Stitched devils were wretched creatures spawned by the crooked crones known as night hags. Though their component parts might once have belonged to baatezu, the hags of Hades had created a unique form of devil by stitching the disparate pieces together. They were abominations in the eyes of their former kin, imprisoned by agony unknown even to most devils, and bound to the will of the witches who created them.[1]
Description[]
Although the average stitched devil stood around 10 feet (3 meters) tall and weighed around 800 pounds (360 kilograms), no two truly looked the same. They were patchwork creatures, stumbling assortments of whatever pieces of infernal flesh a given night hag chose to incorporate in her tortured creation. Their bodies were twisted tangles of several devilish arms, legs, and possibly even faces, all held together by sinew-like thread.[1]
Personality[]
From the very beginning of their new existence, stitched devils were in a state of unending suffering, pained by the disjointed nature of their individual body parts and tormented by the sinew holding together their various hides. Despite having every reason to hate their creators for giving them twisted life, stitched devils were beings of dull intellects. They were not the creatures they once were, instead possessing personalities and motivations independent of those of their past constituents, and did not know that they should despise their masters.[1]
Rather, stitched devils were intensely loyal to them, giving most of the treasure they searched for to their mistresses and obeying their commands while simpering to them in the hopes of some form of affection. They begged for mercy, holding on to the vain dream that they could somehow escape their condition and obtain freedom or significance, or failing that, the release of death. The night hags themselves whispered false promises to their creations, offering relief to goad them into despicable behavior. Stitched devils channeled their own agony into sadistic intent; they possessed a desire (and tendency) to hurt others and cackled with mad glee when causing pain.[1]
Abilities[]
Stitched devils were surrounded by auras of pain, emitting waves of agony that caused those injured within 30 feet (9.1 meters) to suffer more intensely. The power of a pain aura could be resisted entirely by those with enough fortitude (rather than independently struggled against every time harm was done), and if resisted, the pain aura could not affect the same being for twenty-four hours. The presence of more than one pain aura in the same area barely increased the suffering, and devils (as well as other lawful evil, extraplanar beings) and night hags were completely immune either way.[1]
Stitched devils had various spell-like abilities, including the power to greater teleport at will. Once per day, they could dispel magic, scare their enemies to death with phantasmal killer, and create a greasy cloud of profane power with unholy blight.[1]
Though not baatezu, stitched devils shared many resistances with them. Their multiple limbs let them attack with great speed and ferocity, and they could easily scale inclined surfaces.[1]
Combat[]
A stitched devil's first tactical move was to use phantasmal killer on the foe that seemed most powerful before recklessly rushing in to close combat. Despite having unholy blight, they were not always capable of discerning the moral character of others, and would assume it once surrounded by enemies, unconcerned by catching vile allies in their midst. Rarely did they dispel magic unless facing a foe whose obvious supernatural defenses were thwarting their attacks, or if directly told to. They teleported to gain better positions in combat, and to surround foes when in groups so that their auras overlapped before scrambling at the enemy and ripping them apart with tooth and claw.[1]
Society[]
The warped pets of the night hags were used for various purposes, including as hunters, guards, soldiers, and gladiators. Despite night hags and stitched devils being native to Hades, and although stitched devils were often in their company, night hags prowled many planes and sometimes dispatched their creations to do their bidding abroad, so they could be found almost anywhere.[1]
A given night hag likely had around two to four stitched devils depending on personal wealth and status, using money (souls in many cases) and influence to purchase creation material. Devils that desired specific types of souls might exchange substantial sums of fiendish flesh for petitioners a night hag could offer. Amnizus were among the devils that might do so, and kocrachons were particularly notable for selling parts of their victims to obtain lost souls, even if only to procure more interesting subjects.[1]
Biology[]
When a devil was destroyed, its essence was normally reabsorbed into the Hells to eventually be reused, spawning new fiends in Baator's "breeding pits". Even if outside any natural ecology, devils were still part of the cosmic order, and this was the way the process was meant to work according to the laws of the multiverse. However, while the baatezu were infamous for their ability to bend the rules to their own advantage, using them to better their own status in their infernal hierarchy, stitched devils existed apart even from the Hells' twisted systems.
Night hags (and those they taught) who knew the proper techniques could create the constantly miserable stitched devils. As soon as the dismembered pieces were sown together, they all collectively fused into their uniquely excruciating form.
History[]
The stitched devils in Faerûn were "normal" for their kind throughout the multiverse. The Red Wizard Alabrast Rue managed to steal the creation method from a night hag he captured and then killed, before trading the knowledge to other night hags to obtain a steady flow of extraplanar reagents. He managed to use the planar supplies to create six stitched devils of his own, using them to protect his hidden sanctuary in Sefriszar, where he planned to become the next tharchion of Delhumide.[1]
Appendix[]
References[]
Connections[]
Least: Lemure • Nupperibo • Spinagon
Lesser: Abishai (Black • Blue • Green • Red • White) • Barbazu • Bueroza • Erinyes • Excruciarch • Falxugon • Ghargatula • Hamatula (Stony devil) • Kocrachon • Merregon • Osyluth • War devil • Xerfilstyx
Greater: Amnizu • Brachina • Cornugon • Gelugon • Logokron • Narzugon • Orthon • Paeliryon • Pit fiend
Baatezu of unknown rank: Advespa • Ayperobos • Dogai • Gulthir • Jerul • Remmanon
Araton • Burning devil • Fimbrul devil • Hellcat • Hellwasp • Imp (Bloodbag • Book • Euphoric • Filth) • Indwelling devil • Infernal armor animus • Kalabon • Kyton • Misfortune devil • Seared devil • Shocktroop devil • Soulrider devil • Stitched devil • Succubus • Tar devil • Vizier devil • Withering devil • Warder devil