Profile
A dangerous, high-ranking heiyao demon and bane to the celestials.
Cross-corroboration with First-Awoken mythology reveals few insights. It is believed that he is an exceptionally powerful example of what most theomechanists refer to as a lesser heiyao, a being native to the Ertianjie (celestial realm) who turned traitor rather than a former empyreal archon who forced his way into creation. He may or may not be any of a number of heroslayers referenced in these tales—enormous, grotesque creatures whose great strength and martial ability far outmatched those of any mortal champion.
Unlike many of his brethren, he retains much of his sanity, and this makes him an exceptionally dangerous foe. He knows he appears to mortal eyes as a slavering, monstrous brute, and he is all too willing to entertain such misconceptions until they open up a vulnerability for him to strike against. In truth, he possesses a keen mind and the sort of villainous character necessary to allow him to bring his schemes to fruition.
It is said that he is extremely vain, proud of his guises both horrific and fair, and that he loves to mete out horrific vengeance in response to even the most minor slights. He picks fights with any he thinks he can prevail over—but refuses to fight the jormunalfar under any circumstance. To those demons that have pledged themselves to him he is strangely protective, willing to fight and devour other heiyao in order to protect his followers rather than leaving them to perish. He grants his opponents no quarter and expects none, choosing to dispatch them in brutal, straightforward ways once combat is joined. He has one particularly ghoulish trait, though—to finish off those he has defeated he will often grab them and crush them in his jaws, looking them in the eyes as they die.
Most heiyao warriors are too preoccupied waging war against their celestial enemies to descend to the physical realm. He is an exception, having appeared occasionally across the ages to hunt and devour mortal heroes who come to his attention. It is not clear whether he does this under the orders of one of the great grimmrgandr archdemons, as part of a personal vendetta, or simply out of sheer enjoyment. Every attempt to lure him into a trap has backfired; the most successful champions to confront him accomplished little more than forcing him to withdraw to his cursed domain to lick his wounds.
His physical manifestation is terrifying to those who must confront it in battle. Although ungainly in appearance, he can move with an agility belying his enormous size, traversing great distances in a single leap or lashing out to strike with his powerful limbs. The larger of his two maws he wields against smaller opponents; the long tongue can drag a hapless victim in to be ripped apart or torn to pieces. The fleshy mantle covering his head is actually itself an appendage; it can leave its perch to act as a pseudopod-like extremity, smothering or grabbing onto a foe.
