The
Blood War is an ancient ongoing conflict that rages between the fiends of the Lower planes. The two main sides of the war are the
demons, inhabitants of the evil plane of chaos of the
Abyss, and
devils, representing the equally evil but lawful realm of the
Nine Hells. The neutral evil
mezzofiends play both sides against one another. The Blood War has raged on since creation itself, even before the
Material Planes were fully developed. The conflict is massive, spanning entire planes of reality, and hosting an almost infinite number of fiends.
The Conflict
Prelude
The cause of the Blood War is unknown. Mezzofiends like to entertain the notion that the war is their own personal experiment into the nature of evil, one which they created and would ultimately end on their own terms. Of course the other fiends have their own notions about the war, colored by their particular alignments and racial propaganda. Some demons and devils seem to believe that their respective races can actually gain control over the other. However, the most powerful Archdevils of the Hells and the most cunning Demon Lords the Abyss pay the Blood War little concern, and if entities as ancient and formidable as them seemed unconcerned, then the cause would most likely be a fruitless one.
Many lesser fiends actually embrace the War, for it staves away the cosmic boredom of being ageless. A few races survive on the carnage the Blood War produces; the armanites, centaur-like tanar'ri, must constantly battle with other creatures, for otherwise they would turn on one another; the molydei are another race of demons who prowl the Abyss, searching for deserters or rogue demons, whom they press-gang into fighting. Certain creatures were and are bred by other fiends exclusively for the Blood War, including the Nessian warhounds and the milvorn. Even the mezzofiends are given purpose by the Blood War; forever shifting from one side to the other, they as a race gain much of their wealth and power from the spoils of war and the high price of their services, though some (including the mezzofiends themselves) believe this to be simply a facade over older and darker motivations.
Some sages dictate that the Blood War is a simple offshoot of the primordial wars between law and chaos. The lawful good-aligned Celestial archons and chaotic good aligned eladrins only marginally participate in the conflict, mostly ensuring that the battle remains confined to the lower planes.
The main site of the majority of conflicts pertaining the Blood War is
Avernus, the first layer of
Baator. Demonic forces sail the
River Styx into the layer and are repelled by diabolic legions that bring reinforcements from the lower layers of the Hells. The conflict, however, often does not remain confined to Avernus, as destructive skirmishes have emerged anywhere in Theras where demons and devils gain access to.
Another important battlefield of the Blood War is
Oinos, the first layer of
Hades. Battles occasionally leak to the deeper layers of
Niflheim and
Pluton.
In the demonic front,
Pazunia is one of the primary battlegrounds. Devils often attempts to conquer the first layer of the
Abyss in the hope of controlling the entire plane.
Despite millennia after millennia of constant strife, no side has been able to gain even a definitive, permanent advantage over the other. Despite their vast differences, the tanar'ri and the baatezu are surprisingly balanced combatants. The chaotic denizens of the Abyss, while far more numerous than the devils, are, true to their alignment, constantly warring amongst themselves. They contest the might of the Nine Hells through sheer individual power, and their seemingly limitless, if unorganized and uncoordinated supply of warriors. The baatezu, on the other hand, deploy smaller numbers onto the field, but their warriors are regimented, well-trained and well-disciplined, all the while making incredible use of their generals' ruthless strategies. This violent balance is keeping the Blood War fueled since forever, and possibly will continue so.
One thing, however, is certain: should one side be able to eliminate all opposition, and thus gain control over the entirety of the Lower Planes, Theras as a whole would be in great danger. With no enemies left in the Lower Planes, the fiendish rulers could then turn their attentions towards other worlds and planes, and it is likely that no force can hope to stop them. Even the celestial beings of the Upper Planes, formidable as they are, could face destruction at the hands of the tanar'ri or the baatezu, weighed down by their alignments demand by the needs of good and justice—the fiends, having no such compunctions or scruples, can easily use the celestials' morality against them. In the past, agents of the heavenly races had even planted powerful weapons or artifacts among the ranks of the demons or the devils. This appeared to be a reliable indicator that even the beings of the Upper Planes do not want the war to end.
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