| Game background | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | The Blooded Baron |
| Home plane | Abyss |
| Power level | Demon lord |
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil |
| Portfolio | Subterfuge |
| Superior | None |
| Design details | |
Arzial, known as the Blooded Baron, is a minor demon lord of Subterfuge, master of the Barony of Vulderpayne in the Abyss, in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.
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Arzial was first mentioned in the adventure "The Ruins of Nol-Daer" in Dungeon #13 (September/October 1988).[1]
Arzial received further details in third edition in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006).[2] Arzial was mentioned briefly in Graz'zt's entry in "The Demonimicon of Iggwilv" series in Dragon #360 (2007).[3]
Arzial is a cambion, born of the demon prince Graz'zt and a presumably human woman. The least accomplished of Graz'zt's many children, Arzial still has a vital role in Graz'zt's schemes.
Arzial's father is Graz'zt, making him the half-brother of Athux, Belyara, Iuz, Rule-of-Three, and Thraxxia and the grandson of Pale Night. He has a close relationship with a female wizard known as Demara the Enchantress, whose half-fiendish son MacDaer Arzial fostered for fifty years, teaching him magic and the ways of the Abyss. The exact relationship between Demara, Arzial, and MacDaer is unclear; Arzial could be MacDaer's father, brother, or no true relation at all.
Vulderpayne is remote, but still important to Graz'zt. It is located in Pazunia, the Plain of Infinite Portals, a harsh realm of iron fortresses and deep pits that act as portals leading to the lower planes of the Abyss. Fiendish Codex I actually says that Arzial's barony is within Graz'zt's realm of Azzagrat,[2] while the Demonomicon of Iggwilv article by James Jacobs placed it in Pazunia.[3] Perhaps Vulderpayne contains a portal to Azzagrat, which would explain Graz'zt's desire to keep it under his control.