Devil Aguares ‘Duke of Earth’

Power is always found in the hands of those who control the land. Money may confer some authority, as does muscle; but in the end it is the soil of a place which grants the influence. Land is power, and no Duke in Hell has more lands to his name than the Patrician, Aguares ‘Duke of Earth’.

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Grimoire of Cosmic Entities Volume One By Eli Atkinson, William Church and Serge W. Desir, Jr.

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Aguares was one of the very first Baatezu, and the acquisition of land has been his focus from the very beginning. However, the Patrician is also a miser of the worst sort, and so his methods of obtaining his lands have always been…questionable. An extremely able administrator, Aguares has been known to orchestrate some calamity to aid him in bargaining for a spot of land, before moving in and taking control as only he can. Some of the greatest conquerors of the Mortal Coil have taken a leaf out of the Patrician’s book when they have exiled entire nations, relocating tribe after tribe as a method of control. If such control cannot be achieved, genocide is always a viable option.

Sometimes also referred to as ·the Duke of Instability·, some have mistaken Aguares’ desires as chaotic at times. This could not be further from the truth. While the Duke has no qualms at allowing chaos a free hand before he arrives on the scene, it nonetheless has no place in the big scheme of things. Aguares uses his powers to turn the land that he controls to his purposes: forests are reordered into orderly columns of trees, with not a branch or root out of place; rivers are set straight in their courses; animals are set to work or displaced. That such order over the land is at odds with the soul of the land itself is evident in the fact that any land controlled by the Patrician is prone to frequent earthquakes, violent protests of nature herself.

Aguares has been wooed from an early age by Dispater, the Lord of the Second seeing great profit to be had by the Patrician’s services, due to the unethical practices he uses to gain his lands. Alongside Caim, who uses logic to ensnare and then enslave mortals, and Titivulus, the master of rumor and useless information, used to sedate or mollify those who toil as a result of Hell’s power, Aguares could do great things. Nothing would please Dispater more than a myriad of serf-states under his control. Aguares, though, has never appeared to be tempted by such offers, and indeed his work ethic would be out of place in Dis; moreover, he considers the Dukes of the Second to be imprudent wastrels. It seems that the Patrician, once having obtained his lands, no longer sees the need to deceive and manipulate the populace thereon; instead, he uses the land itself as a method of control, using slavery, instilling fear (his ·peasant-hunting· expeditions are legendary), and perpetuating dependency. Along these lines, Aguares has a sometime alliance with Melchom, who has been involved on the side of the ·client· during many of Aguares’ business transactions (though never to the client’s benefit). Aguares has a general hatred of Amdusias, whom he considers to be unfit to be Major Domo of Malbolge due to his slave heritage. Amdusias, of course, resents the fact that Aguares considers his father to have been nothing but a slave. The two of them never work together, unless forced by Lilith herself. Amdusias also despises Aguares for his treatment of children within serf-states.

AGUARES, Duke of Earth
Duke of Hell
Large outsider (Devil, Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful)
Symbol	A bloodied, barbed yoke set over a sickly-green, inverted triangle
Rogue 20
Hit Dice	28d8 + 20d6 + 380 (724 hp)
Initiative	+9
Speed	50 ft., Fly 70 ft. (average)
Armor Class	44 (-1 size, +9 Dexterity, +23 natural, +3 profane), touch 21, flat-footed 44
Base Attack/Grapple	+38/+57
Attack	Earthreaver +58 melee (3d8+21/x3 plus 2d8 sonic plus deafness (Fort save DC 14 negates))
Full Attack	Earthreaver +58/+53/+48/+43 melee (3d8+21/x3 plus 2d8 sonic plus deafness (Fort save DC 14 negates)) and claw +47 melee (2d8+7) and 2 wings +47 melee (2d6+7) and bite +47 melee (4d6+7 plus poison plus disease) and tail slap +47 melee (2d8+7); or 2 claws +52 melee (2d8+7) and 2 wings +47 melee (2d6+7) and bite +47 melee (4d6+7 plus poison plus disease) and tail slap +47 melee (2d8+7)
Space/Reach	10 ft./ 10 ft.
Special Attacks	Call devils, constrict 2d8+30, improved grab, Infernal Presence, sneak attack +10d6, spell-like abilities, Yoke of Nature
Special Qualities	Bones of the Earth, damage reduction 20/good and silver, Darkvision 60 ft., Duke of Hell qualities, evasion, Gain of the Gentry, immunity to fire and poison, improved evasion, improved uncanny dodge, Natural Hunter, opportunist, regeneration 10, resistance to acid 20 and cold 20, slippery mind, Spell Resistance 47, telepathy 500 ft., trapfinding, trap sense +6, uncanny dodge
Saves	Fort +36, Ref +35, Will +33
Abilities	Strength 40, Dexterity 28, Constitution 30, Intelligence 26, Wisdom 25, Charisma 33
Skills	Appraise +38, Balance +44, Bluff +64, Climb +26, Concentration +42, Diplomacy +72 (+78 with evil creatures), Forgery +43, Hide +55, Intimidate +83 (+89 with evil creatures), Jump +38, Knowledge (Arcana)+24, Knowledge (Nature)+45, Knowledge (Religion) +43, Listen +58, Move Silently+60, Profession (lawyer) +27, Ride +19, Search +59, Sense Motive+29, Sleight of Hand+50, Spot +58, Survival +68 (+62 in aboveground natural environments, +64 following tracks), Tumble +42
Feats	Alluring, Awesome Blow, Corrupt Spell-like Ability B , Dark Speech, Improved Bull Rush, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Negotiator, Persuasive, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Power Attack, Track, Vile Natural Attack,
Epic Feats	Blinding Speed, Epic Dodge, Epic Evil Brand B , Epic Skill Focus (Intimidate), Epic Skill Focus (Survival), Legendary Tracker, Self-Concealment, Sneak Attack Of Opportunity
Environment	Malbolge, the Fifth Hell of Perdition
Organization	Astride Nightmare, Cauchemar, or with 4 Fiendish elder earth elementals (1-10 Fiendish Crocodiles) (1-10 Fiendish Hawks)
Challenge Rating	35
Treasure	Earthreaver plus triple standard
Alignment	Lawful Evil

His relationship with Lilith herself is only slightly better that with that of her bastard son. She delights in the increases to Aguares property, because it is, in effect, an increase in her property. However, Aguares does his best to hide new acquisitions from her, unwilling to share, and this in turn has made her distrustful of him and his intents. However, Lilith continues to allow the Patrician a large amount of freedom in his activities, because even with his sometime dishonesty he is still a very profitable servant, and he thinks so closely to her own ideals.

Aguares chafes over the restrictions placed on him entering the Mortal Coil, although they are no different to any other Duke of Hell. He is extremely active in tempting mortals to summon him to that plane, and he is sought out by rulers, or would-be-rulers, in feudal states in many worlds hoping to accumulate greater lands of their own. It is his desire to reorder entire worlds of the Mortal Coil, before transferring those lands directly to Malbolge and Hell.

Although over 9 feet tall, Aguares appears as an old man, bent and stooped. His torso is covered in liver spots and other signs of age, and his face is wrinkled and time worn. He bears a pair of wicked, curved horns on the top of his balding, gray head, and retains the fearsome fangs of the typical pit fiend. Aguares’ wings bear no sign of old age, appearing full of vigor. His legs are like those of the hind legs of a goat, with cloven hoofs, and his tail is sinewy and strong. Aguares typically wears silk robes, looking much like a toga, and rarely travels by means of his own locomotion except at great need; instead, he is carried about in a palanquin borne by four fiendish elder earth elementals.

Combat

Aguares does not hesitate to enter combat should the opportunity present itself. If in the middle of a hunt, he may be astride one of his many Cauchemar, Nightmare steeds; if overseeing his possessions, in his palanquin. In either case, he generally begins combat by casting blasphemy to kill off weak enemies, and gain some idea as to the power of those he faces. If his opponents look weak, he will typically utilize his ‘at will’ spell-like abilities to finish them off.

For more difficult opponents, Aguares will quickly call on his Yoke of Nature ability to give him an edge, and will either dismount from his steed or leave his palanquin in order to face his foes whilst touching the earth. Flying foes are targeted by greater dispel magic if the nature of their flying ability is supernatural. He will generally pepper the area with earthquakes, and use call lightning storm as appropriate. Those that manage to close with him he attempts to flank and sneak attack, using his Cauchemar or palanquin bearers to help him in the maneuver.

Bones of the Earth (Su): Aguares draws on the strength of the land to empower himself. So long as he touches land of some sort, he gains a +3 bonus on saves and damage reduction 10/-. If on land that he controls, this bonus increases to +6, and his damage reduction increases to 15/-. These numbers have not been factored into his stats above.

Call Devils (Sp): Once per day, Aguares can automatically call 12 lemures, 8 barbazu or erinyes, 6 hamatulas or osyluths, 4 cornugons or Gelugons, or 2 pit fiends. Since these devils are called rather than summoned, they have the ability to summon their own reinforcements if so ordered. Conversely, 3/day Aguares may summon 12 lemures, 8 barbazu or erinyes, 6 hamatulas or osyluths, 4 cornugons or Gelugons, or 2 pit fiends. Aguares may either call or summon in a day; he may not do both.

Disease (Su): A creature struck by Aguares bite must succeed on a DC 34 Constitution save or be infected with a vile disease known as devil chills (incubation period 1d4 days, damage 1d4 Strength). The save DC is Constitution– based.

Gain of the Gentry (Su): Those who hold land, or those who wish to hold land, often seek out Aguares in their efforts to increase their holdings. Aguares offers such individuals the Gain of the Gentry, benefiting a client by doing any of the following:

• Murder the client’s extended family or friends so that she inherits their lands (there is no guarantee that the lands will pass to the client; changes to wills and so forth must be handled separately)
• Change another individual’s will so that the client is set up to inherit everything
• Destroy the last will and testament of an individual of the client’s choice
• Target another individual’s lands with a natural disaster (usually multiple earthquakes throughout the fief).

This is also used to scare natural inhabitants from otherwise unoccupied land, so as to be able to take control of the resources found thereon

In return, Aguares asks for legal possession of the land upon the client’s death, assuming that there are no heirs. If the client leaves an heir (or heirs), Aguares asks for one sixth of the land at each generational change (thus controlling all the land after the death of the heir six generations removed). The Patrician is a patient devil, and does not seek to kill the client or his heirs, but he will bring calamity after calamity upon the client and his heirs in the form of natural disasters, trying to scare them from the land so that he can take possession. A client who swears his soul and the entirety of his land to Aguares upon his death is able to avoid any plagues throughout his life, and Aguares will generally deal directly with his heirs (if any) to allow them the chance to swear their own souls and retain the land for another generation, continuing ad infinitum. Such a client appears to all to be the measure of success, noble in bearing in many cases, and enviable for his position; this makes the temptation of his peers so much the easier when the Patrician comes calling.

Any Gain apart from that obtained by murder immediately shifts the client three places towards Lawful Evil. Any gain obtained by murder shifts the client’s alignment directly to Lawful Evil.

Land obtained by Gain of the Gentry is treated as Aguares own land for the purposes of Bones of the Earth.

Infernal Presence (Su): Aguares infernal presence has a Will save DC of 35. His caster level is 37th .

Natural Hunter (Ex): Aguares has the tremorsense special quality, as described in the Monster Manual, to a range of 60 feet.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 34, initial damage 1d6 Constitution, secondary damage death. The save DC is Constitution– based.

Spell-like Abilities:

• At will: animate dead, blasphemy, call lightning storm, charm monster, create undead, deeper darkness, desecrate, detect good, detect magic, fireball, flame strike, greater dispel magic, greater invisibility, greater teleport , magic circle against good, mass hold monster, mirage arcana, persistent image, polymorph, power word stun, produce flame, pyrotechnics, suggestion, unhallow, unholy aura, wall of fire.
• 3/day: Earthquake, control weather, destruction.
• 1/day: meteor swarm, symbol of pain.
• 1/week: wish.

Caster level 37th ; save DC 21 + spell level.

Yoke of Nature (Su): animals and plants within 60 feet of Aguares can be commanded as a standard action each round. Plant life (but not plant creatures) entangles as per the spell, with a reflex save DC 35 to avoid. Familiars and animal companions are not affected. animals and plants continue to carry out Aguares will for 6 minutes, unless they succeed on a Will save DC 35. Plant creatures are not immune to this ability, even though it is similar to a mind-influencing effect.

Should Aguares wish it, he can make it so that his commands are permanently obeyed. This prevents further use of his Yoke of Nature ability for one hour. animals and plants affected by the ability gain a new save every 24 hours to break free of the effect for six days, after which, if no saves were successful, the plant or animal in question is forever under Aguares yoke. Areas under the Yoke of Aguares are more prone to earthquakes than usual, as the land itself attempts to rebel against his influence. There is a 6% chance each week that an Earthquake will strike any 600-acre swathe of Aguares’ land.

Land under the control of Aguares radiates a weak aura of evil and law. Non-evil (or non-subject) creatures do not heal naturally while within the borders of land Yoked by Aguares. This likewise applies to healing by means of fast healing or regeneration, but not to magical healing (e.g. cure spells).

As a result of his control of nature, Aguares also adds Earthquake, call lightning storm and control weather to his list of spell-like abilities.

Possessions:

Earthreaver is a large +6 thundering Battleaxe that deals damage as if it were two sizes larger. The wielder of Earthreaver is immune to the affects of Earthquakes, whether natural or magical in nature. This immunity is in the form of a 5-ft radius emanation that hedges the affects of Earthquakes out. The wielder can also cast Earthquake 3/day as a 20th level caster.

Summoning Aguares

Aguares can be summoned by sacrificing to him lands to the value of 6,666gp, or 666 acres, at the client’s discretion. This land must be able to be legally signed over to the Duke at the time of summoning. Aguares always appears, when summoned, astride a Cauchemar, Nightmare mount. The ground shakes and trembles as the sound of the nightmare’s hoofs approach; a lightning bolt erupts from the sky (or ceiling of the room) to rend the air, and a portal opens in its place. Aguares gallops through the portal, pulling the beast up heavily just short of the edge of the summoning area. Should no protections be in place, he will not hesitate to ride down a servant or lesser caster to assert his dominance during the proceedings.

When any bargains have been arranged, or the summoning’s duration draws to a close, Aguares rears his mount up so that its hoofs strike heavily on the ground. He does this six times, and a crack opens in the ground as he does so, yawning wider with each strike. On the sixth strike, flames gush from the opening to envelop both Duke and mount; when they subside, he is gone. Those who summon Aguares without the recommended protections are subjected to an Earthquake effect (all applicable DCs at 16, caster level 18th ) for the 6 rounds, followed by a single round of extreme heat (3d10 fire damage, Reflex save DC 16 half, caster level 18th ).