Letters from Baator 8: The Deception of the Masses

Department of Humanities

Psychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief Engineer

Subject: Sweetened poison

"And the taste of their poisonous words was honey sweet to the tongues of their ears. When they had fully given themselves over to the foul beasts of that netherworld they called their home, the beasts wreaked foul havoc upon our world until the gods answered our prayers to stop their foul schemes.

The heavens opened up and poured forth our salvation as the holy forces of light streaked down from their astral homes and waged a great and terrible war. The beasts were forced to retreat back to their home realm. They did not leave without the spoils they had gleaned from our world. Nor did they leave without the traitors who gave themselves over to their schemes. And so they descended to the realm of the Nine Pits, The Nine Hells, that infernal realm the beasts called Baator. The forces of light sealed up their entryway into this world and rent their power here asunder."

-From the book Historia Terra Nefarius Extricabis viae Celestia, a holy text of the prime world Siritidius

From time immemorial, the Baatezu have used their extensive knowledge of psychology and politics to manipulate the mortals of the Prime. They have conquered numerous worlds as well as individuals throughout the multiverse in order to increase their power base. If the histories of the Baatezu are correct about the River Styx being at one point on the edge of Avernus when it now runs through the center of the layer servers as any indication, they have an amazing and frightening success rate.

The deceptions of the Baatezu know no limits. Whatever the cost, if it will increase their power, the Baatezu will fight for it. Countless worlds in the Prime lay dead in their wake while at least a million are theirs to toy with. Those dead worlds are a testament to the extent the Baatezu will destroy all opposition. Either the Tanar'ri or the Celestials fought them on those dead worlds, that much can be inferred.

The worlds in their grip are more like farms where the Baatezu cultivate the mortals and twist them into evil images of themselves. It would not come to me as a shock if the Baatezu have set themselves up as gods on these worlds. Another thing that I see in these twisted worlds are whole spelljammer armadas they use to keep these worlds from being liberated by their enemies and to extend their sphere of influence farther if possible.

The Baatezu more than likely use their erinyes caste as the face they first present to these Prime worlds. The erinyes appeal to the males of the worlds the most. This is the stratagem the Baatezu have come to depend upon since their studies have led them to the conclusion that the majority of the worlds are patriarchal. Those few matriarchal worlds do have "male" erinyes who come to seduce the female populace. The normal tactic of the Baatezu is to send one of each as a pair to the worlds they look forward to conquer.

Each erinyes works to corrupt the sexes and twist them to Baatezu standards. Once they feel the world is ripe for the taking, they call in their forces slowly. These Baatezu stay hidden in reserve until the time is right to for them take over the whole corruption operation. Normally this takes place when the subverted mortals start catching on to the schemes of the Baatezu.

The words of the Baatezu start out like honey. They taste sweet to the id. Soon, the ego is also pleased by their sweet taste. The sweet taste rots the superego as the mortal becomes more ensnared in the vices the Baatezu lead them into. As with the sweet taste of victory, it soon turns into the bitter taste of ashes in their mouths as they watch their former lives smolder as the cinders of those lives rain down on them.

If this is not enough to keep a berk from cutting deals with the Baatezu, not even the rotting diseases of the Wastes can save them from their just desserts.

Xavierra Tempeste, Shaper 2