Citadel of Mephistar

Towering above an expanse of sparkling whiteness is the glacier Nargus, a mountain of ice locked firmly in place by surrounding glaciers. Carved from its gleaming, translucent ice is the oddly warm and inviting citadel known as Mephistar, which cradles the palatial manor of Mephistopheles.

From a slowly melting throne, the Archduke of Cania oversees the activities of a legion of obsequious servitors. From three terraced levels below, dozens of icy tenements containing thousands of living spaces vault improbably skyward. These structures echo devilish society in a microcosm. Lowly least devils are crammed into tiny warrens at the base of each structure, and swaggering hellfire masters enjoy vast suites at the top. Whenever a devil is promoted or demoted, its living assignment changes so that no devil must face the distress of living next to an inferior—or the terror of close proximity to a superior.

The key locations of Mephistar are marked on the accompanying map and described below.

Mephistopheles's Court: The subtle intricacies of this frozen palatial estate are masked and muted by the creeping thaw that now grips it. The continuing hellfire experiments have established a foggy, thermal cloud around the city.

The palace and all its contents—from walls to ceilings to furnishings—are made of ice. Recently, however, puddles have begun to appear, and the decorations and filigrees have taken on a damp and sagging look. As the palace deteriorates, it increasingly symbolizes the risks inherent in the archduke's entire hellfire stratagem.

Frost Garden: This skillful recreation of an organic garden, sculpted entirely from ice, is one of the few genuinely beautiful places in all of Baator. After gazing at if for too long, however, mortal viewers are often saddened by its cold, unliving nature. Its sarcastic gardener, a gelugon wizard named Yoggaa, maintains the garden against the steamy warmth of Mephistar by periodically blasting it with cone of cold spells. When attempting to seduce mortals to his side, Mephistopheles has been known to squire them personally around the Frost Garden.

School of Hellfire: In this teetering, 99-story edifice constructed of Baatorian green steel, baatezu wizards continue their research into hellfire magic. A roomy central courtyard provides the space needed to conduct their blazing experiments, and hellfire engines protect its doorways from intruders.

Fearful of the archduke's wrath should his precious secrets be stolen, the school's nervous denizens keep a perpetual watch against unauthorized entrants. Quagrem, a harried pit fiend, serves as the school's dean. He is quick to pick the brains of visiting mortal magicians, and he efficiently murders any who provide him with useful insights so that he can take sole credit for their discoveries.

Toxic Zone: Airborne effluvia from the School of Hellfire has drifted down onto nearby portions of the citadel, permanently poisoning those areas. These toxins have been absorbed into the ice and are released when it melts. Nondevil residents who were vulnerable to poison relocated when this effect first began, but the current residents pay no attention to the contaminants they breathe. Any visitor, however, must make a Fortitude save for every 10 minutes of exposure or succumb to the poison (inhaled, Fortitude DC 25, 1 Con/1d4 Con).