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Brachinas, also known as pleasure devils, were insidious baatezu,[1] an enhanced form of erinyes who specialized in the art of seduction and corruption,[2] particularly the servants of the gods.[1]

In the infernal rankings of devils, brachinas were generally concluded to be of the same rank as cornugons.[3]

Description[]

Even in their natural forms, brachinas typically resembled beautiful female humans, about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and weighing about 120 pounds (54,000 grams) with pale skin, red hair, and black eyes. They still possessed the black-feathered wings of their previous erinyes forms however, resulting in an overall form akin to a dark angel.

Despite their own beauty, pleasure devils typically disguised themselves using polymorph to hide their fiendish features and better appeal to their targets. Yet even with their disguises and array of alluring features, it was still possible to sense something sinister behind their comely facade.[1]

Personality[]

Like all devils, brachinas were beings of law and evil, plotting and conniving like all the others and quick to betray even their own kind if it meant getting ahead in the hierarchy of the Hells. They enjoyed their higher status, interestingly not because of what it afforded them within Hell, but because it gave them the relished chance to escape its oft-ugly sights. In their eyes the Material Plane was a ripe field, its mortal denizens weak-willed creatures able to be harvested with not but the corrupting promise of physical gratification, and they had no qualms about who they seduced into damnation.[1]

Abilities[]

Brachinas had a number of powers that aided them in the manipulation of mortals. For one, they had a host of spell-like abilities they could use at will, including charm monster, clairvoyance, enthrall, morality undone, polymorph,and suggestion; some also had access to greater command once per day. Pleasure devils could communicate telepathically within 100 feet (30 meters) and always had the tongues spell on them. Their very touch was literally toxic, driving mortals mad and destroying their wills on contact. Furthermore, they could supernaturally beguile living creatures so thoroughly that they were entirely under their control. This last ability had a host of restrictions however, as it only worked for a few precious seconds, could be resisted with a mighty enough will, could only be used twice a day, and required them to be somewhat close to the target.[1]

But brachinas were also dangerous apart from their more social abilities. They flew well, and twice as fast as they moved on land, and had the usual baatezu resistances to protect them. Furthermore, their repertoire of spell-like abilities also included greater teleport, produce flame and vampiric touch at will, as well as plane shift (but only on themselves), and, if not greater command, then trap the soul. Lastly, they had a good chance of summoning aid once per day if they so desired in the form of a falxugon, two kytons, or six lemures.[1]

Combat[]

Pleasure devils excelled in turning enemies into allies, typically conducting combat by flying in the air just close enough to cast morality undone paired with a hasty charm monster before, hopefully, ordering their new puppet to turn on their comrades. This tactic continued until the enemy was outnumbered, at which point they started hurling fire at the holdouts, although they were also equipped with cold iron short swords for melee combat. Only in the direst of circumstances would they summon assistance.[1]

Society[]

Brachinas were specially chosen devils endowed with greater beauty, power and station, and with it the duty of corrupting the virtuous beings of the Material Plane, their souls made all the sweeter for their fall from grace. They were architects of mortal failing who bound mortals to their service through pacts of desire; once a victim's resolve and dedication was undone and they were bent to their will, they could then be made to do the bidding of the brachina's master as well. They worked doubly hard in their duties, and only upon success would they return, for the punishment for failure was severe. But their many spell-like powers were bestowed upon them in aid of an even greater corruption: the downfall of godly servants. Thus, the primary targets of their nefarious work were clerics and paladins. Given a choice, brachinas worked alone.[1]

Within infernal society, brachinas were peculiarly pulled in two directions. On one hand, a unique feature of the erinyes form they retained (the capacity to bear children) typically led their kind of baatezu to resist promotion into new forms in striking contrast to the vast majority of devils.[4] On the other hand however, pit fiends and archdevils used pleasure devils as playthings, discarding them as quickly as they selected them. As a result, brachinas were quick to take any assignment to avoid the brutal attentions of their own masters, and grasped at any chance to rise in status, ironically hoping to one day join the ranks of the very pit fiends who mistreated them.[1]

Pleasure devils were generally quite wealthy in relation to their actual strength, though they kept this wealth in multiple forms. Their sense of self-preservation drove them to invest some of it in protective items and weapons, but all kept some coinage (about 10-100 gold pieces) and a few pieces of cheap jewelry (no more than 250 gold pieces). They also carried with them a gem of appropriate value to cast trap the soul on their victims whenever they were out on a mission.[1]

Pleasure devils were particularly associated with sensual Fierna and Belial of Phlegethos. Their specific legion, the Walkers in Fire, were composed of squadrons of eryines and brachina wizards who soared screaming through the air dropping fireballs on everyone below, knowing their fellow devils would be unaffected.[5] Clerics of Fierna were known to be able to summon pleasure devils using the planar ally spell,[1] while aspects of Belial were known to lead entourages containing more than one pleasure devil, as they always needed some lustful devil or mortal nearby to satiate their rapacious desires. Aside from them, aspects of Glasya frequently associated with pleasure devils, while those of Baalzebul never had them around.[6]

Ecology[]

Though native to the Nine Hells, pleasure devils spent most of their time on the Material Plane, using their plane-shifting to get there. Within hell, they were only known to predominate in Nessus, where the greatest proportion of greater devils resided.[7]

As previously mentioned, pleasure devils and their erinyes inferiors were unique among the devil types in their ability to become pregnant (although it was unclear if this ability was gained from before or after their descent from the Upper planes).[4] The rank of pleasure devil could only be reached from the position of erinyes.[3]

History[]

Some brachina rose from the erinyes that first fell from their angelic status with Asmodeus eons ago.[4]

Notable Brachina[]

  • Lady Madori, a brachina in service to Mephistopheles tasked with keeping track of the developments of one of his hellfire cults.[2]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Robin D. Laws, Robert J. Schwalb (December 2006). Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Edited by Chris Thomasson, Gary Sarli, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-0-7869-3940-4.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Weird" Dave Olsen (November 2006). “Heart of Hellfire Mountain”. In James Jacobs ed. Dungeon #140 (Paizo Publishing, LLC) (140)., p. 78.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Robin D. Laws, Robert J. Schwalb (December 2006). Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Edited by Chris Thomasson, Gary Sarli, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7869-3940-4.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Robin D. Laws, Robert J. Schwalb (December 2006). Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Edited by Chris Thomasson, Gary Sarli, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 18. ISBN 978-0-7869-3940-4.
  5. Robin D. Laws, Robert J. Schwalb (December 2006). Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Edited by Chris Thomasson, Gary Sarli, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 38. ISBN 978-0-7869-3940-4.
  6. Robert Wiese (2007-02-16). Fiendish Codex II Fiendish Aspects. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2024-07-05.
  7. Robin D. Laws, Robert J. Schwalb (December 2006). Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Edited by Chris Thomasson, Gary Sarli, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 74. ISBN 978-0-7869-3940-4.
  8. Robert Wiese (2006-12-18). Devilish Doings. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2024-07-05.

Connections[]

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