Belros Azul (Bell-ross Ah-zool)

King of Hell, Prince of Darkness, The Ascended

"And thus, with Belegor defeated and the Seven Hells under the sole dominion of the Prince of Darkness, Belros raised his fist in triumph, and when the fiends of the pit cheered, the reverberations could be felt in the hallowed halls of the Light, and for the first time in an Age, they knew fear."

Ascension 9:11

The Black Bible

Chosen to arise as the next of the Demonlords after the failed coup attempt by Eltax and Kalzad during the Emerald Age, little is known about the mortal life of Belros Azul before his ascension as the Lord of Power and ruler of the First Layer of Hell. It is known that in his mortal days he lived as an Eldari mage, and was a quite powerful one before his fall into the pit. It is known that the demons Yzgaroth, Baphomet and Djzargo followed him thusly, and were instrumental in his rise. Some speculate that he fell intentionally, and that it was the plan all along of the four to eventually topple Belegor and arise as the new King of Hell. If that is true, undoubtably none knew of it outside of those four.

Belros aquitted himself well during his time as the Lord of Power, and quickly grew in Belegor's favor, proving himself time and again an useful piece in the conflict against The Light. The closer Belros grew to Belegor however, the more intimately he was able to insinuate himself into his plans, allowing him even easier access to topple him. It was during this time that Belros and his compatriots enlisted the assistance of Aeltruad, Lord of Lies in their plot, and the conspirators decided to search for the Fist of the Father. Discovering tales of this relic in some lost infernal tome, they scoured the Nether Abyss for it, before finally discovering the gate to the lost realm of Orobeus. As they delved within it they found great danger, but the risk paid off when they escaped with the Fist. Returning to utilize it against Belegor, Belros' four companions were able to distract Belegor long enough for Belros to activate the artifact, causing Belegor's divine essence to be absorbed by Belros. The coup was complete, and as Belegor fled Rancor Belros was declared the new King of Hell.

While the rest of the Known Realms waited to see what the next move from the new king would be, Belros struck hard and fast. Deciding that the war could not be won in the Nether Abyss, Belros unleashed a new coordinated campaign upon the known realms. Pulling back to a defensive position in his holdings in the Nether Abyss, Belros unleashed his greatest generals, Yzgaroth, Baphomet, Aeltruad, himself and others upon the Inner Realms, leaving Djzargo in charge of the defensive of Rancor. The resulting damage was catastrophic. Several demonic hordes unleashed upon an unprepared Earedar, and the realm would never be the same.

This event became known as the Infernal Crusade and would define a period of over 700 years of constant conflict and devastation in the Inner Realms. Belros, Baphomet and Xantanas would invade Delnakar, while at the same time Aeltruad, Timmaroth and Zalindra invaded the Elswyld. The destruction was immediate and catastrophic. The vampire nations of Delnakar quickly fell under the sway of the shadow, and within a short half century the entire realm was under the rule of Xanatas, Lady of Sin. The fight within the Elswyld was much harder fought, and even to the end of the conflict there were still large portions of the realm that would not submit to Aeltruad’s dominion. It is largely considered to the be the failing of Aeltruad to secure a quick victory in the Fey Realm to be Earedar’s saving grace, as he could not send reinforcements to the invasion of Earedar.

Yzgaroth was the first to touch down on the soil of Earedar, the right hand of Belros. He landed at what is now known as the Shattered Throne and called all true followers of the Shadow to his side, forming the Felidar Imperium. It is from here that he unleashed his campaign against the Elder Races, making war against the now reformed Second Vraekar Empire, the High Kingdom of the Stonelands and the Iskari Empire alike. The Free Marches were ravaged, and eventually Baphomet was able to arrive in reinforcement in the Dragon Coast, in the place now known as Jikarel, while Malpheus landed in what is now known as Maldeus. Eventually Belros himself would join them as well in the Xa'a Empire, and together they unleashed literal hell on Earedar. The Third Dynasty of Xa’a was toppled when Belros himself conquered their capital, and the First Iskari Empire also fell mysteriously during this time, despite not having a direct invasion of that empire. The Republic of Tyrn was toppled by Yzgaroth, and the entirety of the Dragon Coast and the Khakari Wildlands was set aflame by the forces of Baphomet. Only the High Kingdom of the Stonelands and the Second Vraekar Empire, under the Silver Dragon Emperor was spared, as Malpheus was unable to conquer those lands.

As is now well known, it was at this time that Celestine returned. Called by the tearing of the fabric of reality, Celestine was furious with the impudent Belros, that her mother’s creation might be destroyed by his petulance. To safeguard the Inner Realms and confine the conflict to the Nether Abyss, Celestine cast a mighty spell, now known as Celestine's Law. It prohibited planar travel as well as teleportation within the Inner Realms, and greatly restricted it in the Outer Realms. She then cast out all extraplanar beings from the Inner Realms, and thus restored peace before retreating into oblivion. But the damage was done. Mighty empires destroyed, knowledge that was once known was lost, and many had died. Thus ended the Infernal Crusade. Belros has spent the time since in the Age of Storms slowly recovering his power and biding his time. Most recently he has made repeated efforts to circumnavigate Celestine's Law, most famously successful during The Calamity and the Fall of Illidion.

General Information

Symbol: The Flaming Fist
Portfolio: Ambition, Power, Warlocks, The Shadow, Demons, Devils and Shadowfiends
Domains: Arcana, Demonic, Infernal, Shadow, War
Favored Weapon: Battleaxe
Title: King of Hell, Prince of Darkness, The Ascended
Blessing: Belros does not allow his followers to take one on damage rolls.

Relationships

No Known Partners
No Known Children

Faiths, Cults and Organizations

Circle of Shadows- Most prominent within the Felidar Imperium, Yvren and other places where the Shadow holds sway, the Circle of Shadows is comprised of a cabal of warlocks, clerics, priests and other mages who draw upon the Shadow for their power. Fueled by raw ambition, members of the Circle are driven to accumulate as much power as possible, often at the expense of others, or even their own members. They are often cruel and unforgiving, and can be found acting as priests amongst those regions controlled by the forces of darkness. They venerate Belros Azul above all others as the pinnacle of their ideals.
Order of the Black Hand- Famously began in the Felidar Imperium during the Infernal Crusade, the Order of the Black Hand is a brotherhood of Death Knights whose goal is the complete elimination of The Light as well as the accumulation of power. First among them is Vraska, and they are known for being ferocious warriors, reveling in bloodshed. Their leader is often referred to as the Chosen of Belros.

Divine Classification

Elder God

Date of Birth

Emerald Age

Gender

Male