Asmodeus

Asmodeus (Asmodei in Infernal), is the Astoran deity of indulgence and a patron of oppression and power. The greatest devil and ruler of all devilkind, the Lord of the Ninth is overlord of all the Nine Hells. From his throne at the bottom of Baator the Lord of Lies reigns over his kingdom of unyielding tyranny, ceaseless warfare and political intrigue and enacts his diabolical plans to become not only the Supreme Master of the Nine Hells, but of all existence.

Description

Asmodeus's true form was that of a scaled serpent hundreds of miles long, his acid-black blood, a substance beyond foul, exuding from eons-old wounds. His form's sheer size made it impossible for him to meet and enter into conversations with others, and so he created humanoid-looking avatars. He never showed himself except through avatars or highly advanced project image spells, both in humanoid forms.

An avatar of Asmodeus was handsome, charismatic and captivating on the surface, appearing as a slim, red-skinned humanoid over 13 feet (4 meters) tall with a horned head, glowing red eyes and a perfectly trimmed beard. He wore red and black clothing valuable enough to cover the annual spending of any nation, but underneath these expensive garments his body was wracked with bleeding injuries he was seemingly unconcerned by.

Personality

Asmodeus is a primal embodiment of lawful evil and a supreme strategist of unparalleled skill. His sinister machinations can take centuries, if not millennia, to come to fruition, and his master plans extend across the entire multiverse. His labyrinthine, insidious intrigues can seem inexplicable to most outside observers, for Asmodeus lets even his own servants stew in fear of his next move. With all the planes as his board, the Lord of Lies maneuvers the forces of evil like chess pieces in his grand designs, slowly and subtly manipulating everyone from deities to, when needed, lowly mortals.

Just as Asmodeus is an unmatched schemer, he is an unrivaled orator, a legendary political master of unquestionable prowess. He is the most well-mannered of the archdevils, soft-spoken and eloquent as he lures others into serving his ends. Even when wracked by constant pain, he manages to appear blithely unbothered, and seems almost chillingly reasonable. However, though he can seem generous, the quickly offered rewards of the archdevil are given to those willing to sign away their souls, after which they will suffer as pawns in his dark designs. Despite his charisma, Asmodeus is nonetheless a representative of ultimate evil, revealing his true nature at his will.

In truth, Asmodeus is a tyrant, an authoritarian overlord who seeks complete control over as many subjects as he can obtain and nothing less than absolute dominion over all reality to satiate his need for power. Torture is his tool to break the wills of others and impose his own, and knowledge of secrets and dealings his desired instrument to claim others as his. The Prince of Evil is confident in his position as one of the multiverse's strongest beings, and genuinely believes his rule is for the best. Under his rule, and only his rule, the multiverse will be pristine and perfect, with everyone in it having a place and a purpose to fulfill.

In Asmodeus's mind, only he has the strength, insight, and charisma needed to guide all to an ideal utopia, or at least the infernal hierarchy that the Archfiend interprets as such. His rivals are inferior minds lacking the skill to see his vision through. The forces of the Abyss are loathsome opposition, their very existence a threat to his mastery of evil and their armies a direct threat to his supremacy. The forces of good are foolish, sentimental beings too soft and weak to do what has to be done. This arrogance would lead to his destruction if he lacked the competence to back it up, yet Asmodeus has managed to thwart all conspiracies against him and survive Heaven with nothing but his wit.
Law or Evil

According to legend, Asmodeus attributes his wicked deeds to necessity and the mandates of law, alluding to the rules of Hell in his defense and arguing that his contracts are never broken. He makes the case that the souls he harvests serve the ultimately noble end of protecting the cosmos, and notes the sanctity of law as what separates him from the demons of the Abyss. Without him and his devils to defend it, he argues, the multiverse would be overrun by demonkind and ultimately destroyed, and in this, Asmodeus might technically be correct.

Although one of the ultimate powers of law, Asmodeus does not uphold the rules out of respect. Despite arguing that his actions are necessary to prevent the rise of chaos and preserve the forces of good, this is mere camouflage to disguise his true intentions. In reality, Asmodeus sees the Abyss as a useful distraction, and when prepared he plans to destroy the Upper Planes and perhaps even use demonkind to accomplish this dark goal. Ironically, in the most extreme scenario, Asmodeus's plan will ultimately be to embrace chaos, to withhold the power of law from the world and let it collapse. With the multiverse broken down and him having survived its fall, he will remake reality as he desires.

To the mind of Asmodeus, the law is merely a tool by which others can be bent to his will. Civilization, as he understands it, is a means of gaining power, the structures and technology created by society instruments to crush his enemies. Chaos makes for easy conquest, and to conquer is to bring others under control. Asmodeus uses tradition as his protection and wording as his weapon, appeals to the letter of the law, and frames his deeds as upholding the natural laws of the cosmos. Even his masterfully crafted plans obey universal laws, such as the Rule of Threes, and he believes himself the multiverse's chosen protector. More than any of these however, Asmodeus is dedicated to obtaining absolute authority for himself, and if necessary, is willing to break every law in existence to do it.

Despite his cunning and charisma, Asmodeus is not intellectually invincible. Though he is not above pretending otherwise, he is capable of being surprised, feigning foreknowledge and acting as if all is going according to plan either way. Furthermore, even Asmodeus is capable of fury, and if he forgets himself he can end up bursting into a rage, his mask of civility slipping to unveil the evil that lurks below.

Divine Realm

Asmodeus rules the entire plane of the Nine Hells of Baator, but his seat of power is Nessus, the ninth layer. His serpentine body lies at the bottom of a rift called the Serpent's Coil, but not even the denizens know this. By devil law, only Asmodeus can issue letters of safe passage that cover travel not only within, but also between layers, though he never issues such things for Nessus.

His personal palace is Malsheem, a giant fortress so large that it is considered unmappable. Given the priority he places on his own security and privacy, he usually remains within his fortress of Malsheem, using others to make his will clear, though the other archdevils are annually called there.

Activities

First and foremost, Asmodeus seeks to preserve the status quo of Baator, that being his station as supreme ruler of Hell. Beyond this he seeks to expand the power of lawful evil in the multiverse, tipping the cosmic scales in its favor. All this goes towards Asmodeus's ultimate goal, to heal the wounds he suffers from his ancient fall from grace (from whatever position he holds), regain his full power, and instigate Armageddon. This apocalyptic conflict would, at the very least, be the end of the Great Wheel cosmology, and he could very well be ahead of his ancient schedule.

This all raises the question of how Asmodeus can recover from his eons-old injuries, and the answer lies in souls. Baator runs on a divine energy derived from the souls of the damned, a magical force that can be extracted through the merciless torture, destruction of identity, and overall breakdown of corrupt souls. Much of this work is outsourced, including by Asmodeus himself, to the city of Jangling Hiter in Minauros for later distribution, and Asmodeus uses what divine power he can spare to heal from his wounds.

As horrifying and diabolical as it is, Asmodeus has been toiling on his grand design in the depths of Hell since time immemorial and still is not done. He pursues his malevolent agenda on three primary fronts, his true motivations in each obscured to all and glimpsed by a very small few.
The Blood War

The Blood War, the eternal battle between the fiends of the lower planes, is often described as a kind of philosophical war over which form of evil will reign supreme. The origins of the war are lost to time, and contrary to popular opinion Asmodeus does not start it, although he plays a significant part in its existence and development. In truth, the Blood War is merely the continuation of an ancient conflict that perhaps predates even Asmodeus's own fall, a war of law and chaos that defines and nearly destroys the young multiverse in an Age Before Ages.

Asmodeus

Lord of the Nine

Basic Information

Titles

Supreme Master of the Nine Hells
Lord of Nessus
The Lord of the Ninth
The Lord Below
The Lord of the Ruby Rod
Lord of Lies
Prince of Evil
God of Evil
The Cloven
Old Hoof and Horn
The Great Devil
The Archfiend
The Raging Fiend
The Reigning Serpent
The Rebellious One

Adjectives

Asmodean

Pantheons

Astoran

Served By

Baalzebul, Bel, Belial, Dispater, Fierna, Glasya, Levistus, Mammon, Mephistopheles, Geryon

Attributes

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Symbol

Clawed fist gripping a skull
Ruby-tipped rod
Inverted pentagram
Three inverted triangles arranged in a long triangle

Realm

Nine Hells of Baator/Nessus/Malsheem/Fortress Nessus

Portfolio

-

Favored Weapon

Heavy mace

Following

Worshippers

Domains

Evil (Corruption, Devil)
Law (Devil, Tyranny)
Trickery (Deception)