the other having taken their position in the hierarchy of the Underworld. There is also a clan Asmodai in the seventy-two clans (based on the 72 demons of Solomon,) hinting that Asmodeus and Asmodai are treated as two separate entities. In the novel Raven's Gate, the first novel of the Power of Five series written by Anthony Horowitz, a witch named Jayne Deverell owns an immortal cat named Asmodeus. In Battle Spirits TCG, there is a Spirit Card called The SevenShogun Asmodius. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  Seven Deadly Sins Asmodeus is the Demon King of Lust, a demon known for twisting her victims down the path of pleasure. Contents[show] AppearanceEdit Asmodeus sports two giant curled horns on her head, with black wings and a black pointed tail. She wears a short purple and black shirt that only covers the mid of her bust, with matching arm cloth bracers. She also wears a loose fitting black corset around her torso, with a black skirt with an engraved belt buckle. She wears black and purple boots, and black leg cuffs on her uppermost thigh area. PersonalityEdit Asmodeus is the most difficult Demon King to deal with. Though it’s easy to tell at first glance that she’s the one with the relatively most common sense among the seven Demon Kings, the problem is her attitude of “Be sexy anyhow”. Besides being troublesome, Asmodeus likes to tease for the sake of it, and since she has the hobby of raising the lust of the targets she likes to the maximum and then leaving them unattended, it’s not advisable to easily give in to her allure. AbilitiesEdit She's a user of a great variety of magic, making her one of the strongest Demon Kings. TriviaEdit Asmodeus's name and character appears to be a reference to Asmodeus, one of the seven Princes of Hell. She was the first character Orchid Seed worked on this line of figures. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  Umineko Asmodeus (アスモデウス Asmodeus?) is the youngest of The Seven Stakes of Purgatory. She represents the patron demon of Lust, Asmodeus. Advanced-level furniture created by Beatrice. She can act by her own will, but she cannot disobey the orders of her master. She is quite powerful while in her human form, but when she returns to her true form as Stake of Purgatory and flies at her enemy at high speed, she shows her full, terrifying potential. As the youngest of the sisters, Asmodeus is always doted upon. This might be why she alone is kept out of the way whenever an even slightly lewd topic comes up. She's always looking for a boyfriend in the hopes that her sisters will finally accept her as an adult. However, she keeps aiming too high and while away each day, dreams of the prince who will never come. She would give up her life for love. Contents[show] RelationshipsEdit Beatrice - master EVA-Beatrice - master Battler - master ANGE-Beatrice - master Stakes of Purgatory - sisters Lucifer Leviathan Satan Mammon Belphegor Beelzebub Asune - vessel AppearanceEdit She has long, brassy hair in two straight ponytails, a fair skin and big red eyes. Her clothes are the same as those of the other Stakes. She wears the one-winged eagle on her "skirt". Role in the StoryEditTurn of the Golden WitchEdit In Turn of the Golden Witch, Asmodeus first appears when summoned by Beatrice to kill Kanon. Asmodeus fights Kanon before transforming into her stake form and attempts to kill him. Jessica however throws herself in the way and gets impaled in the back before dying afterwards. Banquet of the Golden WitchEdit Asmodeus, along with her sisters, are sent to kill both Toshiro Gohda and Chiyo Kumasawa. When they attack Kumasawa the sisters are horrified to see that none of their attacks are working before being dismissed by both Virgillia and Beatrice. Alliance of the Golden WitchEdit In 1998, the Stakes are introduced to their new master Ange-Beatrice. But due to the amount of energy of summoning all seven sisters, Maria tells them that only one of them will be able to stay with Ange until she is strong enough to summon all of them. The sisters then 'compete' to see who gets to stay, resulting in Mammon winning. Later on Ange is strong enough to summon all 7 at once and became her first ever friends. Unfortunately though after Ange is yet again bullied, she demands for the stakes to kill all of her classmates, the stakes refuse. Ange becomes angered by this and kills the stakes one by one. Ange later regretted this and as she was journeying to Rokkenjima, she summons them and apologizes for her actions at which she was forgiven by them. When Ange is attacked by Kasumi and her men and rips apart Maria's book, she yet again summons the Stakes, warning Kasumi and her men that if they attack, they will die. They pay no attention to this though and are soon wiped out. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  Jewish mythology ASMODEUS, or ASHMEDAI [ASHMADAI]('Aσμοδαὶος, ):   By: Kaufmann Kohler, Louis Ginzberg Table of Contents In the Book of Tobit. In Testament of Solomon. Haggadic Legend. Benaiah Captures Ashmedai. Ashmedai's Journey to Solomon. Elements of the Ashmedai-Solomon Legend. Asmodeus, Ashmedai, and Æshma. Ashmedai and Shamdon. Ashmedai in Later Sources. Name of the prince of demons. The meaning of the name and the identity of the two forms here given are still in dispute. In the Book of Tobit. Asmodeus first appears in the Book of Tobit. According to Tobit iii. 8, vi. 14, the evil spirit Asmodeus—"king of the demons," in the Hebrew and Chaldaic versions, is a later addition—fell in love with Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, and for that reason prevented her from having a husband. After killing seven men successively on the nights of their marriage to her, he was rendered harmless when Tobias married her, following the instructions given him by the angel Raphael. Asmodeus "fled into the utmost parts of Egypt and the angel [Raphael] bound him" (ib. iii. 8, vi. 14 et seq. viii. 2-4). In Testament of Solomon. Akin to this representation in Tobit is the description of Asmodeus in the Testament of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic work, the original portions of which date from the first century. Asmodeus answered King Solomon's question concerning his name and functions as follows: Test. of Solomon, transl. in "Jewish Quarterly Review," xi. 20. "I am called Asmodeus among mortals, and my business is to plot against the newly wedded, so that they may not know one another. And I sever them utterly by many calamities; and I waste away the beauty of virgins and estrange their hearts. . . . I transport men into fits of madness and desire when they have wives of their own, so that they leave them and go off by night and day to others that belong to other men; with the result that they commit sin and fall into murderous deeds." Solomon obtained the further information that it was the archangel Raphael who could render Asmodeus innocuous, and that the latter could be put to flight by smoke from a certain fish's gall (compare Tobit viii. 2). The king availed himself of this knowledge, and by means of the smoke from the liver and gall he frustrated the "unbearable malice" of this demon. Asmodeus then was compelled to help in the building of the Temple; and, fettered in chains, he worked clay with his reet, and drewwater. Solomon would not give him his liberty "because that fierce demon Asmodeus knew even the future" (ib. p. 21). Haggadic Legend. Thus, in the Testament of Solomon, Asmodeus is connected on the one hand with the Asmodeus of Tobit, and possesses on the other many points of contact with the Ashmedai of rabbinical literature, especially in his relation to Solomon and the building of the Temple. The Haggadah relates that Solomon, when erecting the Temple, did not know how to get the blocks of marble into shape, since, according to the law (Ex. xx. 26), they might not be worked by an iron tool. The wise men advised him to obtain the "shamir" (), a worm whose mere touch could cleave rocks. But to obtain it was no slight task; for not even the demons, who knew so many secrets, knew where the shamir was to be found. They surmised, however, that Ashmedai, king of the demons, was in possession of the secret, and they told Solomon the name of the mountain on which Ashmedai dwelt and described his manner of life. On this mountain there was a well-head from which the arch-demon obtained his drinking-water. He closed it up daily with a large rock, and secured it in other ways before going to heaven, whither he went every day in order to take part in the discussions in the celestial house of study ("Metibta"). Thence he would presently descend again to the earth in order to be present—invisibly—at the debates in the earthly houses of learning. Then, after investigating the fastenings of the well, to ascertain if they had been tampered with, he drank of the water. Benaiah Captures Ashmedai. Solomon sent his chief man Benaiah ben Jehoiadah to capture Ashmedai. For this purpose he provided him with a chain, a ring on which the Tetragrammaton was engraved, a bundle of wool, and a skin of wine. Benaiah drew off the water from the well through a hole that he bored, and, stopping up the source with the wool, filled the well with wine. When Ashmedai descended from heaven, to his astonishment he found wine instead of water in the well, although everything seemed untouched. At first he would not drink of it, and cited the Bible verses against wine (Prov. xx. 1, and Hosea iv. 11), in order to inspire himself with moral courage. At length Ashmedai succumbed to his consuming thirst, and drank until his senses were overpowered and he fell into a deep sleep. Benaiah then threw the chain about the demon's neck. Ashmedai on awaking tried to free himself, but Benaiah called to him: "The Name of thy Lord is upon thee." Ashmedai's Journey to Solomon. Though Ashmedai now permitted himself to be led off unresistingly, he acted most peculiarly on the way to Solomon. He brushed against a palm-tree and uprooted it; he knocked against a house and overturned it; and when, at the request of a poor woman, he was turning aside from her hut, he broke a bone, and asked with grim humor: "Is it not written, 'A soft tongue [the woman's entreaty] breaketh the bone'?" (Prov. xxv. 15). A blind man going astray he set in the right path, and a similar kindness he did for a drunkard. He wept when a wedding company passed them, and laughed at one who asked his shoemaker to make him shoes to last for seven years, and at a magician who was publicly showing his skill. Having finally arrived at the end of the journey, Ashmedai, after several days of waiting, was led before Solomon, who told him that he wanted nothing of him but the shamir. Ashmedai thereupon informed the king where it could be obtained. Solomon then questioned him about his strange conduct on the journey. Ashmedai answered that he judged persons and things according to their real character and not according to their appearance in the eyes of human beings. He cried when he saw the wedding company, because he knew the bridegroom had not a month to live; and he laughed at him who wanted shoes to last seven years, because the man would not own them for seven days; also at the magician who pretended to disclose secrets, because he did not know that under his very feet lay a buried treasure. Ashmedai remained with Solomon until the Temple was completed. One day the king told him that he did not understand wherein the greatness of the demons lay, if their king could be kept in bonds by a mortal. Ashmedai replied that if Solomon would remove his chains and lend him the magic ring, he (Ashmedai) would prove his own greatness. Solomon agreed. The demon then stood before him with one wing touching heaven, and the other reaching to the earth. Snatching up Solomon, who had parted with his protecting ring, he flung him four hundred parasangs away from Jerusalem, and then palmed himself off as the king. After long wanderings Solomon returned to reclaim his throne. At first the people thought him mad; but then the wise men decided it would be well to regard Ashmedai more closely. It appeared on inquiry that not even Benaiah, the first in the service of the king, had ever been admitted to his presence, and that Ashmedai in his marital relations had not observed the Jewish precepts. Moreover, the declaration of the king's women that he always wore slippers, strengthened suspicion; for demons proverbially had cocks' feet. Solomon, provided with another magic ring, at length suddenly appeared before Ashmedai, who thereupon took flight (Giṭ. 68; parallel passages, Midr. Teh. on Ps. lxxviii. 45; Yalḳ. ii. 182; compare Num. R. xi. 3; Targ. on Eccl. i. 12, and the extract from a manuscript Midrash in "Z. D. M. G." xxi. 220, 221). Elements of the Ashmedai-Solomon Legend. Although the number of incidents concerning Ashmedai related by this Haggadah is fairly large, the fact must not be disregarded that many details grouped about him are of later origin and do not pertain to Ashmedai at all. Ashmedai, as the false Solomon, is a Babylonian elaboration of the Palestinian Haggadah concerning Solomon's punishment for his sins, which punishment consisted in the assumption of the throne by an angel; Solomon meanwhile having to wander about as a beggar (Yer. Sanh. ii. 6; Pesiḳ., ed. Buber, 169a; Tan., ed. Buber, iii. 55; Eccl. R. ii. 2; Simon b. YoḦai of the middle of thesecond century is quoted as the authority). Similarly, Ashmedai's service in the construction of the Temple is probably an echo of the elaborate legend in the Testament of Solomon, according to which the demons were the chief laborers at the building of the Temple. This cycle of legends in the Testament of Solomon is the source also of the myth concerning the wonderful ring whose inscription tames the demons, as well as of the incident that by virtue of the ring the demons were forced to assist in erecting the Temple. (Test. Solomon v.; compare vi.: "Throw this ring at the chest of the demon and say to him, 'In the name of God, King Solomon calls thee hither.'") Furthermore, it is improbable that the shamir legend was originally an element of the Ashmedai legend. The Testament of Solomon (ix.) narrates how a demon, forced by Solomon to hew stones for the Temple, was afraid of the iron instruments; and, as Conybeare rightly observes ("Jew. Quart. Rev." xi. 18), the fear of iron on the part of evil spirits is a feature common to both old and recent folk-lore. In the Talmud this fear is given a Jewish setting by connecting it with the legal precept against the use of iron tools, and by causing the demons to render the blocks of stone fit for use in the Temple structure without the use of iron. A comparison of the Ashmedai legend with the Testament of Solomon reveals also that many other points in the representation of demons by the former are general characteristics of demons. Thus Ashmedai's wings correspond to the wings of Ornias in the Testament (x.). Ornias likewise daily visited heaven; and just as Ashmedai learned the fate of human beings in heaven, so, according to the Testament (cxiii.), did all the demons. Consequently, Ornias could laugh at the king who was on the point of condemning a youth to death who was destined to die at the end of three days (cxi.), just as Ashmedai laughed at the man who ordered shoes to last seven years, when he had not seven days to live. Hence it follows that the passage in the Talmud provides little information concerning the more particular characteristics of Ashmedai. That he overturned a house and uprooted a tree indicates nothing; for with any demon, however insignificant, such things are trifles. Ashmedai is not represented as doing these things from a mere desire to destroy, but apparently through carelessness. The common opinion that in the Talmud, Ashmedai is depicted as particularly lustful and sensual, has no sufficient basis. The Talmud simply states that Ashmedai, while playing the part of Solomon, did not observe the Jewish precepts pertaining to the separation of women (), and that he attacked Bath-sheba, Solomon's mother. These facts, in reality, were to prove only that Ashmedai was not Solomon. The question now arises whether Asmodeus and Ashmedai may be considered as closely allied with each other, and identical with the Persian archdemon, Æshma or Æshma-dæva, as was first suggested by Benfey, and developed by Windischmann and Kohut. In regard to Æshma, very frequently mentioned in the Zend-Avesta and the Pahlavi texts, Darmesteter says: Asmodeus, Ashmedai, and Æshma. "Originally a mere epithet of the storm fiend, Æshma was afterward converted into an abstraction, the demon of rage and anger, and became an expression for all wickedness, a mere name of Ahriman ["Introduction to Vendidad," iv. 22]. This description of Æshma, as he appears in the Zend-Avesta, tallies with the dominant conception in Pahlavi writings. Thus in Dabistan, i., Dink, xxxvii. 164: 'The impetuous assailant, Wrath (Æshm), when he does not succeed in causing strife among the righteous, flings discord and strife amid the wicked; and when he does not succeed as to the strife even of the wicked, he makes the demons and the fiends fight together.'" In "Shayast ha-Shayast" (xviii.) Æshm is described, quite unlike Ahriman, as the "chief agent of the evil spirit [Ahriman] in his machinations against mankind, rushing into his master's presence in hell to complain of the difficulties he encounters." A consideration of the linguistic arguments does not support the hypothesis of an identification of Ashmedai with Æshma-dæva, as "dai" in Ashmedai hardly corresponds with the Persian "dæva," in view of the Syriac form "dawya" (demon) with the consonant "w"; nor is there any instance of the linking of "Æshma" and "dæva" in Persian texts. The Asmodeus of the Apocrypha, and Æshma, however, seem to be related. In the Testament of Solomon Asmodeus appears as seducing man to unchaste deeds, murder, and enmity, and thus reveals many points in common with Æshma. The "Bundehish" (xxviii. 15-18) furnishes the most striking resemblance: "There, wherever Æshm lays a foundation, many creatures perish." Ashmedai and Shamdon. Ashmedai of the Solomonic legend, on the other hand, is not at all a harmful and destructive spirit. Like the devil in medieval Christian folk-lore, he is a "king of demons" (Pes. 110a), degraded and no longer the dreaded arch-fiend, but the object of popular humor and irony. The name "Ashmedai" was probably taken as signifying "the cursed," (compare Nöldeke, in Euting's "Nabatäische Inschriften," pp. 31, 32), just as "la'in" (the cursed), is the Arabic name of Satan. Thus the name "Shamdon" (), is found in Palestinian Midrashim. It is related of Shamdon that at the planting of the first vine by Noah he helped with the work, but said to Noah: "I want to join you in your labor and share with you; but have heed that you take not of my portion lest I do you harm" (Gen. R. xxxvi. 3); in the legend in Midrash Abkir, and cited in Yalḳ. i. 61, Satan figures as the chief personality. The second thing told of this Shamdon is that in the Golden Age he had an encounter with a new-born child wherein he was worsted (Lev. R. v. 1, according to the reading of the 'Aruk, s.v. ). Ashmedai in Later Sources. In later sources, Shamdon is held to be the father of Ashmedai, whose mother they say was Naamah, sister of Tubal Cain (NaḦmanides on Gen. iv. 22; from this comes the same statement in BaḦya b. Asher, Zioni, and Recanati in their commentaries, ad loc.). This legend of Ashmedai's birth tallies with the assertion of Asmodeus in the Testament of Solomon: "I was born of angel's seed by a daughter of man" (xxi.). In the Zohar, Ashmedai is represented as the teacher of Solomon, towhom he gave a book of magic and medicine (Zohar Lev. pp. 19a, 43a; ib. Num. 199b, ed. Wilna). In a more recent Midrash Ashmedai is identified with Shamdon (Midr. Shir ha-Shirim, ed. Grünhut, 29b; a story similar to the one here given of Solomon's ring and the fish is found in "Emeḳ ha-Melek," 14a-15a, and in the Judæo-German "Maasebuch"; the story is reprinted in Jellinek, "B. H." ii. 86). A recent source gives the following legend cited by the Tosafists in Men. 37a from an anonymous Midrash, which has probably been lost: (This legend is given at length in Jellinek, "B. H." iv. 151, 152.) "Ashmedai brought forth from the earth a two-headed man, who married and produced both normal and two-headed children. When the man died a quarrel arose among the children concerning their inheritance, the two-headed ones demanding a double portion." Later cabalists held the theory that Ashmedai was king of the demons for only a limited time, and that on his death—demons are mortal (Ḥag. 16a)—he was succeeded by Bildad, who in turn left his dominion to Hind (see Jos. Sossnitz, "Ha-Maor," p. 84). Benjamin of Tudela (ed. Margolin, 63, 65) mentions a certain local legend about Baalbek, whose temple was erected by Ashmedai, on Solomon's bidding, for the king's favorite, the daughter of Pharaoh. Concerning the many points of resemblance of the Ashmedai-Solomon legend with Persian and classic legends, see Shamir, Solomon in Rabbinical Literature, and Æshma. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  Real World Mythology Asmodeus is a king of demons mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit (that is to say portions of the Bible not included in the Hebrew version), in which he is the primary antagonist. The demon is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends, for instance, in the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon. He was supposed by some Renaissance Christians to be the King of the Nine Hells. Asmodeus also is referred to as one of the seven princes of Hell. In Binsfeld's classification of demons, each one of these princes represents one of the seven deadly sins (Pride, Lust, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Wrath). Asmodeus is the demon of lust and is therefore responsible for twisting people's sexual desires. It is said that people who fall to Asmodeus' ways will be sentenced to an eternity in the second level of hell. According to the Kabbalah and the school of Rashba, Agrat Bat Mahlat, a succubus, mated with King David and bore a cambion son Asmodeus, king of demons. The Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is attracted to Sarah, Raguel's daughter, and is not willing to let any husband possess her; hence he slays seven successive husbands on their wedding nights, thus impeding the sexual consummation of the marriages. When the young Tobias is about to marry her, Asmodeus proposes the same fate for him; but Tobias is enabled, through the counsels of his attendant angel Raphael, to render him innocuous. By placing a fish's heart and liver on red-hot cinders, Tobias produces a smoky vapor that causes the demon to flee to Egypt, where Raphael binds him. Asmodeus would thus seem to be a demon characterized by carnal desire; but he is also described as an evil spirit in general. It is possible, moreover, that the statement, "Asmodeus loved Sarah," implies that he was attracted not by women in general, but by Sarah only. The figure of Ashmedai in the Talmud is less malign in character than the Asmodeus of Tobit. In the former, he appears repeatedly in the light of a good-natured and humorous fellow. But besides that, there is one feature in which he parallels Asmodeus, inasmuch as his desires turn upon Solomon's wives and Bath-sheba. But even here, Ashmedai seems more comparable to a Greek satyr rather than to an evil demon. Another Talmudic legend has King Solomon tricking Asmodai into collaborating in the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem. In yet another legend Asmodai changed place for some years with King Solomon. An aggadic narrative describes him as the king of all the shades. Another passage describes him as marrying Lilith, who became his queen. He has also been recorded as the off-spring of the union between Adam and the angel of prostitution, Naamah, conceived while Adam was married to Lilith. In the Testament of Solomon, a 1st-3rd century text, the king invokes Asmodeus to aid in the construction of the Temple. The demon appears and predicts Solomon's kingdom will one day be divided. When Solomon interrogates Asmodeus further, the king learns that Asmodeus is thwarted by the angel Raphael, as well as by sheatfish found in the rivers of Assyria. He also admits to hating water and birds because both remind him of God. In the Malleus Maleficarum, Asmodeus was considered the demon of lust, to which agreed Sebastien Michaelis saying that his adversary is St. John. Some demonologists of the 16th century assigned each month to a demon and considered November to be the month in which Asmodai's power was stronger. Other demonologists asserted that his zodiacal sign was Aquarius but only between the dates of January 30 and February 8. He has seventy-two legions of demons under his command. He is one of the Kings of Hell under Lucifer the emperor. He incites gambling, and is the overseer of all the gambling houses in the court of Hell. Some Catholic theologians compared him with Abaddon. Yet other authors considered Asmodeus a prince of revenge. In the Dictionnaire Infernal by Collin de Plancy, Asmodeus is depicted with the breast of a man, a cock leg, serpent tail, three heads (one of a man spitting fire, one of a sheep, and one of a bull), riding a lion with dragon wings and neck, all of these animals being associated with either lascivity, lust or revenge. Asmodai appears as the king 'Asmoday' in the Ars Goetia, where he is said to have a seal in gold and is listed as number thirty-two according to respective rank. He "is strong, powerful and appears with three heads; the first is like a bull, the second like a man, and the third like a ram; the tail of a serpent, and from his mouth issue flames of fire." Also, he sits upon an infernal dragon, holds a lance with a banner and, amongst the Legions of Amaymon, Asmoday governs seventy two legions of inferior spirits. Asmodeus is referred to in Book Two Chapter Eight of The Magus[8] (1801) by Francis Barrett. Asmodeus was named as an angel of the Order of Thrones by Gregory the Great. Asmodeus was cited by the nuns of Loudun in the Loudun possessions of 1634. Asmodeus' reputation as the personification of lust continued into later writings, as he was known as the "Prince of Lechery" in the 16th century romance Friar Rush. The French Benedictine Augustin Calmet equated his name with fine dress. The French novelist Alain-René Lesage likened him to Cupid in his 1707 novel le Diable boiteux. In the book, he is rescued from an enchanted glass bottle by a Spanish student Don Cleophas Leandro Zambullo. Grateful, he joins with the young man on a series of adventures before being recaptured. Asmodeus is portrayed in a sympathetic light as good-natured, and a canny satirist and critic of human society. Following this, he was depicted in a number of novels and periodicals, mainly in France but also London and New York. The 16th century Dutch demonologist Johann Weyer described him as the banker at the baccarat table in hell, and overseer of earthly gambling houses. Asmodeus was widely depicted as having a handsome visage, good manners and an engaging nature, however he was portrayed as walking with a limp and one leg was either clawed or that of a cock. He walks aided by two walking sticks in Lesage's work, and this gave rise to the English title The Devil on Two Sticks (also later translated The Limping Devil and The Lame Devil). Lesage attributes his lameness to falling from the sky after fighting with another devil. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  More Asmodeus (pronounced as-MO-day-us)[1] is the most powerful of the nine archdevils that inhabit Hell, and the only one of Hell's rulers to claim full divinity. It was he who is credited with the penning the contract of creation, within which his followers believe is hidden the means for their patron's eventual rise to supremacy.[2] Contents [hide]  1 Dogma 2 History 2.1 The Birth of the First 2.2 Creation of mortality 2.3 War in Heaven 2.4 Exodus 2.5 Other deeds 3 Relationships 3.1 First of the Archdevils 4 Realm 5 Appearance 6 Providence 7 Servants 7.1 Unique servants 8 Church of Asmodeus 8.1 Worshipers 8.1.1 Non-human worship 8.2 Clergy 8.3 Organizations 8.4 Temples and shrines 8.5 Unholy texts 9 External links 10 References Dogma Asmodeus believes that the strong should rightfully govern the weak, who in turn owe their masters unwavering obedience. He loves negotiations and contracts, especially those that give one of the parties a distinct, hidden advantage over the other. He expects and appreciates flattery, but its never fooled by it, seeing it as a negotiation tactic, as well as a duty those in inferior positions owe their betters.[3] History According to the Book of the Damned, Asmodeus is one of the two primeval entities with his brother and equal, Ihys.[4] The Birth of the First Born spontaneously from the mysterious source of life known as the Seal, the two, together known as the First, began as formless motes of energy. When the Seal birthed other, lesser motes, the First became self-aware. Eons passed, and slowly the First, and the lesser motes, began exploring creation. These were the first gods.[4] One of the First came upon a sigil upon the Seal, and with its discovery, symbols and meaning came into existence. His brother uttered the first sound and discovered speech; he named himself Ihys. His brother, the creator of meaning, he named Asmodeus.[4] Creation of mortality Ihys and Asmodeus, together with the lesser gods, began to sculpt creation to their liking and slowly introduced the concept of order into reality, creating stars, planets, and the fundamental laws that bind them. Then Ihys forever changed their creation: he created the first mortals, discovering the concept of souls and worship, and the other gods followed his example. Ihys bestowed upon mortals free will, causing the first schism of the gods, between those (like Asmodeus) who viewed mortals as mere tools and those (as Ihys) who desired freedom for their creations.[5] War in Heaven Asmodeus, devastated by his brother's actions, showed Ihys the chaos and destruction that he had sowed; but Ihys, believing good came from mortals' free will, opposed Asmodeus. War tore the gods, the first conflict between order and chaos. Ihys defended the right of mortals to choose their own destiny with the empyreal lord Sarenrae at his right hand. Finally, on a distant world, Ihys and Asmodeus met for the last time on the field of battle. Asmodeus offered his hand in brotherhood, and then performed the first act of treachery, murdering Ihys with a great spear.[6] Exodus In a last act of sympathy for his brother, Asmodeus allowed Ihys's dream of freedom to stand. He then created Hell as a monument to the old ways of absolute, merciless order and as a warning of what he would one day make anew.[6] Other deeds Asmodeus forged the contract of creation, then accepted by all the gods and rumored to contain a secret that will one day lead to its author's rise to power above his fellow deities. The God-Fiend also played a key role in the defeat and imprisonment ofRovagug. The Rough Beast was sealed away in the Pit of Gormuz, the only key to his prison kept by the Prince of Darkness himself.[2] For obvious reasons, the Prince of Hell is quite interested in the nation of Cheliax, and is believed to have personally been involved with its rulers twice in the last century. His first interaction was with Queen Abrogail I, with whom he made the infernal bargain that still binds that nation to Hell, an agreement said to have taken place in the Barrowood. His second was with her granddaughter, Queen Abrogail II. He is thought to have recently sent the erinyes Lrilatha to serve as her personal advisor and tutor.[7] Relationships Other gods find the Prince of Darkness the easiest of the evil deities to deal with, though they realize his aid is not to be sought, or accepted, lightly.[2] For his part, Asmodeus regards other faiths with mild amusement, seeing them as weak, temporary distractions to mortal worshipers. Unsurprisingly, he gives more respect to other deities who stress the rule of law,[8] but has an ongoing feud with Irori, who dislikes the Prince of Hell for tearing down and undermining the hard work of others.[9] First of the Archdevils Asmodeus is the lord of the Archdevils, the rulers of the nine layers of Hell, and the only one of his kind to claim the status of true deity. The other archdevils constantly vie for his power, but none have managed to ever outwit or overpower the Prince of Hell.[3] Realm Asmodeus is the undisputed ruler of Hell, where he resides in the deepest circle, the volcanic desolation of Nessus.[10] Appearance A depiction of Asmodeus. Asmodeus is generally depicted in art as a large, flame-enshrouded man with red skin, cloven hooves, and horns, surrounded by a pale flame nimbus.[3] He is often shows wielding a contract or a flaming mace. Though many believe that this is his true form, some speak of a more fiendish form with constantly bleeding wounds. Asmodeus is also capable of taking the shape of any creature, an ability he uses to gain an advantage in negotiations through intimidation, comfort, or pity. He is also represented by his unholy symbol, an upside-down, red pentagram, called the Archstar.[11] Providence The Prince of Law generally does not lower himself to directly interact with mortals, not even his own faithful. A particular powerful person will occasionally grab his attention and receive Asmodeus' support, as long as the mortal's actions coincide with the god's own interests. Failure or incompetence is punished quite severely, generally via burning pain, or writing that appears in blood or fire. Asmodeus often assigns his own infernal servants to assist these mortals, so that they might prod them in useful directions.[12] Servants The Prince of Darkness has many servants who rise and fall in popularity according to his whims.[11] His divine servitor race are the hesperians, or accomplice devils, who travel to the Material Plane to help bring important mortals into Hell's grasp.[13] In Hell (and sometimes) beyond, Asmodeus is served by a number of races that share his philosophy, including cerberi, shapechangers of all kinds, and of course, devils.[14] Unique servantsBasileus This devil serves as the Prince of Darkness' current herald. He appears as a handsome young male possessing blond hair, perceived to be of the same species as that of any creature that encounters him. Additionally, Basileus can freely take a form of supernatural terror; this form differs from one viewer to another, each faced with the greatest fear he or she can imagine.[11][15]Church of Asmodeus Asmodeus' faith is strongest in Infernal Cheliax and several of its vassal states, including Isger and Nidal,[2] but he also has a significant following among the Chelaxians throughout the Inner Sea region.[16] Worshipers A priestess of Asmodeus. The Prince of Hell preaches strict discipline and unwavering devotion from his worshipers; the strong should rule the weak. The Prince of Darkness expects flattery from his followers, appreciating it for what it is, and delights in deals and contracts that secretly favor one party over another.[2] Followers of the Prince of Darkness often include nobles and bureaucrats, especially those participating in the slave trade and in those nations where his worship is openly accepted.[17] Knights of Asmodeus wear the typical black and red associated with the Dark Prince, often wielding a spiked mace. They seek out order to gain power. Some call themselves paladins to give their behavior a gloss of righteousness.[18] Non-human worship Beyond humans and other "civilized" races, Asmodeus is commonly worshiped by kobolds. His dogma of subjugation of the weak through trickery appeals to kobolds, who live in a society with a strict hierarchy and use deception to make up for their physical weakness. Asmodeus is also a god of fire, which kobolds use extensively in mining and metalworking. Kobold priests of Asmodeus appeal to their kindred's insecurity and lust for power, making them easily manipulated pawns.[19] Clergy Asmodeus' priests usually dress in clean and orderly red-accented black dress, and often wear horned masks or helmets for ceremonies. Clothing worn is usually expensive, and clearly so, as the faith preaches that wealth attracts wealth.[20] In countries not under Cheliax's yoke, priests are expected to abide by local laws and take sacrifices only from willing victims.[17][2][11] It is also common for individual priests to offer the sacrifice of a small animal before preparing spells.[citation needed] Clerics of Asmodeus may prepare lesser geas and a variant of geas, and the Prince of Darkness grants access to infernal healing and greater infernal healing.[11] Organizations The Church of Asmodeus is taking an active role in caring for the orphans left by Isger's Goblinblood Wars. Monasteries have been established to look after these unfortunates, and indoctrinate them in the worship of Asmodeus. The most well known are the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes.[21] The Hellknight Order of the God Claw venerates the lawful aspects of Asmodeus, along with those of a number of other deities, but is independent, and not part of the church hierarchy.[22] Temples and shrines Public temples dedicated to Asmodeus contain many diabolical motifs, and can be found throughout Cheliax and its dependencies, often existing alongside and within the nation's government buildings. In other places he is worshiped in secret houses that exist throughout Golarion.[2] Many of his temples were originally dedicated to other gods, and later acquired by his faithful to serve their profane purposes.[2] While in the churches of other deities Asmodeus is most often depicted as an adversary or foil, the Church of Asmodeus always shows him in a position of dominance, with other gods bowing down before him.[3] Unholy textsThe Asmodean DisciplinesAsmodeus' doctrines and the practices of his faithful can be found within this document. It is accompanied by various additions and supplemental documents.[2]The Asmodean MonographThis text records a simplified version of the doctrine of the Prince of Darkness, although it relies on many supplemental volumes and appendices. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

06/25/2016  Archdevils The archdevils are the rulers of the Nine Hells. They are also called the Lords of the Nine, the Archdukes of Hell, and the Lords of Hell. They each control one of the plane's nine layers and are the most powerful and highest-ranking devils. Unlike the chaotic evil demon lords of the Abyss, the Lords of the Nine (and all the baatezu of the Hells for that matter) are arranged in a strict hierarchy. The lord of the first layer has the lowest rank of the nine archdevils, while the lord of the ninth layer has the highest rank. While the demons of the Abyss answer only to their own basic instincts, every single devil, at least in theory, answers to the Lord of the Ninth, Asmodeus. Each archduke is a unique devil of immense power and influence, with his own resources: military, magical, and political, to rely on in the endless scheming that characterizes devilish politics. Contents[show] Lord of the First: Bel the Warlord Edit Bel is a former pit fiend of great power who controls Avernus. He resides in his personal fortress in the center of the Bronze Citadel. As well as being Lord of the First, Bel is lead general in the Blood War, although not one of the Dark Eight. He betrayed his mistress and former Lord of the First, Zariel, in order to gain his current position. Bel does not have the support of the other Lords of the Nine, save Asmodeus, who often call him the Pretender. Neither Mephistopheles nor Baalzebul trusts him thanks to his all-too-ready betrayal of his mistress. And while any of the other Archdukes would have gladly dethroned Zariel themselves, Bel's uprising wiped out most of their own operatives. However, none have moved against him, in appreciation of his valuable efforts as a buffer against the demons and his command of the Dark Eight. He has curried some favor with Asmodeus by spying on other lords and passing on the information to Martinet, the constable of Asmodeus. He also has the support of the Dark Eight, support that should not be overlooked. Bel has made inroads into forging an alliance with Tiamat, deity of Chromatic Dragons, who maintains a domain on his layer. Thanks to this accord, many abishai swell the ranks of his armies, and abishai torturers carve bits of Zariel's flesh off her body in her cell beneath the Bronze Citadel. Bel consumes these giblets, increasing his power. An inspiration to all devilkind, Bel attained his status by climbing the full ladder of diabolical promotion, from quivering lemure to full pit fiend, finally displacing Zariel and being recognized by Asmodeus as Lord of the First and one of the greatest military minds in the multiverse. Kept busy advancing the Baatezu agenda against demonkind, Bel is the only archduke that has not yet established a cult, though some warriors worship him. Lord of the Second: Dispater, The Iron Duke Edit The Lord of the Second, Dispater, controls the layer of Dis from his Iron Tower. He usually appears as a humanoid of supernatural height with dark hair, tiny horns, resplendent garb, and a single cloven foot. He always holds a rod of great power, his badge of office. Dispater never takes risks and thus almost never leaves his demesne, and then, only to the call of Asmodeus. At all other times he relies on his aspect to deal with the other archdukes of the Nine Hells. Dispater's Iron Tower, a nigh-impenetrable fortress, is itself an extremely powerful magic item that amplifies his powers and makes him nearly invulnerable. The Iron Duke gets all the necessary information from his consort Lilis. Known as the Iron Maiden, Lilis is the only consort Dispater has been known to have, and her intelligence network covers all Baator and beyond, making her one of the most knowledgeable creatures in the Nine Hells. In terms of politics, Dispater and Mephistopheles, Lord of the Eighth, are allies and are usually scheming against Baalzebul, Lord of the Seventh. Since Glasya's recent elevation and the apparent ease with which Asmodeus arranged it, Dispater's already healthy paranoia has grown, prompting him to retreat further into his Iron Tower and work harder than ever to root out traitors both actual and potential. He has also tried to distance himself from his allies and seek peace with his enemies to avoid having any enemies, a futile goal. Dispater's touch instantly corrodes metal and can convert flesh into iron. A favorite tactic of his in combat is to transform opponent into an iron statue, then immediately rust him away into dust. Lord of the Third: Mammon the Viscount Edit Mammon, the Lord of the Third, rules over the layer of Minauros. He rules from the center of the city of Minauros, inhabiting a mausoleum-like structure of vast proportions. He is an archdevil who resembles a thirty-foot-long serpent with a humanoid head, arms, and torso. He also wields a harpoon-like spear. Mammon may also assume the form of a pit fiend at will. During the Reckoning, a failed rebellion against Asmodeus, Mammon allied with Dispater and Mephistopheles against Asmodeus. When Asmodeus finally proved victorious, Mammon was the first to abase himself before him, gaining the enmity of the other Lords. Aware that he has exhausted the hells of allies, Mammon has focused on subverting mortals on the Material Plane via his cults, and using them to wage economic warfare against goodly states there. Mammon's cult among mortals is one of the largest of the nine archdukes. As a patron of greed and lust, temples to Mammon are ostentatious displays of wealth and obscene plenty, with every surface and ritual implement made of gold and encrusted with gems. Mammon enjoys subverting evil dragons to his cause, a fact Tiamat keenly resents. Mammon was once lover to Glasya, and since her elevation the diabolical rumor mills have been working overtime. Some devils contend that the two have rekindled their awful union now that Glasya is out from beneath Asmodeus' watchful eye, while others assert that Glasya harbors burning hatred for the serpentine archduke over his refusal to fight for her love. Mammon's touch inspires overpowering greed and lust for treasure in his opponents, causing them to attack allies and friends in a wild attempt to steal their valuables. Lords of the Fourth: Lady Fierna and Archduke Belial Edit Fierna and Belial, the Lords of the Fourth, rule the layer of Phlegethos. They reside in the city of Abriymoch in a palace of jagged obsidian built on one lip of the caldera. Fierna and Belial are archdevils who resemble slightly devilish-looking humanoids. Fierna fights with a blade of fire that she summons at will and Belial, with a mighty ranseur. Following the Reckoning Belial was demoted from official to unofficial ruler or Phlegethos, with Fierna taking the mantle of leadership and Belial wearing the mantle of leadership. This situation suited both just fine until Glasya's ascension to rulership of Malbolge. Since then Fierna has struck a fast friendship with Glasya, and at her urging is moving to gain greater independence from her father (and rumored consort). Moreover, since the death of Fierna's mother Naome(Belial's former consort), both she-devils now share the mutual grief of having a dead mother. This fact caused them to become even more united. Belial, for his part, has been attempting to keep tabs on his daughter's behavior without provoking her to greater autonomy, even putting many of his schemes against Levistus, Lord of Stygia, on hold. Belial is also considering various actions against Glasya, to make her a less appealing role model for Fierna. He is fully aware that the line he treads is thin, however as any obvious strikes against Asmodeus' daughter could not only inspire his own progeny to rebellion, but be construed as moves against Asmodeus himself. Lord of the Fifth: Prince Levistus Edit The Lord of the Fifth, Levistus, rules over the layer of Stygia. He appears as a six-foot-tall humanoid with very pale skin, dark hair, and a goatee. Were it not for his entirely black eyes and pointed teeth, he could pass for a human. In the days of his freedom, he wore loose, silken clothing and carried a glistening rapier. However, at the moment, he is visible only as a black speck a quarter-mile within a towering mountain of dark ice that floats about Stygia. Asmodeus imprisoned Levistus in ice for a past betrayal, namely attempting to ravish, and eventually killing Bensozia, consort to Asmodeus and mother to Glasya. Levistus was, for millennia, trapped within his tomb, unable to act, but recently Asmodeus made an inexplicable gesture to his lover's murderer, displacing the formerly loyal ruler of Stygia, Geryon, and passing the position over to the frozen prince, though leaving him trapped within his tomb. Levistus rules his layer via telepathic instructions issued to his many Amnizu courtiers. Asmodeus' strange actions puzzled both Levistus and the other seven archdukes. Levistus' open hostility to his peers endeared him to none of the Nine Hells' other rulers, and the Lord of the Nine's apparent indifference stymied followers of devilish politics for some time. With Glasya's elevation, however, a theory has arisen to explain Asmodeus' maneuvering. Geryon's energy was never transferred to Levistus. Instead, the theory goes, it was used to promote Glasya, whose personal might ballooned in the wake of the Hag Countess' overthrow. In the meantime, Asmodeus tolerated Levistus' blatant trouble-making and arrogance as a distraction for the other archdukes from his plans for his daughter and Malbolge. Levistus himself has reluctantly come to accept the theory, though he doesn't much like its implications. He has stepped up his efforts to break out of his tomb, though it continues to thwart all attempts, magical and physical. His devils are chipping away at the iceberg, but for every inch they gain two more build from the sleet and snow constantly blowing across its surface. Lord of the Sixth: The Archduchess GlasyaEdit The current Lord of the Sixth is Glasya, daughter of Asmodeus and former consort of Mammon. Glasya ascended to her lordship in the dramatic displacement of its former ruler, the Hag Countess. The move has many of the other lords scrambling. Glasya appears as a supremely beautiful humanoid with copper skin, wings, a forked tail, and small horns. The archdevil Baalzebul once ruled this layer through his Grand Viceroy Moloch. Moloch was cast down when he defied Asmodeus during the Reckoning—the general rebellion that ripped through the Nine Hells ages ago. Most authorities acknowledge that it was the Hag, one of Moloch's most trusted advisors, who counseled Moloch to rebel. The Hag was then set in his place as Lord of the Sixth, and Moloch fled and went into hiding. Until Glasya's promotion Malbolge was the hardest layer of Baator to traverse, being a never-ending slope bouncing with eternally rolling boulders. The Hag Countess, its former ruler, was not actually a devil but a supremely powerful Night hagfrom the plane of Hades. The Hag Countess resided in a stronghold that was the core of a mountain-sized boulder which perpetually rolled down the slopes of Malbolge. None of her nobles knew exactly where it was or on what path it rolled. When she occasionally visited them in their copper fortresses, the nobles hosted her, though they rarely knew that it was her due to her expert disguises. Then one morning, the Hag Countess was wracked by terrible spasms, collapsing down the eternal slopes, which soon after began convulsing with earthquakes, turning itself inside out. The Hag Countess was seized by the soil of the layer, then held fast as she underwent a massive transformation, her body growing to titanic but inconstant proportions. Her skull ballooned to the size of a vast fortress as her ribs distended and bent into massive, arching mounted ranges that circled the whole layer. Her innards were buried, becoming subterranean passageways and her organs burst, forming lakes of bile and viscera. Her fingers became ten white towers, strands of her hair turning into greasy white trees, her teeth sinking into the earth to become a source of ivory for mining. As the surviving inhabitants of Malbolge crawled out of the ground where they were buried, a golden litter descended, bearing the new ruler, Archduchess Glasya. Glasya detests Prince Levistus and is using her intelligence networks and fledgling cults to gather information she can later use to gain her father's approval to destroy the Lord of the Fifth for good, in revenge for the murder of her mother. Prior to Baalzebul, Malbolge was ruled by the archdevil Beherit, who was destroyed (along with his consort, Batna) byAsmodeus for disobeying "restrictions upon the elevation of devils." Lord of the Seventh: Baalzebul the Slug Archduke Edit Baalzebul, the Lord of the Seventh, rules over the layer of Maladomini. He was once an archon of Celestia named Triel, but he was cast down into the Nine Hells, and soon after, Asmodeus promoted him to devilhood in a dread ritual. Baalzebul climbed the ranks of devilry, eventually becoming Lord of the Seventh, deposing the earlier Lord and expunging all mention of that entity. The Slug Lord is the only Archduke to have two official consorts: Baftis, his first and actual consort and Lilith, his viceroy's former consort whom he reined in due to her fairly large amount of worshipers on the Prime Material Plane. While Baftis is too scared of Baalzebul and too spineless to even think of acting unauthorized, the strong-willed Lilith is not exactly loyal to the Slug Archduke and has schemes of her own. Baalzebul once strove for devilish perfection in all things. Thus, Maladomini is dotted with ruined, abandoned cities, and petitioners were constantly building new cities for the Lord of the Seventh. Newer cities are built atop the ruins of older ones. As each city is finished, Baalzebul's dissatisfaction forced his subjects to begin anew. Baftis is sealed up in one of these ghost towns that she had refused to leave. To punish Baalzebul for plotting against him during the failed rebellion known as the Reckoning, Asmodeus transformed Baalzebul's formerly angelic body into a melted, slug-like form. As a result, although Baalzebul now only openly plots against Mephistopheles, Lord of the Eighth, his undying anger still burns for Asmodeus, as does his eternal ambition for the throne of the King of the Nine Hells. Baalzebul currently resides in the city of Malagard, formerly a beautiful city still under construction, with perfectly straight boulevards, fountains of delicate yet terrible visage, and towers that reach faultlessly straight into the blood-black sky. Recently, Baalzebul has given up on trying to prevent its demise, allowing its archways to droop and bridges to crumble as dispirited devils shuffle through ever-expanding rivers of trash. The fatalistic melancholy of the Lord of the Flies has struck the entire layer, interrupted only by occasional (and short-lived) frenzies of cleaning and repair. Baalzebul spends most of his time in the Palace of Filth, a building-shaped pile of fecal refuse that was once his grand castle. He periodically hollows out new rooms and reinforces slumping ones with layers of slime that ooze from his bloated body. Lord of the Eighth: Mephistopheles, Archduke of Cania Edit Mephistopheles, by Eric Deschamps Mephistopheles, the Lord of the Eighth, rules over the layer of Cania (or Caina). He resides in Mephistar, a blue-white citadel fashioned of ice that sits atop a glacier called Nargus. Mephistopheles appears as a nine-foot-tall humanoid with hell-red skin, horns, and wings. He prefers to wear dramatic capes of the ultimate blackness and carries a magic ranseur that burns eternally. Mephistopheles once engineered his own coup, replacing himself with Baron Molikroth. However, Molikroth was just an alias of Mephistopheles, and that duplicity has now ended, as well as the lives of "Molikroth's" co-conspirators. Mephistopheles failed to unseat Asmodeus during the Hells-wide rebellion known as the Reckoning. If it weren't for his canny consort Baalphegor, whose mere presence greatly protects him from the Lord of Nessus, Mephistopheles would, likely, have been at best demoted upon the Reckoning. His largest rival is Baalzebul, and his court runs thick with plots against the Lord of the Flies. Recently the Lord of the Eighth has been devoting most of his time and incredible amounts of energy to his pet project, that of mastering and experimenting with Hellfire, a new form of magical fire with new and interesting properties. This obsession with the enterprise has caused a virtual upending of Cania's power structure, with the Ice Devils that once stood at its peak forced to migrate to the colder mountains on the fringes of Cania. Mephistopheles' goal is the expansion of his material plane cult by offering mastery of Hellfire as an incentive. However, the expansion is taking a toll on his soul-harvesting efforts, and he is being forced to borrow divine energy from the other archdukes, particularly Dispater and Levistus at an alarming rate. Mephistopheles is risking much in his gamble on Hellfire, and if it pays off, his mortal cult will be larger and more popular than any other archduke's, including Asmodeus'. Despite his recent efforts, Mephistopheles' influence on the material plane is not as strong as in Baator. Many mortals confuse him with Asmodeus, thinking them one and the same. This fact amuses Asmodeus and frustrates Mephistopheles to no end. Lord of the Ninth: Asmodeus, King of the Nine Hells Edit Asmodeus, chief of the Lords of the Nine. Asmodeus, the King of the Nine Hells and Lord of the Ninth, is at the very least an archdevil, but he may possess the power of a true deity. He resides in Malsheem, located on the lowest layer of Baator, Nessus. He is rarely ever seen, and only when the elite of the Nine Hells gather in any one of a hundred different audience chambers does Asmodeus make his presence known, usually in the form of an unprepossessing humanoid thirteen feet tall with black hair, dark skin, a black goatee, and eyes of flame. According to the Pact Primeval legend, Asmodeus was once the greatest of the angels, who were servants of the primal deities of law, created to combat demons in the age before ages. As the battle went on, Asmodeus and his company grew ever more poisoned by their combat against the infinite hordes of the Abyss. The deities grew restless at seeing him and his tainted companions, but could not find clauses in their laws that would allow them to cast him out. Further, they were distressed that mortals were choosing to disobey law, choosing the so-called liberty dangled to them by demons, rather than adhering to the dictates of the gods of law. Asmodeus, seeing the predicament, proposed that the gods establish punishment and retribution, as a way to giving consequence to mortals who chose not to follow law. Asmodeus's masters agreed, and assigned him and his brood to administer the punishment. So as to spare them the sight of mortal souls being eternally tortured and made to suffer, Asmodeus chose the (apparently empty) plane of Baator as the site for his new Hells, and demanded that he and his dark company be allowed to harvest energy from the souls they punished for their sins, or they would have to be made gods themselves to have the strength to manage the task. Thus the "Pact Primeval" was signed, and the baatezu--devils--were created. Curiously though, the legend of the Pact Primeval uniformly fails to mention earlier inhabitants of Baator, the so-called Ancient Baatorians. Yet the myth admits that Baator, or some previous version of the plane, was already extant when Asmodeus and his brood arrived to turn it to their use. As undisputed master of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus commands fear and respect from all who occupy his realm, even evil deities. Working constantly to expand evil law, Asmodeus directly opposes celestials and goodly deities, his minions fighting the agents of good, murdering them whenever and wherever they can. Asmodeus also works to contain, and eventually destroy, the chaos of demons and the infinite Abyss. As long as they exist, he will never achieve his eventual goal of ruling the multiverse unopposed. Asmodeus' parting from his plane of origin was not peaceful, following the signing of the Pact Primeval. Physically cast from there, Asmodeus fell and fell, wounded to within an inch of his life from his crashes. His wounds still bleed today, every drop of blood forming a new pit fiend, fanatically loyal to the Lord of the Ninth. These pit fiends patrol the canyon of Serpent's Coil, viciously attacking any interlopers. The Lord of the Ninth is so powerful that within Baator he can work almost any magic as an act of will, reaching into the realms of the other archdukes and reshaping their domains (or the archdukes themselves) with but a thought. Asmodeus emits an aura of submission so powerful that nearly any creature in proximity to him feel overwhelming compulsions to bow before him and submit to any and all of his commands without question. It takes a supreme act of will merely to resist. Asmodeus is never without his Ruby Rod, an artifact as old as time itself and symbol of office for the ruler of Nessus, and of Hell. A 4-foot shaft of solid ruby, the ruby rod was crafted from a single ruby of incredible size, bathed in the blood of a thousand mortal sacrifices, quenched in the acid drool of Tiamat, and polished with the tears of 777 angels. The rod itself functions as a weapon of epic power, delivering streams of vitriol, crackling death, or frigid wind. Its majesty often leaves creatures staring helplessly at it, and its magic can save its wielder from even the most grievous harm or ailment. Asmodeus has recently achieved a long-standing goal of strengthening further his grip on the Hells, through the taming and elevation of his daughter Glasya. With this additional power, Asmodeus intends to harvest additional divine power with which to speed the healing of his wounds. Once the wounds are healed, Asmodeus plans to strike a temporary truce with the demons, pausing the Blood War just long enough to begin an apocalyptic final struggle between Good and Evil. Following his victory, he will resume his annihilation of demonkind and take his rightful place as ruler of all things. Notes and Revisions to Asmodeus: Early issues of Dragon magazine such as the article, "The Politics of Hell," in issue #28 mention rumored older kings such as Lucifer or Satan that Asmodeus deposed. This idea was never considered canonical, but an allusion to it resurfaced in a vague reference decades later in the Book of Vile Darkness. It was revised completely in Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, when Asmodeus was confirmed as the original founder of the current, Baatezu dominated, Nine Hells during the signing of the Pact Primeval. Manual of the Planes mentions a supposed legend that the form of Asmodeus seen by the other archdukes and visitors was merely a specter or aspect, and that his true form, that of a titanic, serpent-like devil, resided at the bottom of the canyon known as "Serpent's Coil," so named for the outline he made when he hit the surface of Nessus, still wounded from his fall out of the upper planes.Fiendish Codex II does not directly contradict the story, but does seem to retcon it, mentioning in its description of Nessus that Serpent's Coil is shaped for the spiraling path Asmodeus fell, and that Malsheem sits at the bottom of that canyon. The assertion seems to contradict the idea that Asmodeus's "true form" was serpentine, and brings it into line with the Pact Primeval account. Most angels, after all, are humanoid in form. The idea of his wounds, however, remains. In 2nd Edition's Guide To Hell it was stated that Asmodeus was a Lawful Evil or corrupted Lawful Neutral serpentine entity, who along with his Lawful Good counterpart serpent Jazirian, was responsible for the current ring-shaped structure of the Outer Planes. Asmodeus fell once their embrace ended as they struggled over the proper role of Law, eventually plummeting all the way to the serpents coil in Baator. Guide to Hell claimed that his wish was to destroy all creation by making all sentient beings atheists, and thus negating the belief energy holding the Outer Planes together, so that he may fill the void and create it entirely in his own image, without the help of any other deity.' Few of these theories have appeared in subsequent books, or possessed a foundation in prior material, though the theme of Asmodeus as a fallen being of Law has remained. Second Edition's Hellbound: The Blood War and Faces of Evil: The Fiends present another version of Baator and Asmodeus's history and origins. These sources state that the Baatezu only supplanted the original natives of the plane, the Ancient Baatorians, and were themselves first created as the lawful spawn of the General of Gehenna's purification of the early yugoloths. The chronology of the Blood War in Hellbound also states that Baator's Lords of the Nine only appeared in their positions around or slightly after the Blood War began, but also before the existence of deities. Asmodeus himself is left intentionally dark and largely undefined, though his power is made clear, with more detail devoted to the history of his race and their conquered plane. "The Tenth Lord of the Nine": GargauthEdit Gargoth, a powerful archdevil, once dwelled in the Hells, but left for reasons known only to himself. Some say he challenged Asmodeus and was exiled, some say he was cast from the Hells for his foul nature, while others say he left because Asmodeus destroyed his closest friend, the archdevil Beherit. One, none, or all of these reasons may be true. 04: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos