Mephistopheles

Art by Yenba

### Faction

Lords of Shadow, Kingdom of Llwendolyn (formerly), Kingdom of Asmodia (formerly)

### Connections

Sidsworth Mining Company, Dmitrius Asmodia II, Nissa Wanderlust, Sogu Madur, Bronn Luxprin, The Shadow, Sachi Ko

## Campaign Appearances

### Main Campaign(s)

All King, Under Io, Miss Demeanor, Curious Curios

### Guest Appearances

Goblins of Io, Reunion: A World of Io Lore Session

> *"I got to sit at the throne of a Shadow Lord. My life was spared and I was given great power, as if that would have an equivalent exchange. Sometimes, I feel it would have been better if I had perished that day along with the rest of the Asmodians. But, I make do. I have built this Palace and I have attempted to establish a society for those that do not have such a strong desire to escape this Veil."*
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> *"Well, such ponderances are the privilege of those who live."*
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> - Mephistopheles and Howie Hardwing
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**Mephistopheles** is one of the Devil Lords under Asmodeus. Prior to the War of Shadows, he was known as **Mr. Mephisto,** a well respected broker for adventurers and collector of desired items, acting as a representative for his clients. He was the one who tasked Abel Alvys and his party with finding the Ruby-Eyed Scepter for his client King Dmitrius Asmodia II, who promptly used it to bring ruin to Asmodia.

As thanks for his assistance, the newly christened Asmodeus gave the horrified Mephisto his blessing, transforming him into Mephistopheles, the Lord of Schemes. Though wracked with regret for his role in the tragedy, Mephistopheles still loyally assists Asmodeus in his endeavors.

## Description

### Appearance

While he was mortal, Mr. Mephisto had the appearance of an elderly man with pale skin and straight grey hair. He was clean shaven and wore a pair of simple spectacles. Mr.. Mephisto was normally seen wearing a simple black suit.

Upon his ascension to the throne of a Lord of Shadow, Mephistopheles grew to become around 11ft tall and his skin became a deathly grey. However, he resembles his original appearance as an elderly man with slicked-back silvery hair. His ears have become long and pointed and two horns emerge from his forehead, one adorned by a gold ornament that looks like a serpent. He also wears a gold rimmed monocle on his left eye connected by a delicate chain. A red mark can be seen on the center of his forehead, which resembles a open eye. He has long thin fingers adorned with several rings and extremely long black nails, which can be often seen touching his chin in moments of thought. As for his outfit, he wears a black fur-lined coat over a black shirt.

### Personality

In his previous life, Mr. Mephisto was thoroughly professional by nature. He was calm and collected and always sought to be upfront with both his clients and associates. He was always polite and patient, letting very little faze him or upset him. That is not to say that Mephisto was not emphatic. He expressed what seemed to be authentic concern for Sachi Ko after her stressful ordeal obtaining the Ruby-Eyed Scepter and temporarily acted as her trusted confidant. However, he also appeared to be quite secretive as well. He went by many names, kept many of his client's identities and aims to himself and rarely shared personal information.

Since his transformation, Mephistopheles' character had stayed much the same, being consistently polite and accommodating, even when hosting unruly dinner guests like the lost citizens of Lundy. However, Mephistopheles' involvement in starting the War of Shadows has left him with significant regret, to the point where he believes he should remain in the Shadow for eternity rather than try and escape like his brethren. Instead, Mephistopheles keeps to himself in his Palace, making his domain as comfortable as possible.

However, Mephistopheles is constantly nostalgic for his home, and much of his surroundings, cuisine and pursuits bear resemblance to his former life. Most notable is his penchant for collecting things, which has earned him the title of "The Collector". All objects or people of interest in his domain spark his curiosity, and his servants work tirelessly to bring him new fascinations to experience. This consistent desire for new entertainment and experiences, coupled with his somewhat shallow emotional state, may indicate something deeper regarding the Shadow Lord's emotional and mental state.

When it comes to his duties as a Shadow Lord, Mephistopheles still possesses the acumen and diplomatic approach of his former self. He appears to be deferential to Asmodeus and will engage with his heralds to continue his service. He is also more tactful than some of his peers when dealing with matters, preferring to open dialogue with intruders in the Veil and operate behind the scenes. His activity in the War of Shadows is not well known, but he did not involve himself in fighting against Io's defenders while still reporting to Asmodeus, indicating this hands-off approach. Mephistopheles also shows a certain degree of disdain for his fellow Lords, seeing Orlox as a nuisance, Uldrenys as barbaric and Asura as untrustworthy and duplicitous, observations that are not entirely unfounded. The one exception to this, as far as is known, is Asmodeus, who granted him his power and still commands his fealty 1000 years later.

## History

### Background

Mr. Mephisto's past is an enigma. It is unclear where he was born, how he was raised or when he started upon this career path. Of his private life, all that is known is that he was once married and his wife had passed some time ago. Beyond that little else is known besides his work. Though he often went by different names, Mephisto seemed to be his dominant moniker. As a broker and collector of items, Mr. Mephisto moved around often and became well known in many social circles, particularly that of the rich and noble. In the Kingdom of Asmodia, he was often seen interacting with the nobility in order to offer his services, being spotted once by a young heir to a noble house called Reina.

He was also often in Llwendolyn which appears to have been his chief place of residence. He had built up enough of a reputation to be in regular employ of the senate or high profile companies such as the Sidsworth Mining Company. Mr. Mephisto also directly interacted with adventurers to give them jobs on behalf of his clients. During his tenure, he established good relations with several veterans of the adventuring lifestyle, including Nissa Wanderlust, Abel Alvys, and Sogu Madur.

## Phase 2 Story

### Quest for The Ruby-Eyed Scepter

In the Year 735, Mr. Mephisto was contacted by a mysterious individual for a particularly lucrative job. He was to obtain an artefact of historical significant to Llwendolyn, the Ruby-Eyed Scepter of the first All King, and deliver it to Lord Dmitrius Asmodia II, the vain prince of the Kingdom of Asmodia. Mr. Mephisto agreed to the job and set about finding suitable adventurers and information on the object. Mr. Mephisto discovered that the Ruby-Eyed Scepter was interred in the Crypt of the All King with the first All King's corpse. However, retrieving the scepter required grave robbing, a task that had been made more difficult as the crypt and surrounding cemetery had recently been off limits due to the presence of undead. Thankfully, Mephisto was able to procure a letter of approval to enter the grounds on the pretence of clearing out the necromantic threat. So, in an inn in Llwendolyn, Mr. Mephisto assembled a party of adventurers; the stoic veteran Abel Avlys, the enthusiastic paladin Bophades, the young and intrepid mage Sachi Ko and the eccentric vagabond Kua. He informed them of the finer details their task and directed them towards the Crypt to obtain the Scepter in exchange for their payment.

Some time later, the party returned from the cemetery. Meeting Mr. Mephisto in the inn once more, Abel reported that the Scepter and the All King's body had been stolen, taken by a unknown thief via teleportation magics. Surprised by this turn of events, Mr. Mephisto suggested that they get some rest and that he would seek out additional help. While the party rested, their broker went into town to do just that. The next day, Mr. Mephisto returned to informed them of several avenues they could devote their attention to. He recommended visiting a Magi who had recently opened shop, the local blacksmith, and a goblin mage who lived in a tower outside Llwendolyn. The party agreed to take him up on his suggestions and left to continue their mission.

### Missing Miners

Meanwhile, in their absence, Mr. Mephisto was contacted by an old associate, Munn Sidsworth of the Sidsworth Mining Company. The foreman informed Mr. Mephisto that they had run into two issues during their recent excavations. Firstly, a strange urn had been found in part of the mine, which Munn believed might be magical in nature. Secondly, several miners had gone missing, and there had been no sign of any of them since. Mr. Mephisto agreed to get together a party to investigate. He contacted two of reliable adventurers he thought suitable; the underground cartographer Nissa Wanderlust and the old storied bard Sogu Madur. The day they arrived arrived, he began briefing them on the situation when Bophades and Sachi burst into the inn, both looking distressed and tired.

Sachi exasperatedly presented the Ruby-Eyed Scepter to Mr. Mephisto and sunk into a chair. Confused as to where Abel and Kua had gone, Mr. Mephisto inquired as to what had happened. Sachi explained that they had followed the leyline to the headquarters of a VOID cult in central Qethos. While there, they had found the body of the first All King at a pit of active VOID called the Maw. There, a series of traumatic events played out, cumulating in the short-lived resurrection of the Last All King Tenebraum, Abel's true identity revealed as the legendary Bronn Luxprin and the supposed murder of Kua at Bronn's hands.

Mr. Mephisto was shocked by these revelations and expressed his sympathy to Sachi and Bophades. He claimed to have no knowledge of Bronn's identity or intentions and was deeply sorry for placing them in such a situation. He also expressed concern at the presence of the Maw, as VOID had not been sighted in the southern part of Qethos yet. This would greatly concern the senate, and Mr. Mephisto decided to report their findings to them. Realizing he was neglecting Nissa and Sogu, he introduced them to Sachi and Bophades. He explained that he was sending Nissa and Sogu to the Sidsworth Mines and they needed another two adventurers, who had yet to show up. He also suggested that exploring beneath Qethos might help them learn more of the VOID which appeared to be eating its way up from underground. Sachi and Bophades agreed to join Sogu and Nissa. With that business sorted, Mr. Mephisto bid the group good night and he would speak to them in the morning.

The next morning, Mr. Mephisto met the group before they left for the mines. He informed Sachi he would be reporting to the senate about everything that she had told him and that once he had done so, he would then travelling to Asmodia. When Sachi inquired as to why, the broker evasively told her he would be visiting a friend, obscuring his true purpose. To assuage Sachi's doubts, he informed her they could keep in touch via a pair of gold rings on a chain which were enchanted to cast the Sending spell. He told her that the rings were a set of wedding bands and the one he was giving her had once belonged to his wife, requesting that she take care of it. Sachi, though skeptical at this explanation, took it without protest and the party left for their job.

### Leaving for Asmodia

It is uncertain if Mr. Mephisto had the time to inform the senate of Sachi's tale. What is clear is that Mr. Mephisto did pack up his belongings and leave for Asmodia, but not under the pretense he gave Sachi and her allies. With the Ruby-Eyed Scepter, Mr. Mephisto took a ship from Llwendolyn heading east towards the continent of Asmodia. Not long after departing, Mr. Mephisto got a Sending message from Sachi, who informed him they had located the urn and freed the young girl trapped within. Mr. Mephisto thanked her for her report and encouraged her to keep looking for signs of VOID. Mephisto's journey took several weeks to reach his destination, during which he heard nothing more for Sachi. It is unknown if he tried to contact her again in that time. As he arrived in Asmodia, he found a kingdom shrouded in shadow and smog. It is unclear exactly what happened to Mephisto during his time in Asmodia, but when Sachi attempted to contact him via the Sending Ring, she was unable to contact him due to the influence of the Shadow.

### Death of a Middleman

Eventually, Mr. Mephisto completed his objective: the delivery of the Ruby Eyed Scepter to Dmitrius Asmodia II. However, it became so clear to Mephisto that something was terribly wrong. All around him, the pollution intensified and everybody began to choke on the oppressive smog. As they all began to die, Mr. Mephisto barely managed to resist succumbing to the pollution, though it still wrecked his lungs. Coughing up blood and crawling weakly, he watched as Dmitrius Asmodia held the Scepter aloft, causing a beam of brilliant red light to burst into the sky. As the king began a ritual of foul import, a strange bearded man garbed like a pirate strode through the smog up to him, accompanied by the spirit of a young girl that Mephisto could not see. The pirate captain, seemingly immune to the pollution, questioned Mr. Mephisto on what was happening to Asmodia. Between choked breaths, Mr. Mephisto told the pirate that he had been tasked with bring the Ruby-Eyed Scepter to the king. However, he confessed himself to have been a fool and not realized what would happen when he did. Not long after finishing his testimony, Mr. Mephisto died, finally succumbing to the poison that took the rest of the kingdom. Rather than let the old man's soul join the growing swarm above their heads, the captain used his magical greatsword to absorb Mr. Mephisto's soul, with the intent to transport it to the other side.

### Reborn in Shadow

Upon the completion of the ritual in Asmodia, the gates to the Shadow were thrown wide. Shadows loyal to Asmodeus, the entity that had been manipulating Dmitrius Asmodia, were liberated from their hellish land. They scrambled to occupy the bodies of Asmodia's deceased, transforming themselves into a new race of being that would become known as Devils. Though the elderly broker's soul had been relinquished from its vessel by Asmodeus' new adversary, the Lord of All Shadows was not yet finished with the former broker. Using his ungodly power, Asmodeus resurrected Mephisto as a gesture of his thanks and rewarded him with the blessing of a Lord of Shadow, the third being to hold such a title.

Mr. Mephisto transformed into a towering figure with devilish horns, long clawed fingers and a red brand in the form of a stylized eye on his forehead. Though without a soul, the new Devil Lord possessed all his faculties and memories of his former life. As such, the newly made lord was horrified by the destruction that had been wrought as a result of his actions, seeing it as a unnecessary loss of life. Despite this, he was now bound to the very being that had caused this chaos, and had little choice but to serve. Having left his mortality behind him, he adopted a new name for himself: Mephistopheles.

### The Shadow Invasion

Though it can be assumed his participation was reluctant, Mephistopheles immediately continued his work as one of Asmodeus' trusted advisors. It is unclear what exactly Asmodeus tasked the Lord of Schemes with, but his role was confined to the background of Asmodeus' crusade. After the induction of Asura to the Devil Lord's ranks, Mephistopheles teleported before his lord to presumably report on his progress. After satisfying his master with this information, he then teleported away again to continue his duties. This was witnessed by the young sorcerer Alice via a scrying spell, who relayed the events he had seen to the rest of his allies.

When the time came for the forces of Shadow to reclaim Io, Mephistopheles did not directly involve himself in the engagements, unlike his fellow Lords Asura and Juiblex. It is unknown what the Lord of Schemes did during the war, but his presence was not noted in any history books or analysis of the subject in later years, indicating that he was never spotted in any meaningful way. Whatever his involvement, the War of Shadows did not benefit from it, as Asura was forcibly banished and Juiblex was destroyed during their assaults on Northen Ishtar and Northern Qethos respectively. Asmodeus as well met defeat at the hands of the legendary crew of the Miss Demeanor (which included the same man who had ferried Mephistopheles' soul), as well as two of Io's Fallen Heroes and the notorious entrepreneur Tumultuous Klernt. With the banishment of Asmodeus, all Devils were forcibly sucked back into the Shadow, including Mephistopheles.

## Phase 2 Epilogue

### Becoming "The Collector"

Mephistopheles now found himself trapped in the Shadow with his new kin. Without the guidance of Asmodeus, who had seemingly vanished, the Lord of Schemes was free to pursue his own leisure. However, unlike the other Shadow Lords, he had no desire to return to the Prime Plane, believing this maddening purgatory to be a fitting punishment for his sins. Nevertheless, Mephistopheles' longing for home was still alive within him. Fueled by this nostalgia, Mephistopheles began construction of a Palace in the Ezrai region of the Shadow Veil. Amassing a large following of Vrock, Umbrani and Shadow Tieflings, the Lord of Schemes created a city that reminded him of Llwendolyn, complete with dining halls, a pit fighting arena and luxurious architecture.

With his settlement secured, he began to seek out oddities and entertainment to fill his time. To this end, he had his servant scour the lands for any items of interest. He would then appraise them and add them to his collection. His most devoted servants could earn "Favours", pieces of Mephistopheles' power, which could be exchanged for access to his growing collection. Perhaps the thing that interested Mephistopheles the most was stories, which could be collected for wanderers in the Shadow. He would often have his agent secure such unfortunate individuals to be brought before him, where they would tell him of their lives. Mephistopheles would learn much through these stories and many other means, including the history of the Astari and the different Veils and their inhabitants.

One such pursuit of knowledge developed into the art of Gourmancy, the ability to transmute food via magic. Mephistopheles, inspired by his homeland's cuisine, began to pioneer this field of magic to create dishes purely for the sake of enjoyment. His experimentation was further enhanced by the fortunate finding of culinary books lost to the Shadow. With the technique appropriately developed, Mephistopheles passed on his teaching to his servants so they might serve him and his subjects these meals. With all these advances, Mephistopheles settled into his new role as a Lord of Shadow in a relative comfort never seen before in the Shadow. Over the next 1000 years, his ceaseless desire for new curiosities earned him a new title that commanded equal respect: "The Collector".

## Powers and Abilities

* **Master Broker:** In life, Mr. Mephisto was a broker of the highest caliber. He often had multiple jobs on the go and had become well-known and respected in both Llwendolyn and Asmodia for his conduct and his efficacy. His skill for diplomacy and discretion made him highly favorable to all sorts of wealthy and aristocratic clientele.
* **Immortality:** Having been resurrected as a Lord of Shadow, Mephistopheles is now immune to the effects of aging and not longer needs to eat, drink or sleep to sustain himself.
* **Teleportation:** Mephistopheles can teleport across vast distance, using this to report directly to his overlord.
* **Memory Extraction:** Mephistopheles has implied that he is able to peer into the minds of others to unlock their buried memories. Though examples of such a skill remain unseen as of yet, he offers this service to Olive Bough and Kyuubi Wano upon learning of their difficulty in correctly recalling their pasts.
* **Gourmancy:** Mephistopheles has become an experienced Gourmancer during his time in the Shadow. He has trained in this transmutational magics by using his memories and a variety of lost culinary books to transform an unknown substance into a variety of food items that mimic the original in appearance, texture and taste.
* **True Sight:** Mephistopheles, like all Lords of Shadow, possesses true sight.

## Etymology

Mephistopheles, who also goes by Mephisto, is the name of a demon featured in German folklore. He originally appeared in the legend of Faust as the devil who makes a deal with with the titular character and incites his downfall. He has since become a stock character in tales involving devils. The name itself appears to be a possible corruption of the greek words "*mephitis*", meaning foul-smelling or noxious, and "*philos*", the greek word for love.

Mephistopheles appears in Dungeons and Dragons as an Archdevil and lord of the Eight Circle of Hell. He serves directly below Asmodeus and is eternally envious of his King, seeking to undermine and usurp him, believing himself the rightful ruler.

## Images

### Official art

Mephistopheles as his original human self, Mr Mephisto.