Dark Eight
Template:Greyhawk Organization The Dark Eight are the generals of the Blood War.
Structure
These eight pit fiends hold immense power, but are under the nominal command of Bel, Lord of the First, as it is Bel's main responsibility to lead Hell's armies against the demon hordes. They are subordinate as well to the other eight Archdukes, and ultimately, they answer to Asmodeus. They hold council every sixty-six days.
Members
The pit fiends of the Dark Eight are:
The group was originally called the Dark Nine (reflecting the plane's nine layers, of course). The ninth member to this illustrious gathering was the pit fiend Cantrum, who was acknowledged by the rest as their leader. Cantrum was murdered by a disgruntled underling, and instead of trying to replace their irreplaceable leader, the rest re-organized and called themselves the Dark Eight.
Headquarters
Each of the Dark Eight rules a legion from each of the layers of Hell, except for Nessus, where Asmodeus holds his forces for a greater conflict yet to come. They rule the devils beneath them and meet in the fortress of Malsheem in the ninth layer of Nessus. Other than planning the next Blood War offensive, they also have the power to determine which devils get promoted.
When they are not leading their armies (which is a rare occasion, indeed), they reside in Nessus. When away on some errand of hellish nature, they often appear in malefic human guise.
Bibliography
- Cook, Monte. Book of Vile Darkness. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002. ISBN 0-7869-2650-3
- Laws, Robin D. and Robert J. Schwalb. Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.
- Pramas, Chris. Guide to Hell. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999. ISBN 0-7869-1431-9