Buy me a coffeeDemon, Aldinach, The Venomous Sovereign of Shifting Sands
“Meet Aldinach: The terrifying demon lord of sand, scorpions, and unquenchable thirst, ruling a deadly desert realm with an army of venomous horrors!”
Aldinach towers as a monstrous presence, an enormous golden scorpion whose size dwarfs the largest of creatures. Her body gleams in a shimmering hue of polished gold, but the radiance is broken by jagged crimson crystals embedded within her carapace, sharp enough to tear through stone. Her claws are immense, jagged, and deadly, each one tipped with razor-sharp crystalline edges that seem to glint with malice, capable of cleaving through metal and bone with ease. These claws drip with venom, the thick, oily liquid glistening in the harsh desert sun.
Her tail, coiled and poised in perpetual readiness, is a long, barbed weapon. The sting at its end pulses with a sickly glow, each drop of venom a terrifying promise of death. The air around her crackles with an unsettling heat, and the oppressive atmosphere seems to warp with her presence, as if the very land recoils from her power.
The most unnerving feature, however, is her face. Unlike the rest of her form, which bears the grotesque, alien beauty of a demon, her face is unnervingly human—yet disfigured, pale, and sickly. Her eyes gleam with cruel intelligence, burning with a malevolent fire. Her lips stretch into a wicked grin, revealing rows of jagged, venomous fangs. The juxtaposition of her monstrous, animal-like body with a human visage makes her appear all the more unnatural, evoking both awe and horror.
Swarming over her back is an endless horde of smaller scorpions, her loyal minions, each one under her absolute control. They move in a constant, shifting mass, covering her carapace like living armor. With a thought, Aldinach can send them scurrying across the desert or into battle, unleashing her endless brood to do her bidding.
Her very presence in the desert seems to distort reality, causing the sands around her to swirl and whip, as though the desert itself is an extension of her will. The scent of death and decay lingers in the air, for in her wake, life withers, and the land grows barren.
Biography of Aldinach
Introduction
Aldinach is a powerful and malevolent demon lord, reigning over the desolate and unforgiving desert realm known as the Sea of Whispering Sands. She is a being of chaos, cruelty, and domination, representing the harshness of the desert—its unrelenting thirst, its deadly creatures, and its suffocating silence. As the demon lord of sand, scorpions, and thirst, she embodies the relentless forces of nature that make the desert both a place of desolation and a crucible for those who dare to endure it.
Her motives are as stark as the barren landscape she commands. Driven by an insatiable hunger for power, Aldinach seeks to spread her dominion over the world, much as the desert spreads its sands across the earth. Her actions are calculated and ruthless, aimed at securing her rule over the endless desert and expanding her influence beyond its borders.
Role and Purpose
Aldinach was born of Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters, but she has long since rejected her mother’s influence. While Lamashtu ascended to godhood, Aldinach forged her own path, claiming a realm in the Abyss and establishing herself as the demon lord of desert horrors. She rules her kingdom with an iron fist, commanding vast swarms of venomous scorpions, monstrous desert creatures, and fiendish minions.
Her purpose is simple: survival through domination. The desert is a place where only the strongest, most cunning creatures can survive. To Aldinach, weakness is a sin, and she instills this belief in her followers. They worship her not only as a goddess but as a cruel master who offers power in exchange for absolute loyalty and ruthless strength. In return, she grants them the means to survive the most brutal environments and rise above the suffering of the world.
Aldinach’s reign is not limited to the Sea of Whispering Sands. Through her cults and followers, she seeks to extend her dominion across the world, spreading the desert’s torment wherever she can. Her minions infiltrate cities, corrupt the weak, and wage terror on those who stand in her way. Her ultimate goal is to see the world drowned in the same lifeless, barren emptiness that defines her desert kingdom. She dreams of a world where only the strong survive, a world under her eternal, unyielding rule.
Fears and Desires
Though Aldinach is a being of immense power, she harbors one profound fear: the possibility of losing her realm. Her eternal rival, Areshkagal, seeks to reclaim the Sea of Whispering Sands, and Aldinach’s constant war with her half-sister is a battle she can never fully relax from. Every victory is a temporary reprieve; every setback is a reminder that her reign is fragile. The thought of Areshkagal reclaiming what she has stolen drives her to ever greater cruelty and violence, using her power to solidify her position.
Beyond her rivalry, Aldinach fears the weakness she has instilled in her followers. Though she demands unwavering devotion, she is deeply paranoid about betrayal. The desert teaches that only the strong survive, but even the strongest can be undone by treachery. In her insatiable thirst for power, Aldinach has made many enemies—both mortal and divine—and she fears the moment when one of them might rise up against her.
What She Wants to Achieve
Aldinach’s ultimate goal is the absolute subjugation of the world to her rule. She dreams of a universe where only the most ruthless and powerful rule, where deserts stretch across the earth, and where scorpions and sand reign supreme. To achieve this, she must expand her realm, crush her rivals, and eliminate any weaknesses in her hold over the Sea of Whispering Sands.
With each conquest, she grows bolder, and her influence spreads further. Aldinach sees herself as a necessary force in the universe—an agent of destruction that will burn away weakness and forge a new world where only strength remains. Her war against Areshkagal is a battle for dominion, not just of a desert, but of the very fabric of reality itself. For Aldinach, the endless desert is both a curse and a weapon, and she will stop at nothing to see it spread across the world.
Her relentless desire to conquer, her obsession with strength, and her refusal to show mercy to those who cross her make her a fearsome entity. And as she tightens her grip on her desert kingdom, there is no telling how far she will go in her quest to see the world become nothing more than an endless, shifting sea of sand, where only the strong can survive.
Aldinach 5e
Aldinach Pathfinder
Aldinach, Demon Lord of Sand, Scorpions, and Thirst
Large Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil
Challenge Rating (CR): 30
Armor Class: 24 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 500 (40d10 + 240)
Speed: 50 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 (+10) | 28 (+9) | 30 (+10) | 28 (+9) | 25 (+7) | 32 (+11) |
Saving Throws:
Dex +16, Con +17, Wis +14, Cha +18
Skills:
Deception +18, Intimidation +16, Perception +14, Insight +14, Persuasion +18, Stealth +16
Damage Resistances:
Cold, Fire, Lightning; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities:
Poison, Psychic
Condition Immunities:
Blinded, Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned, Stunned
Senses:
Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 24
Languages:
Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Telepathy 500 ft.
Challenge Rating: 30 (155,000 XP)
TRAITS
Legendary Resistance (3/Day):
If Aldinach fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Scorpion’s Wrath:
Any creature that strikes Aldinach with a melee attack takes 3d6 poison damage (already included in her damage resistances). If the creature is a spellcaster, the attack causes them to make a Constitution saving throw (DC 24) or suffer disadvantage on concentration checks for 1 minute.
Fiendish Sandlord:
Aldinach is attuned to the desert. She can command the sands of any desert, creating sudden sandstorms that reduce visibility to 10 feet and impose disadvantage on ranged attack rolls within 300 feet. Any creature caught in the sandstorm must make a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute.
Cunning of the Sands:
Aldinach can sense the position of any creature standing in a desert, as if she had blindsight. She can teleport up to 120 feet as a bonus action, instantly shifting through sand and earth.
Innate Spellcasting:
Aldinach’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 26, +18 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following spells prepared:
- At Will: Detect Magic, Telekinesis, Greater Teleport, Unholy Blight
- 3/Day: Shapechange, Polymorph Any Object, Blasphemy
- 1/Day: Wish, Meteor Swarm
Bonus Action Spells
- Desiccate: Aldinach targets one creature within 60 feet, draining its moisture and vitality. The target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 24), taking 6d6 necrotic damage and becoming parched for 1 hour on a failed save. On a successful save, the target takes half damage and isn’t parched.
Legendary Spellcasting
- Sandstorm of Despair (1/Day): Aldinach can create a vast, swirling sandstorm over a 1-mile radius around her, reducing visibility to 5 feet. The sandstorm lasts for 1 hour, dealing 10d10 slashing damage to all creatures within its radius every 10 minutes. Creatures within the storm must also make a DC 24 Constitution saving throw at the start of each turn or suffer disadvantage on all Wisdom and Intelligence-based checks due to the oppressive atmosphere.
- Scorpion’s Curse (Recharge 5-6): Aldinach can cast a powerful curse upon one creature she can see within 100 feet. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 24) or be cursed for 1 hour. The curse makes the creature’s body feel as though it is slowly turning to stone, rendering it vulnerable to all damage types, and the target suffers disadvantage on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks.
Innate Demon Powers
- Command Sands (At Will): Aldinach can control sand within 500 feet. She can manipulate it to form walls, barriers, or even create living sand constructs. She can also use this ability to summon sand golems or sink creatures into quicksand-like traps.
- Quicksand Trap (Recharge 5-6): Aldinach can cause the ground beneath any creature within 60 feet to turn to treacherous quicksand. The creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 26) or become trapped in the sand, suffering 6d6 bludgeoning damage and restrained until it escapes with a Strength saving throw (DC 26) or receives aid from another creature.
- Sandblade (At Will): Aldinach can conjure a blade made of condensed sand that cuts through the air like a razor-sharp sword. This blade deals 5d6 slashing damage and can be wielded by Aldinach or her minions in combat.
ACTIONS
Multiattack:
Aldinach makes three attacks: one with her Sting and two with her Claws.
Claw Attack:
Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 28 (4d8 + 10) slashing damage plus 18 (4d8) poison damage.
Sting:
Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
Hit: 35 (6d6 + 10) piercing damage plus 27 (6d6) poison damage. The target must succeed on a DC 24 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour. While poisoned in this way, the target takes 10 (3d6) poison damage at the start of each of its turns.
Summon Scorpions (Recharge 5-6):
Aldinach can summon 1d6 Giant Scorpions or 2d4 Fiendish Earth Elementals. The summoned creatures obey her commands to the best of their ability. These minions last for 1 hour or until destroyed.
Dehydrating Strike (Recharge 4-6):
Once per day, as a bonus action, Aldinach can strike a creature she damages, causing it to suffer extreme dehydration. The target must succeed on a DC 26 Constitution saving throw or take 12d6 necrotic damage and be stunned for 1 minute. On a successful save, the target takes half damage and is not stunned.
Raise Scorpion (1/Day):
Once per day, Aldinach can cause a dead body within 60 feet to be transformed into a Fiendish Giant Scorpion under her control for 1 hour. This transformation lasts for 1 minute per 10 hit points the body had at the time of death. The creature retains the physical features of its former self but becomes a monster under Aldinach’s command.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Aldinach can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Aldinach regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn.
- Claw Attack: Aldinach makes one Claw attack.
- Sandstrike (Costs 2 Actions): Aldinach causes a wave of sand to blast in a 30-foot line. Each creature in the line must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving throw or take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage and 21 (6d6) poison damage, or half as much on a successful save.
- Teleport (Costs 3 Actions): Aldinach teleports to any location she can see within 120 feet, leaving a brief trail of sand behind her.
REGIONAL EFFECTS
The region around Aldinach’s lair becomes twisted and cursed, warping the natural landscape and making it inhospitable for many creatures. These effects extend up to 10 miles from her lair.
- Endless Sandstorms: A permanent sandstorm hovers over the land, making it difficult to see more than 60 feet. The sandstorm imposes disadvantage on ranged attack rolls and Perception checks that rely on sight.
- Desiccation: Any water source within the region begins to dry up at an accelerated rate, making it impossible for normal crops to grow. Travelers suffer from intense thirst unless they find an oasis blessed by a rival deity.
- Sands of Madness: Any creature that spends more than 24 hours in the desert becomes haunted by strange visions and whispers from the Abyss. They must make a DC 22 Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects of a Confusion spell until they leave the area.
LORE AND MOTIVATION
Aldinach, the Demon Lord of Sand, Scorpions, and Thirst, seeks to dominate the world by suffocating it in a never-ending desert, stripping all life of its moisture. With a human face twisted in a cruel grin, she rules over the Sea of Whispering Sands, a desolate desert realm that only she can fully command. Aldinach’s thirst for power is as insatiable as her hunger for devastation. She believes that only in the chaos of endless, lifeless sand can she create a perfect realm — one where she reigns supreme, untouched and unchallenged.
Having been locked in an eternal conflict with her half-sister, Areshkagal, the Sphinx of the Cursed Isles, Aldinach has long desired to expand her territory beyond her abyssal realm. Her ultimate goal is to bring about a cataclysmic transformation of the material world, turning it into a lifeless desert, one where all who defy her are swallowed by sand and consumed by the thirst she commands. She delights in tormenting those who wander too far into her domain, knowing that their desperate struggle against the sun and sand will eventually break them.
Aldinach’s motives are complex — while she seeks absolute dominion, she is also driven by a deep resentment of the forces of life, especially those who resist the natural forces of destruction and entropy. Her actions reflect a need to unmake the world, to reduce it to dust, a perfect mirror of her twisted vision of order through destruction.
MAGICAL ITEMS
Golden Scorpion Mask:
Aldinach wears a golden mask shaped like a scorpion, which grants her a +2 bonus to AC and resistance to all damage types except force and radiant. The mask also allows her to use Disguise Self at will. It is rumored to hold part of her soul, making it indestructible unless she is slain.
Cloak of the Desert Winds:
Aldinach’s cloak shimmers with golden sand, constantly shifting and swirling. This cloak grants her advantage on Stealth checks in desert terrain and allows her to summon a sandstorm once per day, as per the Control Weather spell.
Note on Role in the Campaign:
Aldinach is a harbinger of the desert apocalypse. When she enters the material world, the sun will burn brighter, the winds will dry, and the earth will crack. Her influence may appear as a slow, creeping threat, from droughts in the landscape to mysterious, barren cities being discovered by adventurers. Heroes and adventurers who take on Aldinach will need to contend with the unrelenting sands, powerful fiendish minions, and the demon lord’s overwhelming wrath.
Aldinach
CE female demon lord of sand, scorpions, and thirst
| Cult |
| Unholy Symbol: gold scorpion with sand dripping from its claws Temple: Barren valleys, burrows, caves, pyramids Worshipers: Desert nomads, slavers, raiders Minions: Fiendish earth elementals, giant scorpions Obedience: Pray to Aldinach while lying prone on sand for an hour, during which time you must eat at least one live scorpion. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against poison from vermin and effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion. |
| Boons |
| Desert’s Wrath (Sp): endure elements 3/day, glitterdust 2/day, or searing light 1/day Raise Scorpion (Su): Once per day, you may cause a dead body within 60 feet to transform into a fiendish giant scorpion under your mental control. This transformation lasts for 1 round per level, after which the scorpion returns to its original corpse form. This is a polymorph effect. Dehydrating Strike (Su): Once per day as a swift action, at any point when you successfully inflict damage on a target, you can cause that target to become instantly and painfully dehydrated if it fails a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Constitution modifier). If the save is successful, the victim is staggered for 1 round. If the save fails, the victim takes 1d10 points of Strength drain, is stunned for 1 round, and is then staggered for 1d4 rounds after recovering from being stunned. |
Aldinach appears as a Colossal golden scorpion. Her claws have razor-sharp crystalline edges, and her face is hideously human. On her back swarm countless scorpions, which she can send out to do her bidding with a thought. Aldinach’s cults are strongest in deserts, where her cultists work to seduce and corrupt that realm’s godless citizens.
Aldinach is one of Lamashtu’s daughters, although since Lamashtu’s ascension to divinity, the two have not associated overmuch. The same cannot be said of her relationship with her sister Areshkagal, with whom Aldinach is locked in an eternal war. Ever since Aldinach stole the Abyssal realm known as the Sea of Whispering Sands from her sister, forcing Areshkagal into exile in the desolate Blood Clefts, Aldinach has been forced to defend her desert realm constantly from her sister’s increasingly desperate attempts to reclaim her lost territory. Although she has ruled the Whispering Sands for only a few dozen centuries, already she has inspired her minions to create hundreds of eerie desert cities in her honor, hidden amid the trackless sands.
Originally Posted by Kain Darkwind of the Dicefreaks d20 Community.
| Aldinach | |
| Medium outsider (Chaotic, Cosmic, Evil, Mazzaim) | |
| Hit Dice | 36d8 + 324 (612 hp) |
| Initiative | +9 |
| Speed | 30 ft. |
| Armor Class | 47 (+11 deflection, +9 Dexterity, +7 insight, +10 natural), touch 28, flat-footed 34 |
| BaseAttack/Grapple | +36/+47 |
| Attack | Claw +47 melee (2d8 + 11 and poison) |
| Full Attack | 2 claws +47 melee (2d8 + 11 and poison) |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft. /5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Poison, spell-like abilities, spells, summon demons, summon shapeshifters, transmutation |
| Special Qualities | Damage reduction 20/good and cold iron, Darkvision, immunity to fire and poison, resistance to acid 20, cold 20 and electricity 20, Spell Resistance 38, telepathy 500 ft. |
| Saves | Fort +33, Ref +33, Will +31 |
| Abilities | Strength 32, Dexterity 29, Constitution 28, Intelligence 27, Wisdom 25, Charisma 33 |
| Skills | Appraise +19, Bluff +39, Concentration +39, Craft (flesh) +39, Diplomacy +19, Disguise +20, Heal +39, Hide +19, Intimidate +39, Knowledge (arcana) +39, Knowledge (nature) +39, Knowledge (the planes) +20, Listen +39, Move Silently +39, Perform (drama) +19, Search +20, Sense Motive +39, Spellcraft +42, Spot +20, Use Magic Device +39 |
| Feats | Combat Reflexes, Corrupt Spell, Dark Speech, Extend Spell, Graft Flesh, Greater Spell Focus (transmutation), Persistent spell, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Spell Focus (transmutation), Toughening Transmutation, Violate Spell |
| Epic Feats | Epic Graft Flesh, Epic Spell Focus (transmutation), Improved Metamagic (x2), Improved Spell Capacity (x3) |
| Climate/Terrain | The Infinite Layers of The Abyss |
| Organization | Solitary (unique) |
| Challenge Rating | 28 |
| Treasure | Double Standard |
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil |
Poison (Ex): Injury, DC 37, 1d6 Constitution initial and secondary. (Max on a confirmed critical hit) Any creature suffering secondary damage from Aldinach’s poison must automatically save against one of her transmutation spell-like abilities. (Typically baleful polymorph)
Spell-like Abilities:
- Always active – unholy aura (DC 29),
- at will – alter self, baleful polymorph (DC 27), call lightning storm (DC 27), detect good, greater teleport, telekinesis (DC 26), unhallow, unholy blight (DC 25);
- 3/day – blasphemy (DC 28), control weather, polymorph any object (DC 29), shapechange
Caster level 29th
Spells: Aldinach casts spells as a 27th level transmuter with the focused specialist class feature. Her prohibited schools are conjuration, enchantment and illusion. Aldinach can prepare any transmutation spell, including those from other classes.
Spells per day: 6/8/8/8/8/7/7/7/7/6/3/3/3 Caster level 27th, DC 18 + spell level. (Caster level 29th, DC 21 + spell level for transmutation)
Summon Demons (Sp): 2/day, Aldinach can summon 1d6 jariliths, 2d6 alkiliths or 3d6 palrethees.
Summon Minions (Sp): 6/day, Aldinach can summon 2d10 giant scorpions or 1d10 Fiendish large earth elementals.
1/month she can summon a fiendish primal earth elemental.
Transmutation: When one of her transmutation spells is dispelled, it remains in effect for one round before ending. Aldinach can reroll any failed save against a transmutation effect, taking the result of the second roll. A creature that successfully saves against Aldinach’s transmutation spells takes damage equal to the spell level. Aldinach can cast transmutation spells with a range of personal at a range of touch. Such spells have their durations halved. While under the effects of Aldinach’s transmutation spells, creatures treat any verbal or telepathic commands given by her as a suggestion. (Will DC 39 negates)
Cosmic Entity: Aldinach has a +3 bonus on rank checks dealing with transmutation.
Possessions: Aldinach wears an alabaster mask that grants her (or any demon that wears it) a deflection bonus to AC equal to her charisma modifier. This mask has runes traced in its surface. 3/day, Aldinach can bring forth a symbol spell of any type, affecting all creatures with line of sight to the mask. (Caster level 25th, DC 30) The symbol lasts for one minute and fades away. At will, Aldinach can use the mask to cast disguise self with an indefinite duration. Aldinach also wears a necklace of 30 pearls. Each pearl functions as a pearl of power. There are 3 pearls of each type in the necklace, including a dual spell pearl.
Currently in the World
Aldinach, the Demon Lord of Sand, Scorpions, and Thirst, surveys her vast, desolate kingdom—the Sea of Whispering Sands. The endless dunes stretch far beyond the horizon, an inhospitable wilderness, a barren land devoid of mercy. The air is thick with heat, shimmering waves rising from the sand like ghosts from a forgotten past. Here, Aldinach reigns, a cruel and unyielding force of nature, commanding not just the land but the very essence of life and death that it controls.
In her monstrous, golden scorpion form, she towers over her realm. Her claws, the size of towering trees, gleam with crystalline venom, and her human face, pallid and twisted, glares down upon her enemies with eyes that seem to burn through the very fabric of reality. She watches, patient and calculating, her countless scorpions swarming in the distance, spreading her influence across the dunes. With a mere thought, they heed her command, scuttling into the underbelly of civilizations, corrupting and destroying.
Aldinach is a being of unrelenting desire and hunger. Her power is fueled by the thirst of the desert and the endless craving for dominance. Her cults, scattered in the deep sands of the Sahara Desert, follow her every word and bow to her every whim. Nomads, slavers, raiders—those who understand the price of survival in a hostile world—worship her, seeking her favor and blessing in return for their devotion. In exchange, Aldinach offers them power beyond their imagining. Her dark gifts—poisonous claws that tear through the toughest flesh, the ability to summon fiendish earth elementals, and even the power to raise the dead—are granted to those who prove themselves worthy. But with those gifts come the price of total submission, for to cross Aldinach is to invite certain death.
It is not only the mortal creatures of the desert that she seeks to control. Her half-sister, Areshkagal, a sphinx-like being of untold power, has long coveted Aldinach’s realm. For millennia, their war has raged in the shadows of their rivalry. Aldinach remembers the bitter moment she claimed the Sea of Whispering Sands, once the home of Areshkagal, a vast and powerful Abyssal domain that now lies beneath Aldinach’s cruel gaze. To her, the land was always destined to be hers—a perfect symbol of her dominance over the weak, the unworthy. She stole it from her sister, and since then, the two have been locked in a cycle of endless conflict. Areshkagal, desperate to reclaim what was lost, sends wave after wave of armies from the Blood Clefts, seeking to break Aldinach’s hold. But Aldinach does not fear this war—it is a dance she is perfectly willing to perform, her venomous heart aching for the thrill of battle and the sweet taste of victory.
In the 1450s, Aldinach’s gaze shifts to the mortal world, where whispers of her power begin to reach the ears of kings and conquerors. She senses the growing unrest among the human realms, the endless struggles for dominance, and the perfect opportunity to extend her reach beyond the Sahara. The old kingdoms of the Middle East, the remnants of the Roman Empire, and the rising empires of Africa stir in her mind. In the shadows, she whispers to those who are desperate—those who would sell their souls for power. Through her cultists, she manipulates events, sending plagues, droughts, and natural disasters that affect the weakest and most vulnerable societies. She watches from afar, content in knowing that each death, each struggle, brings her closer to her ultimate goal.
She manipulates through whispers in the ear of a powerful sultan, an ambitious conqueror seeking to dominate the deserts of the Middle East. A simple gesture, a poison-laden blessing, and his army is led into battle by the will of Aldinach’s scorpions, who become his generals and spies. He is but a pawn, yet a valuable one in Aldinach’s long game. With each victory, she tightens her grip on the region, knowing that the sand beneath his feet is her domain. The nomads who follow his every word are unwitting servants, their loyalty forged in fear and devotion.
But it is not only mortals that she seeks to dominate. As the centuries pass, her ambitions begin to shift. Aldinach has long yearned for more than just dominion over the desert—she dreams of a world blanketed in sand, a world where the weak are wiped away and only the strong, the most ruthless, survive. Her ultimate goal is to spread her influence far beyond the Sahara, to the very heart of the world, turning it into a wasteland under her rule. She watches as the kingdoms of Europe and Africa rise and fall, as humanity struggles with its own internal conflicts. She whispers into the wind, calling to those who would listen—those who would come to her, seeking power and survival. With each new worshiper, with each new soul she corrupts, her power grows.
In the deserts, she is a goddess. In the shadows, she is a puppet master. She draws power from the void of the desert and from the suffering of all who enter her domain. The world is a canvas for her twisted vision, and the sands are her brush.
Her motivations are simple yet profound: survival through domination. Every action she takes is calculated, driven by the burning need to carve out an empire, to see the world consumed by the same barren void that defines her realm. Every desert city she claims, every soul she corrupts, every life she ends brings her one step closer to her ultimate goal—an endless desert stretching across the earth, where only the strongest, most ruthless creatures remain.
But despite her vast power and near-immortal nature, Aldinach is not without her doubts. She fears the loss of her realm to Areshkagal, and she constantly watches the horizon, fearing that her sister’s forces may one day overwhelm her. It is this fear that fuels her warlike nature—her need to conquer, to destroy, to ensure that no one can ever challenge her claim over the Sea of Whispering Sands.
As the 1450s unfold, Aldinach’s ambitions reach new heights. She stirs the winds of change, ready to strike when the world is weak, to claim it as her own and turn it into the infinite desert she envisions. Every sandstorm, every earthquake, every drought is a sign of her power, a reminder that the world will soon belong to her. The whispers of scorpions echo across the dunes, heralding a future where only she stands at the top of the world, her golden claws raised high in victory.
The Plan: Sands of Domination
- Establishing Dominance in the Mortal World
Aldinach recognizes that the mortal world, with its fragile kingdoms and desperate rulers, is the easiest entry point for her conquest. Her immediate goal is to transform vast swaths of fertile lands into deserts, extending her influence beyond the Sahara and other arid regions. She achieves this through a combination of:- Plagues of Sandstorms: Aldinach unleashes massive, supernatural sandstorms capable of burying cities, destroying agriculture, and rendering entire regions uninhabitable. These storms are carried by winds infused with her venom, corrupting the land and ensuring that nothing grows for centuries.
- Corrupting the Water Supply: Using her venomous magic, Aldinach poisons wells, rivers, and lakes, leaving nations to suffer thirst and famine. As desperation rises, those who seek her aid receive only conditional relief, binding them to her service.
- Cult Proliferation: Through her mortal cultists—nomads, raiders, and slavers—she spreads her worship under the guise of offering salvation in the face of environmental collapse. These cultists infiltrate societies, toppling governments from within and replacing them with regimes loyal to Aldinach.
- Harnessing Mortal and Immortal Servants
Aldinach expands her armies by recruiting mortals and demons alike:- Fiendish Armies: She summons swarms of fiendish scorpions, earth elementals, and other desert-dwelling horrors to serve as her shock troops.
- Transforming the Dead: Aldinach’s ability to raise corpses as fiendish giant scorpions allows her to turn battlefields into armies. Entire armies who fall to her venom are resurrected as monstrous abominations, loyal to her will.
- Bargains with Mortals: She offers desperate mortals power and salvation in exchange for eternal servitude. Kings and conquerors become her pawns, spreading her influence while thinking they act of their own accord.
- Breaking the Balance of Powers
Aldinach knows that direct confrontation with divine and infernal forces is too dangerous while she remains confined to her desert realm. To weaken her enemies, she employs subterfuge:- Pitting Foes Against Each Other: Through lies and illusions, Aldinach instigates conflicts between rival deities, demon lords, and mortal rulers, forcing them to exhaust their resources in mutual destruction.
- Undermining Rival Realms: Using her transmutation magic, she corrupts lands controlled by her enemies, creating hostile deserts where none existed before. This tactic slowly extends her realm into foreign territories.
- Seeding Chaos in the Abyss: In the Abyss, Aldinach manipulates alliances to isolate her most dangerous rivals, including her half-sister Areshkagal. By exploiting their ambitions, she diverts attention from her own growing power.
- The Ultimate Transformation: The Multiverse of Sand
Aldinach’s long-term goal is to alter the very nature of reality, transforming the multiverse into a reflection of her own essence:- Cosmic Desertification: Through powerful transmutation magic, Aldinach plans to destabilize the elemental planes, particularly the Plane of Water. Her ultimate spell, which she refers to as the Shifting Void, would drain water from entire worlds, reducing them to barren wastelands. By merging these desiccated realms into her domain, she expands the Sea of Whispering Sands until it consumes all existence.
- Binding Reality to Her Will: Aldinach seeks to rewrite the laws of nature, making survival contingent on submission to her rule. Through her magic, the multiverse would become an unyielding desert, where life can only persist through her direct intervention.
- Subjugation of Cosmic Forces: To solidify her dominance, Aldinach aims to defeat or enslave rival entities. She plans to wield her stolen divine artifacts and armies of corrupted mortals to challenge even the gods themselves.
Aldinach’s Desires and Motivations
- Fear of Annihilation: Deep within her venomous heart lies the fear of losing her realm to her sister Areshkagal. This fear drives her to expand and conquer, believing that only absolute dominion will secure her survival.
- Unyielding Ambition: Aldinach’s hunger for power is insatiable. She sees herself as destined to rule, not just the deserts, but all existence.
- Twisted Vision: Her ultimate goal is to reshape the multiverse into an eternal desert, reflecting her belief that only the strong should survive and that life should endure under conditions as harsh and unrelenting as her own existence.
Challenges and Weaknesses
Despite her immense power, Aldinach’s path to domination is fraught with obstacles:
- Rivalry with Areshkagal: Her sister remains her greatest threat, constantly challenging her hold on the Sea of Whispering Sands.
- Divine Opposition: Deities aligned with water, life, and fertility oppose her plans, sending champions to thwart her schemes.
- Mortals’ Resistance: Not all mortals bow to her tyranny. Heroes rise from the ashes of her destruction, seeking to end her reign.
- Overreach: Aldinach’s ambition blinds her to potential vulnerabilities. Her focus on expansion often leaves her existing territories exposed to rebellion.
The Endgame
If Aldinach’s plan succeeds, the multiverse will become a boundless, sun-scorched wasteland. Water will be a myth, life will persist only through her will, and all who survive will kneel before her. Her scorpions will roam freely across the cosmos, her venom flowing through the veins of reality itself. For Aldinach, it is not just about power—it is about ensuring that she, and only she, will endure when the last grains of sand fall through the hourglass of time.