Mordai Vell

Mordai Vell was a tiefling noble and the leader of the Ashmadai cult in Neverwinter in the late years of the 15 century DR.

Description
Vell had golden eyes, which was uncommon for tieflings.

Personality
He was charming and manipulative and had a hand in many of the goings-on in Neverwinter. He was also described as the "arrogance incarnated" because of his behaviour.

Activities
Vell was the leader of one of the Ashmadai cells operating out of Neverwinter, but his interpretations about Asmodeus' tenets and edicts were rather liberal. Vell saw his service to the god of the Nine Hells as a means to an end rather than a serving a master.

Possessions
Vell was the owner of Vellgard Manor, a noble villa in the Blacklake District of Neverwinter.

History
Mordai was the fruit of an affair between a noble of a human family and a devil. When all his humans relatives died in the Ruining of 1451 DR, Vell inherited all of their fortune.

Around 1479 DR, Vell began to change the agenda of the Ashmadai of Neverwinter to take control over the city instead of following the tenets of Asmodeus or to follow the Ashmadai's agreement with the Thayans. Vell readily encouraged his followers to mark shellacked buildings and corpses with the symbol of Asmodeus. This was to intimidate others into joining the ranks of the Ashmadai. The symbol was effective as it managed to scare the townsfolk into co-operating with the demands of the Ashmadai.

Under Vell's orders, the Ashmadai also began to turn New Neverwinter's people to their cause — controlling most of the mercenaries guarding the Wall and wooing a handful of Dagult Neverember's close retainers. The Ashmadai's effort to seduce Neverember's allies went all the way to the top, with Mordai Vell personally pursuing General Sabine. Ultimately, Vell hoped to induct Neverember himself to the cult.

In 1479 DR, Vell convinced an Ashmadai cultist, Elden Vargas, to send his insane wife, Karis, to Helm's Hold for treatment. However, Vell then called in favors with the Prophet Rohini to prevent Vargas from seeing his wife. Turning on Vell, Vargas began to go by the alias of the "Tormentor" and began to mind control citizens and brand them with the symbol of Asmodeus, so as to implicate Vell's Ashmadai. Vell was able to turn this situation to his favor by aiding a group of adventurers to deal with Vargas.

Around 1484 DR, Vell discovered the Waterclock Guild's Crypts, and in there the means to release and control the primordial Maegera the Inferno, who was sealed in Gauntlgrym. Vell wanted to use Maegera's energy to create a powerful magical scepter that would give him the authority to dissolve the Ashmadai's agreement with Thay and would also give him the authority to command all Ashmadai cells in Faerûn. Discovering Vell's intentions, Lord Neverember sent a group of adventurers to deal with Vell once and for all. The adventurers arrived in time to stop the ritual and killed Vell and his minions, ending the primordial threat to Neverwinter and dealing a crippling blow to Ashmadai activity in the region.

Appearances

 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Forge of the Dawn Titan • Storm over Neverwinter