Lesser Ruby Glabrezu

The **Lesser Ruby Glabrezu** is a powerful demon conjured forth by Count Corbett Aleister. This fiend was commanded to prevent anyone from traversing up the stairs to the upper levels of the Curios Keep. This directive brought it into conflict with the Keep's latest guests, who sought an audience with the absent count.

## Description

### Appearance

The Lesser Ruby Glabrezu is a towering bipedal beast with four arms with black and purple hide. The upper pair of arms end in a set of large pincers that the Glabrezu uses to jab and grapple its foes. Its head resembles a canine with a set of large horns, fearsome fangs and glowing red eyes. A pair of large pauldrons adorn its shoulders. It also possess a large greataxe with a trio of eyes upon the head.

### Personality

The Lesser Ruby Glabrezu displayed extreme hostility to any who approached him. He ignored any remarks made against him and rejected any offerings of food or friendship. His duty, however, meant that he had to exhibit restraint until anyone attempted to pass him, showing exceptional patience with the antics of the Keep's latest guests. However, once the line was crossed, he showed no mercy.

There appeared to be some degree of intelligence to the glabrezu, as he could command his axe to act of its own volition and was capable of speech, angrily demanding Tontu to stay down. It was also not fooled by the illusions Kyuubi conjured, using its truesight to see them for what they were.

## History

### Background

The Lesser Ruby Glabrezu was a native of the Nova, Io's artificial sun and the home of demons. This demon became a fearsome warrior, wielding both the fires of the Hellscape and a deadly sentient axe. Nothing is yet known of its time on the Nova.

### Conjuring

The Lesser Ruby Glabrezu found itself being forcibly pulled from its home by a conjuring spell. The conjurer, Count Corbett Aleister, was the caretaker of a mysterious keep and a collector of antiquities. For reasons still unknown, the count instructed the demon to guard the staircase to the first floor of the keep. He was to allow no-one to pass and give free reign to deal with them as it saw fit. The count then left the demon to his new duty.

During its conjuring, a group of goblins from the Faewunder were accidentally summoned along with the Glabrezu. This caused all the goblins bar one to lose their minds. Angered by the little creatures, the glabrezu chased them off with fire and axe. The goblins all fled, with the only sane one, Bim, finding his way to the nearby forge. While there, he began to construct a magical ring to weaken the demon and get his own back.

## Phase 3 Story

### Barring the Path

The glabrezu continued to guard the stairs until a group of wanderers found their way to his sentry post. Initially frightened by the demon, they tentatively approached, at which the demon assumed a battle-ready stance in response. One of the group, Kopi, attempted to speak with the glabrezu, only for it to ignore her and exhibit further hostility upon her approach. Eventually, she and her allies left and the demon relaxed its stance. However, as the group explored, the glabrezu was aware of their presence and would consistently move in tandem to intercept them should they try and dash for the stairs.

This game of cat-and-mouse took place throughout the day, during which the wandering guests attempted to circumvent the dutiful demon. Kopi attempted to offer the demon one of her rations only for him to incinerate it with a bolt of flame before it reached him. To further test the sentry, the young Machi Kyuubi created an illusion resembling a cross between her friends Remo and Howie, and sent walking towards the demon. The glabrezu, however, used its truesight to determine it was just an illusion and did not react. Their futile attempts to negotiate or deceive the guardian only served to frustrate the party, who came to the conclusion that the demon had to be taken care of.

### Defeating the Demon

During their exploration, the guests reunited with Bim, who had finished his project. They agreed to help slay it if he provided them a means to weaken it. Bim then gifted them the ring he had been working on. Taking shelter in the alchemy lab, the party gave the ring to Remo, who boldly stepped out to face the demon. Remo then snapped the ring in half, and the magical energies within surged into the glabrezu. This energy severely weakened the demon and he immediately retaliated.

Kopi and Tontu rushed out to join Remo engaging the demon. The demon regularly conjured a fiery eye that sent out a pillar of fire to incinerate them, though this was not enough to stop his foes. With support from Howie, Olive and Kyuubi in the alchemy lab, the three warriors managed to beat back the demon's assaults. However, the tide nearly turned against them when the glabrezu used its pincers to trap Kopi and hold her aloft. It also animated its greataxe, which hovered its way into the alchemy lab to harm the trio hiding in there. His friends in danger, the young Tanookin channeled his radiant power to smite the glabrezu, greatly wounding him as he did and earning their ire. While the demon was focused on Tontu, Howie Hardwing took the opportunity to catapult a wrench at him, catching the demon in the back of the head.

With this final blow, the demon was felled and his essence was returned unto the Nova he had come from. His fiendish axe fell inanimate to the floor, allowing Kopi to destroy the weapon with her spear and imbue it with the axe's power. Remo meanwhile claimed the demon's boots for himself. With this deadly foe defeated, the party was free to continue their search for the count.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Spellcasting:** The Lesser Ruby Glabrezu can cast spells, one of which is Scorching Ray.
* **Multiattack:**
* **Gate of the Hellscape:**
* **Legendary Actions:**
* **Gaze of the Hellscape:**

## Loot Drops

* **Hellscape's Edge:**
* **Glabrezu Boots:**
* **Ruby Eye:**
* **Hellscape Cube:**
* **Ruby Horn:**
* **Glabrezu Gauntlets:**

## Achievements

* **Achievement I:** Successfully defeat the Lesser Ruby Glabrezu without anyone being hit by Hellscape.
* **Achievement II:** Successfully defeat the Lesser Ruby Glabrezu without anyone knocked unconscious.

## Etymology

A glabrezu is a demon from classic Dungeons and Dragons. They are usually depicted as four-armed bipeds that seek to spread and exploit temptation among the mortal races.

## Images

### Official art

Hellscape's Edge, the greataxe wielded by the Lesser Ruby Glabrezu