Dantha'Sule, Hag of Stor-gris
Dantha'sule was a particular type of Hag called an Annis. It is said that the evil creature was born of the deep, misty bogs of the Great Wash, some time around 9500 E.R., although perhaps her origin actually lay in the fey plane of Tanis; the truth is not known. The great beast, initially called Danuras fel Sule, or "Mistress of the Bog," terrorized the Deep Marsh of the Great Wash for decades. Her hulking form was feared among those who dwelt near the Wash, and her name was whispered even beyond its vast borders.
Soon enough, Danuras fel Sule earned the notice of the being known as the Dweller in the Vale, Vornoth's agent upon Núrion. This enigmatic being had long been the compelling force behind all the decisions made in the vast kingdom of Stor-gris, for the Dweller all but owned its previous ruler Karoxfang. But when Stor-gris' next ruler, the voracious black dragon Bardanax, came to power, the Dweller found that its control of Stor-gris was slipping away. Bardanax was very independent and willful, with vast ambitions of his own, ambitions that sometimes conflicted with the Wintervale's desires. Moreover, the dragon could not be intimidated. The Dweller knew that the use of force against Bardanax would likely be unsuccessful and would serve merely to weaken both Stor-gris and the Wintervale, possibly leading to the downfall of both domains. Therefore, Bardanax had to be stealthily manipulated and eventually overthrown. A creature such as Danuras fel Sule, which possessed both guile and physical power, would be ideal for the job.
The Dweller thus lured the Mistress of the Bog from her lair in the Great Wash and took her to the Wintervale. There, the strength of four huge trolls was required to hold the hag down as the Dweller worked its magic on her. The powerful agent of Vornoth tore open the hag's chest as the creature screeched in agony. The Dweller gathered a hair follicle, dead cells to imbue the hag with mastery over the domain of Death. Then the Dweller added a piece of its very own skin to give the beast the physical and spiritual power of the Dark Walker. Finally, the Dweller spilled a drop of blood to dominate the hag with the will of Vornoth. Gathering the items, the Dweller thrust its hand into the hag's chest, and Danuras fel Sule writhed in agony. After moments of pain, the great hag rose. Immediately the ravenous creature devoured a dozen hardy orcs to restore her great strength.
The Dweller called its newest general Dantha'sule, or "Dark Mistress." With the newly acquired power of the Dark Walker, the hag was sent from the Wintervale. She traveled to Stor-gris and quickly insinuated herself into Bardanax's confidences until she became his closest advisor. Slowly she worked her will, knowing that any quick attempt to overthrow the dragon would end in disaster. She manipulated him little by little, carefully bringing his decisions in line with the desires of the Wintervale. She also preyed upon his voracious appetities, encouraging him to throw off restraint and gorge himself whenever he felt the urge and on whatever he desired. Finally the dragon grew so fat and weak that Dantha'sule was able to slay him and wrest power in the name of Vornoth. She ruled the vile fortress for centuries, directed by her master the Dweller in the Vale, and was the cause of much death throughout the civilized lands of the demi-humans. Even after her final downfall, which coincided with the end of the kingdom of Stor-gris in 10,557 E.R., her name echoed down the long corridors of history even unto the present day.
Dantha'Sule
Large fey, neutral evil
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 219 (23d10+92)
Speed 40 ft.
STR 21 (+5) DEX 12 (+1) CON 18 (+4) INT 16 (+3) WIS 14 (+2) CHR 17 (+3)
Saving Throws Con +9, Strength +10
Skills Deception +8, Perception +7, Persuasion +8
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
from nonmagical attacks
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Dark Speech, Elven, Old Speech
Challenge 16 (15,000 XP)
Innate Spellcasting. Dantha'Sule's innate spellcasting ability is
Charisma (spell save DC 16). She can innately cast the following
spells:
At will: chill touch, eldritch blast
3/day each: charm person, disguise self (including the form of a Medium humanoid), fog cloud, hold person, invisibility, mirror image
1/day: circle of death
Actions
Multiattack. Dantha'Sule makes three attacks: one with her bite
and two with her claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6+5) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d6+5) slashing damage.
Crushing Hug. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 47 (12d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15) if it is a Large or smaller creature. Until the grapple ends, the target takes 47 (12d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage at the start of each of Dantha'Sule's turns. Dantha'Sule can't make attacks while grappling a creature in this way.
Legendary Actions
Dantha'Sule can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Dantha'Sule regains spent legendary actions at the start of her turn. Dantha'Sule can't use the same legendary action two turns in a row.
Crushing Hug (costs 2 actions). Dantha'Sule makes a crushing hug attack.
At will spell. Dantha'Sule uses an at-will spell.
Suggestion (costs 2 actions). Dantha'Sule casts the suggestion spell (save DC 16) with only verbal components. While maintaining concentration on this effect, Dantha'Sule can't use other legendary actions. If a target succeeds on the saving throw or if the effect ends for it, the target is immune to Dantha'Sule's suggestion for the next 24 hours, although such a creature can choose to be affected.
Lair Actions
The lair of Dantha'Sule is the dark fortress of Stor-gris. If Dantha'Sule is encountered in her lair, her CR is 17 (18,000 XP). On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Dantha'Sule takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects. Dantha'Sule can't use the same effect two rounds in a row.
- Until initiative count 20 on the next round, Dantha'Sule can pass through solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors as if the surfaces weren't there.
- Dantha'Sule creates a thick cloud of caustic black smoke that fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point she can see within 120 feet her. The cloud lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Creatures and objects in or behind the smoke are heavily obscured. A creature that enters the cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 13 (4d6) acid damage.
- The curse of the Dweller affects a creature. It must succeed at a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or suffer disadvantage on attack rolls and skill checks until initiative count 20 on the next round.
