I bore myself if I only work on only one story at a time so I'm doing this one at the same time as my other. They eventually might meet up for some inter-story shenanigans. I'm any event this is mostly 3.5 but with some pathfinder thrown in.
Deep within hell is the fourth layer Phlegethon, the forges of hell. Within this circle some of the greatest items in the multiverse are made. Within the vats and cauldrons of molten steel and souls a custom job was done, a deal done as a favor for an archfiend. Aegrizok watched as an Ice devil lowered tongs into the vat of liquid mortal souls and pulled from it an essence purified of morality and memories. It set it upon a forge and began to shape it as one would soft metal. Aegrizok grunted and moved on from the scene, the ice devil had appeared with orders from an Infernal Duke. It commanded the ice devil be allowed to forge a new being from the vats, in any case he didn't care as long as it didn't slow down his work./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As the Ice Devil shaped the soul into something resembling a tiny humanoid an imp appeared carrying a crystal. In flew onto the edge of the forge and presented it to him. The Ice Devil Isheel took it and released the soul it held into it's current work. The imp looked intrigued, "Why would you do this? That is the soul of one who has not been cleansed." And so the Ice Devil paused and faced him "Be gone, this is of the will of one most foul. It is not for the likes of you." She shooed the imp away and resumed her work. The soul she had added was not that of a mortal as he would believe and tell others. In fact it was a soul strongly aligned with chaos and evil, it was the essence of a Quasit a demon and the sworn enemy of all devil kind. The soul slowly began taking on the form of a Quasit. When Isheel was finally finished she began the long journey out of hell./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Isheel traveled to a new world, a small demiplane within the astral plane which was the temporary domain of a pit fiend./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As Isheel arrived she brought the newly formed Quasit to the lord of the domain, the Infernal duke Namen. She presented it to the fiend and he inspected it. Clutching it in his massive claws he looked at it. "Look at this miserable little worm. It's pitiful. I'm not sure how something so weak might be able to make any difference in this war." The ice devil replied in a calm steady voice. "It may be weak but this plan has been well calculated. The demons are brutal but with the advantages of having us back him, even secretly, should be more than enough to ensure his promotion up the ranks. Whichever one makes it should be more than strong enough for our purposes. In any case we have all the time in the multiverse to watch our plan come to fruition."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Isheel took the Quasit back and headed deeper into the palace that was this demiplane. In a deep chamber were a dozen other Quasits that were formed within the last few weeks. She set the Quasit down and let it explore./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The room was a nursery of sorts, small Quasit sized buildings had been made and things had been set out for them to explore. Perched upon several of the obstacles around the room were other Quasits. They watched with deadly interest and hungry eyes. Isheel saw the newest one move into the small city. And begin climbing one of the 10 foot tall buildings. Several of the others jumped at it and began beating it and cursing at it in harsh Abyssal. Isheel smiled at the sight and thought to herself, /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"excellent they naturally speak Abyssal. Soon the strongest ones will be all that are left and we will have the perfect soldiers for this mission./spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" She left the room and went to continue her research and review of the plan./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Quasit gang surrounded the newest arrival, they were led by one named Olig one of the oldest. He stepped up to him "Hey you worm! First thing you need to know is that I'm the boss I'm Olig. Now you, you look like a wimp so I think I'm gonna call you Skum cause that's all you are. Look at this wimpy thing." With that they all broke out in cackling laughter and hackles. The newcomer looked around and saw all of the creatures. He was surrounded by structures like he had seen when they traveled from the forges of his birth. They were much smaller than those he had seen but looked much the same, warped twisted columns of metal rose and merged with blackened glass. The twisted spires curved into bridges and led to the other structures. Upon some of the buildings clung perched creatures like himself with sickly green or vivid red skin and long razor sharp claws and a few of them had wings wrapping around their forms. The things that stood around him brandished their claws and needle like teeth./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He stood up and confronted the leader. The newcomer didn't know his own name until he thought about it. "I'm not slime, my name is Gren Vall!" The name felt right to him, it was one of the abyssal words for devourer. With that Olig slapped his claws across Gren's face and screamed at him "You are what I say you are!" The others in the circle broke out in hackling again at the abuse and watched as their ring leader beat the newcomer around. Olig smiled wickedly /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Good, another welp that will now bow to me. I just hope he takes long enough to submit for me to have a little fun at it./spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" This continued for a few minutes before the cackling demons left Gren lying there, beaten and bloody. Gren crawled into an alcove next to a spire and rested./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He spent the rest of the night exploring the tiny city. He had to hide a few times from the other Quasits. Finally he climbed one of the spires to a platform and looked down on the city. He saw the Quasits who had beaten him. They were gathered around a small sort of quart speaking. As he watched the city a Quasit snuck up behind him. He grabbed Gren and pulled him down readying his claws. "Well well well. What do we have here? It looks like fresh meat. Now you listen close, Olig may say he's in charge but you listen to me. He tells you something you come to me, Drunn. You understand? Good, now get off my roof." With that Drunn shoved him from the roof to the floor 10 feet below./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Gren made his way to the edge of the tiny city several hundred feet away twitching and looking all ways at once. At seemingly every turn his demon eyes cut through the pitch black and saw more of the gangs of Quasits threatened him and growled for him to stay away. When he reached the edge of the city he found the wall to be smooth and featureless. He managed to squeeze into a hidden alcove in one of the spires and rested the rest of the night. For the next few days he rarely left and just gathered his strength. The only times he left was when it was dark, he stuck to the shadows and climbed along the catwalks between the spires. Occasionally Isheel or some other devil would appear and speak to a few of the Quasits before leaving again. Gren had no idea why he was here, he just tried to survive./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A week after Gren was brought to this place he was sneaking along the catwalks and he spied a figure perched on an edge watching down below, it was Drunn and he was watching Olig's gathering again. Gren crept slowly behind Drunn and readied his claws. When he reached him he lunged forward. He jammed his claws into the Quasits sides and clamped down hard with his fangs. The lunge carried them both off the platform and down. Gren managed to keep Drunn beneath him and they both collided into the hard stone below, It was a short fall but it stunned Drunn and Gren used the opportunity to madly slash and bite repeatedly. The shrieks of his foe rang out and echoed in the chamber but they did nothing to save him. After just moments it was over as Gren clamped his jaw down hard, he felt the life drain into him from Drunn. He stood and flexed. Thick ichor coated much of him and the tiny body of his enemy lie at his feet, rended and limp. Gren left it where it was and went back to his hole. This time he walked proud and strong, the demons who saw him shrank away after the screams of his fight. Only once was he confronted, a lone Quasit stepped out of the shadows and looked ready to attack but paused and thought better of it when he saw him covered in black reeking ichor./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The next day a Bone Devil came and commanded them all to follow. With him was Isheel and another Ice Devil. All of the Quasits gathered and began following down long stone corridors. Gren saw nothing of the body from the night before. They all moved along eyeing each other suspiciously and a few fights broke out. For the first of these the Bone Devil roared at them and when they didn't stop he impaled one with it's massive tail. And flung the body to the side. After that all the fights ended with just a sharp look or a growl from one of larger Devils. They walked for several minutes before they ended up in the large throne room of Namen./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Namen sat upon his raised throne with an Imp whispering in his ear and they all waited, the muttered chattering of the Quasits were like a low rumble through the room. After a minute with the Ice Devils appearing impatient the Imp flew off with a few words from the Pit Fiend. He looked to them and they silenced. He examined them for a while before he spoke. "Hmm, it appears a your number has lowered in the past few days. No matter, there are still more than enough of you. Now I'm sure many of you wonder why you were made. It was in fact so that you could serve the great Infernal lords in the blood war, with your help we might even be able to push this war closer to victory." As he spoke Gren noticed the Ice Devils closely watching their reactions and whispering to one another. "You have all been made, and in these demonic forms no less." He spat the last part out with disgust. "So that you might infiltrate the demon ranks themselves. After you have learned what you need to, you will be sent into the abyss itself where you will strive to ingratiate yourself with the demon lords and rise through their ranks. Once you have done so you will be our hands within the demonic forces. But in order to do this you must learn what a real Quasit would know by the time it went to the abyss. You are but freshly pulled from the cauldrons of souls and as such you know nothing and have not even the strength of a real Quasit, and so you must train and study." He went on informing them on the details of their training before he finally said. "Now that is all. You will follow Isheel and Lamel to learn,now go." As he finished the Imp returned and his attention was gone from them./span/p