I'm not completely convinced Xazivort is even of lord status. He could be just as easily be a glabrezu or something. His whole thing is that he was imprisoned by clerics of Pholtus and then he escapes and possesses a paladin - from the meager abilities he manifests in the adventure, there's no reason he has to be a unique being.
Demonomicon - after the big 14?
- Thread starter BOZ
- Start date
Shemeska
Adventurer
I'm confused at some of the names picked highest on the poll. I'm thinking that a lot of names are getting picked out by name recognition of non-D&D uses of the name, mythology, and perhaps even a Jessie 'The Body' Ventura movie for Abraxas 
A nice number of the ones with decent amounts of votes have never really appeared as more than a name in a list of names, and are beating out lords like Alzrius and Lynkhab who have hooks, lore, and backhistory but never much exposure by comparison to the "big 14".
*revels in confusion*
It's like asking if someone likes chocolate chip, vanilla, rocky road, or double fudge marshmallow icecream... and then they say they like Wonkleburp flavor icecream though they've never had it and nobody knows anything about it to even speculate if it's yummy or something that swam the wrong way up a drainpipe.
*revels in hyperbole*
Actually I'm curious about the issue from folks who voted for some of the 'nothing but a name' abyssal lords on the list.
A nice number of the ones with decent amounts of votes have never really appeared as more than a name in a list of names, and are beating out lords like Alzrius and Lynkhab who have hooks, lore, and backhistory but never much exposure by comparison to the "big 14".*revels in confusion*
It's like asking if someone likes chocolate chip, vanilla, rocky road, or double fudge marshmallow icecream... and then they say they like Wonkleburp flavor icecream though they've never had it and nobody knows anything about it to even speculate if it's yummy or something that swam the wrong way up a drainpipe.
*revels in hyperbole*
Actually I'm curious about the issue from folks who voted for some of the 'nothing but a name' abyssal lords on the list.
sckeener said:Could be...or he could still be unique....just not a Lord.
Personally I think several lesser demons consider themselves lords. Lying is second nature to them...
Well, the Fiendish Codex I doesn't distinguish between lords. Every unique demon is considered a lord, even beings like the Kerzit who don't rule any Abyssal territory.
And yes, checking From the Ashes, Xazivort is unique.
"Foremost among the enemies of Pholtus’ priesthood is a powerful, unique tanar’ri, Xazivort, who has an enduring emnity for Pholtus after a number of run-ins with his priests over centuries. The fiend was finally imprisoned in a sealed dungeon below the Gnarley, but recently it escaped when a foolhardy group of adventurers dispelled the spells binding it."
Xazivort goes on to first possess a young ranger and then a fighter/cleric of Pholtus (not a paladin, as I had thought). It has enough power to create elaborate illusionary scenarios, summon alu-demons, and play with the PCs' minds, but is severely weakened by its battle of wills with the fighter/cleric at the end. Still, is array of spell-like abilities is pretty formidable, albeit only as a 14th level spellcaster.
I'd consider it a minor lord, equivalent to a being like Aldinach or Ahazu (or the Kerzit), but not the ruler of a layer.
Shade
Monster Junkie
Shemeska said:
*revels right along with you*
I voted for many "noting but a name" lords, because I'd really like to see some of them fleshed out, despite them being essentially a blank canvas. I love what James did with Obox-ob, for example, and I've long been keen on seeing an interpretation of Nql.
There's a bit of ambiguity going on with regards to Green Ronin's Book of Fiends, wherein Erik Mona described many of these "nothing-but-a-name" lords pretty thoroughly. The brief descriptions of their D&D equivalents are deliberately pretty compatible with those (for example, Haagenti is lord of alchemy in both D&D and Green Ronin's cosmology). At the same time, because of IP considerations they're not the same lords, and Paizo could certainly publish contradictory descriptions of them if it wanted. The only thing is, considering the author I doubt they'd want to, and considering the IP issues it seems likely they'll avoid them altogether for the foreseeable future.
Alzrius
The EN World kitten
I'll mention that Nergel and Ereshkigal shouldn't really be there either. While both got their names mentioned in the 1E MM2, that's it (Nergel being mentioned in the Gord books as a "prince of unlife" notwithstanding).
Both have since been pretty thoroughly retconned as Babylonian deities (which I think is more appropriate), the most recent appearance of which had them in Dragon #329.
Both have since been pretty thoroughly retconned as Babylonian deities (which I think is more appropriate), the most recent appearance of which had them in Dragon #329.
