Mephistopheles, Lord of the Eighth

Mephistopheles, sometimes shortened to Mephisto and once under the name of Molikroth, is the lord of Cania, the eighth layer of Hell, and most powerful archdevil next to Asmodeus himself. Hell's greatest wizard is a walking contradiction, on the surface the cool and calculating Cold Lord and beneath that the grandiose and hot-headed Lord of Hellfire.

Description

Mephistopheles plays up his infernal image as much as possible, intentionally appearing as the classic archetype of a diabolical devil. He is 9 ft tall and striking, his handsome visage and charming yet unnerving smile of self-superiority contrasted by his more monstrous features. His fiendish claws, bright, crimson red skin, large, bat-like wings and impressive, curling ram horns all leave his hellish heritage on proud display. Another source of contrast are his dead-white eyes against his long, straight, black hair, as well as his dramatic, flowing cape that is as dark as the deepest void.
Earlier reports of Mephistopheles claim that he once had an image more befitting of Cania. He had blue-black skin across his heavily muscled body; wings, horns, and claws a deep shade of blue, scales of sooty black, and eyes that were pale blue except for the red irises and pupils.

Personality

Mephistopheles is a being of razor-sharp instinct, careful suspicion and prodigious brilliance, a cunning genius with an unparalleled understanding of Hell's political dangers and a great capacity for patient deception. Foremost wizard of Hell, his ordinary speech is like a whispering wind and his cool, pleasant demeanor gives him the outward appearance of a princely gentleman. He comes off as sophisticated and charming when he speaks, an intellectual force of understated wit, reason and self-restraint. However, this is by no means his ordinary behavior, but a facade like Dispater's which disguises his true personality, a veneer of elegance as carefully crafted as his traditionally infernal appearance.
Despite his courteous persona, Mephistopheles is an unstable individual on the inside, the contrast between his cold surface and fiery core a perfect example of his existence as a walking contradiction. Mephistopheles is a vicious being with an outrageous temper, who when alone in his palace frequently flies into violent rages, his quick wit burning away when met with his underlying hate and frustration. In his shrieking fits of terrible wrath he will start tearing at his own skin and destroying his surroundings in explosive outbursts of fiery, magical destruction, his unpredictable eruptions of rage having been his undoing multiple times in the past. Although his conniving intelligence is certainly real, Mephistopheles was an emotional entity that was ultimately driven by his passions.

Obsessions

Mephistopheles suffers no distractions from his focus, his studious pursuits being of upmost importance to him. Though he will entertain visitors purely for his own amusement, a rarity among the archdevils, he hates any unwanted distractions and rarely gives time to anything not worth his personal attention. He is known for disintegrating underlings for the slightest annoyance, only allowing a few devils to speak without being spoken to, and sometimes executing his servitors based on the suspicion that they might bother him. Further cementing him as a contradictory entity is the strong but flickering nature of his focus.
Mephistopheles's great intelligence often ends up mixing with his obsessiveness, as in his pursuit of knowledge he becomes fascinated with the most minor details. Though this allows him to delve deeper into topics than typical wizards, his unrelenting focus has to be tempered by his responsibilities, and is ultimately undermined by his mercurial behavior. When forced by some political circumstance to stop what he is doing, there is a chance upon returning that some new project will catch his eye, at which point that research will become his new top priority. Because of this cycle of undivided attention followed by casual neglect, Mephistopheles has many useful discoveries ready to be accessed that he simply doesn't know about.

Pride

While his anger and neurotic tendencies are weaknesses which he can either hide or use to his advantage, Mephistopheles' most damaging issues are his rampantly unchecked megalomania and recklessness in the pursuit of power. Though he'd hate to be compared to Baalzebul, both archdevils seem incapable of being content and compulsively overextend themselves, Baalzebul's plans collapse under the weight of his unrealistic expectations and Mephistopheles becomes so absorbed in his plans that he ignores his overall wellbeing. Mephistopheles's manifestation of greed however is somewhat opposite to that of the Lord of the Lies, who hides his goals through skillfully woven deception, since Mephistopheles's execution of wicked plots is always extreme and dramatic, his brazen ambition almost glorious in its nakedness.

"Were Mephistopheles to become the King of Hell, it would take him less than an hour to start wondering why he isn’t also ruler of Heavan." — Tersoul

Mephistopheles is perhaps the most entitled of the archdevils, an avatar of envy who resents the fact that he is "merely" the second most powerful archdevil. Always jealous of others, he can't get enough of prestige, wondering where his awards are when another is rewarded for service despite having continually, confidently, and directly told Asmodeus he plans to take his throne. Though willing to fawn if needed, he normally doesn't bother to cloak his intent with fake vows of obedience, truly believing that he is the rightful ruler of Hell, that his destiny is to rule it, and that he deserves to be worshiped as a god. He constantly demonstrates this attitude anew each day, and likely won't be satisfied even if he achieves this primary reason for existence.

Powers

Mephistopheles is a being impervious to the cold, not just due to having ruthlessly exposed himself to Cania's coldest temperatures, but because of his unrivaled mastery of hellfire. A corrupt and extremely potent energy with the properties of flame, hellfire is unimaginably hot and created by tapping into and mastering the profane essence of Hell and channeling into a usable form of power. Unless he chooses to repress it, his body emanates dark flames, causing anyone who touches him, or anyone near by if he evokes into a burst around him, to be scorched by the unholy energy.

“There are few problems that cannot be solved through the application of overwhelming arcane firepower.” — Mephistopheles

To further his mastery of fire, Mephistopheles has taken up the study of wizardry, specializing in evocation magic modified to taint his foes with foulest evil, and has a noticeable disinterest in enchantments and illusions. Given the nature of Hell's politics, Mephistopheles rarely travels alone, often bringing two bodyguards with him anywhere he goes and is able to summon a few gelugons or pit fiends, often choosing the latter, while his accompanying servitors keep the enemy busy. Given his sense of self-importance, he believes anyone who dares attack him deserves no less than utter obliteration, and so lets loose a barrage of offensive magical destruction from the rear of the fight, teleporting away and leaving his allies to their fate if met with a real threat.
Though lacking the most powerful spells as a wizard, Mephistopheles' innate spell-like abilities more than make up for it. He can cast all sorts of ice and fire related spells, showcasing his mastery of both elements, such as cone of cold, fireball, and wall of ice or fire, meteor swarm being his most powerful and the one he can use only once per day. He is also capable of inducing fear, either through an aura or via his gaze.

Possessions

“It is not the weapon that is evil, but the wielder.” — Galena Todrick, hellfire warlock

Mephistopheles' favored weapon is a three-tined military fork or ranseur. He is known to have different types, such as one that can switch between inflicting fire, cold, and electricity, each three times per day. Another switches between burning eternally and being covered in frost, and allows the wielder to focus hellfire spells to be more devastating. Aside from that and other magical items, the laboratories in his home citadel are filled with spellbooks containing nearly every known arcane spell, allowing him to prepare almost any he pleases.

Realm

Mephistopehles's realm is the gloomy, frigid wasteland of Cania, a realm of cold indescribable with words, so bitter that it was practically alive. Cania outmatches the arctic sea of Stygia, which at least offers some relative form of comfort via the River Styx, in sheer harshness, the cold-hearted frost more like that of the Plane of Ice with the temperature in most areas being below −50 ℃. Without magical protection, the merciless chill will quickly kill most life in hours, if not minutes, if not seconds, depending on how prepared they are. Any warm-blooded creature can only survive for a few hours by wearing cold-weather clothes, and going to sleep (or otherwise being unable to move) is a death sentence in most cases.
The icy hellscape suffers from violent snowstorms seemingly brought on by Mephistopheles himself, the blinding, howling wind spraying ice and dust that stings at best and tears flesh from bone at worst. Filling the wild, frozen expanse are jagged, cyclopean mountains and colossal glaciers that emanate a dim blue-white light, the only natural source of illumination in the entire layer. The glaciers endlessly grind against and crash into the mountains with the speed of a running man, causing avalanches consisting of several thousand tons of snow and icy rock to regularly collapse and overwhelm those below. Death in Cania is swiftly followed by freezing, which encases the corpses in clear coffins of ice, preserving the expressions of anguish even thousands of years after death, presuming they aren't destroyed.
Despite these conditions, some small amount of life is able to carve out a hungry existence in Cania, the icy caves, hidden mountain valleys and deep crevasses serve as decent hiding places. Fiendish dire polar bears and wolves are said to prowl the land, having evolved effective immunity to the bitter cold, and supposedly remorhaz and glacier worms of great rarity are also present. That withstanding, Cania is a layer so cold that even many devils find it inhospitable, the typically lower-layer dwelling pit fiends largely avoiding it. Only the gelugons, the primary residents and second in authority only to the pit fiends, although they are mainly guards, servants, and messengers, can comfortably exist in Cania. Even after their self-exile to Cania's relatively warmer fringes, they are still the most common devils in the plane. The few kocrachons that inhabit the layer are only mildly comfortable and leave discipline mainly to the gelugons, although white abishai and hellcats are also found in some places.

Civilization

Cania is, in effect, a giant laboratory/testing ground for the experiments of Mephistopheles and his scientists, where immense quantities of arcane energy can be released into the wastes without consequence. The testing of new spells, magic items and other supernatural techniques regularly cause local devastation, and the libraries and data storage areas of the plane are spread out enough so that one unexpected cataclysm doesn't accidentally destroy other research. Insights can be made regarding the nature of the research by simply observing from a distance, and renowned archmages such as Tersoul are known to visit the horrible tundra looking for lost lore or information to help them in their own endeavors. As a result of Mephistopheles' wavering attention, supervising sages and spellcasters with incredible research can be found in long forgotten-citadels, as buried in ice and snow as they are in bureaucracy.
Even uninhabited cities in Cania house many secrets now buried under ice and only visible as distorted shapes, and when unearthed appeared prosaic and alien in architecture. Before Asmodeus even descended into Hell, Cania was a realm of grand cities, the remnants of that ancient power now preserved in ice in the form of strange spined creatures battling angels, as well as their works, the icy tombs, lost libraries and palaces now haunted by ghosts and terrible undead. What kind of creatures dwelt inside these buildings is unknown, and most devils would rather just leave the ruins alone, although the ice-embedded buildings are able to provide some shelter against Cania's cold. Perhaps it is this legacy of ancient power that compels Mephistopheles to make his home in Cania, as it is said that it was in these tombs that Mephistopheles learned of hellfire and obtained weapons powerful enough to give even Asmodeus some pause.
The most famous example of these lost cities is Kintyre, encased between two icy mountains thousands of feet under the several ton glacier T'chemox. It was once inhabited by a duke who rebelled against Mephistopheles who, in response, entombed the city in ice, and many were loathe to try and undo his handiwork for fear of provoking his ire. Once it was only being explored by curious adventurers, but after recovering ancient texts, Mephistopheles learned that his unfaithful duke's tomb may have been hiding several ancient relics invaluable to hellfire research, the Duke of Brimstone's anger once again undermined him and forced him to organize expeditions into the forgotten, warded keep.
Mephistopheles' primary base of operations in Cania, and perhaps the only notable area on the entire plane, is the citadel of iron and ice, Mephistar. Mephistar is carved from the sparkling ice of the glacier it overlooks, the tremendous mountain of ice Nargus which, while temporarily settled between surrounding glaciers, can be controlled by Mephistopheles to steam over any lesser glacier. The city is like a gleaming, translucent, blue-white jewel of ice perched at the glacier's edge. Though several misinformed poets quip about how Cania is as cold as Mephistopheles' heart, they aren't completely wrong about his home mirroring him; just as Mephisto's cold exterior masks fiery passion, so to does Cania's cold mask the oddly warm and inviting nature of Mephistar. Even before his hellfire experiments, Mephistar has lavish, heated baths and scented fires, and when the huge doors of the walled citadel are opened, a rare occasion since most devils can teleport, massive steam clouds pour out, though they roll over the side of the walls anyway.
It is from within this fortress city that Mephistopheles holds court over ice devil legions as well as spinagon and cornugon staff, all ceaselessly following strict, scheduled activities. The citadel's levels seemendless, but the three topmost terraces house thousands of safe and cozy living quarters vaulted impossibly upwards, the bottommost levels being cramped and warren-like and the topmost residences being grand suites. Befitting the strange kindness of Mephistar, its populace is reassigned quarters based on promotion and demotion for the mutual benefits of both sides, superiors and inferiors kept separate to avoid the distress of the former or terror of the latter. It is within the higher regions of Mephistar that Mephisto's true palatial manor is placed, a castle where all furnishings and contents, even his throne, are constructed of subtly and intricately detailed ice.
Recently however, Mephistopheles's experiments in hellfire have been proving detrimental for the overall stability of his domain. The foggy cloud around the city has grown more established, and the details of his estate have become more muted as they thaw and puddles form. Already the gelugons, once perfectly fine in the somewhat warm citadel, have begun leaving for the outer reaches of the plane, replaced by increasing numbers of pit fiends, cornugons and barbazus. The Garden of Frost, a perfect facsimile of an organic garden in Mephistar and one of the few beautiful, if saddening, places in Hell, has to be repeatedly blasted with cones of cold to keep it together. From the 99-story School of Hellfire elsewhere in Mephistar come toxic clouds of effluvia that leave a fair fraction of the citadel uninhabitable for non-devil inhabitants. Eerie bursts of hellfire are becoming signature characteristics of Cania, and the inherent risk of Mephisto's hellfire strategy has to be growing more and more obvious, even atop the Cold Lord's slowly melting throne.

Activities

From the wizard's tower that is Mephistar, Mephistopheles performs many tests, to discover more about arcane magic and the nature of the planes, his most recent pet project being his hellfire obsession. He has spent a great amount of time mastering and experimenting with the new, magical fire, distracting him from the needs of his formerly favored minions, the gelugons, his realm's stability and his soul-harvesting efforts.
With Cania's old power structure virtually upended, the ice devils have fled to the mountain Gelineth and formed a retreat known as Nebulat, which sticks out of the mountain's side like a crystal fungus. Though none would directly condemn him, the discontent devils have made many plans to resolve their situation, some scheming to undermine Mephistopheles' lead researchers by finding or planting evidence of treachery, some looking at creating a new type of ice magic to win back his interest, trying to correct his behavior and others just plotting to replace him.
Meanwhile Mephistopheles's attempt to grow his cult using hellfire has put him in large amounts of divine energy debt to some of the other archdevils, particularly Dispater and Levistus. He is taking a serious gamble, for though his success could ideally grant him the largest and most popular cult, failure would leave him devastated, and his investors will likely sabotage him if his risks seemed likely to pay off.

Relationships

Servants

Mephistopheles has several powerful devils in his retinue, including entire companies of cornugons and gelugons. In fact, despite recent times, the ice devils are bound to serve Mephistopheles before any other archdevil, similarly to Asmodeus's pit fiends or Levistus's amnizu. Occasionally he brings in other creatures. Mephistopheles also has children to help do his bidding, such as his half-fiend, half-elf daughter Antilia, not that anyone in his court knows she is his blood, who serves as his double-agent against Baalzebul, or the winged monolith of half-fiendish fire known as the Burning Soul, made through Mephisto's union with a powerful resident with the Plane of Fire.
Mephistopheles's most powerful, and dangerous, allies are the pit fiend aristocrats of Cania who, along with many of the cornugons, dwell on the rocky spires and pits of its borderlands. There are two companies of pit fiend nobility, each consisting of thirty-three individuals of equal rank, most of which are barely loyal to Mephistopheles and are possibly his greatest weakness. The pit fiends, as encouraged by the promotion system of Hell, are as strong as they are ambitious, and favor dissent and rotation in the ranks of the dukes and archdukes to better increase their own chances of promotion. Unless Mephistopheles becomes the official ruler of Hell, their loyalty will always be tenuous.
A prime example is the pit fiend Nexroth, commander of several companies of cornugon whose total selfishness makes Mephistopheles openly distrustful of him, only keeping him around due to him seeming the most reliable. Also notable for his treachery, although not exactly directed at Mephistopheles, is the harried dean of the school of Hellfire, Quagrem, who tries to obtain useful insights from mortal magic-users before killing them in order to take sole credit for their discoveries, thus depriving Mephistopheles of their future usefulness. While Mephistopheles would gleefully play the pit fiends off one another indefinitely, this runs the risk of creating open conflict in Cania, which another archdevil could use to their advantage. Unable to shift the ranks as it suits him, he instead, on top of disposing of anyone too incompetent, simply arranges for anyone that rises too fast to be removed from the equation which both keep him in power and robs him of his most capable nobles.

Dukes

One might wonder, given the untrustworthiness of his pit fiends, how Mephistopheles is able to retain control over his domain, much less devote almost all his time to research. This is thanks to his chief servant, the extremely powerful pit fiend Hutijin said to be one of Hell's greatest and perhaps the most quintessential duke. He is responsible for guiding Cania's pit fiend nobles, protecting it from all but the most concerted attacks. Without him, Mephistopheles's domain would soon break out into open civil war, which if combined with outside interference against the weakened Cold Lord, would certainly spell Mephisto's end. Yet despite having the power to challenge his master, Hutijin is famously unwavering in his loyalty, treating Mephistopheles as a near-god. Some theorize the Cold Lord has something over Hutijin, yet he never abuses the pit fiend's trust, the stability of his domain without him likely playing a big part in that decision.
Mephistopheles's other dukes aren't to be underestimated either, such as his consort Baalphegor. Though typically appearing young, carefree and light-voiced, Baalphegor is a skilled, charming diplomat, capable tactician and able inventor, whose great value plays some part in Asmodeus's toleration of Mephistopheles. The consort tries to be loyal to both Mephistopheles and Hell without having to choose between them. There is also the Cold Duke known as Bifrons, another commander who is known for his great physical strength, apparent vigilance and loyalty, and philosopher outlook. Clear-headed and dispassionate, he engages in arguments of logic and reason when not working, though he is rather set in his belief that the strong ruling the weak is practical and that goodness promotes incompetence and mediocrity.
There is also the untrusting and high-handed Adonides, the young-looking steward and administrator of Cania who roams the plane with sixteen companies of ice devils looking for intruders and traitors. He suspects all pit fiends of treachery, including Hutijin, and every gelugon and cornugon of potentially being Baalzebul's spy, which to be fair some cornugons are. Adonides lacks authority in Mephistar since that falls under the purview of its arrogant and unscrupulous chamberlain Barbas, a lazy, fat and gross treasure-keeper whose dishonesty and greed is tolerated due to his brilliant deceptions in the name of security. Barbas has to be kept in check not only by the watchful scrutiny of Mephistopheles himself, but also Adonides and Bele, the somewhat impartial justiciar of Cania. Both ruler and judge agree upon and regularly discuss the basic principles and certain specifics of what "justice" means, and though they disagree and Bele sometimes countermands Mephisto, he would be out of office if their ideals were too out of line.
Only Adonides, Barbas and Bele are free of the otherwise iron-fisted regimentation of Cania, but the Cold Lord wants to know about their locations and activies at all times. None are entirely truthful about the specifics of this, but keep their delightful deceptions minimal so as not to tempt punishment.

Archdevils

Among the archdevils, Mephistopheles isn't looked upon with particular favor, the result of his blatant arrogance and unstable personality. His greatest and most obvious rival is Baalzebul, each regarding the other with bitter hate and seeing one another as their biggest obstacle to taking the throne of Hell, although their hatred does have other roots. Like Dispater, the ancient Archduke of Cania sees Baalzebul's rapid promotion as worthy of enmity, while Baalzebul has come to see everyone else as responsible for his woes, especially Mephistopheles. Each conspire against each other, the hatching of plans taking up a great amount of time and their more open antagonism towards each other being part of the reason Asmodeus leaves them in charge.
Though Baalzebul is certainly a threat to Mephistopheles, and could possibly defeat him and become the most powerful archdevil, the Lord of the Flies tries to achieve too much at once, attempting to dispatch both his master and archnemesis, risks offending Asmodeus and causing him to intervene. Mephisto meanwhile, is undermined by the sheer instability of his court, relying on Hutijin to keep his great number of pit fiends in check. His policy of destroying anyone who proves too competent causes his political and military endeavors against Baalzebul to suffer, and perpetuates the stalemate. Also on the Cold Lord's mental radar is the Frozen Prince Levistus, who he carefully keeps an eye on. One of Levistus's agents, the half-fiend Zanth, has a taste for good-aligned children, and so Mephistopheles sends minor devils to offer the rare delicacy, subtly influencing his decisions. Then there is Belial, an ally of Baalzebul, and his daughter Fierna who, if Belial came to Baalzebul's aid, Mephistopheles would try to use against her father, ideally as an ally and at worst as a hostage.
Among Mephistopheles's actual allies, at least nominally, is the Iron Duke Dispater, the two of which share seniority and a desire for knowledge.Dispater is drawn to Mephistopheles's power and respects him as a true member of the Devil race, unlike the relative upstart Baalzebul, although recently, Dispater has tried to present himself as a friend to all and enemy of none, distancing himself from allies and trying to make peace with rivals in a futile attempt to assuage his paranoia. On top of that, Mephistopheles's court has to be on constant alert for Dispater's agents, as the secret-loving archdevil is pained by the idea that Mephistopheles knows something he doesn't. Once the two of them were allies with the greedy Mammon, but the speed with which the spineless serpent would sell them out marks him as undesirable to all archdevils.
Perhaps Mephistopheles's strangest relationship is with his master Asmodeus, for he is the Prince of Evil's most dangerous enemy and most capable ally. Despite Mephistopheles making it abundantly clear that he dreams of the day when he could depose his lord, Asmodeus still seems to trust his counsel when offered. Several reasons behind this relationship, (Mephisto's rivalry with Baalzebul and the usefulness of Baalphegor), have been presented, but a more simple and underlying possibility also exists. Mephistopheles is potentially the only individual archdevil that Asmodeus fears, whose mastery of hellfire, knowledge of ancient secrets, and duty as guard of his realm makes him a deadly and great enough asset to tolerate his threats. Though Mephisto can't yet oppose Asmodeus, both watch to see if circumstances change the nature of the situation, the Lord of Hellfire waiting until his adversary makes a big enough miscalculation for him to make his move.

Worshipers

Mephistopheles is in something of an irritating situation when it comes to cults, as despite being second only to Asmodeus, he has one of, if not the, smallest cults out of all the archdevils. Mephistopheles has been so effective in making himself the image of the devil that he has become generic in the eyes of many mortals, frequently confused with and believed to be the same as Asmodeus to the point where the Overlord of Hell leaves it to him to operate many of his cults. Not only that, but further blurring any sense of identity is his symbol, or rather symbols, since he constantly adopts new icons to represent himself. As someone who adored worship as a god, this mistaken identity is frustrating to no end.
Still, even before his recent discoveries, Mephistopheles has some distinct brands of corruption, existing as a patron of magic and the source of many warlock pacts. He has the advantage of having the lowest quotas of the archdevils but with the limitation of the highest standards. He and his harvesters specialize in luring skilled wizards and cunning sages into making deals by playing on their curiosity and ambition, the offer of magical might by itself often seen as proof of that mortal's greatness. Most of these types of cultists also seek to crush their rivals with said magical power, and gain the ability to deflect and absorb magic through the deal.
While skilled, the mortals being lured into Mephistopheles's traps are targeted due to gullibility or ego, and while the arrangement offers them magic, it also ensures them misery. Mephistopheles's façade of charm only needs to last until the aspiring caster signs away their soul, and after death they will face decades of tedious routine, deep regret, and isolation to prevent dissent. The agents of Mephisto carefully avoid statements about their lord's behavior and actions, and the clever clauses in the signed soul contracts allow him to destroy the tricked sages with a word. Sometimes entire wizard guilds and sage conclaves fall under Mephistopheles's sway, as do magic-using beings like storm giants or oni.

Hellfire

“The offering of hellfire is yet one more way the fiends have worked their claws into our world. Each mortal who thinks to master this fell power is yet one more fool offering his soul to the Lord of the Eighth.” — Matt the Traveler, planeshifter

Mephistopheles's recent insights into hellfire give him a new way to appeal to mortals, even despite the fact that it's diabolical nature typically requires a sacrifice of the user's own vitality to be called upon. The beauty of offering hellfire lies in its accessibility; most types of magic required the user to slowly refine their skills and/or progress along a path of understanding on how to use it, a dangerous road of adventure being a frequently used method. Mephistopheles's cultists can offer the dark energy to even the most inept persons of influence, granting them an easy, painless, path to power, prestige, and dominion. Because this plan is as much a method of gaining souls as it is of increasing Mephistopheles's influence on Eldarr, being lawful evil isn't a barrier of entry to join the cult.

Ritual

“Mephistopheles, Lord of Hellfire and Duke of Brimstone, I call upon you in your fiery elegance. I pledge myself to you, rightful King of Hell. One day your dark power will reign supreme.” — Thagruul, magical master

Initiation into Mephistopheles's cult first requires a show of cruelty, the sacrifice of an intelligent being in magical flame, typically while the victim is still alive so as to provide screaming chorus to the silent prayers. Temples to Mephistopheles are strange, hidden, distant places often filled with great fire pits in which to conduct a sacrifice, rigged to suddenly flare at the appropriate times and on top of which are slabs of blackened stone to serve as altars for the ritual. A potential aid in this process would be the Book of Brimstone, a tome written in Infernal by a Mephistopheles worshiping monk, who shortly after writing it went mad and was lost in the Canian wastes. It is rumored that only four copies of the book exist, the first half consisting of the proper ways to worship, adore, sacrifice, and become a disciple of Mephistopheles, among other rites, and the latter a small collection of vile arcane spells.
Hellfire masters are much like Mephistopheles himself; obsessed with fire, donning red and black garb, wielding ranseurs and hiding great anger. On occasions where speech is required, they yell rather than speak, infected with their lord's same unpredictable anger. They are capable of independent action and work in groups equally well, whether their partners are wicked schemers, violent megalomaniacs, devils, or other wicked fire creatures like hell hounds or salamanders. Apart from those looking for easy power, Mephistopheles promotes himself as a "god of hellfire" to those who revere flame, as well as devil worshipers that have become dissatisfied with their current archdevil patrons.

Aspects

Mephistopheles uses aspects in many situations, and they aren't afraid of death knowing that they'll be recreated if destroyed. On the rare occasion when they leave the Nine Hells to create new converts, they will mix with almost any society, devil or mortal, and sometimes even venture into the battlefield of the Blood War. They irregularly appear on Eldarr, normally bringing several other devils with them when they do, and it is rumored that an aspect of him is trapped in The Tomb of the Gentle Warrior.

Divine Classification

Devil

Alignment

Lawful evil

Current Location

Cania

Species

Devil

Realm

Cania

Aligned Organization

The Hordes of Hell

Ruled Locations

• Cania