This bonus chapter idea was suggested by PineTreeQ on the Webbonomicon Discord Server. You can suggest ideas for future bonus chapters by commenting on the pinned post on my Patreon, or posting on any Discord server I happen to frequent- just be sure to @ me if you do, to make sure I see it.

  Hell was not a pleasant pce to live.

  Once upon a time, it might have been an alright enough pce. Being located closer to the Essential Pne of Decay than to the Essential Pne of Growth might have posed its problems, but those could be managed, if the people who lived there were careful. But as, it was discovered that the negative side of Vital Essence was quite powerful, and very easy to grasp and wield, if one knew the trick for it.

  Mage-Kings rose up, wielding the raw energies of decay to commit great and terrible magics upon the world to enforce their will. And if a grand ritual made the world slightly bleaker, poorer, and less fertile, then that was a small, acceptable price to pay for the tyrant's sorcery.

  Naturally, things kept getting worse and worse, because while demons were not inherently any worse than the people of the mortal pne were, Demon Kings were almost universally the most selfish, the most depraved, the worst people one could ever meet.

  That 'almost' was necessitated mostly by one Demon King in particur, a soul originally from the Mortal Pne: The Redeemer King, the only Living God in all of Hell to wield the positive side of Vital Essence, who was engaged in a constant struggle to bring Hell back from the brink of colpse and extinction that it teetered on.

  "Dire news, sir," a messenger said, stepping into the Redeemer King's conference hall. "Demon King Paimon has died, and his divine mantle has been shattered. Belial is already invading Paimon's former territory, but we fear Asmodeus may make a py as well."

  The Redeemer King closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sighing explosively. "Well. If either of them manage to seize enough of Paimon's resources to make it worth their while, then we'll likely have to deal with more raids from them in the near future."

  "There's a silver lining," Volex Primagena said. "Most of Paimon's resources, he spent on establishing a new cult in the Mortal Pne and tearing open a portal to walk through. Belial and Asmodeus won't have much left to seize."

  "Thank the heavens for small mercies."

  Once upon a time, Volex Primagena had been a mortal woman. A Dragonblooded Sorceress, who craved the immortality that she had been denied by her human blood. And so, working a great and terrible sorcery, she made of herself the first Lich... and then, upon her arrival in Hell, the first Succubus.

  For two thousand years, she worked under the Dark Lord himself, making more and more of her kin to serve the Dark Lord, until her renown grew great enough to become a Demon King in her own right- still subordinate to Lucifer Morningstar, of course, but then, all of the Demon Kings served the Emperor of Hell.

  At the time, at least.

  Four thousand years ago, Lucifer Morningstar successfully opened a true Hellgate, and marched his armies upon the Mortal Pne, and within the decade, his broken skull heralded the ascension of High King Lysander, leaving Hell without its Emperor. Volex, Queen of the Succubi, had been Lucifer's own bride, but no Demon King would recognize her cim to his vacant throne, and Hell fell into endless, unholy war, every Demon King doing their best to subjugate the others. All that Volex had to her advantage was one of the st mortal souls that Lucifer had taken: an elf, and a powerful Druid. A man who could wield the raw energies of growth, not merely decay, and who could singlehandedly produce enough food to feed an entire army.

  Four thousand years was a long time. Long enough for a cruel tyrant and her chained sve to become a grumpy boss and her right-hand man, and then further beyond, until Volex willingly gave her crown to her friend, marking the beginning of The Redeemer King's reign.

  "This is still a nucleation site," General Bar'thrax said. Not every orc in Hell had come onto the mortal pne with Lucifer, and a thriving community of orcs and goblins still lived within the Redeemer King's nds, cast out by all other Demon Kings after their failure to guarantee Lucifer's victory. "Before now, everything was business as usual, but now that there's been a big change like this? This is the opportunity every Demon King's viziers has been waiting for for centuries. All across Hell, in every hall of power, Demon Kings are being told about all the changes in strategy their viziers recommend. It doesn't matter if Paimon was their neighbor, or if his death will affect them directly. All those pent-up changes have just gotten the perfect opportunity to bubble up and release."

  The Redeemer King sighed quietly. "And yet, there doesn't seem to be much that we can do. We're already beset on all sides, and doing all we can to fend off the constant raids. What can we do differently?"

  "Decre a holiday," Volex said. "Paimon's downfall, and the destruction of his mantle, is something to celebrate, is it not? Let the people celebrate his demise, and praise you for your power and beneficence. Let the faith and fervor produce more Priests to bless our fields and rivers, and expand our might further."

  "I..." He paused, closing his eyes. "...I cannot bring myself to celebrate a man's death. Paimon may have been a tyrant, but... nobody deserves that sort of desecration."

  "My lord..." Bar'thrax began.

  "Still," the Redeemer King said. "What I want is immaterial. What matters is what is best for my people, and a celebration, an outpouring of jubition, an affirmation that what we do works... Well. That is what they need. Not my own discomfort with celebrating his death."

  "If I may offer a suggestion?" the messenger asked.

  "You may," the Redeemer King said.

  "Perhaps, rather than an outright celebration of Paimon's death, you lead the faithful in prayer for his soul, that it may one day find redemption and peace," the messenger said.

  "...That would work better with his Aspect," Volex said, tapping her chin.

  "It will be done, then," the King decreed. "Spread the message; we shall pray for the redemption of Paimon's soul, and an end to the cruelties of Hell."

  "As you command, Sire."

  The messenger saluted, and hurried off.

  ---

  The King stood atop the highest tower in Hell, sighing as he looked out on the nds beyond his borders. The border was sharp, not only because of the grand stonework border wall that kept out raiders, but because of the raiders themselves, who thoughtlessly pilged and consumed everything that grew outside the protection of his soldiers.

  Within the nds of the Redeemer King, the earth was... still not lush, outside of a few particurly blessed spots, but it was alive, with trees and grass and vast fields of carefully-cultivated crops. Fish swam in the rivers and kes- not enough that he would allow them to be caught and eaten, for fear of depleting their stocks faster than they could regrow, but enough to signify that there was an ecosystem here.

  But beyond these nds?

  The earth was barren and crumbled, suffused with the energies of decay. Strange, twisted lichen-like growths, collectively called Blood Moss, were able to live off the energies of decay, and many of Hell's lower demons could live off of Blood Moss- provided the Blood Moss did not ensnare and consume them first. But pseudo-pnts watered by decay were not good eating, and neither were the animalistic demons that fed on them. Most higher demons that lived outside the nds of the Redeemer King grew up twisted and stunted, often turning to the essence of decay to grow further in power, racing against time to grow powerful enough to avoid destroying themselves from the inside out with decay.

  He'd tried to help them. Time and time again, he offered the Kings of Hell alliance- a simple pact of non-aggression, and in exchange, he would share the bounty of growth- and time and time again, he'd been refused. The Kings of Hell did not want to share the bounty, they wanted to take it, to conquer it for themselves, all in the vain hopes of becoming the next Lucifer Morningstar, Emperor of Hell, and if they couldn't have that, then neither could anyone else.

  The Redeemer King closed his eyes and sighed wearily, bracing himself against the railing as he leaned forward.

  "Made yourself sad again, Big Red?" Volex asked, stepping up to the railing next to him.

  "It's who I am, isn't it?" he murmured. "The Redeemer King, Monarch of Contrition, Regret, and Sorrow. I can only be free of this when I've finally atoned for it all, when the work is finished. Until then... I have to carry this mantle, for the sake of my people. For the sake of all people in Hell. On and on, until the work is done."

  "I'm sorry," Volex said, wrapping one arm around him and resting her cheek on his shoulder. "I feel bad about giving you my mantle, but... Well. It was for the best, wasn't it? Thanks to you, the former Crownnds are the richest, most densely-poputed nds in all of Hell, able to fend off the invasions of every Demon King on the pnet. It... It'll all be worth it, once it's finished. You'll see."

  He nodded, eyes still closed. "Do we know who killed Paimon?"

  "We do," Volex said, nodding. "One of my daughters was there, and her master was the one who slew Paimon. Joseph Ironheart, one of the closest descendants of Lysander still alive- his great-grandson, in fact."

  "My brother must be so proud," the King said. "Unless, of course, he's upset about his great grandson ensving a woman simply because she's a Succubus."

  "It's not like that," Volex said. "My girl may not have much of a choice in the matter, but she's been with the Ironheart family for generations, and is quite fond of them. She seems to genuinely love little Joseph, and he's been quite considerate and conscientious with her in return. He's a good man. I think you'd like him."

  "I doubt he'd much like me," the King said. "Who would like me? I'm Mordecai Rosewood, the vainglorious turncoat who opened the Hellgate and brought the Dark Lord onto the Mortal Pne."

  "Well, I like you," Volex said. "Because, darling, you're not that man anymore. You're Mordecai Rosewood, the Redeemer King of Hell, and with every breath you take, you work towards prosperity and peace, for all the peoples of Hell. And if Joseph does end up here, somehow?" Volex chuckled. "I think he'd be pleased to meet you."

  Mordecai sighed quietly.

  "Well," he said, finally opening his eyes. "Let's hope he never does, eh?" He straightened back up, followed shortly thereafter by Volex. "That's enough self-pity for now, I think. We've got work to do."

  AnnouncementAs always, if you like Ironheart and want me to keep making it, the best way to do that is to leave a comment, here or on my discord server.

  And if you've got an idea for a bonus chapter, chuck it in a comment on the pinned post on my Patreon.