D&D General What if the Blood War ended? (Possible Outcomes Discussion)
- Thread starter Levistus's_Leviathan
- Start date
Stormonu
Legend
Taking a page from history, twisting it and off running:
Asmodeus has been working for ages on an artifact that allows him to destroy the Abyss and the demons within. It partially works, shattering the Abyss and obliterating all known demons. He is then able to secretly forge a non-aggression and trade pact with the Yugoloths and the forces of Acheron, that greatly favors Hell. Hades pays tribute in souls, but remains aloof for now. The triumvirate becomes known colloquially as the Axis of Evil.
Alarmed by the sudden and abrupt end of the Blood War, the quickly allied Celestial planes sue for an end of aggression against the other planes. Crafty Asmodeus agrees, but not before crossing the river Styx and seizing Carceri. Though the upper planes balk at the seizure, they do not have the forces nor will to take it back and are satisfied by Asmodeus's word that it remain a prison plane, ostensibly to be used to hold the few rogue demon lords that escaped utter destruction. Olympus and Ysgard fall to bickering and debate over the situation, and long-held grudges erupt into cross-realm raids as its warriors clash impotently against each other, to be reborn daily and continue their grudges against one another. Celestia remains guardingly quiet and introspective. Mechanus builds great clockwork walls to isolate itself from bordering Acheron, but its modron armies simply gather at the rising, thickening wall and wait.
The upper planes are thus neutralized and focus their attention on the Prime Material, fearing that if there is to be war, it will be determined by the reaping of souls from that plane. Except Arcadia. Unwilling to allow evil to entrench itself, it conducts at first covert intelligence raids into Acheron and Gehenna, until it is able to reach into Hell itself. Only for the raiding forces to find themselves falling into Asmodeus's trap and being captured.
Hell parades the captured raiders prominently, causing the upper planes to shun Arcadia and further withdraw from any thought of similar actions. After their propaganda usage is finished, the Arcadian raiders are sent to the depths of Carceri, to become prize prisoners among the other imprisoned foes of Asmodeus.
For a short time, an unsettling quiet - save for the occasional Olympus-Ysgard raid - reigns over the outer planes. Among the vigilant of the upper planes, there are alarming signs of increased corruption and cultism rising among the mortals of the Prime Material, but it only turns eyes away from the smoking factories of Gehenna and the growing numbers of shades filling the Gray Wastes.
It is on the eve of the Last Night that warning comes almost too late. A few desperate survivors from the Arcadia raids return with only moments to warn the Upper planes of the war to come. Asmodeus and all the forces of Hell are on the march - following in the wake of the released titans of Carceri. The attack comes not through Archeron as had been expected by many. Instead, the mapped, mad tunnels of Pandemonium are covertly used by the titanic forces to emerge into Limbo. The soup of Chaos is overrun and molded into forces of war in a single night. The mighty titans call upon their brethren - the jotun of Ysgard - and the home of the Vanir is laid to siege.
Instantly, Mechanus declares war upon the forces of Hell, and as instantly, they discover their mistake. Atop the metal cubes of Archeron, the hordes of that realm crash down upon the clockwork wall, grinding them to an utter halt. Astride war machines forged in Gehenna, the goblin and gnoll hordes rush through the clockwork mechanisms of Limbo and the great gears come to a grinding halt. For the Modrons, it is not a retreat, but a rout and a massacre. Only through the ingenious workings of Primus are a scant handful capable of escaping the slaughter, scattered to the remaining planes and away from the conflict.
But all is not lost! Where Olympus and Ysgard had fenced against one another, they stand united against the titanic forces arrayed against them. As for the forces of Arcadia, they find themselves facing a prepared Arcadia, who themselves had not been idle and reshaped their plane into an unassailable fortress that repels even the most fantastic war machines of Gehenna with equally fantastic hand-wrought creations of the Arcadias. The skies and the seas flicker with the arcane energies of their contests, and even the mightily hurled cubes of Acheron fail the fighting spirit of the Arcadians.
As the battle at both fronts wavers, Asmodeus makes his third calculated strike, hoping to rend the upper planes in twain. Utilizing enslaved demons he had transfigured with Hellish modifications, Asmodeus strikes at Mount Celestia itself with a suicidal force. However, he miscalculates the will of the Celestians, who though shocked and surprised by the gruesome assault are able to repel the attack. And it is only then that Asmodeus realizes his mistake, as the vast armory of Celestia is opened, and the peaceful realm girds itself for war.
However, Asmodeus has prepared himself for this possibility, and draws upon the shades of Hades and it night hags, drawing new forces to bolster the twin battlefronts. He is sure if that he can turn the war into one of attrition the forces of good will waver, and as before, sue for peace. So long as he keeps the ground he has so far gained, he can end the war and restart it at a time of his choosing, slowly whittling away at the upper planes until he rules it all.
But Celestia strikes where Asmodeus does not expect - taking their forces directly to the Prime Material plane. No longer are the forces of good content to sit back and allow mortals to blindly choose their fate. The evil are reaped at the source, whittling down Asmodeus's ability to bolster his troops. Then, slowly, inch by inch, the calleousness to which he committed his troops to the twin fronts begins to result in his forces being unable to hold their ground. Soon, where Arcadia was forced back inch by inch, it instead builds outward. On the other front, a united Olympus and Ysgard teaches the mighty titans that they were beaten before - and still can be beaten back even now.
It is only when the refugees of Mechanus restart the gears of their home plane that Asmodeus realizes the dire straights he is in. The titans are then dispersed and their hold on the chaos stuff of Limbo, and Hell's forces retreat back towards their home plane. Few, however, are successful in navigating the mad tunnels of Pandemonium to return home. Arcadia and Mechanus combine forces, turning the war cubes of Acheron into heaps of scrap and the hordes of Acheron flee to hide themselves, only to be crushed under the weight of the tumbling, crumbling blocks of iron.
As the noose closes on Asmodeus, Gehenna disavows their alliance with Hell and retreats back to the relative safety of their fiery mountains. The advancing forces, however, spare them no pity. Gehenna becomes a new form of Carceri, its yugoloths imprisoned in fiery, ever-burning tombs forged of their own volcanic peaks.
Asmodeus retreats into the lowest reaches of Hell, surrounding himself with an impenetrable ring of his most powerful servants. But the forces of the upper planes are never penetrate into his final abode until after the last survivors of the Abyss have their final revenge. Unknown to Asmodeus, the Abyss secretly was able to reform from a small globlet that survived the realms initial destruction. Rumor says it was Orcus who reformed to take Asmodeus in his clutches while still surrounded by a dozen pit fiends, but no one is quite sure which demon lord manifested to face the lord of Hell - or what Asmodeus's final fate may have been - nor where now the Abyss lies.
Now, however, the lower planes lie empty or exist only as dimished prisons to its former lords. The expunging of the prime lasted only a mere generation before the seeds of evil once again started to rear its ugly head - whispers that the seeds have been planted by enigmatic demon kind from their hidden realm. The tide grows - ever so slowly...
Asmodeus has been working for ages on an artifact that allows him to destroy the Abyss and the demons within. It partially works, shattering the Abyss and obliterating all known demons. He is then able to secretly forge a non-aggression and trade pact with the Yugoloths and the forces of Acheron, that greatly favors Hell. Hades pays tribute in souls, but remains aloof for now. The triumvirate becomes known colloquially as the Axis of Evil.
Alarmed by the sudden and abrupt end of the Blood War, the quickly allied Celestial planes sue for an end of aggression against the other planes. Crafty Asmodeus agrees, but not before crossing the river Styx and seizing Carceri. Though the upper planes balk at the seizure, they do not have the forces nor will to take it back and are satisfied by Asmodeus's word that it remain a prison plane, ostensibly to be used to hold the few rogue demon lords that escaped utter destruction. Olympus and Ysgard fall to bickering and debate over the situation, and long-held grudges erupt into cross-realm raids as its warriors clash impotently against each other, to be reborn daily and continue their grudges against one another. Celestia remains guardingly quiet and introspective. Mechanus builds great clockwork walls to isolate itself from bordering Acheron, but its modron armies simply gather at the rising, thickening wall and wait.
The upper planes are thus neutralized and focus their attention on the Prime Material, fearing that if there is to be war, it will be determined by the reaping of souls from that plane. Except Arcadia. Unwilling to allow evil to entrench itself, it conducts at first covert intelligence raids into Acheron and Gehenna, until it is able to reach into Hell itself. Only for the raiding forces to find themselves falling into Asmodeus's trap and being captured.
Hell parades the captured raiders prominently, causing the upper planes to shun Arcadia and further withdraw from any thought of similar actions. After their propaganda usage is finished, the Arcadian raiders are sent to the depths of Carceri, to become prize prisoners among the other imprisoned foes of Asmodeus.
For a short time, an unsettling quiet - save for the occasional Olympus-Ysgard raid - reigns over the outer planes. Among the vigilant of the upper planes, there are alarming signs of increased corruption and cultism rising among the mortals of the Prime Material, but it only turns eyes away from the smoking factories of Gehenna and the growing numbers of shades filling the Gray Wastes.
It is on the eve of the Last Night that warning comes almost too late. A few desperate survivors from the Arcadia raids return with only moments to warn the Upper planes of the war to come. Asmodeus and all the forces of Hell are on the march - following in the wake of the released titans of Carceri. The attack comes not through Archeron as had been expected by many. Instead, the mapped, mad tunnels of Pandemonium are covertly used by the titanic forces to emerge into Limbo. The soup of Chaos is overrun and molded into forces of war in a single night. The mighty titans call upon their brethren - the jotun of Ysgard - and the home of the Vanir is laid to siege.
Instantly, Mechanus declares war upon the forces of Hell, and as instantly, they discover their mistake. Atop the metal cubes of Archeron, the hordes of that realm crash down upon the clockwork wall, grinding them to an utter halt. Astride war machines forged in Gehenna, the goblin and gnoll hordes rush through the clockwork mechanisms of Limbo and the great gears come to a grinding halt. For the Modrons, it is not a retreat, but a rout and a massacre. Only through the ingenious workings of Primus are a scant handful capable of escaping the slaughter, scattered to the remaining planes and away from the conflict.
But all is not lost! Where Olympus and Ysgard had fenced against one another, they stand united against the titanic forces arrayed against them. As for the forces of Arcadia, they find themselves facing a prepared Arcadia, who themselves had not been idle and reshaped their plane into an unassailable fortress that repels even the most fantastic war machines of Gehenna with equally fantastic hand-wrought creations of the Arcadias. The skies and the seas flicker with the arcane energies of their contests, and even the mightily hurled cubes of Acheron fail the fighting spirit of the Arcadians.
As the battle at both fronts wavers, Asmodeus makes his third calculated strike, hoping to rend the upper planes in twain. Utilizing enslaved demons he had transfigured with Hellish modifications, Asmodeus strikes at Mount Celestia itself with a suicidal force. However, he miscalculates the will of the Celestians, who though shocked and surprised by the gruesome assault are able to repel the attack. And it is only then that Asmodeus realizes his mistake, as the vast armory of Celestia is opened, and the peaceful realm girds itself for war.
However, Asmodeus has prepared himself for this possibility, and draws upon the shades of Hades and it night hags, drawing new forces to bolster the twin battlefronts. He is sure if that he can turn the war into one of attrition the forces of good will waver, and as before, sue for peace. So long as he keeps the ground he has so far gained, he can end the war and restart it at a time of his choosing, slowly whittling away at the upper planes until he rules it all.
But Celestia strikes where Asmodeus does not expect - taking their forces directly to the Prime Material plane. No longer are the forces of good content to sit back and allow mortals to blindly choose their fate. The evil are reaped at the source, whittling down Asmodeus's ability to bolster his troops. Then, slowly, inch by inch, the calleousness to which he committed his troops to the twin fronts begins to result in his forces being unable to hold their ground. Soon, where Arcadia was forced back inch by inch, it instead builds outward. On the other front, a united Olympus and Ysgard teaches the mighty titans that they were beaten before - and still can be beaten back even now.
It is only when the refugees of Mechanus restart the gears of their home plane that Asmodeus realizes the dire straights he is in. The titans are then dispersed and their hold on the chaos stuff of Limbo, and Hell's forces retreat back towards their home plane. Few, however, are successful in navigating the mad tunnels of Pandemonium to return home. Arcadia and Mechanus combine forces, turning the war cubes of Acheron into heaps of scrap and the hordes of Acheron flee to hide themselves, only to be crushed under the weight of the tumbling, crumbling blocks of iron.
As the noose closes on Asmodeus, Gehenna disavows their alliance with Hell and retreats back to the relative safety of their fiery mountains. The advancing forces, however, spare them no pity. Gehenna becomes a new form of Carceri, its yugoloths imprisoned in fiery, ever-burning tombs forged of their own volcanic peaks.
Asmodeus retreats into the lowest reaches of Hell, surrounding himself with an impenetrable ring of his most powerful servants. But the forces of the upper planes are never penetrate into his final abode until after the last survivors of the Abyss have their final revenge. Unknown to Asmodeus, the Abyss secretly was able to reform from a small globlet that survived the realms initial destruction. Rumor says it was Orcus who reformed to take Asmodeus in his clutches while still surrounded by a dozen pit fiends, but no one is quite sure which demon lord manifested to face the lord of Hell - or what Asmodeus's final fate may have been - nor where now the Abyss lies.
Now, however, the lower planes lie empty or exist only as dimished prisons to its former lords. The expunging of the prime lasted only a mere generation before the seeds of evil once again started to rear its ugly head - whispers that the seeds have been planted by enigmatic demon kind from their hidden realm. The tide grows - ever so slowly...
Last edited:
dave2008
Legend
I thought Bel was like CR 21 or something in DiA? That is lower than all of the Demon Lords.
Also, I do think Zariel is too high in 5e, but I don't think she has ever been stated before, so we don't really know how powerful she was relative to the other Archdevils in previous editions.
Regardless, I always default to 1e in these scenarios and have Demogorgon more powerful than Asmodeus. So, IMO, the official stat blocks for the demon lords are two weak.
EDIT: Never mind, Bel is CR 25. However, Orcus and Demorgorgon are CR 26 like Zariel. Personally I think that should be higher, but that is 5e for ya.
Last edited:
Jeff Albertson
Explorer
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but The Blood War officially took a break to address the Illithid/Mindflayer problem, so maybe Squid-Head 2: The Revenge wipes all that out.
Last edited:
Stormonu
Legend
pfsh. Giving these entities stat blocks in the first place was the mistake.
Always remember. Johnny beat the devil with nothing but a fiddle.
Jeff Albertson
Explorer
Not at all; love my 1st Ed Asmodeus stats.
dave2008
Legend
Ya, it is not D&D if you can't give stats to devils, demons, and gods. Heck I poured over the MM and Deities & Demigods for years as a kid before i have got to play. Just reading those books is almost as much D&D to me as playing the game.
Jeff Albertson
Explorer
Yep, the 1st Ed Deities & Demigods (Cthulhu and Melnibonean) sucked me right in back in the day; and to this day is my favourite of all D&D goods to peruse.
Last edited:
dave2008
Legend
I'm with ya - I still break it out 35+ yrs after purchasing it (unfortunately not the original).
Levistus's_Leviathan
5e Freelancer
nvm
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