Canonfire! - Excerpts from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv: The Cabrir

The Cabrir is a demon, though this is in question among most other demons. The Cabrir appears as silvery-black mirror shards floating suspended in space.

Author: grodog

Excerpts from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv:
The Cabrir (Mirror Demon, "The Shards of Abraxus")

by grodog (see also http://www.rpg.net/ehp/imrryr/greyhawk.html)
Copyright 2001 by Allan T. Grohe, Jr. Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

The Cabrir is a demon, though this is in question among most other demons. The Cabrir appears as silvery-black mirror shards floating suspended in space. It is jaggedly shaped and is in constant motion---twirling, shifting position, rising and falling. It does not seem to exhibit any sentience and has never been known to communicate in any manner.

Who, or what, the Cabrir (singular and plural) is remains a mystery among demonkind. It is greatly feared, for it appears at random and attacks a particular demon, to the exclusion of all others, even if attacked by other demons nearby. The Cabrir has imprisoned various demons and slain others by driving itself into their bodies, shredding them. Two abyssal dragons have thus been destroyed, as have the demon lords Shalovoz, Dorat, and Alycarn. Both Mirzandualc and Nazz were imprisoned by the Cabrir while on their home planes, each a strong demon prince.

It is known that the Cabrir can be eluded, for both Alrunes and Pazuzeus have escaped it by fleeing to the Prime. It seems that the Cabrir is unable, or unwilling, to follow to that plane. However, this information is less than useful to most demons, as the majority cannot enter the Prime without conjuration. The Cabrir, once avoided successfully, did not further pursue Alrunes or Pazuzeus once they returned to the Abyss from the Prime. In fact, Alrunes was present at Mirzandulac's imprisonment, and observed the Cabrir closely.

Within the Lower Planes, there is no plane to which a demon could flee to escape the Cabrir, for it seems to trace a demon's psychic imprint and can follow it anywhere --- from Pandemonium to Acheron, without restraint. The Cabrir has been known to pursue victims into the Astral through permanently open gates, as well. It exhibits psionic traits and leaves the typical psionic residue, but is otherwise immune to all psionic attacks, and most psionic effects.

Demonic scholars speculate that the Cabrir is the shards of Abraxus' shattered soul (if one believes in that particular fable), or that it is a tool of the Father of Demonkind, through which he wreaks horrible vengeance upon his children. Others believe that the Cabrir is a test, to winnow out the weak from among Abraxus' brood. The Cabrir tends to be associated with Abraxus, in one form or another, though, by most demons.

Among those who lend credence to the belief that the Cabrir was created and/or fathered by Abraxus, a few further believe that the Cabrir can be controlled and/or conjured according to the laws that govern all demonkind. No mortal has ever successfully conjured the Cabrir (although Alrunes has set up several priests and mages specifically for this purpose), and it is almost totally unknown outside of the Abyss. No demon would ever attempt to conjure or summon The Cabrir, for fear that it would in fact appear and attack the summoner.

Gresil, Lord of the Abyssal Library, has researched the Cabrir at Alrunes' behest. In his vast collection, there was one reference to the Cabrir, in The Skellosarian Diaries (a text rumored to be authored by Abraxus): " . . . and the Cabrir shall Dance darkly unto Perdition's end, wreaking Havoc and claiming Thine kinsmen for the Fane's Eternal Glory . . . . " Other than this general, if cryptic, note, no written mention of the Cabrir exists. Gresil is currently gathering materials to draft a history upon the Cabrir, with Alrunes' aid.

Secretly, Gresil discovered another reference which he did not disclose to Alrunes. This primary source was The Scaled Grimoire of Nahvoohos, an account of Abraxus' explorations and journeys. It is written upon the tanned hide of Nahvoohos, one of Abraxus' unborn childer (believed by Tiamat). The relevant information follows.

Abraxus was in a region of the Abyss near unto Carynach (the 637the layer;
Carynach literally means "the empty place" in demonic, as no layers connect to this plane, nor do gates open into or from it), when:

I saw a shimmering in the air and Appearing before me were the fabled Eyes Of Vanquisht. They were a blur, visible only by adjusting mine sight to their vibrations. I beheld what seemed shattered and fragmented planar shards, twirling round a receding Vortex --- a Vortex leading from Carynach!

As I focused, a voice spake unto mine mind, with horrible grating and pain --- it sounded like unto metal or glass dragging across itself in tortured screechings. It spake thusly, "I shall obey the Wearer of the Crimson Crown so long as I am awarded Fiefdom.' And then the shimmering folded upon itself and was gone, as was the Vortex to Carynach."

It is worth noting that Abraxus' crown of rulership was topped with the Bloodstone Jewels of Perdition, which he mined in the Wall of the Worlds' End . . . .

Notes

Some of the references and background for the Cabrir draw upon specific backstory elements, mythic history, and mythic geography from my campaigns, such as the mentions of Tiamat (who is CE and resides in the Abyss IMC), Abraxus, The Wall of the Worlds' End, etc. Feel free to disregard, modify, or otherwise ignore them if you decide to incorporate the Cabrir into your own game.

First Edition Stats for the Cabrir follow, and I may update them to Third Edition (but probably not anytime soon).

Frequency: Very, Very Rare (Unique?)
No. Appearing: 1 (but a composite entity)
Armor Class: -7
Move: 14" (all environs)
Hit Dice: N/A (as 14 HD for attack purposes)
% in Lair: 0%
Treasure Type: Nil (Souls? . . . )
No. of Attacks: varies (typically 5-8, but up to 40)
Damage/Attack: Imprisonment or 1-6 each
Special Attacks: On a successful hit, victim is imprisoned in one of the silver-black shards (body and soul), there to languish for eternity . . .
Special Defenses: Immune to physical harm; only affected by repulsion and Force magics; kept at bay by anti-magic
Magic Resistance: see above, otherwise immune
Intelligence: Unknown, but assumed non- or Genius
Size: Variable (from a 4' to 20' cloud)
Psionic Ability: Special (see below)
Level/XP Value: XI/200,000 for demons who successfully survive an encounter

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demon, Abyss, Firstborn, Abraxus