Lords of Darkness

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Sir Exxon: Hey, Mario, do you have any other cool historys to us? Like for an example how the Nine Hells were created? Or did you tell all in he other post?

This might be of interest to you then. [img]smile.gif[/img]


Prehistory of Hell
Copyright © 1999 by Heiner de Wendt
"And so it came that the first life appeared on the Outer Planes, known at that times as the Land of Spirits. And that was the first life, spirits of ideas, embodiments of concepts. It is not known which spirit race became existent first, or if all of them were born at once - eventually, though, they found out they were not able to live together, and separated themselves from each other.

And thus it was that the Center Lands became only the home of the remaining life, those concept spirits who agreed and understood the ideas of all, and were able to live together with all of their brethren. The others, though, went away, forming the far lands of the Center into separate regions. And thus formed Arborea, great Mount Celestia, Pandemonium, the Abyss, and all the others. And among them all was Baator.

The spirit beings of the Deep Lands, now separated from the Center Land, lived in the Scattered Land, or Taeter Nasse, Web of Atrocity, and in the Land of Pure Hatred, and Barathrum, the Deep Pit, the Abyss. These were the first of the Deep Lands. Those beings that were called Barathros, denizens of Barathrum, dwelled in the nine-layered pit, rising in power as they descended. Those spirit beings dwelling here began their life as blind, deaf and dumb weaklings, but they carried the seed of immortality, hatred and subjugation in themselves. But some of them had already grown, back in the times when all Spirit beings still dwelled in the Center Lands. The more powerful they were, the fewer they were. Thus, the weakest of the Barathros dwelled in the first layer, while in the Ninth layer, only the most powerful of these beings lived. They were the lords of Barathros, rulers of the Deepest Pit, the purest and most powerful embodiments of their concepts.

And thus did the Spirit beings live in their lands, struggling against each other in their obsession to proof that only the concepts they represented were the right ones. But then, a new form of life arouse, life that was born out of matter, but imbued with spirit - mortals. And these beings were the beginning of a new era, as they were born without concepts in mind, instead able to learn them, or - impossible to imagine for the Spirit beings of the Land of Spirits - even create new concepts. And every time a mortal died, his spirit went to the Land of Spirits, and formed it. Every mortal that reached the Land of Spirits brought with him new concepts, new ideas. And thus it was that the Land of Spirits was scattered even more, and new races arose. And not only were new races created, but also new Lands, and new names: Pandemonium, as the concept of howling evil insanity, Gehenna, as the concept of bitterness and mercilessness, and so on. Those mortals that agreed with the concepts of the Spirit beings, though, became part of that race.

The Barathros allowed this; they assimilated all new souls to gain more power. The denizens of the Scattered Land were too chaotic for a common behavior - they included some of the new spirits into their race, those that were vile and raging enough; the others were either slain or ignored, dwelling alongside the masters of the Scattered Land. The denizens of the Land of Pure Hatred were different, though. They observed, and planned. They watched as the mortal spirits began to rise, and reach power that was nearly as great as that of the Lords of Pure Hatred.

These Lords and all their lesser brethren were soldiers seemingly fighting for all sides - for that of rage and that of obsessive, destructive rigidity. The truth, though, was that they fought for hatred, and nothing else, as that was what they were all about.

With the rise of the mortal spirits, though, they recognized their power stumbling. Many of them were slaughtered in the Great War of Concepts, and the power of the remaining ones slowly vanished as the mortal spirits took their place, one by one. But after a long, long time of observing, the Lords of Pure Hatred reacted, and they reacted perfectly.

With all their might, they started a new age of the Great War, forcing or tempting all of the mortal spirits of Pure Hatred to fight the Spirit Beings of The Scattered Lands, Taeter Nasse, as well as those of Barathrum. And they tempted the young mortal spirits to overcome the Ancients and take their place. And thus, the War of Concepts turned into a war of the Spirits of the Mortals against the true Spirit beings.

Seemingly, the Spirits of the Mortals were victorious. But the truth was that only the Lords of Pure Hatred had won. The Spirit beings of Barathrum and Taeter Nasse were defeated, and the Lords of Pure Hatred helped the Mortal Spirits' lords to create new orders or new chaos respectively. They gave the new rulers their names, and they told them the names for the Lands over which they ruled.

Barathrum was now called Barathrum Attorquo - The Ascended Deep Pits. And the denizens of that Land were now called Barathrum Attorquo Zelotes, the Ardent Denizens of Barathrum Attorquo. Over time, these names corrupted into Ba'Attor, and Ba'Att'Ze, and finally into Baator and Baatezu.

The same happened with the denizens of Taeter Nasse- the Ta'Na'Ri, with "Ri" being the corrupted rest of "Risor", or mocker. And as a mockery of the ancient name of their opposing Land, Taeter Nasse was now called The Abyss, taking the name of Barathrum for itself.

The mortal spirits of Pure Hatred, of course, were not allowed to take over anything - most of them were slaughtered in the Great War, and the remaining ones were weak and easily subjugated. And thus have the Lords of Pure Hatred done, forcing them to remain in whatever form they get, without any chance of rising in power, so that the status of the Lords of Pure Hatred and their lesser brethren shall never be threatened again. And in the Deep Lands, which were then called the Lower Planes, the Lords of Pure Hatred have proofed that their concept was more powerful than those of Rage and Rigidity, as they had defeated them, and now, secretly, controlled them.

But not yet have they finished their war. The mortal spirits reaching Ba'Attor still turned into those beings that originally dwelled there, and only by having them changed artificially, and not be allowed to develop, was the defeat of the Concept of Evil Rigidity assured. And although the Chaos hides most of this, the same applies for what was now called the Abyss, and the more powerful denizens of that Land force those that just arrive into forms they like. From there on, the mortal spirits were unable to return to the normal development of the ancient denizens of Taeter Nasse, and can be allowed to develop into whatever they want - they will never be one of those who could threaten the Lords of Pure Hatred.

Still, the danger exists. A denizen of Barathrum might slip through the rigidity of the Baatezu, or a denizen of Taeter Nasse might escape the artificial chaos of the Tanar'ri. If such a being succeeds in rising in power, the consequences might be as a multiversal earthquake. Maybe one such being is enough to challenge the Lords of Baator or of the Abyss or even the Lords of Pure Hatred themselves. Maybe, though, one such being is enough to let the ancient Spirit Beings of Taeter Nasse and Barathrum return, if they do still exist..."



[ 05-07-2002, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[Sir Exxon]

Ah, thank you. All bow down to the mighty Memnoch!...and [img]graemlins/choc.gif[/img] of course...

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Suzaku: So are all the powerhouses demons, or are there some spiffy dragons around as well? Maybe Gem ones? I'm just a dragon freak, so...

Not at all. One of the most powerful is the Queen of Evil Dragons, the Chromatic Dragon, Tiamat. Also known as the Queen of Many Colors and of None, Tiamat is actually technically more powerful than many of the Lords of the Nine (with the possible exception of Baalzebul, Mephistopheles and Asmodeus) - she is a deity (divine rank 10), meaning that she gains divine strength based on how many worshippers she has (if you follow the Forgotten Realms cosmology). She is the slayer of the demigod Gilgeam the Tyrant who ruled Unther for thousands of years. Her Church on Faerun is growing rapidly. One of her avatars was the Chessentan hero, the red dragon Tchazzar. She is also a major power in the Prime world of Krynn.

It's a commonly-held misconception that Tiamat rules Avernus, the first layer of Hell - she doesn't, Bel the pit fiend does. Tiamat GUARDS the entrance from Avernus to Dis (the second layer) which lies near the Pillar of Skulls, which is where she lairs. This was allegedly the result of a long-ago contract with Asmodeus. She cares nothing for the politics of the Nine Hells and only gets involved in the Blood War if demonic incursions threaten this gate, in which case she can be a very fearsome adversary. Her treasure hoard is said to rival that of a hundred Prime worlds.

In her natural form, Tiamat is a thick-bodied dragon with five heads and wyvern's tail. Each head is a different color - white, black, red, blue and green, and her massive body is striped in those colours.

Here are her stats.


Tiamat
Colossal Dragon
Hit Dice: 49d12+588 (906 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative)
Speed: 40 ft., Fly 150 ft. (clumsy), Sw 40 ft.
AC: 50 (-8 size, +48 natural)
Attacks: 5 Bites, +60 melee; 2 wings, +55 melee; sting, +55 melee
Damage: Bite, 4d6+19; wings, 2d8+9; sting, 4d6+9 plus poison
Face/Reach: 15'x40' / 15'
Special Attacks: Breath weapons, frightful presence, sound imitation, spells, spell-like abilities
Special Defenses: Scent, spell resistance 30, damage reduction (25/+4), immunities, see invisibility, keen senses, water breathing
Saves: Fort +39, Ref +27, Will +34
Abilities: Str 49, Dex 10, Con 35, Int 28, Wis 25, Cha 28
Skills: Alchemy +35, Bluff +61, Concentration +63, Diplomacy +61, Gather Information +59, Intimidate +61, Knowledge (Arcana) +31, Knowledge (Dragonkind) +34, Knowledge (History) +31, Knowledge (the Planes) +31, Knowledge (Religion) +31, Listen +61, Scry +61, Search +61, Sense Motive +59, Spellcraft +61, Spot +61, Wilderness Lore +33.
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Hover, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Initiative, Expertise, Fly-By Attack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-like Ability (domination), Snatch, Wingover
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1), Troupe (Tiamat and 1d6 chromatic dragons of age categories d8+4)
Challenge Level: 25 (solitary)
Treasure: When traveling, Tiamat carries her magic items and 2d12+2 gems of various sizes. Her lair contains 2d4 level 20 treasures.
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement Range: N/A

Combat:

Multiple Heads: As shown above, Tiamat gains five bite attacks per round. A head can be severed with a slashing weapon if the weilder inflicts a single blow causing 185 hp damage.

Breath Weapons (Su): Must wait d4 rounds between using breath weapons. As she has five heads, each head can deliver a different breath weapon. DC 46 Reflex save for half damage for each type of breath weapon:

Cold: 12d6 damage
Acid: 24d4 damage
Gas: 24d6 damage
Lightning: 24d8 damage
Fire: 24d10 damage
Frightful Presence (Ex): Can cause "panicked" or "shaken" state in creatures under 49 HD within a 480' range (DC 43 Will save negates for one day).

Sound Imitation (Ex): Tiamat can mimic any sound or voice. DC 43 Will save to detect.

Spells: Tiamat is a 20th-level sorcerer and a 20th-level Cleric with access to the domains of Evil and Law.

Spell-like Abilities: In addition to her spells, Tiamat can cast each of the following three times per day as a 20th-level caster: command plants, control weather, darkness, domination, fog cloud, gust of wind, mirage arcana, plant growth, suggestion, summon swarm, veil, ventriloquism. DCs against these spells are 19 plus the spell level. She can corrupt water once per day. She can charm reptiles three times per day (as mass charm spell, DC 27 Will save negates).

Poison (Ex): Stung creatures suffer 3d6 temporary Constitution damage (DC 46 Fort save to negate). After 1 minute, make a second save or suffer an additional 3d6 temporary Constitution damage.

Water Breathing (Ex): At will, always active.

Magic Items: Tiamat typically carries these items (not included in stats): amulet of the planes, +8 bracers of armor, carpet of flying, cloak of displacement, crystal ball with detect thoughts, darkskull, iron bands of Bilarro, iron flask, orb of storms, portable hole, +5 ring of deflection, +5 ring of resistance, rod of rulership, rod of splendor.



[ 05-07-2002, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[Suzaku]

Ah yes, thank you(do they all have to be evil?).

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Suzaku: Ah yes, thank you(do they all have to be evil?).

Well, seeing as this is a Lords of Darkness thread...

But if you insist. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, is the King of Good Dragons. Also known as the Master of the North Wind, he dwells in a magnificent flying palace in Mercuria, the second layer of Mount Celestia. This palace can travel through the first four layers of the Holy Mount at will. He is also a major power on Krynn, where he goes by such names as Paladine and Fizban.

In his natural form, Bahamut is a long, sinuous dragon covered in silver-white scales that sparkle and gleam even in the dimmest light. Bahamut's catlike eyes are deep blue, as azure as a midsummer sky, some say - others insist that they are frosty indigo, like the heart of a glacier. More likely these accounts reflect the Platinum Dragon's shifting moods.


Bahamut
Colossal Dragon

Hit Dice: 53d12+742 (1086 hp)
Initiative: +4 (Improved Initiative)
Speed: 60 ft., Fly 300 ft. (poor), Sw 60 ft.
AC: 54 (-8 size, +52 natural)
Attacks: Bite, +66 melee; 2 claws, +61 melee; 2 wings, +61 melee; tail slap, +61 melee
Damage: Bite, 4d8+21; claws, 4d6+10; wings, 2d8+10; tail slap, 4d6+10
Face/Reach: 10'x50' / 20'
Special Attacks: Breath weapons, frightful presence, spells, spell-like abilities
Special Defenses: Scent, spell resistance 30, damage reduction (25/+4), immunities, see invisibility, keen senses, water breathing
Saves: Fort +43, Ref +29, Will +42
Abilities: Str 53, Dex 10, Con 39, Int 35, Wis 36, Cha 35
Skills: Alchemy +40, Animal Empathy +40, Bluff +65, Concentration +72, Diplomacy +65, Disguise +34, Escape Artist +56, Gather Information +65, Heal +41, Intimidate +65, Intuit Direction +41, Knowledge (Arcana) +34, Knowledge (Dragonkind) +37, Knowledge (History) +34, Knowledge (Nature) +34, Knowledge (the Planes) +34, Knowledge (Religion) +34, Listen +71, Scry +68, Search +65, Sense Motive +69, Spellcraft +68, Spot +71, Wilderness Lore +41.
Feats: Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Hover, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Expertise, Fly-By Attack, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-like Ability (sunburst), Snatch, Wingover
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary (1), Troupe (Bahamut and seven great gold wyrms)
Challenge Level: 25 (solitary)
Treasure: When traveling, Bahamut carries his magic items and 1d8+4 gems of various sizes. Bahamut's palace contains 2d4 level 20 treasures.
Alignment: Always lawful good
Advancement Range: N/A

Combat:

Breath Weapons (Su): Must wait d4 rounds between using breath weapons.
Cold: 36d10 damage (DC 50 Reflex save for half)
Gaseous Form: stunned and turned gaseous for 32 rounds (DC 50 Fortitude save negates)
Disintegration: (DC 50 Fortitude save negates)
Frightful Presence (Ex): Can cause "panicked" or "shaken" state in creatures under 53 HD within a 480' range (DC 48 Will save negates for one day).

Spells: Bahamut is a 20th-level sorcerer and a 20th-level Cleric with access to the domains of Good and Air.

Spell-like Abilities: In addition to his spells, Bahamut can cast each of the following three times per day as a 20th-level caster: control water, control winds, control weather, create food and water, detect thoughts, feather fall, fog cloud, foresight, quest, speak with animals, and sunburst. Can shapechange at will. DCs against these spells are 14 plus the spell level.

Immunities (Ex): Immune to acid, cold, electricity, fire, poison, sleep, and paralysis. Immune to spells and spell-like powers of 5th level or less.

See Invisible (Ex): Range 1600', always active.

Keen Senses (Ex): Excellent vision; has darkvision to range of 1600'.

Water Breathing (Ex): At will, always active.

Magic Items: Bahamut typically carries these items (not included in stats): amulet of proof against detection and location, bracers of armor +8, cloak of displacement, cubic gate, cube of force, gem of brightness, glove of storing, portable hole, +5 ring of deflection, +5 ring of resistance, rod of alertness, rod of cancellation, rod of enemy detection, staff of power.

[Bristowe]

I've always suspected that Bahamut and the 'Platinum Dragon' Paladine from Krynn were the one and only... sweet [img]smile.gif[/img]

I couldn't help thinking you had something else in mind when you said 'Meet Tiamat' and later 'Bahamut,' Memnoch

Great work though, it's interesting to see the stats for the demons and demonesses that are discussed so often but never actually analysed in detail.

[Lord Delarue]

Hi everybody, do you have 'evil planes' except 4 the nine layers of hell, and memnoch can you please answer my thread lords of light, it's about the good rulers of some planes, so can you post stats of them too?

[Lord Delarue]

i meant 9 layers of hell

[Jaegan]

Yo Memnoch, you got ones for, Ashutaros, Berial,Billet,or Paimon?
I really wanna see Berial though.