Caacrinolaas (Caarcrinolaas), Duke of Intrigue

Caacrinolaas is a mighty duke of Hell who commands thirty-six legions of devils. He is the author and captain of manslaughter and bloodshed, tells all things past and to come, gains the minds and love of friends and foes causing love among them if desired, incites homicides and can make a man invisible.

He is depicted as a dog with the wings of a Griffin.

The Gates of Hell (Dice Freaks)

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

Original Concept by Serge W. Desir, Jr.

Full netbook can be found on the following website

Dicefreaks d20 Community

To many, acts of sedition and treachery appear to be antithetical to the nature of Law. After all, mutinies and revolutions result in a great deal of anarchy and chaos as people are driven by heightened emotions in a desire to tear down the establishment. On the surface, sedition is the hallmark of the Child of Chaos, treachery the tool of the demon lord. However, while these attitudes do have a degree of truth, they are not entirely true, for even the forces of Law have reason to tear down existing rules and traditions once it is determined that they have lost their usefulness or stand in the way of the rule of another.

For the Courtiers of Perdition, any rule that does not promote the tyranny of Hell is worthy of nothing short of extinction. Caarcrinolaas is the foremost agent of Hell in its desire to overthrow all rules across the Cosmos that do not exist under the will of Hell.

CAARCRINOLAAS, Duke of Intrigue
Duke of Hell
Medium outsider (Devil, Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful)
Symbol	A forward-facing, black, stylized dog’s head with blood dripping from the smiling maw on a blue, inverted triangle.
Assassin 15/Rogue 10
Hit Dice	20d8 + 15d6 + 10d6 + 270 (580 hp)
Initiative	+18
Speed	50 ft., Fly 90 ft. (good)
Armor Class	56 (+8 armor, +5 deflection, +10 Dexterity, +20 natural, +3 profane), touch 28, flat-footed 56
Base Attack/Grapple	+33/+40
Attack	Claw of Despair +44 melee (1d10+7 + 2d6 (unholy) + 1 Constitution damage + despair (Fortitude save DC 28)/17-20/x3
Full Attack	2 Claws of Despair +44 melee (1d10+7 + 2d6 (unholy) + 1 Constitution damage + despair (Fortitude save DC 28)/17-20/x3) and bite +38 melee (3d6+3 + 2d6 (unholy) + 1 Constitution damage) and 2 wings +38 melee (1d8+3) and tail slap +38 melee (1d10+3)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Call devils, Claws of Despair, crippling strike, death attack (Fortitude DC 38), Infernal Presence, Paranoid Conspiracy, sneak attack +13d6, spell-like abilities, spells
Special Qualities	Damage reduction 20/good and silver, Darkvision 60 ft., Duke of Hell qualities, evasion, Fair Weather Friend, hide in plain sight, immunity to fire and poison, improved uncanny dodge, poison use, regeneration 6, resistance to acid 20 and cold 20, see in darkness, Spell Resistance 42, telepathy 500 ft., Thinning the Blood, trapfinding, trap sense +3, uncanny dodge
Saves	Fort +30, Ref +34, Will +35
Abilities	Strength 25, Dexterity 31 Constitution 23, Intelligence 32, Wisdom 28, Charisma 32
Skills	Balance +23, Bluff +71, Climb +38 (+40 with rope), Concentration +29, Diplomacy +48 (+54 with evil beings), Disable Device +25, Disguise (acting) +61 (+67 when acting in character), Escape Artist +40 (+42 when escaping ropes), Forgery +43, Gather Information +41, Hide +60, Intimidate +67 (+73 against evil beings), Jump +30, Knowledge (arcana) +32, Knowledge (local) +26, Knowledge (the planes) +32, Knowledge (religion) +32, Listen +57, Move Silently +60, Open Lock +38, Perform (oratory) +26, Search +32, Sense Motive +22, Sleight of Hand +44, Spellcraft +34, Spot +30, Survival +9 (+11 while on another plane, +11 while tracking), Tumble +33, Use Magic Device +26, Use Rope +15 (+19 with bindings).
Feats	Corrupt Spell-like Ability B , Deceitful, Fly-by Attack, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Death Attack, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Persuasive, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (deeper darkness), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (claw)
Epic Feats	Blinding Speed, Epic Evil Brand B , Epic Skill Focus (Bluff), Lingering Damage, Superior Initiative
Environment	Stygia, Fifth of the Nine Hells of Perdition
Organization	Solitary, or troupe (1 – 6 barregons)
Challenge Rating	30
Treasure	Triple standard plus +5 ring of protection, amulet of the planes, and +8 bracers of armor
Alignment	Lawful Evil

Caacrinolaas (Caarcrinolaas) is the Duke of Conspiracy. On the one hand, he appears to be the pinnacle of trustworthiness and friendship, ever offering aid and advice to those in need of it, apparently with no ulterior intent beyond the happiness of his friends. He is always available, willing to hear all secrets and dreams. His honesty is never second- guessed, his dedication never questioned. Like the loyal hound, he is the best friend to all those either in power or seeking to acquire power.

However, all of this is but an act and one of the greatest, for Caarcrinolaas is nothing more than a blood-thirsty, mangy jackal who wishes to see all organizations associated with goodness laid waste, allowing decadent tyrannies to take up control. He wishes to see powerful; structured merchant guilds destroy small shops and businessmen. He wants to see young people, seduced by the promise of a new, grand order, condemn their parents, friends, or any other opposed to the will of the new order, to imprisonment or execution. So great is his need to see pain and misery in the transference of power that Caarcrinolaas has been given the sobriquet, ·Duke of Blood,· for once Caarcrinolaas’ revolutions reach their peak, plenty of blood will flow.

The Duke of Conspiracy is a powerful agent of Hell in the Material Plane. He has cells of followers scattered across lands and kingdoms like termites, encouraging them to slowly tear down established rule even as other cells seek to cultivate new, potential rulers. Caarcrinolaas himself often serves in the guise of a lowly, but honorable left-tenant to a powerful member in the established order, from whom the Duke of Blood draws plenty of information that will be later used for black-mail or extortion. No act is too gross for Caarcrinolaas, no threat too obscene. In the end, those who were foolish enough to trust Caarcrinolaas die either at a chopping block of the new rulers or by Caarcrinolaas- own hands, a just reward – so far as the Duke of Conspiracy is concerned – for those too weak and too stupid to see that their time was long since over.

Due to his almost constant presence in the Mortal Coil, Caarcrinolaas regularly interacts with the Duke of Logic, Caim. Indeed, these two devils often coordinate their efforts to bring down entire lands. While Caim sows discord among the young intellectuals who will serve as the drafters of various tracts and letters calling for revolution, Caarcrinolaas will implore his mark to ignore the threat even as his cells organize the ignorant populace for insurrection. Caim and Caarcrinolaas are among the two closest Dukes of Hell, largely because the Duke of Logic does not trust the Duke of Intrigue and wishes to keep him close. Caarcrinolaas knows full well that Caim does not trust him, but believes that one day his ally will make the mistake of giving up too much information at which time Caarcrinolaas will betray him to Dispater and take his power. So far, however, the two Dukes get along famously. Caarcrinolaas finds plenty of common ground with Carniveau, as the latter’s desire to constrain social behavior is valuable for either an established order ripe for overthrowing or for the new order waiting in the wings who wish to set themselves apart from an the current government through strict, moral, self-righteousness. However, Caarcrinolaas does not get along well with Rosier at all since the Duchess of Witches seeks to establish the rule of women and cannot abide any assault on established matriarchies. Caarcrinolaas also finds Amdusius a foe since the Chancellor of Malbolge hopes for his version of Nature to sweep over the world permanently.

In Stygia, Caarcrinolaas is highly respected and greatly hated. Although he spends most of his time in the Material Plane, Caarcrinolaas is believed to be Leviathan‘s favored Duke. Caarcrinolaas· successes provide more souls for Stygia, further bolstering the Imprisoned One’s power, which may eventually free him from his icy cage. However, Leviathan has yet to know two important facts regarding Caarcrinolaas. First, the Duke of Conspiracy has a secret vault in his keep wherein millions of souls are stored for his own future bid to take control of Stygia. Second, Caarcrinolaas is in talks with the Poison of Perdition, Sammael. Like the arch-devil of Venom, Caarcrinolaas knows full well the power of words and of how these can be used to facilitate change. These two evil creatures suspect that a permanent alliance would promote each far more than working separately. To date, Caarcrinolaas has not abandoned his role in Hell, but Sammael’s overtures are becoming increasingly difficult to resist.

Caarcrinolaas has many different disguises thanks to his polymorph powers, and often has at least three different personas on every planet. Sometimes, he is the charming, but witless squire while at other times, he is the startlingly wise maid-in-waiting. However, those who eventually see Caarcrinolaas discover that he is nothing more than a despicable beast. Caarcrinolaas takes the form of a lithe humanoid male with long dog-like legs in tight-fitting leather pants and doublet dyed in sea green. His body is covered in short, black hair like that of a dog and his long, slender hands end in razor-like talons. Great wings like those of a vulture emerge like a black cloud from his back, and a long, lashing tail often whips anxiously from behind. Caarcrinolaas’ head is like that of a Doberman with twin horns jutting from his forehead, although his mouth seems to be twisted in a permanent grin. When he opens his mouth to smile, Caarcrinolaas· many shark-like teeth glitter with horrible whiteness. In this form, he speaks with a quiet, ironic voice that does nothing to conceal his contempt and hatred.

Combat

Caarcrinolaas will avoid combat if it will disturb his plans. However, Caarcrinolaas enjoys fighting and killing those foolish enough to get in his way and has been known to play dead for years before tracking down and killing former adversaries.

In combat, Caarcrinolaas often initiates battle with a quickened deeper darkness before summoning barregons or cornugons. Then he uses his Conspirator power, setting it to progress by rounds, before darting into melee. Caarcrinolaas has no second thoughts about attempting, to transfer significant amounts of damage to one of his summoned servants. If he suffers a lot of damage, Caarcrinolaas will teleport to another location and summon more devils before directing a meteor swarm and destructions against his foes. Once Caarcrinolaas withstands one fifth of his maximum hit points in damage, he will retreat, and taking note of those that defeated him for future attempts for revenge.

Call Devils (Sp): Once per day, Caarcrinolaas can automatically call 12 lemures, 8 barbazu or erinyes, 6 hamatula 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, Caarcrinolaas may summon 12 lemures; 8 barbazu or erinyes, 6 hamatula or osyluths, 4 cornugons or Gelugons, or 2 pit fiends (Caarcrinolaas may either call or summon in a day; he may not do both).

Caarcrinolaas’ duties require that he spend a great deal of time incognito or behind the scenes, so he only calls on assistance when he is in grave danger. When he does call on devils, he typically calls barregons since they tend to have an outlook similar to his own. If facing particularly troublesome adversaries, the Duke of Blood will call cornugons or Gelugons. Only extreme situations prompt him to call pit fiends.

Claws of Despair (Su): Caarcrinolaas’ razor-sharp claws constantly secrete a terrible, virulent poison that causes one point of Constitution damage every time he successfully strikes an opponent. Furthermore, his claws have a critical threat range of 18-20. Finally, any creature struck by Caarcrinolaas’ claws must succeed in a Will save DC 28 or suffer from the effects of despair, suffering a -2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity for the five rounds; subsequent successful attacks cause the duration of the despair to extend, but do not increase the penalty to Strength or Dexterity further.

Fair Weather Friend (Su): Caarcrinolaas is notorious for his ability to make his allies suffer in his stead. To those unaware of his evil nature, the Duke of Intrigue comes across as an affable, charming man dedicated to helping others; a true friend, indeed. However, he is nothing but a fair weather friend who is all too eager to see so-called friends suffer from his betrayal.

5/day, Caarcrinolaas can transfer any damage or adverse effect he would suffer to an ally within 50 feet of his person. Caarcrinolaas does not need to have a readied action nor does he have to wait until his turn to take advantage of this power. This power works against the totality of one action; i.e., if a fighter attacks Caarcrinolaas with four successful full-round melee attacks; Caarcrinolaas would be able to transfer the damage from all four attacks to an ally as one use of this power.

The source of the potential damage or adverse effect does not matter; it may be from an attack, fallen debris, spell, or supernatural ability. The adverse effect impacts the victim as it would Caarcrinolaas; thus the victim may benefit from damage reduction and/or Spell Resistance, gain a saving throw, or use evasion to reduce damage. In the event that an ally comes to know about Caarcrinolaas’ power (like all pit fiends and higher ranked devils), he gains a Will saving throw DC 31 to resist the effect.

Infernal Presence (Su): Caarcrinolaas] Infernal Presence has a Will save DC of 31. His caster level is 36th.

Paranoid Conspiracy (Su): In much the same way he can turn families against each other, Caarcrinolaas can do the same to even the most dedicated of friendships. Usually, Caarcrinolaas prefers to promote a slow deterioration of trust and commitment as the bonds that tie people together are loosened and then completely unravelled. However, Caarcrinolaas can accelerate the process significantly when he finds himself outmatched by do-gooders seeking to interfere in his goals.

5/day, Caarcrinolaas may cause Paranoid Conspiracy as a standard action. When he insights paranoia, Caarcrinolaas forces all within 50 feet of his person to make a Will saving throw DC 31. The Duke of Intrigue causes feelings of paranoia to generate within those who failed the save as their emotional attachments and commitments are suddenly brought into question in their minds. Over time, a victim slowly begins to act on his impulses as his own emotions get the better of him and he finds himself opposed to the actions of his family and friends. Caarcrinolaas can assign the five stages of his Paranoia to occur over the course of one round, one hour, or one day a piece, although once he decides the progression, he cannot adjust it.

• The first stage causes the victim to perceive all allies with distrust. The victim suffers a -2 penalty on all Charisma based skills for the remainder of the Paranoia effect.
• The second stage causes the victim to second-guess himself and his relationships as he realizes that his so-called friends have always sought nothing less than his downfall and failure. The victim suffers under the effects of slow and cannot take 10 or 20 on any Skill check. Although he suffers no further ill-effects on his Charisma based skill checks with strangers, all allies and friendly acquaintances he encounters are met with hostility.
• The third stage causes the victim to react angrily to any and all encounters with allies and friends. Although the victim will not necessarily attack allies, he responds to them as he would an antipathy spell cast by a 36th level caster, removing himself from their presence with all due speed. If pursued for more than five rounds, the victim attacks with the intent to disable – not kill – allies.
• The fourth stage completely eradicates any friendships the victim may have had. In the event that he is cured of this affliction, the best that one can expect from him is Unfriendliness. The victim will avoid his former friends and, if forced to remain in their presence for more than five rounds, there is a 50% chance that the victim will attack with the intent of killing.
• The fifth stage causes the victim to become violent and aggressive against former friends. If encountered by allies and forced to remain in their company for more than five rounds, the victim attacks, this time with the intent to kill. Very little will steer the victim from fulfilling this overwhelming desire short of disabling or killing him.

If Caarcrinolaas allows for a slower deterioration of friendships by the day, the victim receives a Will save each day with a cumulative -1 penalty to the save. Once the victim is affected by Paranoid Conspiracy, he can be cured of it only by a 21st level, good-aligned cleric casting remove curse on him.

Caarcrinolaas also has the ability to use this ability on those strongly associated with organizations or committed to a government. In short order, he can cause a ship’s crew to mutiny or incite a riot against a lord or king. Thus, Caarcrinolaas has the power to direct his Paranoid Conspiracy, whatever his preference. Those affected by this version of the power follow the same stages as above, although all of the anger is directed towards those representing the established power structure rather than (in most cases) known friends. Caarcrinolaas never uses this power with the intent of sowing Chaos; rather, this power is used for the intent of overthrowing a current institution and replacing it with a new institution. In most cases, the new institution waiting in the wings is backed by the Powers of Hell.

Spell-Like Abilities:

• At will – animate dead, blasphemy, charm monster, create undead, deeper darkness, desecrate, detect good, detect magic, fireball, flame strike, greater dispel magic, greater invisibility, greater teleport (self plus 1,000 pounds), 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 – destruction;
• 1/day – meteor swarm (any), symbol of pain;
• 1/week – wish.

Caster level 36th ; DC 21 + spell level.

Thinning the Blood (Su): Caarcrinolaas seeks to prove the motto ·Blood is thicker than water· a lie. Caarcrinolaas believes that there are times when family honor and commitment stifle progress and societal order and believes that those who are willing to cast aside family and rural life in pursuit of urban expansion and the power of a centralized government should be rewarded if they are willing to make the appropriate sacrifices.

5/week, Caarcrinolaas may Thin the Blood. When summoned by a mortal, Caarcrinolaas is able to see to it that a mortal dedicated to expansion of a tyrannical government, overbearing merchant guild, or some other organized institution receives the proper aid to fulfill their dreams. However, for every desired boon from Caarcrinolaas, the mortal must prove that he is willing to betray those who should mean the most to him: family and close friends.

Depending on what the mortal is willing to sacrifice, Caarcrinolaas will grant a boon to the mortal that promotes the mortal’s position within the organized institution he represents. These benefits function as a limited wish or wish depending on the sacrifice the mortal is willing to make with a family member or close friend as detailed below:

• Betrayal leads to a significant loss of money: one limited wish
• Betrayal leads to loss of face and reputation: one limited wish
• Betrayal leads to a severe physical assault: one limited wish
• Betrayal leads to exile/imprisonment: one wish
• Betrayal leads to death: one wish

Any mortal that takes advantage of Caarcrinolaas· Thinning the Blood moves one step closer to Lawful Evil for every act of betrayal save Death, which results in an immediate shift to Lawful Evil. In any case, a victim who has used Thinning the Blood five times signs his soul over to Caarcrinolaas, who in turn may do as he wishes to the client anything short of killing him in cold blood after the passing of five days, five months, or five years depending on the original agreement. In most cases, Caarcrinolaas will incinerate the client with a fireball or will attack him from behind after ensuring the client that his blood is quite warm.

A victim who has effectively lost his soul to Caarcrinolaas is sent to Stygia to serve the Duke of Intrigue for all Eternity. Only a client who receives Atonement from and successfully completes a quest issued by a good-aligned cleric of at least 21st level within 5 weeks (typically to help some other family reunite) can hope to escape his terrible fate.

Assassin Spells known (6/6/6/5; base DC 21 + spell level. Caster level 30 th ):

• 1st – Detect Poison, ghost sound, Stupor, True Strike;
• 2nd – Cat’s Grace, Fox’s Cunning, pass without trace, undetectable alignment;
• 3rd – deep slumber, false life, nondetection, Sadism;
• 4th – clairaudience/clairvoyance, freedom of movement, locate creature, Stop Heart.

Possessions: Caarcrinolaas is never without a pair of +8 bracers of armor and a +5 ring of protection. Centuries ago he acquired an amulet of the planes from a former (and betrayed) ally that he still has to this day. Caarcrinolaas has access to an impressive vault of purloined treasure in his keep in Stygia when he needs weapons or magic items.

Summoning Caarcrinolaas

It is by means of blood that Caarcrinolaas is summoned. The summoner must either wound himself (dealing one third of his maximum hit points in damage), or kill a servant or loved one, using the blood to prepare the area for the ritual.

Once the last invocation has been chanted, a red mist rises from the ground, from every place where the blood has been laid. A low growl fills the area as the mist coalesces into Caarcrinolaas. Typically, he appears in a polymorphed form as per his description above – his true form is usually only revealed to the vilest supplicants.

Upon treating with the summoner, Caarcrinolaas transforms into a wave of blood that washes outwards. Those who have summoned him without the necessary protective magicks are splashed by the blood, and must then succeed on a Fort save DC 15 or contract faceless hate, as described in the disease section of the Book of Vile Darkness.