Tanar'ri

m Tanar'ri were the dominant race of demons in the Abyss, evil souls warped by its raw chaos into manifestations 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, Tanar’ri Specialist Extraordinaire

Description
By their very nature as beings of chaos, it was a mistake to assume that the tanar'ri had any physical traits shared across the entire race. From their skin to their organs, any sense of patterns or logical progression was absent. While a common set of standard forms appeared frequently enough to give the appearance of a classification system, the truth was that for every known shape of the tanar'ri there were perhaps dozens unknown.

The only true rule behind the form of the tanar'ri was that they followed function, each shape an adaptation to the infinitely inhospitable depths of the Abyss. It was believed that some layers housed particular types of tanar'ri, and that those in small secluded regions might all share the same basic forms. Furthermore, the tanar'ri were mutable, always in a state of individual evolution to grow stronger, the path of which also depended on the nature of their environment. In short, the tanar'ri form followed no ultimate pattern because the lives and lands of the tanar'ri followed no ultimate pattern, with some types being entirely unique.

Despite not following any overall rules, there were some major commonalities when it came to the tanar'ri forms. Most tanar'ri had some humanoid features due to their close ties to the mortal realm, but many of the earliest varieties were monstrous and primeval in appearance with little if any such traits, the raw chaos of the Abyss leaving them in such bestial forms. Furthermore, many tanar'ri were also noted to share an odd feature in that parts of them seemed artificial, almost mechanical in appearance. Some, like the hezrou and glabrezu for example, had half-organic plating under their flesh. These were the markings of alterations made by the sibriex to the still-developing tanar'ri long ago.

Personality
If the obyriths that came before them embodied the chaos of the Abyss, then the tanar'ri were incarnations of its evil. Indeed, the tanar'ri were bred for evil, as well as torment and corruption, not simply existing, but reveling in anarchy and bloodshed in accordance with their twisted desires. It was these desires, not doctrines, that fueled the violent inner drives which seemed insane to other beings. They delighted in cruelty towards the weak and mercilessly reigned over others with capricious, gleeful savagery. Cold-heartedly callous yet burningly passionate, the tanar'ri acted on bursts of manic insight and creativity, and directed all of their energy into satisfying the most selfish and hateful of their urges.

The vile tastes of the tanar'ri ran wide; they took perverse pleasure in the torture of the mind as well as the body. Scale was also no deterrent, for they also leapt at the opportunity to inflict brutalities big and small, from burning the flesh from bodies to plucking off the limbs of insects. Anything that moved was at risk of being killed and anything that talked was at risk of being cheated, for the tanar'ri had hate for all things that lived and even some that did not. Simply put, the tanar'ri were chaotic evil personified, creatures to whom the concepts of love and friendship had been long-forgotten as anything but tools to inspire hope to be manipulated and crushed in a world colored only by fury and bleak hate.

Perhaps more than anything else, the tanar'ri raged, seething with a nameless and formless hate that burned within them. Some claimed that the source of this inner rage was their hideous forms, but this wasn't the case. Most of the tanar'ri liked their forms, strong and adaptable as they were, and no matter the endlessness of their bodies, malevolence still laid at their cores. One of the potentially more valid explanations was that the tanar'ri were lashing out due to their oppression, venting their aggression on those they could. However, this theory also had its own holes, for it was likely that some tanar'ri accepted, and even enjoyed harsh treatment, and those that took orders from no one were still cruel for its own sake.

Another theory purported that the true motive behind tanar'ric behavior was the desire for release. Through destruction and death, the tanar'ri hoped to expel their rage, passion, and fear, only to find that it was impossible. No matter how much they screamed or destroyed, they would never hope to express themselves enough, and never find even the temporary relief that a mortal could. The only thing that could alleviate the strain of ever-building rage, as the theory went, was causing suffering to others. True or not, those that would cast the tanar'ri condition as tragic in light of this idea were likely misplacing their sympathy.

Through their own wicked deeds, the tanar'ri condemned themselves to the horrors of the Abyss. They were not misunderstood victims, but those who consistently and completely put their own wants above others needs, stopping only when forced to. In a sense, their former selves had wanted to become tanar'ri, even if they started as the lowest of the low, as from there they could rise to greater power, with those at the top having fought their way there to be truly free from anyone's demands. Raw, unassailable power was their goal, the only path to achieving it to take all for yourself and crush all else beneath you, and the Abyss the best place for it.

Either way, the tanar'ri liked causing agony and death even without the motivation of soothing their own suffering. If unending rage was their predominant emotion then to cause pain was their predominant desire. Though they might indulge in other passions, to hurt was the one drive that overpowered all others. Whether or not it would make them feel better, they would inflict it all the same.

Chaos
There were those who would try and take advantage of the chaotic nature of the tanar'ri for their own benefit (particularly those of lawful natures). These individuals believed, incorrectly, that the tanar'ri were incapable of making complicated plans or even doing any planning whatsoever, and therefore would be easy victims for those that could. All this was simply wrong, and in all likelihood spread in part by the tanar'ri themselves. Chaos was not the same thing as stupidity, and the tanar'ri were by no means too chaotic to have foresight.

The tanar'ri were cunning creatures, fully capable of acting logically and efficiently, and did in fact make plans. Sometimes this was done in short bursts, at others it took decades, and sometimes they weaved schemes than required centuries of work. Where the chaotic nature of the tanar'ri made itself apparent was that the tanar'ri didn't work together. The baatezu, the lawful counterparts of the tanar'ri, made calculated moves as part of a larger plan, their grand scheme to achieve racial dominion over all the multiverse. They acted both with future generations and the desires of their superiors in mind. In stark contrast, the tanar'ri enacted plans only with the goal of increasing their own power and pleasure, racial solidarity or their impact on those that would come after being irrelevant to them.

When a tanar'ri acted, it was to advance their own agendas and establish their own personal footholds. They preferred to wallow in the heat of the moment, and tended to ignore the bigger picture in favor of focusing only on themselves. Put simply, the tanar'ri enacted their plans because they could, and if anyone knew the dangers of complete self-interest, it was the baatezu.

Aside from their selfishness, the tanar'ri were chaotic in that they were utterly unpredictable. At times they might maim the person closest to them without a second thought and at others they might be in a generous mood and behave with relative beneficence. Laws and loopholes did not bind them, for the only rule they respected was that of force, and even that they might ignore. Instead, they might choose to deceive, perhaps with verbal manipulation, but nothing stopped them from simply lying to get what they wanted. Not even a tanar'ri often knew what it would do next, and the very concept that such a being could even manage to exist could be unfathomable for those deeply steeped in the ideals of order.

Although not stupid, the tanar'ri didn't exactly learn from their experiences. Understanding this mindset could be made simpler, however, once one remembered the nature of the tanar'ri's home: not just chaos, but Chaos, the cosmic force. Anything could and usually did happen in the Abyss, and so the tanar'ri were justifiably paranoid, always watching their backs and doing so in every direction. They were alert for all possibilities, but normally expected the worst knowing that was the most likely outcome. The tanar'ri did lay plans, and discarded them just as quickly as they were hatched, for the trait most selected for in their environment was adaptability.

In chaos, one could also find one of the few admirable traits of the tanar'ri (and the fiends of the Abyss at large). Each was an individual and based their lives on the triumph of individuality above all else, as well as how they differed from those around them. They fought with such ferocity because each was upholding their own personal visions. It was in this that one could find the fundamental key to understanding the tanar'ri, an idea repeated independently by several members of the wildly independent race. Each tanar'ri believed that it, and only it, knew "the Answer", the true meaning of life. Though some of the lower tanar'ri sought only to kill and hurt, those with any level of intelligence had sought out the answers to life's questions themselves.

After obtaining "the Answer", the tanar'ri then sought to teach what they had learnt, which was not the same thing as trying to enlighten others. They only sought to spread their personal chaotic philosophy, to impose it on others, and the only way they knew how to teach was by providing personal and painful experience. Furthermore, each felt that the unpredictable and inexplicable ways of the cosmos sought to prove them right and that the weight of reality was on their shoulders. They were filled with impotent rage at a cosmos that cared not for them, and practically nothing could convince them that the multiverse was a kind place. In their eyes, life was cheap, and so they might as well make the most of it at the expense of everyone else.

Redemption
For a tanar'ri to ever change their ways, they would have to change from within themselves, and this is where the ever-mutable race was the least likely to change. Their inner certainty empowered them, and to change would require self-doubt, the capacity to conceive of the notion that they could be wrong. As unlikely as it was, however, even tanar'ri were capable of that kind of change. Over a millennia of exposure to carnage unending, even a tanar'ri's innate bloodlust could wane, an "unnatural" tendency they normally tried to hide. Furthermore, the tanar'ri took pride in their differences, and some spent so much time focusing on the beauty and horror of the self that they stumbled upon a way to be truly unique: by embracing goodness with all their hearts.

Most tanar'ri that did this reveled in their new beliefs for a time, flaunting them whenever possible, but before long came to appreciate their past more and returned to their old habits with newfound enthusiasm and a better understanding than before. However, not all of them got back their desire to kill and maim even after time away from the action, and a few tanar'ri that did changed their ways truly meant it. Such tanar'ri stood by their new beliefs and learned to truly cleanse themselves of evil. They were traitors to the Abyss that was their origin, seeking to be different and savoring what set them apart so much that they defied the very nature of their being.

The tanar'ri were used to all kinds of betrayal and demons did hate the forces of good. However, though they avenged themselves when possible, their focus on the defeat of the baatezu devils of Baator] meant they had little time to plan the downfall of such a traitor, usually just letting such hatred fester. They lacked the sheer vengefulness of the baatezu, as well as the cold malice of yugoloths, being too passionate and fiery to savor revenge slowly over years as opposed to just having it all at once. This would be different if the tanar'ri had joined the baatezu, but it as likely that no tanar'ri could do that even if they wanted to, at least not for very long. Though the evil in their natures could be repressed, the tanar'ri could not truly hold back the chaos.

Abilities
Given the nature of the tanar'ri, the race couldn't be said to have "standard abilities", merely powers seen in varying frequencies. Fiends like the baatezu had far more common powers, although to compensate the various tanar'ri breeds had far more individual powers than the baatezu ones did. Almost all tanar'ri the ability to see in darkness through infravision, had the darkness spell-like ability, could telepathically communicate, and summon various other types of tanar'ri. They also used to universally possess the power to teleport without error, but due to yugoloth tampering not even that could be said with any level of certainty.

Of the various elements and harmful substances in the universe, the tanar'ri were known to be completely immune to the effects of electricity and poison. Fire was debatably useful, ranging from not working at all on them to the tanar'ri being only partially resistant, but magic fire was normally more effective. They were also resistant to the cold and to harmful gases and acid, though magical acid normally worked without fail. Magic missiles were known to be fully effective, as was the obvious holy water. In terms of weapons, magical, holy, cold iron and silver ones worked well, though the more powerful tanar'ri were resistant to silver.

Aside from these commonalities, there was perhaps no telling what an individual tanar'ri might be capable of. A given tanar'ri might be able to see in many directions at once, or use their eyes to detect heat, cold, magic, anger, peacefulness, different realities, or any other numbers of things. Some were equipped with wicked claws for rending flesh while others had serpentine appendages that could strike like a blindingly fast whip. Some powers were even less obvious than that, such as those with a strange neck and oddly shaped ears being able to create sound waves capable of collapsing earth, structures, and possibly even blood vessels.

Combat
The tanar'ri were dogged combatants with a relentless ferocity allowing them to keep fighting even when badly hurt, the less intelligent ones often attacking without question and fighting to the death. However, not all tanar'ri were simply predictable murderers. For example, they might angrily devour someone that threatened them, but might also take a shining to mortals that tried and failed to kill them, finding their overestimation of their own abilities amusing. At the same time, this might also translate to them slaughtering the mortal, laughing the entire time.

A common trend among the tanar'ri was that most were normally reluctant to use their summoning powers. They disdained doing not only due to their arrogance, but because they would likely be beholden to the summoner, and they loathed owing favors to each other. Only if they were in obvious, life-threatening danger would they use their power and risk such a debt.

Warfare
The military forces of the tanar'ri consisted of millions of fiends, though in practical terms they had no actual armies, but rather hordes. Driven forward by fierce wills and vicious cruelty, the tanar'ri normally had no strategy, simply charging at the foe with intent to destroy them. They moved without regard for anyone else among their number, hoping to overwhelm through sheer force of numbers knowing that countless more of them were waiting to join the fight.

If the tanar'ri ever managed to work together to agree on specific tactics or a plan before fighting, they would have the capacity to destroy even their ancient baatezu enemies, but such a thing was not in their nature. Their chaotic ways notwithstanding, the tanar'ri had little capacity to use said tactics anyway, even if they felt like they needed them and wanted to apply them. Much of this was because their incredible numbers made it practically impossible to sort them out and send them off in different directions to make calculated strikes.

Where the tanar'ri forces excelled however, was in their reactivity. In the swirling conflict and chaos of a wartime scenario, the tanar'ri thrived on confusion and disorientation. Members of other military forces would try to keep track of the number and location of enemy forces, but the tanar'ri mostly didn't care where they were or when so long as they could fight the enemy, and their commanders could simply respond to to problems by driving forward more soldiers to plug the holes in the offensive. Furthermore, the residents of the ever-changing Abyss weren't truly caught off guard when ambushed, just going with the flow and attacking any invaders.

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 fight 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 with the primal urge to battle. Brilliant, corruptive, and inspiring, they were passionate hate personified, and channeled their unholy power 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 camouflage 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 exposed, swollen brains, and the power of psionics. 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 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 :
 * Ghoul-like tanar'ri created from a corrupted elf society by Doresain, Prince of Ghouls, maurezhi consumed their kills to steal their forms and memories. Scourge incarnations of the undeath plague, they spread chaos and evil through vile bite, infecting mortals with an unholy, overpowering hunger for flesh.


 * Mavawhan :
 * Rare, cold-dwelling demons native to the Iron Wastes, mavawhans were tanar'ri known for focused fury and chilling magic able to freeze victims solid. The ice demons sought to take back their homelands from tanar'ri-hating Kostchtchie, who had driven them to the corners of their home.


 * Molydeus :
 * Two-headed tanar'ri created by demon lords, molydei were sent to ensure the loyalty of more powerful servants, rivaling balors in power and surpassing them in fearsomeness. Their wolf head symbolized rage and their serpent head mistrust, the latter's bite able to reduce any demon to a mere mane.


 * Myrmyxicus :
 * Primeval, aquatic demons, myrmyxicuses were among the earliest tanar'ri, immensely powerful creatures that commanded respect from even the haughtiest balor. Rulers of the Abyssian Ocean, each was the master of a grand slave empire, their captives ranging from unlucky humans to overconfident demon lords.


 * Nabassu :
 * Gargoylish demons ever-hungry for souls, nabassus were tanar'ri spawned from gluttony that peered into the Material realm waiting to enter and feed. Instantly recognizable as demons, they spread fear and death on the Material Plane to instill terror in mortals, thus bringing power to all demonkind.


 * Nalfeshnee :
 * The corpulent nobles of the tanar'ri, nalfeshnees were the judges of souls, picking the forms of most arrivals based on their own warped sense of "justice". The bloated demons embodied both hunger and sloth, and readied souls for conversion by consuming their hate and despair, leaving only husks.


 * Palrethee :
 * Constantly aflame, palrethees were tanar'ri of arrogance and ambition who sought to rule the Abyss as balors. Despite their great levels of sadistic intent and wickedness, the power-hungry creatures failed their trial by fire, and so as punishment were sentenced to burn for all eternity.


 * Rutterkin :
 * Twisted mutants in unending pain, rutterkin were outcasts of demonkind, utterly despised creatures cursed with deformity for their pride. Creatures of utter chaos, they were unrestrained by relationships, societies, and even consistency, their own forms always warping horrifically against their will.


 * Solamith :
 * Obese tanar'ri of all-consuming appetite, gluttonous depravity, and burning hunger, the flesh of solamiths was charged with the spiritual fire of their prey. They savored each bite of lesser fiend or petitioner, and once finished, a spiritual echo pleading for release appeared as a new face on their guts.


 * Sorrowsworn demon :
 * Tanar'ri of emptiness and futility, sorrowsworn demons were predators and perpetuators of weakness, grief, and despair. They appeared after tragedies in places of great misery, whispering about losses big and small, past and future, real and imagined, and the inevitably of losing what one held most dear.


 * Spyder-fiend :
 * Combining the worst traits of lupines and arachnids, spyder-fiends were the servants of Miska the Wolf-Spider, the second Prince of Demons and first tanar'ri to claim the title. The horrid demons were cruel, cunning, and said to be the offspring of their master and the Queen of Chaos.


 * Succubus :
 * Sinister seductresses, succubi enticed important souls with vile debauchery, encouraging their darkest desires before leaving them with empty pleasure. Embracing mortal form rather than twisting it, they were born from the primal, deadly sin of lust, the one most potent for seeding new demonic life.


 * Uridezu :
 * Cowardly and rat-like, uridezu were verminous tanar'ri that served as henchmen for more powerful demons. The rodents retained a connection to the rats of the Material Plane and had a similar niche in the Abyss, that of scavenging nuisances that lurked unseen in the shadows stealing scraps of food.


 * Vrock :
 * Vulture-like demons of notorious selfishness, vrocks could coordinate with each other to a startling degree, battling with uncanny grace in elite fighting squads. They were also hateful creatures spawned from the ancient sin of wrath, their instinctive teamwork undermined by greed and bloodlust.


 * Yochlol :
 * Known as the Handmaidens of Lolth, yochlols were tanar'ri created from succubi through terrible rites exclusive to the Spider Queen. Though absolutely loyal to Lolth and sent to ensure drow fealty, they were notable being able to work with each other, and form genuine friendships with mortals.

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