Demon Lord

A demon lord is an exceptionally powerful and ancient Demon who rules a portion of one of the Lower Planes.
The origin of the demon lords is unclear. Most were likely created by or from the Titans who Fricka punished during the Age of Audacity, expressions of pure malice from the spirits of gods who were struck down from the Celestial Courts. They formed The Abyss, Carceri, Gehenna, and Pandemonium in the images of their desires and filled them with similarly chaotic and evil creatures to rule over.
Demon lords desire nothing more than to destroy the multiverse and recreate it entirely in their images. Each demon lord's corner of their realm is shaped by their vile personality and twisted desires, and no demon lord leaves their realm for long, for fear that another powerful demon might reshape it to their own whims.
Some demon lords bind parts of their life force to powerful artifacts that they release onto the Material Plane. These artifacts grant incredible power to any mortal that attempts to use them; however, they slowly corrupt their Soul, eventually dissolving it entirely into the possession of the demon lord. In exchange for this power, the demon lord gets additional assurance that they cannot be destroyed even in the fiercest battles of the Blood Wars.
Though most mortals fear and hate demon lords, some covet their power and worship them in hopes of attaining it. Cults to the demon lords proliferate in dark corners of the Material Plane among the dispossessed and power-hungry, constructing portals and ziggurats to their dark lords in hopes of connecting with their realms. These cultists are sometimes touched by visions, madnesses, and strange transformations in accordance wtih their chosen lord's desires.
A few demon lords have made homes outside of the Lower Planes, where they exert their influence on the world around them in terrible ways. The best-known of these is the Caorthannach, who lives in the Feywild. According to legend, she has been trapped there in slumber for 1100 years by a deal made with Telwyth-Teg. When she is awake and presiding over the realm, all Fey can be killed outright, even the Archfey Regnant.

Type

Religious, Special

Equates to

Archdevil

Current Holders

• Akyishigal
• Alquam
• Baphomet
• Camazotz
• Crowley
• Demogorgon
• Graz'zt
• Lolth
• Mechuiti
• Orcus
• Qorgeth the Devourer
• Yeenoghu
• Zuggtmoy

Related Locations

• Carceri
• Gehenna
• Lower Planes
• Pandemonium
• The Abyss