Asmodeus,God of Lies, Power, and Fire

The Perfect One, King of the Universe, the Great, the Dark Lord, Fire’s Father
Myth,the four pillers of evil

Asmodeus is the lawful evil god of lies, power, and fire. Rarely seen, descriptions of him are generally fanciful. Some say stands 10,000 leagues tall, with a tail of fire and horns as black as midnight. Others say he is a small figure, robed in red and deepest blue, wielding a scepter of might, with two small horns on his forehead. None but the mightiest powers of evil know what Asmodeus looks like since he was cast into the pit of Hell, and his worshipers do not make statues in his likeness, for they believe it would anger the King of the Universe if mere mortal hands sought to cast his form.
Asmodeus is the master of Hell, but unlike the other lords of Hell, he has a purpose that goes far beyond power in that foul place. He is the god of fire, of those wrongly usurped, of power for power’s sake, of lies and revenge. He believes himself to be the King of the Universe, the rightful heir of the Creator, the Nameless One. All that is good is his enemy, for it has no right to exist without his blessing.
The Lords of Good occupy his palace because they betrayed him; his hate for them is limitless. He would topple the heavens, destroy all established orders of goodness, and rule the Great Sphere. He is a ready sponsor for all who do evil in the name of power, or anyone seeking revenge for betrayal, usurpation, or other wrongs, perceived or real. Asmodeus is the father of deceit and is the greatest liar in the universe, capable of deceiving even other gods, save for Morwyn, Naryne, Maal, and Naran: the wisest among them.
Asmodeus charges his mightiest followers and most trusted worshipers with one goal: the conquest of the plane of fire in his name. All powerful worshipers of Asmodeus are directed toward this goal. Because of the Compact, Asmodeus can only gain real and meaningful control of the pillar if mortals give it to him.
The faithful of Asmodeus represent their church with the symbol of a burning tree. The tree is usually made to look like Eliwyn, the Tree of Life. All people, good and evil, know it as the fearful brand of the Asmodean cults.
His followers do not wear it openly, lest they be hunted down. Most Asmodean cults have local, secret symbols that reveal themselves to each other and no one else—for instance, one group might wear what looks like a military medal, and easily explained as such to the unsuspecting, but which clearly broadcasts their affiliation to other members of that organization.
One universal Asmodean symbol exists: Any Asmodean worshiper in distress can strip a holly branch (or similar branch in lands without holly) of all its bark and carry it in his left hand. Recognizing this symbol, another Asmodean is to say to the person bearing the branch, “Are you in distress?” to which the branch-wielder says, “I have lost that which is mine.” This is a rarely used and highly secret way for an Asmodean in a foreign culture to find like-minded followers when in dire trouble

The Pyres of Asmodeus

The Asmodeans are the oldest evil religion in the world, with beliefs dating back to the div. In the earliest days of the mortal races born of the tree, some mortals uncovered ancient div tomes detailing the secrets taught to them by Fire’s Father. In memory of this, the Asmodeans all take on secret names fashioned after the names of the div.
They get these from ancient scrolls listing the div followers of Kador. In Asmodean functions, they refer to each other only by these secret names.
They call themselves the Ancient and Secret Brotherhood of the First Fire, naming their places of worship “pyres,” for at the pyres they burn away weakness, sentimentality, and any attachment to the trappings of so-called “good” cultures. Permanent structures housing pyres are rare, though in evil empires and places that openly allow the worship of Asmodeus, pyres are magnificent temples with golden spires. These are rare, however; as the enemy of good, Asmodeus is more often so hated that worshipers must hide and practice only in the dark of night, lest they be hunted down and destroyed.

Asmodeus is a jealous and angry god, and his worshipers are always careful to show him the utmost respect. The pyres have no central authority, as it would be difficult to sustain such a thing in secret. The ranking pyromancer leads each pyre, commanding local worshipers to commit evil acts in the name of their dark lord, including the undertaking of missions far from home. The sole unholy order of the pyres, the pyromancers are the supreme authorities of the faithful, but they must not grow too full of themselves. Powerful pyromancers receive direct instructions from Hell, and are kept in line by Asmodeus’ mortal and infernal servants.
Weaker pyromancers learn of their failures swiftly, when they’re killed in the night by other pyromancers, or by the creatures of Hell. A pyromancer is addressed (in private) as “Great Father” or “Great Mother.”
Pyromancers, like other worshipers of Asmodeus, must keep their identities secret in good societies, which means they do not cast spells when any non-Asmodean can see, unless they can be assured of the witness’ destruction. The conspiracy at the heart of the Anwynite church is in no way connected to the pyres, by design. Though the heads of that conspiracy are aware of the pyres and their deeds, they keep them at a distance so as not to compromise their own secret order.

Doctrine

“Do not speak to me of what should be. Do not tell me of the injustice of the wicked or the terrors of evil. Injustice rules every house! Your so-called goodness suffocates the world! Your gods are criminals; your priests and priestesses are whores and whoremongers who belch lies from their pulpits.” —The Pyromancer Horatio “Krafalimus

Hazan” Gorrik on the hour of his execution The Asmodean faith revolves around the “Great Wrong,” or the “Wicked Injustice,” as they call the toppling of Asmodeus from his palace in the skies by the Lords of Good. To the Asmodean mind, Asmodeus is the rightful overlord of the universe, who had his authority wrongly usurped.
One can see the kind of people attracted to his faith by considering who this story would ensnare: those who feel they’ve been overlooked, wronged, or denied their rightful power and authority.
The faith is home to the formerly mighty who’ve toppled, and to sniveling narcissists who feel they’ve never been given their proper due. Asmodeus promises real power, revenge for these wrongs, and trembling respect from all who have wronged them. This promise comes with a cost.
The Asmodeans tie their souls to their Father’s Fire and agree to do anything, no matter how wicked or awful, to receive this power. Part of the pyres’ philosophy is the burning away of attachment and sentiment, leaving nothing but loyalty to the cult and the desire for power.
New worshipers cast their infant children into the pyre, kill loved ones and drink their blood, or commit similar hideous acts of willful evil to show they will serve the Dark Lord with utter fidelity. As a day-to-day doctrine, the Asmodeans preach a path both lawful and deeply evil.
Obedience and Humility

Asmodeus is the greatest power in the universe, and the faithful must serve him without question. If a pyromancer commands a subordinate to do a deed in the name of the Dark Lord, one must obey without question. Pyromancers must loyally serve any Hell-priest of greater standing, and obey legitimate commands from the Father of Fire, relayed through servitors or nightmare visions.
Power Without Question

Life is a tiny little thing. The only way to really live is to attain great power. With power, one can survive, control people and one’s surroundings, and crush one’s enemies. Never question the will to power. Do whatever you must to attain and increase it, unless your plans run counter to the will of Asmodeus
Good is Weak and False

By their very definition, good powers and people are weak and worthless. They only attain power by theft. Yet they lie to themselves, hiding behind false doctrines like “honesty,” or “honor,” while using cowardly means to achieve what they desire.
Asmodeans lie, cheat, beg, or steal, but never allow themselves to grow weak-hearted by believing in false doctrines like “valor.” Asmodeans are honest with themselves, even if they’re false to the rest of the world. Pyromancers of Asmodeus must be lawful evil. While it is possible to begin learning the ways of the pyres while neutral evil or lawful neutral, one must eventually obey the word of higher pyromancers (become lawful) and give oneself over completely to the evil ways of Asmodeus.
Otherwise, the Hell-priest ceases to advance in rank, and may be killed or manipulated by stronger comrades in the faith.

Lawful evil pyromancers spread the faith and serve Asmodeus. They build recruitment systems, contact Hell regularly for instructions, train new pyromancers and worshipers, and in every way conceivable, act like an evil virus in good societies. The most powerful work toward the goals of the four pillars, researching the plane of fire and assembling mighty expeditions of evil adventurers to work toward the conquest of that plane.
Joining the Pyromancers One becomes a pyromancer by becoming a member of the Asmodean faith, and demonstrating talent for its rites and dark philosophy. One is then trained by another pyromancer, which takes about two years. At the end of this time, the pyromancer becomes a cleric with a domain associated with Asmodeus, such as Fire or Tyranny. Most pyromancers wield wavy and flanged blades (resembling shimmering and branched flames) of any sort, from daggers to great swords.

Type

Religious, Organised Religion