The Archfiend

The Archfiend, known among his faithful as Eliphas, is one of the oldest of the Ascended, and the only being in Hell to claim true divinity. While his exact origins are greatly debated between his followers and those of other faiths, it is recognized widely that he came into being shortly after the death of The Azoth, only to abandon his place in Heaven and come to rule Hell.

*Any questions can be directed to TheWhacko#1556 in the Questions and Answer channel on the Discord.*

## History

Shortly after the death of The Azoth, Eliphas was one of the first deities to emerge from the void left behind, thought to be Ascended from anything from one of the first human emperors to the highest of The Azoth’s priests. It was he that took the greatest interest in restoring order, and according to his followers, was one of the creators of Heaven itself. Followers of Good faiths, meanwhile, insist that he was little more than a glorified supervisor during these times. What all can agree with is that it was during this time that he was shown the way to another plane by a strange Serpent who called herself Clemarion. It was here he was first shown Hell and its denizens, though in these days it was given to infighting and strife. When the question of how to restore balance and order to the universe came, Eliphas was quick to suggest the Ascended establish themselves as a divine dictatorship. Many of his fellows rejected his suggestions that these mortals be made properly subservient, valuing the freedom of their peoples. He was outnumbered, and rather than risk war and further disrupt the order of the universe, he took those Angels loyal to him and invited anyone else who would follow to join him claiming Hell as the first bastion of his vision.

The conquest of Hell took generations, but with the help of Clemarion, Eliphas managed to take the plane one ring at a time. Many of the Angels who followed him became the first Pit Fiends, while the strongest of their number took positions as some of the first of the Archdevils. Since then Eliphas has not seen fit to make war on the other deities, occasionally emerging to assist in matters of universal strife in the interest of maintaining order. He meanwhile rules with an iron fist, keeping his subjects in line by a hierarchy maintained by strict meritocracy and cunning. Since then some of his Archdevils have been replaced, most notably Clemarion, whose soul he still torments on a daily basis.

## Home

The Archfiend is the undisputed ruler of Hell, particularly the lowest level of Nessus. He receives lesser beings in the Synod Eye, where his vast Hellfire Throne is orbited by eight salt thrones and a glass island; it floats over a dark, bottomless pit seething with Hell's malice. His personal sanctuary and throne is the Catafalque, a gigantic hall in Nessus, which no creature other than Eliphas himself has ever entered. Countless rumours tell of what exactly transpires within the Catafalque, but no conjecture has produced a conclusion.

## Church and Worshippers

The Prince of Hell preaches strict discipline and unwavering devotion from his worshipers; the strong should rule the weak. The Prince of Darkness expects flattery from his followers, appreciating it for what it is, and delights in deals and contracts that secretly favor one party over another. Followers of the Prince of Darkness often include nobles and bureaucrats, as well as commoners and even slaves who seek to rise above their stations in life. These low-born worshipers often garner special attention from The Archfiend’ servants, in the same way that a coliseum’s audience will follow the career of a brand new gladiator.

Much like Hell itself, the Church of Eliphas is built on a rigid hierarchy ruled by scheming and meritocracy. Clerics and Warpriests are in abundance, and orders of Monks and Inquisitors exist in lands where his worship is openly allowed. Many Fighters, Wizards and Sorcerers, especially those of the Infernal and Abyssal bloodlines, are attracted to his worship by promises of power. In lands where his worship is open, these people work in great, gothic cathedrals meant to emulate the architecture in Eliphas’ home in Nessus, with motifs that depict him in places of dominance over his fellow deities. In lands where diabolism is frowned upon, his followers operate in secret, preferring private basements and abandoned buildings, out of the public eye. In such lands his followers often go out of their way to put on ‘heroic’ fronts, looking to recreate the image of their master in the eyes of the locals, and open their minds to accepting his power.

## Relationships/Providence

The Archfiend rarely takes much direct interest in his mortal followers. Whenever a particularly skilled or powerful worshiper does catch his notice, he typically sends an Imp or a lesser Devil to serve as advisors and guides on his behalf, prodding them in useful directions. Incompetence and error is punished harshly, usually through burning sensations or mocking writing that appears in blood and fire. He offers power not out of love or reward for worship, but as enticement to keep operating in Hell’s interest.

While his relations with other deities are often strained, he is typically considered the easiest and most ‘tasteful’ of the Evil beings for them to work with. His aid is universally recognized as not to be sought, or accepted, lightly. His devotion to law and order, even though selfish at heart, puts him on decent enough terms with those devoted to the same, and all others he regards as short-sighted and childish. He holds special contempt for the Demon Lords of the Abyss, seeing their love of chaos and destruction to be obnoxious and anathema to his plans. He makes no secret that he one day plans to bring The Abyss to heel as he did Hell, though for now he is content to let his mortal followers deal with its rogue Fiends

## Fiendish Obedience

Using a ruby-bladed knife, inscribe symmetrical cuts into the flesh of another creature—preferably an unwilling sentient being you own or hold dominion over. The blade may be solid ruby or forged of metal and edged with serrated ruby fragments. Devout priests of Eliphas take pride in crafting elaborate daggers made entirely of ruby. Drain the victim’s blood into a bowl of bone made from the skull of a sentient humanoid. The amount of blood drained is up to you; you don’t have to drain so much that you make the creature weak or too useless to serve you. Use the bowl of blood to draw a large pentagram on the ground. Kneel within the pentagram and concentrate on the glory you will bring to the Prince of Darkness’s name. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against fire effects.

Evangelist Boons:

1: Pitiless Judgment (Sp) *wrath* 3/day, *flames of the faithful* 2/day, or *bestow curse* 1/day

2: Tireless Judgment (Ex) You gain Favored Judgment as a bonus feat, choosing chaotic outsider, good outsider, or a subtype of humanoid. If you don’t have the judgment class feature, you instead gain a +4 profane bonus on Survival checks to track a creature or individual of this type. This boon doesn’t grant you any ranks in the Survival skill; therefore, if you have no ranks, you still can follow tracks only if the DC of the task is 10 or lower.

3: Resounding Judgment (Sp) Once per day, you can channel the effects of *resounding blow* through your weapon, though you don’t need to cast (or even know) the spell. You must declare your use of this ability before you roll for the attack. On a hit, the target is affected as if you had cast *resounding blow* before your attack, and the surrounding area rings with the sound of vicious, booming laughter. You don’t gain the stunning effect of the spell unless you have access to the judgment or smite ability. If your attack misses, the resounding blow effect is wasted.

Exalted Boons:

1: Darkfire (Sp) *burning hands* 3/day, *darkness* 2/day, or *deeper darkness* 1/day

2: Embersight (Su) Your eyes take on the appearance of red-hot, glowing embers, granting you the ability to see in darkness much like devils. You gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you chose either darkness or deeper darkness as the spell-like ability granted by your first boon, you can also see perfectly through both darkness and deeper darkness. If you already have darkvision to a range of 60 feet or more, the range of your darkvision instead increases by 10 feet. Your eyes make you extremely distinctive, causing you to take a –4 penalty on Disguise checks.

3: Hellfire Blast (Sp) The fires of Hell itself are yours to command. You can cast *delayed blast fireball* once per day as a spell-like ability, hurling a sphere of soul-scouring hellfire. The hellfire is a mixture of black and crimson flames in which screaming, devilish faces can be seen twisting and writhing. Half the damage from this spell is fire damage, while the other half is unholy damage. This damage modification applies only to the *delayed blast fireball* you create through this boon, not to any other attacks, effects, or spells.

Sentinel Boons:

1: Unholy Warrior (Sp) *protection from good* 3/day, *death knell* 2/day, or *defile armor* 1/day

2: Deceitful Duelist (Ex) Your devotion to the Prince of Darkness has imbued you with some of his trickery. Three times per day, you can attempt a feint as a swift action, with a +4 profane bonus on your Bluff check. If you hit a creature that has lost its Dexterity bonus to AC as a result of your feint, you deal an additional 1d6 points of damage. This stacks with other precision-based damage you deal, such as from a sneak attack, and isn’t multiplied on a critical hit.

3: Diabolical Resistances (Su) Your dark patron rewards your faith with a few drops of devilish blood in your veins, granting you a measure of the resilience enjoyed by devilkind. Your skin takes on a ruddy cast, and your teeth grow slightly sharper. To a casual observer you may look no different, but anyone who studies you closely notices these traits. You gain fire resistance 10 and a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against poison.