Belial

Belial is the lord of Phlegethos who, along with Fierna, his daughter, are the only archdevils allowed to share rulership over one of the Nine Hells by Asmodeus. Belial is the veteran schemer in their abnormal alliance, contributing diabolical deviousness and greater conspiratorial experience.

Description

Belial was the most handsome of the archdevils, appearing as an impressively built, 10 ft (3 m) tall figure of masculine beauty. He was tall, dark and sensual, practically oozing carnality through the regal garments that clung to his body in such a way as to promise pleasure and further his libidinous image.

Before Mephistopheles took on a more infernal appearance, Belial was also the most devilish looking Lord of the Nine, an impression enhanced by the ranseur he always held in his claws. Some said his skin was scaly and ash-black while others purported it was red, and early reports claimed he had a glossy black tail and wings. Other signs of his hellishness could be seen in the small horns, the same black as his tail and wings, that emerged under his hairline, and his large, slanted eyes that glowed and smoldered red with lustful intent. His monstrous features however did little if any to detract from his aura of civility and overall mesmerizing physique.

Personality

Greatly confident, mesmerizing in personality, and said to be incredibly vain, Belial delights in the use of manipulation and domination. He is a profane being of great lust with an insatiable hunger for physical pleasure and pain, as fond of killing and the feeling of hot blood against his skin as he is in traditional debauchery and gratification.

Despite his deep passions, Belial is also intelligent and experienced, not so rash as to become so caught up in his amusements that he doesn't take proper precautions and prepare contingencies. The old devil is of shrewd judgement and cunning political prowess which, along with his good looks, aids him in his ambitious, diabolical machinations. He is also of glib tongue, always coming off as civil even despite the threatening, underlying messages that can be found in some of his words.

Belial's ransuer, or military fork, is his favored, iconic weapon, and isn't any regular polearm. It is a minor artifact that fills those it strikes with wracking pain, slowing them down as their bodies and minds deal with the agony and said to be powerful enough that a heal or break enchantment spell is needed to fully recover from the crippling torment.

Divine Realm

Belial rules the most literally infernal of the Hells, the fiery hellscape of Phlegethos, a tortured, violent land, composed of ashen hills, smoking plains, crystalline fissures and active volcanoes, where tremors and earth-breaking eruptions are commonplace. The air of the realm is distorted by the heat and plagued by hot wind hurricanes, smoke, and ash, the starless void above illuminated only by the leaping flames. Molten magma seas, spouting jets of fire and oozing lava are often seen, but the actual fire, of which there are literal rivers as well as lakes, is the most strange source of heat. The flames are said to be nearly sentient if not literally so, bending unnaturally to scorch with spiteful mercilessness but leaving even fire-vulnerable devils and invited planar guests be.

Inhabiting these liquid fires, all of which are interconnected, are wandering salamanders, brought long ago to be bound to Belial's service. Unfortunately for Belial, salamanders are creatures that take orders only if they so desire, and so most of them have to be immediately slain, the few survivors still bound to the plane and forced to survive by picking off individual creatures close to the rivers. They would have been rooted out earlier, given that they can't create more of themselves, but they can leave rivers at will and flee to new ones, not to mention that the devils of the plane are typically busy. The other inhabitants of the plane, constantly roaming and patrolling for some reason or another, consist of many kinds of devils, particularly spinagons, imps, hamatulas and cornugons. The lower, wetter, reeking borderlands of the planes are inhabited by lemures, abishai, barbazus and a few amnizus, as well as hell hounds and certain mephits.

Society

Belial rules his realm and its inhabitants from the city of Abriymoch, the Mount of Leaping Flames, a fortress city built on the interior walls of a volcano reported to be in varying stages of activity. Abriymoch is the strongest stronghold in the middle hells, protected by legion devils, fearsome osyluth policers and thousands of hamatulas. It is constructed of obsidian and crystalline rocks, basalt towers crowning the lips of the crater. The rest consists of several tiered chambers that each open up to the central shaft of the volcano like balconies and are connected to each other via stairs, shafts, and the giant spiral path that winds through the inside. The lowest levels are where Phlegethos's infamous hell hound kennels are kept, breeding specimens dangerous enough to compete with Nessus's warhounds. Wealth from transactions is also stored there but Belial's personal wealth is kept in his personal chambers high on the volcano's rim.

Abryimoch is something of a paradox, although an excellent parallel to the rest of Hell regardless. On one hand, it is something of a pleasure palace, a carnival of dark desires filled with infernal reflections of casinos, theaters, taverns and other similar establishments where devils on break can enjoy themselves. On the other hand, it is extremely well-policed, the laws allowing for fiendish fun rather than strict regimentation but order nonetheless being strongly enforced. After all, it is the home of the Court Infernal or Diabolic Courts, an impossibly complex labyrinth of confusing precedents, ancient codes, intricate laws and plentiful loopholes presided over by a circle of pit fiend judges. Belial himself doesn't actually live in Abriymoch, instead spending most of his time in a serpentine spiral of crystal typically referred to as his daughter's palace.

Activities

In more recent times, Belial focuses on the duties as the lord of Phlegethos, specifically overseeing the judicial system of the Diabolical Court. Though independent judges loyal to Asmodeus are in charge of the institution, responsible for overseeing contract disputes, accusations of battlefield cowardice and dereliction of duty, and other criminal charges, Belial still supervises the system. He and his underlings are also the ones that administer promotion and demotion rituals for devils, a procedure that could leave the subject in wretched torment or in the throes of ecstasy. Aside from that, Belial's personal concerns revolve around his own scheming to overtake Stygia and indulging in his lusts. Though Fierna has a greater reputation for thoughtlessly going through men, Belial is no better, frequently sating his needs with captives, slaves, or other devils.

Aspects

Aspects of Belial love to participate in the finer things in life; they enjoy fine fortresses and mansions even more than fiery surroundings and surround themselves with beautiful servitors, devilish or otherwise, to sate their rampant lusts. They wear elegant and expensive garments and keep gold to pay mortals when needed, not that they aren't willing to simply steal what they want given Belial's recent losses. Any society that offers extreme pleasures, whether in the Hells or on the Material Plane, attracts them, and they are known to throw wild parties that result in the corruption and death of the young and wealthy. Though they try to avoid melee, they have no other method of self-defense, and resort to focusing on one enemy with their ranseur once forced to fight.

Occasionally he sends aspects to Faerun, typically doing so in the past to keep track of Fierna's fledgling cults while fostering new cults of his own.

Worshippers

Belial's cult was somewhat small, even before he abandoned that aspect of his work to Fierna to focus on administration. The few mortals that worshiped him saw him as a patron of secret knowledge and trickery, as well as domination and seduction. He could be seen as the opposite of Baalzebul in respect to his worshiper base, his followers more interested in personal rather than political corruption, even those that worked in institutions.

Perversion was a known element in their schemes, such as kidnapping others to force them to play out twisted fantasies. Even if not initially present, Belial's dark power, as well as Fierna's, could consume a cultist's mind with sinister urges and a perverse sensuality. They indelibly drew pleasure from their pain and had dreams of endless wealth, magical power and other fulfilled desires, and could spread those wants to others.

Most of Belial's clerics were male, favoring thin, tenderly cared for beards, red and black clothes and the use of a ranseur as a weapon. Temples of Belial were typically found in elegant towers and marble halls with an understated but tasteful decorum that could be easily maintained, and featured circular, bloodstained altars as well as black and red candles.

Relationships

Archdevils Belial's daughter was, for some time, the nominal ruler of Phlegethos, the Lord of Pain and Suffering having stepped down after the Reckoning to avoid punishment while putting his daughter in his place. Some believed that Fierna was simply a puppet ruler that Belial manipulated while ruling from the shadows while others thought Belial was soon to fade into obscurity as his kin replaced him, and both were wrong.

Fierna was just as capable a politician as her father and the two commonly discussed strategies, it was just that she had little interest in taking part in the convoluted web that was the Baatorian government. She perpetuated the rumor that she was simply Belial's mouthpiece out of convenience, but both ruled Phlegethos together, bound as they were by blood and politics, even before it was officially allowed by Asmodeus. Belial was capable of focusing her fiery rage and acted as her guide in the "arts of love and pain" from within the Hall of One Thousand Sighs and Screams in her palace.

As for the other archdevils, Belial wasn't particularly liked by most of his peers. He had a strong hatred of the archdevils above and below him, Mammon's machinations restricting his mobility and Geryon being his mostly fiercely despised nemesis, although Moloch was a close second in terms of loathing. In this respect, the Reckoning worked out fairly well for him, ridding him of both Geryon and Moloch and leaving Mammon cursed with a serpent form he despised. The most disappointing aspect of the Reckoning for him was that Levistus, another old devil and a worthy opponent, was put in place of Geryon, though he had little fear of the Hag Countess.

This was before Glasya replaced Malagard, uprooting all his plans and forcing him to wait due to his daughter's own positive relations with her and her status as Asmodeus's daughter. Belial's only notable ally besides Fierna was Baalzebul, an alliance that managed to survive the Reckoning even if it was more of a secret. Belial would come to Baalzebul's aid if needed and vice versa, assuming the Lord of the Flies could find some advantage in doing so, although doing so would likely provoke Mephistopheles. The Lord of Hellfire would probably try to use Belial's daughter against him, preferably as an ally and failing that as a hostage, although Baalzebul was more concerned with her as a threat to him and Belial's alliance given her relationship with Glasya. Dukes

Fierna's mother and Belial's consort was the late Naome, an astute and well-liked devil with a light sense of humor, appreciated for her level-headedness and ability to bargain. Like the rest of her family she enjoyed a good fight, battling with both spells and a long scimitar.

After Belial stepped down and put Fierna in his place, his court was heavily divided as to where to put their loyalties. The Black Duke Bathym, so called due to his jet-black armor, foreswore his former master in favor of Fierna along with the powerful pit fiend Zapan. Meanwhile, other devils stayed loyal, the most obvious example being the boisterous Balan. A reckless devil with tactics like that of a demon, Balan's lawfulness as explained by himself was to bring the absolute order found in death. He was cruel, lustful, violent and belligerent, only avoiding fights if facing a superior foe, although despite this behavior and being seldom appreciated by anyone around him, he was still given command over forty companies of barbazus, having stayed with the lord who had long helped him sate his terrible desires.

Also still loyal to his master was Gaziel, an osyluth-like fiend given command over eleven companies of the same devil type. Cold and mechanical, though strangely savage when a particular fight caught his interest, Gaziel was in most respects a perfect general for his master. Belial's legate was Chamo, a polite and calm but nonetheless abrupt devil said to know every hiding spot in Phlegethos. Even before the Reckoning Chamo was reported to have plans to overtake Belial and he showed specific loyalty to neither him nor Fierna. His deputy was the pit fiend Zaebos, who was also Belial's lieutenant and given permission to speak to the Lord of the Fourth's vassals on his behalf. Also of note was the pit fiend Gazra, leader of the Abriymoch patrol force and Fierna's aide despite technically being more beholden to Belial. The pit fiend held a hateful jealousy towards Belial and desired affection from his daugther, but managed to keep such feelings hidden.

History

Belial had long been the ruler of Phlegethos, although his exact age was debatable. He was old enough to regard Levistus, who himself rivaled the likes of the ancient Dispater in age, as a worthy adversary given that he was a "devil of the old school". Despite his hatred for Moloch, he allied with Baalzebul during the Reckoning, following which he was demoted while Fierna took up the mantle of rulership. Though this could be seen as a cowardly move, and indeed it was a ploy to sate Asmodeus's wrath and get him to target other archdevils, Fierna was fine with the situation, at least until Glasya's ascension to rulership of Malbolge.

Belial had been met with a series of setbacks ever since the Reckoning. His plans to take Stygia from the new lord of the Fifth were stymied after Levistus was put in charge and his Gazra-led legions were swiftly decimated. He focused on trying to outmaneuver the Frozen Prince politically for a time before once again attempting to assemble armies against him, confident that he would be able to defeat him and then perhaps the Hag Countess shortly afterwards. But it was Glasya's surprising rise to power that proved, if not the most detrimental, the most life-altering for him. Fierna saw a kindred spirit in Glasya and the Princess of Hell could be considered her "best friend", at least as much as devils could have them. At Glasya's urging and in imitation of her close companion, she had begun growing interested in ruling Phlegethos in more than name, calling herself an archduchess, creating her own cults and devil networks, and introducing new initiatives to her father.

As much as he would try to hide it, his daughter's newfound ambition struck sweaty terror in the old Lord of the Fourth, for even as Fierna claimed she simply wanted knowledge on rulership if something happened to him, he was firmly of the mind that any untimely death would be at her command. Belial, for his part, attempted to keep tabs on his daughter's behavior without provoking her to greater autonomy, even putting many of his schemes against Levistus on hold while considering various actions against Glasya to make her a less appealing role model for Fierna. He was fully aware that the line he trod was thin, however, as any obvious strikes against Asmodeus's daughter could not only inspire his own progeny to rebellion, but be construed as moves against Asmodeus himself.

If Glasya was attempting to drive father and daughter apart to force some final confrontation between them however, the results were debatably successful. The two had managed to reconcile their differences and completely rework their family dynamic publicly ruling Phlegethos as a team. Fierna participated in the "family business", by managing their soul quota, something she proved to be far superior to her father in, while Belial handled the administration and other "work" to which Fierna was apathetic. Calling the two partners wasn't exactly accurate however, as they showed a confusing combination of hate, respect, rivalry and companionship all at the same time. They constantly made moves against each other, although not so much as to be a dangerously exploitable weakness, Belial's greater experience countering Fierna's superior glibness.

Belial

Lord of the Nine

Basic Information

Titles

Lord of the Fourth
Lord of Pain and Suffering
Great Belial
Archduke Belial

Pantheons

Archfiend

Serves

Asmodeus

Attributes

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Symbol

A two-pronged ranseur
A pair of glowing red eyes above a horizontal ranseur, both encircled by a barbed red tail
A handsome male face with dark features and small horns

Realm

Nine Hells of Baator/Phlegethos/Abriymoch

Portfolio

-

Favored Weapon

Ranseur

Following

Worshippers

Perverse deviants

Domains

Evil (Devil)
Knowledge (Espionage)