For almost 70 years Asmodeus has been the national deity of Cheliax. Outsiders might think that a country devoted to the worship of Hell would be a bloody, orgiastic miasma of sacrifice and torment. The truth is that such a view of Asmodean religion is immature and misinformed. Pain, torment, and blood sacrifice are a fact of life for some in Cheliax, to be sure, but to venerate Asmodeus is to worship ambition, power, and self-actualization above all else. Devoted followers of Asmodeus will do whatever they can to make their will reality, all within the binding letter (but not necessarily the spirit) of the law. In the mind of a follower of Asmodeus, the law exists to be interpreted and utilized to satisfy the individual will-to-power.
In theory, anyone in Cheliax, from slave to serf, craftsman to merchant, noble to royal, is free to make every effort they can, within the letter of the law, to change their lot. In reality, however, only the wealthy and powerful have the means and wherewithal to realize all that Hell has to offer, and rare is the slave, serf, or craftsman who rises above his lot in life.
The majority of Chelaxians merely pay lip service to the Lord of Hell. Commoners celebrate the sacred unholy days, keep a small shrine in their homes, and confess their sins to Priests of Asmodeus on Sunday, but most quietly hold to the worship of other gods. The aristocracy must set an example, however, and worship of Asmodeus has taken on the qualities of a great game among the halls of power. Noble families attempt to outdo each other in their displays of devotion to the Lord of Hell, with elaborate chapels and ceremonies meant to curry the favour of the Asmodean Inquisitors.
Still, most of the citizens of Cheliax are not evil. Even many devoted followers of Asmodeus are not truly evil, following those teachings that agree with their hearts and ignoring those that they find inconvenient.
