As a somewhat different but equally important lesson on devils, we're going to talk about their society.
In terms of alignment, lawful evil is absolutely the standard. Chaotic behaviour in the Hells is never tolerated and is seen as abhorrent beyond all reason -- which does mean you are actively painting a target on your back. ( Though Tiamat seems to be an exception to this??? I may make hcs on why eventually beyond the fact that she actually guards the portal from Avernus into Dis. ) Beyond the fact that it flies in the face of what they as a society value, it's generally never wise to remind a devil of a demon. Neutral is tolerated inasmuch as you play by the v specific rules painted out for everyone, bc frankly Asmodeus himself must abide by these rules too and therefore so shall everyone tf else. Evil is the gold standard by which you will survive, bc devils don't get PTSD from fucked up shit but any other alignment absolutely will. Again, neutral can be tolerated, but good will be quickly snuffed out. No, you cannot play pretend; they can smell it on you like goddamn bloodhounds.
The layers of the Hells are as follows: Avernus, ruled by Zariel ; Dis, ruled by Dispater ; Minauros, ruled by Mammon ; Phlegethos, ruled jointly by father / daughter duo Belial and Fierna ; Stygia, ruled by Levistus ; Malbolge, ruled by Glasya ; Maladomini, ruled by Beelzebub ; Cania, ruled by Mephistopheles ; Nessus, ruled by Asmodeus, who is also the king of the Hells.
Tiamat used to rule Avernus, but she apparently either didn't give a shit about or fucking sucked at the Blood War, and was therefore forcibly removed and put in her current position of guarding between layers. Which is still important, particularly in the case of Avernus and Dis.
There are four tiers of devil. Lemures are their own, lowest of the low rank. Lesser includes, imp, spined devil, bearded devil, barbed devil, chain devil, and bone devil. Greater includes horned devil, erinyes, ice devil, and pit fiend. Archdevil covers any unique devil, and are usually a duke or duchess, or the archdukes/duchesses. There are absolutely other types of devil beyond these, but I'm not clear where they all sit in this format, and there's also a lot of them anyway.
The Pact Primeval is an agreement signed by lawful deities that dictates the system of punishing damned souls. There are three copies, one in the Hells, one in Mount Celestia, and one in Mechanus, and are all heavily guarded, and exude power from their parchment. This is something Asmodeus has long since figured out how to exploit for each and every loophole, and has been put on trial for this at least once and was acquitted of wrongdoing. Which is to say, if you die and end up in the Hells, no good or neutral deity can or will do anything for you.
There are four dialects of the Infernal language. The first is Least Infernal, which is very basic and used for commands or insults. It's very harsh sounding. The second is Lesser Infernal, and is what almost all humanoids learn; if you know this dialect, you can understand the higher forms, but you're not fluent in them. This version is less gravelly than Least, but certainly not musical, and is equal to any mortal tongue in complexity. The third is Greater Infernal, and it is the tongue of the greater devils. It is, to quote, "full of obscure patterns that seemed to meander misleadingly before snapping to an unexpected point. Speaking it properly required careful planning and the ability to respond intelligently to phrases based only on the most subtle of cues. It was said that two greater Baatezu ( another word for devils ) could hold entire conversations in this form of Infernal using only the beginnings of their sentences." The fourth is called High Infernal, also called Mabrahoring, and is an archaic form of the language spoken by archdevils, and thus considered the court language of the Hells. To quote, "This form of the language was so utterly corrupt and evil that its malevolence could drag listeners into hateful despair just through hearing its patterns." Only unique devils can learn this dialect, but comprehend languages can decode it.
As you may notice, each dialect of Infernal is tied to a caste; one may not speak a dialect above their station, and doing so will be punished for insubordination. Mortals are always kept in the Lesser Infernal caste. ( No, you will not impress any devil by having learned how to speak Greater or Mabrahoring Infernal. You're going to offend and anger them, and possibly have your bloodline cursed at best. )
Every devil but the highest ranks dreams of being promoted, as it means more personal power, and less being stomped on ( sometimes literally ) by the devils above you. Only the ranks of archdevils and pit fiends can promote devils below themselves, and may typically do so as a reward for particularly pleasing service. Once promoted, devils go through a painful ceremony that lasts up to a day, and retain memories of their devil history. Each time a devil is promoted, it must purge itself of chaotic behaviour and thoughts, making the highest ranking devils, ice devils, and pit fiends pretty rigid in their lawfulness. ( Devils who are born to high ranks are still expected to purge themselves as a coming of age ceremony. ) The faster you are promoted, the more painful it is.
There is actually a ministry of promotion, whose sole job is to record and scrutinize promotions, as there are actually strict requirements to be met. Superiors who don't follow those guidelines are punished by being put on the frontlines of the Blood War. The guidelines are along the lines of: none may rise til another falls. Incompetents don't rise in power. Speedy promotions are discouraged. Good isn't rewarded, evil is. Exemplary service means no mistakes.
One should actually note that backstabbers are more often promoted, and there is a LOT of intrigue surrounding promotion. Sometimes, specific devils' reports are doctored to keep them from being promoted.
If you suck particularly hard, you're going to be demoted. Typically, sucking refers to failure or disobedience.
It's pretty standard for devils to be ambitious, despise defeat and humiliation, extremely, EXTREMELY John Wick levels of vindictive.
The court of the Hells does see plenty of mortals, as it is where pact-related matters are tried ( have plenty of concrete evidence BEFORE you go to court, as court is unforgiving and deadly ), but is also where punishments for lawbreaking is decided.
Every devil but the absolute lowest ranks have true names. To know the true name of a devil is to have power over it; one can summon it and bind it into your service with their true name, though this usually requires a ritual, and possibly a sacrifice and or a devil talisman, which are amulets with a devil's true name written on it and bathed in the blood of someone the creator loved at the time of crafting. The effects vary by rank: regular devils serve for nine days, greater devils for nine hours, and archdevils for one specific service. Naturally, devils are very protective of their true names, and almost never share them willingly.
Asmodeus knows the true name of each and every devil who has and will ever exist.
Money actually legitimately Does Not Matter to devils; it serves no purpose beyond Mammon's own greed. Devils deal only in souls ( often in the form of soul coins ), gems, soul larvae, magic, knowledge, and favors.
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