Queen of Chaos

In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Queen of Chaos is a demon lord of obyrith origins.

Publishing history

The Queen of Chaos was first mentioned briefly in the second edition Dungeon Master's Guide (1989) under the description for the Rod of Seven Parts artifact.^[1] The Queen of Chaos was mentioned again in the description for the Rod of Seven Parts in the Book of Artifacts (1993).^[2] The Queen of Chaos was further described in Skip Williams's article in Dragon #224, "A History of the Rod of Seven Parts."^[3] The Queen of Chaos debuted in the second edition module The Rod of Seven Parts.^[4] She is said to be a native of Limbo.

She became listed as an obyrith in the third edition supplement Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss.^[5]

The Queen of Chaos is mentioned as the leader of the obyriths in the 4th edition supplement Demonomicon (2010). Only her overall role in the history of the Abyss is discussed in detail.

Description

The Queen of Chaos has the upper torso of a corpulent, blue-skinned humanoid female, whereas her lower body is a mass of ten mauve tentacles. Hidden in the tentacles is a razor sharp parrot-like beak. The Queen has long drooping locks of green hair, and she wears a sahuagin skull as a crown. Her weapon of choice is a huge trident.

Relationships

As one of the oldest of the obyrith lords, the Queen of Chaos is said to have created Demogorgon as the first of all tanar'ri, then discarded him when he grew too unruly. The Queen was the lover of Miska the Wolf-Spider, and is the mistress of the spyder-fiends. She was once allied with Bwimb.

The Queen of Chaos has many enemies, including Obox-ob, who she dethroned, and the Wind Dukes of Aaqa.

Realm

The Steaming Fen is an Abyssal layer consisting of a vast swamp and a turbulent ocean. The layer seethes with vermin and is the home of the spyder-fiends. With Miska's imprisonment, the spyder-fiends begrudgingly serve the Queen of Chaos.

History

The Queen of Chaos is an obyrith who rose to power in the Age Before Ages. While the obyrith plotted and warred amongst themselves, the Queen alone looked past the Abyss and discovered life in other planes of existence. Some of this life, namely the souls of the Chaotic Evil dead, seeped into the Abyss, which the obyrith shaped into the tanar'ri. The Queen of Chaos decided to launch a war to conquer the multiverse and rallied all of the obyrith lords to her cause. Those who refused she set an example of by either killing or banishing them. The only exception to this was Dagon, whose power she feared.

Eventually, the Queen took as her consort a tanar'ri demon lord called Miska the Wolf-Spider, and made him head general of her army. With Miska in command, she practically guaranteed the cooperation of the treacherous tanar'ri. She murdered the then-Prince of Demons, Obox-ob, and bestowed his title on Miska.

The Queen of Chaos, with Miska in tow, was triumphant as the forces of Chaos swept the multiverse. Opposing them were the forces of Law, led by the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, the Vaati. Eventually, the Vaati fashioned the Rod of Law, and with it defeated Miska, banishing him to Pandemonium.

With Miska's defeat, the obyrith alliance fractured. To make matters worse, the tanar'ri revolted and the celestials of the Upper Planes took advantage of the situation and launched an invasion into the Abyss. The obyrith were reduced to near-extinction and the Queen of Chaos withdrew into the 14th layer of the Abyss, known as the Steaming Fen, where she remains to this day, seeking ways to free Miska and restart the war.

References

Additional reading

• Baur, Wolfgang. "A Gathering of Winds." Dungeon #129 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
• Mona, Erik. Age of Worms Overload (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
  • Mona, Erik. "The Whispering Cairn." Dungeon #124 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).