Hell Hath No Fury (Hell, part 3)

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." It's an old saying, meaning a woman who has been mistreated has far more wrath than Hell ever could. Fury carries a connotation of a wild, uncontrolled rage. I'd go as far as to say that, in general, Hell has very little fury at all.

We've discussed that Hell has its Laws, and is defined by them. https://www.ofgodsandgamemasters.com/blog/hell-has-its-laws-part-1 . Likewise, we have discussed that Hell has its place, and that place is below reality, as a wall or fortress as much as it is a prison, as a directly dark reflection of Heaven above. That Hell is not, precisely, an afterlife. https://www.ofgodsandgamemasters.com/blog/hell-has-its-place-hell-pt-2 .

With those things in mind, let's carry on. Why would I say that Hell has no fury, or very little? The uncontrolled aspect. Hell is defined by its laws. While there is anger, wrath, rage...that rage is often cold, usually focused, carefully aimed and controlled, used for a purpose. Hell (and its devils) plan. They serve revenge cold. They undertake strategies that unfold cross millenia, eons even. When they rarely lose their composure, it is to their detriment, and they recognize that.

When dealing with Hell, and with devils, when creating your own version or roleplaying them, it's important to keep this in mind. A devil is not served by wanton destuction, or by overreaction, or by mindless 'fury'. A devil is served by cold calculation. Their strength, as it were, is in the details. They use charm when it suits. They use threats. They are all business. Think the mob boss calmly explaining that its nothing personal while his goons break the legs of someone wh hasn't repayed a loan. Don't think the cackling insanity of the Joker hurting things for no reason. That's demons. That's things that want to see the world, all the worlds, burn. And if your demons and devils share a Hell, perhaps it's just because the demons have infected the lower levels. Maybe demons are what happens when devils are infected with Khaos from outside.

If you garner a reputation for losing your temper and being unpredictable, how do you get anyone to make a deal? How do you convince mortals to join your cause and spread the influence of Hell if they can't depend on your word? A devil will always keep their word. Many of them won't even lie. They just won't tell you everything, or they'll let you misunderstand what they actually said, or depend on your not reading the fine print. That's on you. The next guy will be sure they can get the best of the deal because they are smart. You don't get that response if you just randomly lose your temper and kill people, or fail to do what you said you would. Even if you choose not to use alignment or anything like it, remember that Hell is defined by its laws, and so are its devils.

Fury isn't compatible with that. But the long term cold and calculated anger of a devil . . . is so much worse.