Graz'zt

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What a handsome devil demon

"We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say of a lustful man prowling the streets that he 'wants a woman.' Strictly speaking, a woman is just what he does not want. He wants a particular pleasure for which a woman happens to be the necessary piece of apparatus."

– C.S. Lewis

Graz'zt is one of the most iconic /d/emon Princes from Dungeons & Dragons. Having appeared in every single edition since 1975(!), he is amongst the most powerful of the Demon Princes, and one of the few legitimate contenders for the throne of Demogorgon.

Depending on what source you use, he's either the demon prince of perverts and debauchery or cunning and Machiavellian scheming. Most go with the former. This may be because both niches are already occupied by another demon prince (Malcanthet and Fraz-Urb'luu respectively) and so it at least makes a little sense to split debauchery between a male and a female horndog... but more likely it's simply because dick jokes are funny.

Graz'zt appears as a towering, surprisingly handsome (well actually not at all surprising considering his area of influence) human male with ebony-black skin, tiny horns on his head, yellow eyes, six fingers on each hand, and goat-like legs. He is known for his incredible lust, having a vast harem of humanoids and monsters - including, but not limited to, succubi, harpies, mariliths, lamias, your mom, and probably anything else with a big enough orifice, and being father of an enormous and sprawling family tree of cambions and tieflings.

Athux is one son, by way of a drow priestess - possibly a priestess of Graz'zt himself but equally likely, someone else's. Cucking is part of the fun, for a demon. Athux himself didn't inherit the WIS of either parent: he is decidedly Beast Rabban to Graz'zt's Vladimir, so is running Graz'zt's army, basically so daddy can keep him out of the way. Thraxxia is noted in For Duty & Deity as a daughter, along with a few others whom that one's already murdered.

Per Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, his most infamous relationship is with the scourge of Perrenland, Iggwilv - especially after evolving 1970s canon ruled her female. She summoned him during the campaign in which Gygax was playtesting D&D (likely catching him balls-deep in some big beefy bara Balor) in order to learn magic from him, but naturally she wound up drenched with desire for that damn dark dangling demonic danger dong. Post-1975 editions have ultimately admitted that Grazzy <3 Iggy were genuinely in love with each other, but too fucked up to admit it or show it in any way that's healthy. From The Ashes adds that through her, he is the father of Iuz.

Graz'zt is also known for being the most patient, cunning and subtle of all Demon Princes - in fact, many would argue that he acts more like an Archdevil than a Demon Prince. (Like when that ditz Waukeen lost her powers and thought sneaking through Graz'zt's realm would be the way to get them back.) 4e actually took this to the logical conclusion and stated that's exactly what he is, asserting that he used to be a Duke of Baator who was sent to wage war on the Abyss, but who betrayed Asmodeus by deciding he'd rather carve out a kingdom of his own than keep working for somebody else. Some sources also say that he's the son of Asmodeus and Pale Night, which would partly make him a demon again.

This Demon Prince's domain AssAzzagrat actually spans three distinct planar layers (#45-47 if we're counting), the most out of any Demon Prince. His capital city Zelatar can exist on all three layers simultaneously. He's cunning enough to keep his demons in line over there, so visitors can trade (their soooouls!) with him in peace. Azzagrat is actually a pretty safe and welcoming place, at least by Abyssal standards, which admittedly isn't saying much. It's also just as much a cesspit of debauchery and depravity as you'd imagine, the only things forbidden there being 1) restraint, and 2) kindness.

Ultimately Graz'zt hopes to conquer all the Abyss, at least all of it that matters - he perceives Demogorgon as his main obstacle. From there, he actually hopes to end the blood war and unite all Fiends under his banner and conquer the Great Wheel. Graz'zt and his son Athux together unseated Adimarchus from his layer, Occipitus; but Graz'zt didn't get to add that to his own realms. The immediate next target is Malcanthet, and not just because each one insists the other one is totally responsible for their attempts at hooking up going wrong.

He has a massive, iconic dick greatsword, the Wave of Sorrow, which he wields one-handed like a boss. It deals acid damage. If you cast a frost spell at it, it becomes a dagger. He also has a pile of spells to rely on.

Something not a lot of people know is that Graz'zt (once his sexing of Iggwilv was outed) is based on Satan - specifically, on stories from the British witch trials, where witches would often claim to copulate with Satan (or at least one of his demons) in the guise of a handsome black-skinned man.

Go ahead and take a guess at what his symbol is. Go on. Give up? It's a big, black, six-fingered hand. Yeah, not what we were expecting either.

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