Seventh Splinter: Fomor

Fomor is an archipelago on an endless sea wreathed in perpetual twilight. Here, light is diffuse and uncertain. It does not cast shadows but instead casts blurry reflections. All sounds, even the most terrible screams, seem muted. Denizens of this realm primarily gain their power over mortals by tapping into the fears they have about fitting into - or perching atop - a social ladder.

Visual Interest Board

       

Properties & Geographical Features

Fomor’s main island is shaped like a four-pointed star, divided into four cities. The four cities of Fomor are Dis, Erebus, Zelatar, and Zoragmelok; each one bent to the will of its most powerful denizen. The River Styx divides demon and devil territory, becoming an aquifer at the island’s center. The island’s sprawling metropolises are full of looming towers and dim alleys, all arranged like panopticons - every building facing inward, every path designed to put a traveler on display. Although demons always reside in demonic quarters of the city and devils, in diabolic ones, Fomor is noteworthy for its dense population of other beings, Evaran and otherwise. Most easily accessed through Orrdia, visitors to this splinter seeking to do business are sometimes given a tiefling or cambion guard.

Fomor represents a critical security threat to Asmodeus. As long as a territory is dominated by devils, the linear access model requires travelers to descend through sequential splinters to reach him. Mortals and demons could enter from the demonic side of Fomor and travel to the devil-occupied side to descend.

This is true of any splinter under shared control, but Fomor is most hospitable to and most likely to be visited by mortals. For this reason, portals in the devils' cities tend to be heavily fortified. If the splinter were ever at real risk of falling under demons’ complete control, Asmodeus would command all portals destroyed.

An eternal archipelago of small islands dots Fomor’s ocean, each holding a single, isolated inhabitant. These lost souls are shown reflections of their deepest desires until they succumb to temptation or go mad. Each island is separated by the impression of insurmountable distance. The malevolent spirits dwelling beneath the waves make the danger of island-hopping very real.

   

Notable Inhabitants

Dispater

Epithets

Archduke of Dis, The Iron Duke, Father of Strife, If You Wish to Know the Greatest Evil Simply Gaze into a Mirror

Stat Block

Dispater, The Iron Duke  

Dispater is the Achdevil of Dis and has a well-deserved reputation for being the most calculating of his kin. The Iron Duke seeks to topple Asmodeus, but he avoids taking big risks to achieve his vision. To catch him off-guard would be to outwit one of the most clever and resourceful beings in reality. The Iron Duke believes that by solving all the mysteries of the multiverse, he would gain the best chances of winning the enigmatic game of power. The chance to learn a new secret is one of the few things that can compel him to act against the other archdevils or compel him to bargain. Some of his own secrets - such as techniques in mining and forging - have made him the foremost arms dealer to devilkind.

A crack has recently appeared in Dispater's seemingly invincible defense; his never-ending vigilance has slowly become paranoia, overanalysis, and choice paralysis. Unless otherwise forced to, the gloomy lord never leaves his tower, fearing what might happen to him should he step outside. The Father of Strife trusts no one and dislikes surprises. The archdevil's paranoia influences every action and decision, and gaining an audience with him is difficult at best, with no guarantee that any correspondence truly reaches him. Fearing to step beyond his domain, he often sends his only trusted advisor, Titivilus, to act as his emissary.

 

Mammon

Epithets

Lord of Avarice, Master of Erebus, The Grasping One, The Paths to Oblivion and Exaltation Are the Same Road

Stat Block

As Mammon, Archduke of Greed
(Tome of Beasts p 99) with the following change:  

The Lord of Avarice resembles an acid green pit fiend, his wings composed from hundreds of living, conjoined corvids. Mammon is Asmodeus’s master of coin. In this capacity, he serves as the vault keeper for his kin and oversees soul coin trading and minting. The Grasping One has accumulated a great treasure hoard, which grows ever more resplendent as he claws valuables from their previous owners. However, he spends only a small portion of his personal wealth on maintaining his domain. As a result, Erebus is a wretched place; a cyclopean city characterized by cheap construction, flimsy materials, and shoddy artisanship. What little money he invests is spent on defense.

The bulk of Mammon’s fortune is spent on promoting his interests. To him, the world and everything in it are mere transactions. Mammon assures his potential contracts that they can secure status by tapping into his wealth if they are willing to pay his price in return. He preys upon mortals’ desire to have more than their neighbor, to find acceptance in high society, and their fear of missing out.

It is said that for the right price, he would even move against Asmodeus.

 

Titivilius

Epithets

Herald of The Iron Duke, Ironwings, The Lordling (derogatory)

Stat Block

As Titivilius (MMPM p 242)
with the following change:  

So intense is the paranoia of The Iron Duke that he almost never travels farther than the borders of his domain. Dispater knows that he has enemies on all sides - Mammon, Fraz-Urb’luu, Graz’zt and countless others would not hesitate to claim his station.

Dispater is correct to fear, but the true threat comes not from without. The lord’s greatest error was allowing himself to be seduced by Titivilus, who gaslit his way into being the Archdevil’s primary advisor. Although he is not an archdevil and lacks an archdevil’s power, Titivilius compensates with cunning. A shrewd and calculating politician, he has clawed his way to power entirely by saying the right thing at the right time to the right ear. Charming and pleasant, he is a master at negotiation, able to twist words in such a way as to leave his victims confused and believing they have found a friend in Titivilus. Through these skills, he has manipulated everyone along his path to power, either to make allies or remove threats.

Since gaining his position, Titivilus has convinced Dispater that countless plots are being hatched against him and that Asmodeus himself seeks to topple Dispater from power. Fearing deposition, Dispater has withdrawn to his palace and left day-to-day decisions to Titivilus, while also authorizing him to answer and negotiate bargains with mortals who attempt to summon Dispater. Titivilus now represents his master and speaks with his voice, a turn of events that leads some to whisper either that Titivilus is Dispater in disguise, or that Titivilus has removed the archduke and replaced him altogether.

Titivilus recognizes the inherent precariousness of his position. After all, Dispater’s acceptance of his plans and advice can last only so long before he loses favor. For insurance, Titivilus has begun recruiting outsiders to deal with problem devils, to insulate himself against criticism, and above all, to create complications that he can solve to reinforce his value in the eyes of his master. Titivilus finds adventurers well-suited to the tasks he needs performed and recruits them directly or through intermediaries, expending them later as his plans require.

   

Fraz-Urb'luu

Epithets

Lord of Illusions, Truth's Undoing, King of Broken Truths, The Echo That Lies, Teacher of Treachery, Maker of Mistrust

Stat Block

Fraz-Urb'luu, Lord of Illusions  

Truth is the lie everyone believes. To speak general truths about Fraz-Urb'luu is to lie intimately. Though slain by his enemies long ago, Fraz-Urb'luu’s spirit was unwilling to surrender to oblivion. While adrift in the Astral Plane, his love for life caused his animus to seep into a meteorite, until he finally became one with a body that could outlast even the stars. Fraz’Urbluu can possess objects and creatures with ease, but most often possesses the Argent Prince, a peerlessly sculpted, 8-foot-tall likeness of his idealized body. It has six insectoid legs, three eyes, two humanoid legs, two bifurcated arms, and a corona of horns - a figure loosely reminiscent of a thri-kreen.

The most deceptive of all demons, The King of Broken Truths is the unparalleled master of the fundamental art of lying. He fancies himself the cleverest entity in the omniverse, the only one capable of understanding the truth outside perception’s lies. He utters cryptic remarks about a grand design that guides the cosmos toward some unknown end, but none can say whether these statements are another layer of deception or evidence of true insight.

The best practice of lying is self-deception, and Fraz-Urb’luu thrives by luring his petitioners and enemies alike into lives of self-delusion. Mortals desperate to attain positions of power and status entreat him, as do those who - for whatever reason - need to be loved, feared, or respected. He happily grants them what they desire, secure in the knowledge that they are living a lie and tricking others. Using the vanity and arrogance of good folk is especially gratifying to him as he campaigns to reveal “good” and “law” to be the grandest deceptions of them all.

Unknown to anyone but himself, Fraz-Urb'luu is incomplete. In the centuries drifting through the cosmos after his defeat, he lost a mighty gem that he considers his heart. He can only sense that it exists somewhere in Evara. He regularly sends servants to search for it but never reveals its true importance to his peers, lest he appear weak or vulnerable.

 

Graz'zt

Epithets

Temptation Made Flesh, The Prince of Pleasure, Lord of Forbidden Delights, The Silken Caress, Lord Beneath Silk and Shadow, Viscount of Vice .... More Titles

Stat Block

As Graz'zt (MPMM p 148)
with the following change:  

Temptation’s comely appearance belies the true depths of his wickedness. His existence serves as a warning that not all that is beautiful is good.

The Demon Lord Graz'zt is at once cruel and collected, charismatic and patient. Despite limitless indulgence and hedonism, his mind remains sharply focused on amassing territory and minions. Like Asmodeus, he understands that power is more than brute force. Power requires control, and control requires those who believe themselves to have power to surrender it to you. Although he demands complete obedience and exotic pleasures for himself, he rebels against any repression, restriction, or order imposed by others. When he has finally dominated the cosmos, all who remain will love him and serve his desires.

Unlike his demonic kin, Graz’zt is actively interested in Evaran and mortal matters. No devils or demons are common knowledge among mortals; However, mortals who know something about fiends are most likely to recognize Graz’zt or his titles. His modus operandi is to trade favors, aid, or information with mortals for a service of his choosing to be determined later. He enjoys the slow seduction of dismantling mortal inhibitions, freeing them from fear of rejection by normalizing even their basest desires. He has sired countless children with mortals, and it is rumored that his charms have even appealed to The First God, Adar, and to Thara. Graz’zt’s is slowly but steadily asserting control over more of the Dark Dimension than his competitors in Fomor.

Graz’zt does not know Fraz-Urbluu’s secret but has spies following the minions that his fellow demon lord dispatches to search for his heart.

   

Places of Interest

Dis (Devil Territory)

Several miles tall and hundreds across, Dis is well-regarded for forging arms and armaments. It prides itself on the effective supply routes that put weapons into the hands of devils everywhere and protects the portal that leads up to Narakkas. Effective does not, however, mean clean or comfortable. The deeper Dispater's paranoia becomes, the more cramped and warren-like the city becomes. The cityscape is connected by garbage-choked streets and ramshackle alleyways. Scrying devices are omnipresent, and some walls literally have ears. Beneath the streets, a half-sunken prison warren known as the "pits" of Dis houses people who, for whatever reason, failed in the city above. They live lives of savage squalor, fighting for scraps from above amidst the filth and lost treasures.

Erebus (Devil Territory)

Erebus has the apt moniker "Sinking City". Mammon’s greed is bottomless, and the waters slowly consuming Erebus are too. Only the unending efforts of slaves, petitioners, and disfavored devils prevented its final demise, but a little ground is lost to the cold mud every year.

The main industries of the Sinking City are twofold: the coin mint and the soul trade. On the shores of the River Styx, Mammon’s soul-mongers harvest newly created devils or shell souls. The secondary market for the city's soul traders was the buying and selling of existing souls, often in the form of soul coins. In Erebus, fiends also participate in the soul futures market: in exchange for goods, services, information, or souls, a desperate devil could pledge to pay back more souls at a later date.

By Asmodeus’s decree, the legal definition of currency is a coin with a specific metal composition minted in Erebus. The mint, Mammon’s fortress, and the portal to the subsequent splinter are the only sections of quagmire specifically defended and kept in good repair. Erebus's portal does not have a fixed terminus: at times it leads to Zariel’s splinter, Seraphage, and at others to Mephistopheles’, Cania.

Sussersea (Neutral Territory)

The endless ocean in which all the islands of Fomor bask. Its waves whisper of shame, regret, and desire, promising to take those intrusive emotions away from those who will simply let themselves sink into the warm, comforting waters.

Islands of Isolation (Neutral Territory)

The ocean is rife with islands too numerous to name. Some contain weak manifest zones to other planes, where unfortunate travelers might stumble through and become trapped. Some islands are inhabited by mortals or fiends who feared going into the city, but also didn’t want to feel alone. Still other islands contained the Lords’ prisoners or persons of interest - individuals who, given time and patience, might surrender to fiendish interests. The Islands support all the physical necessities of life, but missing social connection drives many to bargain with Fomor’s lords before madness claims them.

Zelatar (Demon Territory)

The two districts of Zelatar exist across two splinters: Sablecrown on Fomor and Libidinave on a contiguous splinter. Zelatar’s interplanar existence makes its layout confusing to those who lack the ability to think in four or more dimensions at once. Within Zelatar, visitors can find myriad pleasures: performance houses where sorrow is an art form and performances consume the soul of audience and actor alike; cloisters of sensual ascetics who worship through pain, pleasure, and parad; perfumeries and apothecaries offering addictive scents that open minds or ruin them; artists who paint with living pigments. Libidnave hosts Graz’zt’s seat of power, the Alabaster Palace. This compound is composed of sixty-six ivory towers, scores of mirrored hallways, and countless pleasure rooms.

Zoragmelok (Demon Territory)

Zoragmelok is a city of glamer and illusion. This city has corkscrew towers, looming domes, and colossal amphitheaters. Some of the city’s nature may seem quirky or charming - gambling dens designed to distort the flow of time, two-dimensional street art painted to replicate three-dimensional effects. But to look only at the surface of Zoragmelok is a mistake, and treachery lies just below its surface. Long streets that actually drop into cavernous pits; apparently solid walls hide doors; doors are actually walls. Deep within his territory, Fraz-Urb'luu's ever-shifting personal fortress, Hollow’s Heart, perched on the edge of a poisonous green bay. Fraz-Urb’luu enjoys the company of golems, constructs, and undead as he views them all as facsimiles of life.