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I'm sure that by now, many of you know that there is an antipaladin archetype in Ultimate Intrigue specific to Lawful Evil characters, as opposed to the class' typical Chaotic Evil alignment. Logically, one can infer that the Tyrant would draw his or her power from any number of lawful and evil deities; with Asmodeus being on the top of that list.
Perhaps there exist "Infernal Paladins" in Cheliax. Grim and fanatical templars of darkness who worship the ruler of the Nine Hells; and who seek to spread his faith and power across the material plane. They could be trained and indoctrinated by the Church of Asmodeus, or sworn to serve House Thrune as knightly enforcers. They are duty-bound and lawful warriors of the divine, like paladins. But unlike Paladins, they wage a never-ending war against the enemies of their devil-god and by extension, those of the Chelaxian Empire. These include, but are not limited to: the Bellflower Network, the Glorious Reclamation, Andoran's Eagle Knights, and Silver Ravens. When chaos corrupts the foundation of Cheliax's lawful society, House Thrune calls in the Hellknights. When the forces of good seek to banish the darkness, the empire's rulers send Tyrants to snuff out the light.
The Tyrants/Infernal Paladins are not as numerous, organized, or regimented as Hellknights. But they have a much closer relation with the Church of Asmodeus and House Thrune then the (technically independent) Hellknights do. They work at the behest of the imperial authorities and are assigned to specific tasks and missions in accordance with their level of skill and the issues at hand. A Tyrant may be sent to hunt down rebels in the wilderness, lead troops in battle, or serve as the guardian of an Asmodean temple. A Tyrant is often used to supplement or command existing forces such as dottari, the Chelish Citizen's Group, redactors, Asmodean priests, inquisitors, or devils. As befits their wicked and unholy nature, Tyrants often seek out paladins, good-aligned celestials, and clerics of good deities to slaughter; proving their devotion to Asmodeus by killing these enemies.
How does this relate to Hell's Rebels? I think a Tyrant would make an excellent enemy of the PCs. While most of these anti-paladins will be busy putting down the Glorious Reclamation, some will find themselves sent to Kintargo. Here are some ways I could integrate them.
*In Hell's Bright Shadow: A level 3 Tyrant and Thrune agent from Westcrown is sent to Kintargo by his superiors, and prowls the streets with a squad of Dottari beside him while looking for rebels, dissidents, and lawbreakers. His cruel, aggressive treatment of the populace and eagerness to please Barzillai earns him infamy. Perhaps the Silver Ravens could ambush and eliminate him to help earn the city's support.
*Turn of the Torrent: A Tyrant antipaladin 5/Hellknight 3 from the Order of the Rack oversees the torture of the Torrent armigers at the Holding House alongside Sabo The Spider. Good for if you think the party is having too much of an easy time.
*Dance of the Damned: Desperate to gain recognition from House Thrune and regain some of their old power, the matriarch of House Sarini sends one of her daughters, a vicious level 11 Tyrant antipaladin, to the Ruby Masquerade to assist in massacring the Silver Ravens. Her masquerade outfit is that of a laughing devil, and she gives the PCs no quarter in her ferocious assault against them.
*A Song of Silver: On the personal orders of Queen Abrogail II, a level 13 devil-bound (Horned Devil) Tyrant antipaladin is sent to Kintargo and placed under Barzillai Thrune's command to help crush the Silver Ravens before they can liberate the city. Barzillai positions him outside the doors of the Temple of Asmodeus and gives him command of Thrune troop squadrons, guard captains, and devils. He knows the PCs will attempt to breach the temple and hopes that the mighty antipaladin and his minions will cut them down.
What uses could you see for this archetype in Hell's Rebels, in regards to effective NPCs, memorable villains, and where they would fit in with Barzillai's regime?
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Honestly since a Tyrant can work with good aligned characters at no penalty, as long as it works toward his ultimately evil goals, a tyrant posing as an ally of the party (with something to hide his alignment) could be terribly effective. They've grown to trust and depend upon this person who has helped them defeat mighty villains, only to have him betray them at the most crucial of moments because he serves the greatest of villains and all those he slew up to now we're merely sacrifices for this one moment of betraual.
have him claim to be a representative of the Glorious Reclamation. ;)
Cool idea for a random encounter in the first book. If you end up statting out that level 3 tyrant NPC, please post!
I really love this idea, and will probably use it for an upcoming Hell's Rebels game I'll be running. I particularly like that the tyrants are Thrune loyalists. Serving as a foil to the Hellknights, who are ostensibly pro Cheliax but a wildcard themselves makes them fit really well into the setting.
