Asmodeus

Asmodeus (as-MO-dee-us)is the god of Tyranny, Slavery, and Pride. He was the first being to achieve godhood after the creation of the multiverse by the nine. He was also the first angel to fall and the first devil in existence. In Judeo-Christian belief, he is known Lucifer and is often misconstrued as a separate entity, but it is Asmodeus nonetheless.

History

Asmodeus spawned as an Archangel in the first moments of creation alongside his brother Ihys. He and Ihys aided the gods in their creation of the universe, binding them by a set of fundamental laws. But when he and Ihys created mortals, they disagreed on the direction of their creation. Behind Asmodeus’ back, Ihys grant free will to the mortals. When Asmodeus tried to show Ihys the chaos and destruction he had created, Ihys instead chose to see the good that also came about.

War then tore the Heavens as Asmodeus and Ihys fought. When they met for the last time, Asmodeus offered a hand in brotherhood and then betrayed Ihys, murdering him with a great spear. Out of sympathy for his brother, Asmodeus allowed the mortals to keep their free will. He left Heaven and created Hell as a place of absolute and merciless order. Thus, he fell becoming the first Archdevil and the Lord of Nessus, the ninth hell. Those that followed him he turned into greater devils, and his eight generals, he made into the other eight Archdevils.

Asmodeus later conducted a profane ritual to assume divinity. Over the course of the week it took to cast the ritual, a long and bloody battle ensued between the forces of Hell, led by the archdevils Typhon, Mammon, Moloch, and Baalzebul, and the forces of Elysium, led by the archangels Thadriel and Auriel. On the fifth day, the archangels Gabriel, Imperius, Michael, and Raphael arrived with a heavenly host of angels and archons to reinforce the Elysian army. The tide began to turn when Typhon was slain by Thadriel. To take advantage of turn the empyreal lord Ragathiel, the General of Vengeance and son of Dispater, led a strike force to Avernus and killed Typhon as he was reconstituting, destroying him forever.

Despite the turn, the forces of Celestia lost the battle when the ritual finished and Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, Geryon, Belial, and Dispater joined the battle. in the ensuing carnage, Thadriel and Imperius were destroyed and forced to reconstitute. The fall of their main generals forced the remaining celestials to retreat back to their home planes. To this day, it remains the worst defeat for the celestial forces, and the largest battle the planes have ever seen, with tens of millions of angels, archons, Azata, and devils partaking in the fight.

Relationships

Asmodeus is the brother of Ihys, and together were the first Archangels.

Asmodeus believes all to be beneath him and regards other faiths with mild amusement, seeing them as weak. He gives more respect to other deities who stress the rule of law, such as Khaldir, Alene, and Breana.

Asmodeus is served by Rhuxaros and the Archdevils, though they are all constantly vying for his power.

Appearance

Asmodeus has retained his appearance from when we was an archdevil. He has light red skin, glowing red eyes, black hair, a well-kept black goatee, long horns and cloven hooves. He typically wears a red and black robe with sharp shoulders and a tall collar.

Church of Asmodeus

Asmodeus’ faith is only openly accepted in the Kyraseian Empire.

Clergy

Asmodeus' priests usually dress in clean and orderly red-accented black dress, and often wear horned masks or helmets for ceremonies. Clothing worn is usually expensive, and clearly so, as the faith preaches that wealth attracts wealth. In most countries, priests are expected to abide by local laws and take sacrifices only from willing victims. It is also common for individual priests to offer the sacrifice of a small animal before preparing spells.

The ranks of the Asmodean hierarchy are detailed and heavily tiered, much like the rulership of Hell itself. High ranks include cardinal and demicardinal, and other ranks include high priest (a local position).

Temples and Shrines

Public temples dedicated to Asmodeus contain many diabolical motifs, and can be found throughout the Kyraseian Empire and its dependencies, often existing alongside and within the nation's government buildings. In other places he is worshiped in secret houses that exist throughout Elysiar. Many of his temples were originally dedicated to other gods, and later acquired by his faithful to serve their profane purposes. While in the churches of other deities Asmodeus is most often depicted as an adversary or foil, the Church of Asmodeus always shows him in a position of dominance, with other gods bowing down before him.

Asmodeus by Aleksi Briclot

Basic Information

Titles
The Prince of Hell
The Prince of Darkness
The Archfiend

Pantheon
The Elysiar Pantheon

Gender
Masculine

1st Edition Pathfinder Statistics

Alignment
Lawful Evil

Symbol
A Red Pentagram

Home Plane
Nessus, Hell

Portfolio
Tyranny, Slavery, Pride, Contracts

Domains
Evil, Fire, Law, Magic, Trickery

Subdomains
Arcane, Ash, Deception, Devil, Divine, Legislation, Smoke

Worshippers
Slavers, bureaucrats, tyrants

Worshipper Alignments
LE, LN, NE

Favored Weapon
Ruby Rod (Heavy Mace)

Avatar
Wizard 40
Fighter 20