Marilith

In the Forgotten Realms Universe, a marilith is a powerful type of Demon.

Mariliths are the leaders of the Abyssal hordes and queens of the Abyssal realms. They thrive on grand strategies and plans that will bring about the most destruction across the world. As such, they serve as the generals and advisors to the demon lords of the Abyss.

Appearance
A marilith appears to be a humanoid woman with six arms from the waist up and has a serpentine lower body. They are often quite attractive, wearing only jewelry. Their pleasing appearance makes them ideal lovers for the demon lords. A marilith stands about 9 feet tall and measures 20 feet from head to tip of tail. It weighs about 4,000 pounds. ''This large, otherworldly entity appears to be an attractive female human with six arms—at least from her head to her waist. From the waist down, the creature has the body of a massive snake with green, scaly coils.

Environment
Mariliths are native to the Abyss.

Typical physical characteristics
Mariliths have humanoid female upper bodies with six arms. Depending on the particular edition and illustrator, their head and torso may look almost human or be covered in reptilian scales. Their lower bodies are those of giant snakes, typically green or brown.

Mariliths are typically barely clothed, with little if any torso covering, though they may wear jewelery. They are almost always shown with a variety of swords and other melee weapons held in their six arms.

Society
Although they are strategists, mariliths eagerly join any melee combat given the chance. They attack with six weapons, a snapping tail which grabs, can cast illusionary and charm magics, and can gate in other tanar'ri.

Mariliths are the generals and coordinators of the Blood War (though given the chaotic nature of tanar'ri, it is not usually possible to coordinate their activities, mariliths are charged with it, nonetheless). In the hierarchy of tanar'ri, mariliths rank only below Balor.

Combat
All mariliths carry an arsenal of weapons at all times. Usually this is a sextet of swords, although it can include any number or type of hand-held weapon.

Though mariliths thrive on grand strategy and army-level tactics, they love physical combat and never pass up an opportunity to fight. Each of a marilith’s six arms can wield a weapon, and the creature gets an additional three weapon attacks with its primary arm. Mariliths seldom rush headlong into battle, however, preferring to hang back and size up the situation first. They always seek to gain the best possible advantage from the local terrain, obstacles, and any vulnerability or weakness in their opponents.

A marilith’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.



Appearances

 * The marilith Kalistes is a major adversary in the computer game Pools of Darkness.
 * Drizzt Do'Urden battles a marilith in the novel Passage to Dawn by R.A. Salvatore.
 * Yxunomei the marilith plays a large role in the computer game Icewind Dale.
 * Arvin is faced with a marilith in the novel Viper's Kiss by Lisa Smedman.