Asmodeus
God of kings and king among gods, Asmodeus is the Nerathi deity of rulership, hierarchy, and power. Responsible for both the rise and fall of the empire of Bael Turath, Asmodeus encourages mortal aspirations with one hand and swiftly punishes their hubris with the other. He is the god of contracts, be they social or legal, and the final judge of mortal character. His faithful seek positions of power to further their own ends, which inevitably serve those of the Prince of Nessus.
Asmodean faithful are a familiar sight in the halls of power, from the Parliament of Dragons down to local councils or tribal gatherings. They act as judges and advocates within Nerath's courts, bureacrats within its government, and leaders among its guilds. Temples to the Lord of Hell are grandiose, imposing structures intended to instill in visitors both awe and envy of the faith's power. Asmodean priests flatter the powerful, praising the rightness of their privilege and its divine mandate, while those who administer to the poor and dispossessed stress the necessary honor of their menial service. The Archfiend's clergy evince a pragmatic conservatism, favoring traditional forms of the distribution of power, but willing to foster change should it benefit them and their god.
Asmodeus's church maintains a strict hierarchy throughout Nerath. The Voice of Asmodeus, a position currently held by Tuqunu Mardokh, is the worldly head of the church, based in Highmark. Below him is the Council of Nine, styled enutu, who act as regional rulers of the faithful. Thus follows a series of progressively less powerful titles, down to individual temple leaders, titled siru, to lay members, called ikkaru. Members of the church are expected to serve diligently and faithfully those set in power over them, though the reality of the internal politics of the Asmodean church mirrors those of their infernal lords. Asmodeus's faith is most popular in Highmark, where it is second only to the city's patron Erathis. Aethrennar and Thantopolis boast large temples to the Lord of the Nine, while Arkhosian cultural traditions in Grimfarr and Issenvik tend to eschew his worship.
Asmodeus's faithful are rarely adventurers within the adventuring guild system, though they are often involved in guild leadership. Asmodean clerics and paladins are the most common, and tend to seek work that keeps them closer to the cities and involved in local power struggles. Invokers and avengers in service to Asmodeus tend to be reserved for service to the church itself, rarely deigning to aid those outside its purview. Special mention needs to be made of warlocks; Asmodeus and his servants are more than willing to offer power to the desparate or deserving, and all infernal warlocks ultimately draw their power from Asmodeus's indulgence.
