Velstrac
Velstracs are horrific, shadow-dwelling fiends who seek ultimate sensation through self-mutilation.
Evangelists, the velstracs' unofficial ambassadors, roam the farthest reaches of the planes to spread the word of their kind's abhorrent belief in perfection through pain. They are therefore the most frequently encountered velstracs on the Material Plane, leading covens of hedonistic mortal flesh-sculptors or serving as wardens of horrific dungeons. In regions ruled by infernal powers, evangelists may serve as lieutenants or advisors, whispering secret paths to power in exchange for mortal's souls or choice mortal flesh. Evangelists are the same size as humans, although with the heavy chains that always drape their forms, they often weigh 350 pounds or more.
The Exterminators encountered an evangelist in Gauntlight Keep named "Vaulgrist". She had been the chief torturer for Belcorra Haruvex.
Habitat and Society
They transcend their stoic detachment only when inflicting pain and terror upon their victims, practicing new forms of debasement and torture before then turning their knives on themselves. Although velstracs consider themselves beyond such limitations as morality or mortal taboos, their victims know them as emotionless tormentors who inflict debased, sadistic suffering. They claim to seek perfection in thought, form, and action, although they don’t recognize any refinement that doesn’t require the painful excision of the flesh or spirit. Velstracs manifest from the souls of masochistic or sadistic mortals that are diverted into the Shadow Plane and then forged into forms that suit their vile predilections, ranging from the low-ranking augurs to the aesthetics-obsessed interlocutors. Some mortals refer to velstracs as “kytons,” a misattribution that the velstracs tolerate with cold amusement. The term “kyton” denotes a master or virtuoso among their kind, and these fiends enjoy being labeled masters of their horrid paths to perfection through agony.Known Variants
Evangelist
Geographic Distribution
