Blood War

When dealing with the fiends, one is always reminded of the old adage about looking too long into the Abyss. Of course, in this case, it's looking too long into Baator . . . but that's neither here nor there. There's a reason I do what I do, and it's with the full f cooperation of my superiors. The Blood War's not just about the fiends kicking the life out of each other. If we're not careful, they might come to an . . . understanding. y They might pool their resources. And then where would the rest of us be? Right now, the war's about law and chaos. We want to keep it that way. We good folks can work out our differences peaceably — usually. But it would be far more . . . difficult to face a united front of evil. So we must do all we can to make sure the war remains a struggle between law and chaos. We must keep the two most powerful armies on the planes at each other's throats, rather than risk having them sweep over the rest of us. Do I think the baatezu and tanar'ri have stronger armies than we do? Frankly . . . yes. They've fought each other and perfected their violent skills for far longer than we have. Our pursuits tend more toward the cultivation of gentility and goodness, and only a select number of our hosts have devoted themselves to offense. This, I'm afraid, places us at a serious disadvantage. Thus, I do my part to keep the Blood War on the Lower Planes. If it means that I must deal with creatures I find dis- tasteful, so be it. We all must make sacrifices for the greater good. Mine just happens to be supplying arms for the baatezu, and every once in a while sending recruits their way. It's the latter type of. . . transaction that scares me the most. Is it not just as reprehensible as what the fiends themselves do? No, it can't be. Even those who aren't involved must make sacrifices. If I let matters like that impinge on my conscience, then I allow the fiends a victory of their own. Besides, I can't stand the thought of chaos ascendant. What I do is right, I'm certain. Isn 't it?

— Zalatian XXIII, Trumpet Archon of the Fifth Celestial Brigade

The Conflict

Prelude

Before the war, there were no devils, no demons. Only the Yuggoloths. In theier quest for perfection, they purged law and chaos. Thus creating demons and devils, the discarded slough of the Yuggoloth.

Start Date

The beginning of time.