Literature / Reign in Hell

Reign in Hell is a supernatural-horror web novel VineLight^note Formerly Lightysnake, and the seventh full-length entry in The Kindness of Devils, functioning as a prequel to the main series. It can be read here.

After being cast from Heaven, Lucifer and his rebel followers strive to make a new home in the blackest layer of hell, coming into conflict against the brutal High King Azazel Baal. Lucifer is forced to choose the path that will define him and his angels as three young demons must decide their place in the coming conflict, which shall decide the fate of Hell, and Creation itself.

---

The work contains examples of the following tropes:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Azazel openly lusts after Nephera, who despises him.
• Abusive Parents: All of Azazel's children appear to fear him very much, and he threatens Karadas before claiming to be kidding. Dasrian is particular is sexually abused by him, and he threatens to do the same to Vinea.
• Action Girl: Gremory Havres, bodyguard to King Zagan, and King Gaap Stolas are women who are exceptional warriors.
• Affectionate Nickname: People close to Nephera tend to call her 'Nephy'.
• Almighty Mom: an almost literal example. High King Lilith was the first ruler of hell and the only being Azazel has ever feared, in addition to being his mother.
• Ambiguous Gender Identity: Lord Amy Kimaris is a demon who unlike their fellows is referred to with neutral pronouns.
• Anti-Villain: Unlike his brothers, Kasarian and Karadas, Orias Baal is remorseful over his actions for his father Azazel, but feels he has gone to far to stop.
• Atop a Mountain of Corpses: Morviak introduces himself this way in full demonstration of why he's the Malebolge's most vicious fighter:

Morviak: MALEBOLGE! WINS! AGAIN!

• Awesomeness by Analysis: Nephera, Lucifer and Azazel are all possessed of exceptional intelligence and able to swiftly analyze and respond to situations.
• Bait the Dog: Azazel is willing to spare the children of House Odasiov after their father Barion rebels against him, only to have them brought into his infamous "court of the broken" where death would be merciful. He is then revealed to be the one who instigated the rebellion in the first place.
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: Andras's powers turns the entirety of the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Circles into a nightmarish hellscape lost in his fear ability with the Fallen having to navigate it and battle his nightmares.
• Becoming the Mask: Kasarian went from a hopeful young boy to being forced to mask his emotions all while indulging his innate sadism. By the present, the line between act and reality is blurred to nonexistence.
• Berserk Button:
  • Lucifer's, as ever, remains transgression of choice. Azazel revealing to have shattered the minds of countless to fill his personal slaves enrages him to points he's seldom been seen before.
  • Defying Azazel's will sets him off, as does one of his sons sleeping with Nephera despite knowing his lust for her. He beats Karadas black and blue over it.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Nephera and many of the Sins are pretty friendly. But you risk rousing their anger at your peril.
• Big Bad: High King Azazel Baal is the chief villain of the story.
• Big Damn Heroes: Zagan rushes to deal a blow to Morviak to allow Gremory to get a hit on him before the two escape.
• Big Damn Kiss: Gremory and Zagan buckle down to have a "proper" kiss after their "Shut Up" Kiss in the preceding chapter.
• Blasphemous Boast: From Satannus: "I'm the most profane bitch who ever lived."
• Blood Knight: The Malebolge is an entire domain full of these; a savage domain of constant war where only the strong survive and propagate. Its ruler, Morviak, is Azazel's pet brute and a bloodthirsty monster who sees exterminating entire worlds as good sport.
• Broken Bird: Vinea Baal is described by Malachor himself, then a soldier in the House of Baal, as "so broken she can't even trust herself."
• The Brute: Morviak is this to Azazel, being the lord of Malabolge which houses the most warlike demons, and has turned it into Azazel's private army.
• The Bus Came Back: Karadas Baal returns for the prequel after being the Big Bad of short story The Kiss of Wrath.
• Call-Forward: Zhavaral mentions Karadas and his "honor guard", setting the stage for The Kiss of Wrath.
• The Cameo: Hardstadt does not appear for most of the story due to not being born, but he does appear during the Distant Epilogue.
• The Chessmaster: Azazel is a master of the Grand Dance, the political struggle that embroils Hell, to the point of setting up plans that take millennia to come to fruition. He only comes into struggle when Lucifer, a fellow Chessmaster, steps forth to oppose him.
• Childhood Friend:
  • Shax reveals that he, Andras, and Azazel were friends since they were boys. Later interactions between Azazel and Andras reveal that Azazel intimidated them even back then.
  • Zagan and Gremory are old friends who have lighthearted barbs and sweethearted talk in their every day conversation, complete with affectionate nicknames.
• Childhood Friend Romance:
  • Nephera and Vinea's feelings for one another are explicitly romantic in nature and began when they were kids.
  • Gremory and Zagan confess they've loved another since they were kids when they consummate their relationship.
• Co-Dragons: Azazel has two sets:
  • His four sons, Kasarian, Karadas, Orias and Malphas, function as his chief lieutenants for House Baal.
  • Demon Kings Andras and Shax are his right and left hands on the demon councils.
• Combat by Champion: The only way to win prestige in the Malebolge is force of arms, and eventually facing a strong warrior. In the battle of House Havres, Gremory takes on Lord Morviak himself, one on one.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Most of the devils have them.
  • Satannus was used by some of heaven's high command as bait for demons along with her soldiers. She survived, they didn't, and she gave in to her fury before butchering those who had used her.
  • Mammon and Balizel began running a refuge for beings around the Teraverse, but when they wanted more with them, they eventually opened it to demons. When angels found them, the world was wiped out, and all on it, hence their origin as Greed and Gluttony.
  • Shax Focalor suffered horribly at the hands of his family, abused in Training from Hell to become the heir to the House of Focalor. When he failed to meet their standards, he was castrated physically and magically, before being thrown out on the streets to die. Azazel took him in to House Baal.
  • Kasarian Baal had a beloved elder twin brother. Azazel, believing Kasarian with his innate sadism was more useful, eventually made said twin a part of the Court of the Broken, and slowly twisted Kasarian into his vicious enforcer.
• Defensive Feint Trap: Azazel lowers the wards around House Baal, letting the forces of House Odasiov in before slaughtering them with his own forces and the Odasiov turncoats.
• Deader than Dead: Azazel's final fate. Lucifer's Morningstar fires scorch him to the soul in front of all Hell, leaving nothing left.
• Defector from Decadence: Malphas turns on his father at the end, and helps to ensure the defeat of House Baal, as does Malachor for his own reasons.
• Defiant to the End:
  • Orias' only reaction when he screws Azazel over—and in turn himself—is to rub in his father's face how he's Not Afraid of You Anymore. Azazel takes his head off for it.
  • After Azazel disbands the Council of Kings, he attempts to have them killed. The former Kings, Ziminar, Gaap, Corso and Amayon buy time for their successors to escape, with all of them facing Azazel and his armies fearlessly, and nearly injuring Azazel himself.
• Died Standing Up: King Ziminar ultimately perishes this way at the end of chapter 19, standing upright after he is slain as a final monument to the courage of the Kings' Last Stand.
• Drama-Preserving Handicap: Lucifer and the Fallen are crippled from their fall into hell and cannot use their powers for most of the story.
• Empty Shell: All that's left of the demons Azazel takes for the Court. His own son, Dasrian, is only able to weep silently as the only vestige of self he has left.
• Enfant Terrible: Ziminar claims to have seen "malice and ambition" in Azazel even as a child.
• Epic Flail: Morivak's favored weapon which he wields to great effect.
• Establishing Character Moment:
  • Nephera introduces herself after having slept with two traitors to her House, before ruthlessly executing them and playfully snarking about it with her companions.
  • Azazel Baal shows a whiff of his cunning cruelty when he has the lord of House Odasiov executed for treachery that he arranged himself and the House's children captured for his Court of the Broken—all the fruition of a minor gambit started ten-thousand years ago.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Shax is a ruthless killer. He still hates harming children and tries to protect them when he can.
  • Kasarian refuses to allow underhanded tactics against Satannus when they're found by the Baal search party, wanting to face her fairly in battle.
  • Karadas Baal may be complicit in his father Azazel's action, but even he is shocked when Azazel rips his son Orias's head off.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Azazel offers Lucifer members of his "Court of the Broken", and when Lucifer refuses Azazel concludes they were not good enough and disintegrates them.
• The Evil Genius: Shax Focalor and Zhavaral Baal both serve this role in Azazel's retinue.
  • Shax is an intelligent, friendly, witty and sophisticated demon who has all the charm his fellow fellow dragon Andras Eligor lacks. He is also a political mastermind who secures the Circles for Azazel, effortlessly outplaying and disposing of enemies.
  • Zhavaral Baal is an adopted member of House Baal and the House's Loremaster or keeper of its knowledge. He is also a genius sorcerer who is responsible for the secret experiments on angels and the driving mind behind the mysterious plan 'Wormwood.'
• Evil Overlord: High King Azazel Baal fits this image to a tee. He's a sadistic conqueror, master planner, and monstrous tyrant who behind closed doors visits proclivities on slaves too unspeakable for Hell to imagine. Unusually, he's also a Villain with Good Publicity—though he sometimes puts up very little effort attempting to seem trustworthy.
• Extreme Doormat: Deconstructed. Vinea Baal is this among the Kings of Hell, serving as little more than an extra voice for Baal's favor in Hell's court, all because of the monstrous abuse Azazel has heaped upon her and the threat of worse awaiting her.
• Eye Scream: Azazel rips out the demon warrior Ziminar's eye when he faces him.
• Face–Heel Turn:
  • At the end of chapter 17, Naivan Vallikan agrees to turn in Lucifer and company to House Baal and make peace with them, albeit with plans to eventually backstab Azazel.
  • Nephera's friend Maray turns on her and betrays her to Azazel with the expectation of being Azazel's consort instead in a power grab for herself.
• Fake Defector: Maray Morax joins Azazel, but only as part of a Memory Gambit Nephera concocted.
• Foregone Conclusion:
  • Lucifer will ascend to rule Hell by the end.
  • Karadas Baal will make it out alive, given he appears later in The Kiss of Wrath.
• Fantastic Racism: A major theme is the hatred hell has for angels, with Naivan Vallikan despising them most. This is the greatest factor in his Face–Heel Turn.
• Faux Affably Evil: Widespread among Azazel and his followers. Azazel himself and Shax weaponize charming words and political finesse.
• Friend to All Children: Shax loves kids and tries to protect them when he can, even if they end up hurt as a result of his schemes.
• Friends with Benefits: Lucifer maintains a close relationship of this sort with many of his followers. Nephera tends to prefer it with lovers, hinted to have been lovers with her cousin Zagan in the past. Her two best friends, Maray Morax and Janara Phenex are likewise lovers to her without being too attached.
• Gambit Pileup: Hell's politics by nature invite this. The demons pride themselves on an intricate system of manipulation and scheming known as the Great Dance, and the best of the best are capable of constructing gambits atop of gambits. The entire plot to overthrow Azazel is this, with many of Hell's finest players working with the Fallen (notably Lucifer, Nephera, and Mammon) finding themselves wrapped up in the counter-gambits of Azazel and his forces.
• Gone Horribly Right: Azazel wanted to push the angels to challenge him. He got exactly what he wanted.
• Good Powers, Bad People: Kasarian Baal, the stoic eldest son of Azazel Baal, is ironically an extraordinary healer who saves the life of one of Satannus' allies at a crucial moment.
• A Glass of Chianti : Azazel sips a wine that he states is "Hell's finest vintages. My private stock. Only the best", served in a goblet that magically refills, and offers some to Lucifer.
• Good Parents: Nephera has a very positive relationship with her father Naivan Vallikan, who deeply loves her.
• Graceful Loser: Subverted. Almost any time he's beaten, Azazel makes an open show of this, but it's clear he's fuming inside.
• Guile Hero: Hell is a constant deluge of manipulations and warfare, so it stands to reason to make any effort once has to be able to play the "Grand Dance" with the best of them.
  • Lucifer begins by currying favor from High King Azazel Baal in his own court, and continues to demonstrate his loyalty to his own cause beyond any doubt numerous times while secretly plotting to oust the corrupt King.
  • Nephera is a cunning Anti-Hero version of this; she's moral among demonkind, but that still means she doesn't have compunction seducing and killing traitors to her House of Vallikan and playing others like a fiddle for her own ends.
• Hidden Depths:
  • For all his haughtiness and pride, Lucifer privately admits his doubts and fears to Satannus and Astaroth, unsure he is doing the right thing, but bound to continue on regardless.
  • Nephera is a world-class party girl who loves socializing, plotting and usurping more power for House Vallikan (and by extension herself). She is also much more moral than one might give her credit for, openly horrified at the Court of the Broken, and her dedication to hell and the demon race is absolutely genuine.
  • Vinea Baal, despite being a terrorized, frightened puppet of her father, is far smarter than anyone seems to realize. She goads her brother Karadas into dropping key phrases when he is unaware someone is listening in, and her assessment of Azazel's failure in the war against Lucifer is spot on.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Gremory is this to Zagan. Zagan means well, but he's hopelessly out of his league in the Grand Dance and he admits he's useless while Gremory runs everything for the both of them.
• In the Back: Morviak is stabbed in the back of the head by Zagan during his fight with Gremory, who then stabs him in the stomach. This is only a temporary victory as he retreats to recover from his wounds.
• It's All About Me: [[spoiler:Maray justifies her treachery with "every demon for themselves," though this ends up being a subversion when it's revealed Maray is a mole.
• "Just Joking" Justification: Azazel threatens his son Karadas before claiming to be kidding. His later threat when Karadas sleeps with Nephera isn't so sarcastic.
• Kill Itwith Fire: Lucifer's preferred method with the Morningstar flames. Andras is on the receiving end with his face nearly melted, and he gives Azazel a full burst to completely annihilate his soul.
• Kill the Ones You Love: Nephera loves her father deeply, even as she's forced to kill him to take control of House Vallikan.
• Last Stand: Ziminar and the remaining Kings of Hell who refuse to defect to Azazel fight a pitched but one-sided battle against Azazel's forces. All of them die Defiant to the End, and Ziminar even manages to nearly kill Azazel by throwing his sword.
• Leave No Survivors: Azazel's typical orders to Morviak are to kill everything on a world he has his eye on. When a messenger asks if a recent world has any who were spared?

Morviak: He didn't request any for the Court.

Messenger: Silly of me to even ask.

• Manipulative Bastard:
  • Azazel enjoys playing others. He's the best native player of the Grand Dance, and only struggles when Lucifer enters the fray.
  • Shax Focalor, one of Azazel's Co-Dragons, is a sneaky, conniving devil with a silver tongue he puts to good use carrying out much of Azazel's long manipulations, in contrast to his partner Andras who seems to prefer Mind Rape.
• Memory Gambit: Nephera sets one up with Maray and Zagan in her final scheme to out-gambit her father Naivan, setting up Maray as a mole under a certain trigger.
• Mind Rape: Andras Eligor, the Gravecaller's main power is to use his powers to make his victims see images of their greatest fears, swamping them in their own terror.
• The Mole: Maray plays the part of traitor to infiltrate House Baal and help undo them from within as part of Nephera's plot.
• Morton's Fork: Vinea notes that if she addresses Azazel by his royal title he complains about her being to formal, and when she addresses as him as her father he complains that she is forgetting his place. She notes that this is entirely to toy with her.
• My Greatest Failure: Ziminar feels that he failed his daughter Sevara, who was Azazel's lover and mother of three of his children. Moreso when he realizes Sevara didn't die in battle, but is one of Azazel's Court of the Broken slaves.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Azazel savagely and violently pummels Karadas into a pulp for sleeping with Nephera, something Nephera was well aware would happen.
• No-Sell: Astaroth completely throws off Andras' attempt to Mind Rape him due to the fact there's nothing Andras can hit him with Astaroth hasn't already told himself day after day.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Karadas Baal—as consistent with his characterization of Kiss of Wrath—is a conniving, smug, but ultimately ineffectual coward and blowhard, and easily one of the least threatening of the Baal family despite his bluster and lack of redeeming qualities. Then he gleefully spearheads the massacre of an entire demon house, and rubs it in Vinea's face that Nephera will be passed along for King Azazel's pleasure.
• Not So Stoic: Azazel Baal is normally calm and in control, even when fuming with anger, but hearing about angels in Sheol results in him being dumbfound in shock. At the story progresses, he begins to lose control of even his Faux Affably Evil persona.
• Necessary Evil: Azazel tries to portray his execution of Barion Odasiov as this, that he was threatening the unity of hell in a critical time. In reality he caused the rebellion in the first place, wanting an excuse to seize there lands, as well as there children for his twisted "court of the broken".
• No, Mister Bond, I Expect You To Dine: When Azazel meets with Lucifer he offers him a goblet of wine that he states is "Hell's finest vintages. My private stock. Only the best".
• Non-Action Guy: Zagan Gehenna is moderately talented, but is no great warrior, unlike Gremory.
• Not Afraid of You Anymore:
  • Vinea, when rescued from House Baal, decides to no longer be his puppet on the council and instead use her position as King to openly accuse him of his betrayal of House Valkian, his "Court of the Broken", and his plans with Wormwood. Even when he arrives she refuses to return to House Baal.
  • Azazel also receives this from his son Orias, and rips Orias's head off.
• Not Quite Dead: Several beings thought dead, Rivael/Abdiel, Andras Eligor and Kasarian Baal himself are revived and retrieved by the mysterious Zhavaral Baal...in truth the mysterious 'Mr. Z' of modern day who is running his own agenda in a Sequel Hook.
• Off with His Head!: Azazel dispatches Orias by literally tearing his head off his shoulders in one berserk motion. Everyone, even Karadas, is shocked.
• Offing the Offspring: Azazel has no problems killing his own offspring. With his bare hands, in Orias Baal's case.
• Old Soldier: Even for demons, Ziminar and his fellow former kings are old veterans, warriors who have fought for eons.
• Parental Incest:
  • Azazel has his own son Dasrian as a Sex Slave in his "Court of the Broken", kissing him at one point, and discussing the idea of a threesome with him and his mother Severa. This results in his trauma in Give Us Forever when he is free of the Court.
  • Azazel threatens to do the same to his daughter Vinea when she speaks out of turn at the council. Even his loyal sons, Karadas and Kasarian are not above receiving such threats if they sufficiently anger Azazel.
• Perky Female Minion: Maray Morax plays the role of this when she assumes duty as The Mole.
• Perpetual Frowner: Andras is a grim fellow whom Corso remarks seldom if ever smile even back in his youth.
• Polyamory: Nephera cheerfully says her heart is strong enough to love more than one, and is in love with Vinea and Lucifer. Lucifer himself clearly loves Nephera and Aleviel, as well as many of his Sins.
• Posthumous Character: Nephera's mother, Andromalia Sitri, was a heroic King of hell, but is centuries dead when the story begins.
• Public Execution: To rub salt in his defeat, Azazel Baal is demonstrated to all Hell by Lucifer during his coup, and destroys Azazel utterly in front of them all.
• Puppet King: Vinea Baal, ostensibly one of the nine Kings of Hell, is a broken mouthpiece for her father and everyone knows it. She's eventually rescued from this fate, leaving Azazel fuming.
• Politeness Judo: In Hell, it's practically a necessity. Nephera is nothing but unfailingly polite to Azazel Baal, despite her clear contempt for him. Her father follows suit despite how he and Azazel have been rivals for a long, long time.
• Platonic Life-Partners: Zagan and Gremory are Childhood Friends (a notable statement for a demon) who have lighthearted barbs and sweethearted talk in their every day conversation, complete with affectionate nicknames. It graduates to a full romance after time, a Foregone Conclusion given they go on to conceive Karai Gehenna.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Lucifer feels this way when Azazel offers him members of his "Court of the Broken" being utterly disgusted by the idea of taking someone by force. The Seven too are disgusted when informed of this, especially Asmodeus the sin of lust.
• Really Gets Around: Lucifer has slept with innumerable beings across Creation, including many of his followers. Nephera also cultivates this reputation in hell, with little care for taking many, many lovers.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Paimon is the eldest and most reasonable of the demon Kings, being the most willing to hear out the angel arrivals of the senior rulers of the council.
• Running Gag: Tanael has an awful tendency to catch her fellow Fallen in bed with one another at bad times. Especially Lucifer and the Sins.
• Safe, Sane, and Consensual: Despite the sexual deviancy among Hell as a whole, consent is sacred among them. This is the major reason Azazel's "court of the broken" is considered so horrifying. Even Azazel has to maintain the image of respecting consent as he complies with Nephara's safe word when he puts a hand to her skin, albeit after pretending not to hear her and toying with her by throttling her.
• Self-Made Orphan:
  • Shax Focalor slaughtered his family in retribution for what they did to him. Hard to blame the guy.
  • Nephera sorrowfully executes her father Naivan for his betrayal, clearly torn apart by it, but forced to by the sake of Hell.
• Sex Is Violence: After Ziminar describes Maleboge to Satannus, she asks if he wants to "scare me or make me wet".
• Sex Slave: The main purpose of Azazel's Court of the Broken; a collection of mentally-shattered dolls meant to slake his pleasure, among them his own son Dasrian, and a constant threat looming over the head of the utterly servile Vinea should she ever disobey.
• She Is the King: In hell, 'King' is not a title that takes gender into account. Two of the kings, Beleth and Vinea, are female, and the greatest hero of the demon race was their High King Lilith.
• Shout-Out:
  • Balizel refers to Mammon as "sister mine" a reference to the way Lara Raith from the The Dresden Files refers to Thomas Raith as "brother mine" and Harry as "wizard mine".
  • The One-Eyes in the original print of The Thief and the Cobbler are emulated in Morivak's introductory sequence.
• Shipper on Deck: Just about everyone supports Nephera and Vinea. Nephera herself turns out to gleefully support Zagan and Gremory together.
• Shrinking Violet: King Vinea is nothing more than her father, High King Azazel's tiebreaker and pawn on the council and is immensely nervous and shy in the public eye.
• "Shut Up" Kiss:
  • Nephera Gives one twice. Once to Vinea to show her that a kiss isn't a scary thing, and once to Lucifer to interrupt his declaration of love to her.
  • Gremory kisses Zagan to silence his self doubt in battle.
• Single-Target Sexuality: Gremory has eyes for nobody but Zagan. She's never even kissed anyone before. Given how promiscuous demons can be, this says a lot.
• So Proud of You: Ziminar assures his grandson he's always proud of him, despite how different from the heroic warrior Ziminar the weaker, scholarly Zagan is.
• Sore Loser: After the forces of House Baal are routed by their angelically empowered foes, Kadaras immediately flies into a rage. Azazel chides him, preferring to keep his anger concealed.
• The Stoic: Azazel's eldest son, Kasarian, never emotes or demonstrates any expression.
• Surprisingly Sudden Death:
  • Downplayed. Orias Baal sets up himself to fall into Azazel's clutches in a Heroic Sacrifice, but Azazel tearing his head comes right out of nowhere even in the circumstances.
  • [[spoiler:Maray, after all she's done to help Nephera and the others, is killed swiftly and with no fanfare by Azazel's attack. Nephera isn't even sure if her friend deliberately shielded her or not."
• Tall Poppy Syndrome: Karadas wonders why his father Azazel would goad Barion into rebelling against him saying that was "one of the best". Azazel replies "the best is always broken". These words are latter revealed to be House Baal's official slogan, both a boast to it's enemies and a warning to its members.
• The Dog Bites Back:
  • Shax Focalor, after being tortured, castrated and exiled by his family, returned to slaughter all of them in retribution.
  • Orias manages to resist Azazel and cover for Vinea, which ultimately saves hell in the end. Malphas later turns on his monstrous father as well.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Downplayed. Ziminar gets a glancing blow on Azazel and nearly kills him through doing this, but it's a failed effort regardless and Ziminar is quickly killed.
• Together in Death: Ziminar and his three comrades reunite with their old friend Andromalia after death. Special points to Gaap and Corso, who are a devoted item.
• Token Good Teammate: The Kings of Hell are a varied and often amoral lot, many in Azazel's pocket, but Zagan is among the most conventionally good of them.
• Tom the Dark Lord: There's a demon lord named 'Amy.' There actually is an 'Amy' in the Ars Goetia where most demon names come from.
• Tranquil Fury:
  • Lucifer goes into a quiet wrath when Azazel offers him his "trophies" from the Court of the Broken.
  • Azazel after being outwitted, speaks with a calm voice but with a deadly glare. Vinea notes that Azazel never rages with fury, simply killing the most nearby target without losing his cool.
• Truly Single Parent: Lilith's children, including Azazel, had no father.
• Villain with Good Publicity: House Baal is terrifying, and none moreso than Azazel. Despite this, Azazel is beloved as a leader in hell. His Court of the Broken is well-hidden, as that would shatter Azazel's reputation on the spot.
• Villainous Breakdown: Azazel has a genuine Freak Out when Vinea escapes him, due to something hidden in Sheol that he can't have her finding. Zhavaral notes he's never seen Azazel frightened before.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Satannus and Asmodeus maintain a snarky, insulting relationship with one another, but remain quite good friends despite it.
• We Can Rule Together: Azazel Baal pines after Nephera and offers her this via An Offer You Can't Refuse: "A High King needs a queen. It is my side, or within the Court, Nephera."
• We Used to Be Friends: It's strongly implied Nephera and Vinea were once very close, before something broke them apart.
• Wham Line: Naivan, after a long time of indecision, defects to Azazel:
  Naivan: Tell him I wish there to be peace between us. Tell him that these angels have long overstayed their welcome.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Nephera gives this to Vinea when she infiltrates House Baal, imploring her to see herself as strong and realize she can break free from her father's influence.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: "I cannot abide inadequate stock," Azazel says, as with a sweep of his hand he disintegrates a field of broken slaves Lucifer has spurned the tastes of.