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The Avernian Devils and other Hellish Inhabitants-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The most common inhabitants of Avernus are the devils. While some scholars refer to them as "baatezu" (bay-AH-tez-oo), others argue that not all devils are in fact baatezu, and most people don't care what they're called as long as it keeps them far away.
The devils delight in inflicting pain on others (and even themselves), and they have a strange biology that allows -- under the right circumstances and with the right kind of magic -- to change into more powerful forms after extended torture. Thus, devils use pain to show dominance over the weaker kinds, and they are in turn subject to greater pain as a means of increasing their own power. For example, even the lowest lemure can transform into an osyluth at the hands of a more powerful devil with the right powers and torture techniques, and even the great pit fiends are said to have been created from lesser devils because they were burned in a terrible supernatural fire for over a century. The fact that these creatures must use pain to improve themselves shows how warped they are at the core of their beings, and it also reflects their lawful (hierarchal) and evil (promoted by suffering) nature.
Lemures are among the weakest devils. Man-sized blobs of molten stinking flesh, lemures are the shock troops and laborers of the devils. The most selfish, cruel, and evil mortals that die and come to Hell become lemures. Their soft bodies regenerate quickly, making them convenient victims of torture for the devils. A lemure is about as tough as a typical human zombie. The only things lower in the devilish hierarchy than lemures are nupperibos, which are strange gangly-limbed bloated creatures with no minds or eyes that serve as the cannon fodder of Hell.
An osyluth, or "bone devil," looks like a tall, emaciated being with a bony scorpion's tail. They exude the stench of decay and serve in Hell's armies as police and informers by monitoring their fellows. Osyluths are about as powerful as wyverns.
A barbazu, or "bearded devil," fits the traditional description of a devil, with tail, clawed hands and feet, scaly skin, and a vile-looking beard. They are elite shock troops, and they lead masses of lemures into battle and combat key foes while the lesser devils swarm over the minions. A barbazu is about as dangerous as a medusa.
Erinyes are the devilish equivalent to succubi and are sent to Faerûn to tempt mortals. They also avenge insults against Hell. They appear as attractive women with feathery wings and sinister eyes. They can charm their prey and use magic ropes to bind creatures they want to capture alive. Erinyes are about as tough as a barbazu.
Hamatulas are similar to barbazus, except they are taller and their bodies are covered in sharp, barbed spikes. They serve as guardians and patrol troops. They like to grab their opponents, pull them close, and impale them on the their body spikes. Hamatulas are as powerful as stone giants or mind flayers.
Cornugons are larger and more monstrous than hamatulas, and they favor great whips that can stun enemies. Wounds from a cornugon's attacks continue to bleed profusely until tended. They are the elite defense forces of Hell and often act as bodyguards for important devils or guard powerful war machines. A cornugon is about as powerful as a fire giant.
Gelugons are strange insect-like devils, with faceted eyes, large mandibles, and a thick tail covered in razor-sharp spikes. Their bodies create numbing cold, and creatures struck by their tail or metal spear are usually slowed in their tracks. Gelugons are super-elite guards and spies, and they normally work as bodyguards to archdevils or change their shape to study enemy devils or powerful mortals. A gelugon is about as dangerous as a beholder.
The pit fiends are the officers of Hell's armies, and the greatest armies of Hell are led by pit fiend generals called the Dark Eight. Twelve feet tall and bat-winged, with red scales, great poisonous fangs, and shrouded in flame, pit fiends spark fear wherever they go. They are the most powerful sort of devil save the archdevils, and in comparison they are more dangerous than an iron golem, as intelligent as a typical lich, and more destructive than a twelve-headed hydra.
Abishai are gargoyle-like draconic beings in the service of the deity Tiamat, who has been known to exert power on Avernus from time to time. Like their great queen, abishai come in the five colors common to the evil dragons of Faerûn: white, black, green, blue, and red, in ascending order of power. Abishai serve as torturers and wardens in Hell, and they are not above attacking lone devils of different kinds, particularly in packs. A white abishai is slightly less powerful than an osyluth, and a red one is about equivalent to a hamatula.
In addition to the devils, which by far outnumber any other creature in Hell, the place is home to evil dragons, giant maggotlike fiends, strange creatures of many mouths, eyes, and limbs, and even more bizarre varieties of horrible monsters. Most of these kinds are not catalogued by mortal sages because they are little more than powerful eating machines, and most people who summon Hell's creatures to Faerûn do so because they seek information, power, and minions. By far the most common fiendish arrivals are the devils, rather than the mindless all-consuming beasts with no language, knowledge, or concept of obedience
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Image Links:
TieflingDemons: an armanite (left), a goristo (back), and an uridezu (right)Demons: Abyssal Maw, Abyssal Skulker, and Abyssal RavagerDemons: Jarilith and KelvezuDemonAquatic DemonsKlurichir DemonDevils: a narzugon (left) and a spinagon (right)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------