D&D's Most Mysterious Being - Lady of Pain Lore

This episode of Forgotten Lore is a journey through the many editions of Dungeons & Dragons on the Lady of Pain. Possibly the most mysterious figure in all of DnD and one of the most central to the Planescape setting, information about the Lady has been spread around DnD since 2nd edition.
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#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dndlore

[@Sam-ve4tx]

Props to the random Poseidon lore. Not many people bring that up. Pages of Pain was certainly a book.

[@pockystyx4087]

I feel old saying it; but. . . thou dost not f*ck with the lady of pain.

[@IRDANIMAL]

My favorite character in all of DnD.

[@obanjespirit2895]

I can save her.

[@The_NaturalOnes]

I can fix her.

[@thenson1Halo]

Sigil could also be her protection. Keying in on her ability to create demi-planes (and perhaps she created full fledged planes) it is likely that there are many deities that would like to bend her to their will. Sigil may be the only place she can be safe from influence.

[@sporf_sporf]

Surprised that you didn't mention that the gods used to be allowed to enter Sigil, until one day she just decided that they weren't allowed in anymore. Most left quietly an politely, but one didn't. The god of portals stayed, and she seemingly ignored him for quite awhile until one day one of her dabus, abandoned her and became a cleric of the god of portals. She almost immediately killed the god and shattered his temple. No one knows how she did it or why she waited so long to do do, but it certainly got the rest of the muliverese's attention. The writers did eventually give an explanation. She has a connection to all her dabus, and the fact that the one dabus established a divine connection to the god of portals gave her a connection that she could exploit in order to kill him. This isn't something that is known by anyone but her though. Not even the gods know, so they continue to be wary of her and generally try to enter the city.

[@sporf_sporf]

Generally don't try to enter the city^

[@The_NaturalOnes]

Ya this is probably something I should have included, I found some parts of this in 2E book "Uncaged, Faces of Sigil", but I couldn't really get the entire story in my research, thanks for including this!

[@sporf_sporf]

Yeah, I don't really even remember where all the little bits of the story came from either, I have a lot of the old Planescape stuff, but it's been a while since I looked at it.

[@zackgilmore2504]

Yup. Oskar the god of portals and doors

[@justicedemocrat9357]

What the hell is a dabos?

[@thenson1Halo]

She definitely has no relation to demons because she enforces order above anything else. It is almost like she was in the process of becoming a deity and stopped before apotheosis. Which would explain her demands to not be worshipped as I suppose that is a dangerous thing for one not fully ascended or in possession of a portfolio.

[@sporf_sporf]

In one of the few Planescape novels Pages of Pain she is given a connection to Baphomet, but that novel was really, really big on the unreliable narrator. So nothing in it could be taken as Canon, which is how Planescape likes it.

[@BlueRadium]

Too much worship start forcing divinity on you, so, keeping that from happening. You start being forced to be the embodiment of the thing you're worshipped for and the like. Which presumably doesn't match up with her goals, and it's too easy for her to have divinity forced on her if she doesn't actively keep it from happening.

[@theandroidchronicles]

Guys. Im pretty sure hes pronouncing it correctly. Its just that everyone says it the other way so thats what you're used to hearing.

[@sporf_sporf]

He is. It's how the 2nd ed books say it's pronounced. The people of Sigil get mad when you call it Sijil.

[@jikjikrodriguez]

If you're basing the video on 2E/3EX lore then you should know that Asmodeus was never a God. Asmodeus is a disguise used by Ahriman, one of the Elder Serpents of Law who, along with the other Elder Serpent of Law, Jazirian instituted the Rule of 3 which eventually formed the Primordial Chaos into the Outer Ring of Planes with the Outlands and Sigil at it's center. The Lady of Pain, along with Ahriman, Jazirian are part of the beings known as The Ancient Brethren whom predate most of lore such as the Battle of Pesh or Vecna's reshaping of the Multiverse.

[@The_NaturalOnes]

Ya this video is lore collected across 2e -5e. And that’s why I made the small comment about them all being gods at some point in some edition. All three of them are gods at some point and not at others. I saw that info about the Lady of Pain being an Ancient Brethren but as with dnd lore later on it’s contradicted or redacted. Thanks for this info though! Very cool stuff

[@gustavoschnurr1907]

That is creepy as hell. Loved it!

[@oliveragag8576]

She got a lego minifigure apparently. Cool.

[@jeffagain7516]

Yet another reason I find Planescape:Torment one of the best computer RPG games ever created (sequel did not overly impress me). I also still have the original Planescape 1st Boxed Edition, as well as all the Monster Manuals, PHB, Maps and multiple modules. Obviously, a pretty big fan... :)

[@The_NaturalOnes]

That’s awesome! I would love to get my hands on some of those early D&D books

[@LoneEagle2061]

I thought it was made clear that “she” was, like Ao (Aber Toril) and the Greygem’s Chaos (Krynn); one of the so-called Overpowers.

[@sporf_sporf]

Very little in Planescape is ever "made clear" and I don't remember that being mentioned.

[@Dahaka-rd6tw]

do you do other that Wizards of Coasts content? I'd want to suggest "Scariest Monsters of D&D" episode on Dimensional Shambler fom Tome of Beasts II by Kobold Press

[@The_NaturalOnes]

I do actually have 2 videos on monsters from tome of beasts 1, 1 is a horror themed one and one are my favorite 5. Haven’t really explored too much of TOBII but I’ll check it out!

[@ashb8036]

Looks like that race was created by dr Seuss

[@The_NaturalOnes]

That’s exactly what I though, looked like they were whovians

[@ashb8036]

@@The_NaturalOnes 100% whovians

[@Fizzbann]

I can't wait to see if Ed Greenwood makes a video on Sigil and the lady of pain. He has been slowly making videos explaining much of his works. He reveals secrets many may not know about the forgotten realms and much not published through the dnd lore books and magazines. He still owns the rights to this work, and everything he says about it is very much cannon. Pronunciations depend heavily on dilect, so there are technically no wrong ways to say many of the names he's made and he does cover many of the words in his videos and gives recommendations if you prefer other ways of saying them or wish to incorporate other ways of referencing areas of the forgotten realms.

[@sporf_sporf]

@Fizzbann Greenwood doesn't own any rights or have anything to do with Planescape. Planescape was mostly Monte Cook. Any of Greenwood's thoughts on Sigil might be interesting I'm sure though, but I don't think he'd bother, the Realms are already enough for him.

[@doublestarships646]

I think her attacking worshippers is her way of telling everyone that she either hates gods or is strong in message that she isn't a god.

[@rangereric18]

Ah, Akadi.

[@Araithe]

Could be the first LeShay?

[@blizz3975]

She is the defense system od advanced dimension-ship, which wrecked into the universe od D&D. Now the ship changed to Sigil.

[@SymbioteMullet]

Is that your headcanon, or is that hidden an old spelljammer supplement?

[@zulphar4127]

That ain't real@@SymbioteMullet

[@SymbioteMullet]

@@zulphar4127 with everything that happened in 2nd edition alone, it's sometimes really hard to tell.

[@zulphar4127]

@@SymbioteMullet fair

[@DyrianLightbringer]

Sigil is pronounced with a soft g (sij-il).

[@stephensmith4025]

Ok but what IS she.

[@The_NaturalOnes]

She is the Lady of Pain. Not knowing is kind of her thing

[@stephensmith4025]

@@The_NaturalOnes ok but what is she tho

[@timeforringydingy]

What the fuck is Siggle?

[@The_NaturalOnes]

A city, it’s described in the video

[@timeforringydingy]

@@The_NaturalOnes Oh, that's sig gills? I was wondering where I could even fish or buy fish parts.

[@zulphar4127]

Planescape content. Based.

[@tailstalker]

Great video, however...the pronunciation of the 'g' in 'Sigil' is how it is used in the word 'judge'.

[@qwepqwop4901]

Nah 'Sigil' the city is pronounced differently cuz... reasons

[@BryNgons]

I feel like there's a lot of lore channels for various games lately that have had a really hard time with proper pronunciation of even basic words, BUT...this is oddly not one of those times. As infuriating as it sounds, it is actually pronounced "sig-il", like "cigar" with the hard 'g'. I have no idea why (and I haven't found a compelling reason for it), but it's just part of the Planescape world I guess.

[@tailstalker]

@ns But...in...the Planescape Torment video-game they pronounced it...oh god, this is going to make me go replay that game just to make sure I'm not going insane. Well, that's a thing to learn. Thanks.

[@sporf_sporf]

There's a bit in the 2nd ed books where the people of Sigil get mad if outsiders pronounce it Sijil. Though now I need to fire up Torment again as well to see if they do that or not.

[@The_NaturalOnes]

I've seen both! But I found an old 2e book I believe with pronunciations and this is how they wrote it out. Highly debated topic for sure

[@chrisdavies8660]

Please....for the love of lady of pain stop saying Sigil that way!

[@SymbioteMullet]

Apparently the city is pronounced that way, even though the word in its usual context is not. I don't get it either.

[@Ariel.constante212]

But that's the correct way.

[@Fizzbann]

Ed Greenwood would say there are technically no wrong pronunciations. It boils down to dialect. He's made this clear in several of his videos. He created forgotten realms.

[@sporf_sporf]

@@Fizzbann The people of Sigil get a might upset about it though, if you go by the little flavor texts peppered throughout the original box set books.

[@Fizzbann]

@@sporf_sporf npcs yes. Real people, no.🤣