Bel

Bel was once an archdevil in the Nine Hells that acted as the Warlord of Avernus until he was supplanted by Zariel. He was a military genius that specialized in misdirection and led with careful tactics in contrast to his successor's berserker fury.

Description
Despite being an archdevil, Bel still closely resembled a pit fiend, appearing as a tall, crimson-scaled colossus with massive, bat-like wings, clawed extremities, and fangs that dripped a green, smoking venom. His visage was brutal and bestial but nonetheless infernal, warped by innumerable years of willful wickedness and hatred.

Abilities
Bel was acknowledged as one of the greatest military minds in the multiverse.

Activities
As the lead general in the Blood War, Bel spent most of his time and energy advancing the devils' agenda against the demons. However, he had little time left over for other pursuits, such as establishing a mortal cult. Because of that, he was the only archdevil who did not have a cult, although some warriors worshiped him.

Relationships
Bel originally served the archdevil Zariel, but he betrayed and dethroned her, eventually imprisoning her to absorb her power.

After his uprising, and subsequent transformation into an archdevil, he gained some favor from Asmodeus. However, the other archdevils did not trust him, and often called him the Pretender, due to his all-too-ready betrayal of his mistress. None of the other archdevils moved against him either, though, as Bel's uprising also wiped out most of their operatives.

As much as he lacked support among the other archdevils, Bel did have the support of the Dark Eight, a not-insignificant force itself. Moreover, he began to forge an alliance with Tiamat, who maintained a domain in Avernus.

History
Although an archdevil, Bel was originally a lemure. However, he climbed the ranks of diabolical promotion until he was a pit fiend in the service of Zariel, his predecessor as Lord of the First. Eventually, though, he betrayed her as well, dethroning her in a brutal uprising that left him as the Lord of the First.

Claiming that Bel's tactics were inadequate in defending Avernus from demon incursions, Asmodeus later reinstated Zariel as ruler of Avernus and relegating Bel to a supporting and advisory role. Because Zariel was at the mercy of Tiamat during her demotion, she looked forward to get rid of her presence in Avernus. For that reason, Zariel helped encourage the reformed Cult of the Dragon and the Red Wizards of Thay to summon Tiamat to Toril. Bel and his supporters, however, opposed that decision.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus