Zura

Zura

(Deity)

Titles

The Vampire Queen,
Demon Lord of Cannibalism and Vampires
Azlanti period: She Who Savours Flesh

Adjective

Zuran

Realm

Nesh, Outer Rifts

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Areas of Concern

Blood
Cannibalism
Vampires

Worshipers

Cannibals, drow, Bekyar, vampires

Edicts

Shed and drink blood, embrace vampirism

Anathema

Expose vampires, heal a bloody wound without drinking from it first

Cleric Alignments (1E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (1E)

Chaos, Death, Evil, Madness

Subdomains (1E)

Blood, Demon, Murder, Undead

Cleric Alignments (2E)

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Domains (2E)

Delirium, indulgence, nightmares, undeath

Favored Weapon

Rapier

Symbol

Crimson fanged skull rune

Sacred Animal

Vampire bat

Sacred Colors

Red

Images of Zura

Source: Book of the Damned, pg(s). 108–109 (1E)
Gods & Magic, pg(s). 77, 126–127 (2E)

The demon lord Zura (pronounced ZOO-rah) is also known as the Vampire Queen, and is worshiped by cannibals, drow, and of course, vampires. Her unholy symbol is a blood-red, fanged skull, embossed with runes.

History

Zura is believed to be the first vampire in all of creation. Supposedly she was an ancient Azlanti queen who possessed a lust for eternal life so great she eventually resorted to feeding on her own kind. Even thousands of years later, people still whisper the legends of her decadent, savage feasts and her baths of warm human blood. Some scholars even claim that her ascension heralded the beginning of the ancient Azlant empire's descent into decadence and eventual destruction at the beginning of the Age of Darkness. Her sinfulness was so great that, on her death by botched suicide, her soul was sent to the Outer Rifts, where she immediately arose as a succubus vampire. Her remaining family members changed their names and went into hiding after their estates were plundered and razed. Before Earthfall she had ascended to demon lord status.

Home

Zura now calls the mountainous Abyssal realm of Nesh her home. Nesh has a large number of villages inhabited by captured humanoids harvested from the Material Plane. They are, for the most part, unaware that they dwell deep in the Outer Rifts, except the leaders, who are rewarded by Zura's minions to keep the truth hidden.

Relationships

It is unclear whether Zura worshiped Urgathoa, the Pallid Princess, in life, but as a demon lord, their relationship is mercurial: sometimes they (and thus their worshipers) are firm allies and at other times they are at war.

Appearance

She is said to appear as a voluptuous woman, with a dark gothic beauty that is almost impossible to resist. This beautiful form is merely a ruse she uses to seduce her victims; her true form is that of an emaciated woman with bat-like wings in place of arms, blood-red eyes and hair, large fangs, and taloned feet.

Cult and worshipers

Kyra, as a vampire, worshiping Zura and wielding the demon lord's unholy symbol.

Zura's worship is most common wherever blood-thirsty vampires and their thralls can be found. She is most commonly worshiped in the haunted counties of Ustalav and decadent cities of Cheliax. Azlanti ruins may attract Azlanti vampires who tend shrines to Zura there.

In the benighted depths of Sekamina, Zura is worshiped by the drow of House Rasivrein, who serve as the slave masters of the decadent drow cities.

Zura is one of the Three Feasters, the deities worshiped by the Koboto tribe of the Sodden Lands. In the Mwangi Expanse, Zura is one of the main demons worshiped by the Bekyar tribes and the ferocious halflings of the Kaava Lands. One version of the legend of the mythical lost city of Zurakai is that it was founded by followers of Zura. Some sabosan, failing to get spells from their erstwhile demon lord, Vyriavaxus, have turned to Zura.

In the Ustalavic county of Odranto, a tribe of surface-dwelling xulgaths known as the Marshworth Clutch worship Zura. The clutch has undertaken some unique and bloodthirsty rituals to secure her divine favour and now they are known to have an unnatural mastery of their enemy's blood.

Zura is the most popular of the demon lords commonly worshiped by the orcs and is normally worshiped by tribes of degenerate cannibals. These orcs embrace their daylight vulnerability by rejecting sunlight entirely and trying to only emerge at night. These tribes are normally led by either a cleric of Zura or an actual orc vampire.

Cultists of Urgathoa mirror the relationship of their goddess with Zura cultists: sometimes they work together, sometimes cultists of one are sacrificed to the other. Maybe this conflict is due to the similar natures of the goddess' and the demon lord's portfolios.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.