mordenkainens tome of foes

BAEL

With the Blood

War raging for eons and no end in sight,

opportunities

abound for ambitious archdevils to

win

fame, glory,

and power in the ongoing struggle against

the demons

. Duke Bae!, one of Mammon's most
import-

ant vassals, has won fame

and acclaim for his victories.

Charged with leading

sixty-six companies of barbed

devils, Bae! has proven

to be a tactical genius, earning

esteem for himself and his master as a result

of victory

after victory over the abyssal host. Mammon

relies on

Bae!, because of his

battle acumen, to safeguard his

holdings. Mammon

has never been ousted during a time

when so many

other archdevils have lost their positions,

which is a testament to Bael's skill

on the battlefield.

For his accomplishments,

as well as for the hue of his

skin, Baal ha

s been granted the title of Bronze General.

His accolades

notwithstanding, Bae! has had a difficult

time navigating the quagmire of

infernal politics. His

critics call him naive, though nev

er to his face. His pri-

mary interest

has always been leading soldiers in

battle,

so he finds

it frustrating to have his ambitions of

ascend-

ing to a higher rank constantly

s tymied by politically

shrewd rivals.

Bae! prefers to

make servants out of his adversaries,

and mortals bound

to his service earn their wretched

place by falling victim to Bael's superior

stratagems.

Bae! gladly spares the lives of those

he defeats, but only

if they pledge their souls and serv

ice to him. Although

he is willing to corrupt almost

any being in this way, he

always

destroys any demons he defeats.

Bae

l also welcomes mortals into his service if they

can provide him with an advanta

ge in his own politick-

ing. He recruits savvy individual

s and relies on them to

represent his interests

at Mammon's court, which leaves

Bae! free to pursue his

battle lust.

Despite his lack of interest in affairs outside

battle, or

perhaps because of it, Bae! has gained

a small following

of cultists. Those who worship at his

altar call him the

King of Hell, and the most deluded

believe that he is

the lord of all devils.

In arcane circles, certain writings,

such as the dr

eaded Book of Fire, say that Bae! revealed

the invisibility

spell to the world, though some scholars

of magic

hotly refute such claims. Bae! is sometimes

de-

picted as

a toad, a cat, a male human, or some comb

ina-

tion of these forms, though

none of these images reflect

his true

appearance.

C HA

PTE R 6 J BESTIARY