Eye on Eberron

Baator
By Keith Baker
Illustration by Steve Ellis

Where were your Sovereigns when the Mourning came?

What did you buy with your tithes and your prayers?
Khyber stirs below us, and the drums of war are beating.
Will you look to the heavens for salvation, or are you ready
to negotiate a better deal?
—Hathal Kosorak, Aurum Concordian
and Servant of the Ninth Circle

Fear has Khorvaire by the throat. A century of war

has left deep scars on the psyche of the Five Nations.
There are Valenar raiders, Darguul slavers, a king-
dom of monsters to the west, and unknown terrors
massing in the depths of Khyber. The Lord of Blades
rallies the warforged against their makers. Change-
lings, rakshasas, and spies of all races hide behind
friendly faces. The Mourning overshadows all of
these. Until someone finds an explanation for this
cataclysm, people fear that it will happen again—
that a second Mourning could devastate Breland or
Thrane.
In the wake of the Mourning, a new power is
spreading across Khorvaire. Covens are sprouting
up in hamlets and villages. Power-hungry Aurum
Concordians are signing new deals. Wherever fear
TM & © 2012 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.

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and jealousy holds sway, there is a chance for an imp

to whisper in an ear or a devil to slip out of the shad-
WHAT IS BAATOR? A SMODEUS
ows with an offer that seems too good to be true. The The Sovereigns created the planes, and the names Asmodeus was the first pillar of Daanvi, created by
sages of the Arcane Congress and the templars of the of many of them are known to every student of the Siberys in the dawn of time. He was a mighty force
Silver Flame are equally baffled by this sudden wave arcane. Yet there is more to reality than the well- for order, and he claims to have taught Aureon the
of corruption. Who are these devils? Where did they known planes. Other islands are in the Sea of Siberys, ways of both magic and politics. He laid the corner-
come from, and what do they want? and Baator is one of them. Angels fear to tread within stone of the Infinite Archive, and his treatises on
The answers lie in Sea of Siberys, in the forgotten this prison for rebellious immortals. leadership are some of the finest in existence. For
prison of Baator. The angels of the Astral Sea say that at one time eons he governed Daanvi in Aureon’s name. As
the gods of the Sovereign Host walked among them human civilization thrived and worship of the Sov-
and perfected the work of the Progenitors. In Daanvi, ereign Host spread across Eberron, Asmodeus grew
minions of Aureon tend the Infinite Archive, while jealous of the distant deities. Siberys had fallen. The
the angels of Boldrei keep the First Hearth burning. Sovereigns had ascended to an unknown place, if
RECKONING WITH They are cogs in the vast machine of creation. Most they still existed at all. And who offered prayers to
THE RECKONING of these divine servants are dedicated to their Sov- Asmodeus? Where were his temples?
ereigns and their sacred duties. Yet there are always He gathered a host of followers, and as the Sun-
A great deal of lore has built up about the Nine exceptions. Pride, passion, hunger for power, or dering shattered the established order in Sarlona,
Hells through the editions of the DUNGEONS & simple doubt in the divine order—any of these things Asmodeus fought a war in the Astral Sea. Had it
DRAGONS® game. In this article’s interpretation can cause an angel to fall. Angels are truly immortal remained a battle of angel against angel, he might
of Baator, the devils are only recently freed and eventually re-form after physical death, so there have changed the divine order. But those faithful to
and largely unknown in the outside world; the needed to be a way to contain malevolent spirits. the Sovereigns brought in additional champions. The
place is a maximum security prison now ruled According to records in the Infinite Archives, in Chamber of Argonnessen had foreseen these troubles
by the inmates. Any of the past lore can be the days before their final ascension, the Sovereigns in the Draconic Prophecy, and the combined might
reconciled with this version of Baator, however. worked together to build a prison from the raw stuff of the angels and the dragons broke the rebel army
The Reckoning was less a clash of legions and of the Sea of Siberys. Aureon wove binding spells to and cast the traitors into Baator. Asmodeus was flung
more a gang war between the rival archfiends. prevent any escape, while Onatar and Dol Dorn built into the Ninth Circle, the prison built by Aureon.
Levistus has been imprisoned for only two years; mighty automatons that could crush any uprising. Aureon’s wards trapped Asmodeus in Baator, but
this was one of Asmodeus’s first acts as lord of Each Sovereign created a personal domain within the they couldn’t strip the archfiend of his cunning or his
Baator. Infernal intrigues remain a way of life in prison as a place of punishment for those who rose up charisma. Asmodeus swiftly worked his way into the
Baator; only the scale has changed. The physical against them—nine hells for rebellious spirits. For a cabals and intrigues afoot in the hells. He retained
descriptions of Baator remain valid. It’s a prison hundred thousand years, angels have been cast into the support of many devils that were banished with
with walls of magic, not stone. Just bear in mind Baator. The immortals of the outer planes are more him in the Daanvi uprising, and he turned the great-
that it was designed to torment the devils, and ideas given form than they are creatures of flesh and est powers of the other layers against one another.
that the mortal souls that now reside there are blood, and as that fundamental idea changes, they Though he couldn’t escape Baator or destroy Onatar’s
new guests. physically change to reflect it. And so these former guardians, Asmodeus soon became the most influen-
angels became devils as the seeds of pride and hate tial devil in Baator. His power grew when he found
flourished over eons of torment. a crack in Aureon’s walls. Many mortals on Eberron
sought arcane power, and Asmodeus whispered to
these mortals and formed the first infernal pacts.
Other fiends quickly followed in his footsteps, and

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pacts became the most valuable currency in the Although different covens might share an infernal ✦ The Church of the Silver Flame has discovered
divine prison. Every archfiend has its followers, but patron, this doesn’t imply any sort of communication the spread of infernal pacts and believes that this
none have as many as Asmodeus. or loyalty between them. A bargain with a fiend is a activity must be suppressed. A true witch hunt is
The devastation of the Mourning had repercus- personal path to power, not a religion. Beyond this, about to begin. Do the adventurers help, or do they
sions across the planes. Perhaps the grievous wound the fiends receive their payment (the warlock’s soul) oppose it?
to Eberron was felt across her creations. Whatever regardless of whether the schemes of the coven suc- ✦ A cleric of the Sovereign Host is asked to inves-
the truth, on the Day of Mourning the power sus- ceed or fail. This allows adventurers to face powerful tigate the theft of a number of ancient artifacts
taining Baator faltered, and Asmodeus made his infernal forces without being caught up in massive connected to Aureon, which leads to Sovereign
move. Pit fiends led squads of lesser devils to shatter schemes or drawing the anger of mighty enemies. temple ruins in Sarlona and Xen’drik. Asmodeus
the weakened guardians, while Asmodeus and the When heroes kill an infernal warlock, Asmodeus col- is gathering relics connected to the time before his
mightiest of the fiends pounded at Aureon’s wards. By lects her soul; far from spoiling Asmodeus’s plans, the fall, but why?
the time the fluctuation passed, the guardians were adventurers have added to his wealth.
destroyed and Baator was in the hands of the devils. Baator is a mystery even to the sages of Eberron.
They couldn’t entirely break the wards surround- Until recently it was known only to those angels
ing Baator, and as a result the devils cannot leave en devoted to the Sovereign Host, and the Inspired and
masse. But with the assistance of an archfiend or a the Lords of Dust know little about it. A worshiper of WHAT’S IN A SOUL?
mortal’s summoning ritual, it is possible for a devil to the Sovereign Host who makes a hard Religion check When a sentient mortal dies, its soul travels to
reach Eberron. knows that Baator is some sort of inescapable astral Dolurrh. In Dolurrh, memories fade until the
prison. A hard Arcana check provides simple details soul is but a shadow of its former self. This bleak
BAATOR IN THE about the archdevils, primarily those that fell from
grace and vanished.
reality is the foundation of the Blood of Vol’s
battle against death. Other faiths, however, have
WORLD An infernal pact is the common way that Baator a more positive outlook concerning the fate of
influences Eberron. A fiend provides mystical power the dead. The Sovereign Host asserts that Dol-
Asmodeus is consolidating his strength, and he has to a mortal, who uses it as he or she sees fit. Although urrh is a gateway, not a conclusion. The fading
neither the power nor the desire to challenge the infernal pacts have been around for centuries, they of memory is a reflection of the soul’s transition
Chamber, the Lords of Dust, or any of the other have become vastly more common since the Mourn- to the higher realm where the Sovereigns dwell.
ancient forces afoot in Eberron. Rather than investing ing, and devils can be involved in many ways aside What’s left behind in Dolurrh is merely a cast-off
heavily in one grand scheme that could draw the eye from pacts. Consider the following. husk, like a snake’s abandoned skin. The church
of powerful foes, he is making pacts across the world. of the Silver Flame holds a similar belief, assert-
Here, fear is his ally. In western Breland, he promises ✦ A dragonmarked heir carves out a tiny nation in
one of the wilder regions of Khorvaire, supported ing that cleansing in Dolurrh is required before
witches the power to defend themselves against the a soul can join with the Silver Flame. Asmodeus
monsters of Droaam. In Q’barra, he plays on settlers’ by infernal legions and a diabolic power behind
this makeshift throne. believes that the power of the Flame and the
fears of the Poison Dusk. The Mourning, Khyber, the Sovereigns is a direct reflection of the souls
Ashbound, Darguun, Valenar, the next war . . . there ✦ A businessman has remarkable success and some-
devoted to them. Rather than winning allegiance
are many things to fear in Eberron, and an infernal how knows all his rival’s secrets; this is the work of
through faith, he is stealing souls with his pacts.
pact can give you the power to defend yourself. All it his fiendish advisor.
He believes that he can fuse these souls into a
costs is your soul, and perhaps a favor or two. When ✦ A village once troubled by bandits is now shunned divine power battery—his own personal answer
fear doesn’t work, greed often will. Many in the by these outlaws. Bandits avoid the place because to the Silver Flame.
Aurum are willing to bargain with fiends to gain an a group of devils is protecting the town, but the vil-
edge on a dragonmarked competitor. lagers must sacrifice one of their own to the fiends
every few months as payment for this protection.

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✦ A cult of assassins is using a variation of the Keeper’s ✦ A handful of devils slipped out of Baator during
Fang blades—weapons that capture the souls of their the Mourning. They have allied with a criminal
victims and send them to Baator. Can the adventur- guild in one of the major cities of the Five Nations
ers get to Baator to recover the soul of a victim? and are clashing with Daask and other established
forces.
✦ The forces of Daanvi rarely act on Eberron and
have little curiosity about Baator. However, one
angelic sage in Aureon’s Vault wants to know more
and asks a paladin of Aureon to serve as its per-
DEVILS OF SHAVARATH, sonal agent in these investigations.
FERNIA, AND BAATOR
Although angels and devils are found in many of Rivalries among the Lords of the Nine can play out
the outer planes, the fiends of different planes on Eberron, and if you want Baator to play a more
have little in common. So, the inhabitants of dramatic role, Asmodeus could be working to trig-
Shavarath are spirits of war and have no inter- ger a massive harvesting of souls. The first Mourning
est in the souls of mortals. The devils of Fernia cracked the walls of Baator. A second could shatter
are lords of fire, embodying the destructive them completely.
power of the flame and its seductive lure. And,
as discussed earlier in this article, Asmodeus and About the Author
those who serve him have different goals, which Keith Baker is the creator of the EBERRON ® campaign setting
and designer of the card game Gloom. Contrary to popular
he accomplishes as well as he can from Baator.
belief, his success did not involve an infernal pact of any kind,
Devils from different planes might have the and he does not possess a fearsome hellcow familiar.
same game statistics, but their motivation, loy-
alties, and physical appearance varies by plane Editor
of origin. For example, all legion devils are foot Miranda Horner
soldiers in infernal armies. The legion devils of
Managing Editor
Shavarath have iron horns, wear heavy armor,
Kim Mohan
and constantly chant the war songs of their units.
The legion devils of Fernia have crimson skin Producers
and beards of fire, and they never speak at all; Christopher Perkins, Greg Bilsland, Stan!
they sweep across the plane razing all that they
Art Directors
find. Identifying a devil from Baator is challeng- Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette
ing, however, since so little is known about the
plane. What a sage typically knows in this case Illustrator
is that the fiend isn’t from Shavarath, Fernia, or Steve Ellis
any other common source of devils. Graphic Production
Angie Lokotz

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