Raphael was a cambion devil that tried to convince mortals to sign a pact with him.[1]
Description[]
Raphael had deep red skin, large double horns, curved ears, and burning orange eyes. Twin wings sprouted from his back and he had a spade-tipped tail. He wore regal clothing, particularly colored red or embroidered blue. He sometimes assumed the form of a middle-aged human man, with white, tanned skin and brown slicked back hair.[1]
Unlike the alluring and attractive facade that was his humanoid form, Raphael's ascended form was a vision of horror. Standing taller than a human even at a hunch, the ascended fiend bore wings, a tail, and a burning mane of fire. His simple horns became a complex crown of infernal bone framing a snouted face. This face had two additional faces erupting from either side of his cheekbones, giving Raphael a total of four orange hellish eyes. His entire being glowed with infernal flame and fearsome tusks erupted from each of his mouths.[1]
Relationships[]
Raphael's seductive offer.
Raphael was the son of Mephistopheles, the archdevil of Cania, the eighth layer of the Nine Hells. Being an heir of the archdevil granted him much more power and higher rank than a lot of devils. However, Raphael was annoyed by his father getting ahead of him and snatching the Crown of Karsus after Karsus's Folly, and his stingy behavior of locking the crown in his treasure vault rather than putting it to good use.[1]
He had a tense relationship with an orthon named Yurgir. When Yurgir had to fulfill a contract with him, Raphael seized the opportunity to trap the orthon with the contract so that he could never interfere in his affairs.[1]
A pair of dwarf sisters had associations with Raphael. One named Korrilla Hearthflame, who served Raphael willingly as his agent. The other one was known only as Hope, who refused to serve Raphael by any means. Raphael was annoyed and intrigued by Hope's resilience towards his deal and keeping her own hopes, so he imprisoned Hope in his lair and tortured her in horrific ways to make her surrender one day.[1]
At some point, a servant of Raphael bought him a young boy named Enver Gortash from Baldur's Gate. Raphael raised and kept the boy in his dungeon until Gortash escaped the House of Hope.[1]
Raphael may have assisted a tiefling child Mol to escape the Shadowlands were she to survive the siege of the Emerald Grove. Mol may have signed a contract, selling her soul in return for Raphael becoming her patron.[1]
Raphael was the lover of an incubus named Haarlep. The incubus was planted there on the orders of Mephistopheles, likely without Raphael's knowledge, to distract his wayward spawn.[1]
Abilities[]
Raphael in his ascended form.
He was very good at "getting into people's heads" and leading them astray. He used flowery language, the promise of salvation, and the threat of despair to better manipulate those he targeted.[1]
In combat, Raphael was a fearsome enemy. He had several lesser cambions at his beck and call, and could even compel the orthon Yurgir, with whom he had a contract, to fight on his behalf. With the ability to detect invisible creatures, attack multiple times with a flurry of talons, high defenses, and a complete immunity to fire, the fiend was dangerous indeed.[1]
History[]
In the Year of Sundered Webs, −339 DR, Raphael witnessed the catastrophic event of Karsus's Folly and the fall of Netheril. The mighty power of the Crown of Karsus caught his attention and he came up with a goal of using the crown to reunite the Nine Hells. Unfortunately, his archdevil father Mephistopheles took the crown and locked it away. Raphael waited for the opportunity to snatch the crown for himself ever since.[1]
During or before the Year of the Wrathful Eye, 1391 DR, Raphael was contacted by an architect of the Thorm family who wished to end the Dark Justiciar army of his former master Ketheric Thorm. Raphael granted the deal with the architect in exchange for his soul. He sent the orthon Yurgir to fulfill the contract but manipulated the situation to trap the orthon by the contract's terms.[1]
In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, 1492 DR, a mysterious mind flayer captured various individuals, including the cleric Shadowheart and monster-slayer Wyll, aboard his nautiloid ship. The mind flayer had inserted an illithid tadpole into their eyes, and the victims began to feel strange effects. After the nautiloid crashed, some captive adventurers left the wreckage, and traveled together around the Western Heartlands, eventually making camp on several occasions.[1]
At some point, Raphael appeared before the adventurers and transported them to the House of Hope. He offered them a lavish banquet in an exquisite dining hall within. Raphael offered them an opportunity to rid them of these tadpoles and halt the process of ceremorphosis, but only if they entered into an infernal contract with him.[1]
Trivia[]
Raphael was fond of a Cormyrean lullaby, for which he considered himself akin to the fox referenced in the lyrics.[1]
According to Haarlep, Raphael's incubus consort, the cambion's bedroom preference was always below and never on top.[1]
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
External Links[]
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.
Raphael article at the Baldur's Gate 3 Community Wiki, a community wiki for Baldur's Gate 3.
