Nuzalheim
From Valwiki
Dearuhk's seat of power, Nuzalheim is home to the devils and functions as the multiverse's one true hell. Nuzalheim consists of many different levels "layered" upon one another that surround an ancient artifact known as the Soulforge, from which all devils draw sustenance; in this form, the plane could be compared to the shape of an onion, the layers farthest from the Soulforge being the coldest and least hospitable as they crumble into nothing and reform as further matter is pushed out from the grotesque core. It is this plane that the souls of evil mortals travel to upon death, and serve either as devils or become one with the evil of the plane.
Powerful devils known as Archviles rule the many layers, each vying for the power of the current leader, Nuzal.
Contents |
Ecology
Every creature in the many layers of Nuzalheim is a devil, being classified into many several subtypes based on certain shared attributes. While the types of devils are as numerous as the evils in the multiverse, all devils share outsider blood and fit into specific categories listed below. Devils are essentially immortal, always reforming back on their home layer after a defeat, but they can be chained or imprisoned indefinitely and they are severely punished for failure; for some hellspawn, failure is worse than death.
Twisted Souls
When an evil mortal dies, his or her soul begins its descent towards Nuzalheim, eventually arriving in the epicenter of the plane, the Soulforge. Emerging as bloated maggots of spirit energy, these twisted souls are collected by the keepers of the Soulforge, the Tashii. These souls are either then fed back into the forge to provide sustenance for all devil-kind (having no physical need or desire for normal food), or the souls are tortured for an indeterminate amount of time before it transforms into a lowly devil. Twisted souls are often used as currency in the underworld of Nuzalheim, and every Archvile has a collection of them for their own personal amusement.
What a twisted soul transforms into largely depends on how or why the soul turned to evil in the first place. Lowly thugs and brigands typically end up as an Oschorei, while more ruthless and conniving individuals end up as Iron Devils or Benath. In general, the more powerful and unscrupulous the mortal was in his life, the more powerful he becomes in his unlife.
Oschorei
These horrific creatures are the twisted souls of murderers and the former soldiers of evil kings and gods. In death, they are reborn as large, hulking demons, roughly 6'5" at full height with rough, brown skin and spiked tails. A large maw filled with long teeth and a hunched countenance mark them as well. They serve as the front line in wars, as their tremendous stamina and large sizes make them perfect for the task. The Oschorei are essentially blind, having no eyes, instead they operate through use of a special "sixth sense" that lets them easily track and engage living things. Oschorei cannot speak in anything but grunts and howls, but they can understand Devilcant for the purposes of receiving orders. Oschorei are essentially mindless, having no goal except slaughter, but they remain the loyal staple of Hell's army.
Benath
When spies, tempters, and charismatic evil mortals become devils, they are often reformed into mockeries of the humanoid races. These hellspawn, more than any of their brethren, spend time on Kharlia and other realms tempting or making deals with mortals to bring them to evil. Be it the Succubi with their temptations of lust, or the Faustian pacts of the Cretel, all Benath devils strive to collect on divine deals.
Iron Devil
The Iron Devils are formed from the souls of thieves, liars, and those that would use unfair or surprise tactics to kill. The Iron Devil's name comes from its appearance: its body appears to be clad in a suit of heavily angled armor, which in reality is a carapace-like structure that forms on its flesh. It lacks a head, having a forward-pointing pyramid shaped helmet instead. Iron Devils serve as the ranged masters in Hell's army, as they can fling arcane fire from their arms over long distances.
Ether Devil
These devils appear as shadows, their bodies being composed of a black, lightless fog. Only two small pinpoints of red on their head indicate any sort of life. Ether Devils are formed from the souls of shadow magicians and assassins. Tied closely with the plane of Everdark, Ether Devils can meld between the material plane and the next. While in this immaterial form, an Ether Devil is essentially invisible and can pass through objects at will, but is hindered more strongly by magical wards, and can be detected through scrying. The only way to truly defeat an Ether Devil on the material plane is to remove enough of its physical form, either through weapons or spells, in order to force it to return to the Heim to regenerate itself. These devils serve Dearuhk in collecting lost souls in the Everdark as well as terrorizing the night on Kharlia.
Daughters of Dearuhk
When the dark lady needs a task done on her behalf, she sends one of her daughters, specially formed ether devils that serve their mistress as messengers, assassins, and go-betweens. Daughters are confined to the plane of Nuzalheim, and have never been seen outside of the plane unlike other ether devils. Since their forms are touched by Dearuhk herself, it is one of the greatest honors for a devil to be elevated to the rank of a Daughter.
Xerevin
Masters of the hordes of Hell, the Xerevin are a tall, imposing race. The souls of conquerers and tyrants given monstrous form, all devil-kind hopes to aspire to this form some day. They appear as tall humanoid figures with large, bat-like wings, an angled face, clawed feet, a massive tail, and two sets of horns pointing up and down. They are, without a doubt, the most powerful and clever of the devils, able to easily manipulate fire and other dark, potent magic, and possess equally impressive physical prowess.
Tashii
The Creep
If a twisted soul is not spirited away as currency, transformed into a devil after a long torturing process, then it is fed back into the Soulforge. Approximately half of all souls are fed back into the fiery forge, where they are churned up and used for fuel as the fel artifact creates a disturbing substance of black, red, yellow and purple that is known as the Creep. This is the very material that makes up the many-layered plane, consisting of the souls needed for its creation, their visages often appearing in the matter as it is formed and welded into walls and other structures by the very will of the Tashii. The Creep is an anomalous entity that takes shape in tentacles, scythes, sharpened towers and other imposing forms as it slowly "flows" out from the Soulforge and ends itself in the chaotic recesses that lie beyond the plane. What happens to the Creep that crumbles away and falls into nothingness is unknown.
The Archviles
For every evil deed, there is a devil to represent it. And for every devil, there is a layer that embodies and facilitates this evil. It is the nefarious Archviles that hold sway over these layers. Because evil is numerous, and no one knows how many layers the plane of Nuzalheim truly has, it is difficult to name each and every Archvile. Every devil conspires to someday usurp the Prince of Evil, a title bestowed to the most powerful hellspawn of the plane by Dearuhk herself, and to do so involves climbing the chain of command from the lowest of maggots to the most powerful of Archviles. Indeed, the Dark Lady bids her dark children to fight amongst themselves for the title, and this conflict takes shape in many great things ranging from mud-flinging to all-out war. Below outline some of the more powerful Archviles, those that could potentially challenge the current Prince of Evil, Nuzal.
Nearly all Archviles, upon receiving the rank and title as such, are infused with the dark energies of the plane and twisted into strange forms that resemble the creep of Nuzalheim. Archviles are not tied to their respective layers as the abyssal circle-masters are, but due to the fragile balance of forces in Hell, it would be foolish for any Archvile to leave his or her territory lest is be quickly gobbled up by a rival lord.
Cauldrot, Ruler of the 87th
Cauldrot rules the 87th layer of Nuzalheim, a barren, rocky wasteland filled with the tortured souls of those that besmirched the help of others in times of need. He takes great pleasure in roaming about his layer, surveying all that is his and challenging subordinates to mandatory duels, the victory claiming the other's soul. Because of this passtime, Cauldrot does not have as many ground troops as the other Archviles but insists that he alone could take on all of the other hellspawn in Nuzalheim. He embodies pride in all things, rising up from a lowly Oschorei through years of service, and seeks to pile a great amount of corpses to make his citadel by trading away any souls he gets his hands on to the Tashii in exchange for more Creep.
Because of their tendency to brownnose and overcompliment, Cauldrot primarily keeps Benath devils in his service, where they shower him with praise of his works.
Dugugir, General of the 403rd
Ruler of the 403rd layer, Dugugir began his servitude as an Iron Devil until the time when his previous master was killed in a bloody territory conflict. Assuming command of the layer, Dugugir reaped the massive amount of energy left behind and was transformed into his current form, a skeletal figure bound in wrappings with many great ranged spells in his arsenal. His layer is a wide open collection of mesas shaped from the Creep where he can practice long-ranged ballistic attacks while flying at great speeds.
He serves as the general for all Iron Devils now in the war against the forces of Heaven, and keeps the most of them in his army compared to any other devil aside from Nuzal.
Habegla, Queen of the 25th
The blind temptress Habelga sits over the 25th layer where she rules on top of a shining palace amidst a murky swamp of soulstuff. Everything is bright here, being of close proximity to the Soulforge, and Habelga uses it to her advantage, appearing clean and brushed when compared to other Archviles. Habelga demands that all visitors to her layer forsake a sense, be it by gouging out the eyes, cutting off the tongue, or stabbing one's ears. She feels that losing a sense will sharpen the others, including the sense of arousal which Habelga insists she has utter control of.
Due to her past life as a Benath, specifically a succubus, Habelga persuades as many as she can to her service, though the harsh demand of self-mutilation often draws them away and attracts Oschorei instead, whom already have such a deficiency.
Kalkarand, Lord of the 201st
When a lone Iron Devil dared roam into one of the uninhabited layers of Hell, it countered a vast field of frozen iron, a harsh wind of rust blowing all throughout. Claiming the landscape as his own, the Iron Devil attracted more of his kind as well as Ether Devils and soon he was transformed into his current form, a skeletal creature of jagged edges made of an unknown metal. Kalkarand has since then been one of the more successful Archviles, claiming every layer from 200 to 300 as his own. He is Nuzal's greatest threat and adds insult to injury by leading Dearuhk's tasks in the Everdark, where the stealthy Ether Devils roam for lost souls to collect.
Because of the inhospitable terrain of the 201st layer, and all subsequent layers of conquest, Kalkarand attracts primarily incorporeal or hardened individuals to his side. Seeing a Benath in his realm is highly unlikely.
Rorchathelagu, Twins of the 890th
Murderous twins in life, and in death, Rorchathelagu entered the Heim as Rorcha and Thelagu. Seperate souls twisted and tortured together, a peculiar anomaly arose when they emerged from the process as one being. Extremely jealous of one another's new forms, yet technically confined to the mind and body of one, Rorchathelagu immediately killed its captors and headed for the plane's current Archvile at the time; slaying it with great ease, Rorchathelagu inherited the wealth of energy and ranking from the freshly murdered superior and transformed into what it is today. Fleeing from that layer to the darkest recesses of the plane, Rorchathelagu is its own worst enemy, barely focusing on other layers as it constantly seeks to overthrow the other half.
The layer itself is one of perpetual darkness, being far from the energies of the Soulforge. This, along with the general lawlessness of the layer, attracts many Ether Devils that serve either half of Rorchathelagu in undermining the other. The Archvile would not be such a threat if it had not shown such great power when the two halves concentrated on a single foe. This fact angers and puzzles Nuzal, who keeps close tabs on the twins.
Nuzal, Master of the 666th
Undisputed master of Nuzalheim and leader of all hellspawn in the battle against Good, Nuzal has been around since the very creation of the devils, but remembers very little of the earliest years of his existence. He began working his way up the power base early on, serving as a lieutenant of the Archvile Zenrok for some time, before eventually usurping his master and taking control of his army. Nuzal evolved into a Xerethin and continued to consolidate his power base, taking advantage of the many devils that Zenrok's army contained to learn of weaknesses in any of the other Archviles. Eventually, Nuzal's army was of a sufficient size that he could challenge the then Prince of Darkness, Goresk. In a titanic battle, Nuzal sliced Goresk's left hand off and subjugated him, binding him to his power.
The presence of Nuzal is terrifying enough to cause most normal creatures to tremble in fear. His eyes constantly appear to be on fire, and a single rune floats between his sky-facing horns. He wields a heavily enchanted falchion as a weapon, bestowed to him by Dearuhk herself. He is a scheming and manipulative Archvile, and seems more intent on conquering other planes than layers of the Heim. His first barrier is Heaven and the concordant forces within, and he understands the need for patience, unlike many Archviles.
Regions of Nuzalheim
At the very core of Nuzalheim lies the Soulforge, a fiery energy core that gives birth to new devils and writhing landscape all the same. Spreading outward from the epicenter are layers of environment that form and harden over time by being farther from the forge; layers closer to the center are often liquid magma flows, with more solid settings branching off from there, gradually growing colder and more desolate, until finally the edge of the plane crumbles into the nothing beyond. It is unknown how many layers Nuzalheim has; some argue that it is finite as much as a planet would be, while others say it exists outside normal rules of perception and spans an illogical length of measurement. However, all layers draw warmth from the Soulforge and it must be kept alive lest the hellish plane collapse upon itself. Dearuhk seems unconcerned by this possibility.
The Infinite Spire
One of the more striking features of Nuzalheim is the Infinite Spire, a massive tower that pierces every layer through one section or another. Inside sits the mysterious Gol Gulmat, spoken only about in whispers. Rumors say he is a dark sorcerer of great power, but few actually know for certain, even Nuzal and his network of spies is hard pressed in discovering any details. The Spire pierces the middle of the plane, and the Soulforge is housed within the structure of the tower itself. Gol Gulmat does not harry the Tashii, though why they do not dispose of the sorcerer is a puzzle to all.
Soulforge
No one, not even the devils, are sure of who created the Soulforge, or what its original purpose was. It is speculated that Dearuhk used the forge to give life to the first of her devils, after their initial perversion to the ways of evil. In truth, the forge resembles something more akin to one of the Ancients great experiments in genesis. The Soulforge appears as a massive, sun-like object that hangs in the core of the plane. Through a nearly impossible, though clearly divine process, the forge acts as a melting pot as it takes the souls of mortals and creates anew, mixing them in a heated concoction before spewing out twisted souls that writhe about in the heat of the molten brew. The excess "liquid" from these batches of evil transmutation seep into the ground below the forge and give warmth and energy to the plane. It is this same warmth that keeps the ever expanding plane from growing dead and cold.
A Day in the Life
Most of the creatures in Nuzalheim are dedicated to one particular task and, in general, have very little in the way of free will. The majority of lesser demons are forced to serve the Archviles, who send them to collect souls or battle other Archviles; only the Archviles and the T'gan have any real measure of freedom to do as they please. Every devil is associated with a particular type of evil, and relishes in perpetuating that evil in all things. Devils of lust, such as the Succubae, spend their time pretending to be humanoids on Kharlia, tempting others to evil so that their souls will come to Nuzalheim. Some devils prefer to spread evil through strife, jealousy, or other sinful deeds that they are allowed to travel to Kharlia and other planes to scheme. This, along with battling the forces of Heaven and expanding one's territory sums up the life and objectives of a devil. Every devil is concerned with the constant expansion of their plane and the need for more souls to keep Nuzalheim alive.
History of Nuzalheim
Nuzalheim, like all other planes, was initially devised and created by the Ancients. In a time when the need to categorize and control the different elements and energies was dire, the Ancients spent equal amounts of time approaching and understanding each philosophy, some forming into existence simply by the action of them being pondered for the first time. One of these philosophies was evil, and it would later give birth to the evil gods when the Ancients knew the ideal was too great to simply explain; evil required a god and a plane, just as good did, and so they set about to create Dearuhk.
Because of their unforeseen end, the Ancients did not have time to properly speak with each of their deified creations and most of the gods were left to learn as their embodied philosophies guided them. Dearuhk took very little time after being created to understand exactly who she was and what she intended to do. Using the Soulforge, she begat the first of the evil gods under her and as their life force exploded into the plane of Nuzalheim, Dearuhk was pleased. Much time was spent fighting and quarreling with the children of good before Dearuhk came to her children, introducing the idea of corruption to them and the energy associated with crumbling down the forces of good and twisting souls to evil. One of Dearuhk's children was especially obsessed with this concept, so much so that she went through the extreme of ripping her essence from Nuzalheim and transported it to the mortal realm; she is known now as Searith. Wol, god of law, noticed this disturbance in the cosmic forces and made it very clear to Dearuhk that her children were to stay in Nuzalheim and commune with the mortals just as all the other gods were made to do, under the Ancient's universal law of Circular Servitude. Dearuhk smiled and agreed, though she still seeks to cheat the rule to this day, such as the presence of Ether Devils on the plane of Everdark. For the most part, however, the evil gods were confined to Nuzalheim and were content in being so; as the first mortal souls trickled into the Soulforge, so too were the first devils created and Nuzalheim grew. The battle between good and evil had finally spread across the multiverse.
