Dirzomali, Mistress of Avarice

Throughout history, mortals have given in to the desire for wealth and gold, seeking to increase their worth and power through the material. Behind many of the cruellest rulers and merchants is a smiling shadow; Dirzomali. She is the Demon Lord of Greed and Ill-Gotten Wealth. Also known as the Mistress of Avarice, her presence is felt wherever fortunes shift hands, or where a gambler beseeches a higher power for the cards and dive to favour them. To invoke Dirzomali's name is to court ruin draped in finest gold.

Domain and Influence

Dirzomali governs the intoxicating allure of wealth in mortals, promising coin, gold and jewels to those that seek her. Merchants who overreach, kings that tax too deeply and nobles who seek power through their finances are all prime targets of Dirzomali's influence.

Those that are addicted to the seductive thrill of game of chance also fall under the domain of Dirzomali. Many a gambler down on their luck has beseeched higher powers to aid them, although it is never the righteous that answer. Instead, Dirzomali is likely to cast her own will upon the game, the price being the soul of the one who asked for aid. Wealth acquired through her favour always turns sour, destroying relationships, health and sanity.

Appearance and Depictions

Appearing as a tall, regal female humanoid, Dirzomali has unnervingly pale, white skin. Six arms extend from her body, sometimes appearing slightly longer than what appears natural. At the end of each of these are six-fingered hands, each one seemingly manipulating unseen coins, cards and dice all individually. Her face is smooth and featureless, almost as if it were a porcelain mask with no eyes or mouth. Despite this, expressions can still be gleamed supernaturally, and an alluring voice comes from an unseen source.

Glittering jewellery adorns Dirzomali's form, and she wears impossibly luxurious garments stitched with golden thread. Atop her head is a silvered tiara, threaded in to jet-black hair that appears well-kept and always styled in the way of royalty. Though her form is elegant and poised, there is something profoundly wrong beneath the surface: an uncanny stillness, a presence that makes the hair on one's neck rise.

In artwork, Dirzomali is often shown seated cross-legged over a sea of coins, and many cults that fall in to her worship wear plain, featureless masks to match her appearance.

Myths and Legends

It is said that Dirzomali came about from the first meeting of Humans and Dwarves, in times that history failed to record. The Humans were led by a warrior-queen, well-known for her charm and deceit. Upon meeting the Dwarves for the first time and seeing the riches they had mined under the mountains, the warrior-queen demanded tribute. This was reluctantly given, but was not enough to sate the queen. Years of tribute followed, but it was never enough, and the queen grew crueller and crueller. Eventually her greed surpassed all wisdom, and she led her people in raids against the Dwarves, intent on taking the riches for herself.

Not only did the Dwarves suffer heavy losses, but so did the Humans. Eventually the nation collapsed, but not before the warrior-queen sat amongst all her jewels. Her greed corrupted her soul, and eventually she died alone, with only her gold and trinkets as company. Dirzomali was born within The Weave from this corrupted soul.

A tale spoken in the shadows of Varda's nations speaks of a gambler who won a thousand games by praying to Dirzomali. His was rewarded handsomely, but later discovered that each win had stolen something from the lives of others. Surrounded by wealth but filled with regret, one last prayer uttered from his lips. A final wager. He played one last game with Dirzomali herself, and lost not only his soul, but the memory of his entire existence, as though he had never lived at all.

Some stories claim she has a palace deep within The Weave, made entirely of gold and glass, where the damned are forced to gamble for eternity, winning only despair.