A Duke in Control of Forms
“And with the success of these claims, the participants have done well to bring honor to our peoples. This tournament has been a great success, ushering in the birth of the youngest Von Essen, Rainer, son of my son.” The pit fiend Arnhulth's features are obfuscated in pale torch light while the sun creates a purple haze over his proscenium stage. His amber eyes look towards the infant cambion in the nearby tiefling woman's hands. Claps and cheers resound from the spectators. “And as is tradition, I will confirm the holder of Fiendsmeet after its tournament. I hereby declare my son, Hlothar Von Essen, the lord of Fiendsmeet.” There is a silence. The horned devil stands up from his seat at the side of his father. He smiles and waves at the crowd as he hears the low chants of "Hlothar, Hlothar." However, Rainer's mother is taken by surprise. Her shock turns to panic for a split second before she steadies herself, her eyes plunging poisoned daggers into Arnhulth, her father-in-law. Meanwhile, Hlothar's sister seems to sink into her seat on stage, her symbiotic chains holding her up by the throat. “With Rainer, the succession of the March of Fiendsmeet is solidified in the hands of the Von Essens. The only thing you have managed to do in your life Hlothar." The smile on the pit fiend grows as his massive hand grabs his son's horns, locking eyes for only a moment before presenting the bewildered figure to the crowd. "Hlothar, you shall receive nothing more from me. I built my place in this nation on my own, and you shall build your place from these frontiers that you see before you or your son shall be the only legacy you have.” The massive patriarch's hand closes together and the crowd hears a snap as the son screams in pain. Hlothar falls to his knees, his body collapsing in on itself. Blood trails down his pink head in two large lines as his once majestic horns, now cracked, wither into tiny nubs that fall to the ground with a sickening squelch, the only sound in the stadium other than the cries on-stage. His body keeps twisting, shrinking, throwing him to the ground. His wings are clearly too large. They rip through his body, and he reaches over his shoulder, pulling them out while the mother of his child comforts a crying babe. “From this day forth, Genoveve Von Essen, my daughter and personal champion, shall be my heir.” The chains around Genoveve fall to the ground, and in that same low torchlight that hid Arnhulth's features, Genoveve shines with a celestial beauty. She looks down at her hands in awe before looking out to the crowd stoically. Her presence commands them to notice her, and the chants slowly return, but this time, it is her name. With noone watching, the chains on the ground slither over to the devil laying on the ground and coil around his wounds like a constrictor snake, the only movement from him his heavy breathing.The Physical Hierarchy
The Grand Duke sits at the center of Hellum, distributing the Plane's Heart Energy to his archdukes. In turn, the archdukes create their form freely. With what is left from the Grand Duke's allotment, the archdukes create an amount for their vassals who may come from any level of the hierarchy below them. The main holder of a duccal contract is granted the form of a greater devil such as a pit fiend, or a horned devil. Those under a duke are granted the form of a lesser devil such as a bone devil or a barbed devil. These forms are related to the duties of the family who have them or as punishments for slights. For example, the form of a chain devil are granted to families who have been granted secret information and duties or who have rebelled against their liege-lord. The infernal families of A'leclich may seek to expand their house with children. When a family comes to this point, they must stockpile their wellspring energy in some form of reliquary until there is enough to grant the child a new form or they must choose to adopt. If the family chooses to create their own children, they must petition their lord to alter their contract to include either a new physical form or a sanctioned cambion license. If the petitioning devil is under a sibling-lord contract, all sibling-lords must agree to the addendum to the contract. An archduke or duke who agrees to change their vassal's contract to grant additional forms must then petition the Grand Duke to send a lemure to the family. Once this is complete, the lemures are delivered to expecting families who will then expend their reliquary to grant the lemure the decided form and name. Those who get a license to spawn cambion children will attempt to conceive with a humanoid spouse or concubine. The number of concubines that a devil lord may have is also specified in their contract. The spawning of cambion outside of contract or outside of the listed relationships is a great offense and near always results in the lords fiery demotion.The Hierarchy on Paper
It is unheard of to see a devil who is not a part of some contractual hierarchy. Within the Grand Duchy of A'leclich, vassals under contract provide their services, and in return, their lords grant a small tithe of Wellspring energy back to them.
Horn Venerers
Many may covet the horns of a devil. They are a status symbol amongst many groups and a powerful magical reagent for all. Those who would seek to take the horns from a devil must be prepared. The center of what a devil is is formless. They are beings of pure reason which have been granted physical form, and as such, most hold little regard for devastating their physical self to protect the rational one. If someone steals the horns from a devil but does not incapacitate it, the devil may change its form, causing the horns to shrivel and dissipate. Alternatively, if they kill a devil, the horns lose any potency for spells that they once held. Instead, a potential arcane-inclined hunter must find a way to cut the devil off from their contract and from making another one so that the being cannot change form while the process of using magic occurs.The people of the blasted forests, they have seen their guardian. They call it the Great Horned Serpent. They do not know the truth in their words. They did not see him gore the despots of Hellum that came before us. They did not see what happened to the gods of Zerikai when their whaling ships hunted him. There is a strength to a snake with horns.-The Lord of the Flies to the Varangians
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