Mirnveshna

A typical mirnveshna

> "Hmm... 17 offers of employment today. Which to choose? Which to choose?"
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> - An imp deliberating on employment prospects
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**Mirnveshna**, also known as **Imps**, are vicious, manipulative **fiends** that are among the weakest beings in the infernal hierarchy. They are considered minor, non-baatezu devils, whose job is to assist and corrupt mortals whom their masters want swayed to the side of evil.

## Description

> "The mirnveshna are both the least and greatest example of the fiendish subrace known as devils. While they are diminutive and uninitimdating, their cunning and incessant struggle for authority embodies the race in its entirety."
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> - *The Bestiarium Maleficum, Volume I: Fiends*
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Although imps can take the form of various animals, their natural forms are those of approximately 0.61 m (2 ft) tall humanoids that weigh about 3.6 kg (8 lbs). A large variety of colorations exist for imps, but the most common one is dark red. They flutter through the air on their leathery, bat-like wings and their prehensile tails end in fearsome stingers. Their horns are small, sharp, and twisting, gleaming white or black along with their fangs.

## Personality

> "Imps, like the rest of their kin, are absolute bastards. They'll sell you out to their master for a pet and the thought of the idea of a promise at promotion."
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> - Saint Aevon of Whitecastle
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The mind of an imp is both insidious and duplicitous, delighting in the corruption of mortals through trickery and temptation. Imps are masters of flattery, coercing others into acts of lawful evil through wheedling service due to lacking the intimidating presence held by other devils. When not outright trying to corrupt mortals, they engage in unscrupulous mischief, such as swiping valuables. Regardless of the fawning façade they uphold, imps are ultimately at the service of their infernal lords and view their worldly masters as tools.

At the same time, their obedience to their leaders in the Hells is rooted in craven pragmatism rather than genuine loyalty. Even though they are always at the service of another, whether a devil or mortal, imps are still independent creatures with ambition that belies their small size and sycophantic demeanor. Their true desire is like that of most devils: to advance beyond their current station and obtain a position of power. Offering them the chance to do so is the only way to obtain their true loyalty, if only temporarily. When provided with positions of power, their helpful personas fade away to reveal the authority abusing tyrants they keep hidden.

## Abilities

> "A common misconception about imps is that because they're small they make for trivial enemies. Let me tell you, I've never met an imp that went down easy."'
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> - *Advar's Advice III: Avernus*
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While within their natural forms, imps fight with their venomous tails, piercing the skin and injecting a potentially fatal toxin into their assailants. If needed, however, imps can polymorph into a variety of beast forms, and individuals often have either one or two of them. Such forms are physically identical to normal animals and still allow the imp to use their venom, although filtered through the animal's bite. Common animal forms for imps include that of a spider, rat, boar, raven or goat, although within raven and goat form they lack the ability to use their venom. Whether in their natural forms or in the form of animals, imps retain their various magical abilities. They can turn invisible and detect the presence of either magic or good at will. Imps are also strangely durable creatures, healing from injuries with supernatural speed, and resisting fire, cold, poison, magic, and non-magical attacks. Only silver or enchanted weapons are effective against an imp.

So long as an imp serves as a familiar, its master obtains certain benefits through the imp sharing its power. A telepathic link is established between the two so long as they are less than a mile apart, allowing the caster to share senses with the imp, including its infravision. On the other hand, an imp separated from their master becomes weaker than normal, and the death of the imp can cause them to take a severe loss in ability. When serving as familiars, imps are also given the power to request wisdom from the archdevils, contacting them to ask six questions with a power similar to the commune spell. The bond between an imp familiar and its master is established through a contract, and violating the services of the deal causes an imp to retract its service and all benefits thereof.

## Combat

> "A tressym is a must when crossing the plains of Avernus. Their ability to sense the invisible will undoubtedly save your life. You never know where the next imp is hiding."
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> - *Advar's Advice III: Avernus*
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Although durable, imps are cowardly creatures that do battle only if necessary. When fighting, imps rely on the element of surprise, first turning invisible or entering animal form. From there, they wait for an opportunity, such as the enemy becoming distracted, before striking and escaping from reach. Imps will immediately flee if a battle is no longer going in their favor, but the exception to this rule is when their mortal charges are in danger. This apparent loyalty, however, is mere illusion, as an imp is only concerned with keeping their ticket to promotion and connection in the mortal realm.

## Society

> "Cunning and creative thinking earn great rewards."
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> - An imp's infernal lesson
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Although they can be found throughout the Lower Planes, imps are most commonly found within Acheron and Baator. Occasionally they are found in groups, but they are more likely to be in the service of other malevolent beings. They are willing to serve any kind of evil master but cannot always be relied upon to be swift or efficient in their duties. When under the rigid rule and watchful eyes of baatezu masters, however, imps follow commands as best as they are able, often serving as errand-runners, spies or emissaries.

Imps perform many roles in the hands of mortals, acting as advisors, scouts, assistants, confidants, and (most importantly) familiars. They typically serve under lawful spellcasters like wizards and priests, or anyone else seeking magical power. Mortals judged worthy of an imp receive them when they cast a find familiar spell, doing so based on the misconception that imps are weak and dutiful servants. Lacking the authority to make Faustian Pacts, imps rely on their ability to persuade and their available resources to quicken the corruption of their targets. Imps foster a lust for power within the hearts of their summoners by increasing their magical abilities, either through helping them acquire new spells or magical items. Using hindsight, spying, and the knowledge bestowed on them from other devils, imps obtain a large sum of knowledge about arcane subject matters.

After making contact, imps will pretend to be at their summoner's service while secretly trying to control their actions. Imps assigned to mortals as a part of deals are in an inferior position to those able to freely choose their targets, as beings willing to summon devils are normally already doomed to Baator and the devil who made the deal will be given the credit. When stuck in such a situation, imps often attempt to corrupt as many souls as possible during their time as familiars. While some try to extend their scheming service to those near their masters, others try to sway influential individuals into changing their society in ways that cause others to commit diabolical deeds.

While physically weak compared to some lesser devils, the rank of imp is envied since the successful temptation of mortals to the acts of evil is one of the surest paths to further promotions. When a devil becomes an imp, it is often the first time they have the chance to be directly credited for damnation rather than marked as a lackey to another. For this reason, being given the ability to roam freely on the Material Plane to find vulnerable mortals is a highly desirable role, releasing an imp from the tight regulations of Hell and giving them complete credit for their works. Not all souls are equal within the Nine Hells, and the corruption of an important individual can be viewed as equal to that of a great number of souls. The average amount of souls required to qualify for promotion is somewhere around nine. Imps can also be promoted due to other notable deeds such as the rooting out of traitors.

### Religion

Devils are normally discouraged from worshiping deities by the powers of the Nine Hells. In addition to serving powerful devils or evil spellcasters, however, imps can be found in service to Deep Duerra, the duergar goddess.

## Ecology

> "They're small buggers. Fast too. They make for great servants. Just watch the tail. Get too complacent and it'll be just as likely to prick you as your enemy."
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> - Thorek Planestrider
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Imps will eat any form of meat, whether alive or dead. Although they do not require sleep, imps occasionally rest in the Material Plane in their animal forms to take a break from their constant duties. Imps have to earn their right to a gender, toiling for centuries before being assigned one based on their works.

While other devils can be transformed into imps, they are also made from soul larvae twisted into form by powerful devils. They do not age naturally, and if they are slain on another plane of existence, they reform on their native plane after a year and a day had passed. Imps perpetuate the idea that their kind are the descendants of a variety of modern fiends.

Imps are the lawful equivalents of the quasits, another diminutive race of fiends that coerce mortals into committing heinous acts for power. There exists a variety of specialized imps that serve specific functions within Hell, such as providing medical care or translation services.

## History

> "The Blood War has carved it's terrible path across the entirety of the Lower Planes. Acheron, home of the mirnveshna, is no exception to this fact. It is on that terrible battlefield that the first pact between mirnveshna and baatezu was forged."
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> - *The Blood War: An Unseen Struggle Between Order and Chaos*
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The true origins of imps are unknown. The most commonly accepted theory is that they originated in the Infinite Battlefield of Acheron. It is theorized that they used to be formed of a variety of clans based on trivial things such as skin color or tail curvature, and would slaughter each other en masse over these differences. Eventually, the outbreak of the Blood War brought the baatezu to Acheron, leading to their employment in the hierarchy of the Nine Hells.

Another, less accepted theory is that the imps are the souls of corrupted cherubs lost to the plane of Acheron. While widely rejected, it has been noted that the two outsiders share similar places in their respective hierarchies.

## Notable Imps

The cunning and power hungry nature of imps have made for some notable entities over the years; fiends that have distinguished themselves for their brutality, cunning, martial exploits, or even the masters they serve.

* Druzil: a tenacious imp noted for the corruption of over 900 souls during the Fall of Tchi Ngo.
* Cespenar: a named imp known for her loyal service of the Archduke of Dispater, Dis.