Pazuzu
Pazrael; Ghlaunder; The Demon Prince of Corruption; Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms; Lord of All Planar Skies; Pazuzeus; Dark Angel of the Four Wings
Planar obyrith lord of temptation, pestilence, harpies, the Abyssal skies [he/him] / CE
Lair: Abyss / Layer 1 — Pazunia (contested); Layer 503 — Torremor; the skies of all Abyssal layers (contested)
Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms, dread Pazuzu was once a mighty obyrith who abstained from the War of Law and Chaos. He shed much of his obyrith nature to join with the new generation of demons, claiming absolute dominion over all skies of the Abyss. This claim is contested by few besides Graz’zt, who desires to rule the entire plane but rarely acts openly against the ancient avian demon. As well as staking a strong claim for lordship of the ungovernable Plain of Infinite Portals—so much so that the layer is usually named Pazunia after him—Pazuzu also reigns over Torremor, the 503rd layer, a treacherous place of bridges, spires, and arches held together by ropes and chains, the whole suspended above a bottomless void, where he watches with dark glee as his despised foe Lamashtu attempts to contest his control and assert her own rule.
Uniquely among demon lords, Pazuzu is on passably good terms with several prominent yugoloths and even some archdevils such as Zariel and Glasya. He works behind the scenes to back the military ambitions of Leliel, apparently for no other reason than because it pleases him to see Dispater squirm. Whispers connect him with the archomental Yan-C-Bin, and the two may be conspiring together on some evil plot. Though the Queen of Chaos continues to resent him for refusing to join her cause, Pazuzu has fallen rather low on her list of priorities.
Philosophy
Pazuzu targets the honest, the virtuous, and the innocent, offering them gifts and promises of all that they desire in exchange for letting his insidious touch into their souls. He hungers to drink from the fall of the noblest heroes, letting them fall to pure villainy before he returns to devour their eyes. The last thing his victims see is the final betrayal and cruelty of the Corrupter, who never intended them to serve in any way other than as meat and drink for his insatiable appetite to see all that is good, kind, and true despoiled by its own hand.
Pazuzu’s philosophy is a subtle one. Unlike most demons, who revel in ouvert cruelty, Pazuzu specialises in subverting altruism. He answers summons promptly, offering wishes that slowly erode the summoner’s morals. Merely saying his name thrice allows Pazuzu to manifest through the speaker, if he desires. He’s particularly prone to predating on clerics and paladins, healers and protectors.
His ethos is called the Temptation of the Lesser Evil and posits that moral purity is an illusion sustained by privilege. Pazuzu targets cutters who’re facing impossible choices—a paladin guarding a plague-stricken village, perhaps, or a mother praying to save her cursed child. Pazuzu promises aid with no immediate cost. The corruption unfolds gradually.
First: the Gift. Pazuzu appears altruistic, curing a blight, slaying a marauding monster, or shielding a village from the curse of another tanar’ri lord. The comes the second phase: Dependency. Beneficiaries justify further reliance on Pazuzu’s aid. A cleric might use his name in a prayer, or a burg might erect a statue as an apotropaic icon—little do they realise the demon lord can see through the eyes of any of his icons. The final stage is the Inversion, where to maintain the favour of Pazuzu, increasingly morally dubious acts are required. Monetary donations, perhaps, or a ritual sacrifice.
Canonical Sources:
- Dragon Magazine #270 p69-70; #329 p56-67,69; #333 p26; #336 p82; #341 p30; #345 p22; #347 p41; #349 p31,40; #353 p27; #357 p69; #359 p47
- Dungeon Magazine #148 p55
- Fiendish Codex [3e] p65,71,76-77,107,115,155-157
- Hellbound: Dark of the War [2e] p25,51
- Planescape Monstrous Compendium Vol. 2 [2e] p83
- Manual of the Planes [3e] p100
- On Hallowed Ground [2e] p49
- Planes of Chaos [2e] Book of Chaos p18,32-33; Monstrous Supplement p2-3,25
Source: Afroakuma, first published here and Jon Winter-Holt. There’s also a great article on Pazuzu’s lore here