The Nine Hells

Nine Hells – Current Events, 1496 DR

@Baator, the Nine Hells is never quiet, but in 1496 DR it is downright loud. The infernal hierarchy is in a rare state of instability after a scandal in Dis—Dispater’s spies uncovered that a number of high-ranking erinyes, pit fiends, and even a few mortal cult leaders have been trafficking in something called Acherblight. The substance, a glittering black powder, is made from the pulverized remnants of Exemplar Souls—the rarest kind of mortal spirit, belonging to those who lived and died with such perfect conviction that even the @Baator, the Nine Hells struggle to corrupt them. Normally, these souls are locked away in @Nessus's deepest vaults, used only to forge relics or empower the greatest infernal contracts. But someone has been refining them into Acherblight and smuggling it into every layer of Hell.

When burned as incense or dissolved in wine, Acherblight allows a mortal or devil to alter the binding terms of a soul contract once—changing a single clause without the other party’s consent. The implications are catastrophic: centuries of careful deals could be undone in a single breath. Every archdevil is furious, because Acherblight bypasses the very foundation of infernal law. Worse, no one can yet prove who started the trade.

In @Avernus, @Zariel has diverted most of her warbands from the Blood War front to hunt down the smugglers, but this has left huge stretches of the River Styx unguarded. Smugglers, soul-pirates, and planar mercenaries now race along the river in flame-barges, looting unattended siege stockpiles. A few particularly bold captains have even begun ferrying mortals into the @Baator, the Nine Hells on “Hellcruise” raids—short, suicidal trips for adventurers who think they can plunder and get out before the devils regroup.

Meanwhile, in @Malbolge, @Glasya has seized the chaos for herself. She is hosting the Tournament of Infinite Fine Print, a grand competition to craft the most unbreakable, soul-binding contract ever written. The prize is a “quill of absolute dominion,” said to inscribe its words directly into the soul of the signer. @Glasya has placed a bounty on any competitor suspected of smuggling Acherblight into the tournament, drawing a rogues’ gallery of plane-hopping schemers: a githyanki lawyer, an archfey disguised as a halfling solicitor, and a mind flayer who insists on drafting contracts telepathically.

In @Nessus, @Asmodeus himself remains silent. To the paranoid, this means one of two things: either he is orchestrating the entire scandal for reasons no one else can see, or the trade in Acherblight is an unsanctioned blasphemy that even he cannot yet trace. In the meantime, Hell’s streets are alive with opportunity—and every cult, fiend, and desperate mortal in Faerûn is looking for a way to profit before the gates slam shut.