Far beyond the great desert, one will find the troubled land of Umaab. The people of this once proud kingdom are oft beset by demons who serve the dark god Nergal. The characteristics of these demons are described in the holy Tablets of Adad Untash.

Kurbisz the Executioner stood just behind Shaalath Akis, and slightly to her right. In fact, he was always slightly to her right. He had begun to suspect that the wound that caused the scar at the corner of her left eye had done more damage than she let on. And she was clearly disinclined to have the wily assassin somewhere that she couldn’t keep tabs on him. At least, he assumed that’s why she banished him from her bed when she was finished with him for the night.

And used magic to seal the doorway to her chamber after he left.

And inscribed some kind of weird rune on that door that filled him with dread when he looked upon it.

When he was inclined to be honest with himself, Kurbisz had to admit that he was probably just being used by the witch. But he was enjoying himself well enough. For the time being, anyway.

“Kurbisz!” the sorceress snapped. “Pay attention, fool. You are about to see a thing of such heart-rending beauty that your mind will be forever… changed.”

The assassin hated these little displays of what Shaalath Akis found “beautiful.” Usually it was some kind of dreadful demon or another. These things weren’t beautiful. They were ugly. Not terrifying or nightmarish or anything so astounding as that, though others seemed to find them so. But then he was not weak-willed like most of those who served his mistress. He was not so easily frightened. He was Kurbisz the Executioner, after all…

**********

“Get up, you halfwit!” Shaalath Akis barked. “You’ve seen worse than this and stood your ground. Why would something so simple cause you such fright?”

Kurbisz struggled to lift his shaking form from the ground where he had fallen in a dead faint. The thing. My god, the thing. A giant snake was something. A giant four-headed snake was another. A giant four-headed snake with human faces was still another. But the faces! The silent yet howling faces, in such… agony. Why had he reacted so strongly to them? What was it about them that… My god! That creature! It… it’s… it’s my father! Such suffering is to much too bear, even when heaped upon him!

Instinctively, Kurbisz drew his curved dagger and lunged at the creature that stood before him. All of his training brought the blade to its perfect mark. In an instant it lay dead at his feet, its serpentine body writhing even as the faces went slack, their eyes closing. As the demon let out its death rattle Kurbisz heard voices within his head. Its words brought tears to his eyes. Thank you, my son… they said.

Gods! The thing had known who he was all along.

Kurbisz collapsed again, in a heap at the feet of Shaalath Akis, who kicked his unconscious body as she sneered.

“Why in all of Umaab did you do that, you fool? It will be weeks before I can summon another of these damned things!”

Turul Dgag (Standard Order Demon)
No. Enc.: 1d6 (1d6)
Alignment: Chaotic (evil)
Movement: 90’ (30’)
Armor Class: 1
Hit Dice: 6+6
Attacks: 5 (4 bite or spit, 1 constrict)
Damage: 2d4 or poison/1d6
Save: F7
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: XVII
XP: 1,580

These demons appear as giant, four-headed snakes covered in orange, green and black scales. The four heads of an individual Turul Dgag represent the same man at four stages of his life: infancy, childhood, adulthood, and old age. Turul Dgag are eerily silent, even as their faces contort into masks of agony.

Each head of a Turul Dgag may attack independently in a round, either by biting or by spitting a viscous, milky poison to a range of 30’. Those struck by this secretion must save vs poison or die within 1d8 turns.

Turul Dgag have the following spell-like abilities, useable at will: Detect Hidden and Invisible Items, Darkness 10’ Radius, Fear, Snake Charm, Sticks To Snakes, Symbol of Despair. These demons also regenerate 1d3 hit points per round.

Additionally, they possess all of the abilities of a typical Standard Order Demon:

• Infravision (90’)
• Half damage from cold-based attacks
• Half damage from electrical-based attacks
• Half damage from fire-based attacks (all)
• Half damage from gas-type attacks
• Telepathy (allows all languages to be understood)
• Teleport without error

Turul Dgag can only be damaged by +1 or better weapons, though they are susceptible to damage from non-magical weapons made of pure iron. Turul Dgag may Gate (15% probability of success) 1d2 Uszu Anang Kal.

Turul Dgag occasionally gather in the ruins of ancient cities, especially those where vice and gambling were common.

The Tablets of Adad Untash tell the faithful that Turul Dgag are the souls of men who abandoned their families to pursue a life of gambling and debauchery.