Druj nasu

From PathfinderWiki
Druj nasu
(Creature)

Type
Outsider
(div, evil, extraplanar)
CR
8
Environment
Any (Abaddon)
Alignment
Source: What Grows Within, pg(s). 84-85

Druj nasus are divs that taint corpses and disrupt their passage into the afterlife.1

Appearance

A druj nasu is a fly-like creature with a sickly smell of feral musk, rotting flesh, and acrid sweat. Its wings fill the air with a dreadful drone even when the creature is still. A druj nasu stands roughly six feet tall and weighs 100 pounds.1

Abilities

A druj nasu can beat its wings in such a way that the sound they make resembles the droning of millions of buzzing flies. It uses this ability to weaken and incapacitate enemies, and then summons swarms of insects to wash over them, often under the protection of invisibility. Druj nasus are immune to fire, and confer this immunity on any undead created by them.1

Ecology

Druj nasus haunt funeral pyres and burial sites to steal corpses. In ancient times, their interference caused numerous cultures to alter their practices regarding burial. When a druj nasu is found near a newly-dead corpse, the body would be considered unclean and the flesh would have to be disposed of via sky burial before the bones could be buried.1

Druj nasus steal corpses to spite and bring more grief and sorrow to the family and loved ones of the dead. They then animate the stolen remains and, lacking the ability to influence these undead, send them back to prey upon their former loved ones. In this way, druj nasus disrupt polite society and commit one of the ultimate taboos.1

The obsessive hatred of druj nasus is that of dogs, often fleeing from them in fear or fixating on them while ignoring every other threat. This weakness does not apply to supernatural dog-like creatures, except hound archons. Morticians and priests often keep dogs around to help ward off druj nasus. Though druj nasus have no weakness against the sun, they tend to do their hunting at night when there are fewer watchful eyes.1

Society

Druj nasus make their home in Abaddon like all divs, but frequently visit the Material Plane. Druj nasus favour desert climates, but prefer busy settlements with plenty of dead bodies over the open desert. They tend to stick to the outskirts of towns, typically where the burial sites are located.1

On the Material Plane, druj nasus create undead to harm the countryside and spoil people's stores of food and water or holy water founts in temples. For communities with large stores, they continuously return until the settlements are on the verge of starvation. They delight in sending insect swarms to harass fields and towns.1

Druj nasus are typically loners, but sometimes work in groups. Among other divs, they get along the best with pairakas, with whom they share a desire to spread disease and personal strife.1

Due to sharing the same habitat, druj nasus often compete with ghuls over the theft of corpses; more often than not, such conflicts are won by the druj nasus due to their better tolerance of the sun.1

On Golarion

On Golarion, druj nasus are most plentiful in Katapesh, Kelesh, and Thuvia, but they can be found anywhere in the world. They are particularly hated by followers of Pharasma for their treatment of corpses, but typically ignore them. Because of an ancient conflict in Kelesh, druj nasus have a strong hatred for Sarenrae's faith, often singling her followers out in combat and stealing their corpses.1

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 John Compton, et al. “Bestiary” in What Grows Within, 84–85. Paizo Inc., 2017