Ardad Lili
| Ardad Lili | |
|---|---|
| (Deity) | |
| Titles | The End of Innocence She of the Forked Tongue The Serpent Muse |
| Realm | Stainless Caress, Avernus, Hell |
| Alignment | Lawful evil |
| Areas of Concern | Seduction Snakes Women |
| Worshipers | Evil artists, grifters, manipulators |
| Cleric Alignments (1E) | |
| Domains (1E) | Charm, Evil, Law, Scalykind |
| Subdomains (1E) | Devil, Dragon, Love, Lust |
| Favored Weapon | Dagger |
| Symbol | Wings made of snake tails; forked-tongue emerging from slightly parted lips |
| Sacred Animal | Snake |
| Sacred Colors | Black, green |
Source: Princes of Darkness, pg(s). 32 | |
Ardad Lili is a Queen of the Night, a demigoddess who began her existence as an angel but joined Asmodeus's exodus to Hell.[1][2]
Appearance
The End of Innocence resembles a beautiful, dark-skinned humanoid woman who tends to wear the colors green and white. Only her wings, composed of slithering snake tails instead of feathers, reveal her monstrous nature, although they still afford her rapid and agile flight.[3] Some sources also depict her with a snake-like tail.[1]
While Ardad Lili generally leaves fighting to her legions of minions, she wields her thin, deceptively powerful ivory-bladed dagger with impressive and deadly skill. Generally, however, she prefers to turn enemies into allies through magic or her own eloquence.[3]
History
In the time when mortals were still new to the multiverse, Ardad Lili was an angelic servitor of Shelyn, who was at that point a minor deity. Tasked with inspiring artists on behalf of her patron, she became increasingly disgusted with the lust she saw in eyes of her assignments. As her disgust turned to hate, she started convincing mortals to swear their obedience and eventually their souls to her in exchange for what she called a "stainless caress," wherein she generally gave nothing in return, as she never intended to keep her promises. This escalated to the murder of those mortals who resisted her wiles, then to recruiting other disaffected angels, then to plotting to overthrow the lords of Nirvana. Eventually, Shelyn's servitor Phoenix Tail came to Ardad Lili and confronted her; understanding that she was not yet strong enough to defeat the servitor, the disillusioned angel responded by gathering her allies and joining Asmodeus's Exodus to Avernus.[3]
In Hell, she holds an exalted position, despite the endemic misogyny of the realm. Ardad Lili is seen as a seducer, taking great pleasure in debasing and manipulating men, whom she considers the 'dimmer sex.'[1][4] In truth, however, her reputation as a seducer is the result of a dedicated and intentional disinformation campaign by Ardad Lili over thousands of years, that she might leverage this notoriety to her advantage.[3]
Relationships
Ardad Lili has developed strong alliances with the three other Queens of the Night: Doloras, Eiseth, and Mahathallah. All four realized with time that none of their interests conflicted, and the misogyny of Hell gave them common enemies.[5]
Servants
Worship and followers
As with the other Queens of the Night, Ardad Lili's faithful tend to be women, particularly those who use cunning, manipulation, and seduction to achieve their ends. As befits her origin, many artists still find inspiration from her, though generally those of wicked bent.
Obedience
Unholy symbol
Her unholy symbol is either a pair of wings composed of snake tails[3] or a forked-tongue emerging from slightly parted lips.[6]
References
For additional resources, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Princes of Darkness, p. 32. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-189-3
- ↑ Amber Scott. (2013). Chronicle of the Righteous, p. 55. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-506-8
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 John Compton, Adam Daigle, Amanda Hamon Kunz, et al. (2017). Book of the Damned, p. 22–23. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-970-7
- ↑ Amber Scott. (2013). Chronicle of the Righteous, p. 55. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-506-8
- ↑ John Compton, Adam Daigle, Amanda Hamon Kunz, et al. (2017). Book of the Damned, p. 49. Paizo Inc. ISBN 978-1-60125-970-7
- ↑ F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Princes of Darkness, p. front inside cover. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-189-3
External links
- Lilith (real-world religious figure) on Wikipedia
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