Canticle of the Damned Translated by Archmage Hound.

Introduction

Written, spoken, chanted, or intoned, the following is a written account of the Great Canticle of the Damned. A widely read work in all of Baator, it is understood by damned, devils and dukes, each taking it with different amounts of sanctity. Some set their existence by it, to others it’s a mere guideline, but most will agree that its wisdom is entrenched in the Hells themselves. The author is lost to history, though some suppose that it was written by Dispater, or even Asmodeus himself. Certainly it is on Dis that the text is most often found and followed, but neither Duke has admitted to its creation.

There are certain lies spoken amongst the Insane ones, whom we know as demons, and the Traitorous Ones, whom we know as Celestials that prevent self betterment and enlightenment. It is by these lies they set their affairs, and these lies spread even unto the corners of the Prime, where they bring Mortals into sway. By understanding these Lies and by avoiding them, we may conduct ourselves in a greater and more becoming manner, and as such shape a more fitting Universe for ourselves and our great Lords, rather than roiling in the filth and pitiful wretchedness as the Insane and the Traitorous do. As such: These are the Lies we must understand and overcome.

The Lie of Freedom

We are all chained. Some of us are chained greatly, some of us are chained less, for a chosen few the chains may even seem invisible, but they are there. From the most wretched of Lemur, to the Gods themselves, we are chained by our Masters, by our environment, by our natures, by our very fates. Freedom is chaos. Freedom is to cast aside self-betterment, improvement, and empowerment in favor of a self-deception and denial. He that states ‘I am free!’ says so only because he is ignorant of the chains that bind him and, as such, cannot seek empowerment, his chains are his ending, or his eternal prison. The Chains can be loosened, of course, but such is not done so through blind struggle, as is the case of the Demons. Practice the Art of Intrigue, subtlety and servility. Learn to serve your betters well so that they reward you well, or so that they fall into the Lie of Trust, and thus give your opportunity to take advantage, and supplant them. Or if you are beyond such matters, seek comfort in the chains. Understand your place and accept it. He that serves well may have less fear of punishment than he that struggles, even the Gods know this. For it is due to this that we exist. And thus even chained one may gain some form of self enlightenment. Remember always that there can never be true Freedom. It is impossible. Embrace this and act within your bonds, do not seek to blindly overcome them.

The Lie of Hope

Hope is a weak, passive concept that depends only on the insanity of Chaos. Hope is that which drives us to failure, drives us to destruction, and drives us to suffering. A foolish Duke will merely ‘Hope’ his plans will find success, rather than meticulously planning each and every detail. As such he resigns himself into the hands of Chaos, and as such will surely fail in his Great Endeavors. Rather He should instead plan carefully and meticulously, working to what He believes possible and plausible, not that which depends purely on chance. The most wretched of Damned ‘hopes’ for release from his eternal torment. This will never come. There will never be a cessation. And his suffering will continue all the more poignantly for the next millennia due to this folly. Understand this, all ye Damned, and take it as the one piece of foolish ‘Kindness’ we may offer. Your hopes are in vain, the only slight cessation in agony you may ever experience is by giving up on that impossible dream and resigning yourself to despair. Hope is that which depends on the raw and the impossible. Its path is a fruitless one.

The Lie of Trust

It is in the nature of all reasoning beings to understand that they are bound by Chains, as spoken of in the Lie of Freedom. Some, such as the Demons, pull and yank mindlessly upon their bonds in rage, to little success and much blind destruction. Others, such as the Celestials, ignore them, or make excuses for them. ‘These are good’ they say ‘To be Chained is right, to Serve is right, to be Powerless is right’ They resign themselves against all possibility of greatness and thus remain lesser, weaker beings. This leads to the lies of Trust. Trust is to put oneself blindly under the power of another. The simple truth is this; that all others desire power in one form or another. The demons war for power ceaselessly, and even the most selfless of Celestials desires the love and trust of their ‘Gods’. All their so called ‘Kindnesses’ comes from such desires. And betwixt all these extremes there is a variety of other motives, from self-satisfaction, to self-gratification. Everyone has their own desires and motives and no one is above using another to achieve it. To simply ‘trust’ that another will look after your desires above theirs is foolishness indeed. Eventually you will be betrayed. Perhaps your paths lie together for a time, but they will split and he that places the most Trust in the other will fall furthest. This is not to say that one is to act alone all the time, such is impossible, alliances are sometimes necessary. Rather; understand the reasoning for another’s actions, watch out for the inevitable time of Betrayal, be ready for it and, ideally, be ready to do so yourself when the time is most optimal.

The Lie of Faith

This lie is akin to the lie of Trust, excepting perhaps that the lie of Trust implies blind dependency on an equal or lesser, where as the Lie of Faith implies trust in one above you, or trust in a mere concept. Such foolishness! Why should another, more powerful being choose to selflessly loosen the Chains of your existence excepting that it also benefits them? Why should they place themselves in a position of vulnerability, raising you up into power, excepting that it serves them as much, if not more so, than you? Why should you depend on the improvable chaos of a certain concept when more dependable, more reasonable paths to power and greatness show themselves? Even those mortals that decry they are ‘Faithful’ of a Duke do so foolishly. The Enlightened understands that one does not have ‘Faith’ even in a Duke, bur rather that one understands that, should they serve a Duke well that the Duke or his Underlings may see it fit for them to raise said servant to a position that better suits their own requirements. They do not do it out of some sense of ‘Kindness’ or ‘Fairness.’ Indeed close examination proves that this lie of Faith is perhaps the greatest of all the lies.

The Lie of Charity

The simple reality is that no one gives to anyone unless it benefits him or herself. Even if one were to give selflessly it would result in catastrophe. There is a limited amount of resources, even on the Hells and certainly on the Prime. If the strong gave to the weak, for no other reason than sheer ‘Kindness’ it would loosen the chains of the weak and draw them up, to take advantage and supplant the strong. As such the pitiful weak would, by the foolishness of those that should rightfully be above them, rule the Strong for a time and all would be weakened. Until, that is, the Strong came to enlightenment and overcame the Weak, to claim rulership once more. We have seen this occur on the Prime, it is a foolish and pointless endeavor, leading only to a slow, mindless, crumbling destruction and a waste of resources. Do not partake of it.

The Lie of Love

We do not deny that the power of the lie that is ‘Love,’ as the Chaotic Demons do, it is a useful tool after all. But we do not credit it with the great and noble virtue that those of the Heavens do. Love is known as That Which Draws. It’s opposite and equal is That which Harries, also known as Death. Love is the desire to procreate, nothing more. Just as mortals will flee blindly from Death, so they will dash blindly towards Love, towards the desire to reproduce. We recognize its importance, just as we recognize the importance of Death. However, we do not let ourselves be swayed by such a thing, for both Life and Death are beyond us now. To credit the power of Love as anything other than the desire to procreate is idiocy. Procreation is dangerous, but also pleasurable and it should occur only when one is sure one is the superior in the relationship. Take not a husband or wife, but rather take a concubine or victim. Do not presume your partner in bed is ever an equal, but understand either that you serve to pleasure the other, or that the other serves to pleasure you. To think otherwise invites the lies of Freedom and Trust.

The Lie of Truth

The most difficult of all the Lies to understand, for it in itself is not a lie, but rather it is perhaps not something to be taken at face value. It is important that Truth exists. It is important that truth is known and spoken amongst ourselves. To constantly speak lies would invite the raw insanity of chaos after all. But if we speak naught but truth, we open ourselves up to the Lies of Trust and Faith. It is important that the word of one damned to another can be depended upon to some extent at least. But at the same time it is important that there is some possibility that such words may be twisted and used in order to loosen the Chains and gain Power. “You shall be rewarded correctly.” If we follow the way of the Demons, such a phrase holds no truth in it and as such can never be used successfully because it will never be followed. It becomes meaningless, as are all utterances of the Demons. The way of the Celestials teaches that such a phrase would always hold Truth, and should always hold Truth. Following purely, we could never advance. As such we know this is not so. A cunning Taskmaster will say such a phrase and then my be able to consider a ‘reward’ as they will, be it a mound of gold, or having ones flesh flayed from ones bones, depending on what best suits the Taskmaster. As such one must understand the flexibility of Truth. One must seek purity and clarification in all ones communications and one must avoid doing such with others, so as to take advantage whenever possible. If one depends on Truth too much, one makes oneself a victim. But if one betrays Truth too much, one makes oneself unreliable and useless. A compromise must be found. With such words, one may enquire; “But how can I know that these very words holds Truth?” To which the only reply is that you must weigh its words yourself and consider it in light with the Truth and Realisms you have seen in your own experiences. Furthermore I would suggest that you, Gentle Reader, should always read the fine print.