Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

sway others with h is interpersonal skills and focuses

on the duties of ruling a layer of the Nine Hells. The two

seem to hate and admire one another in equal measure

and are in constant competition. Every time Belia! out-

thinks Fierna, she talks her way out of whatever trap he

has devised. Fierna stages insurrections against Belia!,

but his contingency plans rescue him from possible

disaster. Other devils might gain a brief advantage over

the two lords because of their infighting, but whenever

any true threat to their rule arises, the seeming enemies

cooperate to dispatch pretenders to their shared throne.

FIERY REALM OF DARK DELIGHTS

The pair rules over Phlegethos, an expanse filled with

immense volcanoes that expel rivers of lava into a sea of

molten rock. The fires that burn throughout Phlegethos

seem to be sentient. They leap at intruders, appearing to

take delight in setting creatures and objects aflame.

At the same time, the fires of Phlegethos do no harm

to any denizens of the Nine Hells. Even devils that are

susceptible to fire suffer no injury or pain from exposure

to them. The realm's primary city, Abriymoch, is a plea-

sure palace of sorts for devils that are enjoying a respite

from their duties. Abriymoch is filled with devilish ver-

sions of taverns, theaters, casinos, and other entertain-

ments. In contrast to the stiff regimentation of the rest

of the Nine Hells, the laws that govern Abriymoch allow

the place to operate as a carnival in which any wanton

desire can be fulfilled.

JUSTICE IN ALL ITS FORMS

Phlegethos is the center of the Nine Hells' judicial sys-

tem, which is overseen by Belia!. Any disputes regarding

contracts, accusations of cowardice in battle or dere-

liction of duty, and other criminal charges are resolved

here. The Diabolical Court is an independent institution,

answering only to Asmodeus. That fact doesn't discour-

age devils from constantly plotting to introduce new

laws or to set precedents that they find advantageous.

The court's function and its decisions are wholly depen-

dent on the intricate laws of the Nine Hells, an impos-

sibly complex code marred by a multitude of loopholes

and exceptions that can cause any legal dealings to drag

out for years before a resolution is reached.

Belia! and his underlings also administer the proce-

dure that determines the fate of devils that are in line

for promotion or demotion. At the culmination of the

process, the candidates are made vulnerable to the fires

of Phlegethos through a special ritual designed for this

purpose. The flames either bring searing agony that re-

duces a devil to a weaker form, or ecstatic joy that trans-

forms it into a mightier being.

SOUL SEARCHING

Like the rulers of the other layers, Belia! and Fierna

have a quota of souls they must meet. Belia! largely

leaves this task to Fierna, even turning over to her the

mortals that directly contact him. Fierna offers her sup-

plicants the gift of personal influence, endowing them

with a glib tongue and the ability to mold others' emo-

tions as they see fit. Her agents typically concentrate on

swaying mortals who already seek to manipulate others.

Mortals who are desperate to attain positions of power

and status entreat her, as do those who- for whatever

reason-need to be loved, feared, or respected.

Fierna takes a direct interest in the soul trade. Her

prodigious intellect allows her to glean the best infor-

mation from the mountains of reports generated by her

agents on the Material Plane. Fierna sometimes person-

ally takes a role in bending a mortal's emotions to her

will, as a way to better understand the workings of mor-

tal hearts and minds. What she or Belia! intends to do

with their accumulated knowledge none can definitively

say, but rumors exist that Fierna has stolen the secret of

how to travel freely between the Nine Hells and the Ma-

terial Plane from the archlich Vecna. The fact that the

denizens of the Nine Hells take such rumors seriously is

a clear indication of their respect for Fierna's power.

LEVISTUS

THOUGH ICE MIGHT HOLD MY BODY IN PLACE, IT HAS

done nothing to contain my ambition.

-Levistus

Even by the otherworldly standards of the Nine Hells,

the realm of Stygia and its lord, Levistus, both occupy

strange positions in the hierarchy. Stygia is a frozen

wasteland of mysterious origin, a churning, murky sea

covered in a thick layer of ice. Where the ice gives way to

open water, immense icebergs drift on the unpredictable

currents. Levistus is trapped within one of these bergs,

imprisoned there by Asmodeus for reasons that few can

even guess about.

As part of Levistus's punishment, Asmodeus decreed

that he must offer escape and safety to the desperate,

especially those who fear for their lives. A criminal

might entreat Levistus on the eve of his execution, for

instance, agreeing to exchange his soul for a boon that

enables him to escape to safety. With nothing to do in

his tomb other than answer distant entreaties from the

Material Plane, Levistus has attracted the devotion of

a wide variety of criminals, rascals, and ne'er-do-wells

across a multitude of worlds. He continues to meet his

quota of souls, both despite his lack of mobility and b e-

cause of it. Being imprisoned means that Levistus can

focus his full attention on such matters, which allows

him to excel at what he does.

A CONTESTED REALM

Levistus was not always the lord of Stygia. The arch-

devil Geryon previously ruled over the layer. The two

constantly vied for control of Stygia. The conflict ended

when Asmodeus brought down his punishment on Le-

vistus, who was frozen just after his latest victory over

Geryon. The displaced lord still schemes to supplant

Levistus as ruler of the realm, but he can't directly affect

his foe, since the ice that imprisons Levistus is impervi-

ous to harm.

Violence does, however, remain a viable option for

Geryon against Levistus's servants. As such, Stygia

has become a war-wracked realm. Any devils bound to

either of the archdevils that aren't needed for service in

the Blood War engage in constant skirmishes across the

ice, and yugoloths and other mercenaries from across

CHAPTER 1 I THE BLOOD WAR