The Devil-King Age was a time period from 100 CE to 756 CE, where demon-worshipping wizards ruled over a Sultanate of several city-states. It was cast down by the rise of Islam and an alliance between the mages of the Middle East, but their ruins still lie buried beneath the sands, housing unholy artifacts.
History[]
The roots of the Devil-King Age reach back to ancient Mesopotamia, to the city of Babylon. The Conspiracy of Entemenanki were the first persons to summon entities into the world that should-never-had-been. The first of the Nif'ur en'Daah ("Eaters of the Weak") entered the Cauls and the terrible city of Bhât, among others, was founded, codifying many dark rites that would be used to call down more things from the Darkness. This age, however, was not to last and eventually, powerful magicians, both scientists and mystics, combined their knowledge to expel the demon-worshippers.
For several hundred years, the surviving Eaters of the Weak led a miserable existence at the fringes of society, until one of the Ahl-i-Batin, the murshid Ishaq al-Jannani, entered the Cauls out of his own free will in an attempt to understand the perspective of evil. He emerged as one of the first barabbi, calling himself Ishaq al-Iblis. Under Ishaq's leadership, the various splintered sects of demon-worshippers became united once again. The Oasis of Eternal Bliss, his former Khanate, became the first of the new infernal citadels, while others were constructed or reconstructed. The cities were placed at various commercial routes, which allowed the rulers to amass great wealth, and many visitors were encouraged to join in their debauched rites. It is said that al-Iblis had the aid of various Djinn that resented their enslavement to human wizards, as well as other foul groups, like the Amkhat and various vampires. The populace suffered, with the weak being used as sacrifices and playthings, while the most cunning and strong being tutored in the dark arts. At the height of its rule, the Devil-Kings ruled from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf.
The dynasty of the Devil-Kings lasted until the rise of Muhammed, whose army seemed to be bolstered by divine powers and whose followers wielded True Faith against the minions of the witch-priests. The Ahl-i-Batini and the Taftâni put aside their grudges for a last assault against the Oasis of Eternal Bliss, where they smote the last Devil-King Al-Malek Al-Majun Ibn Iblis and burned the sand to black obsidian. Their vast libraries were torn down and their apprentices killed, but the Devil-Kings had foreseen this. They had hidden their most valuable lore in vaults hidden beneath the sand, waiting to be rediscovered and usher their reign again.
The mages created the Web of Faith to bind the things summoned into the Tellurian by the Devil-Kings, centering it around Mecca and the Kaaba. The result is the Keening that can still be heard by impure supernatural beings. The Batini maintain that the screams of the Keening are those of the former Devil-Kings who are now condemned to hell.
Known Cities[]
Around 600, the Devil-Kings ruled over thirteen great cities, also collectively named the Foul Cities. Among them were:
- The Oasis of Eternal Bliss, their headquarters
- Admah, the Poison Well
- Arrakah, the Golden Pit
- The rebuilt city of Bhât
- The Flesh Gates of Kyphon
- Hel'jibb the Unforgiving
- The Brass Fortress of Irem
- Iyrnntorr
- Quin'che-La
- The rebuilt city of Sodom
- Zeboim the Cankered Whore
- The Bleeding Isle of Zughb
References[]
- MTAs: Dead Magic, p. 43-46
- MTSC: Infernalism: The Path of Screams, p. 21, 23-24, 96-97
- DAM: Dark Ages: Mage Rulebook, p. 163-164
- MTAs: Guide to the Traditions, p. 99
- MTAs: Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 228