Ahriman, The Serpent King
“Order is not born from peace, but from domination. The world shall kneel to law carved in flame and forged in shadow.”
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Realm of Influence: The Material Plane, the Hells of Affwys, Order, War, Tyranny
Current Status: The Yellow Lord of Citragadda, Supreme Strategist of the Divine Order, Architect of the Coming Age
Summary of the Cult of Ahriman
The Cult of Ahriman is the most powerful and insidious organization of infernal worshipers in Kol. Operating as a global network of cults, noble houses, and infernal clergy, the Cult venerates Ahriman, the Lord of the Hells and master of tyranny, deception, and cosmic domination. Unlike chaotic cults that seek destruction, the Cult of Ahriman operates with cold precision, infiltrating governments, subverting religions, and corrupting entire empires. Ahriman’s influence spreads silently through law, bureaucracy, and ruthless manipulation, enabling him to dominate without ever raising a sword.
In mortal lands, Ahriman is whispered as the Serpent King and Tyrant Below, a primordial god who weaves the chains of servitude into the fabric of societies. His followers preach that domination is the natural order, where only the strong—guided by infernal law—deserve to rule. The Cult thrives on this ethos, binding mortal rulers into contracts sealed in blood and ensuring that every hierarchical system, from governments to guilds, unknowingly serves Ahriman’s agenda.
The Cult of Ahriman is not a singular entity but a network of cells, each led by high-ranking infernal agents known as the Archbinding Circle. Some cells operate openly in tyrannical nations, while others work in shadows, subtly manipulating monarchs, senates, and warlords alike. Their reach extends across all continents of Kol, growing especially powerful after the divine Judgments ceased and the gods of the Court of Citragadda fell into slumber.
The Cult’s ultimate goal is to elevate Ahriman as the sole Lord of Citragadda by ensuring that mortals and divine alike bow to his will. The Cult wages a patient, quiet war of corruption, suppressing rival deities' influence and twisting the world order into a reflection of Ahriman’s infernal hierarchy. As the Age of Ruby falters, the Cult’s machinations accelerate, working toward an apocalyptic transformation of Kol into a realm under Ahriman’s eternal dominion.
Various forms of Ahriman
Tenets of the Cult of Ahriman
Dominate and Rule:
Power is the only true currency; enforce your will and rise above all others.Corruption is a Tool:
Seduce with promises, bind with contracts, and twist kindness into chains.Mercy is Weakness:
Pity and compassion are illusions. Only the ruthless deserve to rule.The Serpent’s Coil:
Expand Ahriman’s influence through law, tyranny, and infernal bargains.Serve the Serpent King:
Devote yourself to Ahriman’s eternal rule; his dominion is inevitable.
Structure of the Cult of Ahriman
The Infernal Chancellor:
The mortal leader of the Cult, the Infernal Chancellor acts as Ahriman’s voice in Kol. Chosen through infernal prophecy and direct communion with devilish archdukes, the Chancellor coordinates the Cult’s continental-scale operations. They are responsible for overseeing the Patriciate’s slow descent into an infernal empire and shaping political, military, and spiritual campaigns that serve Ahriman’s ends.The Archbinding Circle:
This elite council of warlocks, devil-bound clergy, and infernal nobles controls regional cult cells and dictates infernal policy. Members of the Archbinding Circle act as both strategists and high priests, binding countless souls into infernal contracts. They also serve as intermediaries between Ahriman’s devils and mortal rulers, forging alliances sealed with promises of power and immortality.Hellknights:
The militant arm of the Cult, Hellknights are heavily-armored enforcers clad in blackened steel forged in Affwys. They are trained to crush rebellions, enforce infernal contracts, and act as executioners when a ruler defies Ahriman’s will. Feared for their ruthless efficiency and martial prowess, Hellknights often serve as bodyguards for the Archbinding Circle or as commanders of Cult armies.The Contracted:
These are the mortal warlocks, merchants, aristocrats, and kings who have willingly bound themselves to Ahriman through infernal pacts. Some are aware of the full extent of their allegiance; others are manipulated into servitude through trickery. Their wealth, influence, and armies are leveraged by the Cult to extend Ahriman’s reach across Kol.The Bound:
Initiates, spies, and cultists who serve as foot soldiers in Ahriman’s shadow network. The Bound operate in the underbelly of cities, infiltrating guilds, temples, and courts to subtly twist laws and poison institutions with infernal influence..
The Cult of Ahriman in the Age of Ruby
The Age of Ruby’s collapse has provided fertile ground for the Cult of Ahriman to expand its power across Kol. With the Judgments paused and the gods of the Court of Citragadda dormant, divine opposition has weakened, allowing Ahriman’s followers to manipulate mortal governments with little resistance. While the surface world turns chaotic, the Cult tightens its grip behind closed doors, ensuring that legal systems, mercantile guilds, and militaries are beholden to Ahriman’s agents.
The Patriciate Empire is the Cult’s crowning achievement in the mortal realms. Once a beacon of knowledge and order under Gris, it has since become a hollow shell controlled by infernal clergy masquerading as noble advisors and religious officials. Every law passed and conquest undertaken serves Ahriman’s goal of forging a world where contracts and chains are indistinguishable.
In subterranean cities, the Cult works to weaken rival powers such as the Black Church, fanning flames of rebellion while subtly offering aid to factions willing to bend the knee to the Serpent King. Cult agents undermine opposition through corruption, coercion, and assassination, preferring political subjugation over open warfare. The cults efforts help culminate to the Black Church’s loss of their temple and Capital, Rgahlunieath.
As the Age of Ruby wanes, the Cult positions itself as the hidden hand guiding Kol toward the prophesied apocalyptic conflict known as Annwn Tân Parhaol, ensuring that when the final battle comes, Ahriman will stand as the unrivaled Red Lord of Citragadda with his general, Udrim, ascended to the throne of the Black Lord.
The Cult of Ahriman’s Control of the Gris Empire
The Cult's manipulation of Gris’s former empire began subtly, through infiltration of the Church of Gris and slow corruption of the Praetorian council. With key nobles and clergy bound by infernal contracts, the Patriciate’s original vision of enlightenment was replaced with tyranny cloaked in the guise of order and tradition.
Using the bureaucratic machinery and militaristic discipline of the Patriciate, the Cult transformed the empire into an efficient tool of conquest. Expansionism is now framed as divine duty, masking the Cult’s deeper goal of looting the Great Oubliettes and feeding Ahriman’s hunger for cosmic dominance.
Today, the Patriciate is a sprawling empire under infernal rule, where bureaucrats and military commanders unknowingly enforce the Cult’s decrees. Any within the government who suspect the empire’s infernal masters are swiftly silenced or “contracted” into compliance.
The Blood War: Ahriman’s Devils vs. Renji’s Demons
The Blood War is an eternal struggle between Ahriman’s regimented devils and Renji’s chaotic demons. Ahriman represents tyranny, hierarchy, and domination through order, while Renji champions chaotic destruction, conquest, and primal indulgence.
Where Ahriman’s armies thrive on contracts, oaths, and disciplined military tactics, Renji’s demonic legions overwhelm through sheer numbers and unpredictable assaults. Their forces clash endlessly in the abyssal reaches and on mortal battlegrounds, fighting not only for territory but for the very ideology of Law vs. Chaos.
Though temporary truces are occasionally forged to combat mutual threats, neither side trusts the other. The Cult of Ahriman actively undermines Renji’s demonic incursions into Kol, viewing them as disorderly threats to their vision of an infernal utopia.
Ahriman’s Primordial History
Ahriman was once a primordial serpent god predating the creation of Kol, surviving the Great Crush that obliterated the Forgotten Realms. Originally one of the oldest beings vying for cosmic dominance, he warred with his sister Auriel and other ancient entities for control of reality itself.
When the gods of Kol rose from the ashes of the Great Crush, Ahriman positioned himself as a master manipulator, corrupting celestials to create the first devils and weaving himself into the cosmic order. Though temporarily defeated by divine alliances, Ahriman was never truly vanquished, waiting for cycles of weakness to renew his dominion.
With the divine slumber of Ansil, Auriel, and Ceslida, Ahriman once again moves freely, reshaping empires and cosmologies alike in pursuit of ultimate power.
Summary of Affwys
The Affwys can be found in deep, spiraling pits created where Ahriman’s serpent form crashed into Kol during the Great Crush. These gouges burrow through Kol’s crust and pierce the veils between realms, tunneling deep into cosmic layers of reality.
The deepest depths of these pits house infernal cities and fortresses where Ahriman’s legions dwell. Affwys mirrors Ahriman’s former home, the Nine Hells of the Forgotten Realms, but is uniquely marked by serpentine architecture, oppressive gravity wells, and laws dictated by Ahriman himself. Infernal forges, courts of devils, and vast bureaucratic hellscapes populate these abyssal depths.
Mortals view Affwys as bottomless abysses where the light of Kol never penetrates. Those who fall are said to descend endlessly, passing through layers of infernal courts before either perishing or becoming slaves to devilish overlords.
Spiritually, Affwys is also a reflection of Ahriman’s doctrine: a pit where order and domination crush hope beneath oppressive layers of law and iron chains.
Annwn Tân Parhaol & Relationship with the Black Church
"Beneath the veil of the stars and stone, the Black Queen shall awaken. Ahriman shall cast his armies upon the world, and Citragadda shall echo with the roar of burning witches. The Great Tree shall fall, its roots torn asunder by the breath of the ancient ones, from beyond the beginning and bringing the end. Only then will the gods be humbled by the hearts of Krajevi and the flames of Malthor."
Annwn Tân Parhaol ("The Enduring Fire of the Underworld") is the prophetic apocalypse where the Black Church believes Ahriman will rise as Black Lord of Citragadda and ignite the End of Times. The Black Church prepares for this through silent Crusades, seeking to delay or stop Ahriman’s inevitable dominion.
Despite their philosophical opposition, the Black Church does not view Ahriman as merely an evil to destroy—but as a necessary force in the cosmic balance. However, if his rise goes unchecked, they believe it will plunge Kol into an age of eternal tyranny and suffering.
Relationship with Daughter - Glasya
Ahriman, the Lord of the Hells, is the embodiment of tyranny, order, and domination within the pantheon of Kol. A surviving primordial god from the Forgotten Realms, Ahriman manipulates reality itself through infernal law, subjugation, and ruthless hierarchy. His presence is felt in every dark contract, every oppressive government, and every corrupt court across Kol. A serpent god who survived the Great Crush, Ahriman has woven his influence into the very fabric of Kol's laws and empires. His cult operates in secrecy and open tyranny alike, spreading his will from the courts of mortal kings to the infernal depths of Affwys.
Yet beneath this veneer of ruthless supremacy lies a single, undeniable flaw—Ahriman's daughter, Glasya. Glasya is his only beloved, a being born of infernal blood and celestial rebellion. While Ahriman is the master of domination, Glasya represents cunning, independence, and the chaotic spark within the infernal order. Despite his dominion over legions of devils and mortal empires, Ahriman’s devotion to Glasya is the one bond that tempers his absolute ruthlessness. He has spared enemies at her request, tolerated insubordination from her where none would dare, and shielded her from rival infernal lords.
Glasya, while respected, feared, and filled with unbreaking loyal to her father, she is also prophesied to be the key to Ahriman’s downfall. Ancient oracles of Kol and beyond have foretold that through Glasya, the coils of the serpent king will one day be broken. Some prophecies suggest she will lead a rebellion within Affwys, while others whisper that she will betray Ahriman in a moment of critical weakness, shattering his bid for total control of Citragadda. Whether she is aware of this prophecy or seeks to fulfill it remains a mystery, as Glasya is as enigmatic as she is dangerous.
Despite this looming fate, Ahriman does not waver in his love for Glasya. He grooms her as both his heir and his confidante, entrusting her with influence over infernal politics, mortal cults, and demonic negotiations. He truly believes she is the future of the Hells and devilkind. Where Ahriman brings chains and contracts, Glasya brings whispers and daggers, often undermining rivals with charm and subterfuge. Her reputation as the "Serpent’s Fang" has spread across both the Material Plane and the infernal depths of Affwys.
Together, Ahriman and Glasya represent a volatile balance of power within Kol's infernal hierarchy. Ahriman’s iron grip over empires and devils is counterbalanced by Glasya’s cunning autonomy and hidden potential to undo everything he has built. Their dynamic casts a long shadow over Kol, as cultists, rivals, and even divine forces quietly watch, wondering when the prophecy will unfold—and who will survive when it does.
Rituals and Dogma of the Cult of Ahriman
The Infernal Pact
An initiation rite where new cultists swear oaths to Ahriman before a Red Altar lit by infernal flame. The initiate offers blood, signs a pact in infernal script, and has their soul tethered to a minor devil or devil lord as part of their servitude. This ritual seals their fate, granting them minor infernal powers but binding them eternally to the Cult.
The Coiling Mass
A secretive mass performed during lunar eclipses where the Cult communes with emissaries of Affwys. Offerings of sacrificial blood are poured into infernal fonts, and selected members receive divine visions from Ahriman’s archdevils. The Concordat outlines long-term manipulation of key cities and kingdoms.
The Serpent’s Hiss
An infernal liturgy whispered at the heart of the Cult’s Tabernacles. Cultists chant passages from the Chains of Serpent Law, reinforcing their devotion and invoking Ahriman’s dominion over mortal affairs. It is typically performed before political assassinations or during critical stages of empire expansion.
Prayers of the Cult of Ahriman
Prayer of Binding
"Ahriman, Lord of the Hells, bind my foes and bend their wills. Let your coils choke out rebellion, and your word be law eternal."
The Serpent’s Invocation
"Serpent King, I offer my oath, sharpen my tongue, and strengthen my grip. Your dominion shall consume all."
Devotion of the Pit
"In Affwys deep and Hells below,
Your loyal servants strike each blow.
Ahriman, let your darkness reign,
All beneath your iron chain."
Hymns of the Cult of Ahriman
Hymn of the Serpent’s Coil
"Through coil and scale, dominion grows,
The serpent’s path, the tyrant knows.
Ahriman reigns, eternal Lord,
With chains of flame and iron sword."
Song of Infernal Might
"Devils march and mortals fall,
In crimson courts, we heed the call.
Ahriman’s whispers crown the night,
His rule is dark, his law is might."
Chant of the Eternal Tyrant
"Bow to the serpent, bow to the flame,
The Lord of Hells shall rise again.
Through pacts and pain, our chains are sealed,
Before the serpent, all shall yield."
Sermons of the Cult of Ahriman
"The Chains That Liberate"
"Chains are not mere bonds—they are salvation. Mortals stray into ruin when left unbound, but with Ahriman’s coils, they are disciplined, focused, and made useful. The free will of mortals is an illusion, easily bent to the serpent’s whisper. Enslave not just their bodies, but their minds, and you shall rule forever."
"The Serpent’s Gift"
"Ahriman’s gift is control. Control over empires, over souls, and over destiny itself. The weak fear domination, but the wise wield it. Become the hand that binds, and claim the strength of the Serpent King."
"The Inevitability of the Affwys"
"The slumber of the gods has left Kol adrift. Yet beneath the crust, in the pits of Affwys, Ahriman sharpens his fangs. The world grows ripe for his ascension, and when Annwn Tân Parhaol dawns, the serpent will no longer whisper—he will roar. Prepare your minds and your swords, for the serpent’s dominion is not a possibility; it is fate."
