Moloch: A Devil For All Campaigns
Okay. I have to admit. I wasn't that impressed with Moloch when I first met him. In 1988, some friends and I found ourselves in the possession of Monster Manual 2. Much to Tipper Gore's chagrin, this handy little accessory had the low-down on all sorts of demons and devils. We, however, were elated. The time had come to include devils into our campaigns. So, my friends and I pored over their stats and fantasized about taking our low-level halfling rogues on a quest through the Nine Hells. We were beguiled by Belial. We were impressed by Amon. And we thought Mephistopheles's whispering wind speech was ultra cool.
Okay. I have to admit. I wasn't that impressed with Moloch when I first met him.
In 1988, some friends and I found ourselves in the possession of Monster Manual 2. Much to Tipper Gore's chagrin, this handy little accessory had the low-down on all sorts of demons and devils. We, however, were elated. The time had come to include devils into our campaigns. So, my friends and I pored over their stats and fantasized about taking our low-level halfling rogues on a quest through the Nine Hells. We were beguiled by Belial. We were impressed by Amon. And we thought Mephistopheles's whispering wind speech was ultra cool.
I, however, wasn't impressed by Moloch.
First impressions are lasting ones, or so they say. So my first look at Moloch was some sub-standard art of a guy with a whip thrown over his shoulder. I admit, D&D art has its ups and downs, and there were other pics in Monster Manual 2 that weren't that impressive. But, the devils, demons, & daemons (as they used to be called) got some pretty good treatment. For me, Moloch was an exception. He was so. . . plain. Tall devils with fangs, square bodies, and red-orange skin don't work so much for me. Not now and certainly not then. I wanted to fight devils with goat-horns, green eyes, wings of fire, cloven hooves, forked tongues, and diseased, pus-ridden skin, oozing with acidic blood. Still do.
I remember reading Moloch's stats, thinking I might give this guy a second chance. I became less impressed. Unlike Belial, Dispater, and the rest, this guy wasn't even fully in charge of his layer of Hell (or Baator, if you prefer). He was a flunky to the Lord of Lies / Flies. Now, while it's true all devils are minions of the Top Devil, this guy was a minion's minion. Okay, so were Amon, Hutijin, and the like. But Moloch was a minion's minion who didn't have any style. Moloch felt like he was thrown together at the last minute because Gygax and The Crew figured that SOMEBODY should be in charge of the 6th Layer of Hell.
Feh. Who needs Moloch, I thought. I went about my business and dreamed about how my squad of halfling rogues would go on to fight Tiamat, Orcus, Dispater, and their ilk. Sure, we'd kill Moloch someday, but it would be more of an after-thought and a focal point of our quest to banish all evil.
Time (as always) passed.
By 2001, I had made my return to the D&D mythos and started to once again about taking players on a quest against the ultimate forces of evil. Yes, that's right. I wanted to put devils into my campaign. But which ones? This was something that I'd have to research. And, as an adult with a job, I was able to track down a fair number of tomes and accessories that gave more details on demons, devils, Hell, etc. And, as an added bonus, I didn't have to worry so much about what my mother would think.
It wasn't long before I came across a very useful product that revolutionized my opinion of poor ol' Moloch. It was called the Guide to Hell.
In said book (and others), the classic line-up of Who's Who in Hell gets shaken up a bit. Dispater still ruled the 2nd layer and Asmodeus still had a trollop for a daughter. But the mastery of the 6th Layer of Hell had been transferred to a crone named the Hag Countess (who used to be Moloch's lover). What happened to Moloch, I wondered. Well, after further reading I discovered Moloch had a falling out of sorts after a great Hellish rebellion. When the rebellion was put to an end, all of the devils go back to Asmodeus and start kissing his you-know-what.
Not Moloch. Of all the rebel devils, Moloch stood his ground and all but gave Asmodeus the finger.
Now he may not be much to look at, and his special devil's powers may be kind of bland (they're all fire based. . . imagine that), but it takes some serious sand to have your rebellion put down and then spit in the face of your master. Actually, in this case, Moloch was spitting in the face of his master's master.
And, so, for his unrepentant ways, Moloch was cast out of the Nine Hells.
And from Hell, Moloch landed in my home. Moloch finally showed me that sense of style that I was looking for. He's not the coolest looking devil nor is he the most powerful, but he may very well be the one with the most backbone, the most nerve, the most, well, honor.
I like trying to include as much as I can into my D&D games. I like to be creative about it, but I also try to be sensible. My last article described how I brought races like the Githyanki into my games. To some extent, that was something of a challenge. Bringing arch-devils into your games (without throwing common sense to the winds) is a bigger challenge. A group of PC's would have to be pretty boss to catch the attention of the Lords of Hell. But, a lesser group of PC's might not have to go too far to find a deposed Lord of Hell brooding in some fortress on their home world.
Moloch started off as the least interesting of the devils to me. Now I have to admit he's my favorite. His attitude and versatility more than make up for any other short-comings he might have had. In my D&D cosmos, Moloch is an arrogant, power-hungry foe seeking to reclaim his position in the caste of evil. He doesn't want to rule the universe, he just wants to be put back into power and revenge against his foes. Initially, he showed up trying to help the player's overcome a menace that threatened to destroy their world. During their brief alliance, said players realized working with Moloch was more trouble than it was worth. Moloch, having been shunned by Asmodeus himself, wasn't about to take the hand from a small gathering of mortals. Moloch and my players became foes and the confrontation between them has escalated ever since. Moloch has put some of their friends to death and has horribly tortured others. In return, my players have destroyed his fortress, cut off his hand (long story), and have ruined his plans. And on it goes. Now, were Moloch still the ruler of the 6th Layer of Hell, my players might be in more trouble than they can handle. But, Moloch is an outcast and his resources are limited and he's low on allies. He still has that whip of his and a lot of fire-based attacks, but he can't command legions of bearded devils to swoop down on my players. Moreso than any other devil, he has to take his time to plot his revenge and make his next strike -- and that's part of what makes him so interesting and challenging.
For those of you seeking to add a little diabolic spice into your campaign, I offer you Moloch. I know he's not much to look at up front, but when you start digging into the meat of his character, I think you'll find he has the potential to be the most versatile and ruthless of D&D's known arch-devils. Dispater and Mephistopheles may be more clever, Mammon may be more gruesome, and Asmodeus may be more sinister, but all of them are burdened with the responsibility of their respective realms. Moloch has nothing to loose and is free to roam where he pleases.
Mayhap, someday, he'll roam into your campaign.
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Err...RG .....
When you started this thread , I thought, oh Mollocks! heres another DM who thinks it possible to take on the demon lords. I remember one terrible campaign in which the mega characters gated directly into Asmodeus's lair and beat him and his minions to a bloody pulp. The DM completely failed to take into account that he was dealing with an inhuman supergenius intelligence that had been in power for millenia. He should have been protected by all sorts of magic, minions, cunning traps , doubles, spies , evil characyters etc etc etc. I still think that the idea of a group of halfling rogues traipsing around hell for very long is a non starter. They would be swifty discovered, sliced ,diced, and served up.
But your later comments are a lot more workable. A demon lord, deposed and seperated from his allies would make a formidable but workable challenge. He would still be no push-over, because he's still got his intelligence and personal powers, but he might, just, be beatable.
If you're into that sort of thing.
I think, on occasion, it is a good thing to involve some of the higher (lower?) powers in a campaign world. If running your campaign in Greyhawk, what good would it be to involve the Horned Society without encountering a devil or two? Not necessarily a ruler, mind you, but I see nothing wrong with it.
I think the one problem the writers of the early monster books overlooked was the fact that they made demons & devils rather weak upon first glance. Green DMs would see Baazebul at a mere 166 hit points and think, "Wow, I could run my players through Hell and they could kick this guy's ass pretty easily!" A few Holy Avengers and Ethereal Platemails and handful of artifacts later, there were the players, taking over the palaces of Hell.
I make all demons lords and archdevils immortals in my realm. They can be fought, and their prime material form can be destroyed and banished back to the netherworlds, but like the Gods, they can never be truly destroyed forever. As for Moloch's status as an outcast, this could be used as a good campaign hook, with Moloch trying to use a party to unwittingly do his bidding in an effort to regain favor.
I read a nice article on the Hells in a very old issue of Dragon, explaining how the lower planes worked and were populated. I pretty much said that if PC's went wandering about in the Abyss or the Nine Hells, they'd be attacked by an endless onslaught of wandering demons or devils, and would probably make it about 100' before getting wiped out.
Mo...
Ever since I was 14, I've had this odd desire to pit my players and my PC's against both demons and devils. I dunno why. And, when I was 14, I thought that eventually we'd get to that point. We even toyed with the idea of taking on the Nine Hells, layer-by-layer.
We were full of beans. And that was 15 years ago.
I still like using demons and devils in my games, but I'd like to think I do it with a little more common sense. Most of the time, the player's in my group are out-classed by guys like Moloch. The last time they met, they ran like the wind to get away from him...and not everybody made it out alive...and some came out maimed (the party's dwarf, Tarnac, lost his left eye). The enmity stews and brews. They have by no means "beaten" Moloch. Not yet...
Stareater...
I confess that I had my green moments way back when. Yeah, I was one of those guys that saw 166 hit points and concluded that my squad of 7 to 9th level guys could take out an arch-devil. Sure, I'd loose two or three guys, but the last two or three would be "the stuff."
Nowadays, I like doing as you suggest...throw some lower planes threats in for a pinch of flavor. I try not to over-use them...but I see no sense in not using them at all. And...once you're past the green stages...you can think of clever ways to get them involved without having to slaughter your players.
I agree that regardless of the hit point value that devil / demon lords should be hard to kill. Not impossible...but close.
RG ..
====================================
Ahh yes, the enthusiasms of youth, I remember them well:
Saturday morning, up at 7.30 am, meet at Tim's house, start D&D game.
12am, finish session, toy with snacks, discuss D&D demons & Devils. Tim gets wound up over impossibility of invading hell. Keith winds him up some more. I linger over picture of succubus in Monster Manual E1.
1pm, Tims mother brings dinner, eat until torpid. Then pudding.
2pm start second session, decide to do random overland. Party soon meets a ghost in the swamp, only survivor is Keiths dwarf fighter tottering along aged by 500 years. Later he meets a willowisp. End of session.
4pm. play boardgames, Imperium Romanum. Takes 3 hours to set the bloody scenario up. Give up.
5pm stop for tea & homemade cake. Tims sister cooks too.
7am. go home. promise to meet next day.
====================================
Interestingly enough, I've never had a fascination with one kind of monster (like Demons & Devils). I'm also puzzled about the trend in the last decade to want to play or to fight vampires and Angels. Maybe its to do with the Buffy series. Or maybe kids like the feeling of inhuman power you get from being one of these things. Also its like being an outcast from society, which is like a teenage angst thing.
I've always preferred to play a human, fighter or cleric, stand up for goodness justice etc in a corrupt world. I guess I'm just too human centred.
Demons in a more sensible, workable, concept...cool.
Nice to see some creative thughts on the subject of pure evil.
Hellishly yours,
Theo
Moloch is definitely an interesting devil to use in campaigns. The biggest problem is for the DM to actively get him involved with a party(even high level parties). He's on the run from hell, the abyss, and all aspects of heaven. The worst part is what does he have to offer anyone especially if anyone who is anyone knows about his background. The only way that I could use him is if the party has foiled one of his plans for restarting his rebellion but then does he really have time to be chasing a party of mortals for the mere sake of revenge, this commentary says," probably not." So that leaves you with only one option," you have something that he wants." It will have to be an artifact or the favor of some evil god that would get him interested in you but for mere mortals that's pretty slim. Artifact is your answer but what can be conceivably powerful enough to stem the tide of his fortunes. Even the powerful artifact Creshinibon could only elevate Errtu a few levels in Tanari social order.
Alright everyone start throwing your punches and angry words.
See Ya!
DirtyIke,
you present some interesting points. But I don't agree with you that Moloch would not be interested in mortals.
Firstly you should not underestimate the power of high level characters. They make formidable allies, and formidable enemies, even on the Demon scale. They will interest Moloch soon enough if they are trying to kill his earthly body and send him back to hell where he will get the warmest of receptions.
The other thing you have to remember, is that Moloch has a great advantage over other Demons ('Every problem is also an opportunity'). He has somehow overcome the barriers that keep Demons locked out of the mortal realm. This means that he is in a position to directly influence the mortal world whereas other divine/demonic powers have to operate through proxies. He is in the best position to recruit evil characters , build an evil empire, and recruit worshippers who will swell his own power by praying to him. He might go from being the weakest demon lord to the strongest, build up an evil army filled with earthly monsters and high level evil characters and then attack Hell through gates created by his evil minions. Other demon lords might join him for promises of high position. MOLOCH LORD OF MIDDLE EARTH AND HELL !
AT least thats the plan.
=)
So many points have been made, and so many of them are true. But, let's not forget... we are pitting mortals against immortals. Both parties know this. I think Moloch especially knows this. I believe Moloch to be the kind of character to toy with the PC’s as if they were measly bantha poo doo. Perhaps, not taking them seriously, even until his final undoing. This is the classic example of overconfidence we see so often. Without this imperative variable, the characters cannot succeed.
In any good campaign, you have to have some sort of sense of realism to the campaign. Another good addition is to have a character with faith in the triumph over evil. Then in the final battle, when all have lost hope, the one character that still believes his God will come save him actually is granted his prayers. Nonetheless, you walk a fine line when you deal with the nine hells. But, if you are going to do it… Moloch is the way to go.
There is however the fact that mortals get one shot, one kill. If they die that's it. They may be able to stave off devils in the material world but what happens if they try to take on devils in their home territory; it's total disaster. Asmodeus is way to intelligent and it would take gods to fight an entire plane of beings that have unreal stats. Recruiting mortals would be a waste of time for such a rebellion. Mortals are fickle and the type that he would be able to recruit would turn on him if the opportunity arises or would die in a fight impossible to win. No, no, he would have to recruit from other planes to get the fighting resources. Moloch is relatively safer in another plane of existence however even then the risks are extremely high. If at anytime he dies anywhere he gets the reception I think he richly deserves.
Asmodeus: It is decreed that your entrails be used as a headress for the hag countess .......
Raaaauuuuuuurgh!.......Shiiiiiing!(the sound of pit fiends rending demonic flesh)
I wouldn't want to be in his position that is for sure. High level parties that would think of joining him would find it better to ignore and gain better favor by sending him back to hell. Provided they make arrangements with the nine hells first. I agree with Kozar that devils do get overconfident but how could anyone survive very long in the nine hells if they did not examine with utter scrutiny all aspects of the situation (not to mention this is not the ordinary run of the mill devil). Don't forget we're talking about a guy that has been there, done that, and burned the T-shirt. I say that you would have to leave this to the planescapers. That is of course if they're interested in possibly being beheaded and forced to watch their body being used in a grotesque manner.
Moloch: I am sure that all of you will die but when I reach the epitome of Hell's overlord. I promise there will be 15 minute breaks between eternal torturings and no spikes on the whips.
(cheers from his mortal and idiotic army)
Why would Moloch (or whoever) use mortals? For one, you use what resources you have. In my cosmos, Moloch is re-establishing power and can't tap any random bone devil to join his cause. Two, mortals are cheap labor in comparisson. One devil's garbage may be one mortal's treasure. Three, to quote Bumblebee, the "least likely can be the most dangerous." Sauron was felled by a few hungry, dirty, hobbits.
Only dimwits would join a devil's brigade and expect him to hold to honor. If I were an evil PC, I join up with Moloch...so long as it was profitable and I'd always make sure I was the one to screw him over before he screwed me over. Sure it's a gamble...but so's blackjack and there's plenty of people that give it a try. Ambition and clarity of thought are mutually exclusive for some folks.
A good PC might join forces (temp) with a guy like Moloch if it were the lesser of two evils. Fight Orcus alone and save everyone from the Undead Plague...or let Moloch help out and worry about your soul. Some of my players fit this bill -- they'd rather save the universe at the cost of the soul 'cause that's the kind of PC they are.
Regarding mortals wandering though hell...I don't buy that they'd get killed within minutes of getting there. Providing that they can survive the environment (heat, ice, razor blades, whatever), it just doesn't make sense that swarms of devils would instantly seek them out to kill them. Surely devils have better things to do. I don't cross the street to step on the ant that's on the other sidewalk. I don't even necessrily stomp on the ant that's on my sidewalk. Sometimes I do it on a whim, but most of the time, I don't pay any attention whatsoever to ants. Now...if an ant was particularly clever, he might go unnoticed for extended periods of time...and so could a canny mortal in hell. He may not be clever enough to kidnap the Pillar of Skulls and make off to Sigil...but he might be clever enough to find the Pillar of Skulls, ask it a question, and get back before he was noticed.
RG:
Thanks for reinforcing my point but there are a few details that you may have overlooked.
1. Half of middle earth was on the hobbits side.
2. Blackjack doesn't involve spending eternity in a pain amplifier (such as hell).
3. Dying the good fight is grand but selling your soul to the devil is sheer lunacy.
4. A devil seeing mortals wandering through hell will get the attention of everyone. That's like spotting a dinosaur in today's age. Powerful devils will assume they have great power to get there and will take any and all means to interrogate them. Unnoticed? With the blood war in full swing who could say what kind of alertness is to be expected. Most travelers do not stick around to find out.
What point I was trying to make is that an army of mortals taking on the forces of hell would be like mosquitoes attacking someone that has on bug repellent.
The last time I ventured into the planes was a 14th level dragonkin and that ended with, splat!!!!! Moloch needs to go shopping somewhere else for more useful cohorts, um.........blue light special; aisle Gehenna.
See Ya!
I agree overall with Rogue Githyaki and disagree with DirtyIke:
(1) Get it straight DI. RG did not reinforce your point. He disagreed with 90% of what you said ( in my opinion ).
(2) DI's point that Moloch would prefer to get minions from other planes, and that mortals are unreliable and temporary allies, is way off base. First, high level mortals are not so temporary in D&D. They die hard, and they can be brought back and their life extended or even preserved by turning them into the higher kinds of undead. Second, They are very powerful, exceeding all but divine beings. Thirdly, human pcs are intelligent, capable of training and acting on their own initiative, and operating as part of a highly organised force. This makes them good elite soldier material. It also makes them prone to treachery and ambition, but this is not necessarily a bad thing if chanelled by a clever and ruthless leader. For example I cite the rule of Joe Stalin over the Soviet union. Uncle Joe had any number of very ambitious and talented followers, politicians generals, diplomats, but he was able to play them off against each other and maintain his own ruthless grip.
(3) DI has not taken into account that Moloch has problems recruiting from other planes, and there are plenty of powerful monsters on the mortal plane. For example, If I was Moloch, operating on earth, I would be looking to build an empire. Remember I am immortal and can spend centuries. I would build of conventional armies, plenti of cannon fodder, I would make myself a god drawing power from their worship and gaining a proportion of fanatic followers. I would scour the mortal realm for magics and artifacts that might aid me. Then I would build up elite units capable of holding their own in a demonic battle. Giants, trolls, umberhulks, dragons, undead. My most trusted lieutenants would be high level characters. Finally, I would try to bribe off some Demon Lords so that I would have allies for the invasion of hell. This is a perfectly workable strategy. Lastly, I would not have groups of characters wandering around hell creating suspicions. The invasion would have to be sudden, supported by allies, and in overwhelming force.
(4) DI makes the point that evil human characters would be lunatics to risk their souls in a confrontation with the forces of hell. He errs in several respects. Firstly, the risks characters take day by day are equally lunatic, and for much less gain. These are heroic individuals who take extraordinary risks for extraordinary gains. Secondly, the power of propaganda. Moloch will not point out all the difficulties. To the contrary he will emphasize the rewards. He may even try to disguise his ambitions under the banners of patriotism and justice. God knows their are enough human rulers who justify their ambitions by pointing the finger of blame at outsiders.
(5) Lastly, DI overestimates the resources of hell. Each plane is finite, and so must have finite resources. Sure there are a lot of high level beings, but they must be vastly outnumbered by low level cannon fodder, just like the prime material plane. And like the prime material, the hellish planes are riddled with rival lords willing to change alliances for power. A small party invading has no chance, its true, but a powerful army of the type I have described can make allies and take a slice of the action.
Did I kill the conversation ?
I didn't mean to be so verbose ?
Please someone, say something.
Sorry Mo...not sure what else to say other than when you're right you're right! I'm not argreeing with DI.
I would quibble about the Nine Hells being finite in space. Some sourcebooks say that they are, others disagree. Planescape is not consistent with the 1987 Manual of the Planes...and the 3.0 version of Manual of the Planes is not consistent with older resources.
I could go on a rant about how D&D products contradict themselves over time...and I'm talking about plot points, personalities, etc., not total hit points and stat type stuff...but that might be better saved for a different article.
H.P. Lovecraft once said of his Cthulhu Mythos that it should be somewhat internally inconsistent so it would seem like a real myth cycle. Over time, different cultures tell variants of the same story. The Ring of the Nibelung is a prime example: the Viking, Germanic, and Wagnerian versions of the tale all differ, though they are clearly discernible as sharing the same mythological source. Lovecraft encouraged his friends and proteges to use his mythology for their own purposes, and dismissed the notion that every story about Cthulhu or Shub-Niggurath adhere to some rigid continuity.
It is ironic that one of his most ardent but least gifted disciples, August Derleth, should crystallize his writings into the Cthulhu Mythos that most people think of today.
I think the discrepancies - of personality and myth, not rules mechanics - add to the richness of the setting's lore. If you like the AD&D conception of the outer planes, which still survives recognizably in the 3.0 Manual of the Planes, you've got a wealth of material to draw from. If not all the sources are consistent, you are free to draw your own interpretations; to present variations as ripples in the multiverse; and to preserve a sense of infinite mystery about the outer planes. Perhaps all mortals report their experiences there differently; that is the kind of thing that has the ring of experiential truth about it.
For the record, in the oldest edition of Deities and Demigods, the outer planes were each described as being infinite. I think the idea of a finite plane is oxymoronic, but I suppose it's a matter of personal taste.
I'm not sure which version is supposed to have finite hells, but in case people are interested, 3e says quite clearly they're infinite (MotP p115, 3.5 DMG p162). Of course if you're referring to earlier editions, I can't remember and I don't have my 1e books anymore. I never really played 2e.
Olive , Sorry, finite was my assumption. I hate infinity, it wrecks all calculations. I don't much like time travel neither.
Cocytus, wow man thats really deep, internally inconsistent so seem more mythlike. I like that.
Cocytus,
For the most part, I would agree with what you say.
There are times, however, when changing the mythos can be quite annoying.
If PC's are looking up data on Ruler X of Plane Y and it contradicts something that they read 5 games ago...that's one thing. As you say, it adds to the richness of the mythos and gives one cause to wonder.
If the PC's actually meet Ruler X of Plane Y...and then, some weeks later, the GM wants to buy a new module that depends heavily on Plane Y being ruled by Ruler Z...then you have to do some juggling.
For example...
Early in my D&D mythos, it had been established to certain PC's that Geryon and Moloch were still rulers in the Nine Hells.
Later...I stumble across a few modules that I'm wanting to incorporate into my cosmos. One such module is A Paladin In Hell, which has a different line-up for the rulers of the Nine Hells. Sure, Geryon and Moloch used to help run things...but that all changed in the Reckoning. Okay...so, I just tell the PC's that the Reckoning happened a few weeks ago while they were in the Tomb of Horrors, right? Sure...I COULD do that...but that would kind of cheapen the magnitude of the Reckoning. I eventually chalked it up to the PC's had gotten some bad data and moved on -- thankfully, they hadn't met Geryon or Moloch at this point, so it wasn't that hard to fudge.
Another thing that bit me was the return of Orcus. I'd started off with him being dead, as was the way of things in 2nd edition. Then, the Planescape setting brought him back and he's there in 3rd Edition too. I had similar problems with Bane, too.
I admit, this is kind of an exception -- it's something that is usually only problematic in long-running games.
I've also found that changing the details of a module to fit your cosmos isn't always practical...it fact, it's usually easier for me to change my world to make a module work.
I guess... I agree with Colcytus & also RogueGithyaki.
In the sense that, I believe that one's campaign should be internally consistent (ie the DM should know the true state of affairs). However, inconsistent rumours and perceptions can add to the richness of the campaign.
However, one point of caution. Some DM's like mystery to the point to which it becomes an end in itself. They hate for players to have a clear idea of what they are doing or why and delight in watching them stumble from one clue to another. I REALLY REALLY HATE THIS PATRONISING AND CONTROLLING BEHAVIOUR. A plague of 10 million locusts on such DM's. May their campaigns wither and fail.
Ahem... I feel better now.
It's interesting that Moloch has caused this divison among the discussion participants. ;)
Probably not at all on topic, but Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" has a Moloch section that's my favorite part of the poem. Seems as though it might be useful or interesting somehow, though -- Moloch is the problem of American 50s society, to boil things down too much, and here he's directly/indirectly involved in the mortal world:
"What sphinx of cement and aluminium bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?
Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children screaming under the stairways! Boys sobbing in armies! Old men weeping in the parks!
Moloch! Moloch! Nightmare of Moloch! Moloch the loveless! Mental Moloch! Moloch the heavy judger of men!
Moloch the incomprehensible prison! Moloch the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows! Moloch whose buildings are judgement! Moloch the vast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments!
Moloch whose mind is pure machinery! Moloch whose blood is running money! Moloch whose fingers are ten armies! Moloch whose breast is a cannibal dynamo! Moloch whose ear is a smoking tomb!"
The rest of the poem is here (the Moloch stuff is in part II):
http://alt.venus.co.uk/weed/writings/poems/agh.htm
I would sincerely like to tahnk rogue githyanki for writing this article and making a good use of evil(no pun intended but you're gonna believe it was anyway) before I had the chance to submit something brilliant on the subject.
Otherwords, I'm putting up a front, and I'm quite jealous and annoyed, but I'm still submitting something grand once I'm done writing it.
Jealously yours,
Theo
On theme with Theophenes, I was going to post up a bit about Ginsberg's "Howl" and Moloch but Joel beat me too it! Still, another interesting tidbit about Moloch might be the reference to him in the old Fritz Lang classic film "Metropolis". Here there is a machine called the "M-Machine" (short for Moloch-Machine) which, by its very presence, condemns men to toil heavily in order to keep it running.
Another interesting reference which, I'm guessing you've already read is Milton's "Paradise Lost":
"First, Moloch, horrid King, besmeared with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears;
Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud,
Their children’s cries unheard that passed through fire
To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite
Worshiped in Rabba and her watery plain,
In Argob and in Basan, to the stream
Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with such
Audacious neighbourhood, the wisest heart
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His temple right against the temple of God
On that opprobrious hill, and made his grove
The pleasant valley of Hinnom, Tophet thence
And black Gehenna called, the type of Hell."
- Paradise Lost, i. 391-405
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/lost/lost.html
There is a site on the various demons and their roots with a page about Moloch: http://www.deliriumsrealm.com/delirium/mythology/moloch.asp
I don't think most of this info is relevant, but I thought I'd throw in what I know. Thanks, once again, for the original article, Rogue G.
Heres my lyrical effort:
Molochs got no legs at all
they're small and squishy, crumpled things,
If he stood up he'd only fall
but then you see, he's used to wings
hmm... needs a bit more work
Hey,
My Name is Chris and I´m mastering some D&D at the Moment
I used Google searching for "Creshinibon" and found ur
comment on gamegenre.com.
Do u know where I can get Information for
ruling Creshinibon in my Campain?