A Misguided Inheritance

A Misguided Inheritance

A treatise on the comparison between demon lord and goddess

By Arthus Wellor


Baphomet is many things, to many different people. A savage leader of a beast-cult, to some. To others, a demon-spawn to be obliterated. And yet, some others see him not for his grievances towards others, but rather his positive qualities. His cunning. His willingness to persevere. His overall cleverness. These are some of the qualities by which the Lord of Minotaurs manages to keep his throne. In this treatise, I will explore the connection (and obvious differences) between the Horned Lord and Iomedae, the so-called Inheritor.

Baphomet and Iomedae, strangely, had similar beginnings. Both came into a source of great power through perseverance and dedication, and both were brought to greater power by a full deity. Both also acted as agents for their deity in their own way, for a time. Here, however is where the divergence takes place. While Iomedae became the replacement herald for a recently risen god, Baphomet had more ambition. He chose to steal from another deity to please his own current master – the ruby scepter of Asmodeus.

When Baphomet did this, he was not at his full potential, as he is today – he was easily captured and imprisoned by the Prince of Darkness. The master of Hell made a critical folly here, however – he imprisoned a minotaur in a supposedly unsolvable maze. Baphomet solved it in a mere decade – proving his superiority over one of the first deities existence has known. If he is greater than Asmodeus, what else can stand up to him?

Since his escape (and the immediate relocation of a part of Hell – another victory), Baphomet has had millennia to hone his skills. True, he is not as brutishly powerful as some other demon lords, but he has cleverness and wits. He used these qualities to rise to his current station of power that he holds today. Iomedae, on the other hand, has had her hand held throughout the deification process, and is still quite young and inexperienced. Her gaze has not gone beyond Golarion, whereas Baphomet and his Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth have successfully been seeded on no fewer than 30 worlds on the Material Plane.

Baphomet has, indeed, moved out of the shadow of Lamashtu in many ways, though he still values her as an ally. He has established his own powers, strong enough that he was actually called on for aid by Deskari, Lord of the Locust Host in the Worldwound’s struggle to gain a foothold. Iomedae has made herself the patron of these crusades – she hopes to replicate what her formerly living master actually performed – the slaying of Deskari. If she has truly come out from Aroden’s ways, why has she not been able to accomplish this?

Perhaps this is because she is not as committed to righteousness as she claims, preferring tantamount Law over all things. After all, Aroden dwelt on Axis, a city dedicated to the concept, and not one of goodness. It is a known fact that there were known evil clerics of Aroden. Her faith did get its start mostly by absorbing Aroden’s old faithful, shortly after his death and the resurgence of the Worldwound. Rumor has it that she even grants spells to poor souls who believe Aroden still lives. While some might consider this an act of charity, others might find it to be one of scrounging for worshippers where she can find them.

In conclusion, Baphomet has proven his superiority over Iomedae (and other deities, such as Asmodeus) in many different ways. As such, the only true path to follow is that of the Horned Beast. May your bones join those of a million others in his worship.