Lamashtu

Gnolls claim that when Lamashtu first saw the hyena, she took it as her consort and the first gnoll was born. A thousand such stories abound about all manner of creatures, each citing the Mother of Monsters as the beasts' progenitor. Lamashtu's worshipers seek out deformity both in themselves and others. Scarring rituals and mutilation are common among the faithful. Although typically venerated by monstrous races, such as gnolls, medusas, and goblins, some human cults practice her dark litanies in secret, promoting tainted births and destroying works of beauty. Some use magic to become more hideous or beastlike in appearance, while her monstrous followers do the opposite to spy on citydwellers. Lamashtu's crude depictions usually paint her as a jackal-headed woman, with long feathered wings, taloned feet, and a great swollen belly. Such images frequently include a multitude of monsters gathering to her call, with the favored rising above the rest. Ritual garb includes a jackal mask made of leather or precious metal, a cloak of black feathers, and a pair of swords or knives decorated to resemble the Demon Queen's own weapons. Places of worship are often as simple as a flat rock but might include a ring of stones, pillars, trees, or wooden blocks; some might have a deep hole in the ground or access to some sort of chasm representing an entrance to the goddess's underworld realm. Her holy "text" is the Skull of Mashag, a magical skull that recites the goddess' doctrine. Lamashtu is one of countless demon lords — quite possibly the most powerful of demon lords. One of her monikers reflects this level of power — the Demon Queen. Yet Lamashtu does not seek to rule the Abyss or bend the other demon lords to her will. She maintains wars with some (such as her archnemesis Pazuzu) and is rumored to be the lover of others (decadant Socothbenoth often brags of the children he has sired with her), yet her true interests lie beyond the petty squabbles of the demon host. Lamashtu's favor appears as violent dreams, the appearance of sudden deformities, or unexplained pregnancies resulting in the painful (often fatal) birth of a deformed child. Alignment: Chaotic evi; Cleric Alignment: CE, NE, CN Domains: Chaos, Evil, Madness, Strength, Trickery Favored Weapon: Kukri