Zariel
Lord of the First, General of Avernus, Jewel of Asmodeus
"You're wrong, Lulu. This is who I am. When demons die, they cry out my name in terror. The old Zariel was weak, blinded by devotion to a pretender goddess. But now I have true power, and I serve a truly great master. Now... It's time for us to part ways."—Zariel, A Hope in Hell (C1:E132) Zariel was the archduke of Avernus, and one of the foremost generals for the infernal side of the Blood War. Thaddeus performed a ritual to redeem her and restore her to Esanihen's service.
Physical Description
Body Features
Zariel had ashy gray skin that looked as if it were charred in the very fires of the Nine Hells. Blackened bones formed the frame of her wings, but flames that flickered with the visages of tormented souls filled the gaps between where feathers or skin ought to be.
Facial Features
Zariel's head was bald and her eyes held pools of pure fire. A flaming halo of hellfire adorned the top of her head.
Identifying Characteristics
One of Zariel's arms was severed during her sortie into the Nine Hells, and was been replaced by a wicked flail on an infernal iron chain. When she was redeemed the flail fell from her body, so she has only one arm now.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Zariel was once an angel in the service of Esanihen. Esanihen tasked her with monitoring the Blood War in Avernus, and entrusted Zariel with her own sword. However, after years of watching passively as the forces of evil collided against each other, Zariel grew frustrated and decided to take matters into her own hands, believing that the forces of good could stomp out evil in the Nine Hells once and for all. Accompanied by her companion Lulu the hollyphant, her friend and fellow angel Yael, and a host of paladins and clerics led by her most devoted followers, Haruman and Olanthius, Zariel began her assault on the Nine Hells.
To her credit, Zariel's forces plunged deeper into the Hells than any prior invading force had ever managed, but they were ultimately broken in Stygia by a stratagem crafted by the then-archduke of Avernus, Bel. After ordering her armies to flee, Zariel and her most loyal followers fought for their lives, but Asmodeus himself rose up from the layer's icy oceans and defeated them. He tore Zariel's wings from her back before transporting the group to Nessus, where he spent years making Zariel see things his way and transforming her into a devilish version of herself.
With the help of her lieutenants, Haruman, Olanthius, and the tiefling Discord, she contributed her incredible power and fury to holding the tides of demons at bay and preventing them from reaching deeper layers of the Nine Hells.
The Antiheroes came into conflict with Zariel when they discovered the location of her sword in Avernus, and they barely managed to escape down the River Styx to Stygia. Later, after a party held by Glasya in the Tomb of Levistus, Thaddeus performed a ritual to redeem Zariel.
Gender Identity
She / Her
Accomplishments & Achievements
Zariel's foray into the Nine Hells holds the record for the greatest military action against the plane in recorded history. If her forces where not broken when they were, she may have made it to Asmodeus's doorstep in Nessus.
Failures & Embarrassments
Zariel's fall from Esanihen's grace is her biggest failure. However, while she served Asmodeus she did not see it as such. Instead Zariel perceived her transformation as the moment she was freed from the foolish shackles of a weak goddess and allowed to serve a greater master and purpose. Now that she has been restored to Esanihen's service, she works tirelessly to redeem herself for her failure.
Intellectual Characteristics
As an archdevil Zariel was proud, vengeful, and violent. She did not hesitate to levy her full might against any who crossed her.
Morality & Philosophy
In her own twisted way, Zariel believed that what she had become served the greater good of the multiverse. If she were not keeping the demonic hordes at bay, they would surely overwhelm all of reality.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Social
Religious Views
Zariel had convinced herself that Esanihen was a fool for merely tasking her with monitoring the Blood War. For that reason she saw Asmodeus as a superior deity that was worthy of her respect, since he saw her potential and allowed her to do something that mattered on a cosmic scale.
Now she has returned to Esanihen and wishes to redeem herself for the evils she has committed.
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