| Ahriman | |
|---|---|
| (Creature) | |
| Type | Outsider (div, evil, extraplanar) |
| CR | 26 |
| Environment | Abaddon |
| Alignment | Neutral evil |
Source: The Final Wish, pg(s). 76-77 | |
Lord of all the div, Ahriman is the embodiment of pure destruction. He seeks the utter oblivion of existence itself using his div servants to bring it about.
Appearance[]
Its black, depthless eyes seeming to see through existence, this towering figure melds the features of numerous bestial predators and a tortured genie in a form of tremendous dread. Feral and muscular, its man-like facade blends with the claws of a blood-soaked tiger and the taloned feet of a savaging vulture. Powerful wings spread behind it, darkness spilling from them like an eclipse, and through its black skin slither both vipers and scorched chains. Its visage is that of some terrible lion, a predatory face twisted with hatred and crowned by gnarled horns. From its dark maw echoes a cacophony of roars and screams, as well as the hint of darkness beyond mere shadow.[1]
Habitat & Ecology[]
Ahriman dwells in the depths of Abaddon. His realm is atop an incredibly tall mountain and is a vast temple carved from fallen monuments while above the sky swirls in a dark, apocalyptic void. It is from here that Ahriman sets his dark designs on the rest of the multiverse. Ahriman's ecology is as unique as he is and is shrouded in mystery and legend. The myths of the genies claim that Ahriman was born with the first act of creation as he was the shadow of its inevitable destruction. Ahriman is both a creature and a force of nature; he is the destruction that must inevitably come to all things in order to keep existence in balance and as such he is the enemy of all creation. Ahriman's hatred of life is so great that any creature he kills is instantly reanimated as a powerful undead (usually a wight) that serves him loyally in his destructive quests. While he hates all life Ahriman seems to harbour a particular hatred for genies; his very servants, the div, are created from the essence of corrupted genie. Beyond this he has served to create foul perversions of genie-kind like the undead ghul. While it might seem a paradox that a creature that is an embodiment of pure destruction creates, he does so only to quicken the destruction of the rest of the multiverse. Ahriman's favourite form of ruin is the corruption of mortal desires, often through the use of manipulated wish spells.[1]
Society[]
Ahriman is lord of all the div, a race of fiends that revel in destruction and misery. Specifically they seek to destroy the works that mortals create, much like the daemons they share their home of Abaddon with.[2] Beyond this Ahriman also created the undead ghuls to vex and destroy mortal life[3] and the despotic fiendish dragons known as azi.[4]
Despite his abhorence for all life, Ahriman has a cult of mortals on the Material Plane dedicated to him, the Usij. These demented people use Ahriman as a source of power and inspiration for their destructive plots. The Usij, while no longer numerous, are highly insidious, seeking to corrupt and destroy everything around them.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFWp77 - ↑ Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary. Howl of the Carrion King, p. 81. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-159-6
- ↑ Stephen S. Greer & Amber E. Scott. (2009). Dark Markets: A Guide to Katapesh, p. 63. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-166-4
- ↑ Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary. The Final Wish, p. 75. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-185-5