History of Hell

History of Hell – As a place of law and structure, Hell is bound within the confines of Time. Although devils are immortal beings, Time is still of great interest to them. Time is the basis upon which many of Hell’s greatest plots and most vile desires are determined. Thus, devils record history (although some would call it propaganda) with a dedication unparalleled by any mortal race. Of course, some of the events that have marked Hell’s history are more renown than others which often presents a skewed image of how the Hell known to the Cosmos today came into being. Below is a brief, extremely simplified timeline of Hell recounting some of the better-known events. Of course, dates are not given since it is virtually impossible for even all but the oldest gods to know how long-ago things like the Breaking of the Circle occurred.

The Circle of Three: Forged during the Time Before Time, the Circle of Three was composed of the three-tiered being of Law. The Supreme Virtue represented justice and mercy. Like a beacon of gold and silver, she existed on the external portion of the Circle. The center of the Circle was darkness, black and violet. Here dwelt The Overlord, the oppressor and tyrant. Bound between the darkness and the light was the gray, personified by The Progenitor, he who provided order and stability. The Circle of Three, bound together in a common cause, defined the laws of the Cosmos, drove away Chaos, and sought to define the Center of All Things.

Fall of The Overlord: In its bid to define the Center, the Circle game to odds. Each aspect wished for its moral center to establish hegemony. A great struggle ensued and the Circle shattered. The Supreme Virtue was pulled into the Realms Above where her blood formed the Silver Sea and her tears countless angels. The Progenitor slammed into the Realms of Balance where his shattered body created the cogs of Nirvana and his broken mind the various beings of Order. The Overlord plummeted into the Depths Below, his passing creating the Nine Hells of Perdition and his blood the earliest devils. Thus, did the Circle break and its components become eternal foes.

Rise of the malefircareim and pit fiends: From The Overlord’s blood were formed the first devils. These Children of the Devil, the malefircareim, were godlings in their own right. Each sought to cast down his brethren in favor of his own tyranny. When The Overlord, after a slumber of countless lifetimes, awoke he watched his children and decided to show them the meaning of true power. He created an avatar named Lucifer the Satan and destroyed most of the malefircareim.

Of those that survived, the eight greatest were assigned dominion over one of Hell’s Perditions under the will of The Overlord. These eight, Astaroth, Dispater, Mammon, Adrammelek, Leviathan, Lilith, Sammael, and Mephistopheles became the original Lords of the Nine Perditions. Others, like Merorem and Haagenti, were either consumed in the early politics of Hell or were exiled. Finally, to reveal his power to his servants, The Overlord created the pit fiends and all the lesser devils.

Dawn of the Gods: Across Creation, the gods came into being. Some were created by overpowers of singular worlds, while others emerged from Chaos. In any event, the gods turned away from the Realities Beyond and concentrated on the Mortal Coils wherein mortals were slowly appearing. The Overlord foresees the seeds for his future and begins plotting to corrupt both gods and mortals; much of his success is carried out by Lilith, the Lord of the Sixth. The Blood War, although not particularly important to the Lords of the Nine, begins.

Days of Antiquity: Through his avatar Lucifer, The Overlord contests the gods whose hold on the Material Plane strengthens. Countless battles between the gods and cosmic entities ensue, but in the end the gods
win the bulk of the battles. It is at this time that the Voyeurs fall into Hell.

Wars of Light and Greed: Knowing that many gods and their mortal servants were seeking answers to ancient truths, The Overlord decides to further conceal his secret existence. Hoping to ensure that none ever learn the truth of his identity, The Overlord stages a coup between Lucifer and a new avatar called Asmodeus. This civil war in Hell ends when Lucifer is cast down. Asmodeus becomes the new Lord of the Nine. Astaroth is cast out of Hell. Tiamat, a draconic being, is given Lordship of Avernus.

The Great Fall: Evil, in the guise of pride and self-righteousness, taints the Realms Above. In a spectacular purging, thousands of angels fall from grace. This Great Fall results in the likes of Astarte, Belial, Eblis, Moloch, and Beelzebub -great angels all -being cast into Hell. While most of The Fallen do not officially join with fiends, some of the greatest do. Hell’s Hierarchy is affected by The Fall with Adrammelek, Lilith, and Sammael being overthrown by the fallen angels Belial, Moloch, and Beelzebub. It is also during this general time that Leviathan, Lord of the Fifth, is imprisoned in ice by Asmodeus; he is replaced by Geryon.

Classic Perdition: This is the longest period of time in which most mortals have had to deal with Hell. The traditional Lords of the Nine rule Hell during this time. These include Tiamat, Dispater, Mammon, Belial, Geryon, Moloch, Beelzebub, and Mephistopheles. Towards the end of this long period, Tiamat abdicates her rule of Avernus after centuries of conflict with Astarte. Astarte becomes Lord of the First. The Lords become divided along -racial- lines. The Fallen (Astarte, Belial, Moloch, and Beelzebub) battle against the Devils True (Dispater, Mammon, Geryon, and Mephistopheles) to determine the direction of tyranny in the Cosmos. Most of the conflict is subtle, but full battles do occur.

Dies Irae: In a desire to restructure Hell again, pave the way for future plots, and remind his vassals who defines Evil in all Creation, Asmodeus instigates a great civil war. Eventually, the two factions do battle in Nessus at the foot of Malsheem near the Pit of Darkness. There, the Lords of the Nine battle each other while their armies watch. At a critical moment, Geryon -revealing his loyalty to Asmodeus -blows his horn. The Lords are stripped of their powers and defeated by their greatest generals. Asmodeus punishes all of the Lords but reinstates most of their powers and duties soon after. Molochis cast out for his stupidity and is replaced by Lilith. Geryon is cast out for his loyalty and is replaced by Leviathan. The pit fiend generals that remained loyal to Asmodeus become the first Dark Ministers. Shortly after The Days of Wrath, Astarte is overthrown by her general Bael.

The Gathering Darkness: The fanciful term for the current age, The Gathering Darkness heralds tremendous changes. The goals of The Overlord remain as inscrutable as ever and the hunger to rule personified by the Lords of the Nine knows no bounds.