Cult of Baalzebul
Of all the archdevils, Baalzebul was second only to Asmodeus in terms of infamy and was as popular as any other deity in Faerun, not that his cultists made their worship public knowledge. Even after his transformation, his cult was larger than those of his peers although most mortals were unaware of the curse that doomed those who made deals with him. Whether as the Lord of the Flies, Lord of the Lies or the Fallen One, he was despised as much as he was revered, luring in mortal followers as the dual patron of sly charm supported by brutal power. Being paragons of violent cunning, bugbears were his most common followers, with the heart of Baalzebul's army being a team of sixteen fiendish bugbears called the Nyashk. Each was a sorcereress armed with powerful spells that wore a helmet resembling a fly's head and wielded a harrow rod.
Baalzebul specialized in mass-scale corruption and deception, with his religious orders functioning more as conspiracies against previous establishments. His sects were often comprised of nonconformists, rebels and other malcontents and focused on disrupting through a combination of charismatic guile and terror campaigns involving assassination. He tried to instigated coups against the leaders of lawful empires in order to place imperial dictatorships in their stead, but as a result of his subtle methods it could take his cults generations to actually succeed. When such plots actually did come to fruition, Baalzebul's servitors normally proved more adept at subverting authorities than acting as them. Because of this, Asmodeus, who normally targeted an already existing authority rather than secret societies, occasionally swapped temples with Baalzebul, with Asmodeus taking over Baalzebul's finished projects and Baalzebul being granted access to hidden shrines to Asmodeus in just kingdoms.
After regaining his old form, Baalzebul positioned himself as a saviour of failures, preying on individuals believing themselves to be in need of redemption, such as disgraced or destitute nobility. Whether due to disloyalty or incompetence, he and his agents found those that had lost important resources or honour and offered supernatural solutions to their problems. Of course, even without the curse of failure, secret clauses, fine print and inconspicuous specifications were hidden throughout contracts made with the Lord of the Lies, all designed to ensnare the unwary and desperate. Despite harvesting a great number of such individuals, souls able to be lured in such a manner were typically so pathetic or inept in the first place that they were only useful as wretched cannon fodder.
Those formally dedicated to the Fallen One were treacherous and ruthless, willing to use whatever deceitful tactic and betray even their closest friends and family to achieve their aims. They could summon swarms of flies but specialized in using cunning and eloquence to tell bold-faced lies. Allies were rarely kept around along before being backstabbed although his disciples excelled at manipulating them so long as they were required. Even after he set himself up as a patron of redemption, his followers strove to regain respect at the cost of those who caused the initial loss, and did so by tripping up allies in order to improve their relative standing.
Rituals:
Sacrifices to Baalzebul were done in bloody, night-time ceremonies in dim candlelight but, to become initiated in the cult one had to perform the rite within the victim's home. Rogues, bards and assassins were among the most likely to devote themselves to Baalzebul, although rangers and clerics sometimes found their way into his service. His clerics normally had bodily piercings, gold adornments, blue and black robes and shaved heads with the exception of bugbears that grew out their hair especially long. Shrines to the Lord of the Flies had limited floor space to the volume of statues within and had a clear insect motif on the lintels, tapestries, altars and other decorations. A malodorous smell permeated such temples because the braziers burned either horrifically created incense or simply offal, to represent his slug-like state. Aspects:
Aspects of the Slug Archduke were shunned by other devils, especially erinyes, and were only heeded on important issues due to their hideous appearance. They mostly used the influence of their progenitor to command respect and normally led other devils, particularly due to their lack of speed. They were rarely seen in Faerun as Baalzebul normally sent his other agents to deal with matters there and found themselves more at home in the toxic wastes of Maladomini.
Sacrifices to Baalzebul were done in bloody, night-time ceremonies in dim candlelight but, to become initiated in the cult one had to perform the rite within the victim's home. Rogues, bards and assassins were among the most likely to devote themselves to Baalzebul, although rangers and clerics sometimes found their way into his service. His clerics normally had bodily piercings, gold adornments, blue and black robes and shaved heads with the exception of bugbears that grew out their hair especially long. Shrines to the Lord of the Flies had limited floor space to the volume of statues within and had a clear insect motif on the lintels, tapestries, altars and other decorations. A malodorous smell permeated such temples because the braziers burned either horrifically created incense or simply offal, to represent his slug-like state. Aspects:
Aspects of the Slug Archduke were shunned by other devils, especially erinyes, and were only heeded on important issues due to their hideous appearance. They mostly used the influence of their progenitor to command respect and normally led other devils, particularly due to their lack of speed. They were rarely seen in Faerun as Baalzebul normally sent his other agents to deal with matters there and found themselves more at home in the toxic wastes of Maladomini.
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