Asmodeus - The Lord of the Nine Hells

*Return to The Pantheon*

## Depiction

Asmodeus is a handsome fiend with deep red skin, long black hair and two sets of curling horns protruding from his head.

## Tenets

* *Assert dominance and power over others. Show your strength and will in the image of Asmodeus*
* *Repay cruelty done unto you with further evil. If others show you kindness, exploit it.*
* *As you ascend in power, do not pity or show mercy to those you climb over to get there. Compassion is for the weak.*

## History

#### Pre-Ascension

Asmodeus was a celestial warrior residing in the plane of Mt Celestia. He spent many eons fighting various outbreaks of demons and trying to undo the schemes of the devils, but obtained a thirst for combat in the Abyssal Incursion of Eshun during the Second Age. He joined the fight alongside the elemental titans and the dragons to clear the hordes, and proved himself as a skilled combatant and master tactician. His affinity soon turned to obsession, as he spent less and less time resting in order to slay the demons and establish order. Eventually the incursion was defeated, but his thirst for blood was not satisfied. He preached to the higher celestial generals that they could wipe out the demons once and for all if they formed a battalion to march into the Abyss and slay the demon lords whilst they were weakened, but the generals refused to risk any more of their own and deemed his mission pointless. Undeterred, Asmodeus gathered a squadron of like-minded individuals and delved into the Abyss, despite their generals' warnings.

The squadron fought valiantly, but the demonic hordes were too much to handle in the infinite layers of the Abyss. One by one his comrades fell until he was the last man standing. The honour of his squadron and the people of Eshun for his valiant efforts gave him incredible strength to power through far longer than any mortal had before, but ultimately the corruption from the Abyss overpowered him and took him down. But perish he did not; his celestial form was shed and a more demonic one took its place, his skin burning to a deep crimson red and two sets of horns emerging from his temples. Shocked to have survived the encounter, he fled the Abyss and rushed to the seven heavens for aid. The celestials shunned him for his rash actions which had caused his comrades to fall in an ultimately pointless battle, for they believed the demons could never be eradicated. They sensed a darkness in his heart, bolstered by the corruption from the Abyss, and forced him into exile from Mt Celestia. He rushed to the material plane for solace amongst those he once protected, but was met with the same fear and shunning from there as well. Enraged, he swore revenge on his celestial brethren and Eshun for casting him aside after all he had done to protect it. He wandered the planes lost and alone, and his emotions guided him to the grey wastes of Hades where he remained stuck in a perpetual cycle of gloom and self-hatred for many eons.

Asmodeus eventually jumped into the river Styx in an attempt to drown himself, but instead washed up on the shores of Avernus. In the land of the devils he once fought against, he was disgusted, but from wandering the wastes found that their ideals were not so different to his, for the devils too wished to eradicate the demons and were branded as evil for their unconventional way of solving problems. With his incredible power that lurked within, Asmodeus quickly rised through the ranks of devils to eventually become the Lord of the Nine Hells, ascending to godhood from the worship of his devilish army.