Chronicles of the Brotherhood: Genesis

Act VII: The Line of Asteroth

The realm that demons come from was unexplored by any not of infernal bloodline. In fact, it was only spoken of in hushed whispers of fear and awe, commonly amongst drunks and daring bards that traveled the land. Everyone knew of the infernal creatures that dwelt in a nether region beyond mortal comprehension, but they only noted their destructive tendencies.

There was a single bard, who had passed near the early age, after the abandonment of Arch Antocia, the great capitol of the angels deep in the Sacred North. His name had been lost to history, but before he died, he had written a song illustrating this plane of horror and mystique.

It wass said that he had at one point, befriended one of the dark sons of this plane, or perhaps had even traveled to that realm as a guest, or as a prisoner. Regardless, the ballad is a long one, very feew bards take the time to remember or memorize, even at the college. The ballad was titled: "Blood of the Abyss." What is detailed, was shocking to say the least.

The song described the plane, not as a place of hellfire and brimstone, a place of unimaginable terror and nightmare, but as almost another realm similar to the world he was from. He described lush fields and rolling mountains, great forests and bottomless chasms, oceans of scarlet, and skies of a deep purple hue, with heavy rain clouds ceaselessly looming overhead. That was the world he had seen, a sentimaent often rejected by those of a devout faith, but the song went on.

One way or another, the bard claimed to have known the construction of this realm, the polotics, the economics, the social vices and justices of the creatures that lived there. The song detailed that much, but what it is most notable for, is the telling of how frighteningly similar it was to the world of man and mystic beings of that kind.

The song told of a time when there was no order to the demon's plane of existence. It was a realm of roaming tribes bent on seeking power over their kinsmen, and little to nothing more. That way of life changed when seven tribes banded together to form the first monarchy of the realm. One great leader was chosen, his true name was lost too to history, but his title lives on as the ruler of his people, The First Satan, Lord of all Demons. However, he was never called king, it was said that The first Satan was a humble demon to a degree and recognized the brutality and pride of his kinsmen to never bow to one called a king, so he and his followers would become princes.

At that time, there were seventy-two other great tribes in the demon plane. Seventy-two Chieftains that would only align themselves with one who they saw as worthy. The First Satan chose to initiate an ancient and sacred rite to gain power. With those who already followed him, the First Satan invoked the Demon Parade; a rite to claim complete rule over the demons of the plane. The First Satan traveled from tribe to tribe to share a covenant with the Chieftains of these tribes; as more and more joined him, the Chieftains were named Dukes.

The rite of the Demon Parade called for the invoker to bind a hundred demons of great influence and power to their fold to successfully claim the rite. The First Satan sought Chieftains, both of lesser and greater clans, as well as greater demons, not affiliated with any tribe. Near the end of the long journey, he found opposition, another Chieftain, who had invoked the rite shortly after hearing of the First Satan's. The song became a ballad of war.

The songs tells of a war that lasted for two generations between the First Satan and his opposition. The Dukes fought the Chieftains and the tribesmen fought the kinsmen. At the end of the war, the First Satan shared ceremonial cups with every Chieftain that yet stood and claimed the rite of the Demon Parade. From there, he set about the organization of his new world. He and his princes were given dominion over all of the land, seven greater kingdoms. Beneath them stood the seventy-two Dukes, each given their own land within the seven kingdoms to rule how they saw fit under their prince. The First Satan claimed the mountain where the two generation long war had ended, and on it's peak, erected a citadel of black stone found under the ground by rivers of molten lava and coo water. When the finals days of that age came to a close, the demon plane was as it was to be for generations to come, or so the song went.