Ahriman
From PathfinderWiki
| Ahriman | |
|---|---|
| (Deity) | |
| Titles | Lord of the Divs |
| Home | Abaddon |
| Alignment | Neutral evil |
| Portfolio | Oblivion |
| Worshipers | Usij |
| Cleric Alignments | |
| Domains | Darkness, Death, Destruction, Evil |
| Ahriman | |
|---|---|
| (Creature) | |
| Type | Outsider (div, evil, extraplanar) |
| CR | 22 |
| Environment | Abaddon |
| Alignment | Neutral evil |
| Source: The Final Wish, pg(s). 76-77 | |
Lord of all the div, Ahriman is the embodiment of pure destruction. He seeks the utter oblivion of existence itself using his div servants to bring it about.
Contents |
Appearance
Ahriman's appearance is terrifying to behold, a combination of various bits of vicious predators that is far more terrible than the sum of its parts. Ahriman's feet are vulture-like, with wicked flesh-rending talons, while his arms look like the claws of a huge tiger,[1] and are capable of tearing a giant clean in two. His body looks humanoid but his skin writhes with living snakes and whipping chains that lash out and poison any who come in contact with Ahriman.[2] His face looks like that of a lion twisted into a look of pure hatred and crowned with a set of four gnarled horns. Ahriman's maw is one of the most terrifying part of his being, from it come inhuman screams that are not his own and a darkness that is more than just shadow.[1] Those swallowed by Ahriman face a horrible fate, left to plunge for all eternity down a bottomless pit filled with the deafening praises and heresies dedicated to Ahriman.[2]
Habitat & Ecology
Ahriman dwells in the depths of Abaddon, his realm is atop an incredibly tall mountain and is a vast temple carved from fallen monuments while above the sky swirls in a dark, apocalyptic void. It is from here that Ahriman sets his dark designs on the rest of the multiverse. Ahriman's ecology is as unique as he is and is shrouded in mystery and legend, the myths of the Jinn claim that Ahriman was born with the first act of creation as he was the shadow of its inevitable destruction. Ahriman is both a creature and a force of nature, he is the destruction that must inevitably come to all things in order to keep existence in balance, as such he is the enemy of all creation. Ahriman's hatred of life is so great that any creature he kills is instantly reanimated as a powerful undead (usually a wight) that serve him loyally in his destructive quests. While he hates all life Ahriman seems to harbour a particular hatred for the Jinn, his very servants, the Div, are created from the essence of corrupted genie. Beyond this he has served to create foul perversions of Jinn-kind like the undead ghul. While it might seem a paradox that a creature that is an embodiment of pure destruction creates, he does so only to quicken the destruction of the rest of the multiverse. Ahriman favourite form of ruin is the corruption of mortal desires, often through the use of manipulated wish spells.[2]
Society
Ahriman is lord of all the Div, they are a race of fiends that revel in destruction and misery, specifically they seek to destroy the works that mortals create, much like the daemons they share their home of Abaddon with.[3] Beyond this Ahriman also created the undead ghuls to vex and destroy mortal life[4] and the despotic fiendish dragons known as Azi.[5]
Despite his abhorrence for all life, Ahriman has a cult of mortals on the Material Plane dedicated to him, the Usij. These demented people use Ahriman as a source of power and inspiration for their destructive plots. The Usij, while no longer numerous, are highly insidious, seeking to corrupt and destroy everything around them.[2]
In ancient times by the Osirion Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues constructed a mighty edifice known as the House of Oblivion in the desert of Thuvia in an effort to entice Ahriman to Golarion. The attempt succeeded, and Ahriman arrived with a large number of Div followers. Ahriman agreed to support the Pharaoh in return for the gift of the House. This support wasn’t enough to prevent the Pharaoh being overthrown by the Song Pharaoh in -3047 AR, and Ahriman left Golarion and returned to Abaddon.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary.The Final Wish, p. 76. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-185-5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary.The Final Wish, p. 77. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-185-5
- ↑ Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary.Howl of the Carrion King, p. 81. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-159-6
- ↑ Stephen S. Greer & Amber E. Scott. (2009). Dark Markets: A Guide to Katapesh, p. 63. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-166-4
- ↑ Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. (2009). Bestiary.The Final Wish, p. 75. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-185-5
- ↑ James Jacobs et al.. (2011). The Inner Sea World Guide, p. 186-7. Paizo Publishing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-60125-269-2
