Copyright 2011 Wizards of the Coast.

This post is part of a series! Click here to see the others.

We just looked at a faction of Arkhosian revivalists, and now we’re looking at an example of their Turathi counterparts.

The Lore

Even long after the fall of Bael Turath, tieflings still have to contend with the suspicions and prejudice of others. You could argue such suspicion was warranted right after that fall, since the people who became the first tieflings had all been members of the Turathi elite, and therefore quite nasty slave-holding diabolists. Their descendants however were just born that way and are as varied in their moral outlook as any other sapient people. It is wrong to expect them to be scheming diabolists just because of their looks.

And then you have people like the Fell Court, who keep the stereotype alive by living up to it. They’re a group of tieflings based on Fallcrest who want to Make Bael Turath Great Again. Their leader is one Melech Ambrose, a self-proclaimed general and visionary who can trace his ancestry very precisely to a specific noble lineage.

Despite all his claims, Ambrose acts more like a petty crime lord than as a would-be ruler. His group’s current activities are all aimed at filling their “war chest” so the “real” takeover can begin. They have only recently stepped up their operations, and though the Lord Warden of Fallcrest has heard rumors, his men have so far failed to turn up any concrete information about the Court.

Ambrose himself has a public life as a successful trader and contacts among several members of Fallcrest’s high society. He uses this as cover to run a modest black market operation that enjoys the favor of many of the city’s poorest residents, since they operate in the slums and provide some of the support and security the city’s government can’t or won’t get them.

Most of the Court’s operating budget comes from Melech Ambrose’s criminal enterprise. They’ve stepped up their recruitment efforts, and are setting up caches of weapons and supplies for a future takeover of Fallcrest. The money also sees good use gathering information about the city’s defenses and blackmail material for use against its officials.

As you would expect from such a fan of old Bael Turath, Melech is a diabolist, and his dealings have got him a measure of supernatural support from infernal patrons. This include control over a large pack of Felldrakes, a species of vicious drakes that used to be bred in Bael Turath.

Recruitment happens through a couple of layers of deception. The Court stages a “false flag” attack on a potential candidate, and then swoops in for the rescue. A member of the “rescue team” befriends the target and then the Court slowly brings them into the group while probing their potential and loyalty to the Turathi cause. A member who looks like a good fit gets contacted by an underboss, who gives them a “trial by fire” mission that consists of committing a crime suited to their abilities that also advances the interests of the Court. Those who prove the extent of their skill and loyalty by successfully performing this mission are made full members of the Court. Those who reveal themselves incompatible end up murdered in a way that points to one of the Court’s rivals.

All of that is for tieflings. Non-tieflings never really progress beyond the stage of “disposable tool”.

Melech has also heard of the Iron Circle, an Asmodeus-worshiping mercenary company from the south who is entering the Vale through the Harkenwold region. He believes he can enter an alliance with them, offering his Fell Court’s services as spies and saboteurs and using the Circle’s military might to conquer the Vale so they can rule together. Though he has yet to hear back from them after making his initial diplomatic overtures, he’s absolutely sure they will be successful. This belief may lead him to act rashly.

The Numbers

All of our stat blocks here are for tiefling members of the Fell Court. As such they all have Low-Light Vision and Resist Fire 5. They tend to me at low-to-mid Heroic levels, making them appropriate as your group’s first “urban intrigue” antagonists in Fallcrest.

Let’s look at them in order of level.

Fell Court Ruffian

Ruffians are the some of the lowest-ranking members of the Court, individuals who probably have not undergone their trial by fire yet. They’re Level 2 Minion Brutes. They fight with clubs that deal half damage on a miss, and have a Dances with Drakes ability that allows them to make a free attack against an enemy that has just been hit by a drake ally.

Fell Court Creep

The same ranking as a Ruffian, but sneakier. Creeps are Level 3 Minion Skirmishers. Their basic attack is a Dazing Dagger that damages and dazes for a turn, and when they’re missed by an attack Fiendish Shift allows them to shift 1 square and deal 3 fire damage to the target.

Fell Court Blackheart

A seasoned Court operative, combining mundane stealth training with a side of infernal magic. They’re Level 2 Lurkers with 37 HP.

Blackhearts fight with Deadly Sickles that deal necrotic damage, and can spend their action to assume a Smoke Form instead of attacking. While in smoke form, they can’t attack or be attacked, and can pass through and occupy other creatures’ spaces. It can revert as a free action, or when it drops to 0 HP (from ongoing damage or something).

If the blackheart starts its turn in smoke form, it can use a Sly Attack to target Reflex and deal about double the damage of a basic attack, half on a miss. It can also use this power without turning to smoke, but it doesn’t do double damage then.

They can use the tiefling’s standard Infernal Wrath power to inflict a bit of fire damage on someone who just hit them, and when they’re reduced to 0 HP they can delete a healing surge from an enemy they can see before dropping.

If the blackheart damages an enemy that was granting combat advantage to it, they stop that enemy from spending healing surges (save ends).

Fell Court Underboss

This veteran Court member has proven to be loyal enough to be promoted, and is now in charge of recruiting new members and sending them on jobs. It’s a Level 3 Soldier with 47 HP and the Leader keyword.

The underboss is a Drake Wrangler, and gives Resist Fire 5 and a +2 bonus to the AC of any drakes adjacent to it. It also projects a Hellbound aura (1) that deals 5 fire damage to any creature that leaves it. Its bastard sword strikes kind of skip the whole marking business. A target hit by the sword suffers 5 fire damage if it doesn’t target the underboss with an attack during their next turn.

They can also use the sword in a Diabolical Strike that deals fire damage and, if the attack was made with combat advantage, prevents the target from shifting for a turn. Infernal Wrath rounds out the tiefling’s arsenal.

Underbosses will always be in a tight formation with a pack of drakes, and will seek to stay adjacent to a PC. Scattering those drakes might be a useful tactic, since they’d take damage from Hellbound.

Fell Court Hellmage

An underboss-rank Court member who prefers to rely more on magic than on swords. It’s Level 4 Artillery with 42 HP and the Leader keyword. Its aura of Drake Regeneration (3) causes any bloodied drake ally inside to recover 5 HP at the start of their turns if they have at least one HP left.

Hellmages fight with daggers in melee and shoot Infernal Bolts at range. These deal both immediate and ongoing fire and radiant damage. Infernal Wrath works as standard for them, and when they drop to 0 HP they use See you In Hell to fire off one last infernal bolt without provoking opportunity attacks.

Melech Ambrose

The big boss is a unique Level 5 Skirmisher with 68 HP and the Leader keyword. As a regular, Melech will always have plenty of bodyguards and felldrakes with him. He projects two auras: Bloodthirsty (radius 1) makes all enemies inside grant combat advantage; and Drake Fervor (radius 3) gives drake allies inside a +2 bonus to damage and to saves.

Melech himself fights with a scimitar, which can be used for basic attacks or Fiendish Strikes that allow him to shift 2 squares before or after the attack, and, if made with combat advantage, daze for a turn. He can also hurl flame to strike at range, dealing fire damage. Infernal Wrath works as normal for him.

Final Impressions

I think it’s a bit unfortunate that the Fell Court lives up to the bad reputation tieflings have, but it does give heroic PC tieflings an extra reason to fight them. The first time I read this entry, I thought it was odd that they went into that much detail about their recruitment process, but it’s a perfect ready-made story hook to get one of those heroic PC tieflings involved with them.

Any fight against Fell Court members should absolutely include a couple of fell drakes at least. Another thing I hadn’t noticed until now is how central drakes are to their whole flavor - every stat block here has some interaction with drake allies. A “final battle” encounter against Melech, an Underboss, a Hellmage and a troop of drakes will have the latter punch above their weight class with bonuses to AC, damage, saves, and regeneration.