Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

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
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