Queen of Air and Darkness
The Night Diamond
Overview
The lady of the unseelie fey rules the Gloaming Court from atop her onyx throne. Her voice pierces even silence itself, shaking the stones of her subterranean howe and cloying in the ears of her courtiers, sowing suspicion and discord among those who would betray her. Hers is the realm of night, where beauty and savagery are one in the same and darkness holds sway.Court of Intrigue
The Gloaming Court, like the Summer Court, is not bound by the narrow concepts of morality. The unseelie fey align because of their love for intrigue, the beauty of jealousy and betrayal, of passionate alliances and clandestine meetings. Similarly, the Queen of Air and Darkness is not concerned with good or evil. Though she can be malicious and petty, she is not by nature cruel for cruelty's sake. She does not seek to spread woe or rot, but rather to glory in the beauty of the dark.The Night Diamond
The Night Diamond is a magnificent, sinister gem. Stars are trapped within its umbral depths, and each facet gleams with the Queen of Air and Darkness's intelligence. The ruler of the Gloaming Court is an invisible presence bound to the gem. Those who can see the invisible alternately claim that she appears as a cold and fiercely beautiful elven woman or as a cloud of dark vapors roiling around the Night Diamond. Even if she is slain, then she simply retreats into the indestructible artifact, only to reawaken a few days later.The Onyx Throne
The Queen of Air and Darkness is bound to both her Night Diamond and to her Onyx Throne. Though she cannot physically move from her throne, she is not trapped to it. She can see through the eyes of her numerous thralls, puppeteering their bodies from her hidden palace of Hildaland. Her thundering voice and command of winds also allows her to deflect and banish those foolish enough to attack her in her own realm.Queen of Air and Darkness's Lair
The Queen of Air and Darkness rules the Gloaming Court from atop her onyx throne within her palace of Hildaland. This underground realm is carved deep in the living earth, and is filled with strange and terrible beauty. Phosphorescent fungi and lichen adorn the walls like candelabras, glimmering gems form natural mosaics of bizarre, organic shapes, and echoes return to their source hauntingly distorted. Secret passages honeycomb the stone, and whispered conversations linger in the dark corners. Distrust and fickle bonds hold sway here, and no one is safe for long.Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Queen of Air and Darkness takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects:- The Queen of Air and Darkness casts the silence spell. She does not need to concentrate on this spell, which ends on initiative count 20 of the next round.
- All creatures within 30 feet of the Onyx Throne must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until initiative count 20 of the following round. While frightened, the creature must use its full movement at the beginning of its turn to move away from the throne.
- The Queen of Air and Darkness casts dominate monster (save DC 24). This effect does not require her concentration, but she can only affect one creature with it at a time and the spell ends if the creature leaves her lair.
Regional Effects
The region containing the Queen of Air and Darkness's lair is warped by her magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:- Humanoids within 5 miles of the Queen of Air and Darkness's lair will occasionally hear voices whispering in their ear. If a creature respond to these whispers, the Queen of Air and Darkness hears their response and becomes aware of their presence.
- Attempts made by creatures to hide in areas of darkness within 5 miles of the Queen of Air and Darkness's lair have advantage.
Queen of Air and Darkness CR: 25 (75,000 XP)
STR
12 +1
DEX
19 +4
CON
17 +3
INT
26 +8
WIS
25 +7
CHA
26 +8
Innate Spellcasting. The Queen of Air and Darkness's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 24, +16 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring only verbal components:
- At will: command, darkness, dispel magic, dissonant whispers, gust of wind, message, scrying, suggestion
- 3/day each: blindness/deafness, destructive wave, geas
- 1/day each: mass suggestion, power word kill
Actions
Multiattack. The Queen of Air and Darkness makes three attacks with her bolt. Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +16 to hit, range 120 feet, one target. Hit: 4d6 + 8 lightning damage. Terrible Command (Recharge 5-6). The Queen of Air and Darkness speaks a single word of command. All creatures within 60 feet of the Queen of Air and Darkness must make a DC 24 Wisdom saving throw, taking 10d10 thunder damage and 10d10 psychic damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful one. Any creature that fails the saving throw is also subjected to the command spell, with the same command being issued to all affected targets.
Legendary Actions
The Queen of Air and Darkness can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Queen of Air and Darkness regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn. Witch Voice. The Queen of Air and Darkness casts command, dissonant whispers, message, or suggestion. Begone (Costs 2 Actions). All creatures within 20 feet of the Queen of Air and Darkness must make a DC 24 Charisma saving throw or take 1d10 force damage and be teleported up to 60 feet in a direction of the Queen of Air and Darkness's choosing. Any creature reduced to 0 hit points by this effect is disintegrated and dies, its spirit rising as a specter loyal to the Queen of Air and Darkness at the beginning of her next turn.
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