Demons
Demons, officially known as Tanar'ri (pronounced: /tɑːˈnɑːrri/ tah-NAHR-ree or: /tɛˈnɑːri/ teh-NAH-ree), were the dominant species in the Abyss; evil souls warped by its raw chaos into manifestations of mortal failing. Whether they arose naturally from sins and spirits, or were shaped by evil gods or other powerful demons, all tanar'ri were embodiments of vice, depraved inner demons spawned from the darkest corners of mortal minds.
Basic Information
Anatomy
By their very nature as beings of chaos, it was a mistake to assume that the tanar'ri had any physical traits shared across the entire race. From their skin to their organs, any sense of patterns or logical progression was absent.10 While a common set of standard forms appeared frequently enough to give the appearance of a classification system, the truth was that for every known shape of the tanar'ri there were perhaps dozens unknown.11
The only true rule behind the form of the tanar'ri was that they followed function, each shape an adaptation to the infinitely inhospitable depths of the Abyss. It was believed that some layers housed particular types of tanar'ri, and that those in small secluded regions might all share the same basic forms.1011 Furthermore, the tanar'ri were mutable, always in a state of individual evolution to grow stronger, the path of which also depended on the nature of their environment.12 In short, the tanar'ri form followed no ultimate pattern because the lives and lands of the tanar'ri followed no ultimate pattern, with some types being entirely unique.1011
Despite not following any overall rules, there were some major commonalities when it came to the tanar'ri forms. Most tanar'ri had some humanoid features due to their close ties to the mortal realm,13 but many of the earliest varieties were monstrous and primeval in appearance with little if any such traits, the raw chaos of the Abyss leaving them in such bestial forms. Furthermore, many tanar'ri were also noted to share an odd feature in that parts of them seemed artificial, almost mechanical in appearance. Some, like the hezrou and glabrezu for example, had half-organic plating under their flesh. These were the markings of alterations made by the sibriex to the still-developing tanar'ri long ago.
Biology
Most demons were living things, yet as creatures not from the Material Plane, they lacked the same biological requirements found in those that were and had strange features of their own. For example, a dissection performed on a dretch revealed that while their muscles were cable-like and their bones dense while they were still alive, their tendons became atrophied and their bones brittle when they had died, implying their strength was not simply biological, but magical in nature.172
Like with their most of their myriad abilities, the features of specific types of tanar'ri generally reflected where they came from. The substance they were made of, whether bone or metal, sometimes indicated the most common material of their native layer, and those that seemed drastically different (such as if one was covered by spikes and another with slime) were likely from very distant layers. Their style of movement — whether they sinuously slid, jerkily stumbled, or made great horizontal bounds — often indicated the dangers of a layer and possibly the best way to traverse it. The home of a tanar'ri with sharp teeth, claws, or horns likely encouraged close-quarters combat and the shedding of blood, while a layer with predators that were dangerous but had poor senses might host tanar'ri able to turn translucent under the right angle of light.
Genetics and Reproduction
Creation
The tanar'ri were an incredibly prolific race, outnumbering their baatezu rivals to a staggering degree and possessing a wide variety of advantages when it came to the numbers game. For example, both the baatezu and tanar'ri could emerge spontaneously from their native planes, but the tanar'ri blossomed from the chaotic maelstroms of the Abyss far more frequently than the baatezu could pull themselves out from Baator's unfeeling order and rigid ground, as was to be expected from somewhere as structured and regulated as the Nine Hells.17422
Unlike their obyrith progenitors, who were spawned directly from the heaving flesh of the Abyss, the tanar'ri emerged from the more fertile soil of the mortal soul. However, the original tanar'ri breeds were not truly born from the first humanoid souls to enter the Abyss, but rather forged from them. Several varieties of the chaotic fiends had to be coaxed and shaped into existence by the obyriths, particularly through the aid of the sibriexes. In more recent times the process continued without intervention, with the tanar'ri emerging from sins on their own. Some sins were ageless, invariable in nature across time and so spawning commonly known tanar'ri, but there were often new depravities that existed for a brief window of time, resulting in transitory breeds able to go extinct before even coming to the attention of the Material Plane.6
The most pitiful of chaotic evil souls (assuming they did not worship an Abyssal lord or deity, in which case those beings would choose their form) manifested in the Abyss as the worm-like soul larvae.22175 Demons often devoured these petitioners, utterly destroying them and permanently erasing all that they were from the multiverse,175 but the tanar'ri "promoted" almost all of the creatures into higher forms,22 bending the tenuous natural order of the Abyss to make them into true demons.175 This was among the many reasons why the tanar'ri outnumbered the baatezu, who trolled the Hells for only the hardiest larvae that struggled against harsh conditions and met their strict standards to mold into lemures.22176
Many (but not all) new souls were spawned directly on the Woeful Escarand to be judged according to the dubiously upheld standards of the Lords of Woe, assigned a tanar'ic form, and from there deposited on some other layer of the Abyss.1752290 Most souls, however, did not have to start as a pathetic larva, but rather took the form of a mane which vaguely resembled their mortal selves, albeit driven feral by the overwhelming psychic shock of their transformation.175
Procreation
Some tanar'ri employed the more traditional methods of reproduction. Unlike with the baatezu, whose females were all infertile, many types of tanar'ri were capable of breeding among themselves.1031177 It was not uncommon for tanar'ri to take on different sexes at will, going between male, female, both, and neither as they so desired. Over time they generally stuck with one form, letting their strongest predilection dominate the others. This was partially because changing between them was a considerable effort even for the mightiest of them, effort that they'd generally rather use on something destructive.10
Tanar'ri offspring were normally the same type as their parents or of a type somewhere between the relative strength of the two, favoring the mother's due to their influence up until the birth. Some were carried for mere days before being left to the Abyss, others were carried over decades and given time to incubate, and others still were laid as eggs. In any case, a tanar'ric birth could end badly for the bearer if proper precautions weren't taken. These "true-born" tanar'ri were planar beings born ready for the hardships of battle from the moment of inception. Fortunately for the rest of the multiverse, most of such creatures were killed in infancy by their own parents soon after being spawned.3116
Unfortunately for many, the tanar'ri loved to mate with a countless variety of races. From seduction and disguise to brute force and unholy pacts, they had many methods to get what they wanted in this regard.31 The unluckiest mortals were the ones chosen as breeding stock;36 conversely, some sought out tanar'ri to couple with for the sake of power. Sometimes tanar'ri were motivated to crossbreed by the desire for a new sensation,41 while at others they sought simply to create more of their ilk,36 tanar'ri nature (notably their ability to magically transform)178 able to override the most pressing biological barriers to crossbreed with nearly any mortal species. However, mortal mothers almost always died in the painful throes of Abyssal childbirth, while mortal fathers were often killed soon after the coupling (assuming they didn't die the moment their seed took root).3136
Examples of mortal-tanar'ri crossbreeds included cambions, alu-fiends, and draegloths, and the further interbreeding of tanar'ric half-fiends and mortals could produce various other types of fiendish hybrids down the line.36179 A key example of these distant descendants were demonic tieflings, their ancestors usually being either succubi or mariliths.178 Other examples included the fey'ri, the descendants of a house of sun elves that secretly bred with succubi to empower their bloodline,180 and the tanarukks, the descendants of tanar'ri (particularly vrocks) and the orcish slaves they bred with in an attempt to create an army of shock troops. Notably, tanarukks bred true amongst each other and pure-blooded orcs, and could theoretically breed with goblinoids or even ogres to create strange (if likely sterile) crossbreeds.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The notion that the tanar'ri needed to eat at all, let alone had any specific dietary requirements, was a matter of contention.31 For a frame of reference, dretches were noted to consume nearly all organic matter, living or dead, and while they did have a rudimentary digestive system (consisting of an esophagus connecting the mouth to a "stomach") no other digestive organs, such as intensities or bowels, were to be found.172 Some tanar'ri allegedly consumed the spirits (as well as corpses) of their enemies, while others were said to draw the magical essence out from their bodies. The feeding of many types of tanar'ri, including maurezhi, nabassus, and nalfeshnees, had an esoteric component.31
Whether or not they needed to eat, many tanar'ri chose to for a variety of reasons, sometimes just for the simple pleasure of the act. Vrocks, for example, devoured their enemies mostly for symbolic reasons, a gesture of their superiority over the adversary. If an overall structure or symbolic meaning underlaid tanar'ri eating habits, such a thing was unknown and certainly not being actively followed. Like with most things regarding the tanar'ri, trying to force them into neat categories based on how they ate was a futile endeavor. Their feeding, mirroring the rest of their activities, was senseless and destructive.31
However, even if the tanar'ri didn't need to eat, they still derived nourishment from doing so17 (although overslaking themselves could leave them feeling letargic).10 On the surface, the answer to what they ate overall was both simple and expected: great quantities of meat, preferably alive. If not that, most tanar'ri fed upon the life force of other creatures. What made a meal even better for them however, was when it was scared. It was a known fact that the tanar'ri could literally smell fear, and supposedly the meat took on a bold, vastly more satisfying flavor for them when their victim was horrified. They also seemed to derive greater nutrition from a frightened victim, leading to the addition of a middle step, terrify, in the typical predator methodology of stalk and kill.17
Furthermore, it was sometimes theorized that there was something deeper behind the process of tanar'ric consumption. Unlike creatures such as yugoloths (particularly the lesser daemons) that enjoyed fear and pain as a flavoring for their meat, it was thought that the tanar'ri consumed the agony and terror itself, that they relished the act of ripping into the living because the screams spread the fear to other prey. Furthermore, it created dark stories about the tanar'ri, increasing the fear on an even greater scale, and some perhaps intended to instill a painful, frightful reminder in their victims of their own mortality. In any case, the tanar'ri found sustenance in both suffering and flesh, whether or not they needed to.
Biological Cycle
Ascension
The tanar'ri were constantly taking on new shapes,12 always changing to become more powerful,183 and most types of tanar'ri originated from weaker fiends that had advanced into a higher form.10 Baatezu ascended by obtaining favor and stamps of approval from important fiends and infernal ministries, yugoloths by proving their competence and conviction in wickedness, as well as how best to demonstrate it,10 and even the slightly chaotic gehreleths by waiting for the deaths of enough superiors.184 The tanar'ri, meanwhile, had no such rigmarole,10 nor the set torture procedures used to elevate castes.12 Unlike other fiends, it would be inaccurate to label their transformations "promotions" or even to say they were "rising". Rather than ascend, it would be more accurate to say the chaotic fiends "changed" and they did so with no apparent rhyme or reason.10
The most common theory behind tanar'ric transformations was that the demons changed based on what they believed. It was a strange combination of posturing and self-confidence where by convincing both themselves and those around them of their strength and intelligence, reality would shift to match perception. Whether or not they were right was irrelevant, for so long as others believed (and if they deluded themselves into believing), the lie would eventually become true, but it helped to have some edge, such as cunning, power, magic, or deep self-confidence, to back up their supposed greatness.1012 This change was not believed to be automatic, but a gradual, self-determined process, and the means by which tanar'ri shaped themselves to best survive in their native layers.1110
But just as the Abyss shaped the tanar'ri, the tanar'ri shaped the Abyss, feeding it with their own beliefs and power and it empowering them in turn.11 In the ever-changing depths of the Abyss, power was station and it was adapt or die. The lowest Abyssal petitioners, the soul larvae, learned quickly of the brutality of their existence and advanced towards strength and sentience as fast as possible. When new kinds of fiendish life spontaneously appeared in the Abyss, it was because the larvae there had undergone a twisted kind of evolution. On harsher layers of the Abyss, generations could go by before one managed to rise above the rest and assume a form able to exploit their environment.11
Indeed, just as the tanar'ri adapted to the Abyss, the Abyss adapted to the tanar'ri, forming new hazards and inhospitable realms to crush all but the most capable lifeforms.22 The most common shapes of the tanar'ri were those able to inhabit multiple specialized environments, even those completely obscure to most mortals.11 In a sense, it was the many hostile layers of the Abyss that taught the tanar'ri which forms to take (and which to flee from) to survive.10 After obtaining forms capable of survival, a tanar'ri could attempt take on new forms, but only if they had the energy to spare.11
However, it was important to note that the newer demons were not simply changing to match their homes. Rather, these tanar'ri took cues from more experienced fiends, imitating the strength and abilities that gave them their staying power.11 A tanar'ri that adapted a pair of sharp claws, for example, needed not be from a layer that truly encouraged close combat, but merely to believe that excelling in this area was the most worthwhile of goals.10
A fair number of people felt that faith was an insufficient explanation of tanar'ric transformations. Some were certain that other forces, such as balors or nalfeshnee, manipulated and channeled the belief, while others thought that the Abyss randomly determined a tanar'ri's form without regard for skill of mental capacity.10 In reality, neither of these views were wrong. In the chaos of the Abyss, both force of will and pure luck played a role. The spontaneous evolution of manes, for example, usually happened at the whims of the Abyss, even if an individual's chances were higher. Furthermore, stronger demons did engineer the promotions of manes on occasion, generally the unusually cruel and intelligent.11175185 The nalfeshnees in particular drained life and dark emotions from those they judged, readying the husks for torturous transformation into tanar'ri.
Death
There was little question to what happened to a tanar'ri that was slain in the Abyss: permanent death. They were too close to the source of their being to reform, the pull of the Abyss so strong that their spirits were sucked into the heart of the churning mass of hatred. Normally the body was taken along with the spirit, feeding the Abyss that would eventually spit the corpse out in the form of a mane or other lesser creature.31 This, however, was assuming that they weren't completely destroyed in the process (such as if they were devoured or taken out with holy weapons or water).125 If a tanar'ri's spirit was destroyed, the corpse just withered and the Abyss would get nothing from it.31
A more debated matter was what exactly happened when tanar'ri died away from the Abyss. The best possible fate for a killed demon under these circumstances was instantaneous reformation in the Abyss, their bodies swiftly dissolving and eventually returning (assuming they weren't kept bound by a spell like spirit anchor) their minds intact, and their "essence" reincarnating as a new demon. But even in this best case scenario, a demon's life was still put at great risk. A fiend that fell back to the Abyss (assuming they weren't summoned, in which case death was ultimately irrelevant) was in danger of "demotion", either suffering a reduction in rank or potentially starting at the very bottom of the rung. Even the mighty balors could be subject to this phenomenon, and only by the will of a demon prince could one be exempted.236237
Less charitable understandings of demonic reincarnation cast this process as taking far longer, specifically a hundred years or so. The burning rage of the tanar'ri's spirit had to reshape its individual form from the gestalt rage of the Abyss, and moreover had to retain their will to live the entire time; a moment's hesitation and they would be lost forever. Fortunately for them, most tanar'ri fought to the last, and depending on their strength of will might be able to come back even stronger than before.31
This, however, was assuming that a killed tanar'ri would be able to find their way back in the first place. Whereas being killed in the Abyss put a tanar'ri too close to the source of their being, being killed outside put them too far away. The weaker ones lacked a sufficient link to the Abyss, so it was not guaranteed that they would be able to make it back. Even if they did, there was no telling if they would have the willpower to endure the potentially decades long reformation process. Only a tanar'ri of approximately "true" status had both the ties to the Abyss and willpower to come back, having mastered their forms and inner fires over the centuries. Some claimed that they carried fragments of the Abyss in their hearts before leaving the plane which could be called back when their physical shells were dispersed.
Additional Information
Social Structure
The tanar'ri were the unchallenged master race of the Abyss, reigning over almost every layer within it.1316 However, this in no way meant that the Abyss was in any state of peace or unity. Rather, the Abyss was defined by a constant struggle of plotting and battles, endless petty fights for position and power. Though the details changed, such as the subtlety of the conflict or the fate of the losers once the battle had ended, the overall condition remained the same.2417
The Abyss was filled with innumerable strongholds of various materials both mundane and esoteric, each tried and tested by the constant, assaults that happened almost daily, at least somewhere, within its depths. The nature of the tanar'ri meant that it was practically impossible to predict when an attack was coming or adequately prepare for all potential attacks. Sometimes it was due to a relatively pragmatic territorial dispute, at others it was because one party felt insulted, and at others still the aggressor simply felt like attacking. Furthermore, the would-be attacked tanar'ri had their own violence and schemes that they sought to enact without interference from outside forces.24
It was in this need to hold one's enemies at bay that tanar'ri politics came into play. Through political maneuvering, the tanar'ri could forestall attacks until they were prepared, buying them time to marshal their defenses, ready their own attacks, or summon their supposed allies. In stark contrast to the rigorous and complicated procedures of infernal politics, the tanar'ri system was turbulent and simple. In the Abyss, politics was merely a matter of who seemed to hold the most power, whether it was physical, magical, numerical, influential, or any other form.24
The tanar'ri were a fickle race that normally sided with the strongest party unless they were (or believed that they would be) personally threatened, in which case they attempted to appear stronger in order to gain more allies themselves for their own protection.24 They served out of fear rather than any sense of loyalty to their masters, and unlike the baatezu only took their duties seriously if at risk of being caught avoiding them. They could be bribed with money, power, or chances at vengeance, and if not insulted by the offer would likely take the bribe, although if and how long they would stay bribed was a different question.161939
This complete lack of certainty in the world around them was the reason why tanar'ri politics were so unstable.40 Tanar'ri culture reflected its participants, simultaneously expecting nothing and staying ready for anything.27 It was impossible to predict the next moves of their rivals, for their enemies might move without any provocation or forethought.40 The fiends were always suspicious of one another, to the point that one of the best responses when asked awkward questions by them was to change the subject to their enemies, even if one didn't know who those enemies were. Each was always looking over their shoulder and looking out only for themselves1619 for the one cardinal rule that even the tanar'ri obeyed was to trust nothing and no one.40
Castes
A common misconception about the tanar'ri was that, like other fiends such as baatezu or yugoloths, they followed a caste system of forms.41 This was simply untrue, for although the tanar'ri could be broken into rough rankings, the truth was that the tanar'ri could not be organized into any kind of form-based hierarchy. Any terminology used to try and sort them, such as the "Type" system or the "least, lesser, greater, true" format, was something placed upon them by other beings.114112 At best, the rankings were broad guesses of a common form's general level of power.17
Practically speaking there was no such thing as stations in the Abyss.10 The ranks only mattered so far as it affected assumptions of a given tanar'ri's power,41 for the status of the tanar'ri was determined not in what they were, but in what they could do. For example, something that looked like a balor would be treated as such (that was to say normally left alone) but there was no social consequence for attacking a balor (at least without further context) besides whatever the balor saw fit to do to its assailant. A tanar'ri might want to see if such a being was really as powerful as they had heard and actually commit to attacking them.10 Furthermore, if a weaker tanar'ri type did manage to best a normally stronger type, they would receive great amounts of status themselves.17
Ironically, the tanar'ri themselves sometimes used these mortal-made labels, flaunting them in order to convince others to do their bidding. For example, a lesser tanar'ri might try and convince a least tanar'ri that it stood no chance against a being of higher rank, only to instantly ignore the castes and argue to a greater tanar'ri that the divisions were useless, citing some other advantage as evidence.24 Similarly, the tanar'ri changed their personal titles faster than the average person changed their mind based on whatever they felt would get them the most respect and power.42 Ultimately the tanar'ri cared little about monikers or supposed castes, only power,17 and like all their politics those mattered to them only so long as it served their current wants and needs.
Advancement
Although many tanar'ri were focused on gaining power and influence within the Abyss, it was important to note that not all of them were.43 Some didn't crave the level of strength and infamy that others aspired to, and were generally content to cause chaos at their own personal level. Unlike with the baatezu, the large majority of them weren't obsessed with rising to the top, even if they did have their own goals.10 To ascend to the heights of power would take eons of unrelenting wickedness and likely the betrayal of everything they held close. However, for those who did pursue the path for power, they would find that all they had left was the desire for more.12
At the lowest end of the power scale, tanar'ri politics was simplistic and savage, with the lesser fiends operating purely based on apparent destructive power. In other words, if something looked dangerous, whether due to physical or magical power, the more likely they would be avoided or obeyed. A brutal appearance and cruel demeanor had to be displayed simply to survive. Higher on the power scale, tanar'ri of around the same power level as each other were more subtly imposing. At this stage, tanar'ri had to deal with each other from many positions, both high and low, and took on different visages depending on who they were talking to.40
For example, weaker tanar'ri didn't understand the greater subtlety of their superiors. They obeyed strength and equated it with appearance, shrinking from it even as they desired it themselves. As such, when higher tanar'ri communicated with their lessers, they took on a more ferocious form, power being a language their inferiors could understand.40 However, tanar'ri that rose higher also needed to start hiding, rather than just exaggerating, their true strength. Acting all-powerful would swiftly result in being tested from all sides (for tanar'ri loved toppling what others had built) but seeming too weak also made one a target, creating a delicate balance that had to be maintained to avoid attack.24
Among the highest members of the tanar'ri race, politics (in other words looking dangerous) went beyond brutality and appearance. At this level, it depended on word choice, posture, gesturing, and many other factors that went unnoticed by the lesser members of the race. The players of this game wanted not just to survive, but thrive, seeking the power of rulership and in doing so created an atmosphere of constant hate and paranoia. Notably, despite despising their own oppression, the tana'ri that rose to power had no compunctions about perpetuating the cycle of abuse with their lessers. They used their own suffering as justification to hurt and use others, reinforcing the race's chaotic evil ways.40
Near the top of this system were the tanar'ri princes, who gathered on the 1st layer of the Abyss, The Plain of Infinite Portals, in massive iron fortresses. Warring and scheming, these entities commanded massive hordes and attempted to glorify themselves in the eyes of their peers and mortals alike. They astrally projected to the Material Plane to sway events in their favor and tried to best the other tanar'ric princes, all to the end of claiming an entire layer of the Abyss as their own. Those that managed to accomplish this feat would join the infamous ranks of the demon lords.
At the very peak of the system were the demon lords, the kings of the tanar'ri.16 They were the most powerful adherents of the tanar'ric path to power, their struggles against each other affecting almost every recess of the Abyss.45 Even more so than the normal members of the tanar'ri race, each one held to their own personal vision, their idea of what was "best" for the Abyss and the multiverse at large, and worked against each other to achieve it.40 Were one to grow powerful enough to unite all the layers, the Abyss could hypothetically have a singular ruler.
However, this was more hypothetical than anything else, for while a demon lord could claim multiple levels of the Abyss, becoming too powerful would prompt action. The threat of such domination would likely result in the weaker tanar'ri rising against the one who would crush their freedoms (for even the tanar'ri were capable of concerted action). Moreover, were one Abyssal lord to become too dangerous (or arrogant) the others might band together to thwart them by marshaling their armies, banishing him, or by turning a confidante (for even the tanar'ri were known to have confidantes) against them. Conversely, this could fail, and while the tanar'ri might be able to occasionally ally, they always expected betrayal and tried to do unto others before they could do it to them.152440
Exactly what they wanted to accomplish varied from lord to lord, though there were dozens of examples of tanar'ri lords claiming dominion over specific types of tanar'ri, such as succubi or barlguras.46 However, there was one rank that several of the most powerful tanar'ri of the Abyss all aspired to: the mantle of "Prince of Demons". Unlike the various self-granted titles of Abyssal lords and princes,42 "Prince of Demons" was not just some hollow epithet, but a position that granted the holder actual, tangible power. The wielder of this power exuded an aura of demonic command, allowing them to force virtually all demons to do as they desired. Only other demon lords and those who pledged their souls to them (those imbued with a tiny fraction of their power) were immune.47
For the power to be claimed, the current holder first had to be slain, causing a strange, shadowy, crown-like emanation to appear, a manifestation of the right to mastery. The one who killed the previous holder was vastly more likely (though not guaranteed) to receive the mantle, with the odds increasing based on personal magnetism, involvement with the death, and blood relation to the former ruler.
Comments