Hordes of the Abyss: Q&A

[Mr.Black]

More news has been posted on the Fiendish Codex.

More Fiendish Codex I Excerpts

Lots of crunch and fluff. The mature nabassu is a pretty tough CR 15 with strong ties to negative energy. I hope the rest of the demons are this good.

A lot of information on Panzuria, which is great for those interested in lore on the Abyss.

 

[Razz]

Marduk is also in Forgotten Realms as one of the deities of the Untheric Pantheon. They kept the mythology somewhat similar, stating he killed Tiamat but was banished from Realmspace afterwards? Not sure exactly why.

Of course, Unther is going to have a Sumerian/Babylonian Pantheon with twists to it match the FR Setting. Also they, and the humans that worshiped the Mulhorandi/Egyptian Pantheon, came from different time periods of the same world. After inter-breeding, being renamed the Mulan, there was still the matter of their deities. Half went to Untheric and the other to Mulhorand (pantheon names got twisted as well). Of course, since a deity's background is dependant upon their people's beliefs and legends and trying to establish fact from fiction, that got twisted all around too.

 

[Shade]

I just read the Pazunia preview...

Mr. Mona and Mr. Jacobs, take a bow.

<thunderous applause>

 

[Derringer]

Abyssal Heritor Feats

The Vestigial Wings feat looks pretty cool - a nice way to add a fiendish element to a human character if it works that way.

Anyone with the book in hand know if there are any prereqs to taking an Abyssal Heritor Feat? Anyone willing to post a little more about some of the others...particularly Demonic Sneak Attack?

Thanks!

 

[BOZ]

As Kesh pointed out, he does indeed get a mention in Yeenoghu's entry (and his layer has an official name now: the White Kingdom).

actually, i have seen that name before. he appeared in Libris Mortis, so it could have been there, but i suspect Wolfgang Baur named the realm and mentioned it in one or all of his articles in Dragon #252, Dungeon #70 or #129.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Kingdom

2. I don't like that they gave the layer to Pazuzu. He didn't have it in the 1st edition Manual of the Planes (though he spent a lot of time there), in Planes of Chaos, or even in his Demonomicon article. Granted, he doesn't interfere with the squabbling lords and armies of the layer, but there's something fundamentally wrong about putting the gateway layer under the control of any one ruler, especially given that the article itself says, "to control Pazunia is to control the whole of the Abyss." It's a huge advantage against his rivals, and he already has Torremor.

If they dropped the bit about him controlling all Abyssal skies, though (which seemed a bit excessive), I can deal with it.

I did like that they named him an obyrith, though, in homage to Gygax calling him a "proto-demon." And making him one of the few remaining lords of that earlier race, which used to control the layer, makes things make a little more sense.

Anyway, the rest of the article is superb, and as always I reserve the right to construct mountains from any molehills I might come across.

i'll definitely agree that making him an Obyrith was a cool idea, and was starting to suspect that he might be.

actually though Rip, i didn't get the idea from the Pazunia description that Pazuzu is the uncontested ruler - Pazuzu is apparenly one of at least 4 (Aldinach, Baltazo, and Mastiphal included) lords living there - he is clearly said to rule the skies, though. i wouldn't say he has any *measurable* control over the layer, other than the immediate intimidation factor of his presence and the fealty sworn by those who share his skies.

The Seeping Woods is the name of an area in Y's Realm.

well, that's something - at least the name is in use somehow.

oddly enough, there's something that appeals to my sense of humor to have Yeenoghu's realm being called... "Yeenoghu's Realm". maybe he even refers to himself in third person when talking about it.

Oh! Ha!

It's an anagram for Marduk. He Zagygged a Gygaxism!

(Marduk was the Lord of Fire Demons, and one of the six Monarchs of Demonium, in the later Gord the Rogue books).

brilliant!


i wonder if anyone has the new Dragon yet? and since today is the supposed official release date of FC1, i wonder if we are about to have more than 2 people owning it?

 

[Ripzerai]

i suspect Wolfgang Baur named the realm and mentioned it in one or all of his articles in Dragon #252, Dungeon #70 or #129.

The White Kingdom is a realm in the Underdark beneath the Hellfurnaces. The Doresain who rules it hails from the Negative Energy Plane (or the Plane of Shadow, depending on who you ask). This Doresain is a worshipper of Nerull. There were no connections to the Abyss or Yeenoghu in Wolfgang Baur's original articles - the only fiend was a hydroloth.

Libris Mortis claims the King of the Ghouls is the original Doresain, and the Material/Shadow Doresain is named after him.

Actually though Rip, i didn't get the idea from the Pazunia description that Pazuzu is the uncontested ruler - Pazuzu is apparenly one of at least 4 (Aldinach, Baltazo, and Mastiphal included) lords living there

I like that interpretation.

Armies of the Abyss mentioned, besides Aldinach and Baltazo, that Ahazu and Laraie also ruled fortresses on the first layer of the Abyss. And we musn't forget Red Shroud or Jaranda (marilith ruler of the town of Gallowsgate).

 

[BOZ]

The White Kingdom is a realm in the Underdark beneath the Hellfurnaces. The Doresain who rules it hails from the Negative Energy Plane (or the Plane of Shadow, depending on who you ask). This Doresain is a worshipper of Nerull. There were no connections to the Abyss or Yeenoghu in Wolfgang Baur's original articles - the only fiend was a hydroloth.

Libris Mortis claims the King of the Ghouls is the original Doresain, and the Material/Shadow Doresain is named after him.

i didn't know much about it to begin with. apparently FC1 merges those stories together?

Armies of the Abyss mentioned, besides Aldinach and Baltazo, that Ahazu and Laraie also ruled fortresses on the first layer of the Abyss. And we musn't forget Red Shroud or Jaranda (marilith ruler of the town of Gallowsgate).

exactly. he has plenty of challengers to his casual rule to contend with.

 

[Shade]

Does the book include pronunciation guidelines for the new demon types, obyrith and loumara? I'd like to start trying to say them correctly, if it isn't already too late.

I'm guessing OH-ber-ith and loo-MAR-uh.

 

[Ripzerai]

Beautiful map of the Demonweb. I particularly like the glowing portals. Does the book include references to Keptolo, Selvetarm, and Kiaransalee in that layer?

 

[James Jacobs]

Does the book include pronunciation guidelines for the new demon types, obyrith and loumara? I'd like to start trying to say them correctly, if it isn't already too late.

I'm guessing OH-ber-ith and loo-MAR-uh.

Yup