Hosts of the 9 Hells
Tiamat has long threatened Faerûn, often appearing in lands such as Chessenta and Unther to drive mortals to worship her awesome power. Although mortals don’t know it, the end of the Sundering and the Era of Upheaval also put an end to such direct meddling by the gods. Without powerful magic and mortal aid, Tiamat cannot travel from her home in Avernus into the world.
Avernus is a boulder-strewn desolation where fiery comets streak across the sky and devil aristocrats rule from dismal iron fortresses. The River Styx saws a jagged course through Avernus’s basalt cliffs, winds its way across ashen plains, and eventually plunges through a yawning pit into the eight levels of the Hells below. All the rivers of Avernus feed into the Styx, each one flowing red with blood beneath a roiling cloud of flies.
Despite her power as ruler of the first layer of the Nine Hells, the archdevil Zariel cannot kill the dragon goddess, and she sees the summoning of Tiamat as a way to be rid of her. Zariel has directed her mortal agents to assist those who seek to free Tiamat, and her power has made it easier for the Red Wizards to summon devils and for the Cult of the Dragon to find more adherents. However, just as Zariel wants Tiamat out, other devils would be happy to see the Dragon Queen stay in Avernus. Foremost among them is the deposed pit fiend Bel and the devils still loyal to him.
Ordinarily, the Cult of the Dragon has nothing to do with devils. However, releasing Tiamat into the world is a massive undertaking, and Severin has called on every resource he can. Though many of his allies among the Red Wizards are well schooled in summoning and commanding devils, doing so is never a straightforward process. Devils cannot leave the Nine Hells of their own accord, and though Asmodeus can bend these laws, he seldom does. Most devils in the Material Plane were summoned there by mortal mages who expended tremendous amounts of magical power to breach the barriers that separate the Nine Hells from other planes.
Using Devils
Devils aren’t numerous in The Rise of Tiamat until the final showdown at the Well of Dragons, but their presence elsewhere in the adventure (including the additional encounter “Devilish Demands”) should make attentive players wonder at the connection between devils and dragons. Devils are supreme manipulators, and if the characters have the opportunity to speak with devils that aren’t working for the cult, don’t be afraid to offer them diabolical assistance. Such an offer should put all characters—not just those of good alignment—in a bind. Bargaining with devils is a fool’s game, but if the alternative is the end of the world, it might be the adventurers’ only option.
Devils in the adventure should always be one step ahead of the adventurers. Characters who like to charge in and decide on strategy later will find that their diabolical foes have well-executed plans. If the characters plan two steps ahead, the devils are one step beyond that. Nothing mortals do should ever surprise them.
