Apocalypse Riders

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Apocalypse Riders
Four Horsemen
The Apocalypse Riders ride out.
(Deity)

Titles
Archdaemons
End Bringers
Realm
Alignment
Areas of Concern
See individual Rider
Worshipers
See individual Rider
Cleric Alignments (1E)
Domains (1E)
See individual Rider
Subdomains (1E)
See individual Rider
Favored Weapon
See individual Rider
Horseman1E
(Creature)

Type
Outsider
(daemon, evil, extraplanar)
CR
27-30
Environment
Alignment
Source: Bestiary 6, pg(s). 160, 162, 164, 166
Trelmarixian the Black, Rider of Famine.

The Apocalypse Riders, 12 also known as the Four Horsemen, archdaemons, and End Bringers, are powerful and unique daemons having attained the power of demigods. They rule Abaddon and have hordes of daemons in their service.3

Description

Each Rider represents one of four ideals: war, disease, famine and death. The title of Rider is coveted and often fought for by the greatest members of daemonkind. Each Rider has their own legion of servitor daemons known as deacons or destroyers.4

Current Riders

Each Rider also boasts their own realm uniquely suited to what they represent. The current Apocalypse Riders are Apollyon, Rider of Pestilence, who rules Plaguemere; Charon, Rider of Death, who rules the River Styx; Szuriel, Rider of War, who presides over the Cinder Furnace; and Trelmarixian, Rider of Famine, who rules Wasting.531 A fifth Rider, known in forbidden texts as the Oinodaemon, is said to be superior even to the current Riders in power and stature. Most believe he either never existed or was killed by the remaining Riders long ago.56

Apocalypse horses

Each Rider has an apocalypse horse as its mount.78910

History

The title of Rider is granted to a powerful daemon who ascends to this position. There have been other daemons in the past who have arisen to the title of Rider, but they have been replaced for various reasons, including by their murder at the hands of Lamashtu.[citation needed] The Riders, however, were the first daemons to appear.3

An ancient Rider is responsible for the genesis of the demons.111213 Lamashtu learnt the daemon's secret art of creating demons from the torture of a former Rider, whom she had taken during her wars against Abaddon. She had taken two Riders captive during these wars and murdered them both.13

Previous Riders

Previous Riders include the following:14

Riders of Death

Charon is the only Rider of Death to hold the title since the beginning of daemonkind.15

Riders of Famine

Riders of Pestilence

Riders of War

Unspecified

Churches

The Apocalypse Riders are such powerful fiends that they can grant spells and power to their deluded, nihilistic clerics. They do not have churches or organised faiths in the Universe but are rather worshipped out of fear or by hate-filled monsters.19

References

Paizo published a sourcebook titled Horsemen of the Apocalypse and revisited the subject in the collected Book of the Damned.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

  1. 1.0 1.1 Logan Bonner, et al. Monster Core. Paizo Inc., 2024
  2. Paizo referred to the collective Apocalypse Riders as the Four Horsemen, and to individual Riders as Horsemen, until the publication of Monster Core.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 James Jacobs, et al. The Inner Sea World Guide, 241. Paizo Inc., 2011
  4. Sean K Reynolds & F. Wesley Schneider. “Bestiary” in Seven Days to the Grave, 81. Paizo Inc., 2008
  5. 5.0 5.1 Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 3: Religion” in Campaign Setting, 183. Paizo Inc., 2008
  6. James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. “Bestiary” in Into the Darklands, 61. Paizo Inc., 2008
  7. Amber Stewart. “On a Pale Horse” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 8. Paizo Inc., 2011
  8. Amber Stewart. “On a Pale Horse” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 10. Paizo Inc., 2011
  9. Amber Stewart. “On a Pale Horse” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 12. Paizo Inc., 2011
  10. Amber Stewart. “On a Pale Horse” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 14. Paizo Inc., 2011
  11. James Jacobs. “Premortality” in Lords of Chaos, Book of the Damned Volume 2, 3. Paizo Inc., 2010
  12. James Jacobs. “Demonkind” in Lords of Chaos, Book of the Damned Volume 2, 33. Paizo Inc., 2010
  13. 13.0 13.1 James Jacobs. “The Demonic Horde” in Lords of Chaos, Book of the Damned Volume 2, 61. Paizo Inc., 2010
  14. 14.0 14.1 Amber Stewart. “Previous Horsemen” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 42–43. Paizo Inc., 2011
  15. 15.0 15.1 Paizo Inc., et al. “Chapter 1: Fiendish Divinities” in Book of the Damned, 37. Paizo Inc., 2017
  16. Because Roshmolem was Rider of War, and all of the Riders of Death and Famine are accounted for, Llamolaek was presumably the Rider of Pestilence. However, this is not directly stated in the text of Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
  17. Amber Stewart. “Daemonkind” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 25. Paizo Inc., 2011
  18. Amber Stewart. “On a Pale Horse” in Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book of the Damned Volume 3, 6. Paizo Inc., 2011
  19. Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 3: Religion” in Campaign Setting, 175. Paizo Inc., 2008