Erinys

Erinys
(Creature)
Common LE Medium Devil Fiend Level 8 Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Images of erinyes Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 89 Type Outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful) CR 8 Environment Any (Hell) Alignment LG NG CG LN N CN LE NE CE Images of erinyes Source: Bestiary, pg(s). 75

Erinyes (sing. erinys)—also known as fury devils, the Ash Wings, the Fallen, fallen angels, the Furies of Hell, or simply the Furies—are fiends created in mockery of the angelic form with a beauty that belies their utterly sadistic, evil nature. They are the avengers and executioners of Hell.

Appearance

An erinys looks like a female angel possessed of a darker beauty than their heavenly counterparts. The devil's hair is always black and her eyes are normally dark, but apart from this her features resemble a very beautiful, six-foot-tall mortal human. From an erinys's back sprouts a pair of dark feathered wings. So close is the erinys's form to that of the heavenly host that erinyes sometimes pretend to be angels in order to trick and entrap mortals, since few would believe that such a divinely beautiful creature is capable of harbouring such pure evil. An erinys weighs a little more than an average female human, at about 140 pounds.

Habitat and ecology

Erinyes fly over the infernal city of Dis.

In the depths of Hell, erinyes dwell primarily on the layer known as the Iron City of Dis, where they gather upon the roofs of the highest buildings of the infernal metropolis to watch all that goes on beneath them. Erinyes congregate near their immortal patrons, the Queens of the Night. The Widow's Cry, home of Eiseth, houses the largest legion of erinyes in all Dis.

While most other devils are created from mortal souls, most erinyes are sculpted from the essences of fallen celestials that have been turned away from the path of good. A few are created from lesser devils, but only if that devil had a spark of piousness in its past existence. Sometimes, an erinys is created from the soul of a fallen priest or other such soul which once harboured a trace of the divine. To create an erinys, the essence is impaled atop one of the razor spikes of Dis's rooftops and left for 150 years to be scoured by the harsh winds and tormented by the city's avian devils. Because in their previous celestial form many erinyes had to serve mortals, they possess a raging hatred for them.

Erinyes can often be found on the Material Plane, where they are a favoured summons of jilted mortal mages who want remorseless vengeance. Despite their frequent sojourns to the Material Plane, erinyes hate all mortals with a fiery passion because of their divine origin and because in their previous celestial form many erinyes had to serve mortals. While their beauty may imply that they serve Hell as seducers, it is their hatred that makes them such effective soldiers.

One of the erinyes' favourite methods of slaying mortals is to entwine them in their animated ropes and fly with them to vast heights before dropping them to their deaths. Erinyes posses a legendary sadistic streak and are often used a torturers. While they might lack the subtlety to be seducers, they have such a talent for pain that they make passable torturers. It is rumoured that some of the best erinys torturers have techniques to extend their tortures beyond even death itself.

Abilities

Most erinyes wield longbows that shoot flaming arrows with deadly accuracy. They can see straight through illusions, create illusions, instill supernatural fear in their victims, teleport, summon barbazus, and smite their foes with an unholy blight of cloying dark miasma. The erinyes' best-known ability is to weave ropes from their own hair, which they can animate to ensnare their victims.

Notable erinyes

See also: Category:Erinys/Inhabitants

• Lrilatha
• Liyamzam
• Methricandra
• Terindelle