BOZ
Creature Cataloguer
OK, I need to straighten out the history of these guys, so that I can better understand them. In fact, it will probably help everybody else to get this figured out as well. I would have probably done this before FC2 came out, as I did with FC1, if I’d had any hint that the designers might have actually cared to browse ENWorld for clues as they wrote the book—which FC1’s designers did. 
But, that’s no big deal; better late than never.
One of the major hurdles in understanding the Lords’ history is the fact that there have been three distinct versions of them as a group (a fact, to which Erik Mona has mentioned more than once that he was extremely glad to work on the demon book rather than the devil book). However, I would view something like that as a challenge to overcome rather than avoid. The first version, commonly known as the 1st edition version, is explained in the Monster Manual, Monster Manual II, Dragon #75, #76, and #91. The second version, which was introduced and maintained in the Planescape setting, evolved in the Planes of Law boxed set, Dragon #223 and Faces of Evil: The Fiends. The third version of the Lords of the Nine Hells came about as an attempt to reconcile the previous two versions, having been discussed in A Paladin in Hell, Guide to Hell, Book of Vile Darkness, and Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells.
I’m going to attempt to elaborate on the narrative that we have regarding these powerful archfiends as they now exist in this third version, while piecing together information taken from the first two. If I’m missing anything, or if I’ve gotten anything plain wrong, please feel free to speak up so I can straighten matters out. I’m providing references and page numbers so that all facts can be verified or clarified.
The First Version of the Lords of Hell
The concept of overlords who rule the devils and the Nine Hells was introduced by Gary Gygax in the 1977 version of the Monster Manual, pages 20-22. We now knew about Asmodeus, who is the Overlord of all the Dukes of Hell, as well as Baalzebul, Dispater, and Geryon. A few years later, in 1983’s Monster Manual II pages 45-49, Gygax describes the remaining 4 lords and a few other major nobles (including perennial favorite Glasya, daughter of Asmodeus and consort to Mammon). Around the same time, Ed Greenwood went into great detail on the hellish hierarchy and numerous nobles in his two-part “The Nine Hells” article in Dragon #75 (p 16-33) and Dragon #76 (p 23-38). In 1987’s Manual of the Planes (p 109-112), The Nine Hells is discussed as a plane as a whole, giving many details on the interactions between the various lords.
Thusly, we have:
1. Tiamat the Chromatic Dragon, lord of Avernus
2. Dispater, lord of Dis
3. Mammon, lord of Minauros
4. Belial, lord of Phlegethos
5. Geryon, lord of Stygia
6. Moloch, lord of Malbolge, ruling as Grand Viceroy to Baalzebul
7. Baalzebul, lord of Maladomini
8. Mephistopheles, lord of Caina
9. Asmodeus, lord of Nessus
Tiamat is a weird case, of course. She is clearly identified as the ruler of the first plane of the Nine Hells when she first appears in the Monster Manual (p32) and in the list of layer rulers in MM2. However, she was also always an odd fit, being that she’s a dragon rather than a devil. However, note that in Dragon #75, Greenwood states “Avernus is nominally ruled by Tiamat … [who] holds Avernus through the support of Asmodeus, but her actual authority extends only as far as her physical reach.” Manual of the Planes also seems to shy away from identifying her as the ruler of Avernus (although it does with each of the other rulers), stating “The watchdog of the Hells’ front parlor is Tiamat,” and “the fact that Asmodeus controls both ends of the Nine Hells (through Tiamat, who is underestimated by her devilish compatriots as a dumb beast), makes Asmodeus supreme in his portions of the Nine Hells.”
At first, in the Monster Manual, the politics of Hell are not really discussed at all, except to say that any duke would gladly take Asmodeus’ spot, a statement which is repeated in MM2. Some more insight is given into the politics of Hell in MM2: “[Belial] is firmly in the camp of Baalzebul, hating Geryon nearly as much as does Moloch. Also, Belial must guard against the machinations of Mammon, so he does not have freedom to act.” “[Mammon] and Dispater are supposedly allies and jointly support Mephistopheles, but neither has ever failed to obey Asmodeus. It is also doubtful that Mammon places real trust in Dispater.” “[Mephistopheles’] main aim is to wrest the 7th plane from Baalzebul and, with the strength thus gained, challenge Asmodeus for the overlordship of all the hells.” “Great enmity exists between Moloch and Geryon. If it were not for Baalzebul. there would be open warfare between these two, much to Moloch's detriment and Mephistopheles' delight.”
These divisions are discussed more explicitly in the Manual of the Planes. There it says that Tiamat and Geryon serve Asmodeus loyally, while the other lords are split into two camps that seek to dethrone him: Baalzebul has Moloch as his vassal, and has recruited Belial thanks to his rivalry with Geryon, while Mephistopheles has Dispater and Mammon on his side.
Ed Greenwood’s follow-up article in Dragon #91 (November 1984), “Nine Hells Revisited,” dealt mostly with several archdevils that had been exiled to Avernus for various reasons. Mention is also made, on page 32, that the former ruler of the Sixth Layer of Hell, Beherit, was destroyed by Asmodeus for disobeying "restrictions upon the elevation of devils."
Note that in 1E, for the most part mention is not made of any history to the Hells, thus one is led to assume that the status quo has existed for such a long time that any changes that may have happened were so long ago that they are not remembered by most.
Not long after the printing of the Manual of the Planes, the AD&D game began to transition into the 2nd edition. Mentions of the devils and their lords tapered off into nothingness for a few years, due to pressure that TSR was feeling from outside agencies. Devils (and all fiends) were dropped entirely from the game until Monstrous Compendium 8 came about in 1991. This work explained that the creatures of the Nine Hells were called Baatezu and were ruled by a group of pit fiends called the Dark Eight, and even that a pit fiend named Bel leads the armies of Avernus. Any more powerful leaders than that were explained away as unknown quantities at best, “It is unknown if there are ‘baatezu lords’ that have absolute rulership in the Nine Hells,” leaving pit fiends as the uppermost baatezu.
The Second Version of the Lords of Hell
When the Planescape Campaign Setting arrived in 1994, the “Lords of the Nine” were reintroduced, but primarily left as a mystery: page 52 of A DM’s Guide to the Planes identifies that Bel serves Avernus’ archduke, and while it acknowledges the existence of an archduke for each layer, none are named. The first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix acknowledges the Dark Eight as well, but no longer claims that they rule the baatezu alone (p16).
1995’s Planes of Law boxed set expands a bit more on the Lords while leaving them quite mysterious. Pages 12-13 of the Baator booklet identifies that the lord of Avernus has delegated much of his power to Bel (also mentioned later on p16), while the lord of Minauros may be named after his layer, the lord of Stygia is Prince Levistus (mentioned on p20), and the Lord of the Eighth (now called Cania) is Baron Molikroth (mentioned again on p25). The only named lord resembling the original version is Dispater (mentioned also on p17, and also plays a major role in the module Fires of Dis), while the others appear completely different or unknown. This leaves it unclear as to whether these newer lords replaced the older ones, or if the new mythology is writing the other lords out of existence.
Colin McComb’s article in the Nov 1995 issue of Dragon #223 entitled “The Lords of the Nine” (page 11-18) finally identifies each of the lords by name and provides details on each. Warlord Bel is actually the current archduke of Avernus after all, having trapped the previous ruler and siphoning off her energy. The Viscount of Minauros is indeed named Minauros the Serpent, the lady of Phlegethos is named Fierana, the ruler of Malbolge is Malagard the Hag Countess, Triel the Fallen archon rules Maladomini, and the ruler of Nessus is known only as the Dark Lord.
In 1996’s boxed set Hellbound: The Blood War, in The Dark of the War booklet page 20, their role in the Blood War is detailed. In fact, when compared to the Dark Eight, the Lords of the Nine barely play a part in the Blood War, because they leave that job up to the Dark Eight. Importantly, for the first time in Planescape, the possible existence of an infernal court of nobles between the Dark Eight and Lords of the Nine in stature is suggested. In 1997’s Faces of Evil: The Fiends (pages 29-32), this concept is elaborated on, assigning baatezu nobles to each of the lords. Perhaps (not so) oddly enough, most of these nobles (such as Titivilus, Glasya, and Hutijin) correspond to the lords of the same layers for which they operated back in the 1st edition; this is probably the most tangible link between the 1st and 2nd edition lords besides the use of Dispater in both.
The untimely end of the Planescape line in 1998 marked a shift in the fates of the Lords of the Nine. While many fans of Planescape preferred its version of the Lords, many 1st edition fans (or even Planescape fans who preferred the original lords) did not, and clamored for a return of the originals.
The Third Version of the Lords of Hell
What became essentially another version of the Lords of the Hells arose from reconciling the two previous versions that came before it into a cohesive whole. Expect this section to be long, as these lords had never been covered as well before as they have in the last decade!
Monte Cook’s 1998 A Paladin in Hell was the first post-Planescape book to deal with the Lords of the Nine. Page 28 gives what seems to be the first real look into the history of the Nine Hells. The module gives an accounting of how Baalzebul’s and Mephistopheles’ factions sought to overthrow Asmodeus, building upon concepts from 1st edition. The two sides held at a standoff for long, but eventually broke into war with each other. Geryon pretended to side with Mephistopheles, but in the final battle he signaled to the pit fiend generals, whose ultimate loyalty was still to Asmodeus, to turn on their masters. Asmodeus elevated the pit fiend generals of each army to become the Dark Eight, and inexplicably reinstated most of the Lords in their positions. At this point, some of the archfiends began going by different names, while Belial placed his daughter in charge and ruled from the background. The only Lord he did not restore was Moloch, who was cast down and replaced by Malagard (aka the Hag Countess). For his own reasons, Asmodeus made no deal with the ever-loyal Geryon, giving Levistus dominion over Stygia instead, leaving Geryon ignored (Mammon took on a serpentine shape like Geryon’s as an insult).
All of these events took place in the “dim past”, “many, many years ago,” though how long ago is not specified. Geryon’s status as a brooding, jealous devil played into Asmodeus plans in the module perfectly, as he offered support in his bid to retake Stygia in exchange for doing Asmodeus’ bidding once again. Geryon’s supporters Amon and Cozbi (Cozbinaer) appear on pages 34-35, while Geryon’s role is described throughout the module after the history described on page 28 (at least, until page 59). Page 58 mentions that Moloch is dead.
1999’s Guide to Hell by Chris Pramas developed these concepts further, and at the time was the most detailed source on devils to date. The book begins with a tale (p 2-3) of the two most powerful gods of Law, Jazirian and Asmodeus (then known as Ahriman), and how Asmodeus was weakened and fell to Baator and formed the devils. Each layer is described from pages 28-36, giving some details on each of the lords, and confirming that Mammon had been Viscount Minauros, Baalzebul was a fallen archon also known as Triel, and Mephistopheles was Molikroth, and that Belial had ruled Phlegethos with his daughter Fierana. Pages 37-49 go into great detail about the Reckoning, the Lords of the Nine, the Dark Eight, and various nobles of Hell.
Pages 37-38 clarify Asmodeus’ role among the devils, and detail the events of the Reckoning of Hell that was meant to bring about his downfall. “The early days of Hell” began “thousands of years of backstabbing and politicking that recast the landscape of Hell into its current form.” As was already established, Mephistopheles’ faction consisted of Dispater, Mammon, and Geryon. Baalzebul’s faction consisted of Moloch and Belial of course, and Zariel (the finally-named original ruler of Avernus), and his side struck first. As described in A Paladin in Hell, Geryon was secretly loyal to Asmodeus and betrayed his faction and infiltrated both sides. Bel (p39) rose up through the ranks to become a pit fiend, as a general for the Dark Eight. He served Zariel for centuries until he betrayed her, turning her court against her, and imprisoned her—which led to a relationship with Asmodeus through his vassal Martinet. Mammon (p40) lost Glasya as his consort after the Reckoning, and has begun to plot with Mephistopheles and Dispater again.
Levistus (p42-43) is finally given great detail, and he is an old lord indeed, possibly older than even Dispater. Long before the Reckoning, he tried to force Asmodeus’ consort Bensozia to betray him, slaying her when she refused. For this, Asmodeus imprisoned him in ice for millennia until he later inexplicably deposed Geryon and reinstated Levistus as lord of Stygia. He is universally hated among the other lords. The Hag Countess (p 43-44) was a prominent member of Moloch’s court (and probable lover), who set him up by encouraging him to join Baalzebul’s initiative during the Reckoning and secretly working with Geryon to trick Moloch into getting himself deposed. As a fallen archon, Baalzebul (p44) was promoted immediately to a baatezu noble and was a favorite of Asmodeus before the Reckoning. He overthrew the previous, now forgotten lord of the Seventh. Baalzebul’s attempt to dethrone Asmodeus so offended him that when he reinstated Baalzebul he took away his handsome form and gave him that of a gigantic slug. The baatezu nobility (p 46-47) are given a nod, with Asmodeus’ constable Martinet detailed, as well as Glasya in her new capacity as lord of the erinyes. Asmodeus himself is discussed much on pages 49-51 (sorry, I was getting tired of reading so I skimmed!)
While the change from 1st edition to 2nd edition brought sweeping changes, the change from 2nd edition to 3rd edition brought practically nothing in the way of significant change, other than the fact that baatezu could again be called what they had been… devils. 2001’s Manual of the Planes discusses the Nine Hells of Baator on pages 115-123, and gives details about each lord. The Lords of the Nine presented here are the same ones who were in place as of Guide to Hell, in sidebars at the bottom of each page. Nothing much new is really said about them. Moloch’s fate is left uncertain, but it was suggested that he is in hiding somewhere (p 121). Mephistopheles staged a fake coup, placing “Molikroth” as his successor (p 122, not sure if I saw this in a previous source).
2003’s Book of Vile Darkness by Monte Cook marked the nine lords’ full emergence into 3rd edition on pages 143-168. Each lord was given a cult and a few servants, though the original devil nobles are barely included (see Glasya and Martinet again on page 168). Again, not much other new information is revealed about them in this book, but their reappearance here was necessary to cement their role in 3rd edition deviltry and all-around badassitude. Although in Guide to Hell, Mammon was said to have been scheming with his old cohorts again, it is now said that they don’t trust him (p 149). Page 151 disturbingly suggests that Belial and Fierana (now called Fierna) might engage in incestuous activities. Mephistopheles (p 162) has developed a type of energy called hellfire which can damage even creatures with immunity to fire.
2006’s Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells is the most expansive book on devilkind. The books opens (p 4-5) with a legend about how Asmodeus brokered a deal with the deities of Law to obtain the Nine Hells, and the right to harvest souls of lawful evil mortals. With him, he took Dispater and Mephistopheles, and numerous fallen angels, and set up the Hells and the hierarchy of the devils as he pleased.
The book pretty much mentions the Lords of the Nine throughout, but I’ll try to hit up the parts more focused on them. Pages 25-28 detail cults of each lord. Chapter 2, “The Nine Hells,” on pages 33-76 goes into great detail on each layer of Hell and its lord, and mentions the nobles serving any given individual lord—yes, the same nobles who appeared way back in Monster Manual II, Dragon #75-76, and only mentioned since in Faces of Evil! (although few details are given on each noble, I’d like to eventually try to piece the story of each individual together…) Moloch’s fate is finally confirmed (p 36), as he is now an Outcast Duke on Avernus. (Geryon is listed in 2006’s Tome of Magic as a vestige, something completely different.) Dispater (p 41) has been distancing himself from long-time allies and making peace overtures to old rivals, in hopes of becoming a friend to all and enemy to none. The arrangement between Belial and Fierna (p 50) over rulership of Phlegethos has begun to show signs of strain; as she forms a relationship with Glasya, Fierna has begun to form her own network of devils independent of her father. Levistus (p55) feels he may be expendable, and seeks to make overtures towards Glasya to turn her against her father.
Probably the biggest news of Fiendish Codex II was that Glasya has usurped control of Malbolge from the murdered Hag Countess (p 60-62) less than a year ago, under the approval of her father Asmodeus despite their turbulent history. Asmodeus displaced an unnamed ally who had been with him since before the Pact Primeval was signed (p 65) to install Baalzebul as the lord of Maladomini. Asmodeus (p 73) seeks to broker a deal with the demons that will turn the eternal warfare from law vs. chaos to evil vs. good that he may finally destroy the upper realms.
Pages 141-157 update the stats of the aspects of the Lords of the Nine from those given in the Book of Vile Darkness.
My take on the Lords of the Nine
OK, putting all of that together, while extremely time-consuming, made the whole deal seem a whole lot less complex than it did at first.
I’d like to get a rough chronology together of Hellish events. Not so much “this took place 10,000 years ago, while this took place 5000 years ago,” but more like, “this happened a few thousand years before this, while this took place a few hundred years before this.”
So, it seems that the original Lords of the Nine, in ancient history, were likely, in the following order:
1. Zariel, 2. Dispater, 3. Mammon, 4. Belial, 5. Levistus, 6. Beherit, 7. (Unknown), 8. Mephistopheles, and 9. Asmodeus.
My personal feeling is that at least part of the Pact Primeval story is true, in that Asmodeus, Dispater, and Mephistopheles were the first devils to inhabit the Hells and claim a layer. As for the others mentioned above, they must have come around at some point not much later, likely “promoted” from Asmodeus’ ranks of fallen angels.
Baalzebul was likely the first lord to replace one of the Nine Lords (unless any other such replacements are simply lost to the ages in time immemorial), having taken out the layer’s previous, now forgotten lord. Some time after that, Asmodeus destroyed Beherit, which allowed Baalzebul to place his vassal Moloch in charge of that layer.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Levistus lost his position after Baalzebul gained his, and this may have happened either before or after Moloch gained his. I can’t see Geryon gaining his status before Baalzebul. With the exception of Zariel (I need to come up with an explanation as to why Tiamat was assumed to be the planar ruler), that would make the setup which existed in 1st edition AD&D.
Then the Reckoning happened, which brought Levistus back, and put the Hag Countess in charge of Moloch’s layer, and brought about cosmetic changes in the other planes. Zariel began sharing her power more and more with Bel, until a time came when he could usurp her control completely. This brought about the Planescape version of the Lords of the Nine. Things otherwise stayed the same after that, except that Glasya was finally able to replace the Hag Countess.
Here’s my explanation of why Tiamat was widely thought of as the ruler of Avernus. First of all, she had Asmodeus support (not as ruler, just as having a firm alliance with the devils, something that most other gods don’t have). Secondly, Zariel and Bel had their own little drama going on for a long time. It’s likely that they did a lot of action behind the scenes and weren’t very visible. Tiamat was plenty visible, however, and thus the obvious conclusion could be that she is the boss. When Bel finally got Zariel out of the way, he was saddled with duties outside of Avernus that kept him quite busy. Thus, a lot of people may still believe to this day that Tiamat rules Avernus—and in fact, she may exert more influence over it than Bel. The fact that FC2 assigns Amduscias and Malphas back to Tiamat seems to support this.
Here is my hypothesis on Geryon. I think Asmodeus let him become a vestige on purpose, not out of punishment or revenge or anything, but as a “reward” to a faithful servant, to become something new and powerful, so that he could study just what that something is and how he can benefit from it. I don’t think his seeming abandonment of Geryon was a mistake at all.
Well, I can talk more later when my brain recharges, but in the meantime I'll see what other people have to say about what I've written so far.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lords_of_the_Nine_Hells
But, that’s no big deal; better late than never.One of the major hurdles in understanding the Lords’ history is the fact that there have been three distinct versions of them as a group (a fact, to which Erik Mona has mentioned more than once that he was extremely glad to work on the demon book rather than the devil book). However, I would view something like that as a challenge to overcome rather than avoid. The first version, commonly known as the 1st edition version, is explained in the Monster Manual, Monster Manual II, Dragon #75, #76, and #91. The second version, which was introduced and maintained in the Planescape setting, evolved in the Planes of Law boxed set, Dragon #223 and Faces of Evil: The Fiends. The third version of the Lords of the Nine Hells came about as an attempt to reconcile the previous two versions, having been discussed in A Paladin in Hell, Guide to Hell, Book of Vile Darkness, and Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells.
I’m going to attempt to elaborate on the narrative that we have regarding these powerful archfiends as they now exist in this third version, while piecing together information taken from the first two. If I’m missing anything, or if I’ve gotten anything plain wrong, please feel free to speak up so I can straighten matters out. I’m providing references and page numbers so that all facts can be verified or clarified.
The First Version of the Lords of Hell
The concept of overlords who rule the devils and the Nine Hells was introduced by Gary Gygax in the 1977 version of the Monster Manual, pages 20-22. We now knew about Asmodeus, who is the Overlord of all the Dukes of Hell, as well as Baalzebul, Dispater, and Geryon. A few years later, in 1983’s Monster Manual II pages 45-49, Gygax describes the remaining 4 lords and a few other major nobles (including perennial favorite Glasya, daughter of Asmodeus and consort to Mammon). Around the same time, Ed Greenwood went into great detail on the hellish hierarchy and numerous nobles in his two-part “The Nine Hells” article in Dragon #75 (p 16-33) and Dragon #76 (p 23-38). In 1987’s Manual of the Planes (p 109-112), The Nine Hells is discussed as a plane as a whole, giving many details on the interactions between the various lords.
Thusly, we have:
1. Tiamat the Chromatic Dragon, lord of Avernus
2. Dispater, lord of Dis
3. Mammon, lord of Minauros
4. Belial, lord of Phlegethos
5. Geryon, lord of Stygia
6. Moloch, lord of Malbolge, ruling as Grand Viceroy to Baalzebul
7. Baalzebul, lord of Maladomini
8. Mephistopheles, lord of Caina
9. Asmodeus, lord of Nessus
Tiamat is a weird case, of course. She is clearly identified as the ruler of the first plane of the Nine Hells when she first appears in the Monster Manual (p32) and in the list of layer rulers in MM2. However, she was also always an odd fit, being that she’s a dragon rather than a devil. However, note that in Dragon #75, Greenwood states “Avernus is nominally ruled by Tiamat … [who] holds Avernus through the support of Asmodeus, but her actual authority extends only as far as her physical reach.” Manual of the Planes also seems to shy away from identifying her as the ruler of Avernus (although it does with each of the other rulers), stating “The watchdog of the Hells’ front parlor is Tiamat,” and “the fact that Asmodeus controls both ends of the Nine Hells (through Tiamat, who is underestimated by her devilish compatriots as a dumb beast), makes Asmodeus supreme in his portions of the Nine Hells.”
At first, in the Monster Manual, the politics of Hell are not really discussed at all, except to say that any duke would gladly take Asmodeus’ spot, a statement which is repeated in MM2. Some more insight is given into the politics of Hell in MM2: “[Belial] is firmly in the camp of Baalzebul, hating Geryon nearly as much as does Moloch. Also, Belial must guard against the machinations of Mammon, so he does not have freedom to act.” “[Mammon] and Dispater are supposedly allies and jointly support Mephistopheles, but neither has ever failed to obey Asmodeus. It is also doubtful that Mammon places real trust in Dispater.” “[Mephistopheles’] main aim is to wrest the 7th plane from Baalzebul and, with the strength thus gained, challenge Asmodeus for the overlordship of all the hells.” “Great enmity exists between Moloch and Geryon. If it were not for Baalzebul. there would be open warfare between these two, much to Moloch's detriment and Mephistopheles' delight.”
These divisions are discussed more explicitly in the Manual of the Planes. There it says that Tiamat and Geryon serve Asmodeus loyally, while the other lords are split into two camps that seek to dethrone him: Baalzebul has Moloch as his vassal, and has recruited Belial thanks to his rivalry with Geryon, while Mephistopheles has Dispater and Mammon on his side.
Ed Greenwood’s follow-up article in Dragon #91 (November 1984), “Nine Hells Revisited,” dealt mostly with several archdevils that had been exiled to Avernus for various reasons. Mention is also made, on page 32, that the former ruler of the Sixth Layer of Hell, Beherit, was destroyed by Asmodeus for disobeying "restrictions upon the elevation of devils."
Note that in 1E, for the most part mention is not made of any history to the Hells, thus one is led to assume that the status quo has existed for such a long time that any changes that may have happened were so long ago that they are not remembered by most.
Not long after the printing of the Manual of the Planes, the AD&D game began to transition into the 2nd edition. Mentions of the devils and their lords tapered off into nothingness for a few years, due to pressure that TSR was feeling from outside agencies. Devils (and all fiends) were dropped entirely from the game until Monstrous Compendium 8 came about in 1991. This work explained that the creatures of the Nine Hells were called Baatezu and were ruled by a group of pit fiends called the Dark Eight, and even that a pit fiend named Bel leads the armies of Avernus. Any more powerful leaders than that were explained away as unknown quantities at best, “It is unknown if there are ‘baatezu lords’ that have absolute rulership in the Nine Hells,” leaving pit fiends as the uppermost baatezu.
The Second Version of the Lords of Hell
When the Planescape Campaign Setting arrived in 1994, the “Lords of the Nine” were reintroduced, but primarily left as a mystery: page 52 of A DM’s Guide to the Planes identifies that Bel serves Avernus’ archduke, and while it acknowledges the existence of an archduke for each layer, none are named. The first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix acknowledges the Dark Eight as well, but no longer claims that they rule the baatezu alone (p16).
1995’s Planes of Law boxed set expands a bit more on the Lords while leaving them quite mysterious. Pages 12-13 of the Baator booklet identifies that the lord of Avernus has delegated much of his power to Bel (also mentioned later on p16), while the lord of Minauros may be named after his layer, the lord of Stygia is Prince Levistus (mentioned on p20), and the Lord of the Eighth (now called Cania) is Baron Molikroth (mentioned again on p25). The only named lord resembling the original version is Dispater (mentioned also on p17, and also plays a major role in the module Fires of Dis), while the others appear completely different or unknown. This leaves it unclear as to whether these newer lords replaced the older ones, or if the new mythology is writing the other lords out of existence.
Colin McComb’s article in the Nov 1995 issue of Dragon #223 entitled “The Lords of the Nine” (page 11-18) finally identifies each of the lords by name and provides details on each. Warlord Bel is actually the current archduke of Avernus after all, having trapped the previous ruler and siphoning off her energy. The Viscount of Minauros is indeed named Minauros the Serpent, the lady of Phlegethos is named Fierana, the ruler of Malbolge is Malagard the Hag Countess, Triel the Fallen archon rules Maladomini, and the ruler of Nessus is known only as the Dark Lord.
In 1996’s boxed set Hellbound: The Blood War, in The Dark of the War booklet page 20, their role in the Blood War is detailed. In fact, when compared to the Dark Eight, the Lords of the Nine barely play a part in the Blood War, because they leave that job up to the Dark Eight. Importantly, for the first time in Planescape, the possible existence of an infernal court of nobles between the Dark Eight and Lords of the Nine in stature is suggested. In 1997’s Faces of Evil: The Fiends (pages 29-32), this concept is elaborated on, assigning baatezu nobles to each of the lords. Perhaps (not so) oddly enough, most of these nobles (such as Titivilus, Glasya, and Hutijin) correspond to the lords of the same layers for which they operated back in the 1st edition; this is probably the most tangible link between the 1st and 2nd edition lords besides the use of Dispater in both.
The untimely end of the Planescape line in 1998 marked a shift in the fates of the Lords of the Nine. While many fans of Planescape preferred its version of the Lords, many 1st edition fans (or even Planescape fans who preferred the original lords) did not, and clamored for a return of the originals.
The Third Version of the Lords of Hell
What became essentially another version of the Lords of the Hells arose from reconciling the two previous versions that came before it into a cohesive whole. Expect this section to be long, as these lords had never been covered as well before as they have in the last decade!
Monte Cook’s 1998 A Paladin in Hell was the first post-Planescape book to deal with the Lords of the Nine. Page 28 gives what seems to be the first real look into the history of the Nine Hells. The module gives an accounting of how Baalzebul’s and Mephistopheles’ factions sought to overthrow Asmodeus, building upon concepts from 1st edition. The two sides held at a standoff for long, but eventually broke into war with each other. Geryon pretended to side with Mephistopheles, but in the final battle he signaled to the pit fiend generals, whose ultimate loyalty was still to Asmodeus, to turn on their masters. Asmodeus elevated the pit fiend generals of each army to become the Dark Eight, and inexplicably reinstated most of the Lords in their positions. At this point, some of the archfiends began going by different names, while Belial placed his daughter in charge and ruled from the background. The only Lord he did not restore was Moloch, who was cast down and replaced by Malagard (aka the Hag Countess). For his own reasons, Asmodeus made no deal with the ever-loyal Geryon, giving Levistus dominion over Stygia instead, leaving Geryon ignored (Mammon took on a serpentine shape like Geryon’s as an insult).
All of these events took place in the “dim past”, “many, many years ago,” though how long ago is not specified. Geryon’s status as a brooding, jealous devil played into Asmodeus plans in the module perfectly, as he offered support in his bid to retake Stygia in exchange for doing Asmodeus’ bidding once again. Geryon’s supporters Amon and Cozbi (Cozbinaer) appear on pages 34-35, while Geryon’s role is described throughout the module after the history described on page 28 (at least, until page 59). Page 58 mentions that Moloch is dead.
1999’s Guide to Hell by Chris Pramas developed these concepts further, and at the time was the most detailed source on devils to date. The book begins with a tale (p 2-3) of the two most powerful gods of Law, Jazirian and Asmodeus (then known as Ahriman), and how Asmodeus was weakened and fell to Baator and formed the devils. Each layer is described from pages 28-36, giving some details on each of the lords, and confirming that Mammon had been Viscount Minauros, Baalzebul was a fallen archon also known as Triel, and Mephistopheles was Molikroth, and that Belial had ruled Phlegethos with his daughter Fierana. Pages 37-49 go into great detail about the Reckoning, the Lords of the Nine, the Dark Eight, and various nobles of Hell.
Pages 37-38 clarify Asmodeus’ role among the devils, and detail the events of the Reckoning of Hell that was meant to bring about his downfall. “The early days of Hell” began “thousands of years of backstabbing and politicking that recast the landscape of Hell into its current form.” As was already established, Mephistopheles’ faction consisted of Dispater, Mammon, and Geryon. Baalzebul’s faction consisted of Moloch and Belial of course, and Zariel (the finally-named original ruler of Avernus), and his side struck first. As described in A Paladin in Hell, Geryon was secretly loyal to Asmodeus and betrayed his faction and infiltrated both sides. Bel (p39) rose up through the ranks to become a pit fiend, as a general for the Dark Eight. He served Zariel for centuries until he betrayed her, turning her court against her, and imprisoned her—which led to a relationship with Asmodeus through his vassal Martinet. Mammon (p40) lost Glasya as his consort after the Reckoning, and has begun to plot with Mephistopheles and Dispater again.
Levistus (p42-43) is finally given great detail, and he is an old lord indeed, possibly older than even Dispater. Long before the Reckoning, he tried to force Asmodeus’ consort Bensozia to betray him, slaying her when she refused. For this, Asmodeus imprisoned him in ice for millennia until he later inexplicably deposed Geryon and reinstated Levistus as lord of Stygia. He is universally hated among the other lords. The Hag Countess (p 43-44) was a prominent member of Moloch’s court (and probable lover), who set him up by encouraging him to join Baalzebul’s initiative during the Reckoning and secretly working with Geryon to trick Moloch into getting himself deposed. As a fallen archon, Baalzebul (p44) was promoted immediately to a baatezu noble and was a favorite of Asmodeus before the Reckoning. He overthrew the previous, now forgotten lord of the Seventh. Baalzebul’s attempt to dethrone Asmodeus so offended him that when he reinstated Baalzebul he took away his handsome form and gave him that of a gigantic slug. The baatezu nobility (p 46-47) are given a nod, with Asmodeus’ constable Martinet detailed, as well as Glasya in her new capacity as lord of the erinyes. Asmodeus himself is discussed much on pages 49-51 (sorry, I was getting tired of reading so I skimmed!)
While the change from 1st edition to 2nd edition brought sweeping changes, the change from 2nd edition to 3rd edition brought practically nothing in the way of significant change, other than the fact that baatezu could again be called what they had been… devils. 2001’s Manual of the Planes discusses the Nine Hells of Baator on pages 115-123, and gives details about each lord. The Lords of the Nine presented here are the same ones who were in place as of Guide to Hell, in sidebars at the bottom of each page. Nothing much new is really said about them. Moloch’s fate is left uncertain, but it was suggested that he is in hiding somewhere (p 121). Mephistopheles staged a fake coup, placing “Molikroth” as his successor (p 122, not sure if I saw this in a previous source).
2003’s Book of Vile Darkness by Monte Cook marked the nine lords’ full emergence into 3rd edition on pages 143-168. Each lord was given a cult and a few servants, though the original devil nobles are barely included (see Glasya and Martinet again on page 168). Again, not much other new information is revealed about them in this book, but their reappearance here was necessary to cement their role in 3rd edition deviltry and all-around badassitude. Although in Guide to Hell, Mammon was said to have been scheming with his old cohorts again, it is now said that they don’t trust him (p 149). Page 151 disturbingly suggests that Belial and Fierana (now called Fierna) might engage in incestuous activities. Mephistopheles (p 162) has developed a type of energy called hellfire which can damage even creatures with immunity to fire.
2006’s Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells is the most expansive book on devilkind. The books opens (p 4-5) with a legend about how Asmodeus brokered a deal with the deities of Law to obtain the Nine Hells, and the right to harvest souls of lawful evil mortals. With him, he took Dispater and Mephistopheles, and numerous fallen angels, and set up the Hells and the hierarchy of the devils as he pleased.
The book pretty much mentions the Lords of the Nine throughout, but I’ll try to hit up the parts more focused on them. Pages 25-28 detail cults of each lord. Chapter 2, “The Nine Hells,” on pages 33-76 goes into great detail on each layer of Hell and its lord, and mentions the nobles serving any given individual lord—yes, the same nobles who appeared way back in Monster Manual II, Dragon #75-76, and only mentioned since in Faces of Evil! (although few details are given on each noble, I’d like to eventually try to piece the story of each individual together…) Moloch’s fate is finally confirmed (p 36), as he is now an Outcast Duke on Avernus. (Geryon is listed in 2006’s Tome of Magic as a vestige, something completely different.) Dispater (p 41) has been distancing himself from long-time allies and making peace overtures to old rivals, in hopes of becoming a friend to all and enemy to none. The arrangement between Belial and Fierna (p 50) over rulership of Phlegethos has begun to show signs of strain; as she forms a relationship with Glasya, Fierna has begun to form her own network of devils independent of her father. Levistus (p55) feels he may be expendable, and seeks to make overtures towards Glasya to turn her against her father.
Probably the biggest news of Fiendish Codex II was that Glasya has usurped control of Malbolge from the murdered Hag Countess (p 60-62) less than a year ago, under the approval of her father Asmodeus despite their turbulent history. Asmodeus displaced an unnamed ally who had been with him since before the Pact Primeval was signed (p 65) to install Baalzebul as the lord of Maladomini. Asmodeus (p 73) seeks to broker a deal with the demons that will turn the eternal warfare from law vs. chaos to evil vs. good that he may finally destroy the upper realms.
Pages 141-157 update the stats of the aspects of the Lords of the Nine from those given in the Book of Vile Darkness.
My take on the Lords of the Nine
OK, putting all of that together, while extremely time-consuming, made the whole deal seem a whole lot less complex than it did at first.
I’d like to get a rough chronology together of Hellish events. Not so much “this took place 10,000 years ago, while this took place 5000 years ago,” but more like, “this happened a few thousand years before this, while this took place a few hundred years before this.”
So, it seems that the original Lords of the Nine, in ancient history, were likely, in the following order:
1. Zariel, 2. Dispater, 3. Mammon, 4. Belial, 5. Levistus, 6. Beherit, 7. (Unknown), 8. Mephistopheles, and 9. Asmodeus.
My personal feeling is that at least part of the Pact Primeval story is true, in that Asmodeus, Dispater, and Mephistopheles were the first devils to inhabit the Hells and claim a layer. As for the others mentioned above, they must have come around at some point not much later, likely “promoted” from Asmodeus’ ranks of fallen angels.
Baalzebul was likely the first lord to replace one of the Nine Lords (unless any other such replacements are simply lost to the ages in time immemorial), having taken out the layer’s previous, now forgotten lord. Some time after that, Asmodeus destroyed Beherit, which allowed Baalzebul to place his vassal Moloch in charge of that layer.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Levistus lost his position after Baalzebul gained his, and this may have happened either before or after Moloch gained his. I can’t see Geryon gaining his status before Baalzebul. With the exception of Zariel (I need to come up with an explanation as to why Tiamat was assumed to be the planar ruler), that would make the setup which existed in 1st edition AD&D.
Then the Reckoning happened, which brought Levistus back, and put the Hag Countess in charge of Moloch’s layer, and brought about cosmetic changes in the other planes. Zariel began sharing her power more and more with Bel, until a time came when he could usurp her control completely. This brought about the Planescape version of the Lords of the Nine. Things otherwise stayed the same after that, except that Glasya was finally able to replace the Hag Countess.
Here’s my explanation of why Tiamat was widely thought of as the ruler of Avernus. First of all, she had Asmodeus support (not as ruler, just as having a firm alliance with the devils, something that most other gods don’t have). Secondly, Zariel and Bel had their own little drama going on for a long time. It’s likely that they did a lot of action behind the scenes and weren’t very visible. Tiamat was plenty visible, however, and thus the obvious conclusion could be that she is the boss. When Bel finally got Zariel out of the way, he was saddled with duties outside of Avernus that kept him quite busy. Thus, a lot of people may still believe to this day that Tiamat rules Avernus—and in fact, she may exert more influence over it than Bel. The fact that FC2 assigns Amduscias and Malphas back to Tiamat seems to support this.
Here is my hypothesis on Geryon. I think Asmodeus let him become a vestige on purpose, not out of punishment or revenge or anything, but as a “reward” to a faithful servant, to become something new and powerful, so that he could study just what that something is and how he can benefit from it. I don’t think his seeming abandonment of Geryon was a mistake at all.
Well, I can talk more later when my brain recharges, but in the meantime I'll see what other people have to say about what I've written so far.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lords_of_the_Nine_Hells
