Klurichir

Klurichir were incredibly dangerous tanar'ri, and one of the most powerful and respected demons of the Abyss. They were known to be so truly horrifying that even the mighty balors would give them a wide berth.

Description
A klurichir's muscular form towered over most over at, with an immense wingspan of. Their skin was like that of a frostbitten corpse, gray or black in coloration while coarse and rough. Rather than hair, a mane of spines coated their bodies, running down from their face to their shoulders. Four powerful arms seemingly twitched with bloodlust, contrasted by their short but thick legs. A pair of red, membranous bat wings erupted from their backs. Their heads seemingly combined the features of a vicious orc and mule, with a set of pitch-black eyes.

Most horrifying of their features was the slobbering mouth located on their abdomen, containing a drooling tongue, rows of blunt teeth, and a pair of smacking lips. It consistently salivated with its mouth half-open, babbling incomprehensible nonsense, even as their smaller mouth spoke in coherent sentences. Massive insectoid pincers were directly above the hideous maw, slowly opening and closing while the demon was at rest. When in battle however the mouth bellowed and howled in reckless abandon while the pincers snapped in time with the klurichir's movements.

Personality
Incredibly powerful and well aware of it, klurichirs were highly self-assured in their own abilities. Their complete sense of security led them to order around most other demons, attacking any that did not do as they commanded. Even balors could find themselves facing the tyrannical retribution of a klurichir for minor infractions. They had no concern for the lives of those underneath them, fearlessly throwing waves of their soldiers into battle regardless of the actual possibility of victory.

Abilities
The power held by the klurichir was nigh unfathomable, rivaling that of demon lords and great enough to do combat with legions of enemies at once. In addition to a nightmarish body, they also hosted a plethora of magical abilities and sorcerous skills, allowing them to fight as they saw fit. Fearsome both in strength and appearance, klurichirs could exude an aura of sheer terror dozens of feet wide.

Those brave enough to confront a klurichir head on would often be at the mercy of their vorpal mouths and pincers, rending their flesh before decapitating them and consuming the body. Devouring an attacker in the midst of battle was an easy task, not at all disruptive to the actions of their other appendages. A volley of quills could be fired from their spiked manes, holding a poison capable of sapping the strength from their targets. Their wings were not for show, but allowed them to fight from the skies while their black eyes could see through invisibility. Like most tanar'ri, they could summon others to aid them in battle, ranging from hezrous, nalfeshnees, mariliths, glabrezus, a small legion of quasits, and even balors if they so chose.

Combat
Klurichirs had no problem standing at the end of a horde of minions, allowing their warriors to fight head on as they cast numerous spells. Battleaxes were often in at least one of their hands, used to cleave through their opponents when close-quarters combat was unavoidable. Normally they kept at least some of their hands free so as to grab any who got too close and shove them into their waiting maws. They were tactical geniuses and diverse enough in both personal ability and servant selection that they were incredibly hard to out-think. When significantly hurt, they became maddened juggernauts, recklessly rampaging across the battlefield, in the only state of theirs that could be described as a weakness.

Society
Klurichir served and acted as right hands to the most powerful demon lords, and were thought to serve as their greatest generals. Only when a demon lord took personal interest in a mission were they called in to ensure its completion. Outcast demon lords could even find themselves joining forces with a klurichir's war band. Most demon lords were incapable of significantly furthering their goals through direct conquest as it left them open to attack, but klurichirs were in no such straits. They marched their demonic hordes through the various layers of the Abyss, spreading turmoil and bloodshed, all the while accruing more followers through the carnage.

Creation
Sages believed klurichirs to be proto-demon lords, just on the cusp of attaining demon lord status, but differentiated from figures like Baphomet and Yeenoghu by their lack of primordial origin. It was said that they originated from the lowest levels of the Abyss, created from the shard of evil that originated the Abyss itself. Some scholars thought that the existence of the klurichirs was a manifestation of the Abyss's desire for consistency in its followers, rather than constant quarreling and infighting, and that their true purpose was to supplant the demon lords as its master.

Appearances

 * Novels:
 * Resurrection page 322 (paperback)