Arioch, Lord of the Shattered Isles

Arioch, Archdevil of the Shattered Isles. A creature of dark and indulgent hunger, Arioch often appears as a handsome man dressed in fine clothes, looking to make deals with desperate or ambitious mortals in exchange for their service or more often, their souls. 

In his true form, Arioch stands more than ten feet tall, a lavender hue in his skin and dark, purple flames flicker behind his eyes. He bears a crown of twisting horns and shrouds himself in a flowing mantle of living darkness. He wears ostentatious silver and gold jewelry and wields a sword taken from a slain Solar, corrupted by his dark magic. 

Arioch is selfish and conniving, but cunning, and he honors his bargains. He is often at odds with other devils, frequently coming into conflict with them in attempts to further his own agenda and increase his power and influence among them. 

His domain, the Shattered Isles, lies outside the Nine Hells, and its power ebbs and flows with Ariochs scheming. His ultimate goal is to fuse his domain with the Hells, and  join the ranks of Asmodeus' Princes.

Arioch rules in a domain known as the Shattered Isles, a realm of broken and drifting fragments pulled from destroyed realms throughout the multiverse. The fragments are bound together by immense chains and impossibly long bridges, linking them into the Archdevils domain. Each Shard is ruled by one of Arioch's many sisters, and bears its own unique architecture, landscape and climate, reflecting the worlds they had once come from. At the heart of the Isles lies the Scarlet City, built into a fractured landscape, it is a metropolis of low domes and looming spires lit my torch and candlelight, the devils in its streets eager to lure the unwary to their end. At the heart of it all lies the Nest, where Arioch makes his home. Shadowed halls twist and confuse invaders, cultists and slaves wait in ambush among silk curtains to welcome the Archdevils guests.

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties). Arioch can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; he can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• Arioch casts the command spell on every creature of his choice in the lair. He needn't see each one, but he must be aware that an individual is in the lair to target that creature. He issues the same command to all the targets.

   

• Arioch releases a wave of dread and each creature within 60 feet of him must succeed on a DC 23 taking 11 (2d10) psychic damage and gain disadvantage in every roll they make at the start of their next turn that lasts until Arioch uses another lair action.

• Regional Effects

The region containing Arioch’s lair is veiled in shadow and mist, which creates one or more of the following effects:

• If a humanoid spends at least 1 hour within 1 mile of the Nest, that creature must succeed on a DC 25 Wisdom saving throw or descend into a madness determined by the Madness of Arioch table. A creature that succeeds on this saving throw can't be affected by this regional effect again for 24 hours.
• Unnatural mists and fog drift though the valleys and crags within 6 miles of the Nest, obscuring vision and confusing the unwary caught in them.
• Wild beasts within 6 miles of the Nest break into frequent conflicts and coupling, mirroring their behavior during their mating season.

If Arioch dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.