The Seven Kings of Hell, also known as the Seven Emperors of Hell or Seven Princes of Hell, are the highest authority in Hell, ranking above the Ars Goetia and all other demons and fallen angels. Even though they're known as the "seven" kings, there has always been far more than seven.
History[]
Fall from Grace[]
The Seven Kings were originally high-ranking angels that resided within Heaven. During their time in Heaven they developed a camaraderie with one another and often bonded over certain topics during discussion. Due to their high-ranking status amongst the angelic choir, they were revered and praised, with some even being chiefs of the choirs they were in.
However, it was not until Lucifer declared war against the Almighty that they found themselves uniting as leading forces for the Morning Star's army of rebel angels. Each of the then-princes would rebel for their own personal reasons or beliefs. The only exception to that would be Belphegor, as he chose neither God nor Lucifer's side during the rebellion. These seven rebel angels individually fought some of the mightiest angels only to fall to their power, thus developing fiercely antagonistic relationships with said angels for eons to come.
Rulers of Hell[]
The seven rebel angels were horribly or fatally injured during their violent battles against the archangels. These battles left scars on their bodies as a reminder of their sins, as well as their hatred towards their respective enemy archangel. The first three to awaken from their impact in the Abyss were Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Samael. This resulted in the three becoming the most pivotal and powerful monarchs that lorded over the other rebel angels. Additionally, due to the Seven being the first to land in the Abyss, they became the first chosen rulers. The Abyss eventually transformed into Hell due to the effects of their impact.
After awakening and recovering, the fallen angels decided they needed a form of ruling government in their new plane of existence. Some vied for power, but undoubtedly, the ruler of Hell at the time was the leader of the fallen angels, the charismatic Morning Star, Lucifer, who established himself as the supreme sovereign of Hell or emperor with Satan and Beelzebub close behind him. The other rebel angels that made up the Seven became supreme rulers that lorded over the other lesser nobles as well.
For centuries, Hell was organized by Lucifer into the ruling body called the Seven Kings. Alongside himself, Satan and Beelzebub formed the Satanic Triumvirate. Overtime, their power grew and they usurped dominion over all of the lower planes, leaving Lucifer and Satan as the true rulers whilst Beelzebub became a second-in-command who aided the great fallen angels. Meanwhile, the others ruled over their own areas of land, where each King was responsible for their own subjects and lands. Many enjoyed how organized this system was, though a select few hated being forced to the bottom while others reigned at the top.
Corruption of Man[]
As time passed, it was revealed that due to the nature and actions of the princes, they began to symbolize the first sins that plagued mankind until the End of Days. As such, each of the Seven Kings became the physical representations of the Seven Deadly Sins. This allowed them to mislead humanity into serving their twisted desires while turning them away from God and Heaven. This resulted in the damned souls being used for either the king's own gain, or enlisting the souls in the Hell's legions during the final battle between Heaven and Hell.
Several thousand years passed before Mundus, the son of Lucifer and Lilith, usurped his father's throne and replaced him as the head prince amongst the Seven. The six other ruling kings found Mundus to be nothing more than a whiny and bratty child that mulled over the expansion of his kingdom across all foreign realms despite the policy and treaties that were established between the Abrahamic Hell and the Hellenic underworlds. Regardless, the princes were given the opportunity to truly plunge the world into darkness and sin through the use of the Convergence.
Mundus had Mulciber craft the Seven Gates of Hell across the seven continents of the world. The gates in question acted as conduits for the dimensional energy that ran amok through the main plane of reality, which in turn allowed the demons of Hell safe passage through the gates and unto the Earth. Furthermore, each of the princes were positioned over their respective gates, allowing them to exert more of their influence across seven points of the world. Because of the darkness they spread, all manner of fiends, creatures of the night, and other abominations emerged from the darkest corners. Kingdoms fell into ruin, religious folk forsook their faith, alchemists went mad and so forth. They garnered the servitude of several humans who would plead to be in their employ, becoming Shaliahs. That particular era was dubbed by authors and scholars as the Dark Age.
End of the Dark Reign[]
The Dark Age came to its end when Sparda, the Legendary Dark Knight, rebelled against his masters, having been inspired and enlightened by a maiden who showed him the strength and beauty of humanity. Mundus and his armies were the first to fall by his might, due to the Gate used by the Dark Emperor being destroyed and sealed away by a powerful spell. This spell required the blood of the maiden and Sparda's own power, which in turn split the Gate into two locks fashioned like amulets.
Each of the other six kings were confronted by Sparda and the allies he made along the way. The devil kings met their end by his sword, and instead of using the original method to seal Mundus away, Sparda destroyed the Gates used by the devil princes with Yamato, a dark-forged blade that served to counter the dimensional energies of the Convergence. With each defeat of the kings, their influence over the lands where the Gates were built waned and faded completely. After Sparda's legendary final battle against Satan and his subsequent imprisonment by the Dark Knight, the Age of Darkness finally came to an end with the defeat of the Seven Kings and the destruction of the Gates of Hell.
Members[]
Seven Kings[]
- Lucifer - Pride
- Belphegor - Sloth
- Mammon - Greed
- Beelzebub - Gluttony
- Satan - Wrath
- Livyatan - Envy
- Asmodeus - Lust
Princes of Hell[]
- Mundus - Pride
- Pythius - Despair
- Merihem - Lust
- Dis - Wrath
- Mephistopheles - Pride (also Wrath)
- Dagan - Envy
- Azazel - Vanity (also Lust)
- Belial - Sloth (also Wrath)
- Bael - Wrath
- Ramiel - Pride
- Astaroth - Sloth (also Gluttony)
- Abaddon - Sloth (also Wrath and Discord)
- Aamon/Amaymon - Wrath
- Levistus - Wrath (also Envy)