Tanar'ri

Tanar'ri were the dominant race of demons in the Abyss, evil souls warped by its raw chaos and manifestation of mortal failing. Whether they arose naturally from sins and spirits or were shaped by evil gods or other powerful demons, all tanar'ri were embodiments of vice, depraved inner demons spawned from the darkest corners of mortal minds.

"Purveyors of ill intent and creatures of utter cruelty, it's likely that the tanar'ri are the most mean-spirited and thoroughly evil monsters in existence. They view life as a nuisance. They see the living as toys to be savagely abused and then discarded. They care for nothing but themselves, and they don’t even care about themselves all that much... The tanar’ri are destructive, petty, and hateful, proud to exemplify all the worst that can come from chaos."

- Jessyme Rauch

Types of Tanar'ri

 * Adaru :
 * Millipede-like demons of pure corruption, adarus were verminous, venomous tanar'ri that oozed filth and spewed toxicity. Created by Talona, Lady of Poison, they awoke to vile sentience in response to the terrible results of a mortal's deceit, and manipulated other demons with lies and false promises.


 * Alkilith :
 * Disgusting masses of phosphorescent green ooze, alkiliths were pollution and putrescence made hatefully alive. The spawn of Juiblex, Demon Lord of Ooze, were embodiments of sloth that by merely infecting the world brought moral decay, desecration of the pristine, and the corrosion of reality itself.


 * Armanite :
 * Monstrous, centaur-like tanar'ri, armanites acted as heavy cavalry in demonic armies when not running wild across the Abyss. Vicious and quarrelsome yet brutally disciplined, armanites were militaristic mercenaries that fought for plunder, and to sate their bloodlust in the chaotic frenzy of battle.


 * Arrow demon :
 * Four-armed, humanoid tanar'ri capable of wielding two longbows at once, arrow demons were created to serve in the armies of the Abyss. Although the Abyssal archers understood a life of service and the value of group action, they were demons through and through, hateful of hope and alien to altruism.


 * Babau :
 * Sneaky, skeletal demons of deviousness and discretion, babaus were tanar'ri notable for placing work before pain. Efficiently evil and mechanically malicious, they were the alleged result of Glasya and Graz'zt's "union", when the subversive Princess of the Night spilled the Dark Prince's blood.


 * Balor :
 * With burning rage and lightning fury, balors were mighty tanar'ri champions and generals, driven by a primal urge to battle. Brilliant, inspiring, corruptive and powerful, they channeled their passionate hate and unholy strength into the fight for freedom — the freedom of evil from order and reason.


 * Barlgura :
 * Animalistic ape-like demons, barlguras were tribal pack hunters that took gruesome trophies from their prey. Manifestations of savage brutality, leaping demons bounded unseen through the wilds using camoflage and teleportation, for the ambush predators were experts in guerilla warfare.


 * Bulezau :
 * Minotaur-like demons of unending ferocity, buleazus were embodiments of nature's violence, heavy infantry that went beyond savagery with bestial, suicidal rage. Made by Baphomet, Lord of Minotaurs, by breeding minotaurs and tanar'ri, the buleazu were too wild even for the Prince of Beasts.


 * Cerebrilith :
 * The size of an ogre yet intellectually fearsome, cerebriliths were tanar'ri with the power of psionics and exposed, swollen brains. The horrifying creatures loved to kill intelligent beings so as to extract and examine their brains to gain new insight into the Invisible Art.


 * Chasme :
 * Cunning, craven tanar'ri sent to punish other demons, the lowly, fly-like chasmes tracked down traitors branded for service through a psychic imprint of chaotic evil before returning and torturing them. They emerged as maggots from the Abyss's dead before feeding off the plane's pervasive corruption.


 * Dretch :
 * The wretched dregs of the tanar'ri, dretches were the least of their kind, pathetic and squalid beings with few redeeming qualities. Cowardly and stupid, it was only due to possessing enough mutability and malice as mortals that dretches managed to maintain a fraction of their former minds.


 * Gadacro :
 * Small, flying tanar'ri with a love of shiny baubles and a taste for freshly plucked eyes, gadacros were lesser demons of viciousness tempered by cowardice. Like demonic carrion birds, murders of them trailed demonic hosts to pick off surviving stragglers, betraying their kin whenever beneficial.


 * Glabrezu :
 * Monstrous in appearance and of devious mind, glabrezus were ambitious demons, insidious schemers and the foremost corruptors of the Abyss. Embodiments of envy, such tanar'ri tempted the weak-willed with infectious promises of unmatched power, the onset of megalomania that would beget a pandemic of sin.


 * Goristro :
 * Another creation of Baphomet, goristros were huge, ferocious tanar'ri that resembled fiendish minotaurs and were often used as living siege engines. The hulking demons had unimaginable strength, and spending centuries in breeding pits had made them frighteningly good at their sole task: smashing.


 * Hezrou :
 * Stinky, slimy, and violent, hezrous were toad-like tanar'ri that kept watch of weaker demonic forces for stronger, less numerous masters. Unusually compliant and brutally simple, they sought only to eat and destroy, and would work with anyone of sufficient strength who tolerated these traits.


 * Jovoc :
 * Resembling the blackened corpses of children, jovocs were nimble demons that spread their pain to those around them. Born from gloom, despair, and strife, jovocs existed to cause further anguish, their appearance in the world was a portent of the suffering soon to come.


 * Kastighur :
 * Massive, sadistic tanar'ri, kastighurs often served as prison guards and hunters for more powerful, intellectual demons. More than mere sadists, they literally consumed the terror, panic, and hopelessness of those they tortured and tracked down, their greatest delight being the act of breaking wills.


 * Klurichir :
 * Tanar'ri of truly unfathomable might, klurichirs were demonic abominations, rare entities so powerful that they terrified even balors. Rivaling the power of demon lords but not bound by a layer, they were spawned in the lowest levels of the infinite Abyss by the corruption at its core.


 * Lilitu :
 * Former succubi reborn in their own ashes, lilitus were heretical tanar'ri that subsisted on the profane joy of twisting priests into demon worshipers. The first to become lilitus were born of Malcanthet, Queen of Succubi, and Antisif the Befouler, whose corruptive nature unlocked the blasphemous rite.


 * Mane :
 * Little more than demonic petitioners, the corpse-like manes were mere sub-tanar'ic spirits even lower than the dretches. Truly abysmal, they were the physical shells of souls driven to mad hatred by loss and agony, too wicked to be spared from the Abyss but not enough to have real promise there.


 * Marilith :
 * Six-armed, serpentine tanar'ri of militant brilliance, mariliths were demons that could act with cold logic. Proud of their martial prowess, experts in warfare, and able to coordinate demon armies, mariliths could master or suppress their inner rage to predict (if not truly understand) the forces of law.


 * Maurezhi :
 * Horrific, humanoid demons that could take on the forms of mortals that they consumed, maurezhi demons naturally had clawed hands, serrated teeth, and a pale, hunched body.


 * Mavawhan :
 * Rare cold-dwelling demons that were native to the Iron Wastes but were slowly being hunted to extinction by that layer's lord.


 * Molydeus :
 * These vaguely humanoid demons had the head and tail of a jackal, along with paws in place of feet and red-orange skin. Molydeus also possessed a second, serpentine head and neck that sprouted from the back of the first neck. They were violent demons that normally roamed the Abyss.


 * Myrmyxicus :
 * Myrmyxicus were massive aquatic demons that had two mouths and four arms, among other features. They were arrogant and powerful, and preferred melee attacks to use of magic.


 * Nabassu :
 * Also called death stealers, nabassu were demons that lived on the Material Plane as juveniles.


 * Nalfeshnee :
 * Nalfeshnee were absolutely hideous: grossly fat, humanoid, boar-like demons with vestigial feathered wings and tusks. They were disdainful of combat, but would fight anyway due to bloodlust.


 * Palrethee :
 * Arrogant, flame-covered demons with vestigial wings.


 * Sorrowsworn demon :
 * Sorrowsworn demons could both cause and prey upon feelings of grief and despair. They resembled gaunt humanoids with dusky gray skin, clawed hands, horns, bat-like wings and fanged jaws set into skeletal heads.


 * Succubus :
 * Succubi were manipulative demons that looked like very beautiful human women with bat-like wings, small horns, and a barbed tail. The similarly attractive male form was called an incubus (plural incubi), and were rarer than succubi. Both varieties were skilled shapechangers and enjoyed sexual activities.


 * Uridezu :
 * Uridezus were cowardly demons with a rat-like appearance. They walked upright and were hairless, but had clawed hands.


 * Vrock :
 * Vrocks were common demons that looked like a humanoid vulture, with gray skin and large feathered wings, as well as the head and beak of a vulture. Vrocks were vicious fighters and preferred to eat their victims alive.

History
The tanar'ri were originally the slaves of the obyriths, but eventually revolted against their masters, killing most of them and taking over the Abyss.

Connections
Tanar'ri