Exquisite Agony by Robert J. Schwalb is a role playing game supplement published by Schwalb Entertainment for use with Shadow of the Demon Lord. This supplement is a guide to Hell and the devils of the official Urth setting; there is a warning in the opening introduction that the material injects a heavy dose of evil into the game and may not be appropriate for every group. Using the supplement also requires the Demon Lord’s Companion.
This is available as a 52 page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $9, as a print on demand softcover for $20.99 or both PDF and softcover for $20.99. A printed version can also be obtained from sites such as Amazon. The PDF is the version reviewed and was purchased at a greatly reduced price as part of a special deal. The PDF comes in two versions, one with and one without a background. Two pages are the front and rear covers, one page is the front matter, one the Table of Contents, two pages are the Index and one page is an ad for Terrible Beauty.
The first page of content has some introductory paragraphs on Hell and its denizens, devils, warped faeries who purify souls stained by evil, a process that involves inflicting tremendous pain which the devils thrive on. Interestingly, the devils are totally opposed to the Demon Lord and its minions, for the demons would destroy Urth and the devils along with it.
The Root of Evil explains how the faeries created the Underworld and Elysium to deal with mortal souls. At that point, souls were reborn with full knowledge of their previous lives every time they died, which the faeries considered a threat. The Underworld was created to cause imprisoned souls to forget their former lives before being reborn and Elysium as a paradise for the souls of exceptional people, ones considered to be too valuable to be recycled or too dangerous to be reborn with even a fraction of their memories intact. One of the most powerful of the great fey, Diabolus, felt the faeries should go further; they should set themselves up as gods and purge souls more rigorously. The others disagreed.
The Dark Lord Rises how Diabolus continued with his plans despite them being rejected. He created cults among mortals to venerate the great fey, granting them more power, although he didn’t expect the great fey to be changed by the belief of mortals. When the great fey withdrew from the world and confronted Diabolus, he made it clear that revealing the truth about the religions he had created would strip the great fey of their powers gained from mortals and cause more chaos. The others agreed to send Diabolus souls stained by evil and construct a realm for him to do as he wished with them.
Finding Hell explains how to get there whilst living. In Caecras are the ruins of a cathedral built by the Witch-King, which has a staircase descending into Hell within. In the Firepeaks there is a cave with another portal and in a trench in the Nyxian Ocean is a third. Getting in through one of these portals is comparatively easy; getting out again is a different story.
Hell Revealed describes Hell itself. Portals to Hell do not arrive in the same place and simply being in the place is damaging to mortals. First described is the terrain, which is nasty and dangerous. Some of these hazards are described, and Tombs of the Desolation is recommended for more suitable examples. Next are described various unpleasant locations, complete with tortures of the damned that might be witnessed in such places. One location is the Shadow Market, a comparatively safe place to visit that can be reached from the mortal world, although at a cost. Many items can be purchased here, but not for money. There are also d20 tables of sights and happenings. There is also a full page map of Hell, showing the major regions. This section finishes with some rumoured ways of escaping Hell. The River Acheron comes from the Underworld and leaves through a location called the Abyss which leads to the Void.
Hell’s Denizens describes the various creatures who dwell within it. Diabolus is the absolute ruler but today he spends most of his time within his fortress. Next in the hierarchy are over 100 greater devils who seek to build their power. Six of these are described in detail. A sidebar explains that, just as Diabolus created the Old Faith, he also was behind the visions that resulted in the Cult of the New God, which explains why the Cult is often so brutal. The worshippers of the New God and devil worshippers use different magic, to make them appear separate – for now. As well as the most powerful beings, there are lesser devils, monsters and various outsiders who could be visiting Hell for a variety of reasons.
Rewards and Discoveries are reasons why mortals might, foolishly, deal with devils. There are ways and rituals for summoning up devils and bargains that can be made for service and gifts. All have a price. There are also diabolical objects found in Hell that can have different powers, with a d20 list of properties for such, and finally a collection of Hell-inspired relics, none of which are safe to use – not that relics are safe anyway.
Creatures of Hell is the bestiary of the various devils below the greater devils that can be found in Hell. Also here are monsters, including a demon that is created in the Abyss, the souls of the dead, half-breeds between mortals and devils, hogmen created from pure souls gives to Hell as part of the tithe agreed with the faeries and a singular chimera created by Diabolus. The most notable devil is the Angel – a devil that is believed by mortals to be a representative of their gods. The Angel encourages mortals to zealotry and fanaticism in the name of their faith to make them do evil acts. There are also notes on which creatures in other supplements can be used.
With All My Hatred is an adventure for Novice characters. The characters are accompanying a group of pilgrims following the path of Saint Micah in the Northern Reach. The various pilgrims are described, as is the path taken to the various holy sites, one of which is outside the city of Crossings, described in Tales of the Demon Lord. The map of the Northern Reach from the core book is duplicated. The pilgrims face a number of hazards, but the most notable of these is when one makes a bargain with an Angel, which then tries to destroy them all. The characters have to try to defeat this creature.
Hellbound Characters are various infernal options. There are diabolical backgrounds, new story complications and new marks of darkness. A paragraph covers worshipping the Devil and the new race of Cambion is introduced as a character option.
Next are new paths. The Expert Apostate not only doesn’t believe in deities, they also actively work against them. Diabolist is a Master path that deals with devils and the Witch Hunter is another Master path, one that can be used for good or ill. Finally there are new spells connected to Hell that are added to existing traditions.
Exquisite Agony in Review
Navigation varies depending on the PDF. Both have the Table of Contents and Index, which are useful. However, the version without background images also has bookmarks that are to a similar level of depth to the Table of Contents and both the Table of Contents and the Index are hyperlinked. Navigation for the background-free PDF is excellent; for the other, it is poorer than it should be. Perhaps this is because the version without backgrounds is most likely to be read on a mobile device. The text maintains a two column format and no errors were noticed. As mentioned, the pages may or may not have backgrounds depending on the version. There are a lot of custom colour images, up to a full page in size. Presentation is very good, albeit slightly unpleasant.
Shadow of the Demon Lord is in and of itself a fairly dark set of rules. Exquisite Agony makes it a lot darker still. There are still games that go even further, but this supplement is, as warned, probably not for everyone. Travelling to Hell is a very dangerous hobby, and one that needs thinking carefully about. Terrible Beauty should also be had to use this with as that gives more background on the faeries, and the devils are all warped faeries. Using the spells and relics found in the book, especially those related to summoning devils, is something that needs to be done very carefully. Although, given that devils are implacable foes of the demons, some mortals may decide to summon them for help – help the devils will likely give, but with an unpleasant and probably unplanned effect on the summoner.
As a supplement, it is more useful for GMs than it is players, for it gives background information and provides lots of stuff for dangerous enemies to use against characters. The adventure is perhaps not hugely interesting, for it doesn’t involve Hell, simply one of the described devils. It may help give an idea on how to integrate devils into a campaign without travelling to Hell itself. Exquisite Agony is a sometimes disturbing take on the traditional Hell that fits the tone of the setting and it can be found by clicking here.
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