Devils

Devils occupy a vast yet rigid hierarchy dedicated to the corruption of goodness across the multiverse. While their numbers are impossible to count, all devils understand their place in the infernal order and scheme unendingly to improve their station. The most powerful devils spend eons rising through the ranks of hell, assembling legions to wage war against their demonic counterparts or to challenge the authority of the gods. These archdevils rule entire planes of existence and yet like mortal tyrants are often prisoners of their own paranoia. Even the mightiest devils know their subordinates eye them with terrifying patience, waiting for them to show the slightest sign of weakness.

The Fall. Most scholars believe devils were celestials cast out of the heavens when they plotted to overthrow the gods. Millennia later, devils remain imprisoned in the infernal realms, escaping only when a mortal summons them or opens a gate to the Material Plane. Devils who find their way to the mortal world are especially cautious, as dying there means they must face the wrath of their superiors when they return to hell.

The Armies of Hell. The hierarchy of hell resembles that of a mortal army. The weakest devils serve as cannon fodder in these legions and are commanded by increasingly powerful ranks of lieutenants, captains, and generals. Pit fiends lead the fiendish armies into battle and advise the true masters of the infernal realms, the ancient beings known as archdevils. Devils are unfailingly obedient to their superiors, and yet each is eager to take its commander’s place should that devil stumble.

Hell’s Bargain. A devil killed in hell is destroyed forever, so devils rely upon the souls of mortals to replenish their numbers. A devil summoned to the Material Plane will promise great power or riches in return for a soul and may even submit to serving a mortal if it means claiming another recruit for the legions of hell. A mortal who pledges their soul to
a devil might enjoy a lifetime of worldly pleasures. But when that mortal dies, their condemned soul is carried off to hell and transformed into a lemure , the lowliest of devils.

The Path of Diabolism. Though devils long to escape their infernal prisons, calling one to the mortal realm is no simple task. Elaborate rituals—outlined in only the most  ancient and forbidden tomes—must be performed to summon a devil to the Material Plane. Diabolists looking to press a devil into their service without forfeiting their soul must go to even greater lengths. Doing so often requires a blood sacrifice, speaking the devil’s true name, or drawing upon the magical power of a talisman linked to the devil’s essence.