Dispater is one of the archdevils of the Nine Hells and the Lord of the Second in the Iron City of Dis. Also known as the Iron Duke, he is considered a master of politics and manipulation.[2] He uses the Iron Tower in Dis as his throne.
Description[]
Appearance[]
In one depiction of Dispater, he looks like a humanoid male with slicked long hair that goes to about mid-back. His face is very chiseled and handsome, with two hooked horns at the top of the forehead, continuing upward. He does not stand on two legs, but rather has one singular cloven hoof at the bottom of his torso, and he is adorned in fine robes.[3]
Personality[]
Dispater is described as worried and paranoid, obsessed with keeping his city in a perpetual state of change and reconstruction.[4]
History[]
Dispater became the ruler of his layer at some point after Asmodeus became the ruler of Baator, turning celestials into the first devils,[5] and other Betrayer Gods imposed order on demons to create more of them for their armies.[6]
By 810 PD Dispater still ruled Dis, and had the loyalty of its fiendish subjects. During a mission with the Slayer's Take looking for Hotis the rakshasa, members of Vox Machina found a room in which the devil had a statue of the Iron Duke.[7]
In 811 PD the whole group of adventurers traveled to the City of Dis, looking for the then-regenerating Hotis to destroy him permanently. Investigating they met a cambion, Ipkesh, who offered them information in exchange of a favor: killing his superior, Utugash, to allow him and other devils to rise in the hierarchy; the whole plan was made without the knowledge of the Lord of the Second, since Vox Machina made sure the archdevil's spies wouldn't learn of the cambion's aspirations. For such agreement, they signed a contract between Ipkesh and Percival de Rolo, in which Dispater's power and authority were invoked; in fact, the second pact of the contract even implied facilitating the introduction and installation of chosen of the Iron Duke in a place of divine worship, if said pact were to be activated.[8]
Tiefling bloodline[]
The power of Dispater and his layer in the Nine Hells, Dis, can be, either through deals or consort-like unions with him or his devils,[9][10] the origin of some of the tiefling bloodlines of Exandria. The tieflings of Dispater are usually very dextrous. Their infernal legacy grants them a small number of magical abilities, including amplifying their voice, changing their eye color, and minor manipulation of fire (the Thaumaturgy cantrip). More powerful tieflings can make themselves look like other people (the Disguise Self spell) and can read minds (the Detect Thoughts spell).
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign One
- "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21), mentioned only
- "Voice of the Tempest" (1x90), mentioned only
- "Vox Machina Go to Hell" (1x91), mentioned only[11]
- "Deals in the Dark" (1x92), mentioned only
- "Bats Out of Hell" (1x93), mentioned only
Trivia[]
Official art of Dispater, by Kieran Yanner from Princes of Darkness of the Damned series, p. 9.[art 2]
- His name comes from the combination of two Latin terms: dis, that derives from dives (rich/wealthy) or divus (divine/god-like); and pater (father). In Roman mythology Dis Pater was a god connected to the Underworld (thus equated to Hades), but also to mineral and agricultural wealth.
- Even though Vox Machina's mission in the Iron City took place while actively trying to avoid Dispater's attention, the cambion these adventurers dealt with, Ipkesh, did have some connection with the archdevil through the hellish hierarchy, since his contract with Percival de Rolo included potential benefits for Dispater himself, as well as magical gifts that could be granted "under the grace of the Lord of Dis" and would last for a lifetime.[12]
- Outside Critical Role canon, in the 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide, the archdevil traditionally collects "a piece of every deal" through contracts signed within his layer.[13]
- The third pact describes the powers coming from Dispater as "divine", mentioning their healing and harmful potential.[14]
- In The Legend of Vox Machina the Nine Hells are mentioned as "the Hells of Despath".[15] This was presumably made to avoid names and terms owned by Hasbro, and given how similar "Despath" and "Dispater" sound, it is presumably a reference to this archdevil, since both the campaign and the animated series have his layer as the only place in the Hells that Vox Machina visited.
References[]
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:43:45.
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:43:45.
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:42:07.
- ↑ See "Deals in the Dark" (1x92) at 1:03:54.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 11–12.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 14.
- ↑ See "Trial of the Take: Part 4" (1x21) at 2:42:07.
- ↑ See "Deals in the Dark" (1x92) from 0:47:57 through 0:51:26.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 28.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 163.
- ↑ See "Vox Machina Go to Hell" (1x91) at 1:20:00. Dispater was mentioned.
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Legend of Vox Machina Volume II, p. 72 and 83.
- ↑ See D&D: Dungeon Master's Guide (2014), 5th ed., p. 64.
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Legend of Vox Machina Volume II, p. 83.
- ↑ See "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02).
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Dispater, by Clara (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ This image is used with permission under the Paizo Inc. Community Use Policy. This website is not approved/endorsed by Paizo. ©Paizo Publishing, LLC.
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