Devil, Ashmede (Judgement Devil)

Huge black bat wings extend from the back of this powerful serpentine humanoid. In its claws hands it swings a vicious-looking scythe.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Hell)
Organization solitary or team (2-5)
Treasure double

When the laws of hell are violated it is the ashmede that deliver Asmodeus’s justice. As Asmodeus’s enforcers, the judgement devils track and bring annihilation to any devil who moves against Asmodeus. There is no trial, no plea, and absolutely no warning. Ashmede track violators across the multiverse if necessary.

When a mortal breaks an infernal pact, it is the ashmede that first travel to the Material Plane to collect his soul. The ashmede are not careless combatants. They study their foes, learn their weaknesses and strengths, and strike when their targets are at their weakest. They weaken opponents or scatter other combatants with magical attacks. They then focus on their target, concerned with completing their mission and obeying Asmodeus’s law.

Before the kytons achieved their freedom from Asmodeus’s domain, the ashmede and the so-called chain devils often collaborated on similar missions. Now that kytons are independent entities, they still sometimes provide assistance to the ashmede particularly in cases where Asmodeus wants an oath-breaker to suffer before annihilation. Only lesser kytons will still respond to the summons of an ashmede and over the centuries they may even resist the summons.