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===Appearances===
 
===Appearances===
 
;Adventures
 
;Adventures
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* [[Dungeon magazine 71|''Dungeon'' #71: "Dreadful Vestiges"]]
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;Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 
* ''[[The Waydown]]''
 
* ''[[The Waydown]]''
 
;Novels:
 
;Novels:

Revision as of 16:24, 8 June 2020

Hezrous (pronounced: /ˈhɛzrHEZ-ro[7] or: /ˈhɛtzrHETZ-ro[4]), were type II[5] tanar'ri demons[3] that were known for their simplicity in control and desires. They often supervised lesser demonic entities while working as the toadies of more sinister threats.[4]

Description

Hezrous were large demonic monstrosities that stood 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and weighed 750 pounds (340 kilograms). They bore a superficial resemblance to a toad in humanoid form, with arms and hands instead of forelegs. Within their wide maws were rows of blunt teeth that had a powerful crushing force and a series of long spikes ran down their backs.[3][8] Hezrous could walk on either two feet or on hands and feet, but always fought standing upright.[3][4]

Personality

Hezrous were obedient and simple yet dangerously powerful beings, and as such were among the dominant monsters within the Abyss. A hezrou's main motivating factor was food, followed by a desire for wanton destruction. They gladly served under more powerful demons or even summoners who supported their behavior.[2] Their love of combat surpassed that of vrocks and the two possessed similar eating habits.[5][3] Despite their love for fighting, hezrous were not opposed to diplomacy, even with mortals, and might engage in trade when carrying cargo such as slaves.[9] Hezrous were not particularly intelligent, intuitive, or otherwise mentally capable, a fact that was seen as a virtue by their masters as scheming was not their job. Unfortunately for those under their thumb, hezrous were still demons through and through, beating up on even loyal subordinates for fun and just being generally foul-tempered.[4]

Abilities

Hezrous were cunning on the battlefield and could fulfill roles as both powerful warriors and capable sergeants. They were somewhat ineffective against non-demonic beings as many of their abilities didn't work against evil outsiders. When against non-evil entities, they opened combat by casting blasphemy, then favored chaos hammer or unholy blight from time to time as suited their foes.[3]

Their amphibian skin exuded a toxic substance that produced a cloud of noxious gas when they were agitated while their own olfactory senses were quite sharp.[4]

Normal demonic resistances, immunity to non-magical weapons, telepathy, and summoning, particularly of dretch mobs and other hezrou, were also among their powers.[1][4]

Combat

They gladly forced their way into and behind enemy ranks, where their foul stench could overwhelm as many and as early as possible and they were free to rip into their opponents with tooth and claw.[3]

Society

Hezrous were integral to both the Blood War and the day-to-day proceedings of the Abyss in general. At their core, hezrous functioned as enforcers, either as sturdy foot soldiers or solid sergeants.[10] Their ability to focus on simple tasks, oversee armies, lack of plotting skill, and great numbers made them ideal for their duties. They normally patrolled the abyssal layers, enacted the will of their respective demon lords and nalfeshnees, and tyrannically controlled lesser demons like dretches[4] and chasmes.[11] Hezrous often sought to make themselves useful to their masters so as to ensure they were not sent into unwinnable front-line situations, as they were seen as somewhat expendable.[2][4][1]

Despite not being particularly good at scheming, hezrous still made use of temptation, making simple but cruel deals to those in states of despair. Every now and then in a century, hezrous went on what were called Dark Walks, plane-shifting to the mortal realm to make pacts with desperate souls. They would willingly enter their service and complete a major task like the destruction of a hated location or retrieval of a powerful artifact at the cost of trapping the mortal or a loved one in the Abyss and having them serve as a mane for eternity.[4] Otherwise, when on the Material Plane they recruited dull-witted followers in trolls, hill giants, ogres, and other creatures known for their power.[10]

It was possible for a marilith to be demoted to a hezrou as a punishment, bringing a change in sex from female to male.[12]

Relations

The Faceless Lord Juiblex was served primarily by hezrous who paid him significant fealty in victims. In fact, his primary servant, Darkness Given Hunger, was actually a hezrou demon whose possession of the largest known black pudding had been made permanent through magic, fusing the two together.[13][14]

Demogorgon also employed many hezrous as lieutenants, although his were twice the size of any others within the Abyss.[11]

History

Hezrous had a kind of half-organic armor plating under their flesh, an ancient alteration made by the sibriexes.[15]

Notable Hezrou

The hezrou Zaxis was actually a fallen marilith named Bethsiva, whose child was the balor Baalbisan with a rank even higher than hers.[12]

Appendix

Gallery

Appearances

Adventures
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Novels
Video Games

Further Reading

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 53, 60. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 56. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 44. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Allen Varney, ed. (June 1994). Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. (TSR, Inc.), p. 102. ISBN 978-1560768623. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "MC-OPA" defined multiple times with different content
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 18. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  6. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  7. Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. Dragon #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 26.
  8. Richard Lee Byers (April 2007). Unclean. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7869-4258-9.
  9. Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona (June 13, 2006). Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 117. ISBN 0-7869-3919-2.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona (June 13, 2006). Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 19. ISBN 0-7869-3919-2.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Monte Cook (October 2002). Book of Vile Darkness. Edited by David Noonan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 174. ISBN 0-7869-3136-1.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Obsidian Entertainment (October 2006). Designed by Ferret Baudoin, J.E. Sawyer. Neverwinter Nights 2. Atari.
  13. Monte Cook (October 2002). Book of Vile Darkness. Edited by David Noonan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 134–136. ISBN 0-7869-3136-1.
  14. Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona (June 13, 2006). Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 145. ISBN 0-7869-3919-2.
  15. James Jacobs (September 2007). “The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Apocrypha”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #359 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 44.

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