Lamashtu
| Lamashtu | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Aliases | The Demon Queen, Mother of Monsters, Demon Mother, Mother of Beasts, Mother of Demons, Mother of Perversion, Mistress of Insanity, Grandmother Nightmare | |
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil | |
| Divine Rank | Goddess, Demon Lord | |
| Pantheon | Golarion | |
| Portfolio | Madness, Monsters, Mutation, Miscarriage, Nightmares, Stillbirths | |
| Domains | Chaos, Evil, Madness, Strength, Trickery | |
| Home Plane | The layer of Kurnugia on the Abyss | |
| Worshippers | Maniacs, The Deformed, Fleshwarpers, Gnolls, Medusas, Harpies, Lamias, Minotaurs, Goblinoids, Ogres, Sahuagin, Other Assorted Monsters | |
| Favoured Weapon | Falchion or Kukri | |
Lamashtu is a totally insane and horrific goddess from the Pathfinder setting. Chaotic Evil in alignment, she is Paizo's answer to being unable to use Demogorgon because of WoTC's property restrictions (Demogorgon is technically public-domain, but the DnD portrayal of him as a two headed baboonasaurus with tentacles for hands isn't). Another major influence is Greek myth's Echidna, Mother of Monsters including the Chimera, Hydra, and possibly the Nemean Lion. The Queen of Demons, Lamashtu goes her counterpart one better by being one of the actual official gods of the Pathfinder setting; known as the Mother of Monsters, she is the Goddess of Monsters, Madness and Nightmares.
Physically, Lamashtu has the wings of a vulture, the claws of a vulture for feet, a snake-like tail, and the head of a three-eyed jackal (or sometimes hyena) - the rest of her looks like a human woman who enjoys running around in a two-piece skull-bikini. A view that is sadly spoiled by the aforementioned animal parts and her perpetual hugely pregnant belly, which is covered in scars from where it has been repeatedly torn open in the past.
One sick mother, Lamashtu gained power over children and pregnancy by ripping out and eating her own womb, which she then regenerated by eating babies and pregnant women's wombs. She despises beauty and preaches the acceptance of deformity and madness; she causes stillbirths and miscarriages if women are lucky, and mutates their offspring into horribly deformed monsters if they aren't. Lasmashtu's effects on pregnancies are so nasty that many otherwise good people will actually pray to Pazuzu, her arch-enemy (and ex-boyfriend) amongst the Demon Princes, to keep her away from their unborn kids. Pazuzu, in return, hates Lamashtu so much he is actually willing to act upon these prayers without being a dick about it. Lamashtu's congregation revere deformed and monstrous births as sacred, holy events, and are uniformly sexual perverts who will sleep with just about anything in hopes of having some mutant offspring. A particular holy rite for Lamashtans involves a pregnant woman, voluntarily or otherwise, experiencing an agonizing birth where the mutant in her womb rips its way out through her guts instead of going for the "normal" route. This is the best way for Lamashtan priestesses to gain veneration in their ranks, and so they usually have at least one hideous scar on their stomach showing they've had such a "blessed" birth.
Lamashtu is worshipped predominantly by the gnoll, minotaur, harpy, sahuagin, and medusa races, all of whom claim to be the result of her various dalliances. Goblins also revere Lamashtu, but are sensible enough to claim to be her grandchildren, spawned from the blood of her first four barghests. There are human and demi-human worshippers of Lamashtu, but they're all nuts - also, they tend to be furries, since sex with the "children of Lamashtu" tends to be seen as both sexy and sacred.
According to one adventure module, Lamashtu's worshippers know of magical rituals that allow them to get men pregnant. This is just one of the many ways in which Lamashtu and her worshippers are messed up.
Gallery
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Another depiction of her glorious skull bikini.
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An official model of the avatar she sometimes sends to bedevil the mortal world.
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The unholy sigil she uses as a Demon Lord.
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A worshipper of Lamashtu
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A shrine to Lamashtu
| The Demon Lords of Pathfinder | ||
|---|---|---|
| Demon Lords: | Abraxas - Aldinach - Andirifkhu - Angazhan - Areshkagal - Baphomet - Cyth-V'sug - Dagon Deskari - Flauros - Gogunta - Haagenti - Jezelda - Jubilex - Kabriri - Kostchtchie - Lamashtu Mazmezz - Mestama - Nocticula - Nurgal - Orcus - Pazuzu - Shax - Shivaska - Sifkesh Socothbenoth - Urxehl - Xoveron - Yhidothrus - Zevgavizeb - Zura | |
| Nascent Demon Lords: | Daclau-Sar - Izyagna - Kro'akoth - Menxyr - Murnath - Nightripper - Ovonovo - Shamira Sithhud - Treerazer | |