B'Vardon: The Fiendish Realm of the Cythraul

B'Vardon is an intricate, multi-layered infernal realm existing deep within the lower planes. Each of the seven layers has its own distinct landscape, purpose, and environment, with the entire realm governed by the seven primary Cythraul Princes, who maintain the realms’ stability. B'Vardon is connected to both the mortal world and other dark planes by shadowy pathways and ethereal gateways that the Cythraul manipulate. The central core, known as The Depraved Heart, is the lifeblood of the realm, maintaining the mana flow that sustains its existence.
B'Vardon serves as the staging ground for the Cythraul's ultimate purpose: the conquest and corruption of the mortal realm. It is a place of continuous preparation, where souls are gathered, fiendish warriors are bred, weapons are forged, and intelligence is gathered. The realm is also deeply involved in experimenting with souls and magic, aiming to enhance the power of the Cythraul before their final push into the mortal plane.
The flow of mana from the mortal world is critical to B'Vardon’s survival. This connection allows the Cythraul to influence and corrupt the material plane and provides a regenerative resource for the fiends who live within it. The Depraved Heart, ruled by the powerful Prince Raza'Drathu, acts as the heart of this connection. If this mana flow is disrupted, the entire realm risks collapse, making this layer crucial to B'Vardon's continued existence.
The social hierarchy in B'Vardon is based on power, influence, and purpose. At the very top is K'vel, the dark, enigmatic creator of the Cythraul. Below him are the Seven Princes, each ruling a specific layer with absolute authority. Outside of the seven ruling Princes, there are numerous other Cythraul Princes like Ru'Thaxis and Ar'Gonath, who hold critical roles within the overall power structure. Below the Princes are the Greater Cythraul, serving as generals, overseers, or high-ranking commanders. Finally, the Lesser Cythraul represent the mass of soldiers, beasts, workers, and souls that keep the realm functional.
While direct conflict between the seven ruling Princes is forbidden by their father K'vel, each Prince works to undermine the others, seeking to gain more power or influence. Espionage, subtle sabotage, and political maneuvering are common, with Princes like Loth'Rhasp of the Twisted Towers using intelligence and blackmail to further his goals, while Khar'vundi of the Infernal Depths uses brute force and intimidation to assert his dominance. Alliances are often temporary, with each Prince pursuing their own path to gain favor with K'vel.

The Dread Warrens

• Ruler: The Cythraul Prince Dara'kadan, a fiend whose ambitions are lofty but calculated. He seeks not to usurp K'vel but to solidify himself just beneath his master by gathering power from both fiendish and external sources.
• Specialty: A massive breeding ground for lower-level demonic beasts, designed to produce overwhelming numbers of fiendish warriors and creatures to crush enemies.
• Environment: The Warrens consist of an interconnected network of underground tunnels, breeding pits, and training grounds, hidden beneath a deadly, lush forest teeming with dangerous wildlife. The surface is fortified to ward off any intruders who might uncover the secrets within. Each of the creatures bred within these warrens is conditioned for battle and servitude, prepared to swarm and overwhelm enemies, making the Dread Warrens one of the most feared places in B'Vardon.

Lesser Cythraul

• Warren Beasts: Savage, fiendish creatures bred for war, resembling monstrous hounds, insectoid horrors, or scaled demons. These creatures serve as shock troops, bred purely for numbers and physical prowess.
• Cythraulic Thralls: Humanoid fiends, twisted by the breeding pits, whose minds have been completely enslaved to fight in endless hordes.

Greater Cythraul

• Pit Lords: Commanders overseeing the breeding pits and conditioning warriors for battle. These towering demons are brutal and methodical, focusing on martial perfection.
• Beast Masters: Fiends skilled in handling and controlling the more monstrous denizens of the Warrens, able to bend wild fiends to their will.
• Cythraulic Pack Leaders: Specialists capable of leading packs of fiendish beasts into battle, coordinating them for devastating swarm tactics.

The Infernal Depths

• Ruler: The Cythraul Prince Khar'vundi rules the Infernal Depths with an iron fist. He is the most powerful of the Princes and constantly reminds his brethren of his dominance. While direct attacks between Princes are forbidden, Khar'vundi regularly bends the rules by sending his Cythrauls into the other realms to demonstrate his influence.
• Specialty: The Infernal Depths produce the strongest Cythrauls, who are imbued with the destructive power of fire, making them terrifying in battle.
• Environment: The Infernal Depths are a land of black stone, perpetual flames, and rivers of molten lava. The sky is thick with smoke, and the ground is fractured by enormous chasms leading deep beneath the surface, where Cythrauls are forged in the flames by fiery, masterful hands. The realm exudes heat and danger, with flames constantly flickering along the ground, and towering volcanic formations casting shadows over the lava-dotted landscape.

Lesser Cythraul

• Inferno Fiends: Fire-infused warriors, often humanoid with molten skin and fiery weapons. They serve as the main infantry, capable of launching fire-based attacks.
• Lava Crawlers: Creeping, flame-covered monstrosities resembling magma serpents, slithering through the lava rivers and dragging foes into the molten depths.

Greater Cythraul

• Flame Lords: Massive, heavily armored Cythraul capable of controlling fire on a large scale, often seen as battlefield generals who lead infernal armies.
• Pyromancers: Demonic sorcerers specializing in fire magic, providing long-range destructive capabilities.
• Volcanic Berserkers: Demons enhanced by volcanic energies, able to erupt into explosive bursts of flame in melee combat.

The Twisted Towers

• Ruler: Loth'Rhasp, the Cythraul Prince, governs the Twisted Towers. His unique knowledge sets him apart from his brothers, making him a master manipulator who often earns favor from their father, K'vel. Loth'Rhasp’s spy network is widespread across various factions, and he delights in personally gathering information firsthand.
• Specialty: The Twisted Towers specialize in intelligence, managing a complex network of spies and exchanging secrets for power. They create specialized Cythrauls adept at infiltration and espionage.
• Environment: The Twisted Towers consist of endless, spiraling towers stretching both upward into the sky and downward into dark, hidden depths. These towers house information centers and a vast network of portals used to infiltrate the mortal world, making the Twisted Towers the heartbeat of espionage within B'Vardon. The towers themselves twist and bend, defying traditional architecture and symbolizing the realm's labyrinthine complexity.

Lesser Cythraul

• Shadowskulks: Stealthy Cythraul, adept at infiltration and assassination, blending into shadows and slipping between worlds through portals in the Twisted Towers.
• Whispering Fiends: Small, wraith-like demons used as spies, gathering intelligence for the higher Cythraul, capable of transmitting what they see and hear back to their masters.

Greater Cythraul

• Master Spymasters: Cunning, manipulative Cythraul who oversee the realm’s espionage network, managing infiltrations and covert operations.
• Shadow Lords: High-ranking Cythraul specialized in shadow magic and illusions, making them deadly opponents in manipulation and stealth.
• Portal Keepers: Cythraul responsible for opening and closing the realm’s portals, capable of sending agents into the mortal realm to gather information or enact sabotage.

The Accursed Thicket

• Ruler: Paraad'Vhos, the Cythraul Prince, reigns over the Accursed Thicket. With unparalleled control over ley lines, Paraad'Vhos wields the land’s magic to make trespassing nearly impossible. His command of the arcane is so profound that even within the Cythraulic realm, he can influence these magical threads.
• Specialty: The Accursed Thicket is a haven for Cythrauls skilled in magic, especially those who manipulate arcane forces better than any other. This realm also serves as the birthplace for new Cythraulic spells, rituals, and magical innovations, helping spread their influence across the mortal realm.
• Environment: The Accursed Thicket is a deceptive landscape, blending twisted groves with seemingly lush hills and plains. Most wanderers become lost within its winding paths, never reaching the hidden arcane strongholds that lie just out of view. Here, creatures steeped in magic watch intruders from the shadows, their presence concealed within the mystic labyrinth.

Lesser Cythraul

• Thicket Stalkers: Arcane beasts and humanoid demons that patrol the magical mazes, camouflaging themselves within the landscape and ambushing trespassers.
• Mana Leeches: Lesser fiends that feed on arcane energy, draining magic from opponents and the surrounding environment to fuel themselves.

Greater Cythraul

• Leyline Guardians: Greater fiends who serve as protectors of the magical ley lines within the Thicket. They can manipulate these ley lines to create barriers, traps, or destructive magical phenomena.
• Arcane Overlords: Powerful spellcasters with deep knowledge of the realm’s magical forces, responsible for developing new Cythraulic spells and rituals.
• Rune Carvers: Demons who etch powerful runes into the landscape, creating magical traps and barriers that mislead and destroy intruders.

The Harrowed Forge

• Ruler: Miruth'Xek, the reclusive Cythraul Prince, governs the Harrowed Forge. A master of soul-forging, he rarely leaves his forges, preferring to work in solitude on creating weapons of immense destruction. When he emerges, it signals a matter of grave importance.
• Specialty: The Harrowed Forge crafts powerful weapons, armor, and cursed objects for the Cythraul. More recently, Miruth'Xek has been experimenting with soul-forged automatons, bypassing the need for weaker Cythrauls, seeking to create devastating constructs to unleash upon the mortal realm.
• Environment: The Harrowed Forge is an industrial nightmare of twisting tunnels leading to vast caverns. Lava rivers fuel the forges, with the deafening roar of industry ever-present. The closer one gets to the core, the louder the cacophony grows, echoing throughout the fiery caverns where souls are shaped into weapons of war.

Lesser Cythraul

• Soulbound Constructs: Lesser automatons crafted from souls, animated to serve as tireless workers and warriors. They lack individuality and follow their orders with machine-like precision.
• Hellsmiths: Demonic blacksmiths who toil endlessly in the forges, crafting weapons and armor for the Cythrauls.

Greater Cythraul

• Forge Masters: Elite artisans and overseers who specialize in the creation of cursed weapons and armor, wielding immense power over the forging process.
• Soulforgers: Cythraul who specialize in binding souls into objects, creating sentient, cursed items, or powerful constructs.
• Soulfire Artificers: Specialists who combine the forge’s molten fires with soul magic, creating new types of weapons, armor, or constructs with devastating power.

The Ethereal Steppes:

• Ruler: The Ethereal Steppes are ruled by Trel'Ghuma, a highly intelligent and grandiose Cythraul Prince, responsible for processing souls who enter B’Vardon. His satisfaction in his role has earned him consistent praise from his father, K'vel, and as such, he is content with his station.
• Specialty: The Ethereal Steppes are a processing hub for souls, sorting them and preparing them to be sent to the appropriate realm, ensuring each soul finds its twisted purpose within the other territories.
• Environment: The realm is made up of massive, hauntingly beautiful gothic halls and endless passageways of dark grey stone. Though impressive, the bleak atmosphere drains vitality from all who pass through, making it a somber place of transition.

Lesser Cythraul

Soul Shepherds: Lesser fiends tasked with guiding newly gathered souls through the processing stages, ensuring they are sent to the correct realms or repurposed for Cythraulic use. Wraithguards: Ghostly sentinels who patrol the halls of the Steppes, keeping watch over the incoming souls and preventing escape or interference.

Greater Cythraul

Soul Wardens: High-ranking fiends responsible for ensuring that souls are processed correctly and efficiently, often with the ability to manipulate or reassign souls as needed. Ethereal Overseers: Cythraul with mastery over the ethereal plane, capable of walking between worlds and managing the flow of souls. Fateweavers: Specialists who use the power of the souls passing through the Steppes to manipulate fate, subtly influencing the events of the mortal world.

The Depraved Heart

• Ruler: The Depraved Heart is guarded by perhaps the most powerful Cythraul Prince, Raza'Drathu. Tasked with guarding the center of B’Vardon he rules over endless Cythraulic hordes with an iron fist. Most Trusted by his father, he hopes to never betray this trust.
• Speciality: The Depraved Heart is where all the mana flows from within B’Vardon. It is the connection to the mortal realm and the only thing stopping the whole realm from collapsing in on itself.
• Envrionment: Vast Cythraulic cities dot the landscape as this realm is truly a twisted version of the mortal realm. Whenever Cythrauls are killed in the mortal realm this is where they return to rest and regenerate. While Cythrauls are created for a purpose, the Cythraul Princes know that their creations can tire and wither, and this is where they are sent to recharge, train, or even socialise.

Lesser Cythraul

• Cythraulic Shades: Lesser fiends that roam the cities, acting as enforcers of order within the chaotic environment. They serve to keep lesser Cythrauls in line and ensure regeneration processes run smoothly.
• Heartbound Fiends: Warriors who have undergone regeneration multiple times, becoming stronger with each cycle. They are incredibly loyal to the realm’s cause.

Greater Cythraul

• City Wardens: High-ranking fiends who oversee the cities and regeneration facilities, ensuring that the realm’s resources are properly maintained and the Cythraulic forces remain strong.
• Heart Guardians: Powerful, resilient fiends tasked with protecting the flow of mana through the Depraved Heart, ensuring the realm’s survival.
• Regenerators: Fiends specialized in speeding up the regeneration process for worn-out or battle-damaged Cythrauls, capable of channeling the realm’s mana to restore and enhance their brethren.

The Relationship Between the Cythraul and Other Fiends

The Cythraul of B'Vardon view themselves as distinct from other fiendish beings like Yugoloths, Demons, and Devils, although they share some similarities in origin and behavior. While these other fiends engage in endless power struggles and conflicts, such as the infamous Blood War between the Demons and Devils, the Cythraul maintain a more calculated and distant approach to these conflicts, focusing instead on their unique role within the lower planes and their strategic connection to the mortal realm of Avanté.
The Cythraul, like other fiends, are creatures of malevolent intent and chaotic energies, but their origins set them apart. They were created by their father K'vel, a powerful entity whose vision surpasses the often short-term goals of Demons and Devils. The Cythraul believe they are destined for a greater purpose, their realms in B'Vardon serving as preparation for a final, organized invasion of the mortal realm, unlike the chaotic, war-torn existence of other fiendish planes.
This sense of grandeur and superiority colors their interactions with other fiends, making the Cythraul a more aloof and self-focused faction within the fiendish hierarchy. While Yugoloths serve as mercenaries, jumping between sides in the Blood War, and Demons revel in chaotic destruction, the Cythraul see themselves as above these disputes, focused instead on their endgame: control over Avanté.

Passage to Avanté and Strategic Advantage

The Cythraul’s most significant advantage over other fiendish entities is their direct access to Avanté. While the other fiendish realms, like the Abyss or the Nine Hells, must navigate convoluted and dangerous pathways to reach the mortal realm, B'Vardon holds a unique, direct connection. This passage, facilitated by the mana flow in the Depraved Heart, provides the Cythraul with an unparalleled opportunity to influence the mortal world. This is jealously guarded and seen as a point of pride among the Cythraul Princes.
This connection allows the Cythraul to more easily send agents, corrupt mortals, and influence events in Avanté. It also enables them to draw mana, souls, and other resources from the mortal realm to fuel their fiendish empire. The ability to manipulate souls and mana gives the Cythraul a near-unlimited supply of power, reinforcing their superiority and disdain for other fiends who lack this advantage.
However, this direct connection is also a source of vulnerability. Should the mana flow or the gateways between B'Vardon and Avanté be disrupted, it could severely weaken the Cythraul’s influence. Therefore, the Cythraul Princes, particularly Raza'Drathu in the Depraved Heart, are intensely protective of this passage, going to great lengths to guard it from both external threats and internal treachery.

Cythraul's View on the Blood War

The Cythraul view the Blood War, the eternal conflict between Demons and Devils, with a mixture of disdain and strategic opportunism. While the Demons and Devils waste time and resources fighting one another for supremacy, the Cythraul believe they are pursuing a higher purpose—the eventual domination of Avanté. The Blood War is seen as a distraction, a petty squabble between fiends with no true end in sight.
While the Cythraul refrain from participating directly in the Blood War, they are not above manipulating it to their advantage. The Princes of B'Vardon will occasionally ally with one side or the other if it serves their own ends, such as gaining access to powerful artifacts, weakening a mutual enemy, or securing a short-term gain in the mortal realm. However, these alliances are always temporary and self-serving—the Cythraul have no interest in the ultimate outcome of the war.
Despite their avoidance of direct involvement in the Blood War, the Cythraul do not exist in isolation. Their proximity to the mortal realm and their unique access to Avanté makes them both envied and feared by other fiendish entities. Devils, in particular, may attempt to undermine the Cythraul’s operations, seeing them as rivals for control over mortal souls. Likewise, Demons, in their mindless chaos, may occasionally spill into B'Vardon, requiring the Cythraul to defend their territory from encroaching hordes.
Despite these tensions, the Cythraul maintain an air of superiority. They believe that once their plans for Avanté come to fruition, the petty conflicts of other fiends will become irrelevant, as the Cythraul rise to dominance over all fiends.

Internal Structure and Politics of B'Vardon

Within B'Vardon, the Cythraul operate under a rigid hierarchy led by the seven ruling Princes. While each Prince controls one of the realms, their relationship with one another is far from harmonious. The Princes are constantly engaged in subtle political maneuvers, seeking to undermine one another without violating the strict laws imposed by their father, K'vel.
K'vel, the creator of the Cythraul and ruler of B'Vardon, is a distant yet powerful figure, rarely intervening in the day-to-day affairs of the realm. His presence, however, looms large over the Princes, and his commands are absolute. The Princes vie for his favor, knowing that to gain even the smallest acknowledgement from K'vel could grant them immense power or authority over their peers.
The Princes form temporary alliances to gain the upper hand in the power struggles within B'Vardon. However, these alliances are fragile, and betrayal is common. For example, Khar'vundi of the Infernal Depths and Dara'kadan of the Dread Warrens may cooperate to share resources, but each watches the other closely, prepared to strike if an opportunity arises.
Loth'Rhasp, ruler of the Twisted Towers, is often seen as the most manipulative of the Princes, using his extensive network of spies to gather information and influence his brethren. Meanwhile, Raza'Drathu of the Depraved Heart holds immense power due to his control over the mana flow, making him a vital, if feared, figure within B'Vardon.

Specialized Cythraul and Their Roles

• Lesser Cythraul form the backbone of each realm’s operations, serving as soldiers, workers, and minions. They are bred or created to fulfill specific purposes, such as the Warren Beasts of the Dread Warrens or the Inferno Fiends of the Infernal Depths.
• Greater Cythraul act as commanders, overseers, or specialized agents. For example, Forge Masters in the Harrowed Forge oversee the creation of cursed weapons, while Leyline Guardians in the Accursed Thicket protect and manipulate the realm’s magical energy.
• Specialists are highly skilled Cythraul who fulfill unique roles across the layers, such as Soul Binders, Mana Weavers, or Portal Mages. These specialists ensure the smooth operation of B'Vardon’s most critical functions, from soul processing to magical research.

While the Blood War consumes the energies of other fiends, the Cythraul remain focused on their grand plan to invade and dominate Avanté. Every aspect of B'Vardon, from the breeding pits of the Dread Warrens to the soul-processing halls of the Ethereal Steppes, is dedicated to this singular goal. The Princes and their followers work tirelessly, gathering power, perfecting their weapons, and preparing for the day when the Cythraulic armies will march into Avanté, overwhelming its defenders and claiming it for their own.