The Horseman of War
Szuriel is the Horseman of War: a deadly and destructive archdaemon from Abaddon. She appears as a black-winged woman with bleeding eyes and ragged teeth, served by her deacons, the purrodaemonsĀ from her citadel, the Cinder Furnace.
Apperance
Szuriel resembles a 20-foot tall angel with flowing blonde hair, ivory skin, black wings, jagged razor-sharp teeth and onyx-black mirrored eyes constantly dripping blood.
History
Szuriel was once a mortal paladin. No one remembers why she was excommunicated from her faith, but she regardless gathered an army of bloodthirsty soldiers to conquer her homeland, declaring herself empress, and putting all members of her former religion to the sword. As she prepared to invade neighbouring nations, they sent assassins to kill her; one was successful, and Szuriel was sent to Abaddon.
As a petitioner, Szuriel avoided the yugoloths long enough to be transformed into a yugoloth herself. She rallied other yugoloths under her, killing and taking the power of progressively more powerful yugoloths. Shortly after Lamashtu's invasion of Abaddon, which resulted in the destruction of the then-Horseman of War and his replacement by, Szuriel acted. She led her armies to the Cinder Furnace and ended the new horseman's brief reign, succeeding him as Horseman of War.
Relationships
Szuriel is allied with the other three Horsemen, but disagrees with them on how to destroy mortal life. She counts at least two daemonic harbingers as her servants: Geon, who trains and commands her cavalry; and Zelishkar, whom she originally created. Lamashtu holds a grudge against Szuriel for having turned away her invasion of Abaddon; and Asmodeus, who wishes to corrupt and claim souls, is opposed to her destructive consumption of them. Szuriel seemingly randomly receives missives from Archdevil Moloch for unknown reasons; she is one of the very few non-devils that have set foot inside his Melqart Keep.
Gorum views Szuriel as a rival: he is sometimes allied with her and sometimes her enemy, but takes all conflicts against her personally. Gorum supports battle and wants mortals to embrace the glory of war, while Szuriel wants them to accept oblivion, and this outlook can draw away Gorum's worshippers. The divine realms of Urgathoa lie within Szuriel's territory; she does not communicate with her, and her yugoloths do not fight her followers, but sometimes trade information with her servants.
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