NPCs · Mythic/ Historical · Combative
Karviseral the Pain Lord
The Lord of Agony, He of Corpulent Pain
Full Description
From the shadows emerges what appears to be a grotesque giant of a man, pale and corpulent. As lighting improves, it becomes readily apparent that this figure may once have been human, but is so longer. Possessing an enormous gut, the distended abdomen is scored by a massive vertical gash, barely held together by crude, bloody sutures.   His eyes are huge and the color of maggot-flesh, and possess no pupils. From his huge grinning mouth, blackened jagged teeth protrude. His massive arms end with huge hands armed with iron-hard nails.Â
History/Background
Once a mortal human, Karviseral distinguished himself in the eyes of the Lords of Hell through his obsession with pain and torture. He served as a guard in the Kayeed Citadel of Justice, and oversaw the use of the Grinder before it was decommissioned. Even after that dread device was mothballed, Karviseral kept it busy with other victims he grabbed from the street. He found the dull rumble of the Grinder and the keening of the victim's screams music to his ears. When he was finally discovered, he too met his end in the Grinder, finally expiring when the floor finally tore open his abdomen. The Kayeed pride themselves of finding appropriate punishments.
Lifted out of the legion of the spirits of the damned, Karviseral was infused with power by the Lords of Hell, and given duties in the realm known simply as Agony. Here he oversees the tormenting of souls through a vast array of vile devices, extended miles in all directions.  Karviseral is quite at home in this role.
Combat and Special Abilities
Karviseral is an unsophisticated combatant, and if not fighting for his life, will usually seek to capture (alive) one or two victims and then leave to enjoy himself.  He fights with whatever is on hand - he does not normally carry weapons except perhaps for small torture devices. He prefers to use physical force, rarely resorting to magical abilities unless absolutely necessary. In addition to his formidable strength, Karviseral has another weapon in his arsenal. He is able to cause his intestines to burst outward from his gut forming a swarm of tendrils to entangle and grapple foes.  This attack can horrify opponents and cause many to flee. This does not actually cause any damage to Kaviseral himself, and he can revicerate himself in a few minutes.
Karviseral has, though rarely uses, many of the supernatural powers common to demons - invisibility, telekinesis, possession and shape-shifting. His preferred forms when shape-shifting are large, bloated animals - most commonly a wild boar.
Campaign Use
Karviseral is a mid-level infernal power, still immature by their standards. He is a bit of a prodigy, and has created his own variety of demonic followers, bent by torture from the Legions of the Damned. At this point he has few designs on the world of mortals, happy to engage in his love of pain and torture on those who fall into his realm. He does plan on eventually settling the score with the Kayeed, and any such souls which make their way here find themselves the target of his utmost attention.
If summoned to the Mortal Realm, Karviseral will be very difficult to deal with unless he is provided with many victims as offerings. He can provide insight into the areas of pain and suffering, along with knowledge of the Path of Madness. He also has remarkable knowledge of anatomy, to better cause pain without killing. If a summoner requests a task which will directly or indirectly impact the hated Kayeed, he will be much easier to deal with (though he will still try and slay his summoner once the issue is settled).
As a Slayer
Karviseral might be summoned to eliminate someone. Since he is likely to simply grab his quarry and drag him off to Hell, this is quite useful to many a villain. Their victim simply disappears, and has a horrific fate. The PCs might be involved by being hired to help defend the target, since some indication of a possible attack has occurred, or one of the PCs themselves could be the intended target.
Villianous Consultant
Karviseral is contacted by someone in the process of crafting a pain-causing artifact for assistance (possibly even the PC's). The PCs could:
1. Happen upon the evil artificer while in discussions with Karviseral, with a dangerous fight ensuing.
2. Be on the receiving end of the completed device.
3. Item could be a large scale threat (massive area-effect pain device) and PCs need to prevent it's completion.
Dealing..
Karviseral has in his tender mercies a shade the PCs need for some reason. They need to somehow negotiate with this foul being for the release, or perhaps storm his realm. What _do_ you get a pain-demon?
Originally posted Here. Hope this is a bit of an improvement...
Scrolls
Twists, chapters, and details meant to stream with the submission — not general discussion.
No scrolls yet — leave one if you have a twist worth keeping.
Sign in to plant an idea scroll.
Award XP
Enjoyed this? Sign in to thank valadaar with blade clashes — 5 XP each, up to 25.
5 10 15 20 25Sign in to award XP.
Discussion
Reader talk, questions, and feedback — not scrolls.
No comments yet — be the first voice in the hall.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Other takes
No other takes yet — the best compliment on the Citadel is a Retelling.
Owch. OK, I'll give you a 5/5, just stop hurting me! (lol)
Definitely a dude who dont get many party invitations.... Brilliant, val!
What else to say? 5/5, and a HoH tomorrow!
/D
Heh, did you check the original? :P Guess the makeover is a good one ...
Lets say the original needed some....improvement? From mediocre to top-quality, not bad!
Superb
Very descriptive but I didn't really see anything that stands out. A demon type they enjoys torturing. The intestine attack did surprise and entertain me though. :) "Are you not entertained?"
He doesn't seem like he would have much subtlety when summoned so getting him to take care of somebody would probably be a large terrifying ruckus for any location. I could see him, if he could be controlled, being used by a summoner charlatan that sends him through the town, banishes him, and threatens the town with his return unless they pay a ransom.
Solidly written demon of pain. I like that he isnt bent on world domination or destruction. Nicely done.
A good write up, when you consider that he is an one-dimensional sadist. Clear, usable, sort if iconic.
He is over ten years old...the language of the description
Brings to mind the demons from hell raiser. The description is almost comically heavy handed (eyes the color of maggot flesh' and reviserate'). Thus, the description is both clear and playful.
But I wonder what he is and was like in terms of personality: locononic or glib, interrogative or assertive etc. if the prime interaction is going to be with summoner, what is that conversation going to be like.
Anyway, a good post that calls out for discussion and clearly communicates the visuals