Archdevils

What are the Archdevils?

The Archdevils, or the Dukes of Hell, are the leaders of the Infernal Hierarchy of Devils, and each rules one of the Nine Layers of Hell. Each is incredibly intelligent and powerful, commanding powerful magic and an army of hellish servitors. Their primary goal is to gather Souls and Soul Essence to strengthen the forces of Hell in their eternal war against the forces of good and chaos, though they also constantly plot and scheme against each other in an endless bid to increase their own personal power. Though devils are bound to the strict rules of Hell, and compelled to obey any devil of higher rank, it is in learning to navigate these rules that the Archdevils were able to bargain and backstab their way to the top, meaning that any who deal with them must be very wary.

The Powers of the Archdevils

The Archdevils hold power equivalent to that of Demigods, controlling three divine aspects, and are granted a layer of Hell to serve as their divine realm. Archdevils possibly have greater control over their divine realm than any other divine being, as they can directly manipulate and control nearly every aspect of their layer, but they are bound to obey several limitations in exchange for this power, the main one being that they cannot restrict the passage of souls from one layer to the next. Each Archdevil is granted the divine aspect of Tyranny, though the other two are unique to each individual Archdevil. Aside from their direct power over their realms, and the commanding of infernal armies, Archdevils also take on the role of judge and have the final say on settling any dispute that takes place in their lands. At all times there are required to be a total of nine Archdevils. The middle seven each are granted domain over a specific sin, and are known as the Dukes of Sin. The other two Archdevils are the Gatekeeper, and the Prince of Hell.

The Gatekeeper

The Gatekeeper rules the first layer of Hell, and is the second most powerful Archdevil, second only to the Prince of Hell, though at the same time the position is a dangerous one to hold, and the position has been used as both a reward for loyal followers and as a way of removing dissidents at different times. The Gatekeeper is granted the authority to judge every soul that is sent to Hell, and determine which layer of Hell is most appropriate for it. This gives the Gatekeeper tremendous influence over the other layers, as though they cannot completely stop the flow of souls to any one layer, it is certainly known that they will more often direct souls to layers that have their favor when the decision is less clear. As a reward the Gatekeeper is granted a portion of the Soul Essence of Every Soul that passes into Hell, and gains an extra divine aspect, becoming the equivalent of a minor god. Though ruling the first layer places two distinct dangers upon the Gatekeeper. The first is that the Gatekeeper is responsible for the protection of all of Hell. The first layer serves as the front lines against regular incursions from all of Hell’s enemies, namely demons and celestials. This is why a strong Gatekeeper is needed to protect Hell, and why many weaker Archdevils have met their demise holding the position. The second danger comes from within Hell itself, as holding the first layer puts the Gatekeeper far from the other layers, making it far more difficult to gain the information crucial to surviving the harsh politics of Hell.

The Prince of Hell

The leader of Hell, and the most powerful Archdevil, is the Prince of Hell. The Prince of Hell is equivalent to a major god, controlling a full five divine aspects. Challenging the Prince of Hell requires approval from at least four of the seven Archdevils aside from the Gatekeeper of the reigning Prince. The Prince of Hell has several responsibilities besides the general ruling of Hell. The Prince is expected to serve as the chief judge in settling disputes between entities in Hell whenever an Archdevil passes on a particular case, and is in charge of keeping an archive of every infernal pact ever signed. The Prince also maintains a series of diplomatic agreements with the other planes. The current Prince of Hell is the Archdevil Baal, the first devil and first Prince of Hell, who has been deposed on occasion, but has never permanently ousted, managing to reclaim the throne each time he has been forced off.

Worship of the Archdevils 

Worshipping the Archdevils is uncommon, but not unheard of. Most of the worshipper come in the form of secretive cults hidden throughout the material plane, who work as agents of the devils and gather souls or enact plots to further their goals. Worshipping devils is usually fairly transactional in nature, and those that do so are usually motivated by promises of power, in exchange for service and their soul after they perish. There are nations that do simply worship the Archdevils in place of any pantheon of gods, though this poses some difficulties as it makes them unpopular diplomatic partners, given their propensity for slavery and the sacrificing of other sentient beings.