By late 2008 In Nomine was 11 years old and new, official, materials were few and far between. I was still running and playing when I could, but it was harder to find interested players and online tabletop was still in its infancy. To keep my interest going, I began to plan an epic campaign that would shake up the status quo and allow me to write and introduce new infernal superiors (into an unofficial In Nomine 1.5, if you will). Life, as it does, got in the way, but my original notes were preserved. I’ve tweaked and modernized the notes a bit so I can present this possible long and epic campaign: War In Hell (and the New Regime).
War In Hell
War In Hell was intended to follow The Revelations Cycle. While the campaign idea didn’t hinge on Furfur succeeding in his goal to become Prince of Hardcore and Khalid Falling and becoming the Demon Prince of Fanaticism, I thought the over-abundance of superiors would make for a solid starting point.
The Player Characters
War In Hell is intended as a demonic PC game. Most of the game is intended to take place in Hell, with minor excursions to the Marches and Earth. As the campaign progresses, it may include not only subtle, but direct player vs. player conflicts and drastic shifts in alliances. The demons will not only be fighting for their Superiors but also for their personal survival; but will their desire for personal power in the midst of conflict outweigh their sense of self-preservation? Ideally, at least one of the PCs will belong to The Game, but it won’t be required.
A Shift In Power
Hell was getting crowded. With thirteen “major” Princes, and a half-dozen “minor” Princes, there were already disagreements and scuffles over who held dominion over what. The recent and swift addition of two new Superiors (holding the Words Hardcore and Fanaticism) into the ranks has only forced more division of principalities and sparked greater conflict. The only Demon Prince who appears to appreciate the predicament is Malphas, Demon Prince of Factions. The PCs are charged with investigating Shal-Mari to determine if Malphas is planting additional seeds of discord within Hell itself. Any PC demons of The Game will be charged with leading the investigation and any PC demons of Factions will be treated as informants (how willing or forced will depend on the characters).
The adventure is intended to involve a lot of role-play and to help players get used to the ideas of traveling and living in Hell, so it’s not just a fiery version of Earth. If the PCs are successful, it will be revealed that Malphas has been planting agents throughout Hell to encourage infighting over Word overlaps. Once brought to the attention of Asmodeus, nothing will appear to be done and, if pressed, The Game will simply say they were “simply confirming a suspicion.” During the investigation a seemingly random story about “The Dragon,” a powerful angel and one of the original Fallen, should be mentioned. The fallen angel was rumored to have retreated to the lowest levels of Hell, never to be heard from again.
Kobal’s Redemption
The Demon Prince of Dark Humor was bored. There were no jokes he hadn’t heard, no gags that he hadn’t seen, and even the surplus of Superiors wasn’t worth an idle chuckle. Hell had become a joke, and not even a very funny one. And, suddenly, Kobal got it. The punch line to the great Cosmic Joke and, in the punch line, Kobal saw the future of the universe and laughed long, loud, and so clear it shook the very foundations of Hell. The entity formerly known as a Prince shed his visage and emerged as a shining Mercurian. Before he could share his joy with his servitors or ascend to Heaven, however, he was swallowed by Haagenti in a single bite… who immediately died of indigestion.
The adventure isn’t mission-based. It begins shortly before Kobal’s laugh shakes the plane, with the PCs seemingly having a bit of downtime. Then, if you’ll pardon the pun, all hell breaks loose. The laugh echoes through Hell, the ground and buildings shake and there is a sudden silence before a terrible, sickly burp is heard. Agents of The Game are suddenly out in full force, making sure demons of Dark Humor and Gluttony alike are immediately planning to find a new Prince. Depending on the group, this may mean that PCs of The Game are called to verify the alliances of any Kobalites or Gluttons they know. Demons who served Kobal or Haagenti, will have to choose a new Superior and quickly or find their heads on chopping blocks. While the previous adventure got the characters used to Hell, this adventure sets the tone for the rising chaos.
This adventure seed was largely inspired by Kris Overstreet (AKA Redneck)’s Dark Victory: Kobal write-up.
Initial Clashes
With the sudden deaths of two major Princes, everything appears to be up for grabs and demons begin violent takeovers of principalities both abandoned and occupied. The War in Hell has begun. While some demons are attacking or defending, others hide away trying to protect what they have. Baal and Asmodeus are trying their best to keep Hell under heel, but they must do so while also fighting amongst themselves. Lucifer is nowhere to be found and even 666 roles will not involve his direct or indirect intervention, they will simply be treated as an excellent/critical success for the demon in question.
This is the point where the PCs may initially be directed by their Superiors to engage in power-plays against other Princes, protect secrets or important items, or even make grabs for power of their own. The adventure is intended to be the ultimate party-split, but with the goal of making the PCs realize they’re better off banding together and that they can’t even trust their own Princes. …Not that they can fully trust each other.
A Slaughter of Princes
The War in Hell escalates with the death of Malphas at the hands of Khalid. Suddenly, the minor violence and outbursts become direct confrontations between the Princes. As minor demons flee to earth to avoid being caught in the crossfire, the Host takes notice and decides to intervene for the sake of humanity – some of whom are seeing demons making no attempt to hide their nature or have corporeal vessels. The Swords of Laurence strike swiftly against demons eventually dispatching Khalid. Meanwhile Michael and his Warriors uses guerilla tactics to take down demons on every plane, culminating in the defeat (and death) of Baal. Janus uses the opportunity to steal back his stolen attunements from Valefor, dispatching the Demon Prince of Theft (or escapes Hell to never return, if your variation of Janus is also Valefor). During the battles, Belial burns Furfur to cinders, feeling Hardcore too much of an interloping Word to his Fire. These battles between both the Host and the Horde and within Hell itself also present an opportunity to “clean up” any non-canon princess still in use (though, as you’ll see further Abatha, Princess of Madness, was a Superior I kept.)
A number of demonic Superiors will be falling throughout this adventure and if the PCs don’t come up with the idea on their own, a “friendly” NPC should suggest they, too, escape to earth. Here, the PCs will be dealing with hiding from angels and demons alike, as Rites and Attunements fail with the distraction or death of their Prince. The only Rite that will always succeed will be the automatic refresh of a point of Essence at dusk. There’s no point for demons to find a new Prince, yet, not when they all seem to be dying so quickly.
The Rise of the Regime
The War In Hell continues as Saminga unsuccessfully attempts to take Kronos’s power for himself, and pays the ultimate price. The mad Demon Prince of Death dies at the hands of Fate. Then, a deep rumble is heard from the Lowest Hells. It shakes the very nature of the principalities, not only causing minor structures to topple, but important and major area. The largest change is seen as Beleth’s Tower crumbles, as it crushes the Princess of Nightmares and many of her most powerful servitors with it. An enormous, multi-colored, dragon rises from the bowels of hell, swallowing Kronos. Leviathan, one of the oldest demons, has returned. He is the demon of The Regime, a demon with desires of rule and stricter order. Hell had few Princes left, but two immediately went to war against Leviathan: Asmodeus and Belial. Their power proved no match for the ancient demon dragon and soon The Game was little but ash and Fire was extinguished. With so few Princes left the War In Hell seems to be over. Leviathan announces that Lucifer is no more (this may be a lie) and crowns himself “King of Hell.”
It’s hard to climb up a ladder when the rungs keep disappearing on both sides, but that’s what the PCs will be encouraged to do: make alliances with Dukes and Barons, in the hopes that “once things settle,” the survivors will have a greater foothold and more power than they did before.
Continued Losses
Leviathan establishes his dominance and crowns new Princes, but this is not Hell with new names. Where some demons could once imagine or convince themselves that theirs was a fight for freedom against’s Heaven’s imposition of order, that fantasy is all but dashed. Hell has become an oppressive regime and loyalty and love for Leviathan is demanded. Along with Princes, Leviathan promotes Abraxas, Minister of Misinformation to the top of the ranks. Abraxas and her agents remind demons of how worse they would have it anywhere else. Many demons adapt to the new landscape swiftly and even believe that things really all better with the King of Hell in charge. There are still defectors, though, some escape to the Marches to make deals with the powers there, seeking the protection of powerful etherials. Thanks in part to the War in Hell, the power of the Marches has grown. Other demons who reject Leviathan’s reign flee to earth. Adrealphus and Mammon both seek to reshape their power on earth only to be hunted by Leviathan, returned to Hell, and executed publicly along with the servitors who followed them. Informants of defectors and detractors are rewarded. Nybbas, Prince of Media, never seemed to gain a strong foothold on the Internet was overshadowed by Abraxas, who rose in the power of “Fake News” on the Internet and TV alike. The Prince of Media didn’t so much die as he did fade away, his style and inability to alter his Word made him a credible power no longer.
PCs will be choosing new Princes and new alignments. This is a turning point in the campaign; will they attempt to resist the Regime or work with it as informants on their own kind?
New Regime
New Regime isn’t an adventure as much as it is an introduction to the changes to demonic Superiors, effects on Hell itself, and how the Cold War has changed. At the time of planning, I was going to write up a number of Princes. I think the work involved in writing a balanced and interesting Superior is partially what prevented me from moving forward on the overall War In Hell project.
New Sheriff(s) In Town
Leviathan and Abraxas aren’t the only new Superiors in Hell. Other demons rose in the ranks securing positions in Hell. Rather than being set up as opposites of Archangelic Words, the Princes in the New Regime are there to keep Hell in line as much as they are to increase the Horde’s power and income of Essence. The new Princes in Hell’s court are:
- Leviathan, The Dragon, Djinn Demon King of the Regime
- Abraxas, Balseraph Minister of Misinformation
- Jeqon, Shedite Demon Prince of Envy
- Sitri, Shedite Demon Prince of Libido
- Zaamael, Calabite Demon Prince of Storm
- Af, Djinn Demon Princess of Wrath
- Naberius, Balseraph Demon Princess of Chance
- Kezef, Calabite Demon Prince of Decay
- Esha, Lilim Demon Princess of Avarice
The Old Guard
Not all of Hell’s former powers were vanquished in and after the war. Alaemon, Demon Prince of Secrets, knew where to hide and what secrets to sell to remain alive and in power. Under the Regime, secrets are even more useful and powerful and his base has continued to grow. During the war, Fleurity, Demon Prince of Drugs, and his servitors seemed to survive on pure luck, being seem as harmless. Even in the Regime, he keeps dealing and, faced with oppression, people have a greater tendency to turn to recreational pharmaceuticals. Vapula, Demon Prince of Technology, took no sides in the war—he barely noticed it was happening; the Prince continues to conduct his experiments and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Abatha, Demon Princess of Madness, was using her power during the war to gain more power in the Marches and in Hell; the death of Beleth and the fall of the tower made Pandemonium Hell’s primary gateway to the Marches. The biggest mystery under The Regime is Lilith, Demon Princess of Freedom; her Word seems to be antithetical to The Regime, but Lilith retains personal freedom and power, so it’s unknown if she values her own freedom or is working towards a long-term plan.
Changes in Heaven
It’s possible Heaven suffered some losses during the few sorties against the Horde during their war, but the biggest changes in Heaven is that they’re no longer fighting a directly opposing force. The cold war is still, technically, in effect, but between the acts of Revelations and Hell’s changes, the war is warming up. While Gabriel no longer suffers from Word conflict with Belial, she continues to punish the cruel but also seems more stable, not serving as God’s courier, but providing flashes of insight for those on earth.
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