Plague demons were fiends that were created when creatures succumbed to the abyssal plague.[1][2]
Creation[]
Similar to ghoul fever, a victim infected by the abyssal plague, either through the ingestion of or contact with Voidharrow, exposure to the blood of another infected creature, or the attacks/death throes of a plague demon, could develop symptoms of the disease and transform upon their death.[1][2]
Sometimes an infected creature would die before the infection of their body was complete. These creatures would still rise as plague demons, but they would be lesser, undead corpses.[1]
Ecology[]
Plague demons were under the control of the Voidharrow, the sentient Abyss located in another universe. The Voidharrow desired to spread the abyssal plague across all known worlds, including Toril.[1] They had the same chaotic and destructive nature of the demons from the normal Abyss.[2]
Two adventurers, a dragonborn and a tiefling, fighting against a group of plague demons.
There were eight known types of plague demon:
- Animated corpses
- Formed from a creature infected by the abyssal plague who died from a cause other than the disease itself.[1]
- Abyssal plague demons
- The most frequently documented carriers of the plague, usually roughly humanoid in appearance in accordance with the disease's most common victims. They were divided in six categories (from weakest to strongest): Chaos hound, Chaos Footsoldier, Chaos beast, Chaos bender, Chaos knight, and Chaos vanguard.[2]
- Abyssal plague swarms
- Hive minds of tiny demonic insects spawned from orbs found near areas experiencing the plague.[1]
- Swarmbringers
- Resembling spiders, swarmbringers were more intelligent and could infect the ground around them if they were killed.[1]
- Voidharrow doomcallers
- Capable of infecting entire countries by itself, doomcallers communicated directly with the Voidharrow and could launch plague-filled spores into the air.[1]
- Abyssal plague blightwalker
- Individuals stronger than the average person, such as adventurers, didn't turn into common plague demons, instead they were transformed into the more powerful blightwalkers.[3]
- Voidharrow Exarchs
- Specially powerful heroes were transformed into Voidharrow Exarchs, champions of the Voidharrow who commanded the lesser plague demons.[3]
- Voidharrow Heralds
- Specially powerful users of arcane magic were transformed into Voidharrows Heralds. They lost their magical abilities in exchange for the power of spreading the Abyssal Plague with a crystalline sword that was able to slice space itself. The Heralds were the voice and will of the Voidharrow itself.[3]
History[]
At some point in the past, worshipers of Tharizdun tried to free their god from his ancient prison in Pandemonium. Heroes from the world of Nerath, among them the deva Demascus, disrupted the ritual, but not before the cultists had released the Voidharrow from Tharizdun's prison. The Voidharrow infected the cultists and some of the heroes, turning them into the first plague demons, among them Murmur and Scour. They were sealed away by the remaining heroes, thought Murmur and Scour were sent to Toril through the Vast Gate.[4]
In 1479 DR, plague demons were encountered in Akanûl,[5] Luskan,[6] Easting,[7] and within the depths of Undermountain.[8]
Notable individuals[]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
- Adventures
- The Elder Elemental Eye • Halls of Undermountain
- Novels
- The Gates of Madness • Sword of the Gods • Shadowbane
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Michael E. Shea (July 2011). “Creature Incarnations: Abyssal Plague Demons”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #192 (Wizards of the Coast) (192).. Archived from the original on 2016-11-10. Retrieved on 2015-03-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Brian R. James, Matt James, Sterling Hershey, Steve Townshend (December 2011). Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-7869-5838-2.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Michael E. Shea (December 2011). “Creature Incarnations: Abyssal Plague Epic Threats”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #197 (Wizards of the Coast) (197)., pp. 1–6.
- ↑ James Wyatt (2010). The Gates of Madness. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-4406-4.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell (April 2011). Sword of the Gods. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-5739-2.
- ↑ Erik Scott de Bie (September 2011). Shadowbane. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-5855-9.
- ↑ Pieter Sleijpen and Chris Sims (2012). The Elder Elemental Eye. (Wizards of the Coast).
- ↑ Matt Sernett, Shawn Merwin (2012). Halls of Undermountain. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 86–88. ISBN 0786959940.