| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| DEX | 20 | +5 | +8 |
| CON | 18 | +4 | +7 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| WIS | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| CHA | 22 | +6 | +9 |
Aura of Malice. Zerre radiates a dark aura that unnerves her foes. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of Zerre and can see her must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or have disadvantage on attack rolls against Zerre until the start of its next turn. On a successful save, the creature is immune to Zerre's Aura of Malice for 24 hours.
Void Shroud. A swirling void energy constantly surrounds Zerre. She gains a +2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. Attacks against her have disadvantage if she is in dim light or darkness.
Relentless. If Zerre takes 20 damage or less that would reduce her to 0 hit points, she is reduced to 1 hit point instead.
Multiattack. Zerre makes two attacks: one with her Obsidian Dagger and one with her Reaping Chain.
Obsidian Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Reaping Chain. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 15 feet closer to Zerre.
Innate Spellcasting. Zerre's innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
- At will: chill touch, void tendril (see Actions below)
- 3/day each: darkness, hold person, void bolt (see Actions below), void shift (see Actions below)
- 1/day each: blight, void rift (see Actions below)
Void Tendril (Cantrip). Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft. or range 30 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) necrotic damage. If used as a melee attack, the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of Zerre's next turn.
Void Bolt (1/Turn). Zerre conjures a bolt of pure void energy. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 90 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) necrotic damage.
Blood Bolt (1st-level spell). Zerre transmutes a drop of her own blood into a crimson dart. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. Zerre takes 2 (1d4) piercing damage.
Void Touch (1st-level spell). Zerre's hand crackles with dark energy. Melee Spell Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d8) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it cannot regain hit points until the start of Zerre's next turn.
Void Prison (2nd-level spell). Zerre conjures a swirling void to ensnare a creature. One creature Zerre can see within 30 feet must make a DC 17 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is restrained until the end of Zerre's next turn.
Void Siphon (4th-level spell). Zerre drains the life force of a creature. Ranged Spell Attack: +9 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d8) necrotic damage. Zerre regains hit points equal to half the necrotic damage dealt.
Void Rift (Recharge 5-6). Zerre tears open a small rift to the void at a point she can see within 60 feet. Each creature in a 15-foot cube originating from that point must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 22 (4d10) force damage and is pulled 10 feet toward the center of the cube. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not pulled.
Spellcasting. Zerre is a 9th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following sorcerer spells prepared:
- Cantrips (at will): acid splash, mage hand, minor illusion, void tendril (as innate spellcasting)
- 1st level (4 slots): blood bolt (see Actions below), shield, void touch (see Actions below)
- 2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, scorching ray, void prison (see Actions below)
- 3rd level (3 slots): fear, vampiric touch
- 4th level (3 slots): blight, void siphon (see Actions below)
- 5th level (1 slot): hold monster
Void Shift (3/Day). Zerre teleports up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space she can see. If she teleports into dim light or darkness, she can make one melee weapon attack with advantage as part of the same action.
Dark Rebuke. When Zerre takes damage from a creature within 15 feet of her, she can use her reaction to cause dark energy to lash out at the attacker. The attacker must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the attacker takes 10 (3d6) necrotic damage.
Zerre can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Zerre regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
- Move. Zerre moves up to her speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Shadowy Strike (Costs 1 Action). Zerre makes one Obsidian Dagger attack.
- Void Pulse (Costs 2 Actions). Zerre releases a pulse of void energy. Each creature within 10 feet of her must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) necrotic damage and have its speed reduced by half until the end of its next turn.
- Wicked Grin (Costs 1 Action). One creature Zerre can see within 30 feet of her that can hear and understand her must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of Zerre until the end of its next turn.
Description
Zerre was once a Sea Elf, living in the golden age ushered in by the Awoken, who later became known as the Ancients. However, her spirit was already tainted, a dark current flowing beneath the surface of her elven heritage. Unlike many of Belias's initial followers, she harbored no grand ideals or grievances against the Ancients. When Belias, defying the ruling council, ventured into the forbidden Dark Reach to establish Arc Valley, Zerre eagerly joined him, driven by a singular, insatiable hunger for power. The volatile energies of that pocket dimension twisted her form and mind, along with Belias and his companions, transforming her into one of the earliest Greater Devils.
In the nascent days of the Devils, Zerre found herself largely detached from their burgeoning politics and constant infighting. The intricate machinations and power struggles held little interest for her; her ambition was a simpler, more primal urge for self-gratification. She soon broke away from the core Devil hierarchy, preferring to return to the mortal world. For centuries, she indulged her whims, content with perpetrating small acts of violence and mischief. Her objectives rarely extended beyond satisfying her own cruel amusement, scattering chaos and discord wherever she ro went, a shadow dancing on the edges of mortal civilizations.
Her existence of casual malevolence took a dramatic turn when the primordial entity known as the Void Mother, imprisoned within the artificial planetoid of the Impossible City, reached out across the aeons and whispered to Zerre. The Void Mother's influence, insidious and profound, latched onto Zerre's already warped mind. Initially, Zerre saw the connection as merely another avenue for power, becoming a mercenary agent for the distant entity. But the whispers intensified, filling her with visions of a grand design: worlds reshaped, creation consumed, and all existence united by the boundless void. Her mercenary drive transmuted into devout belief, and Zerre embraced a new, fervent purpose as a high prophetess of the Void Mother.
Her new mission, while outwardly similar to her old habits, now possessed a terrifying cosmic significance. She was to continue her acts of mischief, subtly sowing discord among the mortal races, manipulating individuals and groups into acts of violence and conflict. This was not merely for her amusement anymore, but a calculated strategy to weaken the fabric of existence, preparing it for the Void Mother's return. And when the time was right, she would locate and retrieve an ancient artifact, key to freeing her imprisoned goddess. The Void Mother, in turn, imbued Zerre with incredible powers of the Void, increasing her strength exponentially and making her a far more formidable Devil. Over the next few hundred years, Zerre executed her mission with cold precision, destabilizing numerous minor kingdoms and leaving a trail of quiet devastation.
Some three decades ago, Zerre encountered the Dark Elf sorceress Mischaela, a soul shattered by the loss of her lord and lover, Dark Sol. Mischaela, consumed by a singular desire for vengeance against the Ancient known as Max, and obsessed with using Max's body to resurrect Dark Sol, became a convenient pawn in Zerre's grander scheme. Zerre, acting subserviently, helped Mischaela amass an army, secretly directing her moves to maximize chaos and conflict.
Their campaign culminated in a march on Tel' Nim Holme, an underground city and haven for exiled Dark Elves, Changelings, Myconids, and other outcasts of the surface world. Mischaela sought to enlist the Dark Elf King's aid, promising a share of the land above. The King, however, refused, unwilling to sacrifice his people for Mischaela's vengeful crusade.
This defiance spurred Zerre to act more overtly. She urged Mischaela to defy the King, to recruit the willing and exterminate the unwilling. But Mischaela, despite her twisted mind, held a deep love for her people and recoiled from such a ruthless act. Displeased, Zerre began recruiting individuals herself, subtly turning them into agents of her own, true cause. As Mischaela and the bulk of her forces departed Tel' Nim Holme, Zerre unleashed her followers. Riots erupted, sparking a chain of violence. The final, insidious act was a young changeling, unknowingly manipulated by Zerre, poisoning the city's reservoirs, decimating Tel' Nim Holme's population in the months that followed.
Shortly after this calculated betrayal, Zerre severed ties with Mischaela, losing faith in her as a viable tool. Zerre then sought out new avenues for power, eventually finding herself in the company of a Devil practitioner of Blood magic. Under his tutelage, she delved into the intricate, forbidden arts of blood manipulation. In secret, she began a dangerous fusion, melding her nascent Void powers with the potent essence of blood magic. When her mentor inevitably discovered her blasphemous experiments, he tried to stop her. He failed. Zerre used him as her final, macabre experiment, combining the two forbidden magics into a terrifying new art: the Scourge.
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