I know, I know. I am a terrible breaker of promises and a bad, bad man. I hope that you, faithful reader, will find it in your heart to forgive me as I promise to update in a more timely manner in the future.
Anyway here is the third installment. I haven't posted the corresponding stats yet because I am waiting until i get the 3.5 monster manual. I'll let you know as soon as they're posted.
I got a little off track here, because I wanted to introduce another character who will most likely be very important in upcoming installments. But don't worry Hazergal's rise to demonlord will be well documented.
Enjoy
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Damnation Part III
Hazergal dangled limply in the grasp of the mighty demon Hedrenatherax as the balor winged across the barren abyssal landscape towards a vomitous green luminance far to the east. The words to a dozen mighty spells flooded Hazergal’s mind as he approached ever closer to what would most certainly be his final doom, but the power of the magical collar around his neck kept his lips sealed and his magic at bay. Hazergal silently cursed himself for not devoting more time to learning to cast his spells without the verbal and somatic components that now held him in complete impotence.
As they flew Hedrenatherax chattered idly to his silent prisoner, regaling the doomed mage with the almost inconceivable horrors that awaited him in Gemnez Drak. The balor thrived on such torment but it had little effect on Hazergal as he was quite beyond the point of simple terror. His mind had reached a place of quiet resignation, he would either be destroyed or assume the form of a demon, either way what was left of Hazergal the man would be snuffed out completely. If he were destroyed then the cold eternity of nonexistence would certainly assuage his fear and suffering. If he became a demon, he would likely remember nothing of his former life, and therefore he, Hazergal, would simply cease to exist. Either way the pain and mental anguish of his last days would be erased.
The green glow on the horizon grew larger as Hedrenatherax sped through the abyssal sky. Soon the demon’s helpless prisoner could make out the details of what would likely be his final destination. They were approaching a seemingly endless range of mountains that lifted skywards in twisted peaks of black granite and quartz. The mountains broke up the flat monotonous landscape that made up the demon lord Pyrak’s domain, serving as a boundary between his lands and those of Shuvon Dreth’s, an enigmatic creature the ruled the lands beyond.
As they flew closer, Hazergal caught his first look at the horror that was Gemnez Drak. The spawning pit was an immense lake of frothing green liquid contained in a bowl shaped depression atop the flattened mesa-like summit of the highest peak in the area. Arranged around the nightmarish lake were a number of small stone buildings including a massive fort or castle squatting like a great, fat gargoyle on a large outcropping of stone that jutted over the pit itself. Beneath the castle the repulsive effluvium of the spawning pit bubbled and churned emitting an indescribably foul odor that assailed Hazergal’s nostrils despite his lofty vantage point.
Hedrenatherax circled the spawning pit in slowly tightening circles as he descended towards the seething pit of chaos. As he and Hedrenatherax neared the ground, Hazergal was able to pick out more than a dozen horrid demonic figures hovering around the lip of the spawning pit. These tall skeletal black skinned demons wielded long lances of silvery metal with which they occasionally prodded unseen shapes beneath the surface of the bubbling green lake.
Hedrenatherax touched down before the black iron gate of the mammoth stone fortress. The huge Balor strode up to the gates unchallenged glaring menacingly at the two demonic guards that stood near the entrance. The guards were the same variety of demon Hazergal had glimpsed around the spawning pit, tall skeletal creatures with black leathery skin that glistened with a foul caustic slime. The nightmarish head of these demons, resembling a wickedly fanged skull, featured a single jutting horn and Hazergal recognized them as babau, or horned demons, a common from of fiend, vicious but not terribly powerful.
The two babau sprang to open the gate for Hedrenatherax, bowing and scraping as they did, not wanting to provoke the ire of the powerful demon. Hazergal was dragged through the gates in to a large square courtyard that was a vision straight from the mind of a madman. The flooring of the massive courtyard was a jumble of bleached bones, both humanoid and demon. Hedrenatherax’s massive footfalls crunched through this osseous abattoir as he moved towards a second set of gates that led into the keep proper.
In the center of the courtyard was a massive fountain, constructed of a spongy black rock that Hazergal could not identify. The fountain spewed a blackish ichor into the air from what appeared to be the highly detailed carving of a human man being slowly devoured by an immense tentacled demon. The humans body was engulfed chest deep in the stone demon’s maw, and his exquisitely sculpted features were frozen in an open mouthed scream of absolute horror and pain. The black fluid shot from the sculptures mouth to fall back in a rain of stinking slime that collected in a large basin beneath. A horde of short hairless demons clustered naked around the fountain eagerly lapping up the viscous fluid. The small demons were nothing short of pathetic, featuring flat-sloped heads, small beady eyes and wide slash-like mouths filled with small crooked fangs. Their eyes gleamed dully as they fought amongst themselves to get closer to the fountain and its foul contents. Dretches, Hazergal recognized the diminutive fiends instantly, the lowliest of demon kind. The arch-wizard had often used them for menial tasks and drudgery in his tower; they were awesomely stupid and practically useless in combat even in huge numbers.
Hedrenatherax barked a curse in abyssal at the mewling horde of lesser demons and they scattered in terror at the approach of the powerful balor. “Out of my way you bloody, useless maggots!” Hedrenatherax thundered, slashing one dretch in two with a single stroke of his massive jagged edged sword as it turned, too slowly, to flee. The remaining dretches retreated into the farthest corner of the courtyard cowering and trying to hide beneath one another in a pathetic wriggling pile of demonic flesh.
Hedrenatherax chuckled cruelly as he moved toward the inner gates, at which stood another, far more formidable guardian. It is said that the abyss is infinite and that the multitudes of demon-kind defy any kind of cataloguing. Hazergal had no reason to doubt this, as the demon that guarded the inner gates to the fortress of Gemnez Drak was completely unknown to him. Hulking before the black iron gates that lead into the fortress was the largest demon Hazergal had ever seen. Towering over twenty feet tall the giant fiend was the living personification of strength and brutal destruction. Two small dull eyes stared out from a mammoth head, reminiscent of a bison with two long goring horns. The gargantuan humanoid body of the beast was chorded with layer upon layer of iron hard muscle and sinew all covered in a thin layer of dirty brown fur. The demon stood slightly hunched, its huge thick-fingered fists dragging the ground on the end of its powerful arms. As Hedrenatherax drew closer the giant demon took up a huge iron maul that lay propped up against the gates and glared menacingly down at the balor and his prisoner.
Hedrenatherax, who had always exhibited the typical arrogance of demon kind, gave pause to the mammoth fiend blocking his path. “I have the watch word, Uzog!” the balor shouted up to the hulking bison headed demon.
Uzog was obviously not well endowed with anything resembling an intellect and a mental struggle of epic proportions was clearly taking place in its thick-skulled head as it fought to process Hedrenatherax’s words. Finally, after what seemed like minutes of brutal cogitation, the massive demon lowered its maul and spoke two words. “Show word!” Uzog bellowed, its thick coarse voice echoing off the four walls of the courtyard, sending the dretches who still huddled near the front gates into a renewed frenzy of cowering.
Hedrenatherax wasted no timer in presenting his credentials and hastily tossed Hazergal’s limp form to the ground to free both his hands. The balor muttered a quick incantation and began to trace a strange glowing glyph in the air with the taloned index finger of his right hand. Once he had finished, the glyph persisted for a few seconds as Uzog squinted down at it attempting to match the symbol with the one that had been burned into his brain by the master of Gemnez Drak. Finally the huge fiend emitted a thick snort of satisfaction and turned to the inner gates, wrenching them open with one hand while Hedrenatherax scooped up Hazergal and returned him to his customary position, flung across the balor’s shoulder. Hedrenatherax then hurried through the dark yawning aperture that led to the inner keep.
What happened next was a chaotic blur of darkness and horror as Hedrenatherax wended his way through the keep towards some unknown destination. Hazergal vaguely remembered traversing a multitude of stairs as his balor captor climbed to the upper levels of the structure. Black walls featuring leering twisted faces stared out at the helpless arch-mage as he was dragged through the hellish fortress. Some of these faces actually moved, occasionally voiding thick guttural screams as if the walls themselves were constructed from the lost and damned souls of the saner worlds of the multiverse. Unable to even shut his eyes against the alien horror of the keep, Hazergal focused once again on his rage, filling his mind with the face of Nithrekel, his treacherous mephit servant. As it had done before his anger and thirst for vengeance kept him sheltered against the miasma of chaos that was his existence and allowed him to keep a tight grip on what little sanity remained to him. So filled with hatred and loathing was Hazergal that he scarcely noticed when Hedrenatherax stopped moving and stood before a huge ornate set of gilded double doors, large enough to allow even Uzog access if he were so inclined.
Hedrenatherax pushed open the gilded doors and entered a room that was as bizarre as anything Hazergal had witnessed in his short tenure in the abyss. The reek of a heavy noxious perfume was the first thing to assail Hazergal’s senses as he was carried into a room that was one part harem and one part torture chamber. The room was very large, containing a vaulted ceiling painted with scenes of cavorting demons engaged in all manner of foul perversions. Arranged around the chamber was a bizarre array of torture devices, all with a darkly beautiful demoness operating them to their fullest extent. Hazergal recognized the demonesses as succubi, their near perfect forms marred only be the burning depths of evil that filled their hearts. Each of the torture instruments, from the rack to far more “creative” machines, held a humanoid victim from whom the succubi were skillfully extracting both screams and moans of pleasure.
In the center of the chamber, squatting like a huge toad on a mammoth pile of malodorous cushions was the master of Gemnez Drak. The fiend was easily as large as Uzog but its bloated corpulent form lacked the awe-inspiring physicality of the gate guardian. Huge drooping rolls of fat hung from the creature’s bulbous form, which featured two stubby arms ending in thick hands with fat sausage like fingers, each sporting a long sharp talon painted an outrageous licorice red. The fiend’s legs were not visible, hidden beneath the mound of cushions and its own massive girth. As they entered, the master of Gemnez Drak turned its attention from one of the its many torture victims to its newly arrived guests. Its head was both revolting and shockingly silly at the same time. The wide oblong skull was covered in thick green scales and was nearly split in two by a wide toothy maw. Two slitted orange eyes peered out from beneath a low heavy brow, each gleaming with a terrible intelligence. These features were hardly unique among demon kind; it was the self-applied alterations that made the master of Gemnez Drak so bizarre. The great monstrosity had coated its face with what appeared to be the worst form of harlot’s makeup Hazergal had ever seen. Bright blue eye shadow accented the lid of each reptilian eye while bright pink spot of rouge darkened each heavy jowled cheek. Most ridiculous of all was the maddeningly crimson lip paint that coated each cracked scaled lip, forming an almost clown like grin in the middle of that terrible face. Despite its strange appearance the huge fiend emanated a palpable aura of power and confidence, and Hazergal had no doubt that he was in the presence of a truly mighty creature.
The massive fiend grinned wide as Hedrenatherax approached its makeshift throne, showing its rows of shark-like teeth, stained with crimson by its own gaudy lip paint. “Ahh... Hedrenatherax, how splendid to see you again. What is it you have brought old Gemnez?” The creatures voice was a silky feminine purr that was all the more startling coming from the pustulent mouth of the hideous fiend.
“Nothing for you, baatezu!” The balor spat with obvious distaste, and what was even more shocking than Hedrenatherax’s disrespect to the obviously powerful fiend was that he had called it baaetzu, a devil. Bitter enemies since the beginning of time demons and devils had fought a near eternal war, each trying to completely eliminate the other. How could a devil, even one as obviously powerful as Gemnez, survive in the very home of its most hated enemy?
“I wish only to use the pit”, Hedrenatherax continued, “My lord Pyrak commands it.” The balor’s statement was flat and pointed, he was obviously sure that he would not be denied. As perilous as Hazergal’s situation was, he wondered what fostered the arrogance Hedrenatherax’s showed in the face of this mighty devil.
Rage suddenly clouded Gemnez’s bestial features at Hedrenatherax’s obvious lack of respect, but it passed quickly and the devil regained his composure almost at once. “Well, I could hardly deny my benefactor, the great and noble Pyrak. For where would I be, a vagabond, and outcast from my own people, if it were not for the endless generosity of the mighty prince of demon’s himself.” The sarcasm flowed thicker than the miasma of Gemnez’s reeking perfume, but Hedrenatherax ignored it.
Hazergal had been unceremoniously dumped on the floor again, luckily face up, and his mind reeled at the implications of a demon lord such as Pyrak harboring a renegade devil. The fear of destruction was suddenly replaced by a maddening disappointment that he might never learn the truth behind this truly bizarre coupling.
“Very well, I will place this petitioner in the pit myself. Our business is done.” Hedrenatherax plucked Hazergal from the floor and turned to leave, his mighty wings fluttering softly as he spun about on his heel with a dismissive snap.
“Wait, demon.” Gemnez said softly over Hedrenatherax’s shoulder as the balor made for the exit. “Indulge my curiosity if you would?”
Hedrenatherax halted, and turned again towards Gemnez. “Very well, toad. Speak your mind.”
Gemnez ignored the balor’s barb with effort, he was obviously not used to such treatment from lesser beings. “Why would Pyrak command his mightiest servant to carry a single petitioner to the pits? I have never taken less than one hundred from his majesty, what is so special about this one?”
Hedrenatherax chuckled sourly. “Come and find out, fat one. I am sure Pyrak will not care.”
Gemnez suddenly heaved his tremendous bulk from his mountain of cushions. He was truly a massive creature, nearly fifteen feet tall and just as wide. Hazergal had little doubt that if it were not for Pyrak’s dominion over this place, Hedrenatherax would not dare be so bold and disrespectful. Gemnez waddled over to Hedrenatherax, each footfall shaking the very foundations of the keep, to stand before the balor and his prize. “May I?’ Gemnez asked, reaching out a huge red nailed hand.
“Certainly, oh mighty Baaetzu.” Hedrenatherax purred with venomous mockery.
Hazergal was suddenly lifted into the air and held before Gemnez’s awful painted face. The devil stared intently at him his brow furrowed in concentration. After a few moments he handed Hazergal’s limp body back to Hedrenatherax. “I detect nothing unusual about this petitioner. Perhaps if you remove his collar I might be able to divine more.”
‘Hah!” Hedrenatherax snorted. “I am not about to eat another volley of magical darts from this little maggot. He’s already killed to of my underlings.”
“What nonsense is this demon? A petitioner cannot cast spells.” Gemnez said skeptically.
“This one
can.” Hedrenatherax said simply. “Pyrak wishes to see what affect the pits will have on an anomaly such as this petitoner. I admit to being a bit curious myself.”
“Hmmm" Gemnez scratched his triple row of chins idly, his eyes clouded with pondering. "A spellcasting petitioner, how odd. I find myself curious, demon. Therefore I will accompany you and see for myself what can be made of Pyrak's "anomaly". Gemnez held his hand out towards the double doors that led from his pleasure room in an indication that Hedrenatherax should lead the way.
Hazergal was dragged once again through Gemnez’s horrible keep, finally exiting through the inner gates and out into the terrible bone filled courtyard. Gemnez had followed Hedrenatherax and as they passed into the courtyard he bellowed an order to the huge gate guardian. “Uzog! Follow!” The huge demon did as he was asked and lumbered along after Gemnez and Hedrenatherax.
Through the outer gates the pair of fiends and Uzog walked, moving around the outer wall and eventually behind the keep where a large finger of rock created a narrow stone causeway over the festering pit of Gemnez Drak.
Gemnez stopped at the base of the causeway, as the narrow pathway would not likely support his bulk. “There you are, demon. The pit is yours.”
Hedrenatherax wasted no time and stalked out onto the causeway, carrying Hazergal to the edge and dangling him out over the heaving lake of slime. “Well maggot, lets see what happens” The balor said with a massive toothy grin, enjoying the stark horror his victim was almost certainly going through.
Finally faced with what would most certainly be the end of his existence as he had known it, the arch-mage's normally steel resolve failed completely and his mind was filled with utter panic and desperation. The collar about his neck made him utterly helpless and as spell after useless spell flashed into his mind, Hedrenatherax loosed his grip and Hazergal fell.
