九獄諸領主The Lords of the Nine

索引：【神與類神總錄】
索引：【類神力】
索引：【大魔鬼】

簡介

九獄諸領主The Lords of the Nine
【主　 　神】		阿斯莫蒂斯Asmodeus
【勢力 範圍】		九層煉獄之巴托地獄The Nine Hells of Baator
簡介：		九獄諸領主the Lords of the Nine 是地獄的統治者、巴特祖魔鬼的主宰，除了阿斯莫蒂斯與迪斯帕特外，所有成員都出現過更替。
神祇名	神力	陣營	舊譯	簡介
九獄諸領主The Lords of the Nine
第一層：阿佛納斯Avernus
提亞瑪特Tiamat	N	LE	無	惡龍女神，她的恩瑟神系面相被弒後，當了一段時間的大魔鬼，在此期間，她是阿佛納斯的統治者，但最終因工作不力被阿斯莫蒂斯廢黜
扎瑞爾Zariel	N	LE	無	阿弗納斯前任女大公，大清算後遭拜爾背叛和囚禁，在5e復辟
拜爾Bel	N	LE	無	阿弗納斯大公，在背叛並囚禁了前任大公扎瑞爾前，是她的公爵和將軍，在5版因工作不力下台
第二層：迪斯Dis
迪斯帕特Dispater	N	LE	無	迪斯的鋼鐵大公，是個死宅
第三層：彌瑙洛斯Minauros
瑪門Mammon	N	LE	無	彌瑙洛斯大公，曾經與格萊西雅有一腿，但大清算後被阿斯莫蒂斯強制拆散
第四層：弗萊格索斯Phlegethos
菲爾娜Fierna	N	LE	無	弗萊格索斯女大公，前任大公彼列之女
彼列Belial	N	LE	無	弗萊格索斯前大公，現大公菲爾娜之父，大清算後下台，在菲爾娜背後執政
第五層：斯泰吉亞Stygia
萊維思圖斯Levistus	N	LE	無	斯泰吉亞大公，因謀殺畢索澤雅被阿斯莫蒂斯廢黜並凍在冰塊里，大清算後復辟
革律翁Geryon	N→Dead	LE	無	斯泰吉亞大公，大清算後遭阿斯莫蒂斯流放
第六層：瑪爾博吉Malbolge
貝赫利特Beherit	N→Dead	LE	無	瑪爾博吉大公，違背阿斯莫蒂斯的敕令而被毀滅
摩洛克Moloch	N	LE	無	瑪爾博吉大公，聽命於巴爾澤布，大清算後被廢黜，放逐到了阿佛納斯
馬拉嘉德Malagard	N→Dead	LE	無	鬼婆女伯爵，瑪爾博吉大公，本身是只老鬼婆，靠坑害了自己的配偶前大公摩洛克被阿斯莫蒂斯任命為大公，封神失敗大暴死
格萊西雅Glasya	N	LE	無	巴托第九層奈瑟斯的地獄公主、欲魔女王。她是阿斯摩蒂爾斯與畢索澤雅之女、瑪門的前配偶，鬼婆女伯爵封神失敗大暴死後成為瑪爾博吉新任大公
第七層：馬拉多米尼Maladomini
佚名	N	LE	無	馬拉多米尼原任大公，其記載和名諱被巴爾澤布全部抹去
巴爾澤布Baalzebul	N	LE	無	馬拉多米尼大公，謊言之主
第八層：卡尼亞Cania
臨門Rimmon	N	LE	無	卡尼亞前大公，現在是奈瑟斯的一位公爵
墨菲斯托費利斯Mephistopheles	N	LE	無	卡尼亞大公，曾經是奈瑟斯的大法官，推翻了臨門的統治
第九層：奈瑟斯Nessus
阿斯莫蒂斯Asmodeus	N／G	LE	無	奈瑟斯大公，巴托地獄之主，畢索澤雅的配偶，格萊西雅之父
未知層面
加葛斯Gargauth	N→D	LE	無	九獄第十領主，被流放的前地獄大公之一，由於地獄沒有第十層所以統治層面不明，現在是泛費倫神系的一位半神和九獄諸領主（特別是阿斯莫蒂斯）的主物質位面代理人
馬爾凱基德Malkizid	N	LG →LE	無	烙印之王，曾是侍奉柯瑞隆的墮落熾天使，被流放的前地獄大公之一，統治層面不明，現為尤格羅斯領主。

1e<Dragon 028.p002>地獄政治The Politics of Hell

作者：亞歷山大·馮·索恩Alexander von Thorn
譯者：子虛子

　　（作者註：本文不應被視為 高級龍與地下城Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 或 羅馬天主教會Roman Catholic Church 的官方教義。然而，其內容與高級龍與地下城體系兼容，且除涉及 阿斯莫蒂斯Asmodeus 的部分外，與 天主教驅魔師Catholic exorcists 普遍認可的惡魔學著作並無衝突，因而獲得了教會的默許。然而，本文未經教義審查；其中大量內容都是原創的，且它探討這一主題的角度不同於宗教小冊子，故不應被視作此類文獻。阿斯莫蒂斯的崛起在任何重要惡魔學典籍中均無記載，但自中世紀以來，該領域極少有原創性研究，因此情況可能已發生變化。或許 吉蓋克斯先生Mr. Gygax 掌握着更準確的信息來源。
(Author's note: The following article cannot be considered the official doctrine of either Advanced Dungeons and Dragons or the Roman Catholic Church. However, it is compatible with AD&D, and except for the parts about Asmodeus it is not in conflict with works on demonology as generally accepted by Catholic exorcists, thus enjoying tacit approval by the Church. However, this article does not have a nihil obstat; much of it is original, and it approaches the subject from a different angle than a religious tract would and should not be considered as such. The rise of Asmodeus is not documented in any major text on demonology,but very little original work on the subject has been done since the Middle Ages, so it is possible that the situation has changed. Perhaps Mr. Gygax has more accurate sources of information
[譯者註：後續事件發展結果證明，教會默許了個屁。]

　　曾有一時，世間並無 魔鬼devils，只有 上帝God 與其天使居於天堂。（詞語"上帝"在這裏是指 宇宙的造物主the Creator of the Universe。有些人稱他為 耶和華Yahweh，有些人稱他為 安拉Allah，祂還有許多其他名字。）諸天使中最強大、最智慧、最美麗者被稱為 撒旦Satan。神賜予他這諸般特性，以便執行那其他天使無力執行的最艱巨的任務——測試凡人的道德價值。撒旦用盡誘惑與折磨，讓凡人選擇邪惡而非善良。他總是成功，因為絕大多數凡人總是有最為珍視，最為看重的東西（或者人），比道德的選擇更優先更重要，因此撒旦蔑視絕大多數的人類。撒旦對他的工作並不開心，因為他必須使得許多人類墮落，而這些人本可度過更無可指摘的一生。有時他被迫給好人——比如 約伯Job——帶來巨大的折磨，但他也並不願這麼做。約伯從未做過任何錯事應受這等折磨，撒旦開始對約伯以及像約伯一樣的好人感到愧疚。撒旦覺得神正變得不公。在得出這一結論的過程中，他把自己的判斷置於神的智慧之上。最終他得出這樣的觀點：比起神對宇宙所作的安排，還有其他更好的做法、他開始認為他可以幹得比神更好。撒旦與其他天使談論了他的觀點，許多天使都同意他說的有其道理。
Once upon a time, there were no devils. Only God and the angels were in heaven. (The term God is used to refer to the Creator of the Universe. He is called Yahweh by some, Allah by others, and many other names.) The most powerful, most intelligent and most beautiful of all the angels was called Satan. He was given these traits by God in order to carry out the most arduous task among all the angels-that of testing the merit of mortal men. He used temptation and suffering to try to get them to choose evil instead of good. He usually succeeded, because most men had something (or someone) which they held near and dear, over and above considerations of ethics, and so Satan came to hold the majority of mankind in contempt. Satan was not happy in his work, because he had to cause the downfall of many men who otherwise would have led relatively blameless lives. Sometimes he had to cause great suffering for good men, like Job, which he didn't like to do, either. Job had done nothing to deserve the problems that Satan gave him, and Satan came to feel sorry for Job and those like him. Satan felt that God was being unfair. In coming to that conclusion, he set his own judgment above the wisdom of God. He gradually worked around to the idea that there were better ways of organizing the universe than the way God had set up. He came to think that he could do a better job than God. Satan discussed his ideas with other angels, and many agreed that he had some valid points.

　　最終，撒旦對上帝發起挑戰，許多天使都站在他一邊。但上帝與祂的天使取得了勝利，撒旦與其擁簇被流放到地獄直至終久，除非他們為其罪惡懺悔。撒旦對此的回應是，"與其天堂為奴，不如地獄稱王！Better to rule in Hell than to serve in heaven!"而後，他在一道明亮的閃光中直入地獄，也正是從此日起，他的追隨者——不論是凡人還是超凡者——給了他"路西法Lucifer"——光之大君Prince of Light——之名，啟明星star of the morning 之名也被冠予他。法國人聲稱在撒旦從天堂到地獄途中，路過凡間位面時，他穿過了　布列塔尼Brittany　海岸之外的　聖彌額爾山島Mont St. Michel。某些學者提出理論，認為魔鬼——現在正積極反對上帝與善良——的影響，是上帝將祂的兒子送到地球的原因所在，不過這一信條並未被基督教徒廣泛接受。不過，以《賽亞書Book of Isaiah》的一部分，也就是指向一位 彌賽亞Messiah 的那部分，被認為是寫於 猶太人Jews 的 巴比倫Babylonian 之囚之中，而這一事件就發生在魔鬼墮落不久後（至少如同這位作者所能看出的）。也有人說上帝想念撒旦，祂希望撒旦能懺悔並祈求上帝的原諒，而祂當然會原諒所有墮天使（儘管神可能會要求墮天使們進行某種服務，以測試他們對公義的新生信念。一般認為正是這種可能阻止了許多魔鬼進行懺悔。不論原因究竟如何，沒有任何一個魔鬼曾懺悔過。
Eventually, Satan challenged God, and many angels supported him. But God and his angels were victorious, and Satan and his supporters were sentenced to Hell for alleternity unless they repented their sins. Satan responded, 「Better to rule in Hell than to serve in heaven!」 With that, he passed to Hell in a brilliant flash, and from that time on his followers, human and supernatural, gave him the name of Lucifer 「Prince of Light,」 and the star of the morning was named for him. The French claim that when Satan passed through the earthly plane en route from Heaven to Hell, he went down through the island of Mont- St.-Michel, off the coast of Brittany. Some scholars theorize that the influence of the devils, who were now actively working against God and good, was the reason that God sent his son to Earth, although that belief is not universal among Christians. However, parts of the Book of Isaiah which refer to a Messiah are thought to have been written during the Babylonian exile of the Jews, which happened shortly after the fall of the devils (at least as far as this writer can figure out). It is also said that God misses Satan, and that He hopes that he will repent and ask God's forgiveness, which of course He will grant to any of the fallen angels (although God may require some service to be performed, in order to test their newfound devotion to the cause of righteousness. It is thought that it is this possibility that holds many of the devils back from repen- tance. Whatever the reason, none of the devils have repented.)

　　正如此，撒旦成了 地獄君主the Lord of Hell。所有魔鬼都為了人類的劫罰和邪惡與苦痛的昭行而工作。撒旦發覺，利用他誘惑與折磨的天才，要做成事情簡直簡單得要命。單是他無盡力量的威脅就能迫使魔鬼們循規蹈矩。一群痴迷於力量，或是邪惡，或兩者皆有的人類，圍繞着撒旦建立了教團，為了通過邪惡達成他們的目的，他們設立了嚴密的層級。即使是目不識丁的俗人偶爾也會對撒旦祈禱——如果神看起來不會回應他們的禱告。邪惡的力量十分強大，在黑暗時代的蒙昧中盛極一時。撒旦策劃着，圖謀着，因為他相信自己只是在智斗中敗給了善良力量，因為他沒能正確籌劃他的第一次突襲。他相信如果他花時間謀劃策略，利用自己的力量，最小化己方的缺陷，同時抓住敵人的缺陷，抵消敵人的力量，他就在贏下最終之戰的過程中走出了一步妙棋。
And so, Satan became the Lord of Hell. All the devils worked for the damnation of men and the promulgation of evil and suffering. Satan found it ridiculously easy to accomplish things using his talents of temp tation and suffering. The mere threat of his immense power kept the devils in line. A group of humans who were obsessed by power, or evil, or both, developed a cult around Satan, and they set up a tight hierarchy in order to pursue their goals through evil. Even some of the illiterate peasants occasionally said a prayer to Satan when God didn't seem to answer their prayers. The forces of evil were strong, and flourished in the ignorance of the Dark Ages. Satan schemed and plotted, for he believed that he had simply been outmaneuvered by the forces of good because he had failed to plan his first assault properly, and that if he took the time to develop a strategy, to take advantage of his own strengths and minimize his forces'weaknesses, while capitalizing on the weaknesses of the enemy and neutralizing their strengths, then he had a good shot at winning the final conflict.

　　但撒旦是個專橫的統治者。他認為所有 墮天使fallen angels 都天然地應該毫無疑問地服從他。但其它魔鬼也很驕傲，他們並不同意撒旦所有的命令——就像他們曾不同意上帝一般。別西卜Beelzebub 就是個典型，他認為他和其它魔鬼在鼓吹邪惡時應有更多的自由，在地獄的一般政治方面也該更有發言權。別西卜與其他重要的大魔鬼——亞得米勒Adramelech、亞斯塔羅斯Astaroth、摩洛克Moloch、涅伽爾Nergal，阿麥蒙Amaimon、貝爾芬格Belphegor，還有其他很多——討論此事，他們大多數，因為別西卜在新秩序下給他們更大權力和自由的許諾，而支持別西卜。其他的對此不置可否，因為他們畏懼撒旦的怒火，即使是在私下他們也不會說撒旦半句壞話，但他們也沒有把別西卜的計劃告訴撒旦。這些支持別西卜的魔鬼曾質疑過撒旦的一些小命令，或是拒絕執行一些小任務。這些行為被發現時，撒旦就會派出他的私人助理 彼列Belial 來處理這些傢伙。所以，彼列被其它魔鬼憎恨，卻愈發得到撒旦的尊重。
But Satan was an arbitrary ruler. He took it for granted that all the fallen angels would follow him without question. But the other devils were also proud, and they did not agree with all the orders that Satan gave, just as they had disagred with God. Beelzebub in particular, felt that he and the other devils should have more of a free hand in encouraging acts of evil, and more of a say in matters of general policy in Hell. Beelzebub discussed this with the other important devils Adramelech, Astaroth, Moloch, Nergal, Amaimon, Belphegor, and many othersand most agreed with Beelzebub,after promises of more power and freedom under a new order. The others were noncommittal, for they were afraid of the wrath of Satan, and would not speak against Satan even in private, although they did not reveal Beelzebub's plan to Satan. Those devils who supported Beelzebub would once in a while question a minor order from Satan, or neglect to perform a trivial task. When these were discovered, Satan sent his personal lieutenant Belial to deal with them. So, Belial became hated by the other devils and grew in the esteem of Satan.

　　最終，別西卜向撒旦發起挑戰。其它魔鬼見到絕大多數強大的魔鬼都支持別西卜，就立刻蜂擁而上對他表示支持，只有彼列站在撒旦一邊。於是，撒旦和彼列被放逐出地獄，被迫到 多元宇宙the multiverse 的其他地方尋找棲身之所，而別西卜成了新一代的 地獄君主Lord of Hell。在彼列離開後，摩洛克成了新的 地獄魔軍最高指揮官supreme commander of the armies of Hell，阿斯莫蒂斯負責政治與官僚系統，亞得米勒則成了 地獄總管Chancellor of Hell，也即地獄權力體系中僅次於別西卜的第二人——他的地位就好像是一個以別西卜為國君或總統的政府的首相。不過，地獄魔軍仍忠於彼列，只要能不被抓，那麼一有機會他們就會幫助彼列。同樣的，彼列也保持着他的舊人際關係，在相當一段時間內對地獄的政治與官僚系統都保持着相當大的影響力。撒旦，在他這方面，仍然非常強大，因為邪教徒組織仍然忠於他。實際上，絕大多數人，包括絕大多數神職人員，都不知道地獄領導者的變更。直至今日，在人們想到"那個魔鬼"的時候，他們想到的還是撒旦；而如果天主教的神聖儀式中會提到哪個魔鬼的名字，那也一定是撒旦（比如司儀神父發問，"你們拒斥撒旦嗎？"之類的）。
Eventually, Beelzebub challenged Satan, and when it was seen that most of the powerful devils supported Beelzebub, the other devils flocked to his cause, leaving only Belial on the side of Satan. So Satan and Belial became exiles from Hell, forced to find other places within the multiverse to hide out and make their abode, while Beelzebub became the new Lord of Hell. With Belial gone, Moloch became the new supreme commander of the armies of Hell, and Asmodeus became the devil in charge of politicians and bureaucrats, while Adramelech became second in the overall hierarchy after Beelzebub, serving as Chancellor of Hell, which was the equivalent of a prime minister of a govern- ment of which Beelzebub was president or king. However, the armies of Hell remained loyal to Belial, and they helped him when they had the opportunity to do so without being caught. Also, Belial kept his old contacts, and retained a great deal of his influence with politicians and bureaucrats for some time. Satan, for his part, remained very powerful, because the covens remained faithful to him. In fact, most people in- cluding the majority of the clergy, were not aware of the change in the leadership of Hell. To this day, when people think of 「The Devil,」 they think of Satan, and if the name of any devil is mentioned in a Catholic sacramental ritual. it is his (e.g. when the celebrant asks, 「Do you reject Satan?,」etc.).

　　當然，驅魔人與惡魔學家知道這些變化，在撒旦失去權力後，他的名字就被這些人移出了他們編寫的地獄官僚層次。這件事發生的具體時間並不明確，但證據表明它可能發生在文藝復興前後。實際上，這事可能是文藝復興的起因之一，因為撒旦一直致力於讓人類被縛於謎團與無知之中，而別西卜則認為新的知識可以帶來新的邪惡。在中世紀中，戰爭是件頗為個人的事情。領主們為了復仇，或是家族榮譽，或僅僅是貪婪而戰。他們背後是對領主立下個人忠誠誓言的忠實軍隊，用劍、長兵器和弓作戰，大家在收穫時節都會回家各忙各的。之後才有了民族國家，人民被以他們從未見過的國君之名徵募入列，用火槍和火炮，去為了政治、或宗教、或僅僅是戰略目標而喋血沙場。任性而反覆的君主讓位於系統性的恐怖獨裁。無知和迷信被科學和技術——全無道德概念的科學和技術——所取代。當然，事情並非總是這麼糟糕，但別西卜的觀念看來絕對有道理。
Of course, the exorcists and demonologists knew about the change,and after the fall of Satan his name was left out of the hierarchies compiled by them. The time of this event is not certain, but evidence suggests that it probably occurred at about the time of the Renaissance. Indeed, it may have been partially responsible for the Renaissance, because Satan had tried to keep mankind steeped in mystery and ignorance, while Beelzebub thought that new areas of knowledge could lead to new forms of evil. During the Middle Ages, warfare had been a very personal affair, Lords battled over matters of vengeance, or family honor, or simple greed. They were followed by loyal men-at-arms owing personal loyalty to their liege, fighting with swords, pole arms and bows, and everyone went home at harvest time. Then came the rise of national empires, and men were drafted into armies in the names of kings they'd never seen, to fight with guns and cannons over matters of politics, Or religion, or just strategic objectives. Arbitrary and capricious monarchs gave way to systematic dictatorships of terror. Ignorance and superstition were replaced by science and technology totally devoid of morality. Of course, things were not so bad everywhere, but Beelzebub does seem to have had a point.

　　不過，別西卜很難控制魔鬼們。他不能用撒旦曾用的方式命令群魔，因為他上位就是靠允諾給魔鬼們更多行動自由。實際上，一些最強大的 大魔鬼arch-devil 警告（以一種圓滑的方式）別西卜說，如果他試着過度堅持己見，那他的領導地位可就危險了。所以，別西卜能用以掌控地獄諸事的僅有方式就是說服和賣人情。自不必提，就算是別西卜真有時間去跟所有大魔鬼解釋為什麼某事必須如此處理，或者去跟完成此事所需的所有手下解釋，這也根本不夠。魔鬼不再幫助人類自相殘殺——且手法並不圓滑——所以魔鬼們名聲掃地，因為他們不能兌現他們彼此矛盾的承諾。別西卜試着重建秩序的努力歸於徒然，因為越是強大的大魔鬼，他們不同意別西卜處理方式的某些問題就越嚴重。實際上，某些大魔鬼更願意讓事態惡化，由此他們就有機會增強個人的力量。同時，魔鬼們成功搞出來的反教權與無神論精神也反噬了他們自己，因為在人們拒絕神這一概念同時，他們也拒絕了魔鬼這個概念，將之斥為區區迷信。許多魔鬼對別西卜的統治感到失望，但他們找不出顯而易見的替代者。亞斯塔羅斯Astaroth，第二強的魔鬼，對他 地獄財務大總管Treasurer of Hell 的地位感到很滿意，他不需要地獄君主這個頭銜帶來的權力就幾乎能搞到想要的一切。亞得米勒Adramelech 不是個意志多麼堅定的魔鬼，在事情像這樣一團亂麻的時候他就顯得更廢物。迪斯帕特Dispater 和 革律翁Geryon 確實很強，但他們沒有必要的領導才能。絕大多數其他大魔鬼滿足於用別西卜的權威做代價增強自己的實力，因為他們認為地獄君主是個吃力不討好的活計，而如果哪個力量不如別西卜可怖的傢伙坐上了這個位置，那地獄會比現在還糟糕。
However, Beelzebub had difficulty controlling the devils. He could not order them about the way Satan had, because he had gained power by promising more freedom of action, In fact, some of the more powerful arch-devils told him (in a roundabout way) that his authority would be in jeopardy if he tried to assert himself too much. So, the only means that Beelzebub could use to get things done in Hell were by persuasion or by doing favors for the devils. Needless to say, these were not enough, even if Beelzebub had had the time to talk to all the arch-devils in order to explain why things had to be done, or to do all the errands that he had to do to get things done. The devils ended up aiding humans against each other, with litle coordination, so that they fell into disrepute because they could not fulfill their conflicting promises. Beelzebub's attempts to restore order were futile because the more powerful arch-devils would not agree with Beelzebub on how to resolve some of the more important conflicts. In fact, some of them preferred to let the situation deteriorate so that they could increase their personal power. Also, the spirit of anticlericism and atheism that the devils had succeeded in creating worked against them, for people rejected the idea of devils as mere superstition when they rejected the idea of a God. Many of the devils were dissatisfied with the rule of Beelzebub, but there was no apparent successor. Astaroth, the next most powerful devil, was happy in his role as Treasurer of Hell, and he almost always achieved his objectives without needing the mantle of authority that being Lord of Hell gave. Adramelech was not avery personally strongdevil,and he was rather ineffectual when things were as disorganized as they were. Dispater and Geryon were strong, but they lacked the necessary talents of leadership. Most of the other arch-devilswere satisfied to increase their power at the expense of Beelzebub's, because they thought that the position of Lord of Hell was a thankless job, and that if someone with less sheer power than Beelzebub held the post that Hell would be worse off than it already was.

　　不過，有一個大魔鬼不這麼想。阿斯莫蒂斯Asmodeus 是個大魔鬼，不過他是次級大魔鬼之一。他是 阿麥蒙Amaimon，地獄四支最大軍隊之一的統帥，的某種行政助手。阿斯莫蒂斯為阿麥蒙處理非軍事事務。他也是負責政治與官僚系統的大魔鬼，如前所述，因此，在18世紀和19世紀，隨着民主制度的興起，他的影響力與日俱增。阿斯莫蒂斯是欺詐的大師，也極擅發現東西——尤其是隱藏的財富——在對付政治家時這是無價的天資。因此阿斯莫蒂斯在地獄頗有名氣，對地獄的重大事項也頗有了解，但絕大多數魔鬼只把他看做地獄上層體制中的一個小角色。不過，他為了更好地幫助人類政治家而磨練出來的外交與談判技巧在地獄——因其混亂狀況——非常有用。阿斯莫蒂斯越來越經常發現自己在重大政治事項上幫助其它魔鬼求同存異。魔鬼們開始尊重他的裁決，並讓他組織一些更加重要的計劃。阿斯莫蒂斯認定自己的管理技巧正是地獄需要的東西。所以，他開始接近一些更強大的魔鬼，暗示他們，阿斯莫蒂斯會是個比別西卜更好的統治者。一開始對他計劃的支持都只是溫吞吞的，所以他開始通過賣一些一次性的人情，或是做出一些其它魔鬼急需的保證，來給他的計劃裹上糖衣。一段時間後，許多魔鬼都開始支持他。但仍有數量可觀的魔鬼認定別西卜的力量對維持地獄的任何表面平衡都是必不可少的。阿斯莫蒂斯找到了一個解決方案：他保證別西卜仍將處於地獄權力體系的頂端，僅次於他本人。魔鬼們同意支持他，只要不必訴諸武力——儘管如果有必要用以拒絕別西卜的命令並展示他們的團結，他們會這麼做。就連亞斯塔羅斯都同意阿斯莫蒂斯或許更配得上統治者地位。
However, there was one arch-devil who felt differently. Asmodeus was an arch-devil, but he was one of the lesser ones. He was sort of an administrative assistant to Amaimon, who was in command of the largest of the four armies of Hell. Asmodeus took care of non-military matters for Amaimon. Asmodeus was also the devil in charge of politicians and bureaucrats, as noted previously, and with the rise of democracies in the 18th and 19th centuries, his influence also became greater. Asmodeus was a master of deception, and he had great skill in finding things out, especially concealed treasures,which were invaluable traits in dealing with politicians. Asmodeus was therefore well-known in Hell, and he was well-informed on important matters in Hell, but most devils saw him as a minor functionary in the upper echelons of Hell. However, the skills of diplomacy and negotiation which he had developed in order to better help human politicians were very useful in Hell, because of the disorganized situation there. More and more Asmodeus found himself mediating disputes and helping to form consensus among the devils on important policy matters. The devils came to respect his judgment, and set him to organizing some of the more important projects. Asmodeus decided that his administrative skills were just what Hell needed. So, he approached some of the more powerful devils and suggested that he might make a better ruler than Beelzebub. Support for his plan was lukewarm at first, so he sweetened the proposal by doing a number of one-shot favors, or promising to do something that they especially wanted. After a while, many came to agree with him, but there were still a significant number who thought that Beelzebub's power was necessay to maintain any semblance of order in Hell. Asmodeus found a solution: he promised to retain Beelzebub in Hell at the top of the hierarchy, second only to himself. The devils agreed to support him so long as they did not have to resort to violence, although they would if necessary refuse to obey Beelzebub's orders in a show of solidarity. Even Astaroth agreed that Asmodeus would probably be a more capable ruler.

　　確保了魔鬼們的支持後，阿斯莫蒂斯對別西卜攤牌了。阿斯莫蒂斯要求別西卜自願削弱其個人力量，以防止未來任何可能的對他權威的挑戰，並要求他把名字從別西卜（意即"魔鬼大君Prince of Devils"）改為 巴爾澤布Baalzebul（意即"飛蟲主君Lord of the Flies"。飛蟲Files，換句話說，就是小魔鬼little devils）。這樣做的理由是讓那些呼喚舊名字的舊有的力量儀式不能生效。別西卜氣瘋了，幾乎當場攻擊阿斯莫蒂斯，直到阿斯莫蒂斯警告別西卜看看其他大魔鬼——比如亞斯塔羅斯——支持哪一邊。他召喚了亞斯塔羅斯。亞斯塔羅斯甫一到場就向雙方致意道："你好，巴爾澤布。您好，阿斯莫蒂斯大人。"這一刻起，別西卜就明白自己已經被拋棄了。
With the support of the devils assured, Asmodeus revealed his plan to Beelzebub. Asmodeus demanded that Beelzebub voluntarily reduce his personal strength in order to prevent any possible future challenges to his authority, and that he change his name from Beelzebub, meaning 「Prince of Devils,」 to Baalzebul, meaning 「Lord of the Flies」 (i.e. little devils). The reason for that was so that the old rituals of power invoking the old name would not work. Beelzebub was enraged with that, and almost attacked Asmodeus, until Asmodeus told Beelzebub to see which side the other arch-devils were on, such as Astaroth. Beelzebub hesitated, and then reconsidered his attack. He summoned Astaroth. Upon his arrival, Astaroth greeted them with, 「Hello, Baalzebul. Hello, Lord Asmodeus." And with that Beelzebub knew that he had been overthrown.

　　於是阿斯莫蒂斯成了 地獄君主Lord of Hell。之後不久，"止戰之戰War to End All Wars（譯註：the War to End All Wars，即一戰）"打響了，之後就是那場有着 墨索里尼Mussolini 和 希特拉Hitler，死亡集中營和大清洗，原子彈A-bomb 和其他滔天罪行的戰爭，據稱有一千五百萬人在戰場上死去，還有無數其他生靈一併塗炭。可以說，阿斯莫蒂斯取得了一些成功。
Thus it was that Asmodeus became Lord of Hell. Shortly thereafter, the 「War to End All Wars」 was fought, and then came Mussolini and Hitler, the death camps and purges, the A-bomb and other atrocities in a war that claimed more than 15 million lives in battle and countless other lives. One could say that Asmodeus has had some success.

　　通過政治手腕與制衡之術，阿斯莫蒂斯始終牢牢掌控着魔鬼們的活動。別西卜仍在暗中圖謀重奪昔日權位，另有個別魔鬼亦自詡能執掌地獄權柄，但無人敢於公開挑戰阿斯莫蒂斯的統治。
Through his politicking and playing one devil off against another, Asmodeus manages to keep a fairly tight rein on the activities of the devils. Baalzebul still secretly schemes to retake his former position, and there are a few other devils now who think that they could handle the leadership of Hell, but none dare openly oppose the rule of Asmodeus.

　　阿斯莫蒂斯已將地獄重組以契合其目的。撒旦曾將地獄劃分為九個不同的層面，以便追蹤每個受詛咒的靈魂應去往何處（並非雙關語）。阿斯蒙蒂斯廢除了舊有結構，將這些層面作為其宗主權下的封地進行分封。他將第九層保留為個人領地，並出於對前任功績的尊重，將第六、第七層賜予別西卜管轄，使其成為唯一統轄兩個完整層面的魔鬼。迪斯帕特和革律翁是最早支持阿斯莫蒂斯的追隨者，同樣獲賜完整層面，此後他們始終是最忠誠的部屬。其餘層面則由其他約六七十名大魔鬼分治。阿斯莫蒂斯曾欲賜予亞斯塔羅斯一個層面，但後者推卸了這份職責。阿斯莫蒂斯利用其權位增強了其個人的力量，現在他已是九層地獄中最強大的存在。這是聞所未聞之事，但根據 多元宇宙法則the Laws of the Multiverse，這勉強算是被允許的——因為撒旦和彼列離開了地獄，加上別西卜實力減弱，在多元宇宙中造成了輕微的力量失衡，阿斯莫蒂斯正是利用這一點增強了自身力量。至此，地獄的所有層面都已牢固地處於地獄之主阿斯莫蒂斯的統治之下。
Asmodeus has reorganized Hell to suit his purposes. Satan had originally divided Hell into nine distinct planes, in order to keep track of which damned soul went where (no pun intended). Asmodeus has dispensed with the old structuring and doled out the planes as sort of fiefdoms under his suzerainty. He kept the ninth plane as his personal demesne and granted the sixth and seventh to Baalzebul, out of respect for his previous service, making him the only devil to rule two entire planes personally. Dispater and Geryon were also granted entire planes because they were the first to support Asmodeus, and they have since been his most loyal followers. The other planes are divided among the other six dozen or so arch-devils. Astaroth was offered a plane, but he declined the responsibility. Asmodeus has used his position to increase his personal strength to the point that he is now the most powerful devil to be found on the nine planes of Hell. This is unheard of, but it was barely permissible by the Laws of the Multiverse because the departure of Satan and Belial from Hell and the reduction in strength that Baalzebul took left a slight imbalance in the Multiverse which Asmodeus used to increase his own strength. And so, all the planes of Hell are now securely under the dominion of Asmodeus, Lord Of Hell.

撒旦Satan

　　出現頻率FREQUENCY：唯一Unique（非常罕見Very rare）
　　出現數量NO. APPEARING：1
　　防禦等級ARMOR CLASS：-8
　　移動速度MOVE：只要需要，無處不在whatever is necessary
　　生命骰HIT DICE：333 點points
　　在巢穴中概率% IN LAIR：5%
　　寶藏類型TREASURE TYPE：H（×2），I（×2），U（×2）
　　攻擊次數NO. OF ATTACKS：1 次
　　傷害/攻擊DAMAGE/ATTACK：10-100
　　特殊攻擊SPECIAL ATTACK：+3 或更好的武器 並且需要純潔的心靈才能命中他（+3 or better weapon and purity of heart required to hit）
　　魔法抗力MAGIC RESISTANCE：95%
　　智力INTELLIGENCE：神明般God-like
　　陣營ALIGNMENT：守序邪惡Lawful evil
　　體型SIZE：可變Variable
　　靈能能力PSIONIC ABILITY：特殊Special
　　　　　　攻擊/防禦模式Attack/Defense Modes：特殊Special

　　撒旦SATAN（「黑暗大君The Prince of Darkness」，「對立者The Adversary」，「路西法Lucifer」，「光之大君The Prince of Light」）：作為群魔之首，撒旦是令所有存在畏懼的存在。他能夠以任何希望的形態顯現，但偏愛的形態是普通人的樣貌，其外貌特徵最易在他所交涉的對象中激發信任與尊重。在他作為主宰的地方（如今雖罕見但正逐漸增多），他會顯現為大致類人的形態，約7呎高，頭長犄角、身具尾巴、手持鋼叉，皮膚呈深紅色近乎褐紅，面容威嚴。他能以任意速度移動，並能精準傳送、跨維度移動，甚至在需要時穿越時間。要用武器擊中撒旦，攻擊者需要一把+3武器，並且還必須具備清白的良心與追求目標的絕對決心——當然該目標必須出於最純粹的動機。任何膽敢以靈能攻擊撒旦者，將自動永久受其控制（僅 祈願術Wish 可解救這個人，更低級的法術無效）。當然，撒旦不受靈能攻擊影響，但他也不會使用常規靈能攻擊模式。撒旦可隨意使用任何法術或靈能技藝，其施法能力等同於30級施法者（但德魯伊法術僅如14級施法者）。他的靈能技藝掌控如30級大師，靈能強度為500，但實際使用時並不消耗點數。撒旦還擁有改變命運的能力，能使一系列不幸事件降臨於個體：親友死亡、事業破產、財產盡失、社會地位崩塌、名譽掃地、健康毀損等——而這僅是開端。然而對受害者而言幸運的是，若其在這些苦難面前保持堅定，善之力the forces of good 終將解除其困境以維持 多元宇宙的一體至衡the Balance of the Multiverse——儘管受害者可能不會為其所經歷的麻煩獲得任何補償。
SATAN("The Prince of Darkness,""The Adversary,""Lucifer, "The Prince of Light"): First among devils, Satan is a being feared by all. He can appear in any form he wishes, but the form he prefers is that of a normal man, having features which are most likely to engender trust and respect from the person he is dealing with. In places where he is master (which are rare these days, although becoming more common), he will appear in roughly humanoid form, about 7' tall, with horns, tail and pitchfork and having a deep red skin color, almost maroon, with a majestic countenance. He can move as fast as he wants to, and he can accurately teleport, cross dimensions or even travel through time if need be. In order to strike Satan with a weapon, the attacker would need a +3 weapon to hit him, and he would also have to have a clear con- science and an absolute determination to pursue one's objective, which of course must be of the purest motives. Anyone who dares attack Satan psionically will automatically fall into his control forever (a Wish can recover an individual, but nothing less will do). Of course, Satan cannot be affected by a psionic attack, but he will not use normal psionic attack modes.Satan may use any spell or psionic discipline as often as he likes.He casts spells as if he was a 3Oth level caster, except for druidic spells, which he casts as a l4th level caster. He uses psionic disciplines as if he had them at the 3Oth level of mastery with a psionic ability of 500, although he does not actually use any points doing so. Satan also has the ability to alter fate, in order to cause a number of unfortunate events to happen to an individual, such as the death of friends and family and thé ruin of business, career, property, social status, reputa- tion and health, to start with. Fortunately, however, for the victim, if he remains resolute in the face of this suffering, the forces of good will eventually relieve his problems in order to maintain the Balance of the Multiverse, although the victim may not receive any compensation for the trouble he has gone through.

　　撒旦的主要能力是誘惑之力。他可以滿足任何人一個願望，給予其渴望的一切。他只需讓對方用自身血液代替墨水簽署一份小小的契約即可。這些願望遠比普通 祈願術 更強大。撒旦也可在不簽訂血契的情況下實現普通願望，但他很少這樣做——除非是為了給已註定沉淪者提供某種幫助，或作為忠實服務的獎賞。對於任何重要事項，他通常堅持必須訂立契約。若某人出賣靈魂以換取此類願望，七年期滿後其靈魂將歸於魔鬼（已實現的願望不會撤銷）。若該個體曾許願獲得永生，則收割靈魂的時機將是：當此人認定自己活夠了並自願前往地獄時（大多數人最終都會如此），抑或是其遭遇暴力死亡時（永生並不能保護人免於意外或戰鬥導致的死亡，不過撒旦有時會提供某些防護——例如魔法盔甲、一兩個願望或類似手段，因為他更傾向於人們自願下地獄）。大多數人最終仍會選擇前往地獄。對於那些似乎能忍受永生之人，撒旦會給予一些意料之外的「驚喜」（當然契約中不會提及），通過讓生活變得略微不適（即難以忍受）來促使其更容易做出下地獄的決定。若某人未曾許願永生，則可獲得更多願望——每個額外願望將減損該受詛咒者剩餘壽命一年。最好將契約以書面形式明確列出，玩家角色與地下城主各持一份完全相同的副本（玩家應在簽署前仔細研讀），因為撒旦極端拘泥於字面含義，且會通過嚴格執行契約字句來扭曲其本意，並從中獲得施虐般的快感。通常此類契約無法諮詢律師，而願意為此提供法律諮詢者會索取天價費用。契約通常措辭簡潔，僅說明給予方與獲取方及交易內容（注意：儘管角色必須用血或等效物簽署，玩家無需如此；事實上建議玩家不要這樣做——且不論健康考量，若傳說屬實，這種簽署可能真的具有約束力）。 Satan's main ability is the power of Temptation. He can grant anyone a wish that will give him anything he desires. All he has to do is sign a little contract, using his own blood in lieu of ink. These wishes are much more powerful than ordinary wishes. Satan can also grant normal wishes without the blood contract, but he rarely does so except to give some kind of assistance to those already doomed, or perhaps as a reward for faithful service. For anything important, he usually insists on a contract. After seven years a person who has sold his soul to Satan for one of these wishes will surrender his soul to the devil (wishes not- withstanding). If the individual has wished for immortality, then the time of collection is whenever the individual decides that he has had enough of life, and voluntarily goes to Hell (most people do in the end), or else until the person dies by violence (immortality does not protect a person from being killed either by accident or by combat, although Satan will sometimes give a person some protection against this, such as magic armor or a wish or two, or something along those lines, because Satan prefers people to come to hell of their own free will). Most people choose to go to Hell eventually. For those who appear to be able to put up with immortality, Satan has been known to give a few unexpected surprises,which of course is not covered in the contract, in order to make the decision to go to Hell easierbymaking life alittle less pleasant (i.e. intolerable). If a person has not wished for immortality, then he may have more wishes. Each one costs a year of the condemned one's re- maining time. It is best to have the contract actually written out, with identical copies for the player character and the DM (which the player should study carefully before signing), because Satan is extremely literal, and he'takes sadistic pleasure in twisting the intent of a contract by fulfilling its letter. Normally, a lawyer cannot be consulted on such a contract, and those who willgive legal advice on such matters charge an exorbitant fee. The contract will typically be simply worded, stating who gives and gets what (n. b. although the character must sign in blood or the equivalent, the player need not do so; in fact it is recommended that the player not do this because, health considerations aside, it might just turn out to be binding, if the tales are true).

　　一旦個體接受了撒旦的願望，擺脫契約的機會就十分渺茫，但仍是可能的。除非契約是在個體無法自控的狀態下簽署的——這種情況下契約無效且願望將被撤銷——否則無法移除必須向撒旦交出靈魂的強制約束。撒旦會對此事的責任人實施報復。然而，只要一個人對契約感到滿意，或至少只要他不想擺脫契約，那麼宇宙中就沒有任何力量——包括 祈願術，甚至 上帝本尊God Himself（好吧，也許祂能，但祂從未這樣做過）——能夠終止這份契約。另一方面，如果受詛咒者決定要擺脫契約，他可以採取一些步驟。他仍然無法移除必須交出靈魂的強制約束，但他可以尋求某些超強存在的幫助，由祂們代表他與撒旦作戰。不幸的是，一旦此人決定終止契約，他剩餘的年限將按年折算成小時數，作為撒旦前來收割前的剩餘時間，因此行動必須迅速。此外，任何其他魔鬼都會試圖拘禁受詛咒者，若無法做到則會嘗試殺死他。因為整個魔鬼界的聲譽都已經岌岌可危，所以魔鬼們會在這一領域與撒旦合作。當然，一個人若未首先決定擺脫契約，便無法採取任何積極行動來達成此目的。任何至少達到 宗主教Patriarch 級別的 猶太教Jewish、基督教Christian 或 伊斯蘭教Muslim 神職人員（如 樞機主教Cardinal、首席主教Primate、都主教Metropolitan、首席拉比Chief Rabbi、阿亞圖拉Ayatollah、哈里發Caliph 或相當級別者）皆可呼求神之名來拯救此人的靈魂。然而，他們通常要求此人提供某種投身於善業的證明——例如完成某項合適的 使命Quest——作為救贖的代價。如果能聯繫到上帝本人或任何其他超強存在（祂、他或她），這些也可以由祂/他們來完成。未能完成試煉的通常懲罰是該人的靈魂立即歸還撒旦。八級或更高級別的「異教」神職人員也可以呼籲他們的所謂眾神來幫助這個傢伙。然而，只有那些有能力擊敗撒旦的神靈才願意提供幫助，即便如此，除非該神特別仁慈，或者此人特別值得該神關注，否則神祇可能也不願費心。通常撒旦會在此類挑戰面前退卻，但如果他認為自己有很好的機會擊敗該存在，則可能會嘗試。如果撒旦獲勝，很可能就不會有第二次機會了。
Once an individual accepts a wish from Satan, there is little chance of getting out of the contract, but it is possible. It is impossible to remove the compulsion to surrender one's soul to Satan unless the contract was signed while the individual was not in control of himself, in which case the contract is void and the wish is revoked. Satan will retaliate against, the person responsible for this. However, as long as a person is satisfied with the contract, or at least as long as the person does not want to get out of the contract, there is no power in the universe not a wish, not even God Himself (well, maybe He can, but He never has) that can terminate the contract. On the other hand, if the condemned person decides that he wants to get out of the contract, there are steps he can take. He still cannot remove the compulsion to relinquish his soul, but he can enlist the assistance of some ultrapowerful being who will do battle with Satan on his behalf. Unfortunately, once the person decides that he wants to terminate the contract, the time he has remaining in years is reduced to that many hours before Satan comes to collect, so one must act quickly. Also, any other devil will attempt to detain the condemned person, or failing that, to kill him. The devils cooperate with Satan in this one area because the reputation of all devildom is at stake. Naturally, a person cannot take any positive action to get out of a contract without first deciding to do so. Any Jewish, Christian or Muslim cleric of at least Patriarch level (such as a Cardinal, Primate, Metropolitan, Chief Rabbi, Ayatollah, Caliph or equivalent) can invoke the name of the Deity to save the person's soul. However, they usually require some token of one's devotion to the cause of good, such as the performance of some appropriate Quest, as the price of redemption. These can bé done by God Himself, or any other ultra-powerful being, if He (or he, or she) can be contacted. The normal penalty for failure to complete the Quest is the immediate return of the person's soul to Satan. Heathen' clerics of eighth level or higher may also call upon their so-called gods to help an individual. However, only those capable of beating Satan would be willing to help, and even then a god might not want to bother unless the god was especially merciful, or the person was particularly worthy of the god's attention. Usually Satan will back down from such a challenge, but if he thinks that he has a good chance of defeating the being then he may make the attempt. If Satan wins, there's probably no second chance.

　　撒旦的盟友包括那些崇拜他的女巫集會、大多數將靈魂出賣給他的人，以及 彼列Belial。有時撒旦會要求某個此類人類為他執行某項任務。這完全是自願的（好吧，幾乎是：儘管違逆撒旦並非明智之舉），他會在任務完成後給予此人適當的獎賞。他的敵人則包括所有承認阿斯莫蒂斯為 地獄君主Lord of Hell 的 魔鬼devils（即所有其他魔鬼）、所有 惡魔demons、所有 天使angels、所有神祇及其祂屬於善良、混亂、中立或任何此類陣營的強大存在，以及任何與阿斯莫蒂斯或撒旦的任何其他敵人結盟或支持他們的、屬於守序邪惡、中立守序或邪惡陣營的所有神祇及其他強大存在。（你是不是以為你的角色已經夠麻煩了！）
Satan's allies include those covens of witches whoworship him, most others who have sold their souls to him, and Belial. Sometimes Satan will ask one of these humans to perform some task for him. This is entirely voluntary (well, almost: although it's not a good idea to cross Satan), and he will reward the person appropriately upon completion. His enemies include all those devils who acknowledge Asmodeus as Lord of Hell (i.e. all the other devils), all the demons, all the angels, all the gods and other powers of good, chaos, neutrality, or any combination thereof, and all the gods and other powers of lawful evil and neutral lawful or evil who are allied with or support Asmodeus or any other enemy of Satan. (And you thought your character had problems!)

彼列Belial

　　出現頻率FREQUENCY：唯一Unique（非常罕見Very rare）
　　出現數量NO. APPEARING：1
　　防禦等級ARMOR CLASS：-4
　　移動速度MOVE：12" 本人by himself
　　　　　　　　　　　　24"/48" 在雙輪馬車中ma'chein chariot
　　生命骰HIT DICE：122 點points
　　在巢穴中概率% IN LAIR：1%
　　寶藏類型TREASURE TYPE：U，W
　　攻擊次數NO. OF ATTACKS：1 次齧咬bite
　　傷害/攻擊DAMAGE/ATTACK：3-18＋毒素poison
　　特殊攻擊SPECIAL ATTACK：+2 或更好的武器才能擊中（+2 or better weapon to hit）
　　魔法抗力MAGIC RESISTANCE：80%
　　智力INTELLIGENCE：天才Genius
　　陣營ALIGNMENT：守序邪惡Lawful evil
　　體型SIZE：大型L（11呎）
　　靈能能力PSIONIC ABILITY：222
　　　　　　攻擊/防禦模式Attack/Defense Modes：全部All

　　彼列BELIAL（發音為 BEE-lee-ul；這個名諱意為「無價值Worthlessness」）：曾幾何時，彼列是掌管政治家的魔鬼、地獄魔軍最高統帥，亦是 撒旦Satan 的私人副官。如今他大部分時間都在 多元宇宙the multiverse 中四處逃亡。在中世紀記載並描述大多數 大魔鬼arch-devils 的魔法書《所羅門的小鑰匙Lesser Key of Solomon》中，彼列被描述為一位美麗的天使般存在，乘着火焰戰車，其嗓音悅耳動聽。彼列的 火焰戰車Chariot of Fire 擁有三倍於 蘇斯塔雷戰車Chariot of Sustarre 的生命值與承載容量，其餘方面則完全相當。若戰車被毀，他能在次日重塑一輛。他具備 蠱惑beguiling 之力，能使防禦者的豁免檢定承受額外-2懲罰。凡欲召喚彼列者，必須獻祭對召喚者自身極具價值的物品——因為他希望避免被眾多潛在敵人召喚。隨意使用，每回合或每近戰輪1次，彼列可施展下列任意一項能力：煙火術pyrotechnics，燃火術produce flame，火牆wall of fire，光亮術light，閱讀語言read languages，閱讀魔法read magic，偵測隱形detect invisible，物品定位術locate object，隱形術invisibility，唬騙術beguiling（見上述），指使術geas，再生術restoration，完全復生術raise dead fully，以及（滿足他人的）許願術limited。每日1次，他能自動召喚出一隻選定的魔寵，並施展 恐懼徽記symbol of fear 和 震懾徽記symbol of stunning。其應對政客的技藝幾乎不遜於阿斯莫蒂斯，儘管阿斯莫蒂斯會試圖懲罰任何被發現與彼列來往者。作為地獄軍團的前任統帥，他至今仍深受軍隊敬重（略似 拿破崙Napoleon）。軍隊不會直接採取行動傷害他，且若能在不被其他大魔鬼察覺的情況下，他們願給予其一定協助。若阿斯莫德斯與彼列同時在場，地獄軍團會嘗試抓捕彼列，因為他們不願承受 地獄君主the Lord of Hell 的怒火。彼列的其他盟友是撒旦及其追隨者。除前述地獄軍團外，其敵對方與撒旦相同。然而，其他魔鬼對彼列的憎恨更甚於對撒旦，因為在掌權時期，彼列代撒旦行了諸多污穢之事，且他似乎樂於此般折磨眾魔。
BELIAL(pronounced BEE-lee-ul; the name means "Worthlessness"); At one time, Belial was the devil in charge of politicians, the supreme commander of the armies of Hell and the personal lieutenant of Satan. He now spends most of his time on the run throughout the multiverse. In the Lesser Key of Solomon, a medieval grimoire which lists and describes most of the arch-devils, Belial is described as a beautiful angelic being riding a chariot of fire, and his voice is pleasant to listen to. Belial's Chariot of Fire has thre times the hit points and capacity of a Chariot of Sustarre, but otherwise it is equivalent in all respects. If it is destroyed, he can replace it the next day. He has the power of beguiling, with an extra -2 on the defender's saving throw. Those who wish to summon Belial must sacrifice something of great value to the summoner, because he wishes to avoid being summoned by a potential enemy, of whom he has many. Once per turn or melee round, Belial mayuseany one of the following powers at will: pyrotechnics, produce flame, wall of fire, light, read languages, read magic, detect invisible, locate object, invisibility, beguiling (as noted above), geas, restoration, raise dead fully, (fulfill another's) wish. Once per day he can find a familiar of the summoner's choice automatically, and use a symbol of fear and a symbol of stunning. His skill in dealing with politicians is almost equal to that of Asmodeus, although Asmodeus will attempt to punish anyone that he finds out has been consorting with Belial. As the former commander of the armies of Hell, he still commands great respect from the troops (somewhat like Napoleon). They will not directly act to harm him, and they will give him some assistance if they can do so without being caught by the other arch-devils. In the presence of both Asmodeus and Belial, the armies of Hell will make an attempt to capture Belial, because they do not want the anger of the Lord of Hell upon them. Belial's other allies are Satan and his followers. His enemies are the same as those of Satan, except for the armies of Hell as stated. However, the other devils have more enmity for Belial than for Satan, because Belial did a lot of Satan's dirty workwhen they were in charge, and Belial seemed to enjoy harassing the devils.

亞斯塔羅斯Astaroth

　　出現頻率FREQUENCY：唯一Unique（非常罕見Very rare）
　　出現數量NO. APPEARING：1
　　防禦等級ARMOR CLASS：-6
　　移動速度MOVE：18" 本人by himself
　　　　　　　　　　　　9"/24" 乘龍on dragon
　　生命骰HIT DICE：155 點points
　　在巢穴中概率% IN LAIR：95%
　　寶藏類型TREASURE TYPE：無限制unlimited
　　攻擊次數NO. OF ATTACKS：1 次（外加毒蛇plus snake）
　　傷害/攻擊DAMAGE/ATTACK：1-8（見《怪物圖鑑》關於毒蛇的介紹See Monster Manual for snake）
　　特殊攻擊SPECIAL ATTACK：+3 或更好的武器才能擊中（+3 or better weapon to hit）
　　魔法抗力MAGIC RESISTANCE：80%
　　智力INTELLIGENCE：超級天才Supra-genius
　　陣營ALIGNMENT：守序邪惡Lawful evil
　　體型SIZE：大型L（8呎）
　　靈能能力PSIONIC ABILITY：特殊Special
　　　　　　攻擊/防禦模式Attack/Defense Modes：特殊Special

　　亞斯塔羅斯ASTAROTH：這位 大魔鬼arch-devil 乃 地獄財務大總管the Treasurer of Hell。他原本位階次於 別西卜Beelzebub 與 亞得米勒Adramelech 位列第三，如今卻頗為獨立於當前政權。名義上他仍居第三，次於 阿斯莫蒂斯Asmodeus 與 巴爾澤布Baalzebul，然除非情勢危急，二者皆不會試圖對亞斯塔羅斯行使等級威權。同樣，他從不差遣其他魔鬼，但若欲成事，有時會以利益交換。其形如威儀人形，身高八尺，略顯富態且衣着華貴，周身瀰漫不義之財的濁氣。他還散發着燃燒惡臭，致使30呎內所有生靈遭受1-6點火焰傷害，但 火抗戒指ring of fire resistance 或同類防護可抵禦此傷害。此外，10呎內需進行對抗毒素豁免檢定，否則將因惡臭昏迷2-12回合，除非能於1回合內獲得 中和毒性Neutralize Poison 效果。（若可避免，在大魔鬼面前昏迷實非明智之舉。）亞斯塔羅斯通常騎乘着一條超大型的古紅龍，右臂纏繞一條大型蝮蛇（巨毒蛇）。其左臂攻擊可造成1-8傷害——與多數魔鬼相同，他乃左利手。
ASTAROTH: This arch-devil is the Treasurer of Hell. He used to be third in the hierarchy behind Beelzebub and Adramelech, but now he acts rather independently of the current regime. Nominally he is still third, behind Asmodeus and Baalzebul, although neither of them would try to pull rank on Astaroth except in a dire emergency. Likewise he never orders other devils around, but sometimes he will exchange favors if he wants something done. He appears as an awesome man-like being who stands 8' in height. He looks somewhat overweight and richly dressed,reeking with filthylucre. He is also reeking with aburning stench which will cause l-6 points of fire damage to all creatures within 30', although a ring of fire resistance or its equivalent will protect a being against this. Still, one must make a saving throw versus poison within 10' or lose consciousness from the smell for 2-12 turns unless one can get a Neutralize Poison within one turn. (Losing consciousness in the presence of an arch-devil is not a very bright thing to do, if one can avoid it.) Astaroth usually rides a huge ancient red dragon, and he carries a large pit viper (giant poisonous snake) wrapped around his right arm. He can also strike with his left arm for 1-8 points of damage because, like most devils, he is left-handed.

　　亞斯塔羅斯隨意使用，每回合或每近戰輪1次，彼列可施展下列任意一項能力：煙火術pyrotechnics，燃火術produce flame，火牆wall of fire，冰風暴ice storm，冰牆術wall of ice，恆久之光continual light，閱讀語言read languages，閱讀魔法read magic，偵測隱形detect invisible，物品定位術locate object，隱形術invisibility，驅散魔法dispel magic，變形術shape change，唬騙術beguiling，統御術rulership，魅惑怪物charm monster，指使術geas，再生術restoration，完全復生術raise dead fully，以及（滿足他人的）許願術limited。每日1次，他可使用以下能力：通曉傳奇legend lore，溝通下層位面contact lower plane，預知術precognition（90%準確性）。他的凝視可造成敵人 混亂confusion（如同法術）。隨意使用，亞斯塔羅斯可創造寶藏，其形式可以為錢幣、寶石或珠寶。裁判將決定其放置了多少財寶、以及攜帶了多少。他能極快地教授任何人文科學。亞斯塔羅斯免疫靈能攻擊，且無法發動靈能攻擊。他在尋找賺錢途徑方面極具創造性。
Astaroth may once per turn or melee round use one of the following powers at will:pyrotechnics, produce flame, wall of fire, ice storm, wall of ice, continual light, read languages, read magic, detect invisible, locate object, invisibility, dispel magic, shape change, beguile, rulership, charm monster, geas, restoration, raise dead fully, (fulfill another's) wish. Once per day he may do each of the following: legend lore, contact lower plane and precognition (90% accurate). His gaze causes confusion to his enemies (as spell). Astaroth can create treasure, in the form of coins, gems or jewelry, at will. The referee will determine how much he has lying around, and how much can be carried away. He can teach any of the liberal artsvery quickly. Astaroth is immune to psionic attack and he cannot make a psionic attack. He is very inventive in finding out ways to make money.

　　亞斯塔羅斯會主動談及魔鬼的墮落，卻絕口不提自己在那事件中的角色。事實上，他的言行舉止仿佛自己並未受墮落影響，宛如仍在無私地為上帝旨意與人類福祉效力。然而他畢竟是位高權重的魔鬼，多數魔鬼對他懷有深切的敬畏並主動退避。對其所言必須持保留態度。耐人尋味的是，多方資料表明亞斯塔羅斯除履行掌管財政事務的職責外，還兼任監督美國境內魔鬼活動的職務。這似乎暗示魔鬼們認定美利堅合眾國具有非凡的重要性與地位，畢竟沒有任何其他國家由如此高階的魔鬼監管。美國人承受的所有商業型態問題，或許也部分歸因於他。當然，也可能只是人類自己創造了如此龐大的愚行。真相無人確知（或許上帝除外，屆時祂必將追究責任者的行為）。
Astaroth will willingly talk about the fall of the devils, but he does not speak of his own part in that event. In fact, he acts as though he was not subject to the fall, as if he were still working selflessly for the will of God and the good of mankind. Nevertheless, he is a devil of great power, and most devils give him great respect and a wide berth. One must take what he says with a grain of salt. Curiously enough, a number of sources state that Astaroth, in addition to his duties function as the devil responsible for financial matters, is also the devil in charge of supervising the activities of devils in the United Sates. This would seem to indicate that the devils find the United States of great importance and stature, for no other nation has a devil of such rank overseeing it. He may also be partially responsible for allthe commercial type that Ameri- cans are subject to. Then again, it could just be that mere men create such colossal inanity., No one knows for sure (except maybe God, in which case He will hold those culpable to account for their actions).

　　備註：《所羅門的小鑰匙》告誡道，召喚阿斯莫蒂斯時，召喚者不得佩戴任何頭部飾物，否則阿斯莫蒂斯將矇騙召喚者。此禁忌包括頭盔及其他所有頭飾。有備方能無患。
N.B.The Lesser Key of Solomon warns that when conjuring Asmodeus, the summoner must not be wearing anything on his head, or else Asmodeus will deceive the summoner. That includes helms and other headgear. Forewarned is forearmed.

2e<On Hallowed Ground.p048>類神力Near-Powers（節選）

出版時間：1996

類神力Near-Powers

　　在諸位面的萬千屁民中，從下三濫爬到萬人之上並非聞所未聞。但毫無疑問，爬得越高、敵人就越多，他們在那個巔峰呆的時間可不會太長。而這一殘酷的事實並不能勸退每個惡棍的攀登嘗試，時不時仍會有少數一兩個幸運兒爬上山頂、死抓着權力之柄、與所有後來者殊死搏鬥。
Among the creatures of the planes, it's not at all uncommon for lowly beings to rise to heights of great power. No doubt they'd stay there longer if it weren't for the fact that the higher a body gets, the more enemies he has. But that doesn't stop every basher in the multiverse from trying to improve, and every once in a while a lucky few claw their way to the top, hold onto power tenaciously, and fight off all comers.
[印記城黑話：Body——就是"someone"在位面間的說法；Basher——某人，中性詞。一般但不總是，暗指其是個暴徒或打手.]

　　本章中所寫的老鳥並非神明（至少暫時還不是），但也差不離了。祂們像散發着惡臭的屍體般、渾身瀰漫着神性的氣息。你瞧，靠着爬上屍堆墳頭，祂們打響了自己的名號，並從腳下的傢伙身上唬弄到了讚美與敬拜。當然，祂們的力量等級差別賊大。最鶸的 深淵領主Abyssal lord，也不是 萬獸園the Beastlands 動物領主animal lord 中的最強鳥可以匹敵的。但名望可以轉化為原始的力量。某一老鳥讓越多人知道自己，越有可能進入諸神的領域。
The bloods in this section aren't gods - yet. But they're close. The smell of divinity surrounds them like the stench of a reeking corpse. See, by climbing the heap, they made names for themselves, and are rewarded with praise and worship from those beneath them. Course, they have vastly different levels of strength. The toughest animal lord on the Beastlands is still no match for the weakest Abyssal lord. But fame does translate into raw power. The more folks who know a blood's name, the more likely it is that he'll pass into the realms of mythic belief.
[印記城黑話：Blood——專家，智者或是任何領域的老鳥。一個角鬥士冠軍可以是一個 blood, 一個強大的巫師也可以是blood.稱呼某人為blood是對其特別尊敬的一種表示.]

　　並非所有 類神力near-powers 都「想」成為羽翼豐滿的神明；祂們自覺力量已經夠了，並且時不時會屈尊紆貴地與凡人發生些瓜葛。但無論如何，所有類神力都是些危險存在，能給位面行者的最好建議就是遠遠避開。
Not all near-powers want to become full-fledged gods; they feel they have plenty of strength as it is, and they aren't above interacting with mortals. But all of these beings are dangerous, and the best advice for a planewalker is to steer clear.
[印記城黑話：Planewalker——位面行者．指在位面間旅行，尋求冒險，金錢與光榮的人――即位面旅行冒險者．通常，指稱某人為planewalker時，都會帶有一種尊敬語氣，因為這樣的個體被認為是能幹的，知識淵博且閱歷豐富的強鳥．]

　　這些老鳥看守着 九層地獄the Nine Hells，祂們便是 巴托地獄Baator 各層面的頭兒。祂們的存在讓 深獄煉魔pit fiend 看上去就是些殘廢的遊魂，而且據說，這些傢伙便是各自領地的真正具現。畢竟地獄的每個層面都反映了其領主的個性，反過來，每位領主也都反映着他那一層面的特質。這兩者之間以一種奇怪而神秘的方式互相作用，那些下層位面學者們相信，祂們最終將在一些邪惡的燦爛閃光中達成聯盟。
These are the bloods who watch over the Nine Hells, the rulers of the layers of Baator. They make pit fiends look like crippled lemures, and it's said they're the vely embodiments of their respective lands. Each layer reflects the personality of its lord, and each lord reflecls the personality of his layer. The two act on each other in ways strange and mysterious, and lower-planar scholars believe they'll eventually achieve union in some brilliant flash of evil
[印記城黑話：Blood——專家，智者或是任何領域的老鳥。一個角鬥士冠軍可以是一個 blood, 一個強大的巫師也可以是blood.稱呼某人為blood是對其特別尊敬的一種表示.]

九位領主中，有七位眾所周知並留有名諱Seven of the nine lords are known and named：
　　●迪斯帕特大公Archduke Dispaler，第二層（迪斯）領主Lord of the Second (Dis)
　　●第三層（彌瑙洛斯）子爵the Viscount Minauros of the Third (Minauros)
　　●菲爾娜Fierana，第四層（弗萊格索斯）女士Lady of the Fourth (Phlegethos)
　　●第五層（斯泰吉亞）萊維思圖斯親王Prince Levistus of the Fifth (Slygia)
　　●馬拉嘉德Malagard，第六層（瑪爾博吉）鬼婆女伯爵the Hag Countess of the Sixth (Malbolge)
　　●「墮落執政官」特里爾Triel the Fallen Archon，第七層（馬拉多米尼）大公Archduke of the Seventh (Maladomini)
　　●莫里克羅斯Molikroth，第八層（卡尼亞）男爵Baron of the Eighth (Cania)

　　據說第一層的真正領主已被她的督軍——深獄煉魔 拜爾Bel——囚禁，後者目前正在她的宮殿中統治着 阿佛納斯Avernus。至於第九層領主——就像 奈瑟斯Nessus 的大部分地方一樣，仍然是個謎。傳言說他的出現早於其祂領主，並且揣着一根標示着他在九層地獄秘密會議統治權的紅寶石權杖。
The true Lord of the First is said to have been imprisoned by her warlord, the pit fiend Bel, who now rules Avernus in her place. And as for the Lord of the Ninth - well, he's still a mystery, just like most of Nessus itself. Chant is he predates the other lords and carries a ruby rod to signify his rulership over the conclave of the Nine.
[印記城黑話：chant—表示新聞，本地閒話，事實，情形或者其他任何有關當前局勢的事情. ]

　　是的，當前在任的領主們並非很久以前凡人記錄的那幾位，這可不是什麼秘密。在原任領主們膝下奉承的巴特祖貴族很好地從主子那裏學會了怎麼玩弄政治，並最終推翻了在位統治的巴佬。毫無疑問，這些原任領主是被自己的僕人蹶下來的。事實上，在過去的億萬年間這種事可能發生了幾十次。
It's no dark that the current lords aren't the same ones who came to mortal knowledge long ago. The noble baatezu serving below the original lords learned the politics of their masters well and eventually overthrew the domineering berks. No doubt they were overthrown by their servants in turn. Fact is, its probably happened dozens of times over the eons.
[印記城黑話：Dark——任何秘密可稱為dark. "Here's the dark of it,"等於說 "I've got a secret and I'll share it with you." ]
[印記城黑話：Berk——巴佬。一個笨蛋，尤指那些因為搞不清狀況而把自己捲入大麻煩的傢伙。]

　　在那些原任領主（就是那些古人所知曉的傢伙們）身上發生了什麼？大部分可能都變成了肉，很可能就是被丟進了阿佛納斯的蟲窩裏餵那些幼蟲。如果祂們重生為了低級形態的魔鬼，祂們也無疑未顯露出自己曾經輝煌的天賦才華。但原任領主群體中有兩位完好無損地倖存了下來：迪斯帕特Dispater，第二層領主；以及 提亞瑪特Tiamat，邪龍族類的女王。當然，她已經被降級為被拴在 迪斯Dis 入口的看門狗——這和支配着整個層面可不一樣。不過，最近的傳言說她從未當過地獄領主，這倒是與大眾的一般認知相悖。
What happened to the original lords —the ones known to ancient mortals? Most're long since meat, probably consigned to the larva pits of Avernus. If they were reborn into lesser forms, they've certainly not shown the aptitude for brilliance they once had. But two of the original pack have survived intact: Dispater, Lord ot the Second; and Tiamat, queen of evil dragonkind. Course, she's been relegated to a watchdog position at the entrance to Dis — hardly the same as commanding an entire layer. Besides, chant today says she never a lord, contrary to popular belief.

　　那麼現任領主們的巴特祖僕人們仍在嘗試推翻他們的主子嗎？你最好把問號去掉，巴佬。不過在表面上，他們可是碧血丹心、忠貞不貳。他們會嘗試羞辱自己領主的對手或是讓對方丟人來提升自己。當然，這些領主也在鼓勵下級們之間互相如此相待，因為這將促進瀰漫在整個位面的邪惡。
Do the bautezu servants of the current lords still seek to overthrow their masters? Better believe it, berk. But on the surface, they're loyal. They seek to elevate themselves by embarrassing or humiliating their lord's rivals. Naturally, the lords encourage this sort of interplay among their inferiors, for it increases the evil that permeates the plane.

　　諸領主之下邪魔貴族的等級制度極其繁複晦澀。巴特祖魔鬼是故意為之，這樣，就只有貴族們知道誰該站在哪裏。自認在與某一貴族作對的低級邪魔（和凡人們）們，可能反而在幫助對方。在學會玩轉這個陰謀遊戲前，你需要先置身巴托的政治之網、好好了解這個遊戲。
The hierarchy of noble fiends below the lords is devilishly complicated and convoluted. The baatezu keep it that way on purpose, so only the nobles know exactly who stands where. Lesser fiends (and mortals) might be helping a noble when they think they're working against him. In the web of politics of Baator, a body has to understand the game before he can learn to play it.
[印記城黑話：Body——就是"someone"在位面間的說法.]

　　當然，強鳥們可不會把所有樂趣都留給自己的僕人。據說 九獄諸領主the Lords of the Nine 彼此憎惡，不停計劃將另一人廢黜來擴張自己的權位。祂們一會組成臨時、善變的同盟，一會又輕易地彼此背叛。祂們比多元宇宙的任何老鳥都更了解陰謀詭計的來龍去脈，也熱衷於使用這些陷阱坑害自己的同儕。
Course, the high-ups don't leave all the fun to their servants. It's said the Lords of the Nine hate each other, and they constantly scheme to dethrone one another and grab more power for themselves. They form temporary, shifting alliances and betray each other just as readily. They know the ins and outs of legal trickery better than any blood in the multiverse, and they're not averse to using these traps on each other.
[印記城黑話：High-up—強大的。這可以指一個咒語，地位或任何在可衡量範圍內充滿着力量的事物 。也可以是一個有權有勢的人，高層，比如說，派系長老就是 high-ups。如自稱是「high-up」，則不會是什麼好事，這個詞是其它人用來表示尊敬的。]

　　傳言說九獄諸領主甚至能絞殺地獄的真神——不過出於尊重，祂們選擇不這樣做。如果此言為真，這些領主可以說是相當的寬容。如果這是個謊言，那麼祂們的宣傳機器的確給力，因為巴托地獄的諸神的確沒有顯露出任何挑戰諸領主的跡象。
Chant is the Lords of the Nine could even give the rope to the true powers of the plane - but they choose not to, out of deference. If it's true, the lords are remarkably tolerant. If it's a peel, they've got a remarkably good propaganda machine, because Baator's deities show no inkling of challenging the lords.
[印記城黑話：Give the rope—給條繩子。指絞刑。那些沒有逃脫法律制裁們的被判刑的罪犯們的下場就是這樣，通常只有盜賊們才用此詞。]

　　當然，賽特Set 是個例外，他對任何人能想到的任何情況都有一份計劃預案。有個別巴特祖魔鬼聲稱賽特甚至在計劃推翻 第五層領主Lord of the Fifth 萊維思圖斯親王Prince Levistus。顯然，這位胡狼獸神明已經受夠了與萊維思圖斯對其沙漠神國疆域的爭吵。
Set's an exception, of course - he's got a plot for any circumstance a body could imagine. A few baatezu've said that Set's even planning on overthrowing Prince Levistus, Lord of the Fifth. Apparently, the jackal-headed god has had enough wrangling with Levistus over the size of his desert realm.
[印記城黑話：Body——就是"someone"在位面間的說法.]

　　或許這些領主們就是該位面一些巴特祖魔鬼的信仰對象——祂們受到恐懼與尊重並非是什麼秘密。一些傢伙說九獄諸領主是真神而非類神力。無論如何，在無可計數的歲月中，這些領主已經被研究、分門別類，有關祂們的存在富有爭議、存在爭論，而依託祂們產生的凡人祭司，有些沒有獲得什麼能力，有些則被授予了驚人的威力。
Perhaps the lords are worshiped by some of the baatezu of the plane - it's certainly no dark that they're feared and respected. And some say that the Lords of the Nine are true gods, not near-powers. In any case, for ages beyond reckoning, the lords've been studied and catalogued, their existences debated and fought over, mortal priesthoods established with no abilities forthcoming to some and staggering powers granted to others.

　　如果有什麼值得吸取的教訓，那便是：無論祂們是個啥，這些領主都想保守自己本質真相的秘密。祂們會嘗試毀滅所有證據的痕跡，不過祂們的動作還不夠快，不足以平息諸位面間亂飛的謠言。
If there's a lesson to be learned, it's this: Whatever they are, the lords want the truth of their natures kept dark. They try to destroy all scraps of evidence, but they're not fast enough to squelch all the rumors flying around the planes.