[ Sahkil ] [ Impostors | Lurkers | Stalkers | Tormentors ]
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Trigger warning — this fiend description contains themes of needles and drug addiction, so if you have concerns about content like that, I suggest you give this creature a miss
Zohanil Sahkil
Sawbones (CR 10); trypanophobia — fear of needles; tomophobia — fear surgery; aichmophobia — fear of knives
Standing over six feet tall on rapier-thin legs, the zohanil is a manifestation of mortal fears of medicine. These insectile fiends move with deliberate and disturbing precision, and are drawn to chiurgeons, hospitals, and homes of respite, as well as drug dens and urban environments where desperate cutters seek narcotic oblivion.
The zohanil’s vaguely humanoid torso has needle-like arms that end not in hands but in wickedly sharp tips constantly dripping with foul fluid. These appendages serve as surgical instruments and delivery systems for the creature’s most dangerous weapon—an addictive substance that transforms victims into chemically-dependent slaves.
The zohanil’s goal is to cause fear and suffering through iatrogenic destruction—its twisted belief that medical intervention to prevent death does not aid mortals but rather creates deeper, more permanent forms of suffering. While most sahkil feed from terror, the zohanil prefers the flavour of desperation brought on by chronic addiction. They seek to enslave mortals to the sweet oblivion that their needles inject—and if their victim resists, then the zohanil will use its magic to charm them into becoming more compliant.
A favourite tactic of these fiends is to infiltrate a hospital or chiurgeon’s clinic, where they will stalk the wards while invisible and corrupt the healing process by preying on helpless patients. Their addiction-inducing fluid creates both immediate euphoria and permanent dependency, with victims experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. Cutters suspicious of zohanil activity should watch for warning signs including unexplained needle marks appearing on unconscious patients, doctors and patients displaying erratic behavior and signs of substance abuse, and signs of addiction and relapse in patients.
In Sigil, zohanil have preyed upon Sensates in the past. The more pleasure-seeking among the ranks prove to be willing participants at first, but succumb to addiction just as easily as other mortals. Wise to the tricks of the zohanil, the Harmonium are better at rooting out infestations these days, although the sahkil are subtle and persistent.
Source and Stats: Bestiary 6 [PF1e] p246
Other Sources: Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: The sahkil are a fabulously horrid type of fiend from Pathfinder lore, who make a great addition to the Ethereal Plane and Planescape lore generally. The Creature Codex has done an awesome job of expanding the number of sahkil massively too, and I’ve included all their creations here. Organising the sahkil into three sub-types based on their hunting style was my idea, because the list was unwieldy and their names are (deliberately) hard to remember, and this splits them up into bite-sized chunks.