Page 12 - Mordenkainen's Tome Of Foes

TIAMAT WAITS AND WATCHES Many of the active citadels on Avernus loom over the
The Queen of Dragons resides in Avernus. Her lairs sits River Styx or surround portals to other planes or to Dis.
atop a towering mountain, with flights of dragons wheel· An amnizu presides over each location, directing the
ing through the skies to discourage any demonic incur- lemures that emerge from the Styx, marshaling forces
sions. For their part, the demons avoid this place. The against invaders, and preventing unauthorized travel.
hordes of the Abyss have learned the hard way that Tiamat
and her court prefer to be left alone. She appears disinter- DISPATER
ested in becoming involved in the Blood War.
Tiamat's presence in Avernus has confounded sages for THE COSMOS IS A GRAND GAME. HE WHO KNOWS ITS
years. As with devils, she is unable to leave the plane of rules the best shall win the prize.
her own will. She must be called forth, but only the might-
iest rituals can draw her back into the world. So, if she has -Dispater
been imprisoned here, how and why did that come about?
The most prevalent theory holds that her confinement
Dispater is the foremost arms dealer of the Nine Hells,
is related to the end of the long war between the dragons
and perhaps the greatest weapons supplier in all the
and giants, that she was sequestered here by means of a
planes. As the lord of Dis, he oversees a mining and
mighty curse levied by a forgotten god of the giants she
slew. The curse brought an end to the war but also drew smelting operation that continually churns out weapons
the curtain on the time of the dragons and giants on the and armor. Using some of the great number of secret
Material Plane, clearing the way for the rise of humans, techniques Dispater has unearthed over his lifetime, the
ores, dwarves, elves, and other folk. lfTiamat were to foundries of Dis produce deadly armaments that help to
return to the material world, that event could trigger, or stem the abyssal tide. The fighting requires constant re-
be a signal of, the resumption of the war between giants inforcements, creating a voracious appetite for the prod-
and dragons. ucts of the iron mines on Dis and the workshops in the
sprawling metropolis that shares the name of the layer.
vering stand in stark contrast to Bel's approach, which Dispater trusts no one and dislikes surprises. Since
relied on his expertise in logistics and defensive tactics Zariel's rise to power, he has taken to dwelling in the
to make steady but slow advances. Bel remains one of libraries inside his iron palace. He employs a network
her chief lieutenants, and he doesn't discourage her of spies and informants to watch over anyone that might
reckless tactics in the hope that she will overextend her threaten him, a measure of his deep paranoia. Dispater
forces and suffer a defeat that leads to her removal. has created an impenetrable suit of adamantine armor
For now, though, the devils are fighting with a ber- for himself, imbued with charms designed to foil spells
serker fury under her charge. Zariel leads their offen- and keep him safe in any environment, no matter how
sives herself, and her unyielding resolve coupled with hostile. No one can guess at all of its features, since he
the fighting skill of her underlings has pushed nearly all crafted it using methods that only he has mastered.
the demonic invaders out of Avernus. Dispater's paranoia affects everything he does. For
example, he often dispatches orders and other missives
THE W ARRIOR'S GENERAL by branding his message on the back of an imp. The imp
Zariel is no politician. She lives to fight, and she bases wears a leather vest that conceals the message, and the
her assessment of those she meets on a combination of laces of the vest are knitted into the imp's heart. If the
their combat skills and their willingness to use those vest is removed by anyone other than the intended recip-
skills. In Zariel's eyes, zeal and fury are as important in ient, that act kills the imp and causes its body to disinte-
a fight as iron discipline and extensive training. grate before the message can be read.
That outlook has made her something of a political The lord of Dis measures everything in terms of
pariah, since she has spurned overtures of alliance from the knowledge it contains and the secrets that can be
other Lords of the Nine and elected to swell the ranks gleaned from it. He yearns to solve every mystery of the
of her armies through the aggressive recruitment of cosmos, a quest that might seem foolhardy for anyone
mortal souls. Her agents offer gifts of martial skill and other than an immortal being. Any hint of a secret that
courage to any who are willing to bargain. Zariel needs remains hidden draws his attention, and a discovery
souls that yearn to prove their worth on the battlefield. that could tip the scales in his favor might be enough to
entice him to act against his fellow Lords of the Nine.
LADY OF RUIN
Given his reclusive nature, gaining an audience with
Zariel rules over the ruin that Avernus has become. Dispater is difficult at best, with no guarantee that any
Once it was a bustling realm filled with cities, trade correspondence truly reaches him.
outposts, and other features, but recent activity in the
Blood War has reduced it to a blasted wasteland. The THE GREATEST GAME
few structures still standing are citadels constructed by Dispater's trade in souls is concerned mainly with the
the devils to repel attackers, to be rebuilt each time the acquisition of secrets. His imps scour the Material
front line of the war moves. The devils are in control of Plane in search of any lost lore that could help to turn a
Avernus at present, though the fighting goes on (as it al- soul to Dispater's service. Such a secret could be a lost
ways does) in isolated locales throughout the layer. spell sought by a mighty archmage, who pledges fealty
Adventurers able to avoid the other occupants can find to Dispater in return for the knowledge, or it could be
treasure within some of the ruins, though they must ven- the identity of a petitioner's secret admirer. Dispater and
ture to the fringes of the active conflict to have any hope his minions know that the perceived value of a secret is
of finding places that have not yet been looted.

CHAPTER 1 I THE BLOOD WAR
TI