Xerfilstyx

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Xerfilstyxes were insane baatezu that blending the features of devils and slugs and acted as the self-appointed guardians of the treacherous River Styx. The broken minds of the horrifying creatures were filled with thoughts that were not their own, and they were intent on stealing more memories for their own self-destructive pleasure.

Description
Xerfilstyxes stood about tall and weighed. From the waist up they resembled "classic" devil, with a muscular humanoid torso and arms, large hooked claws, and massive leathery bat wings protruding from their backs. They had large, fang-filled mouths, and two big black horns that curled out and up from their foreheads. From the waist down, however, a xerfilstyx had the body of a slug, a pulsing mass of flesh that dragged along the ground and left a slippery trail of slime behind.

The top half of a xerfilstyx's skin was near-translucent and sickly blue, while the bottom half was more purplish-blue. Vividly visible and present across their entire bodies were massive veins that pulsed blood red, yet their natural coloring still made them adept at hiding under water.

Personality
Xerfilstyxes were completely insane, the long-standing result of their constant exposure to the Styx. They swam frequently in its oily depths and whenever they did they were constantly blasted by barrages of drained memories from lost souls that had wound up in the Nine Hells. Despite the mental damage it caused, the xerfilstyxes seemed to enjoy the process, actively sampling the frightening memory fragments and deriving much gratification from bombardment even as it dissolved their minds.

Xerfilstyxes believed that other creatures should also sample the waters of the Styx, yet they paradoxically took umbrage with anyone that tried to access the waters and attacked them with furious vengeance. The insanity of xerfilstyxes made them highly unpredictable  and they cared little for the fate of the world, only in whatever they came across that they could take and destroy.

Despite all this however, xefilstyxes were still uniformly lawful evil; though contradicted by their rage, they still felt it was their duty to help reveal that all should sample the Styx. They were also not to be mistaken for stupid, their extended time in the memory-ridden river making them some of the most knowledgeable beings in the Nine Hells (even despite their often lacking capacity for applying that knowledge). Raving lunatics that they were, the madness of the xerfilstyxes nonetheless followed a method.

Abilities
Xerfilstyxes were naturally immune to the harmful effects of the River Styx, as well as possessing the natural devil immunities to fire, poison, and cold. They were also resistant to acid. Xerfilstyxes had darkvision and could speak a variety of languages, including Infernal, Celestial, Common, and Draconic, but living in the River Styx meant that they often knew parts of many other languages as well.

A xerfilstyx could drain blood from a victim using suckers on the lower part of its body. They were excellent swimmers, but poor fliers despite their wings. Additionally, xerfilstyxes could spew a cone of scalding blood mixed with Styx water, causing any creatures hit by the liquid to suffer physical and mental damage.

As befitted a native of the Styx, xerfilstyxes were capable of altering the memories of others.

In combat, xerfilstyxes were known to be able to innately replicate the the effects of various spells. At will, they could wield confusion, dispel magic, hold person, greater teleport, and wall of ice. Three times each time, they could use cone of cold, ice storm, and legend lore. Once per day, they could replicate insanity and power word blind.

Society
Despite their power, xerfilstyx had little in the way of cunning. They were arguably considered lesser or greater baatezu, purportedly sharing the same rank in the hierarchy as gelugons, yet few devils would seek out such a transformation. To become more powerful but less influential was often termed a "lateral demotion" and no devil given the option would choose such a form rather than, for example, a weaker soul-harvester.

Because of their extreme unpredictability (especially to beings of law) most devils tended to avoid the insane xerfilstyxes. They in turn had little use for mortals or other devils. They were most likely to be found individually or in a "school", a rare event where a group gathered deep in the Styx to exchange information and memories.

Servants of Levistus could call a xerfilstyx using the greater planar ally spell.

Languages
Though they primarily spoke Infernal, Celestial, Common, and Draconic, Xerfilstyxes knew a few bits and pieces from all tongues. Often they would switch between long-forgotten languages and a modern mode of speech in the middle of their sentences.

Homelands
Xerfilstyxes were native to the Nine Hells, residing mostly on the banks of the Styx in Avernus where they guarded its shores and lurked near the water's edge to murder the unsuspecting. However, they were comfortable at any depth and could be found anywhere in the River Styx, even on other planes. If not at the river's bottom, they maintained nests in the Styx's inlets, sometimes just under the water, but fortunately they rarely had any kind of permanent lair since they frequently forgot where they had visited.