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    Hell on Oerth
    Posted on Tue, July 06, 2004 by Farcluun
    Osmund-Davizid writes "The records of the Thaumaturgists of the L’Ordre de la Croix-Rose Veritas hold many secrets. Recently, the head of the La Croix-Bleu, the wizard-sage Simoni, exchanged a letter to some of his comrades within the church of St. Cuthbert. The head of the temple of St. Cuthbert in Greyhawk authorized release of some of his notes to the Greyhawk Guild of Wizardry in order to facilitate the spread of knowledge to fight the diabolic on Oerth. This is an excerpt from the abridged version the Greyhawk Guild received.

    Hell on Oerth
    By: Osmund-Davizid
    Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author. Hell on Oerth

    There is evidence that while the Crook of Rao has dispelled many of the unholy fiends that were plaguing Oerth, there are those who resisted the holy relic’s influence. Furthermore, the Crook seemed to only affect the chaotic demon-spawn, and not the lawful devils (Foot Note 1). The church of Saint Cuthbert has long dedicated itself to zealously smiting evil in all its forms, be it demonic or diabolic. The Order of the Rosy Cross of Truth has the mission of stemming the tide of evil that is awash on Oerth. From our archives, here is a listing of some of the major devils who have been known or rumored to have been active on Oerth. Please note that while the names of these creatures are undoubtedly not the truenames of these devils, utmost care and discretion must be utilized when researching them. These names still contain a spark of the infernal and woe to any foolish mortal who treats them lightly.

    Most lesser devils are incapable or otherwise not allowed to travel to the worlds of mortals. The Dark Eight’s focus is on waging the Blood War, and outside of a few fiends authorized by the Ministry of Mortal Relations and the erinyes (whose specific province is tempting mortals) most lesser devils do not dabble in actions on the Prime Material Plane. The exceptions mainly come when foolish, evil, and/or misguided human wizards and priests summon a devil for some dark purpose. Often times, these devils wrest control away from the summoner and begin to further their own agendas.

    The minor nobility of Hell, on the other hand, are in a perpetual state of vying for increased personal power. Therefore, they are the most active in involving themselves with the affairs of mortals. These unique devil lords often allow the secrets to summoning them to be known to mortal spellcasters in the hopes of establishing a link or gate to the mortal realm. The motivations behind these acts vary from one individual devil to another.

    Minor Devils: There exists an infernal hierarchy in the Nine Hells. And within every hierarchy, there exists those who do not fit in or make some transgression against the ruling elite and are thus exiled outside the system. The outcast devils have the most to gain from the mortal world and the least to lose. Thus, the devils that most often plague our world come from this “rabble of devilkind” caste.

    Jaqon - The Panderer of Hell. Once a lesser duke of Hell, this foul being was caught selling the truenames of the consorts of the Lords of the Nine. He would use this knowledge to blackmail the consorts and for this earned their never ending wrath. He was exiled from the regime and given the name Dagon to thwart attempts to summon him and thus shorten his punishment. Jaqon/Dagon will do anything to gain enough power to end his current exile.

    His plan is to spread to human conjurors his new name, and thus have his exile broken up by many summonings to the Prime Material Plane. While there, he seeks to build a clientele of sages and wizards who seek knowledge of the inner workings of Hell. He already has been rumored to have been involved with several sages of the former Great Kingdom, selling secrets and information to the Overking’s wizards. There are also rumors that his name is well known to the mages of the Sorcerer’s Nexus at Rel Astra, and that he aids the Fiend-Sage there in rumor mongering and power brokering. Of all the devil lords, this is the one who most desires to be frequently summoned, and will attempt to broaden his new name as much as possible with every visit to the Prime Material.

    Nergal - The Spreader of Pox. Nergal is, by most sources, the most powerful of the rabble of devilkind. He has been active in the bakluni lands for several years now. The records of the wizards of the Zashassar have recorded that, among some of the outlying villages in Zeif had been exposed to a dreadful plague that was spread among the well water. Various research by both the Zashassari and priests of Al’Akbar revealed that “a toad-like lion was found at the deepest spot of the village well. It spied our group, let out a blood curdling roar, and flew straight up the well and promptly laid waste to the entire company. Only though the grace of Al’Akbar do I live to pen these words this day. May he smite this foul corruption before it spreads its disease to other villages” (FN 2).

    The archives of the church of Geshtai in Kofeh describe such a creature as being an ally of Sevelkhar the Waster who aids in destroying wells and spreading disease. Its true relationship with the dread god Sevelkhar (ally, servant, avatar, or other) is unknown (FN 3).

    The Serpent General Hazzael. In the heart of the Bright Desert exists a long forgotten necropolis. Within the ruins, are several chambers etched with circles of protection from devils and other runes of power. Wall hieroglyphics tell the story of a serpent headed general who was “summoned from both beyond the stars and from deep within the ground” who led the armies of the emperor in brutal conquest and suppression of rebellions.

    Certainly, this description matches a devilish general named Hazzael (who has offended some of the powerful nobility to the degree that he is banished out of the hierarchy and has been given the name Azazel to thwart his summons), and the presence of devilish summoning ritual items among the artifacts of the Sulm Empire lend credence to the theory that this devil lord assisted in suppressing several rebellions against the evil emperor. Some of the summoning chambers were discovered in more or less functional states, so if the proper ritual was performed, they can be utilized to summon the Serpent General and his legions once again.

    Most of this information comes from one Timitrios Spartakos, a mage of Greyhawk with a very questionable reputation. He claims he gained certain maps from Aerdy scholars well versed in things diabolical that led him to the summoning chambers of Hazzael. There he found several diabolical artifacts and a modest amount of wealth. He sold the information to the church of St. Cuthbert and disappeared from Greyhawk soon afterwards (FN 4). His present whereabouts are unknown, and the exact location of the necropolis remains with the shady wizard.

    Cahor the Deceiver. A pariah even among the other rabble of devilkind, Cahor seeks to spread as much disinformation as possible about Hell and infernal politics. To this end, he often allows himself to be summoned to the Prime Material Plane and practices his art of deception on any who would be so foolish as to pose queries to him. He manipulates a host of agents who likewise spread misinformation throughout the mortal worlds. In this respect, he is still valuable to the powers of Hell, because Cahor ensures that any who would oppose Hell’s designs is bombarded with more false information then useful intelligence. Let all scholars of the lower planes beware – Cahor’s hand may have penned the very grimoire you are relying on!

    Major Devils: Some members of the upper nobility in the Hierarchy of Hell have shown an interest in our world and have attempted to influence events here. These fiends are well established in the infernal system and thus command much vaster resources then the aforementioned rabble. The Order has credible clues that point to the identities of only two such major devil lords (devils of this caliber often work behind many agents, so the mere fact we can guess at the identities of any of them is a feat in and of itself!). Of these major devils, one is a duke from the very palace in Nessus and the other is a member of the Dark Eight, making them both dangerous in the extreme!

    Durgaloth - The Devil Lord who walked Oerth. An up and coming devil lord who has a soft spot in his black heart for Oerth is Durgaloth, the Knight-Errant of Hell. The chronicles of the Horned Society magi relate that this devil lord once marched with the elite Shadow Corps in their successful campaign against the Shield Lands in CY 579 (FN 5). Reports that the armies of the Horned Society were manned with daemons and demodands are in part true, but devilry was the prime religion of the Heirarchs (FN 6), and Durgaloth became a patron of the Society as a whole. The Horned Society occupied the Shield Lands for only a brief time, and Durgaloth had returned to the Pit of Flame long before Iuz’s coup decimated the Society in CY 583. But it is said that Durgaloth still has some sentimentality for his adopted land.

    Durgaloth is also known as the Questing Knight of Hell, as he has been known to take up epic quests throughout the multiverse in support of the will of the Overlord of Hell. In one bizarre instance, there is a tale of three mighty knights of law who united in a quest to destroy a powerful chaotic army. They are described as “a paladin of good, a saint of law, and a knight of Hell” (FN 7). The saint is generally thought to be Saint Ceril the Relentless - the patron of the Pale, the devil knight matches the descriptions of Durgaloth, but the identity of the paladin remains a mystery (FN 8). These three questing knights learned to cooperate with each other for the greater good of promoting law and smiting chaos. This story may be apocryphal, for the only records of it are in the archives of Dimre, and it is neigh impossible to access these records, as Dimre is very protective and insular.

    Durgaloth is likely still providing support to what remains of the Horned Society. The nature of this support and to whom is it provided are unknown. There may yet be another quest that brings this dark knight out from his hellish home to our world again. Let us pray that it does not occur within our lifetimes.

    Baalzephon – The Patron of the House Naelex: This pit fiend is also the Supply Master of the Dark Eight. Utilizing the classic scheme of setting up a false religion to mask the infernal source, (though it is debatable if anyone was really fooled by this sham religion) this clever fiend got state sponsorship from the implementation of the cult of Baalzy in Ruaxes. His (Her?) involvement with the Great Kingdom has been relatively well documented by various sources. What remains to be discovered is what the resulting fall of Rauxes has on the devil’s long term plans.

    It is an open secret that the Overking’s Court Wizard, Karoolck, had many personal pacts with Baalzephon, and grew in power as the results of those pacts. The cult of Hextor had an understanding with the devil and was able to negotiate in relative good faith with Baalzephon’s servants. The many hell forged artifacts given to Overking Ivid and his court by Baalzephon helped Ivid to secure his power and score his few victories in the Greyhawk Wars. Finally, the devils assisted in creating the animus nobility that now rule a wide portion of what was once Aerdy. The accumulation of these spells, artifacts, fiends, gates, and other magics eventually caused some magical resonance to occur, centered on the Imperial Palace in Rauxes. Ruaxes itself suffered what some sages conjecture to be a great magical disjunction partially as the result of an overload of magical and infernal effects.

    To this date, the true fate of Rauxes and its denizens is a complete mystery. The Order requires some investigation into the ruins of the city in order to conduct some special tests and divinations to determine its fate. Needless to say, this undertaking would be extremely dangerous, to be undertaken only by the most skilled and powerful of St. Cuthbert’s faithful (or failing that, some trustworthy adventurers could be found, with Cuthbert’s blessing).

    Other locations of known or suspected devilish connections:

    The Companion Guard: The elite of Aerdy’s fighting forces were not totally destroyed when Rauxes fell. The noted sage, G. Ivril, has proved that some units of the Companion Guard were indeed lesser devils. Some of the commanders were undoubtedly higher level devils as well (FN 9). A few of these hell born units still roam the plains of Aerdy, though most have either gravitated towards powerful rulers and now serve them (most notably, Grace Grenell has at least two such companies operating out of Eastfair as a praetorian guard and as shock troops) or have simply disappeared when Rauxes fell. The motives and loyalties of any remaining units are yet to be discovered.

    Skrellingshald: Skrellingshald is an ancient city ruin atop a plateau high in the Griff Mountains. Epically grand in proportion, this city remains surrounded in mystery, to include the exact nature of the people who dwelled there. While most historians agree that it was most likely populated by Flannish humans (in fact, the Flan know this locale by the name Tostenhca), modern sages are at a loss to explain how such an isolated city could become so large and powerful. The answer may be that some devilish pact was made and thus the city prospered.

    The evidence in support of this hypothesis is admittedly scant, mostly centering around tales of cursed treasure (in the form of oddly shaped gold spheres) being recovered from the site as well as reports that a tribe of fiendishly clever kobolds occupies the ruins and has the ability to summon powerful devils. It is unlikely that the kobold themselves could master such summonings, so they must be using some recovered artifacts from the city itself.

    Finally, the bards tell of the story of Hradji Beartooth’s expedition to the city and his description of a series of ominous sigils and runes carved into what can only be wizard summoning chambers deep within the city. The barbarian explorer allegedly came across great rooms within several manors in the ruins that had protective circles and ominous altars carved into the stone. Prominent in the décor of these sites was the symbol of a letter K encircles with snakes, possibly some sort of devilish rune of power (FN 10). The shield that now bears the name Hradji’s Scorn was rumored to have been found by the explorer in the city, and is covered with the hide of some devilish beast (FN 11).

    The Hanging Glacier of Alisedran and the Ice Shard Tome: Several hundred years ago, the explorer Alisedran described a strange phenomenon that now bears his name (FN 12). A huge glacier that is plunging over a cliff, but remains suspended in mid air. More unusual is the presence of pieces of ice that contain miniature monsters that can grow to full size when the ice is melted. Local barbarian legend states that the region is cursed by a powerful evil spirit. Some sages theorize that there is likely to be some gate to another world somewhere in the glacier, and the stasis is the result of some powerful force for good trying to keep the evil at bay (FN 13).

    The eccentric hydromancer-sage Kurast of Nyrond has recently visited the glacier, but keeps most of his findings to himself. One item that he did reveal to a passing agent of ours was that a large amount of one particular type of creature was present in the glacier fall – that of a diabolical winged snow devil known only to the most erudite sages as the ba’atun (FN 14). Centuries ago, these creatures were the bane of the Rakers, destroying large swaths of land to either side of that mountain range, until the Arch-mage Devral led an alliance of cloud giants, eagles, and dwarves to stop them (FN 15). Now it appears that these snow monsters may be massing for a renewed attack on humanity, this time in the Corusks.

    One final diabolic connection to the glacier is the enigmatic Ice Shard Tome. This spell book contains much in the way of cold spells and spellcraft and includes highly detailed notes about the Hanging Glacier itself, but is written in a hard to decipher language and in terms that are alien to human spellcasters (hints of a Hellish origin?). Rumors of a dark curse seem to follow the tome around. Ever since it was discovered and brought to civilization in CY 574, most of those who have handled the book have died gruesome cold-related deaths. Regardless, the tome is going to be up for bid at an auction in Dyvers soon. I recommend that the Order set aside some funds to attempt to purchase the book, if for no other reason then to get the notes on the Hanging Glacier in order to mount an expedition there in the near future.

    Castle Denessa on Lake Whyestil: Several leagues north of the town of Delaquenn, along the shores of Lake Whyestil, lies a forgotten, forlorn castle. This dismal abode must have some sort of concealing magic, for it has not been touched or explored by the forces of Iuz since the coup of the Blood Moon Festival (perhaps the demons of Iuz simply do not see this obscure castle as important enough to explore, or the owner has made some sort of agreement with the local ruler of Delaquenn to not be disturbed). The castle has a series of well kept docks and warehouses along the lake, but no ships are seen there. The lord of this castle is the former Lord High Admiral of the Horned Society, Baron Otto Von Denessa. He had long since retired to his ancestral home, after having waged several successful naval battles against the forces of Furyondy and many years of loyal service to the Horned Society (FN 16).

    The Lord Admiral had extensive connections with the Necromancery (the Wizard’s Guild of Molag), and may have hidden a few members of that dark organization after the fall of Molag. Those who know the baron (notably Admiral Rosen of Furyondy) suspect that Von Denessa would not just let matters lie. He is suspected by Furyondian agents to be attempting to contact some devilish power (perhaps Durgaloth or the water-loving Focalor) to mount a naval/amphibious strike against Dorakaa by way of the lake. Several strange lights have been seen emanating from the windows of the castle, with answering glows coming from the depths of the monster infested lake. Perhaps the baron’s plan to assemble a fiendish navy at his private dock is bearing fruit…

    The Gates of Hell: The actual Gates of Hell are not located in any one physical space. The gates are metaphysical constructs not tied down to any one location, so one who is looking for the gates will have to quest for them, guided by omens and events that are beyond the scope of this humble sage to attempt to describe here. Suffice it to say, anywhere on a Prime Material world that has the faintest connection with this dread feature will forever be tainted by the infernal. The only verifiable fact known about them is that upon the gates is the following inscription:

    I AM THE WAY INTO THE CITY OF WOE.
    I AM THE WAY TO A FORSAKEN PEOPLE.
    I AM THE WAY INTO ETERNAL SORROW.

    SACRED JUSTICE MOVED MY ARCHITECT.
    I WAS RAISED HERE BY DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE,
    PRIMORDAL LOVE, AND ULTIMATE INTELLECT.

    ONLY THOSE ELEMENTS TIME CANNOT WEAR
    WERE MADE BEFORE ME, AND BEYOND TIME I STAND.
    ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE.

    This grim and terrible message has confounded scholars, both human and baatezu, for centuries. The words imply that the Gates of Hell (and by extension, Hell itself) were created by some undisclosed power. Most devils do not comment on such things, and no record has ever described any devilish research into the source of the inscription. The origins of the Gates may well be a mystery beyond both mortal and immortal comprehension (FN 17).

    The Circle of Unholy Thought: In an obscure text rumored to be the writing of the great undead slayer Saint Bane, a perfect circle of blasted earth in the middle of a dark forest is described. The writing postulates that this is the place where “The Devil Himself” paces in an endless circle, contemplating the fate of humanity. This tale is likely to be allegorical, but in the sacred text of The Wye Canon, the tale is repeated and detailed in such a manner that I suspect that there is a grain of truth to the story. Regardless, the tale is a common enough fear-babe story throughout the Flannaess to be an archetype of devilish influence in our world (FN 18).

    In conclusion fellow Stalwarts of the Cudgel, remember that we must never waver in our zeal to smite the evils away from our world. Our enemies are legion, but our faith and zeal will carry us through these dark times. I remain your humble scholar, Simoni of the L’Ordre de la Croix-Rose Veritas.

    “Evil which cannot be removed, must be eliminated”.


    NOTES:

    1. The actual extent of the Crook’s effects on the fiends is up to individual DMs to determine. The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer describes that Dorakaa is still inhabited by many demons, and each individual demon may have resisted the effects of the Crook independently of other fiends. It has been theorized that the Crook only effected the fiends that were summoned to this world by certain particular portals (ie. the Blackspear Chamber in Iuz’s palace, or the portal in Onyxgate). That is, the Crook destroyed the portal and the resulting mystical backlash banished any fiend that came to Oerth by way of that portal, leaving those fiends summoned by other means on Oerth. This is just a hypothesis forwarded by certain sages and scholars of Greyhawk, but it does explain why many demons still remain on Oerth even after the Flight of Fiends.

    2. As recorded by the priest Ibn Al Jhoraise of Al’Akbar in his personal journal. Near the Zeif city of Antalotol he and his party of scholars tracked down a mysterious toad-beast that was poisoning the well water. The creature devastated his party and fled, its present whereabouts are unknown.

    3. This creature may or may not be the vile devil Nergal. Some sages speculate that Sevelkhar is an aspect of Incabulos, but inconsistencies arise in that Sevelkhar is described as only a lesser deity. Perhaps Nergal is the actual identity of Sevelkhar (this would resolve the power difference between Incabulos and Sevelkhar). Nergal would act to further Incabulos’ wishes in order to gain enough power to force his way into Hell’s hierarchy. What the Lords of the Nine would think of Nergal’s alliance is an open question. Furthermore, the guild of wizards in Zeif itself, the Sign of the Red Talisman, are known to be traffickers in fiends, perhaps Nergal is acting independently of Sevelkhar on behalf of some vile plot of that mysterious cabal.

    4. Exactly how Spartakos gained these maps and the lore associated with them was never adequately explained. Immediately after his disappearance, several teams of elves came looking for him throughout the city. Whether these events are related to his discovery of the summoning chamber is not clear. It is rumored that Spartakos has some ties to the Valley of the Mage, as well as to the House of Naelex’s secret police, but nothing substantial is known for certain. Regardless of the source, if there are a large number of diabolic temples in the Bright Desert, they must be destroyed as soon as possible. The Arch-mage Rary has used extra planar creatures in the past, and if he could recruit more, then the Empire of the Bright Desert can shift the delicate balance of power in the south central Flanaess.

    5. A survivor of that conflict, the paladin Valderesse Sharn, has been quoted as saying “The Shadow Corps of Molag was aided by a powerful devil, who not only advised the generals, but also fought on the front lines. Only this could explain the ease of our defeat. I saw firsthand his power at the Battle of Axeport. A figure clad in grey tinged armor strode at the head of the Corps. None who raised a weapon against him could pierce his armor, and no spell could slow his advance. The fiend had the appearance, speech and mannerisms of a Shield Knight, which made his relentless march upon our forces all the more disconcerting. A full company of noble warriors fell by his hand. The mighty weapon, Oathkeeper, shattered against this fiend’s shield. The devil raised his great sword in a knightly salute before he slew Lord Hrothgar of Stahzer in single combat. His grim and tyrannical standard was placed on the walls of Axeport when our lines crumpled. It was only though the gloating of a captured mage of the Shadow Corps that we learned this fiend’s name – Durgaloth. Mere mention of the name is enough to cause anguish and despair among the survivors of Axeport.”

    6. The faiths of Hextor and Nerull also had great influence upon the Hierarchs of the Horned Society. Historians and scholars still debate the exact religious practices of the Society, though later events render this topic largely academic. At any rate, the cult of Nerull has great connections with the chaotic demodands, it is likely that this cult was responsible for these creatures for use in units they commanded, while other religious leaders summoned other fiends for their respective units. Somehow, the overall goals and leadership of the Horned Society kept these various factions together and focused on fighting the Shield Landers instead of each other.

    7. This myth comes from the sacred scrolls of the heretical Grand Theocracy of Dimre. Their religion teaches that in order to become truly good, you must first walk hand in hand with the darkness. This story clearly illustrates such moral relativism among these misguided apostates.

    8. The paladin is likely a paladin of Pholtus related to the canon who founded Dimre. This story is particularly reviled in the Pale, for they teach that Saint Ceril would never compromise with any evil (even one that is clearly as lawful as he is). Any mention of this myth to a priest of Pholtus (especially a Palish one) is an invitation to either be harangued or assaulted.

    9. These special fiendish units were manned by barbazu, “bearded devils”. These units were the most violent of the Companion Guard, but still possessed great discipline. It is thought that they developed the highly effective tactic of creating many powerful illusions of chaotic fiends to cover themselves in the hope that their enemies would use less effective spells and weapons against them. (In truth, this tactic only works against those who are well versed in the differences between devils, demons, and other lower planar creatures. Most mortals don’t know the difference and just throw everything they got against any fiendish creature and hope for the best.) This tactic was successfully employed in several battles in Medegia, an example of which is the confused accounts of devils, demons, and other fantastic creatures that have been reported to have leveled the city of Pontylver.

    10. The Order is wrong about their theory behind the rune. The K surrounded by serpents is the personal mark of the wizard-lord Keraptis, not a devilish symbol. About two thousand years ago, this wizard ruled Tostenhca with an iron fist. When he became obsessed with extending his age and becoming immortal, he turned to evil sources to see if they could offer him eternal life. Undoubtedly, he may have sought out powerful devils in his research. When he was exiled, a fiendish curse would explain the presence of devil summoning magic in the city as well as the cursed gold. It is up to individual DMs to determine the extent Kerpatis’ involvement with the infernal (as well as any present interest in the city), but it is unlikely that he put too much stock in trafficking with the devils, as he still very actively pursued immortality experiments after his exile.

    11. Hradji’s Scorn is a Large Shield + 3, with the hide of an ice devil stretched across the front, making it have a bonus of + 2 versus magical fire. This mighty magic item was last seen in the hands of the barbarian sea raider Njoder Redwater and was presumed lost with him when his raiding ship sank off the coast of Atirr.

    12. From Alisedran’s book, On Sledge and Horseback to the Barbarians of the North. The book is available in most large city libraries, and contains much information about the far north that is still useable, even after all this time.

    13. Some sages have postulated that this portal would open to an alternate Prime Material world. We of the Order put forth that this portal is actually a way to the frigid Eighth Hell, as the large number of cold using monsters seems to show purpose and intelligent placement that only an infernal mind could envision. Furthermore, the ba’atun priests have been known to carve great idols of ice devils and refer to their deity as “The Lord Who Knows No Mercy”, making them vassals to Mephistopheles. The good power that keeps the evil at bay is open to conjecture. A powerful deity such as Pelor is the most likely being responsible. Pelor has a small cult among the barbarians of the north, so his involvement here is not totally out of place.

    14. Ba’atun (bah-TOON) resemble evil looking baboons about 5’9” tall, with large white bat-like wings. Their fur is an icy blue color. They are strong devil worshippers, with average to genius intelligence, and have priests capable of at least 7th level. Some exceptional individuals can also become wizards. Their important statistics (in 2nd edition terms) are as follows:

    Hit Dice 2+1 (base), Armor Class 4, Move 9”/ 21” flight, # Attacks 3, Damage 1-6, 1-4, 1-4 (bite/claw/claw), they have a special attack of a fear inducing screech (save vs. spells at + 4 or be struck by fear for one round), they save vs. cold at +2 for half or no damage but have a -2 penalty vs. fire.

    The ba’atun have a highly militaristic society and always act in an organized manner. For every squad of 8, there is a wing sergeant with 3 HD. Two squads form a flight led by a AC 3, HD 5 flight leader, who has a +1 bonus to all attack rolls and carries magical stones that can be used to entangle an opponent’s wings (as per a web spell). Once per day, a flight leader can fire ice shards from his hand for 2d8 damage. Two flights make up a swarm, led by a HD 7, AC 1 swarm leader, who has a +2 bonus to attacks, carries magical ice javelins, and can breath a cone of cold causing 3d8 damage once per day.

    15. These are the background events from module UK7: Dark Clouds Gather. The adventure described there would likely be placed at the narrowest point of the Rakers, with the village of Lurneslye in the eastern Pale and Melmond in western Ratik, with a tortured pass connecting the two. Devral’s retreat is located high in the mountains at about hex 31-O.

    16. Long before the Greyhawk Wars, Lake Whyestil had much naval traffic. The day Iuz first claimed Dorakaa as his capital was the day most of the lake trade dried up. Still, Furyondy had many ships to ply the lake for fish and to travel the Veng River. The Horned Society had a battleworthy navy at the peak of its power, and would often skirmish with Furyondian warships. When the forces of Iuz took the Horned Lands over, loyalist admirals and captains destroyed their ships rather then see them captured. Most Furyondian warships were sunk when Iuz took over the northern ports of Furyondy. Since Iuz has no great interest in rebuilding the navy, Lake Whyestil sees little ships these days, aside from a few fishing fleets.

    17. Some philosophers argue that all the deities of Oerth are really just strangely powered mortal beings that just seem godlike. The real powers behind the multiverse’s creation remain hidden from our comprehension. Among these powers is one creator power responsible for all that is good and one fallen destructor being that embodies all that is evil. Again, this line of thinking is beyond the scope of this treatise, but would explain the inscription on the Gates – Hell was made by this one “Supreme Being” and it is He that the inscription describes. St. Cuthbert does not approve of such metaphysical musings, we tend to be a much more practical religion. But such a concept is remarkable, and perhaps will be explored in some future time…

    18. This tale is indeed true, at least to a certain extent. In the darkest depths of the Dim Forest, lies a stranded devil bound to one spot by powerful magics. The Lich-King Vecna once ruled a wide swath of what is now the Sheldomar Basin region. During one point of his reign, he summoned a devil to assist him in some dark task. In doing so, Vecna bound this fiend using powerful spells to a dead and stunted tree in the middle of the forest. Vecna long since forgot about the devil and moved on to other projects, leaving the devil to endlessly pace around the tree that still binds him to Oerth. Needless to say, the devil is quite enraged about his predicament, but is still canny enough to attempt to use pawns to free him. The type of devil should be powerful, but appropriately tailored by the DM to the campaign.


    SOURCES: “Guide to Hell” by Chris Pramas, Dragon Magazine Articles in Issues # 75, 76, 79, 91, and 253, The Greyhawk Wars Adventurer’s Book, Ivid the Undying, From the Ashes Boxed set for the Hanging Glacier, Dragon Magazine # 243 for the Ice Shard Tome, Greyhawk Adventures hardcover book, Return to White Plume Mountain for Skrellingshald, Oerth Journal Voulme 1, # 9 for Sevelkhar and Volume 1 # 3 for the Sorcerous Societies, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, TSR Module UK7:Dark Clouds Gather for the Ba’atun, “The Divine Comedy: The Inferno” by Dante Alighieri





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    Notes from the author (Score: 1)
    by Osmund-Davizid on Tue, July 06, 2004
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    Some explanation of the article is in order:

    What I intended this article to be is a "one stop shop" for things diabolic in Oerth. I tried to find most of the obscure devilish references scattered about various sources (as well as adding a few of my own) and put them into one article.

    There are a lot of demonic activities in Oerth, so I am seeking to balance them a bit with the diabolic. Note that the Dragon Magazine articles were specifically unofficial, but have more or less been adopted over the years as a classical Hell approach. So I used a lot of the named devils from those articles here.

    These entries in the article may or may not be entirely accurate as adventure hooks. It is often good to throw a curve to your adventurers due to bad intelligence.

    At any rate, I hope you find some of it useful. Enjoy!



    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by cwslyclgh on Thu, July 08, 2004
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    Great article O_D... I thought it was well written and well researched. Good Job!



    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by Tedra (tedra@cableone.net) on Fri, July 09, 2004
    (User Info | Send a Message | Journal) http://myweb.cableone.net/tedra
    Excellent, O-D. Really great information. And I was pleased to see the ba'atun included here as I had fit UK7 into a campaign years ago. Very nice work!



    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by Tzelios (b_steelio@hotmail.com) on Sun, July 25, 2004
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    I liked your article a lot. I fully support such methodologies. Very good!



    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by Delglath on Sun, July 25, 2004
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    Christ dude, couldn't you have broken it up into maybe, say, 30 or 40 articles?

    Still, with the exception of the name of the order (the rosy cross... wtf?), this is worthy of being a Dragon article. Good stuff.



    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by Mystic-Scholar on Mon, September 28, 2009
    (User Info | Send a Message) http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/
    "Order of the Rosy Cross of Truth" might indeed be a misnomer, but the article itself should prove very useful for any campaign involving devils and/or demons. The author stated his desire to offer a counter balance and he has done that well.

    The article is very well researched. The writing was a little "rushed" in some spots but that's to be expected when trying to push through an article of this size. It could have been a two part effort.

    Overall, a job well done.



    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by coach008 on Fri, October 10, 2014
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    Re: Hell on Oerth (Score: 1)
    by JellyMin on Wed, July 19, 2023
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    The church of Saint Cuthbert has long dedicated itself to zealously smiting evil in all its forms, be it demonic or diabolic.




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