Fierna
Archduchess Fierna (a.k.a. Fiery Lady of Phlegethos)
Fierna was the lady of Phlegethos who, along with Belial, her mother, were the only archdevils allowed to share rulership over one of the Nine Hells by Asmodeus. In their peculiar partnership, Fierna was the young newcomer with fiery passion and undoubtable appeal.
Fierna appeared to be an incredibly attractive young woman, a lithe, statuesque, 6 ft (1.8 m) seductress of stunning physique. Tall, dark and sensual, her garments were as royally fine as they were scantily clingy, furthering her image as a being of perversion and indecency.
Giving away her infernal heritage were the small pair of horns that emerged under her hairline, and even then the fiendish features somehow managed to enhance her enchanting appearance. Her red eyes shined and smouldered like fires were dancing within them and implicit promises of pleasure could be gleaned from her gaze.
Personality-
Befitting an archdevil of fire, Fierna was well-known for her short fuse and volatile personality, her temper striking fear in almost any devil. Her rage escalated quickly, frustration leading to fury, which erupted, quite literally since she angrily moved about on fire when enraged, into bloodthirsty vengeance, oftentimes with little warning. Additionally, she was self-absorbed, sadistic, and just generally mercurial, flitting about like a lit flame between her various obsessions and displaying a "party girl" attitude. However, assuming Fierna was just a bratty beauty was a grave mistake, for both political schemers and would-be courtiers. Fierna was prodigiously brilliant in the art of emotional manipulation with charisma to match that of Asmodeus herself, lighting fires in the hearts of mortals and immortals alike that she could control like any other. Her explosive outbursts seemed chaotic and random, but she was a being of law, simply following a pattern that perhaps only she understood. Though she saw being viewed as incompetent a useful ploy, she was no less adept at politics than other archdevils, but had no interest in taking part in the overcomplicated, governmental web. The black-hearted archdevil had more hedonistic goals, desiring to use her position to indulge in luxurious comforts and lecherous pleasures while allowing others to actually administrate. At least, this was her stance at one point, but later on she became more professionally-minded, still toying with lesser beings, but making efforts not to immediately discard them upon growing bored and attempting to enter the "grownup" world of diabolical conspiracies and power plays. Activities-
Fierna's presence was rarely noticed in Phlegethos, as she spent most of her time losing herself in pools of lava as others made decisions regarding the actual rulership of the plane. Although commonly thought of as Belial's mouthpiece, this wasn't entirely accurate, but part of a half-truth perpetuated by the Archduchess. Much of her pool time was spent with Belial as the two discussed stratagems; rather than Fierna being a nominal puppet ruler or Belial being the true power behind the throne, both took a role in the decision making, albeit with Fierna being more preoccupied with her comforts. She was rightfully thought of as insatiably lustful, thoughtlessly going through members of the opposite gender, a trait she seemed to have adopted from her father. Given her unexpected immunities, some theorized that Fierna was trying to master a second element, possibly in order to take over one of the colder layers of Hell, although she seemed generally uninterested in gaining new territory. Fierna once tried to court a mighty archfey, hoping to seduce them into relinquishing their soul. Her efforts ultimately went nowhere, but a group of the lord's satyrs became infatuated with her. Desiring some form of gain from her time spent on the lord, Fierna decided to corrupt the satyrs with her infernal powers and transformed them into the creatures known as forlarren. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Fierna Fierna's mother was the original archdevil of Phlegethos, Belial, and though many devils thought she was in decline and were waiting for Fierna to fully depose her, the two shared an unbreakable blood bond tightened by mutual necessity. She was adept at, if not quelling, focusing Fierna's fury similarly to how one controlled a fire. She also served as Fierna's mentor, teaching her from within the Hall of One Thousand Sighs and Screams of her palace about everything she knew regarding the "arts of love and pain." However, the strength of their ties had undergone severe strain with the rise to power of Fierna's second role model, Glasya. Close even before becoming the Archduchess of Malbolge, Fierna's relationship towards Glasya was perhaps the closest that devils came to having "best friends." The Fiery Lady became friends with the Lady of the Sixth fairly fast, and spent much of her time within the latter's fortress in Malbolge, returning home to proclaim new initiatives. She seemed absolutely infatuated with Glasya and couldn't stop talking about her whenever she was brought up, her search for greater autonomy being in no small part a result of her influence. Some of her decisions were made with Glasya's advice while others were Fierna imitating her close friend, but the relationship between the two nonetheless fostered uncertainty and discomfort in Belial. Belial's ally, Baalzebul, was wary of Fierna given her relationship with Glasya since Asmodeus's daughter ruled over her former domain. If however, Belial was to come to Baalzebul's aid then Mephistopheles, the Lady of Cania and Baalzebul's rival, would likely try to use Belial's daughter against her, preferably as a partner but as a hostage if needed.
Befitting an archdevil of fire, Fierna was well-known for her short fuse and volatile personality, her temper striking fear in almost any devil. Her rage escalated quickly, frustration leading to fury, which erupted, quite literally since she angrily moved about on fire when enraged, into bloodthirsty vengeance, oftentimes with little warning. Additionally, she was self-absorbed, sadistic, and just generally mercurial, flitting about like a lit flame between her various obsessions and displaying a "party girl" attitude. However, assuming Fierna was just a bratty beauty was a grave mistake, for both political schemers and would-be courtiers. Fierna was prodigiously brilliant in the art of emotional manipulation with charisma to match that of Asmodeus herself, lighting fires in the hearts of mortals and immortals alike that she could control like any other. Her explosive outbursts seemed chaotic and random, but she was a being of law, simply following a pattern that perhaps only she understood. Though she saw being viewed as incompetent a useful ploy, she was no less adept at politics than other archdevils, but had no interest in taking part in the overcomplicated, governmental web. The black-hearted archdevil had more hedonistic goals, desiring to use her position to indulge in luxurious comforts and lecherous pleasures while allowing others to actually administrate. At least, this was her stance at one point, but later on she became more professionally-minded, still toying with lesser beings, but making efforts not to immediately discard them upon growing bored and attempting to enter the "grownup" world of diabolical conspiracies and power plays. Activities-
Fierna's presence was rarely noticed in Phlegethos, as she spent most of her time losing herself in pools of lava as others made decisions regarding the actual rulership of the plane. Although commonly thought of as Belial's mouthpiece, this wasn't entirely accurate, but part of a half-truth perpetuated by the Archduchess. Much of her pool time was spent with Belial as the two discussed stratagems; rather than Fierna being a nominal puppet ruler or Belial being the true power behind the throne, both took a role in the decision making, albeit with Fierna being more preoccupied with her comforts. She was rightfully thought of as insatiably lustful, thoughtlessly going through members of the opposite gender, a trait she seemed to have adopted from her father. Given her unexpected immunities, some theorized that Fierna was trying to master a second element, possibly in order to take over one of the colder layers of Hell, although she seemed generally uninterested in gaining new territory. Fierna once tried to court a mighty archfey, hoping to seduce them into relinquishing their soul. Her efforts ultimately went nowhere, but a group of the lord's satyrs became infatuated with her. Desiring some form of gain from her time spent on the lord, Fierna decided to corrupt the satyrs with her infernal powers and transformed them into the creatures known as forlarren. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Fierna Fierna's mother was the original archdevil of Phlegethos, Belial, and though many devils thought she was in decline and were waiting for Fierna to fully depose her, the two shared an unbreakable blood bond tightened by mutual necessity. She was adept at, if not quelling, focusing Fierna's fury similarly to how one controlled a fire. She also served as Fierna's mentor, teaching her from within the Hall of One Thousand Sighs and Screams of her palace about everything she knew regarding the "arts of love and pain." However, the strength of their ties had undergone severe strain with the rise to power of Fierna's second role model, Glasya. Close even before becoming the Archduchess of Malbolge, Fierna's relationship towards Glasya was perhaps the closest that devils came to having "best friends." The Fiery Lady became friends with the Lady of the Sixth fairly fast, and spent much of her time within the latter's fortress in Malbolge, returning home to proclaim new initiatives. She seemed absolutely infatuated with Glasya and couldn't stop talking about her whenever she was brought up, her search for greater autonomy being in no small part a result of her influence. Some of her decisions were made with Glasya's advice while others were Fierna imitating her close friend, but the relationship between the two nonetheless fostered uncertainty and discomfort in Belial. Belial's ally, Baalzebul, was wary of Fierna given her relationship with Glasya since Asmodeus's daughter ruled over her former domain. If however, Belial was to come to Baalzebul's aid then Mephistopheles, the Lady of Cania and Baalzebul's rival, would likely try to use Belial's daughter against her, preferably as a partner but as a hostage if needed.
Divine Domains
Lust, Blood, Evil
Mental characteristics
Personal history
After the disastrous results of the Reckoning, Belial decided to retreat from public view, elevating Fierna to the official ruler of the plane while continuing to run things from shadows. Though beneficial to her in several ways, both Moloch and Geryon having been removed, the return of the more experienced Levistus prevented her from conquering Stygia and her original assault force led by Gazra being utterly destroyed. Afterwards, for a time, she focused on politically besting the Frozen Prince, sinking further into obscurity while allowing Fierna to take a greater public role. Eventually her armies gained enough power that she became confident she could best both Levistus and the Hag Countess, until the sudden rise of Glasya, throwing all her plans to the wind by introducing a figure she couldn't attack, out of fear of provoking both Asmodeus and her daughter.
The previously content Fierna began seeking independence, and soon Glasya's sway over Fierna seemed to have weathered down the partnership between mother and daughter. Fierna began inquiring about the operations of Phlegethos, claiming only to desire the knowledge in the case of Belial's passing, something she believed, possibly rightly, would only happen at her hands. As Fierna grew bolder, Belial's confidence waned, and it seemed that the two would eventually have some confrontation involving either Belial's resurgence or Fierna's proper ascendance.
The degree to which Glasya's wedge-driving worked, however, was debatable, as Fierna and Belial eventually reached some unorthodox, familial understanding. Rather than one destroying the other, the two ruled Phlegethos in tandem, Fierna handling matters regarding mortal souls and Belial governing Phlegethos itself. Belial's cults had been small and Fierna was apathetic towards the "work" of being an archdevil, so their specialization allowed the former to reclaim her position as an official ruler while Fierna could put her interpersonal talents to use.
However, calling the two partners wasn't exactly accurate, for just as the two had reconciled as allies they had also become true rivals, showing a confusing combination of hatred and admiration for each other. The two were constantly trying to trap and undermine each other but Fierna's charismatic personality and persuasive power cancelled out Belials' greater intellect and forward planning. Just as before, there were those that believed that their infighting could be used to overtake them, a partially true sentiment. But, any short-term benefit provided by their conflict wouldn't last, for a true threat to their rightful reign would prompt father and daughter to unite and defend their shared dominion.
Divine Classification
Archdevil
Alignment
Lawful Evil
Species
Realm
Church/Cult
Children
Current Residence
Pronouns
She/Her
Comments