Asmodeus

Asmodeus (pronounced as-MO-dee-us) is the oldest and most powerful of Hell’s archdevils and the only one to have achieved full godhood. Worshipped as a paragon of law and domination, Asmodeus is the author of the Contract of Creation—a primal divine agreement said to contain the hidden key to his future supremacy over all gods.   As the ruler of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus embodies the pure, cruel logic of diabolism. To his faithful, he offers structure, power, and absolute hierarchy. To his enemies, he represents an inevitable, methodical corruption that erodes kingdoms and souls alike.  

Appearance

In mortal depictions, Asmodeus appears as a towering red-skinned humanoid with cloven hooves, curling black horns, and jet-black hair. A nimbus of pale hellfire surrounds him. He carries the **Archstar**, an ancient ruby mace symbolic of his authority.   Legends speak of his true form as incomprehensible to mortals—a wounded being bearing a perpetual, bleeding gash, received during the betrayal and murder of his brother Ihys.  

Mythology

Origins and the First

According to the Book of the Damned, Asmodeus and Ihys were the first gods—formless motes of divine essence birthed by the Seal, the origin point of reality. Asmodeus discovered symbols and meaning; Ihys, speech and free will. Together, they shaped the cosmos.   But Ihys’ gift of freedom to mortals caused a divine schism. Asmodeus, abhorring chaos, murdered Ihys and created Hell as a monument to absolute order and divine justice.  

The Fall and the Founding of Hell

Once an empyreal lord, Asmodeus descended into Hell with his followers: Baalzebul, Belial, Dispater, Moloch, and Nybbas. There, he encountered the ancient serpent who had once taught him of Hell. Their violent reunion gave Asmodeus dominion over Hell's tyrants. He tore the flesh of the plane itself to create Mephistopheles and named himself Lord of Hell.  

The Contract of Creation

Asmodeus penned the Contract of Creation, which all gods signed. This primal agreement governs cosmic law, and hidden within it is a clause prophesied to grant Asmodeus supremacy over all deities, when the time is right.  

Other Deeds

• Aided in the imprisonment of Rovagug, retaining the only key to his prison.
• In the End Times prophecy (Concordance of Rivals), he is said to release Rovagug to destroy other apocalypses before all is consumed and reborn.

 

Relationships

• Allies: Abadar (shared respect for law), some infernal archdevils
• Enemies: Ihys (slain), Irori (for undermining self-perfection), Grandmother Spider (for duplicating his keys and weaving fate against him)
• View on Other Gods: Sees most as temporary distractions to mortals. Respects lawful gods, despises chaotic and freedom-loving ones.

 

Worship

Church of Asmodeus

His church thrives in Cheliax, Isger, Nidal, and scattered across the Inner Sea. Temples range from opulent cathedrals to secret, blood-stained chapels. His faith is structured in rigid hierarchies mirroring Hell’s bureaucracy.   High clergy titles include:

• Cardinal, Demicardinal
• High Priest
• Local designations vary by region

  Clergy wear black robes with red accents, often adorned with horned masks. Sacrifices—particularly of unwilling sentients—are routine in Cheliax, while in other regions, only willing offerings are allowed.  

Dogma

• The strong must rule the weak.
• Order above all.
• Contracts are sacred; always ensure advantage.
• Praise and flattery are owed to superiors, but truth is never sacrificed to nicety.

 

Worshipers

His faithful include:

• Nobles and rulers seeking absolute power
• Slavers, enforcers, and judges
• Bureaucrats and legalists
• Hellknights, particularly of the Order of the God Claw
• Kobolds (who revere his doctrine of cunning domination)
• Orphaned war-children indoctrinated by groups like the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes

 

Knights of Asmodeus

Often falsely presenting themselves as paladins, these militant worshipers wear red and black and carry spiked maces, pursuing “righteous” domination and lawful tyranny.  

Temples and Symbols

• Holy Symbol: Red pentagram (the Archstar)
• Temples: Opulent, often co-located with courts or state halls in Cheliax; hidden shrines elsewhere
• Common Iconography: Pentagrams, scales, devilish contracts, thrones, serpents

 

Scripture

The Asmodean Monograph

The foundational religious text. Dense, codified, and supported by numerous legal commentaries and appendices, it lays out the divine law, infernal hierarchy, and proper worship.  

Obedience and Boons

Daily Obedience: Use a ruby-bladed knife to draw blood from another sentient being. Use this to trace a pentagram and meditate on Asmodeus’s dominion. Granted Powers: Those who remain faithful may receive:

• Infernal Healing (lesser and greater)
• Variants of Geas and Lesser Geas
• Other lawful or contract-based divine spells

 

Holidays

While Asmodeus values permanence over seasonal rites, his church observes:

• 10 Sarenith: Counters Sarenrae’s Burning Blades
• 16 Arodus: Counters Iomedae’s Armasse
• 31 Arodus (Leap Day): Seen as a bonus day of worship

 

Asmodeus and Cheliax

Asmodeus is Cheliax’s patron deity. His direct involvement:

• Queen Abrogail I: Made the original pact with Asmodeus during the Chelaxian Civil War
• Queen Abrogail II: Receives guidance through the erinys Lrilatha, his agent and advisor
• His churches in Cheliax are integrated into state governance and justice