#shebim

[dicecast]

Infernal Duke: Carreau

Another Dicefreaks characters altered to my game.  

Carreau, Lord of Lost Love

Patron: Asmodeus 

Carreau was once a mighty messenger of the heavenly host; one the Heavens would not willingly have lost. He traveled frequently from the shores of the Silver Sea to the Material Plane, bearing messages of hope and salvation to those who held Celestia and righteousness in high esteem.

It was Carreau's fate to fall in love with a mortal woman, the queen of a mighty nation with whom Celestia kept in frequent contact. If the stories still told in Lunia are correct, the woman fell in love with him as well, but the two of them never spoke of their love, nor did they act upon it. Carreau, ever faithful, accepted the fact that love between a mortal and an immortal would not be condoned by his superiors. This notwithstanding, he managed to find excuses to visit his queen with messages as often as it was possible.

Upon a time, he was urgently summoned to the queen. It was in the evening, and she was more beautiful than the stars, her perfume sweeter than the night-flowers. There were tears in her eyes as she explained the dilemma she faced, how it was that her lands were beset by demon-worshipping invaders, and that she needed angelic help to overcome this threat. Carreau took her message to his Lord, who reminded the messenger of the terms of the Celestial Compact. With bitter defeat like gall in his mouth, Carreau returned to his love to tell her the ill news.

The queen was distanced from that time from Carreau, organizing a politically-based marriage in order to save her nation. She no longer sent her prayers to Celestia, and Carreau did not blame her. He watched her from time to time, and within him bitterness grew. His duties took him with similar messages of the seeming impotence of Heaven across many lands, and the seeds of doubt swelled into fruition. At last, in front of a high priest of Celzar, Carreau threw his trumpet to the ground, splitting it almost asunder, before declaring, "The Heavens are brass. They care for nothing but themselves." Carreau wandered for a time, unsure of himself, with no message to bear. It was in this state that he met Murmer, the Duke of Philosophy. Murmer's words worked against the gods without denying their power, and Carreau identified with this philosophy. He willingly followed the Duke, who had also been an angel at one point, into Hell, and studied at the Philosopher's feet. Eventually, though, Carreau progressed beyond Murmers teachings: haunted by Heaven's choice to keep itself aloof from conflict, particularly at the cost of his own love, the former messenger rejected the thought that the Gods had power at all.

Leaving the cold Academia Caniae, Carreau traveled abroad with a new message, now openly working against divine power, particularly that of Heaven. He used his extensive knowledge of scripture and philosophy to confuse and bewilder, if not convince, those that he spoke with. Many came to see him, with his angelic form as beautiful and appealing as ever, as a savior figure, believing that he had saved them from servitude to the Powers. He taught them to doubt the words of the Gods, to refuse to believe their eyes when miracles occurred, to stop up their ears to the demands of the clergy, and to dictate the course of their own lives. He furthermore encouraged individuals to serve their own selfish desires, teaching that love was a weakness through which the gods manipulate the Cosmos.

His steps always returned to Hell, though, and eventually he found his way to Nessus, into the presence of Asmodeus himself. The Lord of the Nine forced the former trumpet malak to bend the knee, and promoted him to Dukehood. The court at Nessus speculates that this was more to keep Carreau in line, and to provide a method of control, than out of any real desire to increase the Apostate's power.  

Carreau appears as a 12 foot tall humanoid with shining skin and silver-gold eyes. His wings are white like the driven snow, as are his robes, and his countenance shines with a faux holy radiance. His appearance as an -angel of light- has led many a servant of good to stop and speak with him when otherwise they would not. Carreau carries his trumpet, Fallocantum, on his person at all times. It is fractured, and appears to be made out of lead, but he will not be parted from it.

Among the denizens of Hell, Carreau counts Murmer and Caim among his allies. He has a healthy respect for Dispater, but loathes many of the angels who fell because of lust, particularly Semyaza. Carreau works most diligently to disrupt the work of the Virtues of Heaven, and any Lawful Good deity.

[dicecast]

Infernal Dukes: Antaia, the Witch Queen

She is mostly just from Green Ronin, and like most Green ROnin the fluff is...limited.  

Antaia, the Witch Queen, Duke of Bodily Purity.  

Patron: Fierna

Not to be confused with the Queen of Witchcraft Rosier, Antaia is completely different and shut up.  And by completely different, she also served Belial and also has a rivalry with Lillith.  However Antaia is not a fallen angel, instead being a Devil Through and through, and in many ways she is more similar to Carniveau than Rosier, since she is utterly obsessed with the idea of body purity.  Her body purity obsession can seem at odds with Witchcraft, but Antaia argues that organized religion is in fact just another facet of the occult.  She is a creature of purity, and finds any form of "dirtiness" absolutely abhorrent.  This covers all the bases, from normal dirt, to periods, sex, masturbation, disease, blood, feces, birth, breastfeeding,sweat, tears, physical contact, humidity, eating, and really any bodily function what so ever.  Anything remotely human is abhorrent to her, and she wishes to purge it from existence entirely. Her followers are Infernal aesthetics, and live extremely harshly, in a puritanical life style that would make Martin Luther flinch. This is mostly due to her love of fire, which Antaia sees as her greatest defense against an unclean world.  Fire, lots and lots of fire.  

Antaia in her true form appears as an entirely bald vaguely female humanoid with no orifices.  Her lower body is entirely smooth, she has no ears, mouth or nose and her skin has no pores.  In fact the only parts of her body that could be seen as "open" are her eyes, which are nothing more than pits in her face with fire within them.  She has no capacity to cry.  However she rarely wears this form, for fear of contamination.  Instead, she dresses herself in steel plates, melded to her flesh, that cover every inch of her, with a see through visor of Infernal Ice over her eyes.  Her entire body is incased in flame, to prevent any infection from getting through.  

Cult: Despite being an openly evil Infernal Duke who hopes to take over the entire world, Antaia is generally seen as...rather harmless.  Her churches are often openly tolerated, if not supported in various cities and she is rarely the target of Celestial Wrath.  Even Paladins rarely see her as a major target

[dicecast]

Sammael the Duke of Venom

In my rewrite of D&D fluff, I am combining Dicefreaks with my own stuff here.  In my game, Sammael is one of the THree Hidden Lords of the Gray Wastes who rule without any loyalty to Hell or Perdition, along with Verrier and the Hag Countess.  

Sammael, the Duke of Venom

“Poison is Queen” - LIva 

There is no devil in existence closer to true evil than Sammael, the reviled Arch-Devil of Venom. Exiled in his Venal Fortress in the Gray Wastes, Sammael seeks nothing less than to infect all Creation with evil and vice. Sammael is on the brink of abandoning the last vestiges of order and law as he is willing to do almost anything to achieve his goal (aka he is already Neutral Evil, and has almost given up any connection to Lawful Evil).  

Sammael is the personification of those that seek to manipulate perceived and actual weaknesses in organizations, kingdoms, or individuals in order to bring about a new order. The master of infiltrating any environment like a terrible virus, Sammael has mastered the use of words to bring ruin to even the most upstanding person or ideal. Sammael delights in petty acts of jealousy and envy, as eager to poison friendships or the love between two individuals as much as he pursues the crumbling of ancient treaties, timeless alliances and benevolent religions.

Sammael is one of the original hellspawn and was the first Lord of the Seventh Hell. Alongside Dispater, Mammon, Adrammelek, Leviathan, Lilith, and Mephistopheles, he numbered among the original Lords of the Nine, his station as Lord-Regent of Cocytus (Maladomini) appointed by The Adversary during the Days of Antiquity. Among the eight Lords of Perdition, Sammael was second only to Mephistopheles and the contests between these two paragons of Hell were monumental. While Mephistopheles favored cold, logical thought and the damnation of souls ripe with intellect and flawed Wisdom, Sammael promoted secrecy, lies, and corruption of the spirit due to emotional imbalances and misplaced anger. Sammael personified these aspects perfectly, believing that he alone was worthy to rule not just Hell, but the Depths Below and eventually the entire Cosmos. He and Mephistopheles warred perpetually during the Days of Antiquity, their conflicts an amusing farce to the Adversary and a deadly game of politics among the other Lords. While Mephistopheles gathered the likes of Dispater and Mammon to his side, devils interested in possessions and ownership, Sammael led the faction of devils dedicated to acts of evil indignation and hunger, counting Levistus and Lilith among his allies. Much like his cold rival, Sammael believed that in dominating at least half of the Hells, he would acquire the strength to smash his adversary and bring ruin to Lucifer. However, unlike Mephistopheles, who tended to keep his allies strictly among the forces of Hell, Sammael was not above consorting with lesser beings like demons and the denizens of other planes. In short order, Sammael appeared poised to quash Mephistopheles and his faction when the Battles of Light and Greed erupted. Rather than risk throwing support in with the likes of Asmodeus, Adrammelek, and Mephistopheles, Sammael determined that supporting Malkira was a safer position.

However, The Adversary  was soundly defeated by Dios who, in a startling and unexpected act of treachery, took the Serpent’s Throne for himself. Rather than punish those devils who supported the fallen Satariel, Asmodeus allowed the Lords, including Sammael, to retain their positions. Believing this decision the act of a coward and fool, Sammael resumed his plotting.

Then The Divine Fall (The one with Eblis) occurred and thousands of fallen angels were cast into Hell. Asmodeus welcomed these new servants, and many were conscripted into the various Courts of Hell. Among these was Beelzebub the Great, now called Beelzebub, The Fallen, who joined the Court of Cocytus (Maladomini). Sammael saw in the fallen solar what he thought was a pale reflection of himself, a being who knew about loss and anger, but did not know how to control it. Sammael believed that he had the perfect pawn to eventually use against both Asmodeus and Mephistopheles. Sammael named Beelzebub as his Chancellor and gave him a great deal of authority over his holdings, believing that the fallen solar would do well enough to keep him abreast of all of his foes’ activities. Alas, Beelzebub, now referred to as the Lord of the Flies, proved not only up to the task, but the greatest adversary Sammael had encountered. An even greater liar and charlatan than Sammael himself, Beelzebub used the power Sammael granted him to isolate the Poison of Perdition completely from his allies; indeed, not only was Sammael trapped within his fortress Venal, but his strongest supporter among the Lords, Lilith, was besieged by Beelzebub’s Viceroy, Moloch. Worst still, the fact that Adrammelek had been removed from his station as Lord of the Fourth revealed to Sammael that Asmodeus himself favored the fallen angels. Filled with resigned wrath, Sammael fled Cocytus (Maladomini), using ancient magic that caused Venal to relocate to the Gray Wastes.

In some ways, Sammael’s defeat in Hell was a boon to him. No longer chafing under the rule of another and wasting time and effort battling an immediate rival, Sammael has been able to concentrate on his goal: corrupting all existence. On the brink of abandoning his hellspawn heritage, Sammael is Neutral Evil in his behavior, if not his goals, and has become a powerful force in the Wastes. Sammael commands the respect of legions of demons, particularly the ones who likewise work from the shadows while manipulating the weaknesses of others. In scores of worlds, Sammael is the Prince of Poison. A master manipulator of language and a destroyer of reputations and kingdoms, Sammael’s presence is felt but rarely seen as he seeks to use words to slowly poison friendships, alliances, and morals in the worlds he infects. Indeed, Sammael has learned from his former enemy, Beelzebub, having adopted song and speech to empower his own works. Countless gods count Sammael as a vile foe, but because he hides behind the words of often innocent, witless mortals and even some celestials, most cannot directly deal with the Arch-Devil of Venom. Now, at least a dozen worlds are on the brink of revolutions that could bring about the direct rule of Sammael as his forces have shattered the worship of gods and ruined concepts related to goodness and virtue. If these ploys reach fruition, Sammael may well become a Arch-Fiend or even a full-fledged god.

Still, Sammael does retain contacts with Hell. In an interesting turn, he and Mephistopheles have a very secret alliance forged upon a mutual hatred for Beelzebub and the fallen angels that have impacted Hell. Sammael also maintains some manner of association with Lilith, the Lord of the Sixth. During Antiquity, Lilith and Sammael were consorts of a sort, and as close as two Lords of the Nine could get; indeed, it was this relationship, albeit filled with lust, loathing, and misplaced passion, that Beelzebub and Moloch addressed by isolating the two original Lords of the Sixth and Seventh Hells. Now that Lilith has returned to her former station in the Inferno, she is cautious about interacting with Sammael, but believes that an alliance with such a powerful outcast (and potential god or Arch-Fiend) would be to her benefit in the future. Aside from his servants in the Wastes. Sammael also has a passing acquaintance with Pestilence of the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse. To date, Sammael has limited political deals with The Abyss, although it is known that he has sent envoys to meet with Demogorgon the Prince of Demons, as well as Apollyon. It remains unknown what the goals and results of these meetings were, but to date there have been no further interactions between these groups.

Sammael appears as a 10-foot tall humanoid male with an athletic, broad shouldered body with pale, gold skin and long, golden hair. He tends to wear tight-fitting garments reminiscent of a young courtier’s attire at court, black and pale red the dominant colors. A pair of great, golden bat-like wings typically rest cape-like against his back. Sammael’s face is incredibly handsome, in spite of the pair of large horns that sprout from his forehead, with a ready smile that typically does not reveal his needle-like fangs. The smile never reaches his golden eyes, which seem to stare unblinkingly with an uncomfortable intensity as if Sammael can see things hidden to others. His voice is likewise pleasant, although a hint of cynicism, sarcasm, and downright cruelty can bubble up without warning. Sammael always wears an elaborate rapier at his side.

[dicecast]

Titivilus, The Duke of Misinformation

This is part of my ongoing rewrite of D&D, specifically Dice Freaks gates of Hell.  The Dukes of Hell now have their own home, the LE/NE realm of the Gray Wastes 

Titivilus, Duke of Misinformation, the Little Duke Patron- Bune

“Christ cannot possibly have been a Jew. I don't have to prove that scientifically. It's a fact.”- Joseph Goebbels (where is the Birth Certificate) 

Titivilus, The Duke of Misinformation has long served as Dispater's Herald and Advisor, and the only person who managed to earn the Paranoid Iron Duke's trust...before betraying him.  As one of the best known of the Courtiers of Perdition, Titivilus the Duke of Misinformation then served as Bune's Herald and advisor. It is believed that Dispater keeps Titivilus close for two reasons. First, the clever Lord of the Second values Titivilus scheming, crafty nature, recognizing a kindred spirit in the Duke. Second, Dispater knows better than to ignore one almost as crafty as himself, aware that Titivilus, despite his weak physical strength, could be a threat to Dispater's power.

Titivilus is completely and wholly evil. The Herald of Dispater easily disguises his corrupt nature behind his vast, and amusing, command of language. Often speaking in complex rhymes, Titivilus is considered one of the best tempters in Hell. As such, Titivilus splits his time between meeting with other members of Hell's nobility (including the other Lords of the Nine), various gods and other beings of power on Dispater's behalf, as well as actively pursuing the most debased souls in Mortal Coil and elsewhere that have betrayed their ethics. When in the Material Plane, Titivilus offers mortals cruel gossip, debauched tales, and lewd rumors that serve only to distract their minds from more important concerns, like salvation and helping their fellows. These fools become so caught up in the scandals of distant personalities and lands that they are never aware of the threats in their own backyard. They continue to witlessly toil under the heel of invisible masters, the trivial information they have been given serving as pacifiers.

To Titivilus, knowledge for the sake of knowledge is worthless. He could not care less about knowing why celestial winds stink with goodness, or why Dark Speech causes the ears of mortals to bleed. What he does care about is the fact that there are so many out there interested in all manner of information. Titivilus is ever ready to acquire such information and sell it to the highest bidder. Most amusing to Titivilus is the fact that he himself is rarely certain if the news he comes by is accurate or not. This attitude puts him in a bizarre relationship with the Dukes of Cania, for whom thought and knowledge are pursued for their own sake. On the one hand, the Courtiers of Cania value the information Titivilus teases them with, hoping that some of it will lead them to the next big discovery. On the other hand, the Dukes of Cania despise the fact that the well-traveled Titivilus always seems to know a little bit more than he lets on, not to mention the fact that much of what he reports is incomplete if not totally untrue. Titivilus is not like the Dukes of Cocytus (Maladomini) who seek information for the sake of controlling others. Instead, Titivilus is interested in scraps of paper and sound bytes that sound interesting and seem filled with promise that he then turns around and offers to those too foolish to do enough research for themselves. He passes on worthless information that sounds as important as it is meaningless. And, more importantly, he hoards information that could be used to help others not because he needs the information but because he can. Thus, the Dukes of Cocytus (Maladomini) and the Order of the Fly find a kindred spirit in Titivilus, although not a single one trusts him.

As Dispater's Herald, Titivilus has access to more information about Dis and its Iron Duke than any other Courtier in Perdition. Consequently, Titivilus is accorded a great deal of respect due to this position, even among higher-ranking nobles. He has also garnered no little hatred from his peers as he has routinely reported on the activities of his peers if he felt that doing so would increase his already enviable station. Most have done well to conceal their animosity towards the Herald to date, although if any opportunity ever arises to cast the -Little Duke- (a derogatory term often used when it is believed that Titivilus is not around) down, all will take it. Needless to say, Dispater trusts Titivilus to be honest with him up to a point; after all, Dispater knows his Herald's mind as well as he knows the mind of anyone and is well aware of what would prompt Titivilus to betray him (the certainty of greater power). Dispater always keeps close observation on his Herald and, as Titivilus knows this, the Duke of Misinformation tends to do his jobs for Dispater well knowing that to betray Dispater would mean long-term, grisly torture. Among the other Courtiers of Dis, Titivilus counts only Merorem the Darkwind as a somewhat trustworthy ally. For reasons known only to the Grand Duke of the Ebon Gale, Merorem has regularly assisted Titivilus in efforts to discredit not just fellow Peers of Dis, but Dukes and Grand Dukes across Hell. So far, Merorem has not called in any favors, and Titivilus is beginning to consider finding the means to greatly embarrass the Darkwind and ensure that he is never in the position to receive payment for his many services. After all, no good deed goes unpunished in Hell. Beyond his liege and Merorem, Titivilus treats all other Dukes in a friendly fashion, although he always makes it clear that he knows more than they know and that he is more than willing to sell more information to them if offered the right price.

Titivilus is small compared to most Courtiers of Perdition, just 5'5". He has a cherubic, perpetually smirking face with large child-like eyes, small horns, pointed ears, and red hair under a small hat. Relatively small bat-like wings sprout from his back, and his legs are like those of a goat. At first glance, he resembles a cute, well-groomed satyr. Titivilus dresses in elaborate heraldry bearing the symbol (an iron rod) and colors (red and steel gray) of Dispater, although his flowing cape is a majestic blue. Depending on the situation, Titivilus's voice may be like that of an announcer, or a whispering conspirator; when he is in an especially theatrical mood, Titivilus loves shouting like a fire and brimstone preacher. Despite these changes, everything Titivilus does serves the benefit of himself, Dispater, and the Legions of Hell.

Avatar- Dead, see below

Secrets- Titivilus left for the Gray Wastes not because of serving Dispater's interest, but because he was able to get close enough to the Iron Duke that he was almost able to kill him.  Shortly after the conquests  of the Grey Wastes he attempted to overthrow his lord, killing Dispater's Avatar and almost managing to take over the Iron Tower.  To those outside the tower it only looked like there were a few strange lights, but to those inside it was a battlefield, a warzone that lasted three weeks before Dispater destroyed Titivilus' avatar and drove the Little Duke out of his tower, relying upon ancient defenses from before the Great Fall to drive him back.  Eventually Titivilus was driven into public, and prepared to fight his final stand, hoping that maybe a public fight in Dis might lead to other Devils getting involved.  However, as he came outside, Dispater suddenly announced that in reward for his good service, Dispater was sending him to the Grey Wastes.  So far, beyond Dispater's inner circle and the Little Duke's own court, the only being who was aware of the war was Asmodeus himself.  And Sataniel of course, with his order of the Lie. However, Titivilus was in the Grey Wastes without a patron, and thus spent the first century of his existance without any Divine Mandate to command the Locals, leading to him loosing almost all of his loyal court.  Eventually Count Bune of Perdition granted him a mandate, and Titivilus offically joined the 39 Dukes, though despite his reputation he is in fact in a critically weak position.  To make matters worse, one of Dispater's conditions for his continued existence was taking 10% of his souls, in addition to those taken by Bune, so Titivilus is trying to avoid any open confrontation and building up his strength.  He has been relying on his information and contacts to secure himself enough mercenaries and magic items to ensure his continued survival, but he is more bark than bite at this point and he knows it.