About Pescyra, Queen of Dis
Pescyra, Queen of Dis
Appearance - Avatar
LE female unique devil of beauty, nobility, and slavery
Domains: Charm, Evil, Law, Nobility
Subdomains: Captivation, Devil, Hubris, Slavery
Favored Weapon: Quarterstaff
Unholy Symbol: A locked birdcage
Temples: Magic shops and stores that offer exotic delights to the wealthy
Worshipers: Summoners, nobles, and those looking for power beyond that of their peers
Minions: Contract Devils
Obedience: Perform an act that directly benefits Hell. Gain DR 1/good and Silver.
The so-called Queen of Dis is one of the most important devils in the city - an ascended Contract Devil who has acquired her own form rather than progressing up to a Barbed or Heresy Devil. While she keeps quiet about her exact position in the Hierarchy of Hell, many believe she's either an Infernal Duke or something close to it. However, unlike many of the temptresses of Hell, Pescyra is known to choose her contracts and agreements very carefully and acts for goals few entirely understand.
Appearing as an attractive young woman and a major noble of Dis, Pescyra is the direct subordinate of Dispater, who she obeys with unquestioning loyalty when he gives a direct command. 'Trust' is a rather strong word for the denizens of Hell, but she's been known to run the city on the occasions when Dispater leaves home to attend meetings or further his own inscrutible goals. These periods tend to be among the calmest in the city, with matters proceeding largely as they did before. Those who attempt to disrupt the times - sometimes referred to as "Pescyra's Peace" - learn what torment truly means. Pescyra doesn't rage when people make the mistake of going against her. Instead, with her usual smile and soft voice, she gives them whatever sentence of damnation she thinks is most fitting... and as they're lead away, each prisoner realizes that for all they've accomplished, they truly mean nothing to her.
What separates Pescyra from the rest of the nobility is her possession of the Greedstaff, an artifact capable of unlocking some of the deepest vaults of Erebus and withdrawing the treasures stored within. From these vaults, she can give people power beyond what is normally available to mortals, ranging from talent and magic to powers yet unknown by the rest of the planes. Those who try to steal her staff inevitably fail, for the Greedstaff was granted to her by Asmodeus himself and recognizes no other masters - this acknowledgement by the Lord of Hell is one of the reasons Dispater has allowed her to rise above the her kin, and she's proved worthy of the position.
Personality-wise, Pescyra tends to come across as relaxed and even strangely cheerful for someone in her position. She's known to appreciate the style of nobility - another reason she fits in so well in Dispater's court - and has a strong preference for meeting with mortal nobles, those who aspire to the ranks of nobility, or those who at least serve nobles in some capacity. She rarely answers the pleas of commoners, and does so only for her own inscrutable reasons.
What most don't realize is that Pescyra cares essentially nothing for the souls offered to her, which are often far less valuable than the things people ask for. Instead, she usually makes bargains with a bigger goal in mind - influencing nations or even entire worlds towards in a way that furthers the objectives of Hell.
To keep things under control, Pescyra claims most or all of what her contracted mortals might otherwise gain. In many cases, wizards find that they can't learn stronger spells until she allows it, while merchants see their money flutter away from their grasp to float just a hair's breadth out of reach. At all times and in all ways, those who make deals with the Queen of Dis receive only what she allows them to, and she demands progress and success before providing a full reward. Most of her contracts are extremely personal - once she's made a deal, she can be summoned with little more than a drawn circle and a chant. She's known to appreciate rich, formal settings much more, but will respond almost anytime and anywhere when a contractor asks for her.
Despite her infernal nature, Pescyra is far from stupid. She doesn't trick people for the sole purpose of tricking them or subvert her goals just to do a few small acts of evil. Indeed, she barely even notices small acts, considering them unworthy of her personal attention and worthless as offerings unless done as an obedience. Pescyra thinks big, and those who want something from her need to do the same. For those who can keep her happy, however, Pescyra is often quite generous with gifts and boons. Each reward is a reminder of how much more she can give... and how one must work to earn them.
Failure is... less pleasant. Pescyra can often offer her contractors the power they need to turn a situation around, and she tends to do that whenever things go wrong for reasons outside of someone's control or reasonable ability to plan for. She has goals, and she's not going to stop pursuing them because of a little bad luck. Many of her contractors have been surprised by how understanding she is of such situations and how few strings are attached to the new help she offers.
Genuine disappointments, on the other hand, are another matter entirely. Pescyra almost never truly gives things away - rather, they're loaned to people, and she can reclaim them at any time. If someone is foolish enough to truly mess up, she may reclaim everything she's given and ensure their swift demise, condemning them to join the roiling masses of the weakest ranks of Hell instead of a position of power and glory at her side.
This is the reality of one of Hell's most adept temptresses - not petty evils or minor bargains, but power and wealth like few mortals can even begin to comprehend.
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The Deep Vaults of Erebus:
The Deep Vaults of Erebus are home to Hell's share of Blessings. A Blessing is capable of subverting the normal rules of the world to a certain extent and making someone more than their peers. Blessings can do things like allow access to Mythic power, let a creature gain multiple class levels at the same time, or provide rare and unique abilities. All deities are capable of granting a certain number of Blessings at any one time, but Hell is somewhat unique in that all the Blessings of all its inhabitants fall under the ultimate control of Asmodeus. (Also, the world itself sometimes grants Blessings for reasons nobody has been able to figure out.)
While a rare few are given to chosen individuals in furtherance of Hell's plans, most Blessings Hell holds are for sale... as usual with the Devils, it's power at a price. That said, they're quite picky about who can actually obtain them, and it's often limited to powerful conjurers and diabolists who will undertake great acts for their infernal masters. In a very real way, obtaining the Blessings of Hell represents being chosen. Of course, by definition, that's not necessarily a good thing...
Pescyra is unusual among Hell's Infernal Dukes in that she has free access to the Blessings. While the lesser Lords of the Nine and various other Powers can go to the vaults to get Blessings, they can only get their own. Pescyra is permitted to use any of them as part of creating the greatest temptations and furthering Hell's most ambitious plans.
