Verakia

Verakias were primeval obyrith demons of unrivaled ferocity, monsters that were to the Abyss what the mightiest tyrannosauruses were to the Material Plane: savagery perfected. Their teeth and claws were embodiments of feral fury and the potential for carnage, and so great was their bestial barbarity that even Demogorgon recognized his own primal nature in the brutal saurians.^[1]

Description[]

The humongous verakias had draconic lower bodies with four reptilian feet, the front two ending in huge talons, and a long, spiked tail. Their more humanoid upper torsos had large, powerful arms ending in two-fingered hands, the inner finger of each being larger than the outer finger and tipped by a serrated, inward-curving, scythe-like claw. A verakia's four-eyed head had three horns, two angling downward like a bull's and a third at the rear of the head curving backwards. A long forked tongue like that of a serpent's could be found within their cavernous maws, the corners of which billowed with red smoke caused by the blood-red flames that could be seen glowing within their throats.^[1]

Personality[]

The simple, primitive intellect of the verakias was advanced enough for them to be sadistic, enjoying as they did the terror and pain of their prey, yet the creatures were, if not stupid, then unaware. It seemed unlikely they even noticed the fall of the obyriths and the rise of the tanar'ri, content as they had always been to rule the depths of the Screaming Jungle and believing themselves to be the mightiest of its inhabitants. The creatures took no treasure, though despite their savagery, they were capable of feelings such as idle curiosity.^[1]

Abilities[]

The destructive power of verakias was truly something to be seen; those who witnessed the savage display of a verakia's unbridled wrath, an overwhelming flurry of tooth, claw, and tail, were left stunned by the assault, even moreso the victim of the attack, assuming they survived. Though they could swim, verakias were much faster on land, easily trampling most other creatures and barreling through undergrowth both magical and mundane unimpeded as even the jungle itself recoiled at their approach. Like the archetypal dragon, verakias could also breathe fire, but their flames were uniquely fiendish. The unholy fire of a verakia scarred the body and mind, burning away flesh and feelings alike, while the verakias themselves were immune to fire.^[1]

In a way, those killed by a verakia were luckier than those that survived, since, as obyriths, they inflicted a unique kind of madness on those that perceived them. Verakias filled their victims with their own need for destruction, an overpowering, psychopathic urge to kill taking the form of a murderous rampage. The obsessed individual would seek out a weapon with which to slice and rend at the first opportunity and proceed to kill everything around them before searching for more victims. Since this mad compulsion was stronger than other drives, including the need to eat, it was fairly possible that the affected being would eventually die of hunger or thirst, but otherwise they continued until cured or killed. Accompanying this insanity were other changes, including an immunity to having their minds further altered, the inability to feel fatigue or exhaustion, and a strange resistance to all types of injury besides being cut.^[1]

Combat[]

Given the ease with which they could move through it, verakias preferred fighting in the tangled undergrowth of the jungle that proved difficult for most other creatures to navigate. Despite their great size, they were capable of moving stealthily when surrounded by vegetation. Absolutely devastating singular foes in the thrill of melee was a verakia's preferred way to fight, their fiery breath usually reserved for when outnumbered or if unable to easily reach their target. ^[1]

Ecology[]

Long before the arrival of Demogorgon or the advent of the tanar'ri in general, the verakias were the masters of the Screaming Jungle, their presence playing no small part in the Sibilant Beast's decision to make the layer his own. Their domain was near the interior of the Gaping Maw where the land hardened and rose in the form jagged clefts to a hidden plateau, a realm unknown and unsuspected by even most of the obyrith demon lords in the past. The verakias were known to work alone, in a pair, or in a pack with up to eight members, forced as they were to contend with demonic simians, most notably the tanar'ri known as bar-lguras, who later ruled the plateau. Only if pursuing prey or on a whim would they come down to the shores of the Gaping Maw.^[1]