The Court Of Kroll: Archdemons and the Abyss

“Mortals always try to understand the Abyss, so allow me to use simple terms. Imagine the abyss is a city and you are a visitor. Dretches, Quasits, those are ants, Glabrezus and Hezrous, those are beggars, Balors and Goristros those are the peasants. Now imagine the archdemons are the nobles right? Good. Now imagine the city is alive, constantly shifting, Insane yet more reasonsable than you and me and desires to consume every realm it can get its hands on and the Nobles are simply enforcers of unknowable evils. Oh you still don’t understand? Good, you shouldn’t.” -Aesir Buckwood, Interviews of the Nine.
The Archdemons of the abyss exist as a contradiction. They remain forever allied but always at war, enemies and allies. The Abyss itself is a land of constant infighting, betrayal and contradiction. The easiest way to think of it is much like a brain.The brain has several different parts, all of which want and desire different things, and these things take hierarchy over one another at different times when needs be. The desire to kill, eat, mate, avoidance of death, all innately natural parts of the biology of beings. But what if these primal parts of these persons were not parts, but were instead the whole of that being. That is how the abyss preys upon the mind, the longer one stays within the realms of the abyss, the more the unnatural geography begins to alter your psychology, and eventually altering your physiology in time. The demons were first borne from these origins, and so in a sense to name the abyss a plane of evil is woefully simplified, for if you believe the abyss is a plane of evil then all humanoid creatures are just as evil as they are deep down, ever heard the idiom that we create our own demons.
And so in a sense one may think of an Archdemon in similar terms, the epitome of expression, to the point where it is an all-consuming and defining factor, which is no longer a trait of the creatures being, but is instead the basis of its existence. What is a creature that bases its entire existence upon its innate bestial instincts and the thrill of the hunt, upon the rush of a kill, or the desire to possess all? Your answer is a Demonic Prince. But it is not this idea alone that makes the Demonic princes such a threat to existence, it is that they believe that this ideal is the only thing that should exist and that they possess the only true consciousness within the cosmos. It is for this reason that a Demonic prince will attempt to consume every planet they possibly can, as it brings them one more step closer towards total expression, and it is also for this reason that the Demonic princes find their greatest enemies in the Archdevils of Hell. Every law the devils create, every contract they write and every manacle they lock is an affront to a demon’s purpose. For a demon is a creature of pure expression, a devil can be seen as the oppressors whose hierarchy fundamentally opposes expression.
The lords of the abyss were once a conglomerate of pure chaos with no goals other than their own selfish desires, but this strategy could not allow the Abyss to survive. The newly elected Lord of Hell, Asmodeus was claiming up some of the cast-off planets around the prime material, and was looking towards Avernus. Some of the archdemons of the abyss recognised that if Asmodeus was able to claim this plane his progress towards destroying the abyss and thus the demon lords were an inevitability. And so, the Court of Kroll was formed on the abyssal plane of Kroll. The archdemons formed together their minions into an army of chaos, a horde of contradiction. And so the first armies of the Court of Kroll met the armies of Bel on the beautiful and Verdant lands of Avernus, and the two armies of maleficence tore the lands asunder.
The Old Lords. The Archdemons of old bear little resemblance to those who once lorded over the abyss a millennia ago. These archdemons included the Demogorgan, Baphomet, Juiblex and so on. These beings were of much power and influence during their reign and were the embodiments of true unempathetic chaos. But these beings made several fatal errors during their reigns. First, they despised one another to the point of refusing even the notion of an Alliance. Second, they were unfamiliar of the true nature of the abyss and thus fought with it as opposed to alongside it. And third they remained neither caring for or attractive to cultists, bar the most insane who could rarely formulate a sentence let alone a demonic ritual. For all of these reasons, combined with the ruthless and unimaginable cunning of the Lord of Hell, their falls were inevitable. While these Archdemons no longer hold the sway they once did, if any at all, their influence can still be felt throughout the abyss, and many of their spawn remain as terrifying reminders of the evil the abyss is capable of.
Ever Shifting Hierarchy. The lords of the abyss are as chaotic as the plane itself, and as such the seats of power within the abyss are an ever changing and shifting, never remaining too stable for too long. With enough conviction a quasit becomes a demonic prince only to be supplanted in the next planar eclipse. The very nature of the abyss rejects the idea that one being is guaranteed anything within its layers. That being said, the abyss does have those who are very adept at maintaining their power, and have been granted ways of making sure they are not discarded as their predecessors were long ago, many of such plans and fallbacks are very well kept secrets which could themselves shift the blood war, and as such when a mortal creature learns of such a secret their lives are very much in jeopardy.
The New Princes. As such, the new lords of the abyss bear some similarities in origin, as often they were once opposite reflections of their current forms. Venswal, former god of nature, Orcus II former Archangel and Horseman of Death under Aloeradin, Kulvorix former Archfey and son of Corellon. These new lords are examples of the corrupting power of the abyss as many were among the most benign beings in the cosmos and now are among its most evil. However, what separates the new lords from the ones who came before them, is that they are far more aware of the threat that hell poses to their existence, as well as understanding their role in the abyss. The Court of Kroll itself exists as a Mockery of the Nine lords of the hells, and in a twisted sense their very lack of organisation allows them a freedom that hell lacks. There are no rules, no bureaucratic blockades to disallow certain actions, and no worrying about the consequences of failure, every action the court takes is to spread their own brand of chaos, and with brutal efficiency. In addition, the Court is very aware of the hells need for souls to grow their armies, and that this is a weakness that can be exploited. The nature of a pact with a devil limits the recruitment a devil is capable of, aside from the recent innovation of Hellfire weaponry. And while the Archdemons have less need for these souls than the Devils do given their nature, the power that comes with a mortal soul is outstanding
In Plane Sight. An astute demonologist will notice that often times the archdemons are referred to as Demonic princes. This indication assumes that because there is a prince there must be a king or queen of this realm of lawlessness. Well the most likely answer to that theorem is that it is correct, however the culprit is no less terrifying. For there is no king of the abyss. The king of the abyss is the abyss, an entire plane with sentience, and maleficent at that. But what or how is this possible? Well no one but the demonic princes knows for sure. If you ask a Solar they may tell you they believe that the plane was a creation of Asmodeus’ and is all a well-controlled scheme, if you ask a wizard they may say the abyss is the embodiment of the psyche of the mad god Tharizidun given life, and if you ask a historian they will tell you that the abyss is in actuality one of three makers of Bavelion itself, Blawicx to be specific. However none of these ideas can really equal the sheer power of the abyss. Are all demons simply pawns of the will of the Abyss? Are the demons rebelling against their cruel master and wish to seek refuge on another plane yet their home always finds them? Or are the Archdemons all apart of one collective consciousness that calls itself the Abyss? Those who believe they have found the definitive answer often end up going insane and get no recognition, for the sour truth is the mortal mind is not supposed to know, but at the very least there are a few things we do know. The abyss is a conscious entity, that continues to grow the more planes are ended by a demonic incursion, the archdemons seem to gain at least some ability from the abyss itself when they take the seat at the top of their layer, and the more layers an archdemon controls the more powerful they grow.
Made not Born. An unusual thing about the abyss, among the many already mentioned, is that the abyss is incapable of creating its own life at no cost. As one could imagine, demons have no desire to reproduce or the ability to do so. Instead demons are born in one of two ways. The first is that a demon is Crafted of the abyss by itself. What causes this is unknown, but it is believed to be associated with the souls of other creatures feeding the abyss itself and then discarding into demons. The second is when a living creature finds themselves in the abyss by accident or through some twist of fate, their body warps as their mind does as their biology begins to destroy itself, until only one dominant philosophy remains. Both types of demons are indistinguishable at a glance, however it would seem creatures who are not born of the abyss but are broken by it are more likely to become demonic princes.
The most well-known archdemons are as Follows.
Venswal: The Defacto leader of the council of Kroll given his near Deific power, Venswal is the Demon prince of the beast, or rather all in nature that is violent. Venswal was once among the most powerful deities of the Seats of Celestia and lead the once greatly revered but now detested Red Hunt. Venswal was corrupted through his actions during the Godfall, which caused his descent into the abyss upon which he slew three very powerful Archdemons and consumed their corrupted remains and fell from grace. Venswal is the patron of the Lycans and the progenitor of its curse, as the first among the lycans were once the Aasimar children of Venswal. Venswal is often considered the most powerful demonic princes, as he possesses the most seats of power within the abyss, and in addition has the most influence on the material plane given up until relatively recently he sat in a seat of celestia. Venswal is one that angels and paladins actively avoid given not only is he a creature of incredible power, but also ruthless evil. He will target all you cherish and rend it from the planes all to weaken you and make you more susceptible to the hunt. However strangely Venswal is perhaps the only demon prince who has near constant access to the material plane through the Red Hunt, however the hunt are not traditional demons and as such do not possess the means to create an incursion, nor do they want to as they prefer a hunting ground ripe with prey. Venswal is greatly feared for he is among the only creatures in the cosmos with the means and ability to kill a god, an ability shared by the Red hunt. However, Venswal is not overly concerned with the goings on of many gods, and instead considers Asmodeus to be his nemesis, as he was resoponsible for Venswals current position, and nearly every action he takes is to slay the king of hell. Some scholars have suggested that it was Venswal who slew Asmodeus’ great love Touria and corrupted his son Graz’zt into becoming a Demon prince, acts that make Venswal a greater target than any other for the forces of hell.
Venswal is most often depicted as a large corrupted angelic figure with blade like wings and wearing the heads of Baphomet, Yeenoghu and Sess’inek across his shoulders and a large wolven head with an open maw and two red piercing eyes peering from within. However, in Xoravian and Odsvalin culture Venswal is referred to as the great wolf Fenris.
Cult: Now Venswal operates as one of the most powerful demonic lords of the Abyss, and his cult the Red Talon continue to operate on the surface world and seek out those who are willing to sacrifice their souls in order to hunt a creature, group or even a civilisation. Though the price for the transaction is often much higher than only one soul, as those whose souls are considered a prize are worthy of the appearance of the Red Hunt themselves to track and kill their target, and wreak havoc upon the material plane in the process.
The Harlequin: The newest member of the Court of Kroll after supplanting the demon lord of deception Fraz-Urb’Luu, and taking his place in the Court. The Harlequin covers the domains of murder, assassination and betrayal. Very few know the true nature of the Harlequin and stories of this individual vary, but most demonologists believe that the Harlequin was once a mortal creature who was so impossibly malifcent that even death could not quench their thirst for death and vengeance. This mortal was brought to the abyss at a pivotal time, as Fraz-Urb’Luu was banished from his own layer. The corrupting force of the abyss twisted the creature’s soul into what is now known as the Harlequin. This creature is as enigmatic as they come, and its traits resemble that. Reports indicate it is madly insane but speaks in a calm and warm manner before erupting into explosive fits of passion. The Harlequin is often depicted as a viscous Court jester armed to the teeth with knives and with a gruesome bloody skull with a smile.
Cult: The Cultists of the Harlequin are the Reapers, a group whos origins are often revolving around some sort of betrayal in their lives leads down a path of vengeance, and then they have gone too far and cannot turn back on their past lives and all they left are the reapers. The Reapers operate as Assassins and Schemers throughout bavelion and often seek out Infernal cults and rip them apart from the inside.
Orcus II: The self-proclaimed Lord of all that is undead and unliving and right hand of the former God of Death Aloeradin. It is said once before that there was a noble and benign angel in service to her lord, but was ruined when he entered the realm of negative energy and became infected with the curse of undeath. Upon this discovery of a life eternal, and a realisation that her Angelic brothers and sisters would attempt to take this gift of eternal immortality took hold over the angel, and she fled to the one place he knew the heavens would not follow, the Abyss. Upon landing within the abyss and still filled with dread and paranoia, she found the original Orcus who immediately unleashed his hordes of the dead upon this angelic being. But the angel was more than formidable and struck down the Prince of undeath and took up his staff and blade as his own. It was said that from that day on, the angel erased herself and became the new lord of unlife. Orcus rejects any notion that one had come before her, and this knowledge is a well kept secret bar the most well informed of scholars and demonologists, and any allusion to this fact will lead to Orcus unleashing her wrath upon those before her. Orcus is a paranoid and erratic creature, with plans upon plans to ensure her reign is never questioned. And yet despite her paranoid persona, she is reported to come across as a very polite and caring individual, an act that masks the coldest of hearts she has, for her act is only a ploy to force another thrall beneath her boot and add to her horde of death. Orcus is depicted as a pale female angelic figure with rotten feathered wings and a pair of black sockets that do little to mask her pale near reptilian eyes and a crown of twisted and crooked horns that drip blood across her face.
Cult: Her cult is the Endless, a group consumed by the idea of persisting their own lives to the detriment of all those around them. The Endless rout themselves within humanoid civilisations and rot away and the lower levels of it, turning all those they can into thralls or sustenance until they have reached every level of it whereupon the city and all those who remain living are consumed by a Soul Storm, which consumes all natural life within and leaves little trace of what came before.
Graz’zt: The lord of pleasure and limitless indulgence, Graz’zt is the ultimate hedonist. He incites lust and uncontrollable urges in both his cultists and his enemies. Graz’zt is one of the longest serving among the Court of Kroll, and according to some it was his revelation to create it in the first place given that many previous Archdemons have considered Graz’zt their greatest enemies. The Lord of lust is rumoured to be the third among Asmodeus’ children, and perhaps no being in the cosmos despises him as much as Graz’zt, to the point were he chose to embody everything his father represents. In Graz’zt’s eyes, the universe is a great plaything, and one day he will be its master. All other creatures and things will be allowed to exist only if they give him pleasure. When he ascends to dominate the cosmos, all who are left will love and worship him. Despite his extreme self-indulgence, Graz’zt isn’t blind to what goes on around him. He can curb his lust when he needs to plot against an enemy or counter an attack. When he must contend with an enemy, he fights with a detached, thoughtful demeanor, channeling his frustration at being distracted from pleasurable pursuits into the actions of a cool, efficient killer.
Cult: The Cults of Graz’zt are many and varied with no particular cult taking prominence over another, and most cults of Graz’zt you wouldn’t be able tell they were unless you were within the cult’s highest echelons. But generally, the cults are similarly set up, hedonistic ritualistic orgies followed by acts of extreme violence upon yourself or others. The cults do often receive orders from their lord which involve no hedonistic activity but to enforce his will on a grander scale upon the material plane.
Valaclu: The demon prince of magic and knowledge, was once believed to have been a powerful archmage consumed by her obsession with forbidden knowledge. Valaclu was once a cultist of Vecna during his ascension, but after she never stopped her desire for more and more knowledge. Her desire for knowledge was so great, she wished to learn the secrets of the cosmos and was willing to sacrifice souls to any creature who would grant her knowledge. But in her journey to understand, she made uncountable enemies, chief among them the archdevils of hell, so she made her escape to the one place she believed she could not be found by hells legions, the Abyss. Within the abyss, her obsession became all she was, as the strands of her many tomes broken apart and consumed as madness would in turn. Until all that remained was a demon prince of near infinite knowledge and great magical prowess and was welcomed within the ranks of the Court of Kroll. Valaclu not only hoards knowledge, both magical and mundane, but does so jealously and guards her hoard with viciousness. Her domain is similar in many ways to her fellow demonic prince Mammon, and as such the two exist as both lovers and arch rivals, as both hoard many of the same basic things. Valaclus goals are as enigmatic as she is, for some believe that she wishes to hoard all knowledge until she is the only one who knows anything in the cosmos, yet some believe she wishes to learn the secrets to unmake the universe as she despises all that exists within it, among other theories no clearer theories remain and in a twisted sense of irony she has become the topic of the works of a great many wizards. Valaclu is often depicted as a thin and elongated pale feminine form, with strands of hair resembling rotten pages that wrap around her body and conceal a great many eyes that jut out from underneath them.
Cult:While Valaclu jealously keeps her knowledge, she does occasionally take on apprentices who are granted piecemeal parts of her knowledge in exchange for more knowledge or enacting her will in return. However due to the nature of Valaclu, she scarcely has any long lasting large cults, and such groups are quickly hunted down and destroyed by Vecna who considers his former apprentice a rival. Occasionally a cult of mammon will give offerings to Valaclu in exchange for increased magical ability, however such instances are rare.
Kulvorix: If there are any uniting elements to life as a whole it is that there is something almost all of us fear on some level. Our fears take a myriad of forms, some fear insects or rodents, some fear death or loneliness, and some fear more specific individuals or creatures. But what if fear wasn’t some sort of emotion or thought process, what if instead fear had flesh, and its name is Kulvorix. The Demon of Terror and Fear is truly the stuff of nightmares, not only for his near deific power, but it is his perfect understanding of the mind of any creature. His domain not only includes rational creatures which can understand fear, but also to know the weaknesses of almost any creature he encounters. And for that reason, Kulvorix is the natural enemy of every living being in the cosmos. However, he is also an extremely powerful ally for that very same reason. It is tough to call Kulvorix a creature in the same way any other Archdemon is, for he is not really. He was not born, he was made, by Baba Yagas manipulation of Correlon she spawned Kulvorix as her first progeny. And so incredible was his power that it did not take long for him to terrify even Baba yaga into sealing a pact with asmosdeus to rid him from the Feywild, and drag him to the depths of Malbolge, but not even those chains could hold him for long, forcing Glasya to banish Kulvorix to the abyss in hopes the Archdemons would kill him, or at the very least vice versa. But neither happened, instead Kulvorix fit well among the other lords of the abyss, and was invited by Graz’zt to join the court of Kroll, which he accepted. While Kulvorix is among the court, they each disdain him and vice versa, however for the time being the agreement is mutually beneficial, until a shift were to arrive in the blood war which would cause them to become enemies again.
Another reason Kulvorix is unique among the princes is that his goals do not entirely align. He does not wish to rest of the cosmos to think as he does, instead he wants the reverse. He wants all of the cosmos to drenched in their own terror for eternity and for hope to be erased along with any who could oppose him. Kulvorix is often depicted as a humanoid esque creature with maggots and insects burrowing through its obsidian body, and the head of spider covering its head, barring a groaning elven esque mouth with a grotesque smile and four other arachnid legs that twitch out of its back.
Cult: Kulvorix seldom has entire cults dedicated to him for his ideals automatically breed infighting and betrayals, instead his cult is an entire race often known as Dark elves. The dark elves were once indistinguishable from other elves who lived under Baba Yagas cruel reign in the Feywild. Some of these elves saw the infighting between Yaga and Kulvorix, and sworn themselves to Kulvorix launching a revolt. These elves were the first to banished to the Material plane and became known as the Martyred Elves. Since then Dark elven society has been forced underground and lived in fear of their god and forced that fear onto others. While not all of the dark elves are among these enclaves, they are incredibly hard societies to escape. Outside these another group of individuals are drawn to worship of Kulvorix are tyrannical dictators or paranoid leaders who wish to gain control over their subjects.
Mammon:Hated, spurned and banished from the hells recently after his failed incursion upon the material plane which lead to a great loss for the devils in the blood war. Having been recently replaced in Minarous by Ephelemon given his exit from the Githyanki city of Tu’narath. Having been taken of everything he owned, mammon quickly fell into madness, but his infernal cunning would remain, as piece by piece mammon would continue to re-establish his fortune. However it would not be long before other beings, such as the cult of Tiamat would view his greed as a threat to theirs, and they wished to eradicate him. Mammon was forced to seek less favourable hoards to steal from, until he came into the domain of Valaclu. While the two fought for years that became decades, Mammon would become trapped on the abyss which only increased his greed more and more, he also began to learn more of the court of Kroll who were announced enemies of Hell. And so was able to come in contact with another former Archdevil, Graz’zt. The two old enemies discussed the danger of their former home, and with that Mammon agreed to join alongside the Court of Kroll, and seize his own place of power within the abyss and become an archdemon. As of now mammon plots and manipulates the material plane as he once did as a devil, but now without the restrictons of hell and now only for his own selfish desires. In his new role as Demon, mammon has become obsessed with power and seeks out magical artifacts and knowledge which can allow him to undo his mistakes and seize the material plane for himself. He has a vast array of sentient weapons which he grants to chosen mortals who will serve his greed for all things. Mammon now has a paradoxical relationship with Valaclu, simultaneously bound together by the abyss, yet despising the other for hypocritical reasons, the two selfishly fight over everything from an artifact to a scroll with the same fervour. Mammon is now often depicted as being unanble to show his true draconic form, and now is shown to be a well dressed Black and gold vaguely infernal man, with draconic scales that cover his face and body, and wielding a cane with a large beautiful Topaz like gem upon it.
Cult: Mammons cultists often include greedy nobles who seek to possess all they possibly can, but the main group who pay homage to Mammon are the Nexus. The Nexus operate as a secret society of bankers who operate behind the scenes of many of the worlds largest cities, and manipulate the populace into losing all of their coin and status to the Nexus. The nexus has a large group of enforcers who wields the weapons of mammon who enact their will across bavelion.
Seeth: It is said once Seeth was once two completely separate entities known as Juiblex and Zuggtomy who lived in a paradoxical relationship together on a shared plane. Both creatures sought dominion of the entirety of the cosmos and as such eventually that included each other. The two demons battled and consumed one another until nothing but a horrific sludge of blood, muscle and bile remained and it had life, and it called itself Seeth. Seeth wants nothing more than to become the only living thing in the cosmos and then to destroy reality itself. But seeth doesn’t only use brutish force. Instead, it sprouts strange fungal plants upon an incursion which release controlling spores that eventually twist the form of the creature they infect until they become one with seeth, and try to infect all other creatures with its pestilence until they all become one. Seeth is as much a member of the court of Kroll, and might even hate them more than asmodeus. However, the Court treat Seeth as an easily manipulated dog who can hunt and destroy all creatures on a plane with ease, and at that it is extremely effective. Seeth knows that one day the court will attempt to destroy it to rid it from the cosmos, so it choses to abide by the courts commands while consuming as much as it possibly can to destroy the court when that time comes.

Type

Religious, Pantheon