Reading through Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and a few other supplements regarding the Nine Hells makes me wonder what the population of these Infernal Realms is composed of?
There are Devils, of course. and Planar Fiends. But are there mortal souls not yet tormented into Lemures? In Cania, MToF references damned wizards left in solitary tedious study with nothing but their books, tools and regrets. Surely these damned souls aren't Geulogon, or worse, lesser devils incapable of comprehending the contract they signed when mortal?
I'm asking because if a DM were to set a campaign in the Hells (inspired by the upcoming Descent) what sorts of beings would they encounter? would there be a Virgil to escort them through their journey? or is the road through Hell simply alien? a teeming mass of Fiends of all sorts, bound to their particular fates?
Sagaceous minds want to know!
(don't bother offering contracts.. my soul is sublet in a time-share scheme amongst multiple "brokers", the price of researching the forbidden y'know, but if you're interested.. have I got a deal for you!)
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Goes by the name Dezzy Parrish My Pronouns are Xe/Xer/Xim
Theoretically, there could be all sorts of creatures aside from devils living in the Hells. There could be cambions and tieflings, as well as daemons/yugoloths who are working in the Hells as mercenaries. There could be other adventurers who are also traveling there for whatever reason. Also, in Avernus specifically, there's probably a lot of invading demons.
Additionally, Stygia, the icy realm of Levistus, is home to krakens, mammoths, and even tribes of frost giants. I think it's mentioned in MToF that some people think Stygia was once a part of the Material Plane due to its population of so many non-devil creatures. Tossing in a few groups of viking-like humans that live there wouldn't be amiss. As for Cania, I don't think the wizards who serve Mephistopheles are ever mentioned as being devils, but just souls that were taken to study in Cania. Up to personal interpretation I feel if they're some sort of devil or closer to a ghost, but since they are engaged in arcane study, it seems unlikely they're a lemure. If you wanted a Virgil type to escort a party through the Hells, it could make sense for it to be the soul of one of these powerful wizards that maybe escaped Cania.
Overall though, most of the denizens of the Nine Hells and the landscapes are going to seem unfamiliar and alien in one way or another, but not entirely.
There are cities, and they have extraplanar visitors (Dis, and Jangling Hiter for example). So there is trade, and therefore traders that have secured a safe route in and out. Expats from elsewhere (Prime Material, Sigil, Outlands etc). Mercenaries of mortals are certainly an option as well. So not everything is dead or a devil. Of course, these cities aren't safe...
The old term for a soul going to an outer plane is 'Petitioner' According to some of the entries in MTOF states that souls become [Tooltip Not Found], and looking under Chain Devil and they "Chain devils act as sadistic jailers and torturers in the infernal realms, relishing pain and living to inflict it on others. They are called on to torment mortal souls trapped in the Nine Hells, inflicting their sadistic fury on the horrid lemures in which those souls manifest"
Now, this does take the fun out of stories where you go find someone ala "Season of the Mists" or the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. So I personally would say that in special cases of "sentenced to" or "Bargain with the Devils" you might get your own special treatment...then off to the bloodwar after your punishment is done.
Are there hidden populations of people in the Hells? Possibly trapped in the layers below, all seeking their way out. Or did a powerful cabal pay enough "Rent" for a small slice of hell...for a price. A high level mage might be able to pull that off.
So, its probably like 97 Percent Devil, and 3 percent something else. But the players would see that 3 percent much of the time, because the story demands it.
The obvious answer is that anything you want can be there, it's an infinite space. Infinity is so big, two entirely contradictory stories can be told without having any effect on one another. But in terms of actual ideas:
Theologically, devils would tell you that demons are the toxic waste produced by the act of creation, whereas devils are angels who were smart enough to walk away from a shitty relationship with a spiteful ex. So spiteful was their ex that when they left, he cursed them to live down in the Lower Planes with the garbage. So naturally, there were other creatures in this space before them. In my D&D cosmology, ethos plays roughly the same role on the Outer Planes as mass does in the Material Planes. Increasing mass increases gravity which bends space and time and defines reality. The creatures of Hell are Lawful Evil because it's a Lawful Evil place and if you stay there long enough, its ethos shapes you. So, for me, things like night hags are creatures from the feywild corrupted by the philosophical gravity of Hell. Rakshasas are demons who fought in Avernus too long and stopped being creatures of the Abyss.
I don't see why mortal souls need to be converted into lemures. If you want to do a Dante thing, some could very well remember their past lives, that could be part of their punishment. Frankly, I'm not sure devils need to have any particular use for mortal souls. My feeling has always been that they just want to piss off their ex by showing him how little the mortals care for the nice things he gives them.
I'm not personally a fan of Hell having an actual functioning economy. I regard the Outer Planes, higher and lower, as being primarily philosophical. So there may be cities, there may be a recognizable satire of human society, but not the day-to-day 9-to-5 cities you see in some of the Planescape material. And while doomed souls could remember who they are or not, depending on what you like, living mortals would be few and far between. Some would be Dantes or Orpheuses. Some would be people taken by Cenobites in Hellraiser or foolhardy adventurers. But gravity always wins and the longer any soul is there, the more they become a nasty, hateful, entitled, tribalist, kick down-kiss up, Lawful Evil sociopath.
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Reading through Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and a few other supplements regarding the Nine Hells makes me wonder what the population of these Infernal Realms is composed of?
There are Devils, of course. and Planar Fiends. But are there mortal souls not yet tormented into Lemures? In Cania, MToF references damned wizards left in solitary tedious study with nothing but their books, tools and regrets. Surely these damned souls aren't Geulogon, or worse, lesser devils incapable of comprehending the contract they signed when mortal?
I'm asking because if a DM were to set a campaign in the Hells (inspired by the upcoming Descent) what sorts of beings would they encounter? would there be a Virgil to escort them through their journey? or is the road through Hell simply alien? a teeming mass of Fiends of all sorts, bound to their particular fates?
Sagaceous minds want to know!
(don't bother offering contracts.. my soul is sublet in a time-share scheme amongst multiple "brokers", the price of researching the forbidden y'know, but if you're interested.. have I got a deal for you!)
Goes by the name Dezzy Parrish
My Pronouns are Xe/Xer/Xim
Theoretically, there could be all sorts of creatures aside from devils living in the Hells. There could be cambions and tieflings, as well as daemons/yugoloths who are working in the Hells as mercenaries. There could be other adventurers who are also traveling there for whatever reason. Also, in Avernus specifically, there's probably a lot of invading demons.
Additionally, Stygia, the icy realm of Levistus, is home to krakens, mammoths, and even tribes of frost giants. I think it's mentioned in MToF that some people think Stygia was once a part of the Material Plane due to its population of so many non-devil creatures. Tossing in a few groups of viking-like humans that live there wouldn't be amiss. As for Cania, I don't think the wizards who serve Mephistopheles are ever mentioned as being devils, but just souls that were taken to study in Cania. Up to personal interpretation I feel if they're some sort of devil or closer to a ghost, but since they are engaged in arcane study, it seems unlikely they're a lemure. If you wanted a Virgil type to escort a party through the Hells, it could make sense for it to be the soul of one of these powerful wizards that maybe escaped Cania.
Overall though, most of the denizens of the Nine Hells and the landscapes are going to seem unfamiliar and alien in one way or another, but not entirely.
Well there are a couple thoughts I have on this.
GLHF
So, its probably like 97 Percent Devil, and 3 percent something else. But the players would see that 3 percent much of the time, because the story demands it.
The obvious answer is that anything you want can be there, it's an infinite space. Infinity is so big, two entirely contradictory stories can be told without having any effect on one another. But in terms of actual ideas:
Theologically, devils would tell you that demons are the toxic waste produced by the act of creation, whereas devils are angels who were smart enough to walk away from a shitty relationship with a spiteful ex. So spiteful was their ex that when they left, he cursed them to live down in the Lower Planes with the garbage. So naturally, there were other creatures in this space before them. In my D&D cosmology, ethos plays roughly the same role on the Outer Planes as mass does in the Material Planes. Increasing mass increases gravity which bends space and time and defines reality. The creatures of Hell are Lawful Evil because it's a Lawful Evil place and if you stay there long enough, its ethos shapes you. So, for me, things like night hags are creatures from the feywild corrupted by the philosophical gravity of Hell. Rakshasas are demons who fought in Avernus too long and stopped being creatures of the Abyss.
I don't see why mortal souls need to be converted into lemures. If you want to do a Dante thing, some could very well remember their past lives, that could be part of their punishment. Frankly, I'm not sure devils need to have any particular use for mortal souls. My feeling has always been that they just want to piss off their ex by showing him how little the mortals care for the nice things he gives them.
I'm not personally a fan of Hell having an actual functioning economy. I regard the Outer Planes, higher and lower, as being primarily philosophical. So there may be cities, there may be a recognizable satire of human society, but not the day-to-day 9-to-5 cities you see in some of the Planescape material. And while doomed souls could remember who they are or not, depending on what you like, living mortals would be few and far between. Some would be Dantes or Orpheuses. Some would be people taken by Cenobites in Hellraiser or foolhardy adventurers. But gravity always wins and the longer any soul is there, the more they become a nasty, hateful, entitled, tribalist, kick down-kiss up, Lawful Evil sociopath.