Creatures of the Dark
The most widely accepted theory about the Dark Dimension is that when the Behemoths became the world, the Dark Dimension was born alongside it. Evara’s twisted sister was formed entirely from thoughts the Behemoths never had, from natural laws that never were, from the things that even they feared. By the time The First God and The Last God descended to Evara, life had already evolved in the world. So too was the case with the Dark Dimension.
This tool is intended as a guide for DMs on thematic appropriateness, not absolute unbendable law. If you see that a creature is not marked as "likely to be found" for a particular place or want to use a completely unlisted creature, you can.
Devils, Demons, and Fiends - Oh My!
Fiends are the most populous beings native to the Dark Dimension. They are not just evil, but are made from it - the darkest dreams of eternity made manifest. What makes them a threat is their ability to methodically disrupt the natural order of the omniverse.
Demons: The Scourge of Worlds
Demons were the first and continue to be the most numerous species of fiend. They are born from the chaos inherent to a world of ’what if’. Were it possible to tip the balance of power in the Dark Dimension through sheer numbers, demons would have overrun it ages ago. However, their inherent sociopathy has always prevented their rise.
Demons lack any concept of empathy, believing only that their individual needs and desires matter. They have no particular affinity for their own kind and seldom cooperate unless forced to submit to a leader. Every demon sees itself as the rightful inheritor of the omniverse. It is driven to destroy all other living creatures, or at least command their absolute loyalty. One cosmos, infinite visions.
Devils: A Perfect Order
The first devils were said to be formed by the lucid dreams of the Behemoths - a nightmarish yet rational response to anarchy in the form of order. Fear is not random. Fear causes ordered decisions, and rational - if terrible - choices.
Devils can rarely create new devils through physical reproduction. They reproduce by corrupting or claiming souls in a bargain; they may be born from the structured evil of the Dark Dimension (they harvested many souls before the ascension of the Grey Maiden and the Chimera). The gods may also cast the remains of a mortal soul into the Dark Dimension if the soul failed to uphold the god’s values in life, which can (but does not always) result in the spawning of a Devil.
Although events that produce devils are cosmically less common than those that produce demons, devils compensate for their lower numbers with strict discipline and total adherence to hierarchy. These structures allow them to methodically dismantle their demonic rivals. Given time, devils believe they can bring the whole of creation to their definition of order perfected.
Dark Ascension
The most powerful devils gain the privilege and title of “Archdevil” while the most powerful demons proclaim themselves “Demon Lords”. Several theories exist about what principles dictate who can gain a demon lord’s power, or, if no such principles exist, how that power might be seized. The process by which devils become archdevils, by contrast, has been likened to a vitiated form of apotheosis. All devils - even archdevils - answer to their undisputed leader, Asmodeus the Unbound King. Demons recognize no unitary leader, but the most powerful among them are the Demon Lords Demogorgon, Graz’zt, and Orcus.
Planar Equilibrium
Despite fiends’ disregard for balance, the Dark Dimension has its own form of it. This is reflected in the plane’s population. Devils, demons, and other fiends such as rakshasas, demodands, yugoloths, and concubi (i.e., succubi and incubi), inhabit different niches in the Dark Dimension’s structure that largely keep any one group from gaining a long-term upper hand on the others.
Cosmic Equilibrium
Both demons and devils envision futures for the Omniverse - a cosmos in which one side or the other triumphs and rules for the rest of eternity. A third point of view exists, held by those who take both sides at their word and strive to make sure that neither outcome ever comes to pass. Adherents of this viewpoint refer to the concept they espouse as the Balance, and they seek to maintain equilibrium above all.
Since a true appreciation of the Balance and its implications requires a grasp of events on a macroscopic level, very few entities have the understanding to fully embrace the idea. For the sake of the Balance, the Dark Dimension must remain in a state of homeostasis, where neither side permanently gains the upper hand. This may mean that an Arbiter of the Balance aids in consigning an Evaran city to domination by a devil cult, while driving Devil cultists from another.
There is also a fourth point of view, which cleaves not to neutrality but to apathy – beings who simply don’t care and will side with whoever it is advantageous for them to serve.
Tieflings variants & the Dark Dimension
Tieflings emerge in bloodlines that are somehow touched by the Dark Dimension. These lineages are usually linked to specific archdevils, but may instead be linked to a splinter or related entities.
| Tiefling Lineage | Associated Splinter |
|---|---|
| Bloodline of Asmodeus (PHB tiefling) | any except Acroamatica |
| Bloodline of Baalzebul | Shedaklah |
| Bloodline of Dispater | Fomor |
| Bloodline of Fierna | Pandemonium, Fomor |
| Bloodline of Glasya | Narakkas |
| Bloodline of Levistus | Pandemonium |
| Bloodline of Mammon | Fomor |
| Bloodline of Mephistopheles | any except Acroamatica |
| Bloodline of Zariel | Nessus, Ba’almot, or Seraphage |
| Variant Tiefling | any |
Aberrations, Undeads, and Oozes - Oh No!
Like the world of Evara, the Dark Dimension teems with life, though not in a way that Evarans would necessarily recognize as life. Undead, oozes, elementals, and many other creatures besides can claim this plane as their place of origin.
Are all oozes the creations of the demon lord Juiblex? Are all molds the creations of the demon lord Zuggtmoy? No more than Nike is the creator of all modern sneakers. Different processes can result in the same product. It is reasonable to assume that some oozes, undead, etc. are born from fiendish masters, but foolish to assume that they all are.
The matter of aberrations is hotly debated. Some theories suggest that these creatures spawn from the darkest parts of the Behemoths’ minds, from dreams of realities wholly unlike our own. Others say that the Behemoths became the world because something beyond the stars - beyond thought itself - tainted their minds and taking physical form was the only way to prevent the madness from spreading further. Whatever their origins, aberrations dwell in the unreachable Acroamatica.
Comments