Demonology by Savant lquander

Demonomicon

From: Jay Alexander Hafner <JHSeven@AOL.COM>

Date: Mon, Jul 27, 1998 12:07 PM

Subject: Re: [GREYTALK] Demonomicon, .. savant sage

Demonology by Savant lquander

BY ERIK MONA (lquander@aol.com).

The following are worshipped and are considered to be lesser or intermediate powers. They have little detail but are mentioned in the sacred tomes of St.Cuthbert and others.

Yeenoghu, Jubilex, Baphomet, Zuggtmoy (Queen of Fungi), Fraz-Urb luu, Kostchtchie, Yagrax, Pazuzu and Pazrael (who may very well be the same entity), Fraz-Urb'luu, Cabiri, Eblis, Kerzit, Kostchtchie, Socothbenoth, Arioch, Leviathan, Lugush, and Palvlag.

Specifics known:

Lolth: Demon Queen of Spiders, Lady of the Drow. (I'm pretty sure you all know about her.)ARACHNE: Known best as Lolth, the Demon-Queen of Spiders, fallen member of the Seldarine. There is, in fact, some question of whether this being is a demon at all, as her place among the elven pantheon is a confusing one. Scribes have been dispatched to Celene to glean the truth from the gray elves and their massive library in Enstad, but one cannot expect too much information from the tight lipped and ancient scholars of the Olve.

Lolth is known to have a vested interest in Oerth itself, and has, on at least one occasion, attempted to bring part of the planet into her own layer of the Abyss. I refer, of course, to the troubles in Starich some years ago, the full import of which still cannot be determined. The recent Giant Troubles of the recent war have not helped matters, and it is unlikely that we will be able to learn more of Lolth's plans in the area while lstivin is controlled by hill giants and the like.

The more paranoid of my colleagues suggest that Lolth had a hand in the Giant Troubles, as well, but it should be noted that these individuals are the type to check under their sheets for agents of the Scarlet Brotherhood before retiring every evening.

DEMOGORGON: While the extent of Demogorgon's worship on Oerth is not generally known, his power in the Abyss is legendary. It is said that this hideous creature controls _several_ layers of the plane (and these are infinite, mind you), and that entire legions of demons follow his command. If rumors can be trusted, over 100,000 fiends make their home in his capitol city in the Abyss. Truly, he is a force of great power in the fell plane, and his title of Prince of Demons is an apt one, indeed.

Tales and legends among the sahuagin, a hideous race of sea-humanoids unfortunately rather common off the shores of the Flanaess, suggest that Demogorgon was once a servant of Sekolah, the sahuagin god. Though the Prince of Demons holds great sway with the ixixachitl (another evil aquatic race), and is said to hate the sahuagin, this tale is, at best, hearsay.

Though there are several cults to Demogorgon in the Flanaess (and probably more still among the uncivilized residents of the Amedio and Hepmonaland), he enjoys no known human priests. With what seem, by all accounts, to be ixixachitl priests (!) appearing on shipping lanes throughout the area, many fear that the Prince will soon enjoy a sizable clergy of humans here on Oerth and elsewhere.

Graz'zt: The Demon Prince of Lamias and evil scheming, Graz'zt has great  interest in the current events of the Flanaess. Father to luz through the archmagess lggwilv, Graz'zt is heavily involved in the plots of his cambion son. As a Demon Prince, Graz'zt holds the powers of a lesser god. GRAZ'ZT: Graz'zt, the Ebon Lord of the Abat-Dolor, father to the vile luz the Old and ruler of Azzagrat, the Triple Realm, is perhaps the demon prince most closely tied to the affairs of Oerth. He is, by appearances, the most human of all the monarchs, but appearances are hardly absolute when dealing with creatures of this nature. Graz'zt has become so successful in the Abyss simply because he is unflinchingly evil and a brilliant strategist. It doesn't hurt that the Ebon Lord has surrounded himself with the most calculating and loyal minds in all demonium, including the demon lord Verin (or Vuron).

Graz'zt sired the Old One who currently controls much of the Flanaess, and is a hated figure in the texts of nearly every benevolent god known to us. It was Graz'zt who helped lggwilv dominate Perrenland nearly a century ago, and it is Graz'zt still who meddles (some say through lggwilv herself) in the affairs of Oerth, though he is apparently unable to come here himself.

Perhaps most frightening of all, Graz'zt has somehow managed to command a large segment of the drow population of Oerth, and he has found some way to grant spells to his followers. His method is a matter of great interest for nearly every demon of the Abyss more powerful than a Vrock, and, of course, Lolth is livid. Were it not for the hideous consequences Graz'zt's clergy is liable to bring, I might suggest that it will be interesting to see how the situation develops.

MARDUK: Very little is known about this being, save that he is said to be "King of Fire Demons," suggesting that he is possibly an ascended Balor. There is definitely a benevolent god of the same name who makes his home in the Outer Planes, and these two are definitely as different in demeanor as is possible. He wields the awesome Firefan, which is counted among the most powerful of Abyssal artifacts (and is likely closely tied to his rapid progress through the ranks, so to speak).

Of all the monarchs, Marduk is the least involved in the affairs of the Flanaess, though sailors tales suggest the worship of a powerful "fire demon" among the Wuga tribesmen, south of Hitaxia far to the southwest. As that land is as unknown to us in Nellix as is the Abyss, I will deal with such tales in the future as time and exploration allow.

ORCUS: Once, this individual (known as the Lord of Undeath or Lord of Unlife), commanded great armies of demons and undead creatures across the shifting fields of the Abyss. Now, however, he has been dethroned, his powerful and legendary Rod of Unlife destroyed or lost. His plane, Thanatos, has been commandeered by a drow goddess, and all references to this being have been ordered stricken from any record (an order to which I refuse to submit, by the way). It is not thought that the drow goddess herself usurped Orcus, but then, no one seems to know anything of the matter at all.

It is known that, at the ti,me of his apparent fall, Orcus commanded over _half_ of the 24 known Balors (which suggests some kind of alliance with Marduk), and that several less important Abyssal Lords paid him homage. Now, the Balors are either destroyed or scattered, and Orcus' once great abyssal empire is little more than the dust of corroded bones. Still, though, cults to the demon exist throughout the Flanaess. The Bone March, for instance, is home to a particularly influential cult, as are several of the more decadent cities of the former Great Kingdom. It is not known how Orcus' particular version of undeath differed from that of Nerull, but it is not assumed that the beings were allies.

Though it would seem that Orcus is no longer a political player in the Abyss (his place within the monarchy being taken by Abraxas, Baphomet, Cagrino or perhaps Jubilex), it would be unwise, even now, to exclude him from consideration entirely. The irregularity of the Abyss simply cannot be stressed enough and, especially when dealing with a being of Orcus' power and interest, dead is often a rather subjective term.

ZUGGTMOY: If Graz'zt is the demon lord with the most interests in Oerth, Zuggtmoy is the one most frequently visiting it. Zuggtmoy, Tsuggtmoy, or simply, The Lady of Fungi, is allegedly the consort to luz, and something of an ally to the archmagess, lggwilv. As is a matter of record, she was trapped within the so-called Temple of Elemental Evil in 569 CY, though it remains to be seen if this is still the case. Her Abyssal realm, Mycorgi (or Shedaklah, the Slime Pits), is said to be a hideous and damp place situated between two branches of the River Styx. Jubilex, Lord Ooze, is a likely ally of the Queen of Fungi, who likewise commands the demon lord Yuibiri.

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