Rabble of Devilkin

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In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, "rabble of devilkin" is a term applied to the lesser unique outcast devils dwelling on Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. There are roughly fifty of these unique devils, nearly all who seek to regain their place in Hell's hierarchy.

These outcasts are forbidden to create strongholds from which to gather resources, so most wander Avernus, or hide in several secret lairs. Most of the outcasts avoid each other, and few beyond Asmodeus and his representatives are allowed friendly contact with them. They seldom take part in the Blood War that takes place on Avernus, save only when they are personally attacked by participants. The devils Amduscias, Malphas, and Goap work to keep these outcasts in line.

The following are outcast devils of Avernus known by name:

Amon is late arch-Duke Geryon's former lieutenant. Also know as "the Wolf," this human-appearing fiend with a wolf's head owns a winter wolf servant and is one of the few survivors of Levistus's attack on Geryon's court.

Armaros, "The Resolver of Enchantments," is one of the most powerful beings in Baator. A very skilled arcane spellcaster, his spellcasting power is rumored to be greater than any other devil, even Asmodeus. For this reason, it is said, the Lord of Nessus exiled Armaros to Avernus and forbids any other Dukes to have contact with the exile. Armaros is content with his condition and wants nothing more than being left alone to practice his magic undisturbed. He could have served Asmodeus directly but due to his feuds with the other generals of Baator's Overlord (especially Adramalech and Phongor), this is not possible. He's said to be visited by Asmodeus quite often. Armaros appears as a gray-skinned, handsome human male with dark gray wings and luminescent blue eyes.

Azazel "the Serpent," is extremely conceited and scornful. Cast out of two successive dukedoms for his unbearable behaviour, Azazel constantly plots to regain his former position. He always wear gaudy jewelry and regal clothing. He only considers Asmodeus, Baalzebul, Mephistopheles, and Adramalech his equals. Azazel is a scaly-skinned humanoid with a serpent's head and large scaled wings.

The violent female devil known as Bist has a strong affinity with hellcats. Completely selfish, she is a mistress of duplicity and is mistrusted by all the other devils of Baator.

Cahor, "The Deceiver," is a renowned trouble-maker. His main concern is creating chaos in Avernus, misinforming and conning all the ones he meets, in order to thwart and upset diabolic plans. This chaotic behaviour got him exiled to Avernus. The only reason why he hasn't been readily destroyed is that his antics also mislead the demons. His true form is that of a mottled gray malebranche but he seldom appears as such.

The sneaky but yet very charismatic, Caim is a gossip loathed by all the arch-Dukes of Hell. Caim is an avian creature looking somewhat like a thrush and sports large wings and a bird's head.

Dagon was formerly known as Jaqon, his true name. Jaqon was the herald and messenger of Asmodeus. He could travel the planes freely and often used to deal with mortals and beings of the Prime Material Plane. But he would also divulge the true names of various devils, especially the arch-Duchesses, which caused him to be violently hated by the consorts of Hell. Resented by all devilkind, Jaqon was cast out to Avernus but Asmodeus chose not to slay him because his knowledge of the consorts' true names is a good mean of ensuring the loyalty of the arch-Duchesses. Jaqon was finally renamed so that he couldn't be summoned anymore. He appears as a red-skinned satyr with a hairless, slyly handsome face. His green eyes glow when angered. He sports a disturbing resemblance to Titivilus, Dispater's nuncio. Dagon is also the name of a powerful demon prince who took this taunt from Hell's Overlord as a major offense.

Elusive, secretive, and mysterious Duskur, "The Dark Lady", is a ravishingly beautiful female-devil known to have spurned consortship offers from both Geryon and Belial. Preferring her relative freedom on Avernus, she chose to never have a mate and roams the First Layer with her armies of skeletons and zombies. She appears as a winged human female with snow-white skin, shiny black eyes and dead black hair. She is seldom seen but can be heard singing in an ethereal, fluting voice from time to time in Avernus, however she dislikes all forms of music.

Herodias, former magistrate to Geryon, is another survivor of the Wild Beast's court. A scarlet bodied creature of massive build, Herodias appears strangely human otherwise, despite his sinister grin and his hooves.

The advanced pit-fiend Kochbiel was the former marshal to the archdevil Beherit, the now-destroyed Lord of the Sixth. Another duke exiled for political reasons, Kochbiel is a very skillful and calculating general of cold manners who rules his troops with an iron hand. Due to his might, one of the greatest among the Exiles, he is greatly feared and respected. Having conquered quite a bunch of strategical places in Avernus, the former marshal's main concern at the moment is to reinforce the connections between them and his authority over them. He is a great rival to Nergal. Kochbiel appears as a burly, exceptionnaly large pit-fiend of gray skin with a set of 4 massively muscled arms. His yellow eyes violently contrast with his deep purple inner mouth and tongue.

Aggressive and embittered Malarea is acknowledged by all in Hell for her domineering personality. This erinyes-looking she-devil longs to join the ranks of Hell's consorts at any price. Thus, she already personally assaulted the arch-Duchesses out of envy, only to be grimly defeated. She has sought out Bel for consortship but he rebuffed her, leaving Malarea even more frustrated. She appears as a tall human female with deep red eyes, black hair and very large black wings. Her powerfully muscled body glows a ghostly light and she has vampire-like fangs for canine teeth.

Moloch, former viceroy of Baalzebul and former Lord of the Sixth, was set up for his downfall by the Hag Countess, his former lover. After having wondered the planes for a while, Moloch is back in Baator and tries to regain his lost status but any scheme he came up with has failed so far.

Nergal, among the most powerful of the rabble, sometimes called "The Bringer of Pestilence and Fever", is a gruesome Duke of very unusual appearance. Exiled to Avernus after being denied the control of Malbolge after the destruction of Beherit, he tries to raise more power on Avernus and is in competition with the pit-fiend Kochbiel. Nergal is a lion headed toad who sports a pinkish-gray, purulent skin covered in sores that ooze a colorless, poisonous ichor.

Known as the Poisoner of Hell Nisroch, "The Eagle", is an observing, polite and mocking Duke. Exiled to Avernus for killing the duke Senciner and nearly slaying Abigor, he has now very little chance to perform his favourite trick (poisoning sumptuous meals). Still, he continues to invent and produce deadly poisons with the rare ingredients of Avernus, poisoning various items at random to surprise his unwary victims. Nisroch looks very much like the Tanar'ri Prince Pazuzu: he is an eagle-headed humanoid male with talons for legs and a leathery skin. His feathery areas are black and the only thing that distinguishes him from the demon Prince of Aerial Kingdoms is his set of bat-like wings.

The proud Rumjal is another former lieutenant to Geryon. Exiled to Avernus for the molestation of Geryon's consort, Cozbi, this very resentful Duke wields his frustration by tormenting lesser devils and weak non-Baatezus. However, Rumjal appears to the world as surprisingly good-natured, polite and straightforward devil who enjoys art, dark poetry and wit. He still considers himself a rightful Duke of Hell who temporarily fell from prestige. Now that both Geryon and Cozbi are dead, he wishes to reintegrate the hierarchy of Hell by acting in a loyal, very useful way. This might happen since Asmodeus appreciates him and sometimes plays chess with him for recreation. Rumjal is a tall, heavily muscled, hairless humanoid of gray skin and white horns. He sports a white tail that ends in three curving points.

[edit] References

Greenwood, Ed. "The Nine Hells Part I." Dragon #75 (TSR, 1983).
- Greenwood, Ed. "The Nine Hells Part II." Dragon #76 (TSR, 1983).
- Greenwood, Ed. "The Nine Hells Revisited." Dragon #91 (TSR, 1984).