“Oh Ba’alah, Bringer of Intoxications,

Prince of Pleasures and Riotous Sensations,

She of All Hungers, The Laughing One

God of Frenzy, Delight, Delirium.

She who breathes fog of clouded mind,

Whose tears are spirit, beer and wine,

From whose blood calls forth opium,

Whose voice cries out in bedlam.

She who is heralded by music, discordant,

Send unto us gifts both great and abhorrent,

She who finds joy in seeking pleasure,

Send us gifts that we may treasure.”

- Ba’alite Poem

Ba’alah

The demon prince of gluttony, Ba’alah, is the mistress of debauchery, indulgence and vice. In ages long passed she was worshipped across the globe in numerous aspects and forms, as different gods of intoxication, fertility and varying horned deities. Some of her most well-known aspects are the Egyptian Hathor, Greek Dionysus and Mayan Acan.

Ba’alah governs gluttony in all things; food, sensation and experience. To Ba’alah, any new taste, touch or sound, is rapturous and must be explored so fully as to make it mundane. She spends her day gorging herself on new foods, surrounded by riotous colors and thundering music and fawned over by servants, infernal and mortal alike.

She rules from her realm, Duat, a great, black stone city where all vices are explored. Within the expansive blocks one can find indulgences of the flesh and curiosity; gambling, bloodsport, prostitutes indulging every desire, food of every flavor, drugs and music of every tone and style. Few who enter the city are able to leave, either because they don’t wish to or because they cannot.

Upon her throne, the most beautiful of men, women and demons throw themselves at her feet, pawing at her for a chance to touch her, the closest pressing their lips to her flesh in worship. Great braziers throw up smoke laced with narcotics that turn the air into a shimmering haze. Below her throne, countless gourmands tend to pots, ovens and open flames, preparing food for their lady, while rivers of wine, ale and beer sluice through channels cut into the floor.

Despite having her needs met, she is not content to stay within the great, black pyramid she calls home. Ba’alah is one of the few demon princes that roams her realm and opens her palace to others. She throws and attends great revelries and brings with her long dead musicians, beautiful consorts, the finest food and intoxicants so strong that few can partake in them and then continue the festivities.

It is said that Ba’alah herself had a hand in modern music, helping to create the overindulgent, hedonistic and self-destructive genres of modern day, like rock and heavy metal. Several also credit her with the discovery of different methods of creating various forms of alcohol and narcotics.

Ba’alah appears as a tall, androgynous, feminine humanoid with arms far too large for her slender body. Standing upright, the knuckles of her massive fingers drag the floor. So powerful and muscular are her arms, she chooses to often walk upon them rather than her legs. Upon each palm, a massive, razor toothed maw gapes open, with a long, pointed tongue lolling out, searching for new tastes. Her small, delicate feet end in two, hoof-like protrusions.

The prince’s face is that of a young woman’s, with wide eyes and dilated pupils, and lacking a mouth. Instead, narrow holes appear on her cheeks, as if the skin had melted over her jaws. She speaks only from her hands, in a voice that is sweet, melodious and always suppressing laughter, despite coming from such horrific mouths.

Her wardrobe and style is constantly shifting and changing; from masculine to feminine, from extravagant to simple, from conservative to risqué. The only common factor is that no matter what she wears, it is always of material of such fine quality and texture that it baffles the senses to touch it.

From the sides of her skull, horns curl upward, while a third horn juts from the center of her forehead. All three frame a large, flaming eye that constantly swivels and takes in all things. The eye’s gaze is said to see all before it and those that look into it may suffer all the sights it has seen, overwhelming them with experiences both beautiful and horrific.

The demon prince is said to be jovial and welcoming to those around her, with little open hostility so long as her laws are respected. However, she is the demon of excess, of frenzied revels, and she can turn bloodthirsty at the slightest provocation, turning her love of food, drink and music into a lust for hot blood, screams and terror.

Her relationships with her siblings are often running hot and cold, but she is closest to Lilith, who is one of her lovers. So entwined are the two that their realms lack a clear boundary, bleeding into one another without distinction. Lilith, herself a fluid and ever-changing creature, is one of the few things in all creation that can hold Ba’alah’s attention eternally.

Artwork by Tomis-JB

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