#marrash

Image © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Monster Manual II Art Gallery here

[The marrash originally appeared in the 2e module Assassin Mountain for the Al-Qadim setting. Al-Qadim was “Arabian Nights in the Forgotten Realms”, and it could swing towards cultural appropriation at times. For instance, the marrash’s cursed arrow that turns people into a marrash is called its “taklif arrow” in the original, and a taklif is a religious obligation in Islam. When I found that out, I dropped that phraseology right quick. The original is a type of outsider unaffiliated with a subtype, but I slotted them in with the asuras in Pathfinder.]

Asura, Marrash CR 6 LE Outsider (extraplanar) This creature is humanoid, but has the head of a hyena, the wings of an eagle and parrot-like clawed feet. It carries a powerful bow in its feet.

The marrashi are asuras of disease and death. They were created through the divine mistake of instructing mortals how to use a bow and arrow. Although this godly inspiration came with good intentions, the harnessing of such ability to deal death from afar has resulted in the extinction of species and the endless cycle of arms races and weapons technology. Every time a new means of killing is devised by mortals, the marrashi smile.

Although technology may have left the marrashi behind with guns and explosives, their bows and arrows are still deadly weapons. Every arrow they fire is laden with disease, the symptoms of which are an exaggerated, virulent form of filth fever. They fire arrows with seemingly impossible speed, using all four of their limbs to do so. Marrashi are fond of hit and run attacks to whittle down foes while their regeneration keeps them healthy.

Unlike other asuras, which are typically born through the will of the asura ranas or through reincarnation of previous asura spirits, marrashi can control their own reproductive destiny. A marrash can curse an arrow in such a way that a mortal soul slain while cursed transforms into a new member of their species. Marrashi do not resent summoning in the ways that many extraplanar creatures do, as being on the Material Plane allows them the opportunity to increase their numbers. Such newborn marrashi are born without weapons but with the instinctual ability to use them, and they often steal a bow the first chance they get.