Encyclopedia Article - Obyrith

Okay, then, more rambling from me.

Baernaloths came first, from whatever protoevil entity that appeared on the planes. Lacking the fundamental ability to produce more of their own but having more than enough power to shape the very processes of the planes, the Baern set to work in creating the Yugoloth. Majority of Baern go into hibernation, as do seeminglly the rest of the ancient exemplars, leaving only a few Demented to continue their works. One of these, Apomps, goes barmy (aka infused with chaos) and abandons the greater project to produce his own personal avatar race from the refuse of life. The planes are still being formed from the beliefs of whatever started the whole thing (probably one or more Far Realm entities whose particular brand of randomness is now known as normality), and the Material Plane is still a big goop of chaos. As the Baern finish the Yugoloth, they discover that rather than embracing all aspects of evil as they do themselves, their progeny end up sliding one direction or the other on the newly forming law/chaos axis. They cleanse their new race of impurities, dividing away the law and chaos and thereby forming the predecessors of Baator and the Abyss. The planes are naturally rearranged to create similar divisions in Good. The resulting creatures of Evil Chaos, the Obyriths, begin to appear from the very fabric of the new plane. The chaotic nature of the abyss also accidentally creates an infinite loop, making it he only plane that is spacially infinite to the second degree. This inifnity is based on the nature of belief, thus creating a semblence of life and a mutability in the layers, which require a lord for prolonged survival. The obyrith hordes quickly grow and evolve, posing a threat for the slowly developing Yugoloths. At this time, the Material Plane is brought into order, and the first forms of advanced, if not necessarily intelligent, life appear. The oldest races, such as dragons, also settle the Material Plane. The influx of newly recognizeable, at least to us, beliefs and souls begin to flood and shape the outer planes. The Baern take the evil in these and funnel it into the formation of a particular form of petitioner, the larva, which retains the ability to become either law or chaos oriented, thus evolving into whatever the planes would naturally produce from raw belief. The 'loths approach the future Queen of Chaos and/or the Sybriexes with the knowledge of how to 'create' and thus control the new forms of life that are appearing in the Abyss. The Obyriths jump at the chance for servants, unwittingly setting up their own downfall. Baator, fueled by the new mortal souls and beliefs, begins to finally be populated by its own race, the Baatorians, which grow in a logical but slow progression. The Obyriths, with prompting from the 'loths, see the new LE exmplars as competition, and launch a war on the unprepared devils, which are forced into hiding. This, however, gives the Tanar'ri their chance to overthrow their 'masters', and while the celestials attempt to destroy all demon-kind during the civil war, the tanar'ri persevere by spreading through the infinite layers of the abyss, which is constantly pumping out new forms. To combat this new threat, the yugoloths modify the children of the Baatorian race to speed up its germination. This creates the Baatezu, which while still lawful, have enough chaos in them to stand a chance against the tanar'ri. Through skill rather than numbers, the new race sets a brutal dictatorship under the heading of Asmodeus, planted by the Baern or 'loths themselves, and suppresses any mention of their origins, soon forgetting and fearing it themselves. The yugoloths mastermind the Blood War, keeping both sides busy and in need of 'loth services, thereby ensuring their survival. Meanwhile, the larvae that are not allowed or forced to slide into either law or chaos shatter, perhaps much like the Grey Wastes themselves (see theory of obelisks being pins holding the plane together), into multiple fragments, creating hordes of hordelings. Either those that do not shatter, or those that manage to recombine after they do, become Night Hags, possibly through the intervention of a deity or Baernaloth posing as such (Cegilune). These creatures, unlike the Yugoloth, are formed almost directly from mortal thoughts and thus contain 'impurities', but they are set up to assist the 'loth in fueling the Blood War, albeit as merchants rather than plotters.