Aside from the demon lords, the dreaded balors are the most powerful of the demons of the Abyss. They are sometimes known as fire demons. Whether acting as generals for demon lord armies or even as minor princelings themselves, balors are warmongering paragons of burning rage that inspire violent defiance against the legions of Hell.
Apperance
The epitome of demonkind, a balor demon appears as a tall, horned pillar of flesh and fire. A typical specimen is 14 feet in height and weighs 4,500 pounds. A powerful aura of darkness envelop their grotesque forms, as their deep red skin is wrapped in glaring flames. A pair of massive bat-like wings allow them to soar throughout the air with unnatural agility. Although they are naturally armed with venom-dripping fangs and fearsome claws, they are also normally armed with a sword and a multi-tailed whip of flame.
Ability
A balors usually fights with a flaming whip in one hand and a longsword in the other. It is somehow able to imbue both these weapons with the fearsome quality of a vorpal weapon, enhancing its already formidable melee prowess. The balor can also use its whip to entangle a foe and draw it within the reach of its deadly sword. They can also call upon a powerful suite of spell-like abilities that enable them to summon demonic allies, rain fiery death down upon their foes, or control others' minds. Balors are beings of flame and cinders, constantly exuding fire too hot for most to bear, being immune to fire themselves. So great is the infernal heat of the balor that any who come close enough to strike the demon with their bare hands are badly burned.
If a balor is killed, it poses one last danger: its body explodes into an inferno of fire and unholy energy that engulfs everything within 100 feet.
Habitat and Society
As with most demons, balors are created from mortal souls. However, while one evil soul can create several lesser demons, it usually takes the souls of several powerful villains to generate a single balor. Most balors act as the main generals of the various demon lords, leading vast armies of demons into battle on behalf of their masters. They are content to let their minions fight on their behalf, but relish the prospect of personal combat when challenged directly. They are generally only found singly or in the company of other demons.
Some unusually powerful balors do not have a demon lord for a master. Instead these so-called Balor Lords rule in their own right. Only a true demon lord can command an entire Abyssal realm, but the greatest of the Balor Lords rule up to half of a realm. Balor Lords are equivalent in might to the nascent demon lords and have abilities above and beyond those of ordinary balors. Some can heal themselves by slaying living creatures, others have additional spell-like abilities, and perhaps the most feared of all can inhale the souls of nearby living creatures, killing the victim and transforming its corpse into a babau, succubus, or shadow demon.
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