Marilith (Dungeons & Dragons)

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Cover art from the R. A. Salvatore novel Passage to Dawn (art by Todd Lockwood), featuring Drizzt duelling with a marilith.
Cover art from the R. A. Salvatore novel Passage to Dawn (art by Todd Lockwood), featuring Drizzt duelling with a marilith.
Dungeons & Dragons creature
Marilith
Alignment
Type
Source books
First appearance Monster Manual, 1st Edition (1977)
Image Wizards.com image
Stats OGL stats

In the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, a marilith is a powerful type of demon. In first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, mariliths were known as type V demons. From second edition AD&D, the name "type V demon" was revised to "marilith", taking the name of the greatest individual of their rank as the name for the entire breed. (The original four type V demons were:Aishapra, Kevokulli, Marilith, and Rehnaremme. ) Marilith is based on Hindu mythology, where gods and demons frequently have multiple heads and arms.[1]

Contents

[edit] Nature

Mariliths appear as creatures with the upper body of a woman, the lower body and tail of a serpent (in the style of a mermaid), and six arms, the multiple arms perhaps inspired by the stereotype of Hindu deities. Each arm carries decorative jewelries, and wields a different weapon (usually enchanted long swords). Mariliths favor their weapons highly-- if one should ever be lost or stolen, they go to great lengths to see that the weapon is retrieved. [2]

Although they are strategists, mariliths eagerly join any melee combat given the chance. They attack with six weapons, a snapping tail which grabs, can cast illusionary and charm magics, and can gate in other tanar'ri.

Mariliths are the generals and coordinators of the Blood War (though given the chaotic nature of tanar'ri, it is not usually possible to coordinate their activities, mariliths are charged with it, nonetheless). In the hierarchy of tanar'ri, mariliths rank only below balors.

[edit] Known Mariliths

  • Alamanda[3]
  • Aishapra, the Marilith Dervish[4]
  • Baltoi: The Sleeping Beast from Van Richten's Guide to Fiends[5]
  • Byakala: >: an advanced marilith with the Smoking Eye template, found in The Shackled City[6].
  • The Cathezar:Half-Chain Devil/Half-Marilith, originally a servant of Demogorgon/Aameul; depending on events, she may be either dead or serve Ammet the balor now[7].
  • Kaliva: a vassal of the marilith demon lord Shaktari, born as a human and raised by an evil duke. She spurned the advances of a wizard, who shapechanged her into a rutterkin and banished her to the Abyss. Eventually her intelligence and fighting skills enabled her to become a marilith[9].
  • Kalistes: One of Bane's underling in the computer game Pools of Darkness. In the game she commands a large army consisting of drows and spiders, and possesses the Ring of Reversal which steals the sun. She hides in an infernal demiplane called Kalistes's Palace. She does not cast spells, but attacks six times in a round with all hands, each wielding a +4 weapon.
  • Shaktari: known as the Queen of Poison, Shaktari is a giant marilith who rules Vudra, the 531st layer of the Abyss. She has flaming eyes and black skin[9]. As of third edition, Shaktari claims rulership of all mariliths.
  • Shesinellek[10]
  • Stentka Taran: Beshaba's general.[12].
  • Taramanda[3]
  • Unhath and Reluhantis: servants of Graz'zt who rule his realm in his absence, listed in Book of Vile Darkness. Unhath and Reluhantis are 6th level sorcerers.
  • Viractuth: the demon lord Rhyxali's second in command, Viractuth is a 5th level marilith sorcerer. She organizes the knowledge gathered by Rhyxali's shadow demons and lives in a huge library filled with tomes only she can read[13].
  • Yxunomei: middle boss - Found in the game Icewind Dale in the deep bowels of Dragon's Eye.


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ DeVarque, Aardy. Literary Sources of D&D. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
  2. ^ Monstrous Manual, TSR 1995.
  3. ^ a b Hellbound: The Blood War Boxed Set AD&D TSR 2621 Planescape
  4. ^ The Marilith Dervish by Robert Wiese, http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20050921a
  5. ^ Teeuwynn Woodruff [1995]. Van Richten's Guide to Fiends (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons : Ravenloft, No 9477). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-0122-5. 
  6. ^ Jesse Decker et al. [1995]. The Shackled City Adventure Path. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-9770071-0-3. 
  7. ^ Bruce R. Cordell [2002]. Bastion of Broken Souls. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-2656-2. 
  8. ^ Bruce R. Cordell [2001]. Module Nemsis, Book of Chaos, guide for DMs from Planes of Chaos boxset. Wizards of the Coast. 
  9. ^ a b AD&D Dungeon Magazine Issue 60, Wizard of the Coast.
  10. ^ a b Carl Sargent [1995]. Night Below. TSR. ISBN 0-7869-0179-9. 
  11. ^ Colin McComb [1995]. Well of Worlds. TSR. ISBN 1-56076-893-2. 
  12. ^ Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb [1997]. Tymora's Luck, 1st edition, Wizards of the Coast, 316. ISBN 0-7869-0726-6. 
  13. ^ Book of Vile Darkness web enhancement http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20030117a

[edit] External links

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