Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent.
Welcome.
I make lore videos for the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons, from Forgotten Realms, to Eberron,
to Planescape thanks to my generous patrons on Patreon.
If you enjoy D&D lore and the history of the Forgotten Realms please subscribe.
I have over a hundred videos about Dungeons & Dragons and it’s mythology.
In this video I’m going to discuss the Lady of Pain, who is part of the Planescape setting
which has become part of D&D 5e canon.
The Lady of Pain is not a deity, but is possibly just as strong.
She has no worshipers or followers, but protects or presides over the city of Sigil.
Basically it’s complicated.
Let’s dive in.
I have to start by saying this: no one knows
how the Lady came to be, or what her true purpose is.
She was created with the Planescape Campaign Setting, and her face is featured on all the
setting books and accessories.
She is said to be a being as old as the gods, perhaps older.
It is unknown if she protects Sigil, simply resides in it, or if the city is her prison.
Sigil I’ve spoken about before (incorrectly pronouncing it) but if you’re curious about
that video there is a link in the description or in the top right corner.
Sigil is known as the City of Doors.
It is the axle of the great wheel, the center of the planes, the hub.
A large donut shaped mass sitting atop a needle-shaped mountain that rises into the sky at the center
of the Outlands.
Now the Outlands is the plane between the outer planes.
All the other planes in the Great Wheel (again see my previous videos on the planes of existence)
fit into one of the several alignments that are part of Dungeons & Dragons.
So Chaotic Good, Neutral Evil, and so forth.
There isn’t really a neutral plane though, except for the Outlands.
Which is fitting because it lies in between all the rest of these very alignment defined
outer planes.
The Outlands are circular like a disc, and because this has been observed by scholars
it is generally assumed that the planes are arranged like a “Great Wheel.”
Hence the Great Wheel Cosmology.
Although the Outlands is a circular disc it has not been fully proven that the planes
are arranged around this disc.
However for our mere mortal minds it is the easiest way to comprehend it… for the moment.
At the edge of this disc are sixteen settlements known as gate towns that guard portals leading
to each of the sixteen outer planes.
The Outlands are considered safe for the most part and it most resembles the Prime Material
Plane.
Conceivably it is possible to ride a horse from the Nine Hells to Mount Celestia via
the Outlands.
Many travel around the edge of the Outlands because getting closer to the spire everything
ceases to work.
Spells will fail, psionics cease to function, everything becomes neutral.
Mentioned earlier the center of the Outlands is the spire shaped mountain that ends in
a point.
Or it might be infinite, never ending.
Mathematically perhaps it is forever becoming smaller and smaller.
There upon rests Sigil, the City of Doors.
This is considered very strange because at the center of the Outlands magic ceases to
function.
Yet here is a magical floating city in the shape of a torus.
From the outside Sigil looks like a floating ring, a torus.
The color of it varies with artist interpretations, but inside this structure is a rich and busy
city.
Known as the City of Doors because within Sigil are portals that go anywhere and everywhere.
Some of these are known, but most are hidden.
Some will only open with the right key.
Portal keys are required to enter and leave Sigil, which gives it another nickname “The
Bird Cage.”
For some they will never be able to leave.
Sigil is a trader’s paradise, the ease of access to bring goods into and out of the
city via portals is wonderful.
The entire city is full of travelers looking for a deal on their way to somewhere.
Sigil is neutral but essentially touches all planes, access to portals is controlled by
the Lady of Pain.
All who visit Sigil eventually hear about the Lady, and quickly stay clear.
She is enormous and hovers above the ground when visible in the city.
Not much is known about her but there is no doubt that she is real.
Few see her and those who do never speak to her or about their experience.
The Lady never speaks or answers to anyone.
She is a power, and it’s best to think of her as that.
She might not even be a she because nobody is sure what “she” is.
Those who try to interfere with her or speak to her erupt with horrid gashes.
A casual glance of the Lady could kill you.
Nobody worships her, and those who have tried say during prayers their skin becomes flayed
and falls off.
This has discouraged others from praying to her.
Natives of Sigil fear her and respect her, they will get out of her way as she floats
throughout Sigil till, eventually, she disappears into nothingness.
This character is an unknown, which really makes the Planescape Campaign Setting shine.
Her purpose is unclear but some believe she is True Neutral and resides in Sigil to keep
it safe from other aligned creatures.
Deities, Devils, Celestials, Modrons, or Demons; all are kept in check.
In fact Deities are forbidden to enter Sigil.
She is a mystery but presumably makes all things possible within Sigil.
She controls all the portals to and from Sigil, she blocks certain powers from entering the
city, and she shields Sigil from the Astral Plane.
She has the power to create what are called mazes.
These are reserved as the greatest punishment for Sigil's enemies.
The Lady creates a demiplane and banishes a creature to it.
Part of the Deep Ethereal this demiplane grows into an endless twisting maze that has no
beginning or end.
It is believed the Maze doubles back on itself much like Sigil.
Her spell is so powerful it only functions one-way.
You can enter the maze and other things may also enter; but few leave if any.
It is not known if one could leave the Maze.
Those that do are able to via the the good graces of the Lady of Pain, or your Dungeon
Master.
In the Planescape Campaign Setting it says that the Lady of Pain is an icon for the campaign.
She represents a great unknown that the Dungeon Master, or even the author does not understand.
Player characters should never deal with her, she should never give out missions or grant
powers.
She has no temples to rob nor followers to seek out.
She is there to reinforce the wonder and mystery that is Sigil and the Great Wheel.
The Lady of Pain does have agents though.
They might be an extension of the Lady, or perhaps Sigil itself.
Dabus as they are called, are servants of Sigil.
They are not found anywhere else in the multiverse and maintain infrastructure within Sigil.
They keep sewers and catacombs from crumbling.
They cut back vines and patch streets.
They do show up when the Lady is under threat, which usually means a new Maze is about to
appear.
In the adventure Die Vecna Die!
It’s written that The Lady of Pain is part of the Ancient Brethren.
What exactly that is we don’t know.
She is an entity like that of the Raven Queen only more isolated, powerful, and mysterious.
Your game might feature the Lady of Pain, and if it does you should think about why
you’re showing her to your players.
Do you wish to frighten them, give them a sense of awe?
Perhaps the Lady is there to remind the players they don’t have everything in Dungeons and
Dragons understood.
The Lady of Pain could be anything in your campaign setting, perhaps you’ll find a
unique way to utilize her.
Thanks so much for watching, thanks again to my patrons for keeping these videos going.
If you’d like to know more about the planes consider this playlist.
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I’ll see you all in the next video.