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Fraz-Urb'luu
 Fraz-Urb'luu, the Prince of Deception, on the cover of Dragon #333. Art by Andrew Hou | |
| Game background | |
|---|---|
| Title(s) | Prince of Deception |
| Home plane | Abyss |
| Power level | Demon Lord |
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil |
| Portfolio | Deception |
| Alias(es) | Var-Az-Hloo |
| Superior | None |
| Design details | |
| First appearance |
The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth |
| Settings |
All Editions Dungeons and Dragons |
Fraz-Urb'luu is a Demon Lord, sometimes known as the "Prince of Deception" in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role playing game. In Gary Gygax's Gord novels, Fraz-Urb'luu is alternately called Var-Az-Hloo.
Description
Fraz-Urb'luu is a large beast over eighteen feet in height, despite his hunched posture. His muscular gorilla-like body is covered with short coarse hair of pale blue. His feet are broad and splayed, and his hands are large but the fingers relatively stubby and tipped with long, jagged talons. Two vast batlike wings protrude from his back. His tail is long and hairless with a gray base fading to a razor sharp base. His head is bald and gray-skinned, save for tufts of ragged hair hanging from his jowls. Large ragged ears protrude from the center of his skull to well above its pointed ridged peak. His eyes are relatively small but burn with cold blue light. Yet the most terrible aspect of his visage is his mouth which is overly large and filled with huge fangs.
History
The demon prince Fraz-Urb'luu was one of the first Tanar'ri to rise to power in the Abyss after the fall of the obyriths. Although he was never the most powerful of the demon princes, his vast intellect has enabled him to outlive countless rivals. Fraz-Urb'luu eventually mastered the art of summoning, to the point where he could forcibly summon other demon lords into his court in order to humiliate and degrade them for his own amusement. Fraz-Urb'luu's staff, which granted him control of every aspect of his layer, discouraged any retaliatory strikes against him from his revenge-seeking "guests," so they conspired for a more subtle punishment.
These demon lords fashioned an artifact called the Ichor Lance, which they gave to the mad archmage Zagig Yragerne. Zagig summoned Fraz-Urb'luu and tried to use the lance on the Prince of Deception. Fraz-Urb'luu seized the lance and used his power to disjoin the artifact. However, as a side effect of destroying the lance, the demon prince lost all of his innate magical powers, which enabled Zagyg to imprison the demon prince in a bas-relief in the dungeon beneath Castle Greyhawk. For centuries, many adventurers in the dungeon were destroyed after speaking to this imprisoned form. The demon recently managed to escape by tricking a wizard and a cleric into freeing him. He then transported these fools, probably Erac's Cousin and his adventuring companion Ayelerarch, to his domain of Hollow's Heart in the Abyss after destroying all their gear and left them for dead.
Since then, Fraz-Urb'luu has spent much of his time eliminating other demon lords who moved into his territory with him away and searching for his staff.
Relationships
Fraz-Urb'luu is one of the most hated of the Abyssal lords, as several demon lords are still smarting from the memory of their past "audiences" with the Prince of Deception. Some of Fraz-Urb'luu's enemies include Graz'zt, Demogorgon, and Ugudenk, the writhing obyrith Lord of Worms and Hungry Parasites.
The Prince of Deception had also sworn revenge against all of humanity for his imprisonment and humiliation, for it was Zagyg (at the time a mere human) who was responsible for his confinement and loss of status.
Fraz-Urb'luu has at least one half-human son, sired before his imprisonment, the wizard Tsojcanth, whose mother was the witch Vilhara.
Realm
Fraz'Urb'luu rules the 176th layer of the Abyss. This realm, called Hollow's Heart, had reverted in Fraz-Urb'luu's absence to a wasteland of white dust under a black, starless sky. Various minor demon nobles had moved into Hollow's Heart during his imprisonment in order to stake out their own territories. Upon his return, Fraz-Urb'luu began the process of driving these squatters out of his domain.
At the height of his power, the demon lord could control the features and terrains of his layer at a whim, creating mountains and gorges within seconds. However, this required the use of the powerful Staff of Fraz-Urb'luu, which was stolen at the time of his imprisonment and has since been sundered into several pieces, all of which are scattered across the various planes of existence. The Prince of Deception therefore now focuses his attention on searching for his staff so that he may regain full control over his realm.
Publication History
Fraz-Urb'luu first appears in module The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982),[1] and then appears in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983),[2] under the demon entry.
Fraz-Urb'luu received a description for the Planescape campaign setting in Faces of Evil: The Fiends (1997).[3]
Fraz-Urb'luu was featured in the Demonomicon of Iggwilv column in Dragon #333 (2005).[4] He also appeared in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006).[5]
Other Publishers
Fraz-Urb'luu appeared under the "demon" heading in the Tome of Horrors (2002) from Necromancer Games.[6]
References
- ↑ Gygax, Gary. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (TSR, 1982)
- ↑ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II (TSR, 1983)
- ↑ McComb, Colin. Faces of Evil: The Fiends (TSR, 1997)
- ↑ Jacobs, James. "The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Fraz-Urb'luu." Dragon #333 (Paizo Publishing, 2005)
- ↑ Jacobs, James, Erik Mona, and Ed Stark. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (Wizards of the Coast, 2006)
- ↑ Green, Scott (2002). Tome of Horrors, 78–79, Necromancer Games.