Archdevil Valac

Born as a White Abishai Cambion into a Cult of Tiamat, Valac was eventually the one responsible for her release from Avernus. The two maintain a formal arrangement to further each other's goals, or at the very least not to hinder them; an arrangement he had contracted with her in exchange for her release, along with the conception of the Chromatic Sceptre, a faux Ruby Rod. The contract keeps the two safe from each other, but Valac takes great care to ensure cooperation is maintained through great flattery and greater service.

Valac has many information networks across the Sword Coast, connected through patrons, cultists, and business connections. With Tiamat as a present ally also, he acts as grand figure within several budding cults, granting them power via infernal contracts as her official representative and is often revered among them as the Voice of Tiamat. Cults dedicated to Valac alone are also rising in number, often idolising him as a symbol hope and vengeance for the wretched and downtrodden; a collective he delights in preying on.

True to the nature of his blood, which often has him dubbed by his adversaries as the Fake Half-Devil, he is a ferocious fighter whose greatest moments of pleasure are when he can indulge in his bloodlust after earning the opportunity to strike. Like the White Dragons he resembles, he is opportunistic and predatory, using all the tools and environments available to his advantage before striking with remorselessness. He prefers fighting in terrains of slippery ice or thick fog where his prey's mobility and vision is limited. His near-draconic breath can freeze creatures solid after prolonged exposure, and when it does he shatters them to pieces. Valac is very rarely seen alone, almost always accompanied by loyal cultists and Abishai, but also occasionally by White Dragons, Ice Devils, and Erinyes.

Since Tiamat's release, Valac had taken over her position in Avernus where he acted as the gatekeeper of Dis as well as a general in the Blood War, organising his formations of Abishai who now pledge their loyalty to him in their queen's stead. He has since progressed his ambitions, however, assigning the duties in Avernus to his begrudging ally, Arkhan the Cruel, while he himself has taken up residence in the layer of Stygia under the pretence of hardening his forces to aid in the Blood War in its harsh environments and training grounds or within the Duelist's Chasm, though he has his own motivations on the layer he wishes to put into action.

Valac has made few allies since his rise to power, one of which being the Archdevil, Bel, with whom he frequently works with to further their goals in the Blood War on the surface, and whom he aids and conspires with in his ascension to power over his enemy, Zariel, behind closed doors. In exchange for this assistance, he gains a great depth of knowledge in military strategy which, while useful in the Blood War, holds even greater value in his plans to succeed the current lord of the fifth, Levistus, on the day he should ever decide to mobilize his legions against him instead. He currently also has a camaraderie with Geryon, both sharing their passion for the hunt and seeking the downfall of Levistus, he covertly aids his forces against the Frozen Prince in hopes of weakening him enough to swoop in and take the throne for himself. Unlike Geryon, who values loyalty and despises deception, Valac is more than willing to betray his ally if he finds him no longer cooperative.

Valac's lair can be found in the coldest reaches of the layer of Stygia, a vast and intricate cave system carved into the walls of a great glacier, chosen in part this is to keep as many prying eyes away from him as possible, but is also due to the fact that this climate, while considered harsh by most of the residents of the Hells, is one that he finds himself the most comfortable in. Since his arrival in Stygia, many White Dragons have joined him on the layer where they hunt in the frozen wastes and act as guardians of his lair. Within can be found almost countless Abishai who reside with him, as well as high ranking cultists who serve him or Tiamat directly. Also housed within the layer are many portals which allow travel to various regions of the Hells, including the gates of Dis, the city of Tantlin, and the Duelist's Chasm, but also some directly to Toril including to larger Cults of Tiamat and small trading points across the Sword Coast which he controls and monitors.

Though he holds a successful and seemingly developing position both within the Hells and in Toril, he is not free of the watchful eyes of Asmodeus and has been tasked with the duty of monitoring Tiamat's activities and reporting to him frequently in great detail, a task which he unwaveringly carries out with artfully phrased reports explaining only what he and Tiamat permit him to know, though whether their secrets truly are safe from the Lord of the Nine is most unlikely; a probability not lost on Valac. To compensate, Valac tirelessly continues his work in the Hells in tandem with his other activities and ensures that he is too useful to discard despite his untrustworthiness. While he maintains the balance between furthering both Tiamat's and Asmodeus' agendas, he seeks to profit from both further still, regardless of the precarious situations this bizarre position often forces him into.

Valac's lair is an intricate cave system carved into a massive glacier in the coldest corners of Stygia. It is also home to the many Abishai found in Stygia and a preferred place for the many White Dragons he had introduced to the layer who are often seen patrolling the grounds and skies in considerable numbers.

Lair Actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Valac can take one lair action to cause the following effect or one from the archdevil lair action list (page 214); he can't take the same lair action two rounds in a row:

• Valac casts the Fog Cloud spell four times at its lowest level, targeting different areas with the spell. Valac doesn't need to concentrate on the spells, which end on initiative count 20 of the next round.
• The area in a 60-foot-radius around Valac freezes over, becoming a slippery ice surface until the next initiative count 20.

• Valac causes a 10 ft radius surface that he can see to partially melt and release vapors until the end of until the next initiative count 20. A creature entering that area or starting its turn there must make a DC 23 Wisdom saving throw, becoming delirious for 1 minute if failed. A creature that fails the save also loses one specific memory from the previous 8 hours. The target may repeat the saving throw at the end of its turns, ending their delirium on a success; meanwhile memories lost to this effect can only be restored with a Remove Curse, Greater Restoration, or Wish spell. While delirious, an affected creature cannot take reactions and has a disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain Concentration; in addition, it must roll 1d10 at the start of each of its turns to determine its behavior for that turn, consulting the table below:

  1d10	Behavior for the Turn
  1	The creature becomes stunned.
  2–5	The creature becomes frightened of the creature nearest to it.
  6–8	The creature becomes charmed by the creature nearest to it and must move as close to it as possible.
  9–10	The creature chooses its behavior.

   

Regional Effects. The icy regions containing Valac's lair is corrupted by his presence, which creates the following effect:

• Any creature that has the Prone or Unconscious conditions within 1 mile of the lair, takes 21 (6d6) cold damage at the start of their turn.
• The area within 1 mile of the lair is Lightly Obscured by chilly fog.
• Roars and screams fill the air within 1 mile of the lair. Any creature that finishes a short or long rest in this area must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or derive no benefit from the rest.

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