The stuff of legend in cold and temperate lands, dinosaurs rule arid grasslands and steaming fens and jungles. Although not inherently magical, the majesty of these mighty lizards invokes sheer primal awe; even the most docile herbivores can be earth-shattering titans.

Many Species. The hundreds of known species of dinosaurs share little in common with each other. Of the landbound dinosaurs, predators tend to run on two legs, while herbivores often walk on four. Some dinosaurs have armored or scaly hides while others bear bright, birdlike feathers. The largest predators, like tyrannosaurus rex , resemble wingless dragons—but dinosaurs are beasts, not magical creatures.

Domesticated Beasts. In the lands where dinosaurs dwell, humanoids frequently revere large dinosaurs as demigods (using such honorifics as “thunderbeast”and “behemoth”),  and they domesticate smaller dinosaurs as extraordinary farm animals and pets. Warriors ride triceratops and pteranodons into battle, a fact that makes the eggs of these dinosaurs highly prized. While the tyrannosaurus rex is difficult to train for war, many druids honor it as among the mightiest of beasts.

Mysterious History. While few deny that dinosaurs exist today, historical records suggest the great beasts were once extinct. This has led to endless speculation about what triggered the dinosaurs’ return: possibilities include druidic magic, divine intervention, or even a mass migration across a theoretical Plane of Time.

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.

Demons embody the destructive nature of chaos. Whereas most scholars believe that devils were once fallen angels (or the souls of mortals corrupted by them) demons arise spontaneously from the formless havoc of the Abyss. Most demons are little more than mindless monsters, and even the shrewdest demon lord is gripped by a madness that mortals can’t fathom. Distracted by neither compassion nor logic, the gnashing hordes of the Abyss are an unrelenting engine of destruction.

Never-Ending Chaos. Like the plane from which they spring, demons seem to be infinite in number. While a particularly crazed or evil mortal might transform into a demon upon their death, far more often it is the Abyss itself that spawns these foul creatures. The process never ceases and—judging from the billions of demons that currently exist—has been occurring since the dawn of time. To make matters worse, a demon killed on the Material Plane re-forms in the Abyss eager to resume its campaign of destruction. The only way to destroy a demon permanently is to slay it in the Abyss. But for every demon that falls, a thousand others clamor to take its place.

Existential Threat. The threat demons pose to the multiverse is so profound that even angels and devils may join forces to oppose them. Though brilliant tacticians, devils understand the hordes of the Abyss outnumber them and have turned occasionally to the armies of Heaven to bolster their ranks. Angels, for their part, grudgingly recognize that Hell’s willingness to fight unfettered by morals has proven effective, even if they refuse to break those shackles themselves. Though never entered into happily, both angels and devils agree such alliances are preferable to complete annihilation.

Abyssal Incursions. As with other extraplanar creatures, mortals can use magic to summon individual demons to the Material Plane. Even the mightiest wizard, however, lacks the power to call an entire horde of demons from the Abyss. Instead, demons invade the mortal world through tears in the fabric of reality itself. Such rifts allow an unending stream of demons to pour through and wreak destruction like a plague. Even after the rift is sealed, the surrounding landscape remains blighted for generations afterward.

Cults of Madness. Demon lords care nothing for the mortals who worship them, yet this does not stop some crazed individuals from venerating them as gods. When these troubled souls find each other, cults will form, especially if one of its members proves to be a charismatic leader. Demon cultists are often bound together by the mistaken belief that their activities will earn them favor with the demon lord they serve. Just as often, however, they are twisted sadists or simply nihilistic, eager to throw away their lives if doing hastens the destruction of the world.