Arguably the second-highest tier of unique devils beneath Asmodeus himself, today we’re looking at our first Infernal duke.

Ascended from pit fiends and other powerful devils, these unique beings fill the hierarchy of Hell in the space between the Archdevils and the Malebranche, and serve many mighty roles, though as lesser divinities their focus is much more narrow than more powerful beings.

While hardly the only group of fiends to do so, the Infernal Dukes take lots of inspiration from the Ars Goetia and the Lesser Key of Solomon, so there’s fun references abound!

And with that, let’s get right into Alocer!

In Goetian demonology, Alocer, or Alloces, is an armored duke of hell with the head of a lion who can breathe fire, and like all demons listed in those sources, is best known for how he can benefit scholars seeking wisdom on certain subjects, specifically astronomy and the liberal sciences.

Pathfinder’s Alocer may share the same appearance (plus the talons of an eagle and no mention of his source’s horse), but instead of guiding scholarly pursuits, he instead is legendary for having been forged by the many simulated environments of Hell’s layer of Malebolge into the greatest and most loyal of Hell’s hunters, making him something of a dark patron for cruel and unscrupulous hunters.

Alocer teaches that the most satisfying prey are sapient beings, whether it be a “most dangerous game” scenario or targeting intelligent magical beasts. Furthermore, he urges his worshippers to gather like-minded hunters into lodges, where the idea that they are superior hunters who have the right to hunt as they choose without mercy or regard to the natural world around them can blossom and calcify in such remote and exclusive clannish groupings.

As mentioned above, Alocer resembles an armored humanoid with the head of a lion and the talons of a bird of prey, and favors the shortbow in combat.

No specific realm is given for Alocer, but it can be assumed that he rules over, or at least dwells in and hones his craft in Malebolge, the layer of Hell known for a wide variety of biomes, divided up into massive square sections by countless criss-crossing fortress walls, where the armies of Hell train in every conceivable environment of every plane, though Alocer himself is hardly a typical soldier, much more akin to a scout or outrider.

Alocer attracts the attention of wealthy hunters that hunt for sport with no regard for the environment, as well as poorer hunters (especially former followers of Erastil) that forgo respecting the environment in favor of proving their dominance of nature.

As one of the cogs in the infernal machine, Alocer is on good terms with other infernal beings, or as good as such relationships can be in the cruel cycle of bureaucracy and power grabs. Meanwhile, his relationship with literally every other cosmic power is probably very poor, as fiend, monitor, and celestial alike are all potential prey if Asmodeus wills it, and the Pack Lord takes particular pride in corrupting the followers of Erastil, styling himself a rival to Old Deadeye.

Unsurprisingly, the Pack Lord commands legions of devils, though they likely more resemble scouting parties and hunting parties than traditional legions. I imagine he especially favors devils with a knack for tracking and direct combat, such as bone devils and warmonger devils.

The Domains of Animal, Evil, Law, and Strength are favored by Alocer, as are the subdomains of Devil (by way of Evil or Law), Ferocity, Fur, and Resolve, which reflects his love of animals, particularly lions, as well as his survival of the fittest mentality.

Allocer also has Second Edition domains as well! Specifically might, nature, pain, and zeal, reflecting his focus on strength over nature, his cruelty towards his prey, and the relentlessness of his pursuit.

As a lesser power, Allocer grants extremely limited powers for his obedience. In exchange for ritualistically hunting another creature and dedicating the kill to him, Allocer grants protection against blows that would strike the devotee’s vitals. Additionally, he grants magical spells, namely those that conjure traps, pierce all disguises, and summon beings of nature as hunting partners.

Allocer hasn’t been mentioned in Starfinder as of yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he was still around. Most likely he would crop up anywhere unscrupulous big game hunters are found, both those that actually prowl the wilds for prey that is illegal to hunt using unsporting tactics and those that pay to have an animal brought before them to shoot. I also imagine that in keeping with his desire to corrupt the faith of Erastil, he also is a danger to frontier colonists on life-rich worlds, promising dominance over the hostie natural environment.

You get to finally find out what happened to Angela, good for you guys!!!

When she’s really young, like five or six, she gets super injured and ends up dying. No one really knows what happened and how she dies, but there’s speculation that Gabriel did it, as he was the last person around her before it happened, but he vanished after she got hurt, so people think he hurt her and then ran away

Before she dies, Gabriel shows back up and uses a contraption similar to what he used to break Alocer’s soul to take Angela’s

He takes it back to his universe, and that’s the last anyone ever sees of him

While in his universe, he was working on making her a new robotic body that her soul could be put into so she could live again before he disappeared and was presumably killed by Alocer or one of his followers

She stays trapped in limbo for years before Ava finds her mechanical body and puts Angela’s soul into it

She doesn’t do that much in the grand scheme of the story, but she’s good aunt and helps out with the children in AUA, since it’s a military base/academy, every soldier or member that has a child is able to get free schooling and care for that child 

The Gryffindor Paladin — Ravana

His hair resembles a lion’s mane, coarse and intimidating, long enough to trail behind him like a cape. His mask was more akin to the skull of a lion — sabre teeth and all — and covered only the top half of his face, covered his eyes and their emotion and allowed only his dashing smile to fall through his façade. Bouts of carmine and gold traced intricate trenches onto the black of his armor, pauldrons and bandolier. He was stunning in every aspect of the word and he’d taken you hostage, claiming he was trying to protect his darling little prince(ss) — not hold them hostage.

In the light, his labrys and bonemask did no justice to his merlot-and-moscato colored eyes, eyes which held warmth despite the monster they belonged to. He is protective and submissive and beloved by all, a man who masquerades as a hero to hide the villain within.

The Ravenclaw Sorceror — Alecor

His cloak is made of feathers which reach the floor, his presence as foreshadowing as a raven. Pages upon pages surrounded him and you wondered if words were inscribed in his blood. Wings upon wings extended from his back, reminiscent of a seraph; but you knew he was everything an angel was not. Blood coated what little was left of his right wing, the surviving feathers splayed and crooked and broken when the others had been ripped off. And when he captured your chin between cold, long fingers, nails sharp enough to resemble talons, you swore he had to restrain himself from ripping off his crow-like mask and lapping up your blood.

In the darkness, his birdmask hid electrifying blue and keenly predatory eyes and perhaps that was for the better. He is possessive and reluctant and scornful, a wise man who could not decipher what he’s feeling.

The Hufflepuff Priestess — Merula

From her golden crown drifted a veil long enough to hide her face, black enough to extinguish all light that dared enter. She was the good one, the saint, the delusional seer who hid her eyes from the world so that she could sin without witnessing her own hypocrisy and evil. Her robes were thick, accentuated every curve of her body without revealing anything, and from afar, she looked more like a dementor than a holy woman. A black sheep, an outcast — it shouldn’t have been a surprise when she took interest to you. It shouldn’t have been a surprise when her thoughts never left you, when her actions grew harsher and less saintly. She was a demon disguised as an angel; she’d bend heaven and raise hell just to have you.

In the light, her black veil hid her canary golden eyes for she feared they would condemn her for who she’d become. She is obsessive and delusional and faithful all the same, a woman who hid from the truth before her eyes.

The Slytherin Emperor — Therin

His face was sunken and staunch, a mix of skeleton and snake all at once — and yet, he was beautiful. And when he looked at you, you swore Death had looked upon you himself. His crown, silver like mercury, sat atop elegantly-dressed pitch black hair, daunting and powerful when paired with pitch black, leather attire and gloves. Unlike the rest, he wore no mask or veil -- he wore his evils on his face, like a showman disinterested with the affairs of his critics. He had an air about him that made everyone kneel regardless of his status, and you realized: you’d rather die on your feet than on your knees before this man. 

In the darkness, his eyes shone serpentine green, slitted pupils analyzing your form as if you were an insect that had interested him, as if there was something in you worth looking at. He is manipulative and sadistic and cunning, a man who relished being the villain in his own story.

@professionallydeadinside

Angel is, quite literally, an angel

Not necessarily a biblical angel, not like a wheel of eyes, but more like a holy being of higher stature and greater worth than simple humans

She has no physical faults and is unblemished no matter how badly attacked she is. She could be shoved into a wall forever and she’d never bruise

She’s Astrid’s wife and mother to Varian, Spirit, and Elam, though the first two were adopted

She meets Astrid inside a cathedral that Astrid is studying, as the “dust” that covers everything seems to have strange and interesting properties, which is due to a fucking angel being there and just chilling for like a hundred years

Angel and Alexedar are kinda similar in the way they can see things happening from across universes, but they differ in how they do that. The Void is like semi sentient, it can’t talk or really think, per say, but it can feel things, and want to help those that it likes, so it allows Alexedar to see anything and everything because he wants to and he’s become a friend of the Void from existing there for so long. Angel, on the other hand, doesn’t have the Void’s help to see multiple universes, it’s her own power that lets her do that. She has to focus on what she wants to see, unlike Alexedar where it just happens. Kinda like Bruno from Encanto with his visions, where they can literally just happen. Going about the day and then boom. Vision.

Elam and Angel are very close, as she’s had to teach them how to use their power and strengths, but she’s not very close with her sons

She’s definitely closer to Varian, but even then it varies almost day to day, as she was the one to take him from his biological parents and his universe, which he varies on whether he’s happy that happened or upset. Spirit is another matter entirely. His biological mother, Eve, is alive, and he knows where she is. Hell, he talks to her quite a bit. Astrid is more like a mother figure and Astrid embraces that. Unlike Varian, Spirit loves the family he’s no longer with, and Astrid understands that. She encourages him to talk to Eve whenever he wants or needs to, or simply to get a different perspective on a problem he’s facing, and because of that Spirit gets more comfortable with her and actually does view her as a mother. Angel, on the other hand, feels a bit more hurt. She took both Varian and Spirit from bad situations, Varian’s parents weren’t all that great to him and Eve was just simply unable to take care of Spirit, as she exists in a weird, twisted limbo world on the brink of the Broken world and the normal world. Angel saved them, saved Spirit, and yet he desires to return? Return to a place where there is no warmth? No food? No life? Why? Angel doesn’t really become a mom to Spirit, not like she kind of does for Varian

Angel is someone who knows about Alexedar and Alocer’s weird thing, and she’s not exactly supportive. Whenever she hears word about maybe a spy, or when people wonder how something could’ve happened, she’ll immediately look to Alexedar as the reason. It causes more than a few arguments between Angel and Ava, who knows her friend wouldn’t sell out the academy to Alocer, no matter what. Even Boston gets hesitant around Angel, as she has seen those that will sell out good for their heart (her own very unhealthy parents), and knows Alexedar isn’t one of them.