Reckoning of Hell
Encyclopedia
In the cosmology
of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell (often referred to as the Reckoning) was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells
into its current form. The Reckoning received its fullest treatment in the D&D sourcebook A Guide to Hell.
#28, the article "The Politics of Hell" by Alexander von Thorn details the history and politics of Hell in the AD&D universe. This gives a different history to that detailed below, and includes statistics for Satan, Belial
and Astaroth
. Satan is more powerful than any other Devil, but lacks support, having been exiled from hell by Baalzebub following a revolution. Baalzebub (meaning Lord of the Arch Devils) was later himself overthrown by Asmodeus and is forever after known as Baalzebul (Lord of the Flies). While this article may have influenced other authors, like any article in Dragon (unless declared otherwise) it was unofficial.
In the times before the Reckoning (1st edition and part of 2nd edition), the Lords of the Nine Hells were divided into two factions. Mephistopheles
, lord of Cania, the eighth layer of Hell, led one faction. His allies were:
The opposing faction was led by Baalzebul
, lord of Maladomini, the seventh layer. His allies included:
Baalzebul and Mephistopheles believed that by eliminating the opposing faction they could gain enough power to challenge Asmodeus
, lord of Nessus, the ninth layer, and ruler of the other lords.
Note: In First Edition, the ruler of Avernus was Tiamat. At the onset of Second Edition, this was changed to Bel, with Zariel (eventually) being retroactively written in as Bel's predecessor.
. At the last minute, she diverted her army to Dis and laid siege on the Iron Citadel of Dispater. On cue, Moloch and Belial launched surprise attacks on Stygia.
Mephistopheles was caught off guard, and the initial war went badly for his faction. He sacrificed hordes of devils to buy time to organize a counter-offensive, then led his gelugon legions into Maladomini to attack Baalzebul, while Mammon's forces reinforced Dis. Zariel retreated to her home layer of Avernus, and Baalzebul called to his allies for reinforcements.
The war had shifted in Mephistopheles' favor, and the focus of conflict turned to Maladomini. All other battles were abandoned, and the two factions poured into the seventh layer for a final confrontation. Despite the horrendous casualties, both armies numbered in their millions. The lords were already thinking about deposing Asmodeus. At that moment, Asmodeus sprang his trap.
Unbeknownst to the other lords, Geryon had remained loyal to Asmodeus. With Asmodeus' help, Geryon had infiltrated the ranks of both armies. As the final clash grew imminent, Geryon blew his horn. On his sign, the pit fiend generals of the armies turned on their masters, revealing their ultimate loyalty to Asmodeus. The warring lords were overthrown by their own armies, leaving Asmodeus the undisputed leader of the Hells.
rewarded the pit fiend generals by giving them command over the baatezu armies of the Blood War. The generals are collectively known as the Dark Eight. The lords of the first eight layers retain personal armies and the Dark Eight rank below them. Ultimately, however, the Dark Eight remain completely loyal to Asmodeus, which ensures the vast majority of the baatezu are under Asmodeus' command.
Asmodeus surprised all by reinstating six of the lords almost immediately after their defeat. Asmodeus believed that his position would be more secure if he kept his chastised enemies busy ruling his fiefs under his watchful gaze than if he banished them to plot against him in some dark corner of the lower planes
. Only Moloch and Geryon were not reinstated as rulers.
In the time leading up to the Reckoning, Moloch's leman, the Hag Countess
(known in 2E D&D as Malagard), encouraged him to join Baalzebul's alliance, suggesting he could dethrone Baalzebul after Mephistopheles and Asmodeus were removed from power. Unbeknownst to Moloch, the Hag Countess was in secret communication with Geryon, and she arranged for Moloch's armies to betray him. After Moloch's defeat, she counseled him that Asmodeus would respect his strength if he remained defiant. While the other lords fled before Asmodeus, Moloch alone stood his ground. For his impudence, Asmodeus replaced him with the Hag Countess as ruler of Malbolge. The Hag Countess banished Moloch and he disappeared from the Hells.
Geryon, the only arch-devil to show loyalty to Asmodeus, was deposed and faded into anonymity. His layer was given to Prince Levistus
, a former ruler of Stygia who had been imprisoned in ice for eons as punishment for murdering Asmodeus' consort Bensozia
. In spite of his return to power, Levistus remains encased in ice.
Mammon took on a new form after the Reckoning. His prior appearance as a bloated pit fiend was replaced by that of a giant serpent with a humanoid torso and head. According to A Guide to Hell, Mammon took this form to symbolize to Asmodeus that he had become a "new devil"; according to the Book of Vile Darkness
, Asmodeus bestowed this form on him, either to punish him or as a sign that Mammon had changed his traitorous ways. Mammon's new form resembles that of Geryon, and is possibly intended as a final insult to the forgotten former lord of Stygia. Asmodeus ended the relationship between Mammon and his consort Glasya, the daughter of Asmodeus and Bensozia. Asmodeus put Glasya in charge of the Erinyes
, and since the Reckoning she has collaborated with the Dark Eight in that capacity.
Baalzebul, a former favorite of Asmodeus, was punished for his desire to rule the nine layers. Baalzebul's original form was a handsome humanoid with compound insect eyes; in the aftermath of the Reckoning Asmodeus transformed him into a giant slug with tiny malformed arms who leaves a trail of stinking waste.
After the Reckoning, Belial decided to retreat into the shadows. With Asmodeus' approval, he instated his daughter Fierna
as ruler of Phlegethos. Belial remains the layer's true source of power behind the scenes.
Zariel was later overthrown and imprisoned by the pit fiend Bel
, a general for the Dark Eight who had served with distinction as Zariel's right hand.
Dispater remains loyal to Mephistopheles and Belial remains loyal to Baalzebul. Mephistopheles and Baalzebul are still bitter rivals.
The Hag Countess has been deposed and her layer, Malbolge, completely redesigned. Glasya, Asmodeus's daughter, has been given command of the newly reshaped layer — it appears now that, at least in part, the point of all the manipulation involved in the Reckoning was to remove one of the previous Lords of the Nine and replace him with Glasya. The Hag Countess was not given her position as thanks for service, but simply to keep the seat occupied with an obviously unfit ruler (because the Hag Countess was not a devil) until the time was right to instate Glasya.
For centuries after his banishment, Moloch plotted his revenge, marshalling resources and gaining allies. When his preparations were complete, he went into hiding in the Prime Material Plane
. He planned to planeshift to Baator and reclaim Malbolge at a prearranged time.
Unbeknownst to Moloch, a party of heroes stole an artifact called the Stone of Corbinet; its theft made shifting between the planes impossible. Moloch was stranded in the Prime Material Plane at the appointed hour. His forces on Baator were cut off from his orders and slaughtered by the Hag Countess.
Moloch pursued the party of heroes to exact vengeance. His ultimate fate was left at the DM
's discretion.
According to A Paladin in Hell, a standalone adventure for 2nd Edition, it's likely that Asmodeus deposed and humiliated Geryon because he knew Geryon's desire to regain his former position would make him an easily manipulated servant.
On one occasion, Asmodeus sought to regain an artifact stored in a well-guarded temple by getting a servant to transport the temple to hell. With the promise of Asmodeus' aid in regaining his position as ruler of the fifth, Geryon agreed to invade the temple and retrieve the artifact when it arrived in Stygia. Geryon built an ice fortress called Coldsteel above the area the temple would appear, blocking all access points save through Coldsteel.
Geryon's plans were foiled by mortal adventurers who fought their way through Coldsteel and returned the temple to the Prime Material Plane. Geryon remains in Citadel Coldsteel, secretly raising an army to dethrone Prince Levistus.
Geryon has since become one of the "vestiges," once-great powers who may still be invoked through pacts. According to legends of those who use pact magic, Asmodeus continued to abuse Geryon's trust until Geryon's faith in Asmodeus was broken; Geryon, unlike the other Lords of the Nine, had truly revered and loved Asmodeus, meaning that the destruction of his faith allowed Asmodeus to completely consume his soul and his power, which had been Asmodeus' plan all along. Geryon's consciousness now still exists in the Outer Darkness beyond the planes as a vestige, only capable of experiencing reality through the eyes of binders who invoke him. He confers upon them his baatezu powers, but also imbues them with his one defining personality trait, an irrational and self-destructive loyalty in the face of betrayal.
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy roleplaying game, the Reckoning of Hell (often referred to as the Reckoning) was a civil war that shaped the political landscape of the Nine Hells
Baator
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Baator, also known as the Nine Hells of Baator or the Nine Hells, is a lawful evil-aligned plane of existence...
into its current form. The Reckoning received its fullest treatment in the D&D sourcebook A Guide to Hell.
Prelude to the Reckoning
Note: In DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#28, the article "The Politics of Hell" by Alexander von Thorn details the history and politics of Hell in the AD&D universe. This gives a different history to that detailed below, and includes statistics for Satan, Belial
Belial
Belial is one of the four crown princes of Hell and a demon in the Bible, Jewish apocrypha and Christian apocrypha...
and Astaroth
Astaroth
Astaroth , in demonology, is a Crowned Prince of Hell. He is a male figure named after the Canaanite goddess Ashtoreth.-Background:...
. Satan is more powerful than any other Devil, but lacks support, having been exiled from hell by Baalzebub following a revolution. Baalzebub (meaning Lord of the Arch Devils) was later himself overthrown by Asmodeus and is forever after known as Baalzebul (Lord of the Flies). While this article may have influenced other authors, like any article in Dragon (unless declared otherwise) it was unofficial.
In the times before the Reckoning (1st edition and part of 2nd edition), the Lords of the Nine Hells were divided into two factions. Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Mephistopheles is an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Lord of No Mercy" and the "Cold Lord"....
, lord of Cania, the eighth layer of Hell, led one faction. His allies were:
- DispaterDispater (Dungeons & Dragons)In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Dispater is an Arch-Devil of Hell , and the Lord of the Iron City of Dis....
: lord of Dis, the second layer. - MammonMammon (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Mammon is an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Lord of Avarice." His symbol is a pair of red scaled hands open and looming over a black gemstone, or gold medallions emblazoned with the image of a snake-bodied devil.Mammon is the lord of Minauros,...
: lord of Minauros, the third layer. - GeryonGeryon (Dungeons & Dragons)In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Geryon was an Arch-Devil of Hell , also known as the "Wild Beast."-Creative origins:...
: lord of Stygia, the fifth layer.
The opposing faction was led by Baalzebul
Baalzebul (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Baalzebul is a fictional character, described as an Arch-Devil of Hell , also called the "Lord of the Flies."Baalzebul is lord of Maladomini, the Seventh Plane of Hell...
, lord of Maladomini, the seventh layer. His allies included:
- Zariel: former lord of Avernus, the first layer.
- BelialBelial (Dungeons & Dragons)In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Belial is an Arch-Devil of Hell , lord of the Fourth Hell, Phlegethos. He retained his rule after the Reckoning of Hell, though he now shares this responsibility with his daughter Fierna who serves as his mouthpiece...
: lord of Phlegethos, the fourth layer. - MolochMoloch (Dungeons & Dragons)In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Moloch is an arch-devil of Hell , and once served as the viceroy of Baalzebul.-Creative origins:...
: Baalzebul's viceroy and ruler of Malbolge, the sixth layer.
Baalzebul and Mephistopheles believed that by eliminating the opposing faction they could gain enough power to challenge Asmodeus
Asmodeus (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Asmodeus is an Arch-Devil: a lord of the game's version of Hell . There he is the Overlord of the Dukes of Hell...
, lord of Nessus, the ninth layer, and ruler of the other lords.
Note: In First Edition, the ruler of Avernus was Tiamat. At the onset of Second Edition, this was changed to Bel, with Zariel (eventually) being retroactively written in as Bel's predecessor.
The War
The Reckoning was sparked by Baalzebul's faction. It began on Avernus: Zariel had prepared a great army, supposedly to lead an assault on the Tanar'ri in the Blood WarBlood War
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Blood War is an eternal conflict between the fiends of the Lower planes. The Tanar'ri are the demonic forces of the Abyss, an evil plane of chaos. Representing the equally evil but lawful realm of Baator are the Baatezu, the dominant caste of...
. At the last minute, she diverted her army to Dis and laid siege on the Iron Citadel of Dispater. On cue, Moloch and Belial launched surprise attacks on Stygia.
Mephistopheles was caught off guard, and the initial war went badly for his faction. He sacrificed hordes of devils to buy time to organize a counter-offensive, then led his gelugon legions into Maladomini to attack Baalzebul, while Mammon's forces reinforced Dis. Zariel retreated to her home layer of Avernus, and Baalzebul called to his allies for reinforcements.
The war had shifted in Mephistopheles' favor, and the focus of conflict turned to Maladomini. All other battles were abandoned, and the two factions poured into the seventh layer for a final confrontation. Despite the horrendous casualties, both armies numbered in their millions. The lords were already thinking about deposing Asmodeus. At that moment, Asmodeus sprang his trap.
Unbeknownst to the other lords, Geryon had remained loyal to Asmodeus. With Asmodeus' help, Geryon had infiltrated the ranks of both armies. As the final clash grew imminent, Geryon blew his horn. On his sign, the pit fiend generals of the armies turned on their masters, revealing their ultimate loyalty to Asmodeus. The warring lords were overthrown by their own armies, leaving Asmodeus the undisputed leader of the Hells.
Aftermath
AsmodeusAsmodeus (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Asmodeus is an Arch-Devil: a lord of the game's version of Hell . There he is the Overlord of the Dukes of Hell...
rewarded the pit fiend generals by giving them command over the baatezu armies of the Blood War. The generals are collectively known as the Dark Eight. The lords of the first eight layers retain personal armies and the Dark Eight rank below them. Ultimately, however, the Dark Eight remain completely loyal to Asmodeus, which ensures the vast majority of the baatezu are under Asmodeus' command.
Asmodeus surprised all by reinstating six of the lords almost immediately after their defeat. Asmodeus believed that his position would be more secure if he kept his chastised enemies busy ruling his fiefs under his watchful gaze than if he banished them to plot against him in some dark corner of the lower planes
Outer Plane
In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as godly planes, spiritual planes or divine planes. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as deities and otherworldly creatures such as...
. Only Moloch and Geryon were not reinstated as rulers.
In the time leading up to the Reckoning, Moloch's leman, the Hag Countess
Hag Countess
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Hag Countess, also known as Malagard, is the former ruler of Malbolge, the Sixth Layer of the Nine Hells of Baator...
(known in 2E D&D as Malagard), encouraged him to join Baalzebul's alliance, suggesting he could dethrone Baalzebul after Mephistopheles and Asmodeus were removed from power. Unbeknownst to Moloch, the Hag Countess was in secret communication with Geryon, and she arranged for Moloch's armies to betray him. After Moloch's defeat, she counseled him that Asmodeus would respect his strength if he remained defiant. While the other lords fled before Asmodeus, Moloch alone stood his ground. For his impudence, Asmodeus replaced him with the Hag Countess as ruler of Malbolge. The Hag Countess banished Moloch and he disappeared from the Hells.
Geryon, the only arch-devil to show loyalty to Asmodeus, was deposed and faded into anonymity. His layer was given to Prince Levistus
Levistus
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Levistus is the arch-devil currently ruling Stygia, the Fifth layer of the Nine Hells of Baator...
, a former ruler of Stygia who had been imprisoned in ice for eons as punishment for murdering Asmodeus' consort Bensozia
Bensozia
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Bensozia was the consort of Baator's Overlord, Asmodeus. She's also referred to as the Queen of Hell.-Creative origins:...
. In spite of his return to power, Levistus remains encased in ice.
Mammon took on a new form after the Reckoning. His prior appearance as a bloated pit fiend was replaced by that of a giant serpent with a humanoid torso and head. According to A Guide to Hell, Mammon took this form to symbolize to Asmodeus that he had become a "new devil"; according to the Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast in October 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first Dungeons &...
, Asmodeus bestowed this form on him, either to punish him or as a sign that Mammon had changed his traitorous ways. Mammon's new form resembles that of Geryon, and is possibly intended as a final insult to the forgotten former lord of Stygia. Asmodeus ended the relationship between Mammon and his consort Glasya, the daughter of Asmodeus and Bensozia. Asmodeus put Glasya in charge of the Erinyes
Erinyes
In Greek mythology the Erinyes from Greek ἐρίνειν " pursue, persecute"--sometimes referred to as "infernal goddesses" -- were female chthonic deities of vengeance. A formulaic oath in the Iliad invokes them as "those who beneath the earth punish whosoever has sworn a false oath"...
, and since the Reckoning she has collaborated with the Dark Eight in that capacity.
Baalzebul, a former favorite of Asmodeus, was punished for his desire to rule the nine layers. Baalzebul's original form was a handsome humanoid with compound insect eyes; in the aftermath of the Reckoning Asmodeus transformed him into a giant slug with tiny malformed arms who leaves a trail of stinking waste.
After the Reckoning, Belial decided to retreat into the shadows. With Asmodeus' approval, he instated his daughter Fierna
Fierna
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Lady Fierna is the ruler of the Fourth Layer of the Nine Hells of Baator. She is the daughter of arch-Duke Belial and his late consort Naome, and currently shares the rulership with her father...
as ruler of Phlegethos. Belial remains the layer's true source of power behind the scenes.
Zariel was later overthrown and imprisoned by the pit fiend Bel
Bel (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Bel the pit fiend, is the Arch-Devil currently in charge of Avernus, the First Layer of the Nine Hells of Baator...
, a general for the Dark Eight who had served with distinction as Zariel's right hand.
Baator's post-Reckoning political landscape
Bel, Mammon, Levistus and the Hag Countess have no real allegiances:- The other arch-devils refer to Bel as the Pretender. They believe Asmodeus allowed his coup because it gave him one less scheming lord to worry about. Bel is kept busy with his duties prosecuting the Blood War; he has attempted to ally with Baalzebul and Mephistopheles but has been rebuffed — the memory of his treachery against Zariel is too fresh in their minds.
- Mammon, the first to betray his allies and abase himself before Asmodeus, is not trusted by the other lords.
- Prince Levistus is obsessed with gaining enough power to escape his imprisonment. He loathes and is loathed by all the other lords.
- Unlike the other lords, the Hag Countess is not a true baatezu and she achieved her power through guile rather than strength. She maintained her rank through military might and for the most part stayed out of baatezu politics. Her main concern was solidifying her power base.
Dispater remains loyal to Mephistopheles and Belial remains loyal to Baalzebul. Mephistopheles and Baalzebul are still bitter rivals.
Current politics
The 2006 release of The Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells has somewhat changed Hell's political structure again.The Hag Countess has been deposed and her layer, Malbolge, completely redesigned. Glasya, Asmodeus's daughter, has been given command of the newly reshaped layer — it appears now that, at least in part, the point of all the manipulation involved in the Reckoning was to remove one of the previous Lords of the Nine and replace him with Glasya. The Hag Countess was not given her position as thanks for service, but simply to keep the seat occupied with an obviously unfit ruler (because the Hag Countess was not a devil) until the time was right to instate Glasya.
The fate of Moloch and Geryon
(Info from D&D modules The Apocalypse Stone and A Paladin in Hell plus the supplemental book Tome of Magic.)For centuries after his banishment, Moloch plotted his revenge, marshalling resources and gaining allies. When his preparations were complete, he went into hiding in the Prime Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
. He planned to planeshift to Baator and reclaim Malbolge at a prearranged time.
Unbeknownst to Moloch, a party of heroes stole an artifact called the Stone of Corbinet; its theft made shifting between the planes impossible. Moloch was stranded in the Prime Material Plane at the appointed hour. His forces on Baator were cut off from his orders and slaughtered by the Hag Countess.
Moloch pursued the party of heroes to exact vengeance. His ultimate fate was left at the DM
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...
's discretion.
According to A Paladin in Hell, a standalone adventure for 2nd Edition, it's likely that Asmodeus deposed and humiliated Geryon because he knew Geryon's desire to regain his former position would make him an easily manipulated servant.
On one occasion, Asmodeus sought to regain an artifact stored in a well-guarded temple by getting a servant to transport the temple to hell. With the promise of Asmodeus' aid in regaining his position as ruler of the fifth, Geryon agreed to invade the temple and retrieve the artifact when it arrived in Stygia. Geryon built an ice fortress called Coldsteel above the area the temple would appear, blocking all access points save through Coldsteel.
Geryon's plans were foiled by mortal adventurers who fought their way through Coldsteel and returned the temple to the Prime Material Plane. Geryon remains in Citadel Coldsteel, secretly raising an army to dethrone Prince Levistus.
Geryon has since become one of the "vestiges," once-great powers who may still be invoked through pacts. According to legends of those who use pact magic, Asmodeus continued to abuse Geryon's trust until Geryon's faith in Asmodeus was broken; Geryon, unlike the other Lords of the Nine, had truly revered and loved Asmodeus, meaning that the destruction of his faith allowed Asmodeus to completely consume his soul and his power, which had been Asmodeus' plan all along. Geryon's consciousness now still exists in the Outer Darkness beyond the planes as a vestige, only capable of experiencing reality through the eyes of binders who invoke him. He confers upon them his baatezu powers, but also imbues them with his one defining personality trait, an irrational and self-destructive loyalty in the face of betrayal.