Gargauth
Archduke Gargauth
Gargauth is an archdevil of the Nine Hells and the current archduke of Avernus.
For centuries, Gargauth was trapped inside of the Shield of the Hidden Lord until he was unwittingly freed in 1497 by the Lost Star Detectives, the group of adventurers that ended the Damnation of Elturel.
Notable for his storied and secretive history, Gargauth has served as both ally and enemy of Hell, lord and slave, and is perhaps one of the most unpredictable archdevils as a result.
History
Early Reign
Like many archdevils, Gargauth's origins are shrouded in mystery. His first appearance in history was early on the Blood War when he discovered that Asmodeus' court had been infiltrated by a demon lord, Astaroth, who had managed to even become the Treasurer of Hell. Gargauth revealed the traitor, forcing Astaroth to flee, and was named by Asmodeus treasurer in his stead. Gargauth continued to grow in power and influence, eventually becoming the Archduke of Avernus, forfeiting the title of treasurer in the process. Gargauth's reign over Avernus was lengthy, and Gargauth favored the use of magically empowered weapons to hold the tide of the Abyss back. Some of the more powerful variants of these weapons were imbued with the souls of the living and the dead. However, all reigns come to an end, and Gargauth's came when he was overthrown violently by Bel, one of the members of the subordinate Dark Eight. Rather than accept defeat and subjugation, Gargauth left Avernus for the Material Plane, becoming known as the Tenth Lord of the Nine. On the Material Plane, Gargauth sought out Astaroth, who was in the process of obtaining the powers of a demigod from his cults scattered across Faerun. Gargauth slew Astaroth before this could happen, either on orders still from Hell or due to his rivalry with the demon lord that never ended. Gargauth then supplantaed himsef as the new head of the Astarothi cults, fooling the worshippers into thinking their false god wasn't dead. In the middle to late 10th century, Gargauth and a slew of the dark gods of Toril, including Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, Talona and others, attempted an invasion and takeover of Hell. However, the invasion failed, and Gargauth was captured. Asmodeus offered Gargauth a choice between a pact or death, and Gargauth chose the former. The archdevil was taken to Bel's Forge and was sealed inside of the Shield of the Hidden Lord, mimicking the soul weapons he favored as archduke, and was given the stipulation that he would be freed when he could bring 13 cities from the Material Plane into Hell.The Shield of the Hidden Lord
For the next several centuries, Gargauth, trapped in the Shield began his work manipulating others to damn their cities. How many cities, Gargauth managed to drag into Hell is unknown. While the history of the Shield of the Hidden Lord is sparse on Faerun, it may have been but one of the many such shields across multiple crystal spheres, with Gargauth's soul refracted across all of them. What is known is that, despite his inability to directly control anyone, Gargauth's ability as a manipulator put him at the center of many cults and organizations. The Shield of the Hidden Lord was prized and had been recorded in the possession of the cults of the Dead Three, who recognize Gargauth's alliance with their gods, cults of Astaroth, that believe they can hear the voice of their god through it, and cults of Bel and, later, cZariel, who benefit directly from Gargauth's efforts to send cities into Avernus. In the 14th century, Gargauth infiltrated the ancient Knights of the Shield, a group dedicated to protecting an ancient relic called the Shield of Silvam. The Shield of Silvam was long lost by this time, however, and Gargauth managed to convince the group that he was in fact the shield of their veneration. By the mid-15th century, Gargauth was in the possession of the Cult of Zariel in Elturel. Zariel, now the archduke of Avernus, was as willing as Bel to work with Gargauth to give herself more souls to fight in the Blood War. In 1447, with Gargauth's advice and aid, the Cult of Zariel made a pact with Naja Bellandi to end the terrible Reign of Vampires by summoning the Companion over the city. In exchange, Elturel and all of its inhabitants would be damned to Avernus in fifty years time. The Shield of the Hidden Lord remained in Elturel for the next several decades, offering aid to the Cult of Zariel as it slowly eliminated dissidents, such as Bellandi herself, infiltrated the Order of the Companion, and ultimately got one of its own, Thavius Kreeg, sworn in as High Observer. In late Flamerule of 1497, shortly before the terms of the pact would come due, the Shield of the Hidden Lord and Thavius Kreeg were smuggled out of Elturel to Baldur's Gate. There, the two were put in the care of Duke Thalamara Vanthampur, the head of the Baldurian Cult of Zariel. Duke Vanthampur planned to utilize the advice of Gargauth in a similar manner to the Elturian Cult of Zariel, but on the 18th of Eleasis, Vanthampur Villa was stormed by the Lost Star Detectives, who killed Vanthampur and Kreeg and took the Shield of the Hidden Lord.The Lost Star Detectives
The Shield of the Hidden Lord was given to Arcus Miursa, one of the Lost Star Detectives and a paladin opposed to all extraplanar creatures and items. Gargauth first told the Detectives that he was the Shield of Silvam, but at Candlekeep the adventurers were told by infernal scholar Sylvira Savikas that it was in fact the Shield of the Hidden Lord. However, knowledge of the shield was limited, and Sylvira believed the shield was created by and connected to Gargauth, not Gargauth himself. Sylvira asked to hold on to the shield, but the Detectives, who had already fought off cultists of Zariel that were hoping to retreive it, were cautious about leaving it behind. Instead, they chose to take the shield with them into Avernus, where they were heading to try and end the Damnation of Elturel, following the advice of the otter wizard Traxigor, who believed that the River Styx would destroy the shield. Gargauth, fearing the annihilation of self that would come with being submerged in the Styx, began attempting to bond with the Detectives. He presented himself as a tool, used first by Gargauth, then by the Knights of the Shield, now by Zariel, who never had the chance to decide for itself what it wanted to be. His overtures were successful with Lulu and Katya Sinaran while Arcus distrusted the shield implicitly and Alesine Zadava clued in immeaditely to how calculated the shield's attempts to manipulate her. Nonetheless, the Detectives still held off the infernal bounty hunters Azzimon and Delle Bellfiend from retrieving the shield. In the case of the latter, the Detective Dzarya died while fighting, and the other adventurers considered giving Delle the shield in exchange for bringing Dzarya back. Arcus, staunchly opposed, threatened to jump with the shield over the side of Elturel into the Styx, submerging them both. With no other option, the Detectives killed Delle and later were able to resurrect Dzarya. Realizing how devoted his wielder was to his destruction, Gargauth proposed to the Detectives a third option. Rather than submitting the shield to ego death or having it be returned to Zariel, the shield told the Detectives that it prefer complete destruction. Gargauth then told the Detectives that the shield could only be destroyed in Bel's Forge, neglecting to inform them that tossing the shield into the lava at the forge's base would in fact release Gargauth. The Detectives, needing to retrievefor their own purposes Phlegethosian sand which could be found in the forge, agreed with the shield's suggestion. Knowing that any intruder in the forge would be magically detected, most of the Detectives hid in Lulu's magical aura while Katya attuned to the shield. In the process of doing so, Katya attempted to see if the shield's soul could be placed in an independent, mobile object. In doing so, Gargauth and Katya opened themselves up to one another, feeling the extent of each other's souls. Though this clued Katya in to the true nature of the shield, she still went along with its plan. At the bottom of Bel's Forge, the Detective Whisk tossed the shield into the forge's lava, freeing Gargauth, who immeaditely attacked his old usurper Bel. As the Detectives escaped the forge, Gargauth called after them, threatening Arcus, before he forced Bel to flee from the forge, taking it for his own.Return
Free again and back in Avernus, Gargauth began quickly rebuilding his power base from Bel's Forge. Devils from across Avernus began gathering at Bel's Forge, some of whom had been devout followers of Gargauth a millennia ago, while Bel began reassembling his forces in the Purple City, across the Styx from the forge. Shortly after his freedom from the shield, Asmodeus sent a call of summons that echoed across Avernus, bringing Gargauth, Bel, and Zariel to a meeting to discuss unknown affairs. Though he was physically preoccupied with this meeting, Gargauth's agents continued working across Avernus, particularly keeping tabs on the Lost Star Detectives. Gargauth sponsored Algoran's Arena when he learned that the Detectives had visited there and used his position to talk with the Detectives discretely, both taunting them and offering them aid in equal measure. Gargauth also contacted the hag Zilly Redwood, knowing that Arcus was hunting her. When the Detectives did confront her back on the Material Plane, Zilly contacted Gargauth in desperation, getting the strength to try, but ultimately fail, in stopping them from killing her. Gargauth then offered the Detectives a trade to send them back to Avernus, but Arcus destroyed the mirror Gargauth communicated through before anyone could consider the offer. Gargauth also began gaining leverage on the Detectives, capturing Alcor Miursa, Arcus' father who was trying to free the demon lord Kostchtichie, and making a deal with Tiamat for the soul of Emmeryn Sinaran, Katya's deceased wife. Knowing that the Detectives planned on redeeming Zariel, Gargauth began planning around their success. Shortly before the Battle of Elturel, Gargauth dispatched an imp to the Elturel Library with information he was willing to trade, knowing the imp would be killed and its information "stolen" by the Detectives. During the Battle of Elturel, Gargauth sent forces to reinforce Zariel, acting as a member of the Dark Eight without being one. This put him in the perfect position to rally Zariel's forces when the archduke defected and reembraced her angelic nature. Due to Gargauth's quick thinking and "fortuitous" placement, the forces of Hell were able to prevent a complete rout in the face of Yeenoghu's demons. Gargauth was also able to quickly acquire knowledge and power due to a series of unknown deals he performed with Zariel before she left Hell, where Gagauth traded to her Emmeryn's soul and Alcor Miursa. Because of these actions, and likely for reasons only Asmodeus knows, Gargauth was crowned the new archduke of Avernus in 1498.Mental characteristics
Intellectual Characteristics
Gargauth, like many devils, is a master manipulator, capable of turning most situations to his advantage. This was most evident during Gargauth's stint as the Shield of the Hidden Lord, where he was able to advance his agenda, and even manipulate his own freedom, without the ability to do anything but communicate with others.
Similar to many archdevils, Gargauth also has an egoism to him that manifests as a form of gloating and mocking to those Gargauth feels he can manipulate. Howver, this is often a calculated decision, knowing that the angrier his targets are, the more likely they are to fall for his machinations.
Unlike many devils, Gargauth's time on the Material Plane while trapped in the Shield of the Hidden Lord has given him an appreciation for mortal adventurers and their effectiveness. After spending so many years wielded by and against adventurers, Gargauth has learned when to bet on and against them. This belief allowed him to successful position himself to rally the forces of Hell after the Battle of Elturel, as he did not dismiss the idea that the Lost Star Detectives would be able to redeem Zariel.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Gargauth has no greater rival in Hell than Bel, and the hatred the two feel for each other is mutual. Though Bel currently serves in the Dark Eight, underneath Gargauth, it is no secret that Bel desires to once again overthrow Gargauth, just as he did thousands of years before.
Gargauth's relationship to Asmodeus is a topic of much debate. Gargauth has been both servant and enemy of Asmodeus, and it was ultimately Asmodeus' decision to crown Gargauth as the archduke of Avernus. How much their relationship is defined by respect, contempt, a belief that the other is useful, or some other factors is an ongoing debate between infernal scholars.
When it comes to mortal creatures, Gargauth has particular enmity for Arcus Miursa, the Oath of the Watchers paladin that nearly tossed him into the Styx during the Damnation of Elturel. After he was freed, Gargauth took particular pleasure in getting inside of Arcus' head. There is no mortal creature alive Gargauth would like to own the soul of more than Arcus, though he wouldn't risk his position as archduke to get it.
Conversely, Gargauth found Katya Sinarin to be far more reasonable. Their brief time attuned to each other, having literally barred their souls to one another, left in the two an understanding of the other one. Though trading for the soul of Katya's wife Emmeryn helped Gargauth ensure the Detectives did as he wanted, Gargauth notably did not torture or hurt Emmeryn while she was in his possession.
Current Location
Species
Currently Held Titles
Children
Presentation
Masculine
Hair
Black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Red and black skin and fur
Ruled Locations
by Ashley
Comments