ᚺᛖᛚ ᚨᛗᛒᚨᛏᛏᚱ
Hel is in soe respects a mirror image of Ásgarðr, having a goddess’ hall (Hel’s Eljúðnir) like Odin’s Valhǫll, matching outer walls, a divine guardian (Banahǫgg) to match Ásgarðr’s Heimdall, and of course a population of the dead to match (and numerically dwarf) the einherjar. Hel even has an analogue to the Valkyrior: her handmaidens (“ambáttr”). Hel’s handmaidens do not audaciously intervene in battles to change their outcomes and to reap the most souls of brave men. What the handmaidens do instead is intervene in wars, to change their outcomes and make more men cowardly instead of courageous, so that when they die they will be Hel’s property rather than Ásgarðr’s.
The handmaidens are dead women—human, ælf, trǫll, and weredýr—who have been granted a minute fraction of Hel’s power and the ability to roam the Nine Worlds in exchange for willing service to Hel. They are typically beautiful and appear to be alive and vital, but they always have some patch of blue skin on their body—always well-hidden—which will reveal that they are the creation of Hel.
Medium divine being, orderly and evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 153 (18d8+72)
Speed 40 ft, fly 50 ft
Str 16 (+3) Dex 18 (+4) Con 18 (+4)
Int 19 (+4) Wis 19 (+4) Cha 20 (+5)
Saving Throws CON +9, WIS +9, CHA +10
Skills Deception +10, Insight +9, Perception +9, Persuasion +10, Stealth +9
Condition Immunities bleeding, charmed, dreamy, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, weakened, woozy
Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks and +1 weapons; cold, disease, poison
Senses blindsight 60 ft, truesight 60 ft, passive Perception 19
Languages whatever languages they spoke in life plus Æsir, Old English, Viking
Reaction to desire and lust
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Creation of Hel. Whenever the handmaiden is hit by an attack that does necrotic damage, she regains the same number of hit points that the attack would have inflicted.
Innate Spellcasting. The handmaiden’s spellcasting ability is CHA (spell save DC 18, spell attack bonus +10). She can innately cast the following spells:
- At-will: discover the dead, erase Odin rune
- 3/day: blindness/deafness, hold person
- 1/day: branch of Yggdrasill
Spellcasting. The handmaiden is a 16th level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is CHA (spell save DC 18, spell attack bonus +9). A handmaiden will usually have the following necromancer spells prepared:
- Cantrips (at-will): guidance, mending, resistance, transfer control
- 1st level (4 slots): bane, create nár, false life, sanctuary
- 2nd level (3 slots): god’s weapon, greater create nár, Hel’s strength
- 3rd level (3 slots): compel undead, enslave undead, greatest create nár
- 4th level (3 slots): call hlaupr, death ward, fylgja armor
- 5th level (2 slots): greater call hlaupr, raise dead
- 6th level (1 slot): greatest call hlaupr
- 7th level (1 slot): finger of death
- 8th level (1 slot): call greater draugar
Walk Through the Shadows. Whenever the handmaiden is standing in shadow or darkness, as a bonus action she can teleport to any unoccupied space which is in shadow or darkness, as long as it is a place she can see, she is familiar with, or which is within 60 feet of a creature she has heard of.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The handmaiden makes two +3 bleeding death blade sacrifical knife attack and one touch attack each turn.
+3 Bleeding Death Blade Sacrificial Knife. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 11 (1d6+7) piercing damage, and the target must make DC 17 CON saving throws or gain the bleeding condition at 3 hit points per turn and gain ongoing necrotic damage at 3 hit points per turn.
At the end of each of their turns an affected creature may make additional saving throws to end the effects.
On a critical hit the +3 Sacrificial Knife inflicts 25 (5d6+7) piercing damage, and the target must make DC 17 CON saving throws or gain the bleeding condition at 3 hit points per turn and gain ongoing necrotic damage at 3 hit points per turn.
Necrotic Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 18 (4d8) necrotic damage.
Drain Fylgjur (recharge 6). The handmaiden can suck the vitality out of the fylgjur of nearby creatures. Every living creature within 30 feet the handmaiden must make a DC 18 CON saving throw or take 28 (8d6) necrotic damage. The handmaiden regains 1 hit point for every hit point of damage she inflicts; she cannot regain more than her maximum amount of hit points.
MOTIVES
Carry out whatever missions Hel has set aside for them. Obey Hel in all things. And have fun out there.
ALLIES
The handmaiden’s allies are their Hel-stallions, then other handmaidens, then the undead they summon, then the dead, then the other servants of Hel. (It’s a bureaucracy-of-Hel thing, you wouldn’t understand).