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Cheliax
Capital: Egorian
Ruler: Queen Abrogail Thrune II
This nation broke away from Taldor and soon became a mighty empire in it's own right. The death of Aroden devastated the people spiritually, and after a long civil war, the empire fell into the hands of the diabolic House Thrune.- Became Their Own Antithesis: Old Cheliax was supposed to be ruled by Aroden upon his return, with the Emperor already recinding mutch of his power in anticipation. After the god's death and the Chelish civil war, Cheliax has become a diabolic monarchy ruled by diabolists and devil-worshippers.
- Deal with the Devil: What ultimately allowed House Thrune to win the Cheliash Civil war. Consequently, pactbrokering and devil-binding are now a staple of Chelish magic.
- The Empire: Cheliax, whose state religion is Asmodeus, is the most militarily powerful nation in the Inner Sea region.
- Fantastic Racism: Cheliax isn't a great place to be a halfling or tiefling. The former are viewed as a Slave Race, whereas the latter form an oppressed underclass.note
- Good Republic, Evil Empire: Its often viewed as the evil empire to its former holding, Andoran.
- Illegal Religion: Surprisingly averted. The various other faiths within Cheliax are tolerated. This includes a large following of Iomedae, who herself was born in Cheliax.
- The Order: Cheliax is home to the various Hellknight-orders and they are deeply ingrained in its state affairs, although they retain some independence from the crown.
- Slave Race: Most Halflings in Cheliax are slaves.
- Underground Railroad: The Bellflower Network, which seeks to shepard enslaved Halfling to freedom.
- Vestigial Empire: Downplayed compared to Taldor, but Cheliax has still lost a great amount of its holding during and after the Chelish Civil War.
- Wicked Cultured: Cheliax is renowned for its wine, opera and glorious architecture, but also for the devils in its streets and the cruelty of its laws.
Abrogail Thrune II
Lawful Evil female human sorcerer 17
The sixth-ruler of diabolical Cheliax, and granddaughter of Abrogail I.- Dead Guy Junior: Abrogail was named by her mother to invoke the power and longevity of her own grandmother, Queen Abrogail I.
- The Dreaded: Abrogail controls the fractious noble houses and byzantine bureaucracy of Cheliax predominantly through fear.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: While her being a Royal Brat may just be an act, she is definitely evil (
Lawful Evil, to be precise). - The Man Behind the Man: She is actually implied to have had a hand in both the Glorious Reclamation and the seccession of Kintargo/Ravounel. Lictor Toulon Vidoc of the Order of the Scourge tried to investigate, but Blood Mistress Jakalyn declared publicly to have been hired to stop this investigation, causing him to back off (at least momentarily).
- Royal Brat: Implied to be subverted: Rumor says that she is an immature and spoiled ruler, but it's somewhat implied that she deliberatley cultivates this image of her in order to get her enemies to underestimate her.
- Sorcerous Overlord: Her statblock lists her as a sorcererss.
- Try to Fit That on a Business Card: Her full title is "Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune".
Benebak
Lawful Evil male variant imp
An imp who runs a gambling house, forcing those who come to his table into tremendous debt.
- Familiar: What he was originally summoned for, though he managed to work the wording of his contract to pass his ownership as an inheritance. As a result, he served as a familiar to generations of his original master's family before being discarded.
- Faustian Bargain: Before setting up his gambling house, he served as an intermediary between more powerful devils and mortals to sign away their souls. At present, he allows gamblers in debt with him to pay off their dues by indulging in their worst vices, thus damning their souls to Hell.
- Professional Gambler: He's amassed a small fortune through his gambling, though he mainly just uses it to lure more marks.
Isger
Capital: Elidir
Ruler: Steward Hedvend VI
A vassal state of Cheliax, Isger is seen as little more than a trade route by its Chelish overlords.- Puppet State: Unlike some of Cheliax's other holdings, Isger did not break free during the Thrune Ascendancy, and it remains in thrall today.
Hedvend VI
- The Quisling: Hedvend VI, a loyal right hand for Cheliax, is widely regarded in his own country as a puppet who has neither the interest nor the ability to help his own people.
Bloody Mantis
Lawful Evil mask of the mantis
Bloody Mantis was originally created by Akemi Nektekit, a Vernai of the Red Mantis assassins, to aid her as her body failed her with age. The spirit of the assassin high master became bound into the mask after a treacherous mystic tried to tear her soul from her body.- Brainwashed and Crazy: Bloody Mantis can impose a geas on a target, typically using this on its wearer to ensure their obedience even when the mask isn't in control.
- Night-Vision Goggles: Its most basic ability is to grant the wearer darkvision.
- Scars Are Forever: Justified, as inanimate objects can't really heal. The antennae of the mask were shorn off by a particularly difficult target when Akemi was still alive.
- True Sight: It can let its wearer see invisible creatures.
Rotbreath
NE male ghast rogue 11
A ghast who obtained Bloody Mantis and uses the mask to aid him in his predations.- No-Sell: As an undead creature, he's immune to mind control effects, which infuriates Bloody Mantis to no end.
Nidal
Capital: Pangolais
Ruler: the Black Triune
An ancient theocracy devoted to Zon-Kuthon, the God of Pain. Nidal is the one of the oldest nations in Avistan, having been founded shortly after Earthfall. While it was part of Cheliax for some time, it quickly regained its independence after the death of Aroden.
- Academy of Evil: The Duskhall and the School of the Pale Sun. The former is Golarion's leading center for shadowcasting, whereas the latter teaches more broader subjects.
- Always Night: Due to zon-Kuthon's "Blessing", Nidal is ever shrouded in Darkness.
- Born in the Saddle: Pre-Kuthite Nidal was a Kellid nomadic culture of horsemen, simply known as the "horselords". Especially the Atteran Ranches retain this strong tradition of horsemanship and -rearing.
- Casting a Shadow: Nidal is a haven for Shadowcasters, who practice their art within the Kuthite hierarchy.
- Deal with the Devil: During Earthfall, three hourselords of Nidal discovered Zon-Kuthon and made a pact: The survival of their people in exchange for eternal servitude. This is how Nidal became what it is today.
- Druid: Nidal is home to various kuthite druidic orders, with the most prominent being the Shades of the Uskwoood.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Nidal is heavily influenced by the Plane of Shadows, which has influenced Nidalese humans to look eerily pale and have either grey of stark black hair.
- I Let You Win: Some historians have noted that when Cheliax colonized Nidal despite powerful resistance Nidal's most terrifying forces were withheld from battle, and that the colonization allowed Kuthite ideals to spread rapidly through Cheliax. When the death of Aroden threw Cheliax into chaos Nidal smoothly reinstated their previous government, allied with the devil-backed Thrune faction in exchange for independence, purged religious freedom, and returned to their previous status quo. The so-called "Shadowbreak", however, also allowed the Nidalese people a glimpse of the outside world and laid the groundwork for the country's modern political conflict between the isolationist and expansionist factions within the Umbral Court.
- Illegal Religion: For the Nidalese, worship of every deity but Zon-Kuthon is banned, as part of its deal with the Midnight Lord. Still, many practice other faiths in secret, chief among them the Desnans, who only speak of the "Whispered Song".
- La Résistance: The "Whispered Song", a group of Desnan dissident who hide out in the Atteran Ranches. Ravounel's Silver Ravens, and their Firebrand allies also have set their eyes on liberating Nidal.
- The Necrocracy: A blended example, as the Black Triune are suspended somewhere between life and undeath, and the Umbral Court is comprised of both living and undead members.
- Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering: The Umbral Court, which handles most of Nidals day-to-day administration, has developed a factional dispute after the "Shadowbreak": The isolationist faction, headed by the druidic order of the "Shades of the Uskwood", seek to return Nidal to its pre-Shadowbreak isolation. The expansionist faction, headed by academics of the Duskhall and the School of the Pale Sun, instead seek to widen Nidal's influence in the world, viewing its opening as irreversible.
- The Theocracy: Since the three ancient horselords made their pledge to Zon-Kuthon in the aftermath of Earthfall, Nidal has been a theocracy where every child is born into Zon-Kuthon's faith.
- Villainous Friendship: Nidal has close ties to the Inner Sea's other evil nations: Many chelish nobles (and even their Queen) have Nidalese advisors, Nidal's capital includes a special mansion for Irrisen's Jadwinga and an increasing number of Nidalese vampires are found in Geb.
- Wicked Cultured: While Nidal is ruled by a brutal, BDSM-styled theocracy, it also harbors unmatched craftsmanship and collections of lore nowhere else to be found.
Ravounel (spoilers for "Hell's Rebels")
Capital: Kintargo
Ruler: Domina Jilia Bainilus
Formerly an archdutchy of Cheliax, Rovounel managed to break away from Cheliax via a loophole within an infernal contract. The newly formed confederation of cities now walks a careful line between shoring up its own power and not provoking its neighbors.- City of Spies: The city of Vyre, which combines this with a Decadent Court. It is also a main center of the worship of Norgorber, who was born in Vyre and lived there before his ascension.
- Good Old Ways: Rovounel styles itself as a haven for those who uphold the values of Old Cheliax, which can be seen in Jilia Bainilus taking the title "Domina", an old Cheliaxian title that fell out of fashion after the Thrune Ascendency.
- Loophole Abuse : A group of heroes, known as the "Silver Ravens", managed to wrestle the Archdutchy of Kintargo away from Cheliax via a loophole inside an infernal contract.
- Shining City: Kintargo itself, also known as the "Silver City", is a haven of culture and art, featuring a large opera house.
