Dispater
Archduchess of Dis Dispater (a.k.a. The Iron Duchess)
Dispater was the Lady of Dis and an archdevil whose extreme vigilance almost personified caution. The urbane Iron Duchess ruled the Iron City from within her Iron Tower, and was legendary for her impregnable layers of defence.
Dispater appeared as a 7 ft tall, dark-haired humanoid with sable skin as cold and hard as iron. Her infernal heritage was revealed in several aspects of figure: her glowing, red eyes, small horns, pointed tail, and cloven left hoof. The devilishly beautiful archduchess dressed in only the finest attire, such as her velvet gloves or red robes, and always wielded her mace-like rod.
Personality-
A master strategist and expert in intrigue, Dispater had a well-earned reputation for being the most carefully calculating of the archdevils. Her personal safety was always her top priority, and to catch her off-guard would be to outwit one of the most clever and resourceful beings in reality. During every step of her dominion she acted with patient cunning and unshakable discretion. Although she, like the other archdevils, schemed to take over the Nine Hells, she avoided taking big risks, not out of cowardice or insecurity but because of her unique view of the system. Dispater viewed reality from the perspective of a contestant in an enigmatic game governed by unclear rules, and she analysed the worth of everything by how it might help her glean its true nature. By solving all the mysteries of the multiverse, she would gain the best chances of winning, allowing her to control the Nine Hells and then the rest of reality. She held numerous secret techniques in regards to mining and forging for example, making her the greatest weapons supplier in Hell and possibly the multiverse, and thus making her an important entity for the devils of the war-torn Avernus. The chance to learn a new secret was one of the few things that could compel her to act against the other archdevils. Despite her analytical approach, Dispater still held diabolical charisma and carried herself with appreciable self-control. She was calm and composed at all times and was undeniably persuasive, delivering reasonable arguments with the courtesy of a true woman. Her ability to withhold her anger even when it passionately burned not only made her a dangerously suave entity, but was a source of personal pride for her. However, behind Dispater's sophisticated posturing and soft finery was nonetheless a tyrant's iron fist, much to the chagrin of predatory members of her court. She was a malicious manipulator whose gentle words were laced with deceit and her acts of supposed charity were always political in nature. Among the archdevils, she was notable for rarely trying to force others to do her bidding, preferring to twist them into unwittingly carrying out her will. Even when committing acts of unspeakable evil, her chivalrous façade never wavered, and if someone did manage to break her iron-clad stoicism she'd rather destroy them than leave them alive to potentially expose her folly. More recently however, a flaw had appeared in Dispater's seemingly invincible defence; her never-ending vigilance had been slowly transitioning into anxiety and paranoia. Unless otherwise forced to, she never left her city or even her tower, fearing a fate like Geryon or Moloch before her. No one was trusted, surprises were, at best, unpleasant, and she went out of her way to make clear who was in charge. The gloomy archdevil's paranoia affected her every action and the ever-cautious Lady of the Nine had at least nine escape routes and back-up plans at any given time. Activities-
Dispater rarely left the safety of her Iron Tower, much less her city, only exiting if forced to by Asmodeus and always returning as fast as possible. She governed her realm through intermediaries and aspects and relied on minions to do her bidding, her servants being scattered throughout the Nine Hells all working to some elaborate end. Erinyes served as her messengers and heralds but she also made use of imp envoys with messages sown into vests designed to destroy both the messenger and message if removed by the wrong person. With every archdevil to fall, Dispater's already healthy paranoia grew and her methods became more extreme. For example, the unpredictable and sudden fall of the Hag Countess to Glasya, seemingly with the support of her father drove Dispater deeper into the depths of her tower. After that she double-checked her exits, quadrupled her guards and increased the layers of intermediaries she communicated through, only directly seeing her most trusted servitors and instructing half of her servants to spy on the other half for treachery. Zariel's triumph over Bel only made matters worse and saw her take up residence deep within her libraries. She left daily governance and negotiation with mortal summoners to her herald Titivilus and a greater number of spies to monitor potential threats. Her primary goal was always to consolidate her current power and her plans could take generations to achieve results. After Glasya's ascension she tried to slowly drive out the voluntary, planar residents from her city through harassment, taxation and surveillance, convinced they were all sources of potential treachery. As for actual objectives, her main mission was the elimination of Baalzebul. The two constantly fought in wars of intrigue and expertly played politics, preventing the Iron Duke from further expansion, or at the very least that was how it appeared. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Dispater) For a long time, at least in name, Dispater was an ally of Mephistopheles, although he envied the Cold Lord and was greatly perturbed by the possibility that her arcane studies had uncovered a secret she hadn't yet learned. The two shared a deep hatred for Baalzebul, with Dispater's loathing stemming from the fact that the Slug Archduke was, in her eyes, just a fallen archon and not a 'true' baatezu like Mephistopheles, although only someone as ancient as Dispater would be aware or care about such semantics. Dispater was once an ally of Mammon as well, but the sniveling serpent's display of craven pleading towards Asmodeus and the speed with which she sold her out broke their partnership. However, Dispater herself was nonetheless cowed after the disastrous ending of the Reckoning, considering himself lucky to still be in his position. He was the most loyal of the archdevils, the beckoning of the King of Hell being one of the few things that would prompt him to leave the Iron Tower, and would need extraordinary persuasion to attempt to betray him twice.
A master strategist and expert in intrigue, Dispater had a well-earned reputation for being the most carefully calculating of the archdevils. Her personal safety was always her top priority, and to catch her off-guard would be to outwit one of the most clever and resourceful beings in reality. During every step of her dominion she acted with patient cunning and unshakable discretion. Although she, like the other archdevils, schemed to take over the Nine Hells, she avoided taking big risks, not out of cowardice or insecurity but because of her unique view of the system. Dispater viewed reality from the perspective of a contestant in an enigmatic game governed by unclear rules, and she analysed the worth of everything by how it might help her glean its true nature. By solving all the mysteries of the multiverse, she would gain the best chances of winning, allowing her to control the Nine Hells and then the rest of reality. She held numerous secret techniques in regards to mining and forging for example, making her the greatest weapons supplier in Hell and possibly the multiverse, and thus making her an important entity for the devils of the war-torn Avernus. The chance to learn a new secret was one of the few things that could compel her to act against the other archdevils. Despite her analytical approach, Dispater still held diabolical charisma and carried herself with appreciable self-control. She was calm and composed at all times and was undeniably persuasive, delivering reasonable arguments with the courtesy of a true woman. Her ability to withhold her anger even when it passionately burned not only made her a dangerously suave entity, but was a source of personal pride for her. However, behind Dispater's sophisticated posturing and soft finery was nonetheless a tyrant's iron fist, much to the chagrin of predatory members of her court. She was a malicious manipulator whose gentle words were laced with deceit and her acts of supposed charity were always political in nature. Among the archdevils, she was notable for rarely trying to force others to do her bidding, preferring to twist them into unwittingly carrying out her will. Even when committing acts of unspeakable evil, her chivalrous façade never wavered, and if someone did manage to break her iron-clad stoicism she'd rather destroy them than leave them alive to potentially expose her folly. More recently however, a flaw had appeared in Dispater's seemingly invincible defence; her never-ending vigilance had been slowly transitioning into anxiety and paranoia. Unless otherwise forced to, she never left her city or even her tower, fearing a fate like Geryon or Moloch before her. No one was trusted, surprises were, at best, unpleasant, and she went out of her way to make clear who was in charge. The gloomy archdevil's paranoia affected her every action and the ever-cautious Lady of the Nine had at least nine escape routes and back-up plans at any given time. Activities-
Dispater rarely left the safety of her Iron Tower, much less her city, only exiting if forced to by Asmodeus and always returning as fast as possible. She governed her realm through intermediaries and aspects and relied on minions to do her bidding, her servants being scattered throughout the Nine Hells all working to some elaborate end. Erinyes served as her messengers and heralds but she also made use of imp envoys with messages sown into vests designed to destroy both the messenger and message if removed by the wrong person. With every archdevil to fall, Dispater's already healthy paranoia grew and her methods became more extreme. For example, the unpredictable and sudden fall of the Hag Countess to Glasya, seemingly with the support of her father drove Dispater deeper into the depths of her tower. After that she double-checked her exits, quadrupled her guards and increased the layers of intermediaries she communicated through, only directly seeing her most trusted servitors and instructing half of her servants to spy on the other half for treachery. Zariel's triumph over Bel only made matters worse and saw her take up residence deep within her libraries. She left daily governance and negotiation with mortal summoners to her herald Titivilus and a greater number of spies to monitor potential threats. Her primary goal was always to consolidate her current power and her plans could take generations to achieve results. After Glasya's ascension she tried to slowly drive out the voluntary, planar residents from her city through harassment, taxation and surveillance, convinced they were all sources of potential treachery. As for actual objectives, her main mission was the elimination of Baalzebul. The two constantly fought in wars of intrigue and expertly played politics, preventing the Iron Duke from further expansion, or at the very least that was how it appeared. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Dispater) For a long time, at least in name, Dispater was an ally of Mephistopheles, although he envied the Cold Lord and was greatly perturbed by the possibility that her arcane studies had uncovered a secret she hadn't yet learned. The two shared a deep hatred for Baalzebul, with Dispater's loathing stemming from the fact that the Slug Archduke was, in her eyes, just a fallen archon and not a 'true' baatezu like Mephistopheles, although only someone as ancient as Dispater would be aware or care about such semantics. Dispater was once an ally of Mammon as well, but the sniveling serpent's display of craven pleading towards Asmodeus and the speed with which she sold her out broke their partnership. However, Dispater herself was nonetheless cowed after the disastrous ending of the Reckoning, considering himself lucky to still be in his position. He was the most loyal of the archdevils, the beckoning of the King of Hell being one of the few things that would prompt him to leave the Iron Tower, and would need extraordinary persuasion to attempt to betray him twice.
Divine Domains
Blood, Evil, Trickery
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Dispater was an archduchess of unimaginable age, ancient even by the standards of her peers. Untold eons had passed since she first rose to power to the point where her origin could no longer be remembered by most, and unlike figures such as Bel she defied classification as a "type" of devil. If the tale of the Pact Primeval was to be believed, she was formerly an angel that worked with Asmodeus, Mephistopheles, and other dark angels that would become the first erinyes, to transform the barren wasteland of Hell into an industrious plane of torture and punishment.
Dispater was thought to have mediated the deal between Tiamat and the githyanki, her original deal of receiving the entire race's soul having been rejected. Dispater received the soul of Gith as a kind of insurance for Tiamat upholding her side of the bargain and granting the githyanki red dragon mounts. Unfortunately for the Lady of Avarice she unknowingly violated the terms of the agreement by demanding the githyanki assist her in one of her battles, not in itself a violation and indeed a part of the pact. Unbeknownst to her, one of Gith's last requirements was that the githyanki always carried on the Eternal Crusade against the mind flayers, and by ordering them to temporarily put it aside, she broke the deal and released Gith's soul from Dispater's coffers.
Divine Classification
Archdevil
Alignment
Lawful Evil
Species
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
Current Residence
Ruled Locations
Comments