Erinyes

A typical erinyes with a rope of entanglement

> "They live by the sword and kill by the sword. Their beauty is nothing compared to their wrath."
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> - *The Book of Vile Darkness*
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**Erinyes**, also known as **furies** or **fallen angels** are fierce baatezu whose heavenly appearance bely their wicked intentions. They are the wrathful swords of the Nine Hells, responsible for bringing infernal justice and vengeful retribution to mortals and devils alike.

While most scholars of the planes considered erinyes to be among the lesser devils, their unique position in reporting directly to the Dark Eight and their favored dukes means that some consider them greater baatezu. They share the same rank in the infernal hierarchy as excruxiarchs.

## Description

> "The erinyes are unique in relation to all baatezu, and even other devils. They exist outside the hierarchy, their loyalties ensured by an unassailable position and their undying devotion to their god."
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> - *The Bestiarium Maleficum, Volume I: Fiends*
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Erinyes are imposing yet beautiful figures, so attractive that they can be easily mistaken for celestials. An erinyes generally stands around 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, and weigh approximately 68 kg (150 lbs). Although they are naturally female, erinyes can appear as idealized versions of the sexes of any mortal race.

Their natural forms normally possess glowing red eyes, as well as large, feathered wings that persist regardless of the form that they take. After Asmodeus' ascension to godhood, the erinyes bright halos turned dark and firey, causing pain to any mortal that gazes upon them.

## Personality

> "It is in the choice of enemies that a devil ﬁnds itself."
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> - Kakia, an erinyes philosopher
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Erinyes are not only physically stunning, but dangerously capable, highly disciplined, and unfailingly loyal to their lords. When hunting mortal souls they show both ruthlessness and cunning, exploiting their angelic appearance and tempting those they come across into committing wicked acts.

The relationship between erinyes and other devils is a conflicting combination of admiration and hatred. Having come from celestials as opposed to damned souls, erinyes view themselves as innately superior to other baatezu, causing a mutual disdain between them and their devil kin. Other devils greatly envy the erinyes, yet at the same time are inspired by their indomitable fury. Feelings of lust and idolization clash with hostility so much so that the two groups occasionally disobey their superiors and meet one another with violence.

## Abilities

> "I-I swear your honor! That witch put me under a spell! She seduced me with her devil magic and told me to kill him! It's her fault!"
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> - Testimony of Marcus Valerius
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Erinyes have powerful charming abilities that cause those they look upon to obey their every whim. Their domination is so complete that the victims are willing to protect their enchantress even at the cost of their own lives, obeying their orders without regard for the lives of others. This charm can last indefinitely, only fading upon the victim's death or if dispelled by the erinyes, although they can only use it against one individual at a time. Conversely, an erinyes can strike terror into anyone that looks upon them, causing them flee in panic.

Their magic fuels their weapons and allows them disguise their own presence while their truesight allows them to see through the magical disguises of others. When gating other devils for assistance, they can call upon weaker baatezu such as a small group of lemures, spinagons, or barbazus, or another erinyes.

## Combat

> "Erinyes are called furies for one very explicit reason: they are in a state of constant, unceasing rage. Don't let their honeyed words and do-me-eyes confuse you. They'd much rather rip you open and hang you by your guts than stomach you in a conversation."
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> - *Advar's Advice III: Avernus*
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Erinyes, while not the greatest warriors of Hell, possess legendary combat prowess. They are often armed with incredible spears, swords and bows, but can expertly wield practically any weapon. Their conventional weaponry includes powerful ropes of entanglement used to entrap powerful opponents and hapless victims alike. The normal battle strategy employed with these ropes is to bind their enemies before lifting them a great distance into the air and letting them fall to their doom. They are also known to use weapons coated in caustic venom or fueled by infernal magic.

Through the brutality they inflict on the battlefield, erinyes renew the vigor of their allies, often engaging multiple enemies at once with unbridled rage. Despite their fearsome wrath, Erinyes are also tactically adept, coordinating with others of their kind to surround groups of enemies as opposed to merely flanking them. Although erinyes have no qualms about engaging enemies on the ground, they prefer to fight from afar. They normally use their magical abilities first, sowing confusion into those below them before firing their flaming bows.

## Society

> "The right to rule is dictated in equal parts by justice and injustice."
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> - An erinyes' infernal lesson
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Favored by Dispater for their beauty, skills, and unshakable allegiance, erinyes are common within Dis. Stygia also possesses a large population of erinyes, with a whole regiment being responsible for protecting Levistus' frozen tomb from aerial intrusion. They can be found in great numbers within the political labyrinth of Maladomini, and within Grenopli specifically they act as patrollers in order to dispel or counter offensive magic and all other attempts at violence. Along with succubi and incubi, the seductive erinyes enjoy a noble position and noticeable favoritism within Glasya's court, who often provide them targets for corruption, particularly those of the self-righteous faith. Hunters are known to stalk the skies of Malbolge for intruders without letters of safe passage, often capturing charismatic enemies for Glasya to torture or seduce at her leisure.

Even erinyes that do not work under archdevils often directly report to the Dark Eight as opposed to having an intermediary master. While some serve as servants or are simply concubines, others have vastly superior tasks such as spying on both enemies and allies. Many erinyes are responsible for bringing justice to Hell, although the method with which they do so varies greatly. Donning gilded helms and stylized armor, erinyes warriors bring death to those that defy their infernal masters or the orders of Asmodeus himself. As arbiters of justice, they act on behalf of Hell and are responsible for tracking down those that break infernal contracts. Others act on the other side of the law, helping to free mortal souls by acting as legal counsel for those that do not receive what they are promised or are forced into making their deals. The role that earns erinyes the most respect among their devilish peers however, is that of the temptress.

### Corruption

Unlike almost all other devils, erinyes are capable of entering the mortal world of their own volition, and use this ability to collect mortal souls. The traditional method used to achieve this goal is through seduction, although they are forced to use magic to disguise their wings if they do not attempt to use their celestial heritage as cover. They enter the mortal world alone, as they are incapable of bringing others with them, and search for mortals that they can lure back to Baator. Only one person can return to Hell with them at a time, with inorganic matter being left behind, forcing the victim to try and escape Baator while dangerously underequipped or be turned into a lemure. When seducing mortals they speak rather than communicating telepathically, and can rapidly learm, forget, and relearn many languages.

When seduction is not sufficient, erinyes have other methods to enrapture mortals, such as offering Faustian Pacts and other forms of deals. While erinyes normally lead battle-focused devils such as barbazus, merregons, or kytons, they can also command mortal warriors, as some are willing to sell their souls in exchange for training. As well as devils, erinyes are also occasionally put in charge of managing small cults. Those that choose to take up wizardry usually study enchantment magic to enhance their pre-existing ability to charm.

### Promotion

Erinyes can be promoted to the form of any devil above them, or be demoted into barbazus depending on their service. While they are most commonly transformed into osyluths, it is possible for them to be turned into cornugons, gelugons, or even tyrannugons. In order to become a tyrannugon they have to undergo the same process as the gelugons and withstand the torment of the Pit of Flame for 1,001 days. Despite their great maneuverability within the infernal hierarchy, many turn down opportunities to be promoted, having come to enjoy their exemption from the normal ranks of the baatezu and numerous advantages.

## Ecology

> "No matter how tempted you may be, *never* sleep with an erinyes. It's a quick way to get your throat ripped out mid-finish."
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> - *Advar's Advice III: Avernus*
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Erinyes are the only types of devils to have possibly been born rather than made from mortal souls. Unlike most devils that are capable only of siring children, erinyes are capable of carrying them. It is unknown if erinyes gained this ability before or after their descent, but the ability to become pregnant is another reason they often refuse promotion. They are protective and cautious parents that hide colonies of their young away from the eyes of those that would interfere with their development.

While some daemonologists claim that devils cannot be promoted into erinyes, others purport that the rank can serve as a reward for sluggish devils that overcome their earlier blunders despite numerous trials, such as abishai. Abishai that are promoted into erinyes are said to have their features rearranged by numerous kocrachon in order to make them more appealing to mortals, while some somehow have syllables added to their true names to make summoning them more complicated. It is rumored that only 500 erinyes are allowed to exist at one time, with lesser baatezu being promoted to fill their positions when current erinyes are promoted into higher forms.

## History

> "And so fell Asmodeus, favored son of Heaven. And with him fell the furies, sisters of righteous wrath twisted by their corrupted general. All manner of angel rallied to his treacherous banner, turning from holy avengers to infernal torturers."
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> - *The Fall: From Holy Avengers to Infernal Torturers*
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Legend in the Nine Hells says that the first erinyes were angels who fell from the heavens after being corrupted by Asmodeus during his fall. Most erinyes are the descendants of the three fallen angels: Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megaera.

## Notable Erinyes

The powerful and devoted nature of erinyes have made for some notable entities over the years; fiends that have distinguished themselves for their brutality, cunning, martial exploits, or even the masters they serve.

* Alecto: Known as the Wrathful. One of the three furies who joined Asmodeus during the Fall.
* Calypso: Leader of Glasya's elite erinyes guard, the Pradixikai.
* Circe: Consort to the Ashen Tyrant and wielder of the First Shard of Heaven.
* Hecate: Known as the Crimson Witch. A valued member of Zariel's court.
* Media: One of the host that patrols Levistus' tomb in Stygia.
* Megaera: Known as the Envious. One of the three furies who joined Asmodeus during the Fall.
* Tisiphone: Known as the Vengeful. One of the three furies who joined Asmodeus during the Fall.