Asmodeus

Category	Higher Powers
Power	Lesser
World	Nessus
Race	Devil ( Archdevil )
Gender	male
Title	Lord of the Ninth 255 GE - present Fallen Angel 255 GE - present CSC 152 GE - 255 GE
Alignment	lawful evil
Symbol	jeweled scepter
Domain	Diabolic, Law, Pact, Planning
Enemies	Orcus, all demon-kind
Born	19 Witchrite 7009 DE
Godhood	9 War March 721 HE

Asmodeus, a revered Covenant leader, waged fierce battles against the primordials during the Creation War, and later confronted the formidable demons in the arduous Demon Spawn War, which spanned from 89 GE to 269 GE. Renowned for his cunning tactical prowess, Asmodeus was feared for his uncanny ability to outwit and outmaneuver his opponents.

In 152 GE, the Covenant leader Ares rose to power, becoming a Higher Power. His second-in-command was Asmoedus, a highly charismatic and skilled combatant, though his temperament was questionable. Asmodeus was chosen to succeed Ares as the Covenant's Supreme Commander. As CSC, Asmodeus divided worlds into what became known as the Modeus Grid. Sectors were assigned to generals or ceded to demons as part of a meticulously planned strategy that differed from Ares's approach. Whereas Ares had focused on maintaining control over everything, Asmodeus was willing to sacrifice entire sectors and their soldiers to achieve ultimate victory.

In the Demon Spawn War, Asmodeus was aided by a number of eminent leaders. Bahamut fought alongside him in the Hoof Front ( 215 GE - 230 GE ) . Lukoon served as Asmodeus's foremost intelligence officer.

The Demon Spawn War was notoriously lengthy and savage, ultimately overwhelming even Asmodeus and driving him to the dark path of fighting on equal footing with an uncompromising foe willing to employ any means to achieve victory. At the Trial of Asmodeus, Asmodeus and others were convicted of establishing covert armies and the unlawful utilization of a Well of Afterlife.

The Covenant assembled a delegation that promptly journeyed to Dis. Remarkably, the once-barren expanse of Tyr-Mourn had been converted into training grounds for malevolent entities possessing the capacity to combat the demons on their own terms. Adhering to the severe tenets of warfare, the vanquished were either enslaved or slain.

They located the Well of Afterlife, which had been unlawfully utilized and for malevolent intent. They observed souls manifesting in their transformed state, ominous entities constructed to battle the demons.

"What goes on here?", Heironeous demanded.

"A higher authority has bestowed upon us the power to harvest souls," Asmodeus replied. "To safeguard the Forge Worlds and take the fight to the adversary, we inevitably had to discover means to accomplish this."

Heironeous, acting under the authority of the Quara'tun Judges, thundered, "It is your duty to penalize infractions, not to promote them!"

On 3 Lunar 255 GE, Asmodeus and his lieutenants were found guilty of surreptitiously capturing souls with a Well of Afterlife, constructing clandestine armies, and numerous other breaches of the Covenant's code of conduct. They were exiled from the Mortal Systems, joining the ranks of the Fallen Angels. Upon the world Nessus, Asmodeus became the Lord of the Ninth, master of nine realms which grew renowned as the Nine Hells.

Asmodeus and Dispater conceived the devils, an immortal populace uniquely fashioned to withstand hostile domains, and crucially, unscrupulous in their methods against adversaries.

When Asmodeus was expelled from the Mortal Systems, one of the units that accompanied him was the 82 ^nd Last Hope. The descendants of this unit, born on Nessus, were transformed into the malevolent nature of their home world. Malicious variants of the Triton, they were the progenitors of the sahuagin race.

In the Lith-Crillion Era, agents of Asmodeus lured the Piamauza tribe to his home world. During the Horgon Era, 3,000 descendants of the Piamauza, all half-devils, were sent back to the world of Bal-Kriav. Faring better than Asmodeus's first attempt, the Sahuagin, they established the Mir'piamauza Empire (526 HE - 1612 HE) . From Kathodrarg, proselytizers spread the word of Asmodeus through both sword and manipulation, helping elevate him to the status of a Cult Power on 9 War March 721 HE.

In the year 1503, the infernal Asmodeus officiated the union between his diabolical champion Rax and the lich general of the Black Tide, Katrana.

In the year 1695, the passing of Coeus left the Ba'lith Empire open to the rise of a new religion. Asmodean priests from Taklumlode, with the support of the empire's new ruler, set about tearing down the churches and shrines dedicated to Coeus, replacing them with those honoring Asmodeus.

One practice of the Church of Asmodeus is the cleansing of wounds with fire. The church's guidelines for healing an infection are to first apply a heated iron to the wounds, then to follow with the healing spell. They refer to this brand as the Touch of Asmodeus. Although it has no bearing on the healing process, some view it as a means of drawing closer to their deity and potentially earning a measure of divine favor. In certain regions, such as Ba'lith, individuals bear these scars with a sense of pride.

The Church of Asmodeus adheres to a centralized command structure, analogous to that of a military organization. The most formidable of these religious strongholds is the Church of the Ninth Pillar, situated at the very core of the city Galir-Khizad.

Church Hierarchy of Asmodeus

Name	Location	Notes
Barracks Church, 1-9		small churches, cult-level
Church of the Pillars, 1-6		top strongholds
Church of the Seventh Pillar	Merorarg
Church of the Eighth Pillar	Paradomea City
Church of the Ninth Pillar	Galir-Khizad	top Church of Asmodeus on Bal-Kriav

Sources of Divine Power

Core Worship	Proselytizers
Ba'lith	House Vrankalli
Hadal One	82 nd Last Hope
Inge'rya
Paradomea
Taklumlode
T'kyr

Known Powers

Trait	Description
Boss's Orders	compelled to carry-out Asmodeus's orders as if under a quest spell