Devil

The definition "devil" in the common use refers to the species living within the Nine Hells. It comes from an older word for the term traitor, before becoming used more specifically for the agressors of the God War during and after its course.
Nowadays, devils are creatures imprisoned by magic binding them to the Nine Hells, along with rules greatly restricting what they are able to do on the Material Plane. The leader of the devils, Zaldir, is permanently trapped within the lowest layer of the Hells, but still holds a significant amount of power over his realm.

Heirarchy

The entirety of the Nine Hells is ruled by a heirarchy of devils. They come in many different types, and have many different forms depending on the layer they are from.

Archdevils

Archdevils are beings with deity-like power, that rule the different layers of the Nine Hells. There are nine archdevils in existence at any given point. The current archdevils, in order, are:

• Thudar
• Zyenar
• Shaeyr
• Gidarr
• Enir
• Lutzot
• Ssarahas
• Lyrveld
• Zaldir

There is much unrest in the hells, and many of the layers have devils warring for who can be the archdevil. The archdevils are technically greater devils, but they also have control over their layer of the Hells and command over its residents.

Greater Devils

Greater devils are also devils with deity-like power, who have a unique appearance and are often worshipped in cults in the material plane. They reside in one of the layers of hell, and fall under the jurisdiction and command of one of the archdevils. This does not stop them from scheming against the archdevils - loyalty is rare in the hells.

Lesser Devils

The lesser devils of the hells were formed from those who worshipped or were angels of the archdevils and greater devils before the God War. They gained immortality, in exchange for a bestial appearance and a set of magically-enforced rules, if they refused to denounce their god at the end of the God War. New devils are made from the souls of those who die having been tainted by one of the devils, either allowing their actions to have been corrupted by the influence of a devil or by having worshipped a devil during their lifetimes.
Lesser devils can be further split up into five categories, each at different parts of the heirarchy. These are auctorians, the highest ranking devil type, followed by pollential, opulentei, auxial, and praentian devils. Each of these devil types have a place on the heirarchy, and serve a specific purpose.

Auctorian

Auctorian devils are the highest in the devil heirarchy. They were the angels of the archdevils and greater devils when they were cast into the hells, and there are a limited number of them alive. Promotion to the rank of auctorian is not allowed, though whether this is due to tradition or physical inability is unclear.

Pollential

Pollentials are powerful devils meant for fighting. They are the second-highest in the devil hierarchy, and the highest rank that one can be promoted to. Pollentials are often large, powerful fighters with weapons and armour made in the forges of the hells. They are responsible for much of the enforcement of the order in the Nine Hells, and they are unleashed for battles either between the devils and demons, or between two different archdevils or greater devils. They typically don't care who they're fighting, so long as they are spilling blood.

Opulentei

Opulentei devils are those that go to the material plane with the intention of corrupting creatures into sending their souls to the hells upon death. While technically the same level in the heirarchy as Pollentials, they are a separate group somewhat detached from the devil heirarchy. They are permitted to make deals with mortals, and often have a dual form, allowing them to shift between a devil-like appearance and a humanoid one. They are also defended against attacks from creatures they have not provoked, allowing them to operate undisturbed.

Auxial

Auxial devils are the second lowest rank in the devil heirarchy, weaker creatures often used as cannonfodder. They can be promoted to either opulentei or pollential status at the discretion of their auctorian, the devil that they report to. They are not very respected, but are sometimes sent on smaller tasks.

Praentian

Praentian devils are small, pathetic creatures that can barely be considered devils. They are the souls of those who have died and progressed to the nine hells, and they are the target of much abuse from the other devils. They can be promoted to Auxial devils at the discretion of an opulentei or pollential devil, but this is entirely random.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

All devils take two names. The first of these is their true name, known only by them. This name gives one power over a devil, and so is kept a closely guarded secret. The second name is one chosen by the devil, and the one that they use and introduce themselves as.
True names tend to be long, gutteral noises. They are unique, with no two devils having the same name. When a devil is born from the soul of a recently-deceased mortal, they wake up with the knowledge of their name and its power, and shortly choose another.