Smoke over the Battlefield

Smoke over the Battlefield is a book uncovered through use of Study-related Inquiries.

## History

Under the guise of acting under on the authority of the Exegete Vuruzum Zelnolar, the adventurer Rinn visited the city of Oxresh to scour the libraries for information pertaining to a number of topics, ranging from the Primordial Elemental Princes, to other planes of existence and its inhabitants - including the factions associated with, and decisively not affiliated with, the Blood War of the Lower Planes.

## Reading

### Completed by Rinn Zelnolar

To understand those fiends not engaged within the endless and infinite combat of the Blood War, passing as freely and untethered over the battlefield as smoke and soot, it seems prudent to at first consider why many do instead occupy themselves with it, whether by personal choice, unquenchable drive, or ordered command. For devils and demons, the Blood War is a war that defines the fate of each in the cosmos. It is easy to dismiss all devils as devious and scheming entities of evil incarnate - but to them their efforts in the Blood War are more valiant than any knightly charge, any chivalrous act, without their discipline and dedication, the denizens of the Abyss would have surely spilled everywhere else, an uncontrollable tide of chaos and destruction. They are the heroes of their tale, making a grand final stand across the Wandering Worlds. Likewise, it would be even easier to dismiss all demons as simply revelling in destruction, flowing where the potential for violence is greatest, the hurt felt most truly. While this is not fundamentally false, demons - or rather those demons with intelligence enough to acknowledge it, know that their assaults must be targetted to maintain the advantage, or at the very least not falter into disadvantage. Many lesser demons revel in the idea of assaulting the Upper Planes, to storm the peaks of Celestia, burn the forests of Arborea, shatter the clockwork of Mechanus, but they are directed instead by those higher on the hierarchy to instead find foes with devils first and foremost. To attack anywhere else would grant the devils chances to forge new alliances, with which the balance would invariably shift and tip, so instead better to let those that reside across the Planes to sit content than marshal armies to fight alongside a devil to defend a World that stands so egregiously at odds with their personal beliefs. The demons are the peoples that the cosmos seeks to dismiss and destroy, they are the underdogs that will heroically rise against resentment to find victory. And finally, that of the yugoloths, those that stand between. The majority of these fiends are decisively more simple, less nuanced. The greater the sum promised for their loyalty, the more zealous the mercenaries of Gehenna fight - until a better offer comes from those that they fight, allegiance tied to the largest war chest and nothing more.

#### Diaboli Personae - The Lords of the Nine

All devils are involved in the Blood War in some manner, by their very nature. The soul of every devil is bound to the Nine Hells, as part of the Pact of their creation, and with it obligations exist. Bound by contract, all devils will contribute in their own way, from the shambling lemures that rise up from the Styx serving simply to die as slowly as possible for other legions to position themselves favourably, to the Archdevils obligated to provide said legions to the front lines. It is upon the battlefields of the Blood War that a devil may prove themselves, finding promotion in the strategic violence they wrought, and so lesser devils eager to rise through the hierarchy engage with it readily. For the Archdevils however, many consider the Blood War as an obligation to maintain - considered by some scholars as a masterful stroke by the Lord of Nessus, for if the Lords of the Nine generally believe the Blood War to be an obstacle to their aspirations, then they will act to bring it to a close with haste and promptness. Detailed henceforth are the involvements of the Diaboli Personae in the Blood War, passing and indirect as some may be.

* **Zariel, The Blackened Feather** - Zariel is that amongst the Lords of the Nine most directly involved in the Blood War, leading from the frontlines with *Warden's Will* in hand, an almighty chain whip seized from a demon lord slain by her hand. She actively despises those amongst her peers that attempt to shirk their responsibilities to the conflict and instead offer up token gestures to appease the infernal war machine.
* **Titivilus, The Twisted Tongue** - Having disposed of the Iron Duke Dispater, Titivilus has seized the web of connections that his former superior had woven through the Hells and beyond. While speculation rages on how the Twisted Tongue managed to fell a creature as paranoid and focused on their own personal safety as the Iron Duke, Titivilus instead casts such rumours aside by continuing to serve the role of the foremost arms dealer in the Blood War, importing vast quantities of Infernal Iron from Cania to the unyielding forges and foundries scattered throughout their sprawling industrial domain.
* **Mammon, The Gilded Miser** - The infernal war machine requires a near endless supply of souls to maintain its momentum, and it is through the hands of Mammon that many of these souls pass. Uncountable hordes of blank soul coins are minted within the swamps of Minauros, ready for imbuement by means of tithes and contractual bindings as new souls arrive. Those unclaimed by the pacts of other devils are seized by the Gilded Miser, who then oft uses them to contract mercenary factions - usually yugoloths - to fight on his behalf within Avernus or elsewhere, delivering the spoils of said skirmishes back into his coffers.
* **Belial, The Branded Reeve & Fierna, Heart's Folly** - The endless victories and defeats of the Blood War serve as the proving ground for devils from across the infernal hierarchy. It is within the halls of Phlegethos that the judicial system of the Nine Hells that actuate promotions and demotions, as well as any other dispute between devils - whether scouts accused of delivering unfit intelligence, competing generals attempting to take responsibility for triumphs or avoid blame for failures or grunts accused of cowardice. With the toppling of Dispater, Fierna also maintains the largest networks of spies of the Archdevils, which from time to time when worth her while she will utilise to provide information to the ongoing war effort.
* **Levistus, The Frozen Prince** - Stygia is a battlefield that rages with heat and ferocity, despite the chill of the layer itself. Any devils bound to Levistus, or his main rival Geryon, The Great Beast, that are not conscripted in that moment to the Blood War are engaged in vicious infighting for control. The River Styx trails through the entirety of the Frozen Prince's domain, and thus is often used as a waterway for other devils to reach the frontlines, trailing up the layers of Baator to wherever in the Lower Planes their posting may be. Furthermore, the monsters found throughout the layer are frequently utilised for sake of martial practice by devils destined to join the war effort imminently.
* **Tartach, Curator of the Damned** - Granted dominion over the domain of Malbolge following the attempted coup of the Nine Hells by the Maw of Undoing that resulted in the destruction of Glasya the Dark Prodigy, Tartach, like all rulers of a diabolic layer sends legions of warriors to the frontlines. Those that serve at the pleasure of the Curator however specialise in maintaining order amongst the other ranks, possessing their master's twisted delight of tormenting those that would break ranks and attempt to retreat or flee.
* **Baalzebul, Lord of Lies** - Despite their moniker, the Lord of Lies has indirectly become one of the most reliable suppliers of devils to the Blood War, owing to the contract bound to their soul following a failed coup of the layer of Nessus itself. Now, strict quotas and expectations are placed on every legion produced from Maladomini following the treachery of Baalzebul that also nearly resulted in the loss of Avernus to the demonic horde, and thus the bureaucratic centre of the Hells is behind only that of Avernus itself in terms of its direct involvement in the conflict.
* **Mephistopheles, Duke of Brimstone** - The Duke fulfils his obligation to the Blood War through unending arcane experimentation to create new weapons of war, as well as conjuring new strategies to sway favour towards the infernal battle lines. Their domain of Cania is also the primary source of Infernal Iron, the foremost metal used in weapons, armour and machines of war by the Hells.
* **Asmodeus, Lord of Nessus** - The Lord of Nessus' interest in the Blood War extends only as far as seeing it as an obstacle to his grand ascension to Overgod of the cosmos. If not for the dedication of his creation of those arranged within the infernal hierarchy beneath them, there would be naught for the other forces of the Worlds to squabble over, instead all that would remain would be storm of abyssal destruction.

#### Chaos Apodictic - Lords and Princes of the Abyss

By contrast, the Demon Princes and Lords found themselves under no such obligations, unburdened with maintaining the most basic of expectations placed upon them by the nature of their existence. As such, those that involve themselves with the Blood War do so because they see it as a means to enact their own goals, whether by conquest of domains beyond their own elsewhere in the Wandering Worlds, or by ensuring the diminishment and destruction of their abyssal rivals. Others still engage for the simply pleasures of endless war, revelling in the opportunity to hunt, torment, slaughter and terrorise seemingly infinite ranks of foes. Detailed below are but a few amongst the notable powers within the Abyss, making reference to their attitude on the Blood War as appropriate.

* **Pazuzu, Prince of the Four Winds** - Old by even the standards of demonkind, it is a widely-held belief that the Demon Prince Pazuzu was present on the day that the Blood War first erupted into motion, and may have been responsible for casting the first stone - albeit not physically, but rather through his unexplained relationship with many Archdevils that treads towards the realms of amicability, defying all conventional logic and sense. Now the Blood War has started however, the Prince of the Four Winds pays it little mind, caring little even when it spills into his own domain, the First Layer of the Abyss.
* **Baltazo, the Seeping Sovereign** - Master strategist and diplomat amongst the ranks of the Abyss, Baltazo is no Demon Prince, and considered a lesser amongst the Demon Lords, but is heralded as an architect of the logistics of the Abyss, twisted and muddled beyond mortal comprehension as they appear at a glance. Maintaining a mighty fortress upon the First Layer of the Abyss, Panuzia at the behest of Pazuzu, they are the bastion that holds steady when the infernal legions push into the demonic homeworld.
* **Demogorgon, Spiral of the Deep** - With the seemed successful diminishment of power of the Grave's Shade by some unknown means - though presumed to be achieved at the hands of the Demon Prince Demogorgon, Graz’zt and perhaps a former disciple of Orcus themselves, Kyuss, the endless wars of Demogorgon have now turned to that of the Blood War more so than ever before. Nonetheless and in spite of this, both the Spiral of the Deep and the Dark Prince have since restarted their feud, to which the majority of their collective attention truly lies.
* **Acherontia, The Death's Head** - Dominion over the Nine Hells by means of victory in the Blood War seems to be of least concern to the Demon Prince known as the Death's Head, whose focus is instead placed upon the Echoes, specifically that of the Feywild and those that involve themselves with it. Instead, Acherontia seems to delight in beguiling individuals into believing them to be an Archfey in need of aid, before consuming their soul when they reach out with an open hand to help.
* **Graz'zt, The Dark Prince** - Except when trying to outperform their rival in Demogorgon, whose attention has somewhat shifted to the Blood War of late, The Dark Prince has shown little interest in engaging in the Blood War for millennia, often pointed to by other Demon Princes and Lords as proof of their claims that his allegiance remains with the Hells, legends stating that Graz'zt may have once been a powerful devil seduced by the freedom of the Abyss.
* **Baphomet, The Horned King** - While followers of the Horned King may embrace the skirmishes of the Blood War as a hunting ground with which to stalk prey, the Demon Lord Baphomet seems to pay little mind to the Blood War, instead preferring to give chase to those unexpecting of violence. There is some sport in besting a martial foe, there is far greater sport to be had in granting a sense of impending doom to those that must simply try and flee to survive, rather than stand and fight.
* **Nemlakos, Shield of the Shattered Haven** - A fallen solar still clutching to dominion over the fragment of Celestia that collapsed into the Abyss aeons prior to become Shattered Haven, 604th amongst the layers of the Abyss, the legions of Nemlakos are imbued with a divine radiance, a baffling amalgamation of armour wrought in celestial splendour nailed into the slathering flesh and chaos of the demonic soldiers chosen to bear them. The Shield of the Shattered Haven seems to have a particular hatred for Zariel the Blackened Feather, whom the Demon Lord readily decries as a failure, given their fallen and corrupted nature. Whether or not they are aware of the irony and hypocrisy of this stance is uncertain.
* **Yeenoghu, Beast of Butchery** - The demons, cultists and other followers of the Demon Prince Yeenoghu are often encountered on the battlefields along the River Styx, where their unquenchable bloodlust and hunger stirs them into a formidable tide capable of shredding infernal legions. Delivered to the war's frontlines by means of Crokek'toeck, a demonic cross between a mudskipper and a hyena, their effectiveness as shock troops is stymied only by their proclivity to turn upon demons from other layers of the Abyss the moment their infernal foes are defeated.
* **Sess'innek, Emperor in Scales** - Worshipped by some lizardfolk, gatorfolk and Yuan-Ti as a god, the Emperor in Scales waxes and wains in their interest in the Blood War. Once unleashed, the Demon Lord leads vast hordes of demons and other followers in both brazen vanguards of violence and tactful scouting parties intended to ambush their foes, before falling into a deep stupor and instead retiring to their layer to bask beneath the baking light a dozen suns burning overhead for a few centuries at a time.
* **Kardum, First of the Sixth Pyre** - Claiming dominion over all the balors of the Abyss, the Demon Lord Kardum is one of the foremost combatants in the Blood War, having engaged tirelessly in endless combat for the countless millennia. Impaled upon their armour are the greatest of his defeated foes, including the remains of Qirozz the Thorned Cartographer, Bitru the Broad Duke, Zepar the Venombearer and at least three clones of the ultroloth necromancer Inthracis, Crow of Corpsehaven.
* **Juiblex, The Faceless Lord** - The spawn of the Glistener are actively encountered upon the battlefields of the Blood War, but rarely as combatants, and instead the scavengers amongst the blasted wastelands left in the wake of conflict. Weapons, armour, flesh and bone, all are coveted by the Faceless Lord for consumption, and thus the Demon Lord's followers find frequent combat with other looters, regardless of their affiliation. Beyond this, Juiblex seems entirely uninterested in the endless war, or any other major conflict associated with the machinations of the Abyss.
* **Ndrilinx, The Yowl of Bloodback Isle** - A Demon Lord ruling from a volcanic isle at the heart of a vast seething tropical ocean, Ndrilinx has established a place amongst the greater Demon Lords and Princes as a capable corruptor and twister of souls, empowering his creations with the blood that perpetually weeps from lashings that have wrought wounds from shoulder to hip across his back. His children are weapons of war, though made of flesh and scale and flame in place of metal, wood and stone, and to the battlefields of the Blood War his offspring are readily delivered.
* **Talguonal, Lord of the Scraps** - The layer of Flakesoil is a bleached and barren domain, devoid of nearly all natural resources and thus has been freely passed over by many other Demon Lords and Princes. Talguonal, noting its potential due to numerous connections to the River Styx seized it for themselves, believing it to be the perfect staging ground for their aspirations of being heralded as a mighty conqueror. Young by demonic standards, the Demon Lord readily offer the guise of fighting in the Blood War, acting alongside their martial hordes to claim new more fertile and fruitful lands for themselves.
* **Naeglerom, Puppetmistress of Flesh** - The legions of the Demon Lord Naeglerom are encountered throughout the battlefields of the Blood War, augmented by means of the Puppermistress' interests in capturing her foes alive. After psychologically tormenting them, they are known to utilise parasitic and amorphous demonkin that attach themselves to the victim's cranium and elsewhere on the body, utilising the living flesh to harden their own flesh to the point of lead-like density. Once sufficient resulting heavily-armoured troops are at Naeglerom's mercy, and form formidable combatants along the banks of the Styx.
* **Fraz-Urb'luu, Prince of Deception** - A grand dealer of information, the knowledge of the Demon Prince Fraz-Urb'luu is undeniable, for it is said he has agents and spies through the cosmos, feeding information back to the Hollow's Heart, the 176th layer of the Abyss. To rely upon the Prince of Deception is predictably futile given their moniker however, for anything readily offered is likely to be laced through with deceit, misinformation or other perversions of the truth that Fraz-Urb'luu holds for himself. Nonetheless, from time to time, the Prince of Deception has delivered vital intelligence to the demonic vanguards of the Blood War, though only when the resulting victory serves their own veiled purposes.
* **Malcanthet, Sulter of the Sun** - Demon Prince of Shendilavri, the 570th layer of the Abyss, home to a vast and humid coastline beneath a perpetual sky of an orange-pink sunset, Malcanthet finds direct competition with Fraz-Urb'luu as the unofficial spymaster of the Abyss. Patron of succubi, incubi and lilitus, her spawn's talents gather a vast breadth of information on all manner of topics, some of which proves relevant to the Blood War from time to time.
* **Uth'tan, Indurated Baron of the Golden Ramparts** - A Demon Lord with an undeniable talent for the act of fortification, many a bastion, foothold and chokepoint has been created and exploited in the Blood War by the design of Uth'tan. They delight in nothing more than seeing armies crash and fail against the walls that they have built, revelling as the dead start to pile high to form new walls still, each wider than the last.
* **Zuggtmoy, Lady of Rot** - Although many Demons have interests in the occurrences of the Underdark, few do so with as much vigour as the Demon Prince Zuggtmoy, whose mycelial webs have spread further still recently with the diminishment of influence experienced by the Mother of Lusts. Given further time, it is possible that the Lady of Rot may seek to wrest away the divinity held by Lolth, but for now the Goddess of Trickery remains too far elevated to fall into Zuggtmoy's grasp.