Mephistopheles

Ruling lord of the territory of Ysvaeth, Mephistopheles is one of the rare few Kingdomborn whose ambition outstrips his rank. Delving ever deeper into ways to increase his own station, his attack on another ruling house shook the Kingdom and was only the beginning of his bid for power.

Personality

Meph presents himself to the world carefully, and is generally thought of as intelligent, cultured, and seductively charming. He has a magnetism that befits his high caste and knows how to leave a good impression on people, though there's always a little more bite to his wittiness than strictly necessary and those around him tend to find themselves suspecting there's another layer behind his words. As a whole, he's well-regarded and seen as someone who it pays to be friends with; he rules his house firmly and his dominant nature can't be denied.
In private, his true demeanor is quite different. Though he's still viciously intelligent, much of his behavior is an elaborate mask and behind it he's fairly cold and thinks very little of those around him. Meph is obsessed with power and knowledge, and is willing to do whatever it takes in their pursuit. He sees other people, even his peers, as beneath him and useful only as means to an end; any 'care' he shows for members of his household is a possessive need to control what's his. He has little to no empathy for others, and would rather destroy something rather than see it taken from him.

Abilities

A fixation on study has made Meph one of the most talented mages in the Kingdom, and even when separated from his household he's a formidable force in his own right. He's a versatile and talented spellcaster, using magic in unpredictable ways with a great deal of personal strength to back it up. While he's capable of fighting hand-to-hand with clawed gauntlets, it's never his preference and he prefers to keep his distance when at all possible. He's fast and agile in flight, though less capable of travelling vast distances like other castes with many sets of wings to support them.
Though he's proud of his considerable abilities, Meph considers his real strength to be his mind. He wields his considerable authority like a whip and has an enormous force of personality, but would rather manipulate situations so that his opponents find themselves outmaneuvered before they ever have a chance to face him openly. He has a knack for seeking out the discontented and ambitious, and has far more allies than he lets the world see.

Backstory

Meph was born the child of privilege, raised by two Angelim parents in the capital city of a ruling Seraphim lord. Growing up, he was always confident that he would be a member of one of the ruling castes; he wanted to answer to nobody, and though his parents were well-respected he bore some resentment towards them for being what he considered only halfways dominant. Upon coming into adulthood his feelings were vindicated when he emerged as a strong member of the Nephilim caste. Meph was granted the territory of Ysvaeth, replacing its former lord and establishing a household of his own.
Initially, Meph resented his appointment to Ysvaeth; the mountain territory was sparesely populated and far from the intrigue of the Spire, and his title as Warder of the western border didn't prove much consolation when it didn't offer the sort of influence he craved. Eventually though, he came to appreciate his realtive isolation as his thoughts turned seditious. He began working on the acquisition of as much knowledge as he could find, seeking to learn everything he could about how to increase his own magical abilities and the world beyond the Kingdom's borders.
Ysvaeth proved to be an unstable household. Meph had the kind of dominance that drew the lesser castes to serve, and there were no shortage of applicants to enter contracts with him, but the demanding harshness of his leadership meant that far more left the household than was considered normal. He was talented at minimizing the social repercussions of this, however, and former servants had a tendency to vanish into the mountains of Ysvaeth, be funneled into a lesser household that still owed him fealty, or leave disgraced in such a way that the blame would fall on them instead.
One such servant was an Avian named Krahe, who Meph has a passing relationship with that was far more casual for him than for her. When Krahe eventually recognized the depths of Meph's cruelty she tried to flee, only for him to hunt her down, publically break their contract, and cast her out in disgrace knowing that the social shame would make it hard for her to find another house willing to take her in. It came as a total surprise when he found that she'd been accepted into another of the ruling houses under a Seraphim lord called Raziel Moonfire, and Meph quickly formed a deep desire to see them both suffer for it.
His grudge against Easthaven deepened over the course of more than a year, solidifying into a resolution to openly attack the other house under the justification of removing a weak leader from power; war in the Kingdom is all but unheard of, but Meph was confident in his ability to justify the situation in the eyes of the Spire. When the time to attack came, his defeat and seeming death came as a total surprise.  

Important Relationships

KRAHE OF EASTHAVEN
Krahe is Meph's former servant and lover, who he cast out in disgrace after she attempted to flee the household to escape their increasingly abusive relationship. His plans for her humiliation were thrown into disarray when Raziel Moonfire took her in, leaving Meph furious and harboring a deep desire to see both brought to ruin. Though Meph often puts on a front of caring for his former servant, it's a sham; he's outraged at seeing her beyond his reach, and wants nothing more than seeing her under his control or dead.
RAZIEL MOONFIRE, LORD OF EASTHAVEN
Meph hates Raziel for interfering with his plans for Krahe's disgrace, and sees the Seraphim as having stolen what's rightfully his. He has nothing but disdain for the perceived weakness of Raziel's past, and thinks that he's not worthy of holding a ruling House of the Kingdom; in Meph's eyes, an outright attack on Easthaven is at least partially justified because it involves removing an unworthy master from power.
GABRIEL
Meph's burgeoning obsession with destroying Raziel led him to Gabriel, the Seraphim's former friend. He recognizes that Gabriel has ambition beyond his caste and shares a similar dislike for the lord of Easthaven, and is quick to form ties with the Angelim with the intention to use Raziel's sentimentality against him.

Basic Information

Name: Mephistopheles, Lord of Ysvaeth

Race: Kingdomborn Nephilim
Sex: male
Age: mid-thirties

Storyline: Cages