Editing Baator (section)

==Inhabitants==
If it's not clear, devils (whose proper race/species name is "baatezu", as we know from [[Lorraine Williams|first-hand authority]]) basically run this joint. But there's old rumors and legends from the beginning of time that they aren't the original inhabitants. The stories go that there was a race of no-shit "baatorians" that once lived in the realm that would become the Nine Hells. It's not entirely clear what happened with them, but the indications are that Asmodeus put the boots to them in order to create a staging ground in the Lower Planes for his own invasions of the Abyss. [[Zargon]] the Returner from the book [[Elder Evils]] was their leader, who Asmodeus couldn't kill due to Zargon's regeneration ability.

Aside from the devils, there are the various forms of Lawful Evil petitioners that wind up here when they shed their mortal coil. Most are just soul shells shoved into the mouth and innards of the infernal maggots that literally shit them back out as lemures, but there are other varieties. Certain souls become a kind of infernal specter in Dis (where their mental anguish provides a particularly renewable source of power for Hell), and the petitioners of the deities that live here get to go directly to those realms... but those deities sometimes sell them into bondage or worse, to get a little something back from the devils. There's a few other kinds of creature that roam the plane, such as hellcats (who aren't baatezu but certainly seem fairly "native" to the plane), hellhounds, and fiendish beings of every stripe.

Oddly, there's a lot of visitors to the plane, at least on the upper levels. Yugoloths are pretty common all around: they work not only as mercenaries, but they also have their infamous boatmen to move troops and goods up and down the Styx, as well as actual merchants who trade in souls, magic items, and other fun stuff (often acquired from the night hags who don't like going out this far). Certain kinds of beings like raksashas, efreet, and other Lawful Evil outsiders can also find themselves opportunities for business, work, or recreation (the last of which is better left to contemplate quietly). There are certainly mortal beings of all sorts who get down to one level or another, either making some desperate rescue of a lost body/soul, or hoping to strike a deal and slice off a little profit (either figuratively or literally, depending on how things play out).