Abraxas¶
"Demon God of Sorcery, The Shiftless Sorcerer, The Wizard-Eater." — the titles of Abraxas (S432)
Abraxas, pronounced uh'Brax'as, is the Demon God of Sorcery, a god of the Domain of Thought and one of the Unaligned (S420). He is a Greater Demi-God and Demon Prince who was once a lieutenant of Asmodeus and "seized on the opportunity to ascend to godhood during the First Demon War", for which he was cast out of the Host of Asmodeus and has been the archdemon's bitter enemy since. He holds the Astral Dust of magic, polymorphism and illusion in a demesne called the Shiftless Mansion, never wears the same form twice, and takes "special pleasure in consuming the souls of powerful mortal spellcasters".
Domain and allegiance¶
In the Domain of Thought the register lists "Abraxas - Demon God of Sorcery", chaotic and evil in temper, with the hollow-circle mark of the Unaligned, directly beneath Arcantus, God of Magic (S420). His own document names his pantheon as "Demonic Pantheon", and notes that "he is considered a renegade and outcast by many of his Demonic brothers and sisters" (S432). The newest account of the demons of the Fifth Age lists him first among the "Notable Demon Outcasts", beside the Spawn of Leviathus, demons "which went their own way instead of bowing to one of the other Archdemons" (S022).
He is an "Astral Dust Holder (Magic, Polymorphism and Illusion) - The Shiftless Mansion" (S432); the nature of Astral Dust and its holders is treated under the Astral Shards.
History¶
"Once a lieutenant of Asmodeus, he seized on the opportunity to ascend to godhood during the First Demon War. He was cast from the Host of Asmodeus as a result and has been bitter enemies with the Archdemon ever since. Some accuse Abraxas of aiding the mortal races in the confinement of Asmodeus" (S432). Asmodeus is his one named enemy; his allies are unknown.
Nature¶
"Abraxas shifts form repeatedly and never appears in the exact same form twice. It is not known what his true form looks like or even if Abraxas himself remembers what it was. He has a strong desire for power, but approaches its acquisition in cool and calculated ways." His avatars "change constantly".
"Abraxas is still very much in tune with his baser Demonic desires, and takes special pleasure in consuming the souls of powerful mortal spellcasters. He has some appreciation for his followers, but is unlikely to intervene in any way on their behalf. On the other hand, he does often trade knowledge for devotion, and if he deems the devotion insufficient, he is known for being vengeful. He also often traps hapless casters into a soul-contract with him in exchange for magical knowledge or other favors" (S432).
Worship¶
His worshippers are "Dark Wizards, Summoners, etc." Two rites are recorded (S432):
- Soul Sacrifice. "After rituals to bind the target's soul to his shard, he sacrifices the target so that their soul will be added to his shard (and increase its power). Only the weak-willed can have their soul bound to him against their will. Stronger-willed enemies are killed outright or are deceived into vulnerable situations where their soul can be bound (after which they are killed)."
- Caster Sacrifice. "A sacrifice of a caster can often result in an appearance of the God, so that he can satiate his appetite for caster souls."
Gap
The sources name no Ascendant of Abraxas, no ally, no alternate name and no temple; each of those fields is left as a question mark in his own document.
Earlier accounts¶
The 2014 document of Abraxas (S432) gives his temper as lawful and evil; the 2026 register (S420) gives it as chaotic and evil, and that reading is followed here. The register also drops the pantheon label "Demonic Pantheon" in favour of the Unaligned mark.