Vorrithan

Description:

The Vorrithan is an ancient fiend birthed from the Abyss itself, a floating mass of pulsing flesh and twisted bone. Its many mouths drip with ichor, and its deep, resonating voice carries whispers of corruption. A creature of malice and grotesque artistry, the Vorrithan takes pleasure in warping the flesh and minds of its enemies, reveling in their despair as their very forms betray them.

Habitat

The Vorrithan resides deep within the Underworld, specifically in twisted regions of the Abyss where the landscape is a nightmarish blend of organic and inorganic horror. This environment pulsates with life-like movement: rivers of ichor flow through valleys of jagged bone spires, and the air is thick with the stench of decay and sulfur. These domains are often filled with the Vorrithan’s thralls—creatures it has warped and enslaved to serve its will. The Vorrithan thrives in areas steeped in chaotic energy, where the boundaries between the physical and metaphysical blur, allowing it to manipulate and reshape its surroundings at will.

The Vorrithan’s lair is typically a cavernous maw-like structure, alive with writhing tendrils and oozing walls. Within, the Vorrithan oversees twisted experiments and corruptive rituals, creating fiendish spawn from those foolish enough to fall into its clutches.

While the Vorrithan is rarely seen on the Material Plane, there are grim tales of ambitious wizards and sorcerers who have dared to summon it, seeking to harness its corruptive power for their own ends. Such attempts almost always end in disaster, as the Vorrithan inevitably turns on its would-be masters, devouring their flesh and warping their bodies into grotesque thralls. These summoning rituals often leave lasting scars on the landscape, tainting the area with Abyssal corruption long after the Vorrithan has departed.

---

Behavior

The Vorrithan is a cunning and sadistic manipulator, combining its vast intelligence with its devastating abilities to instill fear and chaos. It thrives on psychological and physical domination, preferring to toy with its enemies long before delivering the final blow.

Tactical Thinking and Battle Strategy

On the battlefield, the Vorrithan is a calculated opponent, rarely engaging without first ensuring the odds are in its favor. It uses its Aura of Corruption to weaken foes over time, forcing them into a slow descent of exhaustion and vulnerability. With its Fleshwarping Mastery, it relishes in grotesque displays of power, warping its enemies into twisted mockeries of their former selves.

The Vorrithan’s Corrupting Ray and Unholy Ichor are typically employed to target clusters of opponents, spreading fear and chaos. The ichor serves not just as a weapon but as an environmental hazard, creating difficult terrain to hinder enemy movement. Meanwhile, its Summon Chasmfiends ability provides reinforcements to keep enemies occupied, ensuring the Vorrithan can focus on dismantling their willpower and unity.

Its Magic Resistance and Legendary Resistance make it a formidable opponent against spellcasters, often taunting them in Abyssal or Common, boasting of their futile efforts. Its intellect allows it to quickly assess which enemies pose the greatest threat and eliminate them systematically, often starting with healers or leaders to break the morale of others.

Psychological Warfare

The Vorrithan’s mastery of telepathic speech is a key element of its behavior. It whispers promises, secrets, or outright lies into the minds of its enemies, seeking to sow mistrust among their ranks. It might telepathically address individuals with personal, cutting remarks or offer them a chance to serve it in exchange for their lives, only to warp their flesh and minds once they’ve agreed.

In battle, it will taunt and mock its foes, relishing their growing despair as its Aura of Corruption and fleshwarping abilities erode their physical and mental strength. Even outside of combat, the Vorrithan is a master manipulator, using its intelligence and charisma to ensnare mortals in bargains or promises of power. These deals almost always lead to horrific outcomes, as the Vorrithan delights in turning its victims into unwilling agents of destruction.

Habits in the Underworld

The Vorrithan is not a mindless destroyer but a strategic overlord in the Abyss. It seeks to expand its influence by creating hordes of twisted servitors through its Fleshwarping Mastery, filling its lairs with abominations that serve as both soldiers and experiments. These lairs are strategically placed in regions of the Abyss where it can harness the chaotic energy of the environment to fuel its abilities and experiments.

It prefers to remain in its lair unless summoned or drawn to areas of great corruption or conflict. When it moves, it often leaves devastation in its wake, its very presence twisting the landscape into a nightmarish tableau of ichor, bone, and shadow.

Interactions with Mortals and Fiends

The Vorrithan views mortals as playthings or raw material for its experiments. It might spare a group of adventurers not out of mercy, but to let them spread its corruption or act as unwitting pawns in its schemes. When dealing with other fiends, it is an opportunist, forming temporary alliances when it sees a chance to increase its power or influence. However, its ultimate goal is often the betrayal or destruction of its “allies,” as it desires to reign supreme in the Abyssal hierarchy.

Philosophy of Corruption

The Vorrithan embodies the Abyss’s ethos of chaos and destruction but does so with a cruel artistry. It doesn’t simply want to kill its enemies; it seeks to utterly corrupt them, breaking their bodies and spirits to serve as a testament to its power. In its view, the act of warping flesh and mind is a form of grotesque creation, a dark parody of life that cements its dominance over the mortal and fiendish realms alike.

---

Fleshwarping Table

d6	Effect
1	The target’s skin becomes translucent. It takes an additional 5 damage from any source for 1 minute.
2	The target grows painful, jagged protrusions. It takes 10 (3d6) piercing damage at the start of its turn for 1 minute.
3	The target’s limbs warp uncontrollably. Its movement speed is halved for 1 minute.
4	The target’s eyes grow bulbous and grotesque. It is blinded for 1 minute.
5	The target’s flesh hardens unnaturally. It has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws for 1 minute.
6	The target’s form collapses partially into itself. It is restrained for 1 minute. A restrained creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success.

---

Large Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil