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The Politics of Hell
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Adept Greytalker

Joined: Aug 10, 2003
Posts: 377
From: Harker Heights, TX

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Sat Nov 13, 2004 6:49 pm  
The Politics of Hell

I just saw that my second Hell based article has been posted. I enjoy the subject and like the grand epic feel of fighting the good fight against the infernal.

I have two more that I am almost have completed and seek to post shortly. I am putting out my spin on the Sixth Hell. In my opinion, the treatment of Malbolge (and really all of Hell) by Planescape and subsequent products was not very good. I am seeking to put a more classically evil slant to the nether regions. This is not just another locale for your adventurers to run in and set up a shop and mingle with the locals.

Also, I felt that by making Malbolge a layer of cascading boulders, it seemed to make it a backwater plane. Hell, having only nine levels, can not afford to have such a hinterland (especially when compared to the Abyss). So I am remaking this plane's image to have a more important role in the infernal heirarchy.

I am also attempting to put an Oerth flavoring in the writings. I thought that the Horned Society can use a shot in the arm, and I am tying in some recent events in Hell with a cadre of these wrongdoers.

Let me know if anyone finds this useful. I really don't know how many Greyhawkers adventure out to Hell in the first place. But I enjoy the postings and feedback.

Happy Gaming

O-D
Adept Greytalker

Joined: May 14, 2002
Posts: 429
From: Renton WA

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Mon Nov 22, 2004 3:27 pm  

I found the article very useful O_D. I thought that you did a very good job.
Forum Moderator

Joined: Feb 26, 2004
Posts: 2592
From: Ullinois

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Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:51 pm  

O-D, I'd be interested in hearing what you have in mind for the Horned Society as I too think they need a shot in the arm. I intend to bring them back IMC but as a city spanning terrorist like organization rather than a bandit-like nation that'll just get trounced by good and evil alike.
Adept Greytalker

Joined: Aug 10, 2003
Posts: 377
From: Harker Heights, TX

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Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:02 pm  
The Hell Series

For those interested in the nether realms:

Here are my articles detailing the Oerth-Hell connections linked at

http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=500&mode=&order=0&thold=0

That above one was The Reckoning and this one is Hell on Oerth

http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=453&mode=&order=0&thold=0

As far as the future articles go, I have two of them in which I am attempting to not only detail the Sixth Hell some more, but I want to give the Horned Society some more flavor. Specifically, I thought it was weird in the way Iuz so easily broke them during the Blood Moon Festival massacre. I am forwarding the idea that some of the Horned Society's strongest and most powerful leaders were not in Molag at the time, thus making Iuz's betrayal so easy and giving a good reason to see the Horned Society return.

My idea, first mentioned in my Hell On Oerth article, is that a devil noble sponsored an elite group in the Horned Society - The Shadow Corps. These guys were the best of the best and soon anyone who was anyone in the Horned Society joined up with this unit. They participated in the taking of Axeport and the Shield Lands in the 570's. This noble devil then recruited the Shadow Corps to return with him to Hell and assist in a coup of his own, and thus the Shadow Corps was indisposed when the Greyhawk Wars began.

Now the Shadow Corps is making its way back to Oerth after spending several years in Hell. This has made them even more powerful and a bit "hell touched", giving them even more powers. It is likely that they will spread out in accordance with a contingency plan made long ago for just such a situation and set up cells in the major cities of the world. I see them as being far more subtle then before, striking at trade interests, religious icons and relics, tampering with magical research, and influencing politics, formenting unrest and rebellion and assassinations.

I think that this version of the Horned Society can be even more dangerous then its predecessor. I submitted the next two articles and they should be up on CF shortly. Until then, happy gaming

O-D
Adept Greytalker

Joined: Sep 21, 2003
Posts: 538
From: Germany

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Fri Dec 10, 2004 4:51 am  

Sounds interesting and could easily explain the sudden appearance of the Warduke, who is a hierarch.

I remember reading a thread somewhere where Erik Mona explained why he chose Warduke and gave an overview over the different Hierarchs known and alluded to in canon. One was a pitfiend IIRC. I don`t remember where that thread was though...

Turin Deathstalker was recruited by the Horned Society in his youth. Maybe he was part of that shadowcorps too and a contemporary of the Warduke?

Reminds me a bit of the Bonehearts by Iuz. Perhaps it is standard fiendish policy.
Adept Greytalker

Joined: Aug 10, 2003
Posts: 377
From: Harker Heights, TX

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Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:49 pm  
Background of the Malbolge articles

My final two Hell based articles have been posted. Malbolge is described here -

http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=539&mode=&order=0&thold=0

And the annex that describes the politics of Malbolge is here -

http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=541&mode=&order=0&thold=0

A couple of notes on the thought process behind them:

First, most of my inspiration for the articles came Dragon magazine articles 76,77, and 91 by Ed Greenwood. Those articles describes all nine layers of Hell and also gave us stats on the nobility of the Hells. I extrapolated a lot of that material in making my own version of Malbolge years ago and only have just now gotten around to putting those old DM notes down in writing. Another big source was the Guide to Hell by Chris Pramas, which I gather is a relatively obscure 2nd edition handbook for the whole of the plane.

Durgaloth is entirely my own creation, as well as the back story involving the Shadow Corps. As with all non canon material, it can be modified or disregarded as tastes dictate. I did want to leave some wiggle room for those who insist on relying on commercially published materials for their sources. I made it so that both Malagard (who is the ruler of Malbolge in most published sources) and Lilith (who has been described as the ruler of Malbolge in some more recent publication, notably Green Ronin and Dicefreaks) are still in place and can plausibly co-exist with each other and my own version.

I also set out to keep my version of Malbolge more in line with a traditional "classic" approach to Malbolge as opposed to the more "fantastic" plane of crazy rolling boulders (which I always thought was a little lame and did not leave a lot of room to further develop the plane).

I will post some more thoughts and follow up on these articles as my time permits. For now, I will be moving on to other projects, for as a wise man once said -

"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existance. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them." (C. S. Lewis from the preface of The Screwtape Letters)

O-D
Apprentice Greytalker

Joined: Sep 28, 2004
Posts: 84


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Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:57 pm  

Liked both Os. Tell ya all though. Everytime I read the Words "The Politics of Hell" I have to laugh. Reminds me of everytime my wife nails me for doing something that I know I shouldnt, but cant help myself from doing even though I know its going to send her into a fit. Then I have to spend an hour groveling and apologizing for it. Talk about "The Politics of Hell". That aside I loved your articles and hope to see more.

Maraudar
Adept Greytalker

Joined: Aug 10, 2003
Posts: 377
From: Harker Heights, TX

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Tue Jan 18, 2005 1:30 pm  
Of the nature of the layers of Hell

To any and all concerned,

One question that was put on as a comment was as to what exact type of souls would be condemned to Malbolge. Some layers of Hell are obvious: greedy would be the third Hell for example. I mainly relied on Dante to have a classic Hell approach, but not following it exactly.

In Dante, the sixth circle of Hell was reserved for the heretics, punished for their denial of God by being cast into fiery tombs. But Malbolge itself was described in the Inferno as the eighth circle. In Dante's Malbolge, it is a system of ditches where various torments were inflicted on the fraudulant (to include grafters, hypocrites, and evil counselors).

I assumed that for fantasy purposes the layers were mixed up a bit, as Dante has a definite hierarchy of punishments in the Inferno (that is, each successive layer has worse punishments then the last) as the condemned in the lower levels were judged as worse sinners then those of the upper ones. As far as I can tell, there is no real difference in the D&D Hell of the first layers to the last except in the nature of the condemned. That is, a condemned petitioner in the third Hell may be just as evil as one on the sixth, save that the one on the third was a greedy usurer while the one in the sixth was a hypocrite. So I took some liberties in my version.

Which brings me to what I envisioned as the condemned of my version of Malbolge: the corrupt politicians, grafters, hypocrites, etc. The character of the surface world is that of a natural wilderness (at least as natural as one gets in the Hells) while below is the typical devilish exploitation of the plane. The dual aspect of the plane makes those who had dual natures in life gravitate towards it. As a side bar, those who were violent against the natural world would also find a place in Malbolge, as the devils are never ending in their exploitation of the land, both on the surface and in the depths. So the plane would get the two faced and the despoilers. Appropriate for Durgaloth and his ilk.

As always, any thoughts, comments, and additions to this are very much welcomed. Happy gaming!

O-D
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