Fierna Character in Gallifrey | World Anvil

Fierna

Fierna was the lady of Phlegethos who, along with Belial, her father, were the only archdevils allowed to share rulership over one of the Nine Hells by Asmodeus. In their peculiar partnership, Fierna was the young newcomer with fiery passion and undoubtable appeal.   Befitting an archdevil of fire, Fierna was well-known for her short fuse and volatile personality, her temper striking fear in almost any devil. Her rage escalated quickly, frustration leading to fury, which erupted, quite literally since she angrily moved about on fire when enraged, into bloodthirsty vengeance, oftentimes with little warning. Additionally, she was self-absorbed, sadistic, and just generally mercurial, flitting about like a lit flame between her various obsessions and displaying a "party girl" attitude.   However, assuming Fierna was just a bratty beauty was a grave mistake, for both political schemers and would-be courtiers. Fierna was prodigiously brilliant in the art of emotional manipulation with charisma to match that of Asmodeus himself, lighting fires in the hearts of mortals and immortals alike that she could control like any other. Her explosive outbursts seemed chaotic and random, but she was a being of law, simply following a pattern that perhaps only she understood.   Though she saw being viewed as incompetent a useful ploy, she was no less adept at politics than other archdevils, but had no interest in taking part in the overcomplicated, governmental web. The black-hearted archdevil had more hedonistic goals, desiring to use her position to indulge in luxurious comforts and lecherous pleasures while allowing others to actually administrate. At least, this was her stance at one point, but later on she became more professionally-minded, still toying with lesser beings, but making efforts not to immediately discard them upon growing bored and attempting to enter the "grownup" world of diabolical conspiracies and power plays.

Physical Description

Identifying Characteristics

Fierna appeared to be an incredibly attractive young woman, a lithe, statuesque, 6 ft (1.8 m) seductress of stunning physique. Tall, dark and sensual, her garments were as royally fine as they were scantily clingy, furthering her image as a being of perversion and indecency.   Giving away her infernal heritage were the small pair of horns that emerged under her hairline, and even then the fiendish features somehow managed to enhance her enchanting appearance. Her red eyes shined and smoldered like fires were dancing within them and implicit promises of pleasure could be gleaned from her gaze.

Special abilities

Fierna had unmitigated mastery over fire, able to create it and cast a vast array of fire-based spells as well as control all fire within Phlegethos. Rather than rely on weapons, she fought with a blade of pure fire that she summoned to her hand, twice as powerful as ordinary flame blades. She rained burning death upon her enemies, first conjuring a fire shield before destroying her foes with a meteor swarm and flurries of fireballs.   Though she eagerly partook in slaughter, particularly enjoying the feeling of hot blood splashing against her, she only entered melee if victory was certain and was smart enough to know when to retreat, often with teleportation.[8][9] Instead, she engulfed her foes with flames from afar, quickly summoning reinforcements in the forms of spinagons, barbazus, hamatulas, or a cornugon.[6][11]   Strangely, magical or otherwise, the cold did little to stymie Fierna's flames and similarly water could not extinguish them, ironically only earning her fiery ire and getting the presumptuous assailant scorched.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

After the disastrous results of the Reckoning, Belial decided to retreat from public view, elevating Fierna to the official ruler of the plane while continuing to run things from shadows. Though beneficial to him in several ways, both Moloch and Geryon having been removed, the return of the more experienced Levistus prevented him from conquering Stygia and his original assault force led by Gazra being utterly destroyed. Afterwards, for a time, he focused on politically besting the Frozen Prince, sinking further into obscurity while allowing Fierna to take a greater public role. Eventually his armies gained enough power that he became confident he could best both Levistus and the Hag Countess, until the sudden rise of Glasya, throwing all his plans to the wind by introducing a figure he couldn't attack, out of fear of provoking both Asmodeus and his daughter.   The previously content Fierna began seeking independence, and soon Glasya's sway over Fierna seemed to have weathered down the partnership between father and daughter. Fierna began inquiring about the operations of Phlegethos, claiming only to desire the knowledge in the case of Belial's passing, something he believed, possibly rightly, would only happen at her hands. As Fierna grew bolder, Belial's confidence waned, and it seemed that the two would eventually have some confrontation involving either Belial's resurgence or Fierna's proper ascendance.   The degree to which Glasya's wedge-driving worked, however, was debatable, as Fierna and Belial eventually reached some unorthodox, familial understanding. Rather than one destroying the other, the two ruled Phlegethos in tandem, Fierna handling matters regarding mortal souls and Belial governing Phlegethos itself. Belial's cults had been small and Fierna was apathetic towards the "work" of being an archdevil, so their specialization allowed the former to reclaim his position as an official ruler while Fierna could put her interpersonal talents to use.   However, calling the two partners wasn't exactly accurate, for just as the two had reconciled as allies they had also become true rivals, showing a confusing combination of hatred and admiration for each other. The two were constantly trying to trap and undermine each other but Fierna's charismatic personality and persuasive power canceled out Belials' greater intellect and forward planning. Just as before, there were those that believed that their infighting could be used to overtake them, a partially true sentiment. But, any short-term benefit provided by their conflict wouldn't last, for a true threat to their rightful reign would prompt father and daughter to unite and defend their shared dominion.   Forlarren Fierna once tried to court a mighty archfey, hoping to seduce them into relinquishing their soul. Her efforts ultimately went nowhere, but a group of the lord's satyrs became infatuated with her. Desiring some form of gain from her time spent on the lord, Fierna decided to corrupt the satyrs with her infernal powers and transformed them into the creatures known as forlarren.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Fierna's presence was rarely noticed in Phlegethos, as she spent most of her time losing herself in pools of lava as others made decisions regarding the actual rulership of the plane. Although commonly thought of as Belial's mouthpiece, this wasn't entirely accurate, but part of a half-truth perpetuated by the Archduchess. Much of her pool time was spent with Belial as the two discussed strategems; rather than Fierna being a nominal puppet ruler or Belial being the true power behind the throne, both took a role in the decision making, albeit with Fierna being more preoccupied with her comforts. She was rightfully thought of as insatiably lustful, thoughtlessly going through members of the opposite gender, a trait she seemed to have adopted from her father.   Given her unexpected immunities, some theorized that Fierna was trying to master a second element, possibly in order to take over one of the colder layers of Hell, although she seemed generally uninterested in gaining new territory.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Fierna's father was the original archdevil of Phlegethos, Belial, and though many devils thought he was in decline and were waiting for Fierna to fully depose him, the two shared an unbreakable blood bond tightened by mutual necessity. He was adept at, if not quelling, focusing Fierna's fury similarly to how one controlled a fire. He also served as Fierna's mentor, teaching her from within the Hall of One Thousand Sighs and Screams of her palace about everything he knew regarding the "arts of love and pain."   However, the strength of their ties had undergone severe strain with the rise to power of Fierna's second role model, Glasya. Close even before becoming the Archduchess of Malbolge, Fierna's relationship towards Glasya was perhaps the closest that devils came to having "best friends." The Fiery Lady became friends with the Lord of the Sixth fairly fast, and spent much of her time within the latter's fortress in Malbolge, returning home to proclaim new initiatives. She seemed absolutely infatuated with Glasya and couldn't stop talking about her whenever she was brought up, her search for greater autonomy being in no small part a result of her influence. Some of her decisions were made with Glasya's advice while others were Fierna imitating her close friend, but the relationship between the two nonetheless fostered uncertainty and discomfort in Belial.   Belial's ally, Baalzebul, was wary of Fierna given her relationship with Glasya since Asmodeus's daughter ruled over his former domain. If however, Belial was to come to Baalzebul's aid then Mephistopheles, the Lord of Cania and Baalzebul's rival, would likely try to use Belial's daughter against him, preferably as a partner but as a hostage if needed.   Dukes Belial's consort and Fierna's mother was the late Naome, a shrewd, well-regarded devil with a light sense of humor, appreciated for her level-headedness and ability to bargain. Like the rest of her family she enjoyed a good fight, battling with both spells and a long scimitar.   Of Fierna's servants, one of the most loyal was the archdevil Bathym, a nightmare-riding knight with a black cloak and armor. He had served Belial loyally through the Reckoning but afterwards swore himself to Fierna after Belial cravenly placed her on his throne. Even before that, Bathym had secretly coveted Fierna, partially out of a belief that if he could seduce her, he could advance and potentially rule over all of Phlegethos.   There was also Gazra, who served not only as her general but as a constant companion and consort responsible for dealing with the uninteresting matters of statecraft. Though loyal to Fierna, Levistus occasionally attempted to convert him to his side, temptations he managed to resist, and Fierna was careful enough not to grant him too much power and remind him of her authority if he showed signs of turning against her.   Less interested with the Archduchess was Tymphal, a mechanical master smith whose lesser devil legions and hundreds of duergar slaves toiled in a volcano forge to produce weapons and infernal constructs. Her reckless passion led him to isolate himself in his forge, making a conscious effort to avoid the happenings outside of his domain.
Divine Classification
Archdevil
Religions
Realm
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
  • Lady of the Fourth
  • Fiery Lady of Phlegethos
  • Archduchess Fierna
Children
Aligned Organization

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