This cell is locked and boarded up. Movement can be heard inside. There are two doors here, the cell and the doors behind it.
Inside this room is an ancient and immortal Grimlock. The Grimlock is very old and blind. The magical experiments done on him have made him immortal, hungry, and insane. It will attack as long as there is no light greater than torchlight.
Last week I posted This Old Dragon #91, which listed many outcasts devils for the AD&D 1st Edition game. Among these was Malarea (an obvious play on Malaria, and pronounced Mahl-ah -ree -ah). Of course, I wanted to learn more about her, but there is precious little about her in the article. So I started my deep dive.
This is almost, but not quite, detailed enough for an In Search Of... style post, but it is perfect for a Monstrous Monday.
What Is Known
The Dragon article reveals that she is a former Duke (Duchess) of Hell. She wanted to be counted among the consorts of the Archdukes of Hell, even to the point where she had assaulted an unnamed Duke's consort and would kill all the other consorts to get her way. She is violent and erratic.
At some point after her exile to Avernus, she sought out the courtship of the up-and-coming Bel only to be rejected by him.
She is described as:
... tall, human-like female with huge black wings, which tower 6 feet above her own head when furled; in short, rather like an erinyes. Her eyes are fiery red, her hair long, greasy, and black, her body sleek but powerfully muscled and of a faintly luminescent, "ghostly" white hue. Her hands have long claws, and she has large, vampire-like fangs.- Dragon Magainze (91), October 1984, p. 24
And...that is largely it to be honest. She has stats in Dragon 91 and a mention in Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants Of The Nine Hells for D&D 3.5.
So let me look into who might have been likely to interact with her.
Connections
Bel
The former Archduke Bel was once her quarry, but he had rebuffed her. This had to have made her even more furious than being rebuffed by any of the other Archdukes. After all, Bel was essentially just an elevated Pit Fiend, and she was an Archdevil. I would imagine that she would do anything to see him defeated or humiliated in some way.
Malagard
These two share similar names and some physical appearances, but they are quite different. I mention her here because, for a bit, I considered making them the same person. The deeper lore of both prevents this, really.
Tiamat
We know that Malarea went out of her way to avoid Tiamat. This was back in the AD&D 1st Ed lore when Tiamat was the ruler of Avernus. It has since been retconned that Zariel was the ruler, and Bel overthrew her. So maybe, from this point of view, Malarea avoided Zariel.
Zariel
The former and current ruler of Avernus is the former Angel Zariel. If we follow the 4e and 5e notions that all the Erinyes were former angels, it stands to reason that Malarea was also one. Malarea and Zariel are physically strong, given over to fits of rage and violence, and have similar appearances and backgrounds. Are they the same? Again, I am going to go with no. Both have elements in their backstory that are largely incompatible. Malarea seeks to be counted among the consorts of Hell. Zariel wants to destroy all the devils and rule Hell on her own.
Malarea Today
What would Malarea be up to today? I imagine her status has not changed much. While there have been great upheavals in Hell in the last 40 years, change still moves slowly for the most part.
Large Fiend (Diabolic, Baalseraph)
Frequency: Unique
Number Appearing: 1 (1)
Alignment: Chaotic [Lawful Evil]
Movement: 90' (30') [9"]
Fly: 240' (90') [24"]
Armor Class: -1 [20]
Hit Dice: 21d8****** (116 hp)
Large: 21d20****** (137 hp)
To Hit AC 0: 6 (+14)
Attacks: 1 weapon or 2 claws, 1 bite, wing buffet
Damage: Weapon +2, 1d4+2 x2, 1d4, 1d12
Special: Baalseraph powers and immunities, magic resistance (70%), regeneration (1 hp/ 2 rounds), spell-like abilities (see below), summoning, +2 or better weapons to hit
Save: Monster 21
Morale: 12 (NA)
Treasure Hoard Class: See Below
XP: 15,250 (OSE) 15,750 (LL)
Str: 17 (+2) Dex: 17 (+2) Con: 13 (+1) Int: 16 (+2) Wis: 14 (+1) Cha: 14 (+1)
From Dragon Magainze (91), October 1984, p. 24-25:
Malarea is a bitter and envious devil. She despises many of the consorts of the Nine Hells and desires (to the point of mania) to join their ranks. If she has to slay them all to claim her rightful place among them, she will do so unhesitatingly, but rude defeats on the occasions of her bold, direct assaults in the past have made her more cautious.
Malarea remains a fiercely combative, fractious devil, given to sudden berserk rages and wild physical attacks. This temperament cost her a consortship or other position in the hierarchy of the hells, and has undoubtedly earned her her present exile. She has learned little, however: if she recognizes an archdevil, duke, or unique greater devil, she will pause to ascertain their situation and intentions before she attacks - but she almost always attacks eventually, except when faced with impossible odds. Lesser devils and intruders are her prey - she will attack any such creatures immediately, swooping at them to bite (1d4 damage) and strike with a lance, spear, or other weapon gained from a previous victim, or bare-handed with her iron-hard claws (1d4+2). Malarea is a strong flyer, and often buffets airborne opponents with her great wings, or rams into them at full speed (1d12 damage).
Malarea can use the following spell-like powers at will, one at a time and once per round: pyrotechnics, produce flame, wall of fire, detect magic, dispel magic, detect invisibility, hold person, and polymorph self. She can shed fear in a 2' radius at will (save vs. spell to avoid), and can cast a delayed blast fireball (5d6) three times per day.
Malarea appears as a tall, human-like female with huge black wings (28' wing span), which tower 6 feet above her head when furled; in short, she is like an Erinyes. Her eyes are fiery red, her hair long, greasy, and black, her body sleek but powerfully muscled and of a faintly luminescent, ghostly white hue. Her hands have long claws, and she has large, vampire-like fangs. She
is usually encountered wearing some gaudy trophy of a previous victim - a gleaming necklace or jeweled belt, but she cares nothing for the value of such items and will carelessly discard one for another of gaudier appearance
This was Malarea as of the mid-1980s and 1st Edition AD&D. We know from the Fiendish Codex II that she was still an outcast as of the mids 2000s and 3rd Edition D&D. She seems to be too strong willed and angry to have changed her status.
How desperate is she today? Would she even approach Zariel for her consortship? I can see Malarea considering it but not Zariel. Besides, both devils are far too angry at their own situations.
I think if I were to update her some more (and I have an event coming up in my games that would fit the bill) I might make her the captain of the Erinyes. Her name has Latin roots (sorta) so I might rename her into something with Greek roots. Her name is close enough to Megaera ("the jealous one") for me to work with. I have done a lot of work with the Erinyes, the Keres, and the Dirae, so I am "in the market" for a leader of this group of devils. Someone other than Glasya. I just need to figure out who Tisiphone and Alecto are. Alecto, in particular, will be a challenge since some of her myths overlap with Nemesis's.
This works in another way since the Eriyes/Furies were said in Ovid's Metamorphoses to guard the gates to Dis. In D&D geography, this would put them in Avernus.
Now I just need two more unattached archdevils.
Links
This cell, just down the passageway and on the right, has an eerie glow inside.
The glow comes from somewhere inside the cell but it is difficult tell exactly where. Everywhere the characters look for it seems to be somewhere else.
There are no monsters in this cell and the glow is from the pervasive magic in this area.
This room looks much like the last, save there is no mistake about what is here.
This room houses a creature similar to the one before it. A human-bugbear hybrid, but this one has other features. It is a wight, and its arms have been removed and large crab-like arms end in claws.
It uses the same stats as a wight but adds +1 to all damage rolls.
Like the wraith before it, this creature has been imprisoned for so long that it gives no thought to freedom but only the chance to kill.
Moving on down the hallway, you see a light in the cell to your left.
This cell seems empty but there is a light on the inside.
The light is a wraith that has been trapped here since imprisoned by the Necromancers long ago. It was a human-bugbear hybrid but it was too stupid to be of use to the Necromancers, it was however violent and ill-tempered. It died and now only its wraith remains.
It is so consumed with anger that it will attack first before any thoughts of leaving its prison.
Its stats are the same as a wight, but it is ghost-like. It still drains like a wraith and needs magic to hit.
Two new games to scratch that old-school itch.
Bloody Appalachia - Grindhouse Rural Horror Tabletop RPG
There are like two or three people I would pick as a dream team to make a game of rural horror. And they are all on this project.
Honestly, I didn't need to look past the names. Once I saw Josh Palmer, Eric Bloat, and Pun Issac, I knew I had to have this. And so should you.
So get this now.
Shadowdark RPG: Old-School Gaming, Modernized
This one doesn't really need my help, but it still looks fun. I had picked up the play-test/preview materials at last year's Gary Con and this looks like it will be great.
It is smart trying to get the Old-School and New-School players together. I am not sure it will replace OSE in my life, but it will add some nice features to it.
Moving down the hall there is another cell on the left.
This is a false cell, used to confuse those here to set the monsters free. The guards and many of the monsters are long gone, but the trap remains.
The cell bars are electrified. Anyone touching it must make a saving throw vs. Paralysis/ Petrify or take 2d6 hp worth of damage. A thief can find this trap and disable it. Failure to do either will also result in a shock, no save.
The cell opens up but there is no cell beyond. A trick of the stonework makes it look larger than it really is.
