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 Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 1:01 am
 Devaena'loth master of fear, Leader of The Forgotten, slips inside your mind. Written by LadyFoxIt is the 'Loths that whisper lies to the Multiverse pulling the strings like a puppeteer and their marionette. In the end we all dance to their song whether we are aware of the fact or not. They are the directors of this grand scheme of Evil and Deceit and we the unwilling and unwitting actors in their fiendish script. Even the demons and devils are pawns in Gehenna's game of chess ever moving at the faceless general's whim as the war of Law and Chaos drags on eternally. Let no one doubt that where there is a web of fallacy there is a 'Loth in the middle pulling the strings.To understand Devaena one must first understand the 'loths. Yugoloths are the essence of Evil. That's right, not evil, Evil. They work to tip the multiverse ever so slowly towards the primal essence of Evil. However, the yugoloths are not agents of destruction and mayhem like the tanar'ri, nor are they the oppressive tyrants that the Baatezu are. 'Loths are dispassionate and emotionless, heartless to the very core of the word, but more insidiously so they are subtle, manipulative fiends who blend fact and fiction into one cohesive and mind-rending whole until one can't be sure what's the truth and what's the lie. There are some who say that the 'loths are true fiends, that the baatezu and the tanar'ri were created by these sadistic masterminds to pioneer Evil to the far reaches of the multiverse. There are also tales that the 'loths themselves instigated the Blood War that rages between the lawful baatezu and the chaotic tanar'ri. In fact many would say that if you look hard enough at anything you can find a 'loth pulling the strings. Whatever the truths and lies are, one thing is for sure. The 'loths are the master puppeteers of the fiends and when and wherever they -are- pulling the strings, it's not for anything good. So now that one understands just what a loth is, let us focus on one in particular. Devaena has earned her own brand of growing infamy in the Gray Waste of Hades where she resides. Born on the riverbanks of the Styx in the gloom of Oinos, Devaena has fought, twisted, manipulated, and connived her way to where she is over the millenia or more of her existence evolving through multiple inferior forms until she finally earned her place as one of the elite nycaloths, a bestial gargoyle like creature with four arms and emerald scales. The tales of her triumphs are many - the mercenary band of the Forgotten, the well planned betrayals on Blood War battlefields, the manipulation of good to unwittingly do evil, and perhaps the only fiend who can claim to have successfully brokered a deal between the baatezu and the tanar'ri (which is likely to earn her another promotion in time) - the tales of her failures few. Of course, that's not to say she hasn't had failures, only that like any 'loth worth their bluster she has fought to overcome her failures and then taken great time and great pain to wash them from existence as thoroughly as she can. Through it all Devaena has evolved into a rather successful and cunning con-artist, something her mentors would be proud of if they felt such affections (instead you can be sure they are keeping a close eye on her in wait for the day she turns her trickery and lust for power against them). After all, when a body knows you're practically guaranteed to cheat them somehow and yet still comes looking for you? Well if you're a 'loth then that's when you know you're doing your job.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:51 pm
  Name: Devaena Syndri
Age: Appears in her mid thirties
Race: Nycaloth disguised as a human
Gender: Female
Eye color: Vibrant green, always with a gleam in them like she's up to something, though it's hard to say whether that's a good or bad thing
Skin color: Olive, darkly tanned. Not so dark as to be brown or black, though
Body build: Much like this. At around 6'1" and 213 lbs, Devena is by no means small and slender. Nor is she overly muscled, though. Her body build is strong and healthy, big-boned but she definitely takes care of herself. Think the strong, muscled build of an amazon or a female gladiator.
Hair color/length/style: Pale hair of an emerald green so light it could be mistaken for white. Usually worn mostly pulled back into a twisted top-know with a ponytail brushing her shoulders and wisps of bangs framing her face.
Unusual Features: Devaena may be depicted with battle scars if the artist so desires. They are not neccessary due to the fact that magical healing exists in the world and so at times Devaena actually has no scars. It usually doesn't last, though.
Tattoos/Markings: None visable for the time being (haven't decided if she will have tattoos or not)
Clothing/Armor: Hunter green tunic over a full blackened mithril chainmail with metal arm guards going from the elbow down and leg guards from just above the knee and down. The left arm guard ends in a talon tipped gauntlet, the right bears a locking mechanism built to give her an iron grip. The leg guards' metal casing extends down over her boots for added protection.
Weapons:A greatsword usually carried on a scabbard over her back and a shortsword sheathed at her hip. The greatsword should -always- look fancy, powerful, and valuable. The short sword, by comparison, seems to be a plain, non-descript "last resort" weapon.
Jewelry: May be added at artist's discretion, though nothing overly fancy. Dev is a warrior and most jewelry would get in the way.
Character Personality: Deceptive and devious are the best words to describe Devaena. Everything about her is a manipulative lie, and who would expect anything less from a yugoloth, the demons who play both sides of the eternal Blood War of the Lower Planes. She loves to portray herself as arrogant and vain giving brief glimpses of intelligence through the warrior facade, though only a fool would take her as completely lacking intelligence to begin with. Often seeming overly prideful and certainly portraying herself as overconfident, Devaena finds this gives her the edge she needs for it causes others to misjudge and overlook the shrewd, calculating fiend behind the arrogance, passing her off as simply another person stuck on their self. Everything Dev does revolves around taking well-calculated risks for well-calculated rewards, and her whole being is so wrapped up in layers of lies that even she couldn't likely tell you what she's really like!
Class: Fighter/Warrior
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Other: This is the guise that Devaena is most often seen in while traveling the planes and especially in the Mortal Coil. Lineart done by Rvaya, colors by Jalil. Description: There is an aire of confidence that proceeds the woman before you, perhaps even too much confidence some might say. Standing at a lofty 6'1" she's no wilting violet but is instead sturdy of frame with the hidden strength beneath her surface to give her a steely grip that might be slightly surprising. Her face is an olive shade, darkly tanned but not so dark as to be considered brown or black, and though her face bears the faint traces of the last vestiges of youth, she is clearly well into her adulthood probably just out of reach of her middling years at a guess. Her deep green eyes still bear a vibrant gleam, though it's hard to tell if that look in her eyes is good or bad at a simple glance, and are framed by mid-length wisps of pale hair that seem white at first glance, but has just a bare viridian hue in it. The rest of her hair is pulled up into a practical flipped top-knot with a ponytail drifting just low enough to brush her shoulders. She is clad in a dark hunter green top of finely crafted chainmail over which she wears a tunic of a much darker almost black hue that laces up the back. Her hands are covered from the elbows down in heavy metal gauntlets of a gloomy gray shade chased about with mithril piping over a thin layer of padding that matches the chainmail, the fingers of the left handed gauntlet crafted to sharp talon-like points, the right sturdy enough to provide a vice-like grip. Her legs are much the same with a pair of simple black breeches providing padding for metal leg guards that follow the shape of the leg and then fasten over and around her boots for extra protection. Sheathed at a belt is a shortsword, but it seems plain enough compared to the well-crafted greatsword that rests upon her back, the pommel gleaming when the light catches it so and chased with lines of some green crystalline or metal down the hilt and over the scabbard, it's hard to tell which. The pommel lies within easy reach of her right hand, angled against her body beneath a green cloak whose clasp at her neck is two interlocking talons, and which appears to have lines running through it like veins.
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Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 11:41 pm
  Name: Devaena Syndri
Age: Appears to be in her mid 30's
Race: Nycaloth disguised as a half-fiend
Gender: Female
Eye color: Vibrant green, always with a gleam in them like she's up to something, though it's hard to say whether that's a good or bad thing
Skin color: Olive, darkly tanned. Not so dark as to be brown or black, though
Body build: At around 6'1" and 213 lbs, Devena is by no means small and slender. Nor is she overly muscled, though. Her body build is strong and healthy, big-boned but she definitely takes care of herself. Think the strong, muscled build of an amazon or a female gladiator. This is a spot on ref for Dev's body build. Please use it!
Hair color/length/style: Pale hair of an emerald green so light it could be mistaken for white. Usually worn mostly pulled back into a twisted top-knot with a ponytail brushing her shoulders and wisps of bangs framing her face.
Unusual Features: Devaena may be depicted with battle scars if the artist so desires. They are not necessary due to the fact that magical healing exists in the world and so at times Devaena actually has no scars. It usually doesn't last, though.
In this form Devaena shows marked signs of fiendish heritage. She has patches of emerald colored scales speckling her face around the eyes and neck, over the backs of her arms, tracing her spine, down the outside of her thighs and side of her legs, and over her feet (visible depending on the clothing she wears, of course). She also has a pair of straight ivory horns chased with veins of jade jutting back from her temples with a smaller pair just below and to the outside edge of the main pair. Finally, it is readily apparent to most observation that her cloak is indeed a pair of gargoyle-esque wings folded about her person.
Tattoos/Markings: None visable for the time being (haven't decided if she will have tattoos or not)
Clothing/Armor: Hunter green tunic over a full blackened mithril chainmail with metal arm guards going from the elbow down and leg guards from just above the knee and down. The left arm guard ends in a talon tipped gauntlet, the right bears a locking mechanism built to give her an iron grip. The leg guards' metal casing extends down over her boots for added protection.
Weapons:A greatsword usually carried on a scabbard over her back and a shortsword sheathed at her hip. The greatsword should -always- look fancy, powerful, and valuable. The short sword, by comparison, seems to be a plain, non-descript "last resort" weapon.
Jewelry: May be added at artist's discretion, though nothing overly fancy. Dev is a warrior and most jewelry would get in the way.
Character Personality: Deceptive and devious are the best words to describe Devaena. Everything about her is a manipulative lie, and who would expect anything less from a yugoloth, the demons who play both sides of the eternal Blood War of the Lower Planes. She loves to portray herself as arrogant and vain giving brief glimpses of intelligence through the warrior facade, though only a fool would take her as completely lacking intellegence to begin with. Often seeming overly prideful and certainly portraying herself as overconfident, Devaena finds this gives her the edge she needs for it causes others to misjudge and overlook the shrewd, calculating fiend behind the arrogance, passing her off as simply another person stuck on their self. Everything Dev does revolves around taking well-calculated risks for well-calculated rewards, and her whole being is so wrapped up in layers of lies that even she couldn't likely tell you what she's really like!
Class: Fighter/Warrior
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Other: This is the guise that Devaena uses when she wants someone to know she's not just human, but still wishes to conceal the full extent of what she is.
Art by Rvaya, colored with permission Description: Forthcoming
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:05 am
**Quick Note** This section still under construction!**  Name: Deyvanires, though whispers are even that isn't her true name
Age: Not widely known, though most who know of her know she is several millenia old (she is actually 4,802 years old by earth year standards. See post below for more info).
Race: Nycaloth
Gender: Neuter, though generally answers as female
Eye color: Vibrant yellow
Skin color: A deep emerald green that glitters forebodingly in the light. This is because Dev's skin is actually a tough hide of fine, interlocking scales from head to toe. Some patches of fur grow through the scales especially visable at the nape of her neck, her knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles as well as around her face to give it that beastial dog-like appearance.
Body build: Standing at around 18ft tall, Deyvanires is no more a wilting violet than her human form. Her scales cover a well muscled form built for more power and stamina than agility. She doesn't have to be depicted as the next Hulk, but she definitely has muscles.
Unusual Features: Dev in her true form has a beastial gargoyle-esque face that bears a somewhat canine cast. She has not one but two pairs of arms each ending in a humanoid hand with vicious claws, and long taloned feet. From her temples a pair of ivory horns sweeps back past the dog-like ears on her head with a two smaller pairs just beginning to jut from the forehead at the base of the large horns on either side. Finally, a thickly muscled tail extends from the base of her spine long enough to be used in battle.
Tattoos/Markings: Dev's form is often riddles with scars which may be depicted at the artists discretion (magical healing exists so it isn't necessary to show them, but I would prefer it).
Clothing/Armor: Dev wears her arm length gauntlets and leg guards in this form as well as a simple loincloth of leather. At the artists discretion she may wear armor on her tail with spikes for impaling.
Weapons: Even in this form Dev always has her fancy and powerful-looking greatsword (sized to fit her new form of course) and her non-descript last-resort shortsword with her.
Jewelry: Dev wears necklaces strung from the hair, teeth, and bones of her form victims and pierces her ears with their fangs and talons.
Character Personality: If Dev seems deceptive and devious in her human forms, she's down right manipulative and nightmarish in her true form. The arrogance that follows in her wake now seems to be well deserved instead of overconfident, though perhaps there is still the barest hint of that too. Her voice is the dark whisper of nightmares and it shows on her face in that ever-wicked grin and the tempting gleam of her amber eyes. What it all boils down to is a treacherous, manipulative fiend with very dark machinations and reveling in every moment of it.
Class: Fighter/Warrior
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Other: This is Dev's true form, the fiend she really is. A HUGE thanks to Arezou - the Dream Walker for drawing this picture of Deyvanires for me. Accompanying her in the picture is Thornshield's character Burzurk (see below). Description: A monolithic statue of scaled emerald and jade, the creature before you towers over mortal men at three times the height of a tall human male, a veritable living gargoyle crafted from the darkest nightmares of fiend and flesh alike. The face is a bestial muzzle split into a wicked grin with feral amber eyes that gleam with the promise of riches and reward if tainted by wicked intent. Twin horns sweep back arched over beastial ears pierced through with small tokens and trophies like teeth and talons, the furred, broad-shouldered nape of the neck strongly muscled to support not only the vast expanse of great dragon-like wings whose phalanges are tipped with sharp talons to rake and claw, but also the brute strength of two pairs of arms ending in taloned hands large enough to crush a human skull with ease. The creature is supported on strong but limber legs and taloned feet balanced by a thick tail curling from the base of the spine that sways not unlike a serpent waiting to strike. The gender of the creature is unapparent, but the only clothing of any sort it wears is a loincloth and sparse pieces of armor such as gauntlets and guards. The bare remainders of scars trace the visage and outline the body from place to place, paired with the hefty greatsword that could shadow a man and a short sword the size of a mortal's greatsword, all of which bespeaks of a creature armed and ready for war.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:12 am
Reference Pics
Human Form:             Artists L-->R: Collab ( Lines by Rvaya, Colors by Jalil), Jalil (me, WIP), [. Mirage .], KeyJester, Geekpower, Collab (Orig sketch by Tentachu Onis, lined by Jalil) Row 2: From SoulCalibur III, Katherdante, Zienkyer, Kraun, Bhryn (WIP), Blua Closest Gaia Av Dev and Burzurk:      Artists L-->R: DixyDevlin, Jitsumi1221, Onis-fi x2, Meowmeowkitty Devaena and Ast'a'ga   Arists L->R: Scruffyronin (DA, sketch and colored), RinoaTilmit Half-fiend Form:      by Omegasama, Neodelux, WoefulInfinity, Bhryn (WIP), Rvaya Closest Gaia AvTrue Form:  Artists L-->R: Arezou - The Dream Walker A nycaloth from WotC's Monster Manual III
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:48 am
Related Characters
Allies Burzurk - One of Devaena's allies, Dev has teamed up with this dark knight to spread corruption and darkness across the multiverse and to keep Burzurk tilted towards embracing the curse he is.
Thorns Contest Thread: Draw Dev and Burz and win prizes! Or join the casual RP to learn more.
Baalodias - One of Dev's current employers, she has been hired not only for mercenary purposes but also as his adviser of sorts. It was through this contract that she got the chance to negotiate what is quite possibly the first Baatezu-Tanar'ri alliance since the beginning of the Blood War. More info on Baal coming soon. Enemies Askovan - The yugoloth who betrayed Devaena and left her to die after she had borne their offspring to term. He has achieved the station of Arcanaloth, a step above her currently. Others
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:27 am
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2011 4:29 pm
Fun Facts Devaena has progressed through 7 (almost 8 now) of the possible 10 forms of a yugoloth. She has spent:
321 years as a rank and file Mezzoloth
1013 years as a split-minded mezzoloth commander known as a Dergholoth
575 years as one of the sergeants of the dergholoths and mezzoloths known as a Piscoloth
747 years mastering the elemental politics of the River Styx as a Hydroloth
491 years tutoring as a saboteur and sleeper agent known as a Gacholoth
1066 years ruling lesser and greater loths alike as a Yagnoloth lord
266 years on a skiff as a boatman of the Styx known as a Marraenoloth
and is currently on her 323rd year as a Nycaloth, one of the spymasters of the 'loth regime, making her a total of 4,802 years old.
Devaena spent so many years as a dergholoth due to a scheme with a fellow dergholoth to create a regime of mezzoloths through birth which they could condition to be more loyal and less likely to turn on them. This plan went awry when Dev ended up being the 'mother', and since 'loths aren't truly of one gender or the other the only way to give birth to the new larvae was through a c-section. Naturally her co-conspirator saw the moment where Dev was laid out on the banks of the Styx with her insides showing as the perfect chance to leave her for dead tying up that loose end as well as feeding the new 'loth larvae (since devouring your parent is a great enough act of evil to sustain any growing fiend for a while), so 'he' left her for dead intending to come back for the larvae later. Devaena managed to escape her voracious child using her natural teleportation ability to reach a nearby portal to Sigil where she conned some barmy aasimar into stitching her up and then murdered them once she was back on her feet. She still bears the jagged scar across her abdomen in whatever form she's in, perhaps the only constant scar she does bear (thanks to magical healing and her own regeneration abilities) as well as her constant reminder of how badly mistakes can cost her. As for her co-conspirator, she hopes 'he' is dead and rotting somewhere, but is always wary of the possibilities otherwise. She has no idea what happened to the larvae, whether it died, found some other sustenance to live off of until it could mature, or whether her 'mate' came back and found it later. Regardless, this mess-up was a major set-back for her progression past the dergholoth stage as the mortal soul she shared her carapace with gained a lot of its strength back from her failure.
Dev spent a longer time than usual as a hydroloth for a much cannier reason. For a long time she fooled her Marraenoloth superiors into thinking she wasn't as progressed along as she was so that she could remain long enough to truly master the political intrigues of the Elemental courts of the Styx. Eventually they caught on and fearing that she would become too powerful and turn on them they quickly promoted her to the next form. This actually helped her progression later on, though, as when she became a Marraenoloth herself she had such a fluid understanding of the workings of the Styx that she was promoted to Nycaloth in under three centuries.
Devaena spent over a century as a Yagnaloth because for the longest time she relished the power she held, commanding and lording over not only all the loths below her, but also holding power over the Marraenoloths, Nycaloths, and Arcanaloths above her (As one of the lessons of being a yagnaloth is how easily a petty being can be made powerful enough to bring down its betters when given enough authority, and the ultraloths give them such authority over any yugoloth in the yagnaloth's domain save the ultraloths themselves). For over a millenia she was drawn in by the easy power offered by this position and nearly lost her ambition and drive to ascend to the next level. However a bloody revolt in her domain caused her to rethink her ambitions and realize that only by continuing to struggle to gain power and knowledge would she ever see the true seat of 'loth power as an ultraloth. When she finally crushed the rebellion nearly half a century later, she went through her next promotion to become a Marraenoloth.
More forthcoming as I think of them!
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 4:07 pm
Fitting Quotes for Devaena: The betrayal you can see is trivial. What is truly fearsome, is the betrayal that you don't see. - Sosuke Aizen, Bleach
Trusting in someone is the same as depending on them. That is something the weak do. We have no use for it. - Aizen, Bleach
The sun also shines on the wicked. - Lucius Annaieus Seneca
People do not believe lies because they have to, but because they want to. - Malcolm Muggeridge (One of Dev's main operating philosophies)
It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts. - Carl Gustav Jung (Another of Dev's main operating philosophies)
The yielding of the weak is the concession to fear.- Edmund Burke
The very act of believing creates strength of its own. - Unknown (This is literally true for any fiend, but especially yugoloths. Belief gives them power, the more someone believes they are dangerous the more dangerous they are.) Songs for Devaena: Real Life References for Devaena: Actress: Robin Coleman (Who better to portray the amazon queen than Hellga from American Gladiators eh?) Voice Actress: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (When I heard her do the voice for Zabimaru's baboon spirit on Bleach, I knew she could do Dev perfectly) Natasha Little (The female sith warrior voice actress in SW:ToR. I think Mary McGlynn would be better, but Natasha Little would also be a pretty good choice for Dev)
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