Asmodeus

Lord of the Nine Hells (a.k.a. Father of Lies)

Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells is the devil god of the Nine Hells and represents mastery of tyranny and domination. He relishes in corrupting mortal souls with his honeyed words. He rules his domain with an iron fist and the punishments he inflicts for crossing him are legendary. Devils and other evil entities pay him tribute, while warlocks are drawn to his power.
Once a celestial, Asmodeus is depicted in many tomes and murals as a handsome humanoid of deep, red skin and long, black hair with two curling horns rising from his brow. He has stated that originally, as a celestial, he was objectively considered the most beautiful, but since his fall his appearance changes to match the most beautiful face the viewer has seen.

Divine Domains

Light, Blood, Order, Trickery, War

Artifacts

One of the Arms of the Betrayers, the Mace of the Black Crown was associated with Asmodeus.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Tenets of Faith

Assert dominance and power over others. Show your strength of will in the image of your Lord.
Repay cruelty done unto you with further evil. If others show you kindness, exploit it.
As you ascend to power, do not pity or show mercy to those you climb over to get there. The weak do not warrant your compassion—compassion itself is a weakness.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

During the Founding, when demons of the Abyss spilled forth to feast on the mortal victims of the Primordials, many celestials who had battled the demons turned to tyranny and forged new hells under the leadership of Asmodeus, himself a fallen angel; he corrupted these celestials into the first devils.
In texts about the Schism, Asmodeus is usually reputed to have been the Betrayer God who made a threat as he was being banished: "Put me where you will. In darkness, I will gather my shadows to me." The dragons who protected the mortal races took this threat seriously and recorded it in Draconic as "ghor dranas", or "gathering of shadows".
During the Age of Arcanum, Archmage Vespin Chloras released the Betrayer Gods from their prisons. From their new capital of Ghor Dranas in Wildemount, the Betrayer Gods spread their influence and eventually made an assault on the bastion of Vasselheim. The battle lasted twenty days and nights but, with the divine aid of the Prime Deities, Vasselheim and its inhabitants stood triumphant, if battered, at the end. Ghor Dranas was built the very night the Betrayer Gods were released, and upon Asmodeus's arrival there, he proposed to Gruumsh that they assault Vasselheim together that night.
The gods prepared for war. The Betrayer Gods each forged a sentient weapon with the life force of a greater fiend: the Arms of the Betrayers. On the night he was released, Asmodeus, for his part, instantly forged the Mace of the Black Crown from the life force of an erinyes named Xartaza.
During a brief period of unified interests, Asmodeus and Lolth exalted an immortal assassin, Jourrael, the Inevitable End, who could not be completely destroyed as long as their contract remained intact; several centuries later, Jourrael remained immortal.
One theory on the origin of tieflings is that they were created in Ghor Dranas as a result of some of the city's inhabitants tying their bloodlines to Asmodeus in exchange for magical knowledge. While it is false that the first tieflings were born there (since they already existed during the Age of Arcanum), nowadays tieflings from Rosohna do tend to share the Father of Lies' red skin.
During the Calamity, Asmodeus deceived and betrayed Sarenrae, and killed most or all of her worshipers, in one stroke.
The original Cerberus Assembly tore Desirat, phoenix mount of Asmodeus, from her master and bound her beneath Mount Mentiri for study.
Avandra defeated Asmodeus during the Calamity by tricking his armies into attacking one another.
Through the Mace of the Black Crown, Xartaza continues to attempt to recruit more souls for Asmodeus by manipulating the wielder.

Divine Classification

Betrayer God

Realm

Nine Hells

Pronouns

He/him/his

Gender

Male

Hair

Long, black

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Deep red