Getting in the Mind of a Devil

[Saagael]

So I've got a game in a day, and I'm running on fumes for coming up with ideas. ENworlders have never lacked for creativity, so I'm hoping maybe I can get a mental jump-start. The situation the players are in looks something like this:

The players, searching for a past NPC villain, San, who might have some answers, stumbled into the Dis, the second layer of hell, and got themselves captured. Now Dispater, the ruler of Dis, has been forced into being a scapegoat for a more powerful archdevil, Mephistopheles (lord of the 8th layer of hell), thanks to the players having foiled the major plot of Mephistopheles.

Dispater wants out of this position, and now that he's got the players prisoner, he finally has some leverage he can use. However, I'm pretty poor at coming up with intrigue-based plots (one of my weak-points, trying to get better about it), and am not sure how Dispater can use the players to get out of this situation. The only idea I have is that Dispater, being a coward, would try to deflect his guilt and pin all this on another. I also think that he would want to keep the players under his thumb, but that's not the primary goal of using the PCs.

So the question I need help solving is: What could Dispater demand the PCs do in bargain for their freedom that would get him out of his scape-goat situation?

Any ideas and input are greatly appreciated.

 

[Quickleaf]

So the question I need help solving is: What could Dispater demand the PCs do in bargain for their freedom that would get him out of his scape-goat situation?

Well with intrigue the devil is in the details. Can you explain exactly what this "scapegoat" scenario means? It's not clear who Dis is in trouble with, who/what is using him as a scapegoat (Mephistopheles? The PCs?), and what he is being scapegoated for (probably not something evil since in Baator that's par for the course). I need more info!

Your scenario assumes the PCs will go along with Dispater to win their freedom rather than coming up with some mad-ass escape plan of their own. That may be how they roll, but experience tells me there are plenty of players who would rather go the Indiana Jones "devil may care" route rather than the Devil's Deal route.

What level is your party? Are the strong enough to challenge a 28th level solo arch-devil?

Anyhow here are some ideas for quests Dispater might request:
* Ferret out a long-time traitor working against Dispater
* Help an Aspect of Dispater infiltrate a a government
* Track down an escaped soul with knowledge useful to Dispater's enemies
* Help him acquire an artifact, eg. The Book of Lies
* Team up with agent of Mephistopheles to thwart plot by Baalzebul

I'd emphasize two things when the PCs meet Dispater.

First he would try to persuade the PCs that the quest he asks of them could actually have good outcomes..."It must be done by one devil or another, think how much less suffering, even good, could come of it if you accept rather than one of my cambion servitors."

Second he would try to lure certain PCs with subtle promises of power... "I am impressed that you mortals so adeptly navigated the plots of Mephistopheles. There is much I know of the cults of Mephistopheles, but a treaty forbids me from intervening even as his spies walk amidst my court. But you can do what I cannot. I am prepared to offer you <slaves & infernal title> if you can embarrass Mephistopheles."

 

[Saagael]

Well with intrigue the devil is in the details. Can you explain exactly what this "scapegoat" scenario means? It's not clear who Dis is in trouble with, who/what is using him as a scapegoat (Mephistopheles? The PCs?), and what he is being scapegoated for (probably not something evil since in Baator that's par for the course). I need more info!

I didn't want to post too much details with the first post for fear of scaring people off with a wall of text and info. So here's the down and dirty details:

* Mephistopheles had a far-reaching plan to take over Asmodeus by raising an army of the damned using a ritual to harvest souls from living creatures.
* He got Dispater in on his plot. At the time Dispater had resources Mephy couldn't get his hands on (a gate to the mortal world, for one, and a well-placed half-devil servant for another).
* This half-devil servant is the villain I mentioned: San. She came up with the ritual using her power and political position. Later, the players attempted to stop her as she fled through the previously-mentioned gateway to hell
* The players ended up foiling Mephy's goal of raising his army of the damned (that was the transition to epic tier), so he's positioned himself to pin all the blame on Dispater.
* San doesn't know about Mephy's involvement. She's just aware of her work for Dispater. As such, she is in a position to put all the blame on Dispater, but if he just kills her, Mephy can turn around and use what he knows as proof. Blackmail, essentially, to keep him quiet.
* The group has a Tiefling Warlock who has his pact with Mephistopheles, and has been trying to figure out how to break the pact (he doesn't know it, Dispater does). I'm thinking Dispater plans on using this info to coerce the group, maybe offering it as payment for doing what he wants.

I think that's the basic gist of the situation. I'm hoping the players will choose which of the two archdevil's to ally with, and go from there. This is really the first move in a long-term political plot the players can choose how they want to interact with.

Your scenario assumes the PCs will go along with Dispater to win their freedom rather than coming up with some mad-ass escape plan of their own. That may be how they roll, but experience tells me there are plenty of players who would rather go the Indiana Jones "devil may care" route rather than the Devil's Deal route.

I wholly agree, and am totally okay with this. Fighting their way out will be great, and I'm prepped for that. Combat is easy, I can plan for that. I can't really plan what the players will choose when it comes to picking prospective allies and enemies.

What level is your party? Are the strong enough to challenge a 28th level solo arch-devil?

They're level 22. They could probably take him, but I'm not going to let 'em. Fluff-wise, Dispater is pretty much unkillable while in his own spire; he's a coward like that.

Also, I love the ideas you added; ferreting out a traitor is a great idea. I also really like your last few comments on making the players be heroes.

 

[Quickleaf]

Sounds awesome

* The players ended up foiling Mephy's goal of raising his army of the damned (that was the transition to epic tier), so he's positioned himself to pin all the blame on Dispater.

Yeah that's the thrust of my question: What do you mean by "blame"? Do you mean Mephistopheles has deceived the PCs into thinking Dispater was wholly responsible for the plot?

* The group has a Tiefling Warlock who has his pact with Mephistopheles, and has been trying to figure out how to break the pact (he doesn't know it, Dispater does). I'm thinking Dispater plans on using this info to coerce the group, maybe offering it as payment for doing what he wants.

If Dispater & Mephistopheles are allied, wouldnt the latter take offense at Dispater intervening in the warlock's pact?

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

My guess is it that Mestopheles can/has make it look like his and Dispater's plot against Asmodeus was solely Dispater's doing.

Now, assuming that, I can make 3 suggestions:

1. How linked are the PCs to Mestopheles? If Dispater can make it look like they are Mestopheles' lackies, perhaps he could get THEM to raid Asmodeus to steal/destroy/kill some import item/location/ally, to weaken Asmodeus and hopefully get caught in the process. That way, he may be able to pin things back on Mestopheles.

2. How much "special" knowledge do the PCs have of Mestopheles? If they know some weakness, he could get them to attack Mestopheles instead.

3. If neither of those work, you could have some agent of Mestopheles (or Asmodeus) spring the PCs from jail and the condition that they take the portal back to their own world and then destroy it... which in turn would weaken Dispater and remove the PCs (who presumably know the truth behind all this plotting and double crossing) from the reach of Dispater and/or Asmodeus.

 

[Saagael]

The Doctor has the right idea. Mephistpheles is in a position to remove himself entirely from the plot, and pin all the plotting against Asmodeus on to Dispater, and then take that knowledge to Asmodeus if Dispater does something he (Mephy) doesn't like.

Surprisingly, the players know nothing of Mephistopheles' involvement. They know there is SOME hellish entity doing bad things on the mortal plane, but they don't know who is behind it. This is the first time they've looked in on this issue, as up until now, there were more visible bad-guys to go after. The archdevils have been subtle, and only recently did they tip their hand, letting the players know there was some plot going on.

As for the warlock's pact, Mephistopheles has some tricks he has yet to pull (as in, I don't know what I'll do or when, but something's going to happen at some point), but right now he's keeping himself out of the picture. So if Dispater wants to tease the PC with info on his infernal patron, he's going to use that bargaining chip, or to turn the PCs against Mephistopheles.

Thanks for the ideas guys, its helping a lot.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Is there anyway of Asmodeus tracking the PCs back to Dispater? If not... well, why not have Dispater tell the truth (or portions of it) - that Mephistopheles is the one doing all the bad things on the mortal plane and x, y and z are the best ways of stopping him. Of course, any weakening of Mephistopheles is in Dispater's own interest.

 

[Saagael]

Is there anyway of Asmodeus tracking the PCs back to Dispater? If not... well, why not have Dispater tell the truth (or portions of it) - that Mephistopheles is the one doing all the bad things on the mortal plane and x, y and z are the best ways of stopping him. Of course, any weakening of Mephistopheles is in Dispater's own interest.

That's what I was thinking. Conveniently, I have an NPC who's a warlock of Mephy's and has been working to befriend the players for 5 or 6 levels now. Perhaps its time I reveal his warlock-ery to them.