Xanxost did come up with an interesting idea involving the players being manipulated into freeing Zariel, the imprisoned lord of the First. Xanxost wants to know if anyone out there knows anything about this dread Baatezu Lady. Xanxost tried looking in Xanxost's book of big bad fiends, but Zariel's entry was torn out. Xanxost was hungry after all, in hindsight Xanxost should have known that paper isn't very filling.
So Xanxost poses this question to the planar canny bloods out here. What is known about Zariel? How did she become imprisoned by Bel? What does she look and act like? Would she be upset if Xanxost spelled her name "Sariel"?
Also, how would the planar canny bloods on these boards deal with both the actual freeing of Zariel, and the aftermath of such a deed?
I want to say that her imprisonment and replacement by Bel was largely motivated by a wish to balance the power of the camps headed by Baalzebul versus the one headed by Mephistopheles. Asmodeus keeping them at each others throats and not wanting one to trump the other.
Of course, Zariel is still alive in some manner, and so I figure if Asmo felt the need he could free her, or just randomly arrange for her to be freed, so as to balance out things again if need saw to it.
After all, there's former Lords of the Nine in exile, largely bereft of influence still sitting around that might be later brought back into power. Levistus was one such case before being returned to power, albeit locked in an iceberg. ;)
As for the power camp that Zariel belonged to, Xanxost guesses that she sided with Baalzebul's side of movers and shakers, rather than Mephistopheles' side of traditionalists. Xanxost also guesses that many forms of plant life would thrive on earth islands in the plane of radiance. Xanxost wonders why para and quasielements aren't as common in beautiful Limbo as the four base elements.
Talking about Zariel: Xanxost did plan to have the coup being a part of a scheme by Asmodeus in order to counter plans being made by Moloch (who in Xanxost's game is plotting against both the Hag Countess and Asmodeus from his self-imposed exile on a partially conquered prime world).
Now, Xanxost has to figure out how Bel will be dealt with as well. Well of the Worlds? Xanxost has heard of such a well.
Xanxost needs to read Xanxost's hellbound books again, but Xanxost just had the idea of relating Zariel in some way to the Maelder et Ku...ummm...however that's spelled. Xanxost doesn't know yet if that's feasible, but it might be interesting...in a Dickens sort of way.
True Lord of the First Hell (imprisoned)
The Destroyer, Angel of the Pit, Mother of Spiders
Alliases: Zuriel, Zavebe
AoC: Punishment, Imprisonment, Holy Crusades
Superior: none
Allies: Tiamat, Heironeous, Lilith, Baalphegor
Rivals: Hextor, Bel, Dispater, Mephistopheles, Mammon, Geryon, Lolth
After the great defections of Belial, Triel, and Iblis, there were some on Mount Glory who were not willing to let the traitors get away with mere exile. One of these was Zariel, an astral deva in the service of Heironeous, god of Justice. With the blessings of her patron, she followed the cross-traders to the Pit with the intention of destroying them.
Quickly, she discovered that this would be harder than she had thought. The Fallen Ones had dispersed and, as far as Zariel could tell, been consigned to lemure status by the Lords of the Hells. Convinced that a frontal assault would not work, Zariel decided to try subtlety, and so sealed her doom. She volunteered her services to the baatezu, saying she wished to join her fellows in Evil's embrace. They took her at her word, melted her down into a lemure-thing, and allowed her to prove herself in their hierarchy.
By the time she advanced to gelugon status, the good in her was long since burned away. Still she burned to punish her fellows, and this hate stood her in good stead. The Lord of Nessus noticed it and made her chief punisher of the first circle, telling her to hunt down and torment the exiled nobles who wandered the Avernian desolation. This she did with cold efficiency, making herself a parody of a court, with prisoners as courtiers. She expanded her wrath, organizing armies to make bolder assaults on the Blood War front. She also drove away the strongholds that Hextor and the goblin gods had made in her domain. Hextor, the so-called Herald of Hell, swore vengence. The only allies that Zariel made in that time was with Tiamat, whose abishai troops she made good use of, and with Baalphegor, who helped her create the elite keres, spider-legged baatezu that earned her the hatred of Lolth during their multiple raids on the Demonweb Pits.
Eventually, the Angel of the Pit got the opportunity she had been waiting patiently for over the millennia. The other Lords began to trust her enough to let her in on their schemes. The layers of Baator were split between those who had once been celestials and those who were united in their hatred of them. Baalzebul (formally Triel) and Belial offered their allegience in exchange for her help in conspiring against their rivals. She accepted, inwardly chuckling with sinister delight, and began plans to turn her colleagues schemes into open war, a war all the lords would lose.
Inflaming the others with progressively more fiery rhetoric, it was not too long as immortals reckon time before Zariel believed she was ready. With brazen hubris, she invaded the Iron City of Dis. Mephistopheles, Geryon, and Mammon swept down to stop her, and soon all of Baator was consumed in war. Though they were eventually all chastised, most - even Zariel - were given back their original positions, with some concessions. Fuming with anger, she began to plan an even bigger disaster. Before her plans could come to fruition, however, she was betrayed by her own generals.
Bel, the pit fiend who had previously betrayed Dispater to serve the Mother of Spiders, led the other warlords of Zariel in an unexpected coup. With his subordinates orchestrating a siege, Bel broke in and battled the weakened Angel of the Pit, ultimately binding her in her own webs. With dark sorcery he warped her body, creating from it the first of his scarecrowlike hellwardens. Bel then locked her away until he could fully drain her of her power and gain full control of the layer.
The Destroyer is imprisoned in a subterranean chamber deep beneath Bel's throne in his Bronze Citadel. Zariel has a long, serpentine body, eight spider legs, and a humanoid upper torso. Her fanged face has dozens of eyes. From her back grows dragon wings. Her hair is bound tightly back with hooks and chains. She has been horribly crucified, her limbs broken, twisted around her bonds, and allowed to heal, sealing her in a prison of her own flesh. Kocrachons attend her, increasing her agony and "milking" her power. Her blood leaks into a vessel from which Bel periodically drinks. One of the Pit Angel's tormentors has dared to drink some of the blood for herself, and is becoming increasingly changed. The once-kocrachon fears she may soon have to flee the Hells.
Lilith, the so-called Hag Countess of Malbolge, has expressed sympathy for the Destroyer. She remembers her own period of bondage to Malbolge's previous ruler Lord Moloch. Still, she realizes that it might be more to her advantage to form a firm alliance with Bel, who like herself and Levistus is mistrusted by most of the other lords.
Heironeous believes Zariel's punishment was unjust and that she can still be redeemed. He hopes to break her out and bring her to the Hospital of the Plane-Scarred in Celestia for rehabilitation.
The Azure Knight