Far beyond the great desert, one will find the troubled land of Umaab. The people of this once proud kingdom are oft beset by demons who serve the dark god Nergal. The characteristics of these demons are described in the holy Tablets of Adad Untash.
“Why does it smell like cinnamon out here?” Dusz asked no one in particular. “I hate cinnamon.”
The Champion of Dnaniri stood on a tower high above the city of Muuru, looking out on its lights with a wonder that spoke more to his boyhood on his family’s farm than it did to his role as defender of Umaab. It wasn’t so very long ago, really, that he was just a boy on his grandfather’s knee, listening intently as the old man spoke of battles and treasures and things that once seemed impossible. Now, though, they were all too familiar. He was tired, and he wanted nothing more than to hang his axe – the same one his grandfather used – over the mantle and tell his own children tales to amaze them.
Dusz started briefly as a hand caressed his shoulder. He relaxed just as quickly, for it was a cool and smooth hand of his mate, the enchantress Giszeah. Her touch, despite its familiarity, still filled him with awe and wonder as much as it did the fist time they had embraced.
“Sweet Dusz,” Giszeah spoke softly. “Why do you linger out here in the darkness? Our room is warm and the bed is lonely without you…”
“I am sorry, my love. Something tugs at my mind, yet I know not what. I only know that there is no reason for it to smell like cinnamon out here.”
Suddenly, a strange trumpeting shriek pierced the night and a malign whiteness streaked across the sky, headed directly for the two lovers on their balcony high above the city. Riding upon the back of the strange bat-like beast was a foe long thought lost – Shaalath Akis!
“I have traveled many worlds to find this moment,” the mad sorceress cried out above the howling of the wind and the beating of her bizarre mount’s giant wings. “The two of you cost me much. And now you shall repay me with your very souls!”
The notes of insanity in her laughter would have unsettled even the bravest of warriors, but Dusz and Giszeah had fought this fight before. He would deal with the creature Shaalath Akis had summoned from some hell or another while Giszeah would handle the sorceress herself. A set piece before bedtime, almost as comforting as a glass of kiga beetle tea and a game of szarrat.
And yet, there was something in the way the lights of Muuru played off the ivory tusks of the thing, some malign intelligence that gleamed in its eyes as it drew near. Something that suggested that perhaps it, rather than the deranged sorceress upon its back, was the true threat here…
Iszirisur (Higher Order Demon)
No. Enc.: 1d3 (1d3)
Alignment: Chaotic (evil)
Movement: 30’ (10’)
Fly: 150’ (50’)
Armor Class: -2
Hit Dice: 11
Attacks: 2 (tusks) or 1 (wing slash)
Damage: 2d8/2d8 or 3d10
Save: F11
Morale:11
Hoard Class: XXI
XP: 6,000
Smelling strangely of cinnamon, Iszirisur resemble giant bone-white bats with the head, trunk and tusks of elephants. They peer out at the world from dull amber eyes that slowly weep streams of pus and blood that stain their chalky faces in bizarre ways.
Normally Iszirisur attack with their stout ivory tusks – and will, like normal elephants, charge to increase their damage if circumstances allow. They may also choose to slash at a victim with their bony wings as they fly by, thus avoiding melee engagement with any target whose initiative score is more than two points lower than their own. Finally, an individual Iszirisur may buffet a group of opponents by beating its wings violently. Victims of this attack must save vs. Breath Attacks or have their spirits blowing into the Astral Plane (treat as being a recipient of the Astral Projection spell). Each turn that a character is in the Astral Plane he may make a new saving thrown to fight his way back to his body. Dangers abound in the Astral Plane, of course, so characters will have their hands full even as they struggle to return to the physical world.
In addition to these attacks, Iszirisur have the following spell-like abilities, useable at will: Blink, Charm (Animal or Person), Cloudkill, Darkness 10’ Radius, Fear, Gaseous Form, Maze, Polymorph Self, Sleep, Speak with Dead, Telekinesis (600 lbs.), and Time Stop (1/day). Further, these dread creatures are very hard to kill, regenerating 3 hp per round so long as they are not in contact with the ground.
Additionally, they possess all of the abilities of a typical Higher Order Demon:
- Infravision (90’)
- Half damage from cold-based attacks
- Half damage from electrical-based attacks
- Half damage from fire-based attacks (all)
- Half damage from gas-type attacks
- Telepathy (allows all languages to be understood)
- Teleport without error
Iszirisur can only be damaged by +2 or better weapons, though they are susceptible to damage from non-magical weapons made of pure iron. Iszirisur may Gate (40% probability of success) 1d6 Agara Muun (25%) or 2d4 Uszu Anang Kal (75%).
Iszirisur freely roam the Astral Plane in search of unwary victims and are only encountered in the physical world when summoned by foul rituals or sent forth by their demonic masters.
The Tablets of Adad Untash tell the faithful that Iszirisur are the souls of officers who ordered their soldiers to violate the laws of Kurraszu and murder women, children or elders.
