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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Argyrzei (Headless Nindoru)

Most nindorus are harmed by silver, but not the argyrzei. Instead, argyrzeis use silver as a method of spreading sickness and pain, and to help them manipulate the minds of those who unwittingly fall under the curse of their infected gifts. They delight in disguising themselves and then selling or giving infected silver to victims. Other nindorus particularly fear argyrzeis for their mastery over silver, knowing that they're capable of causing painful wounds with their silver blades.

Argyrzeis appear humanoid, but their feet point backwards and they have no heads. Their glowing red neck stumps are stuffed with a wide assortment of knives, blades, and shards of metal. These nindorus represent the cycle of art being created, destroyed, and recycled into new art.

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 31
Unspecific Lore: DC 29
Specific Lore: DC 26

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

ArgyrzeiCreature 13

Legacy Content

CE Medium Fiend Nindoru 
Source Pathfinder #199: To Bloom Below the Web pg. 84
Perception +23; cursesense, darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common, Necril
Skills Athletics +27, Crafting +25, Deception +24, Occultism +25, Stealth +24
Str +8, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +6, Wis +4, Cha +5
Cursesense The argyrzei can see and hear through any silver object it cursed, as long as the object is within 1 mile.
AC 34; Fort +23, Ref +24, Will +21
HP 240; Resistances negative 10, silver 10
Headless An argyrzei is headless but can still hear, speak, see, and smell as if it had a head. The argyrzei is immune to decapitation effects, such as those caused by vorpal weapons.Soul Shred Creatures killed by an argyrzei are difficult to bring back to life or to animate as undead. The argyrzei automatically attempts to counteract any attempt to resurrect or animate as undead any creature that it has killed (counteract modifier +23, counteract level 7th). If the argyrzei who slew the creature is itself slain, the creature can be brought back from death or become undead normally.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] silver blade +28 [+23/+18] (magical, two-hand d12), Damage 2d8+11 slashing plus 1d6 persistent bleed and 1d6 mentalOccult Innate Spells DC 33, +25 attack; 7th phantom pain; 6th dominate, illusory scene; 5th subconscious suggestion; 3rd illusory disguise (at will), item facade; Cantrips (7th) daze, mage hand, telekinetic projectile
Infect Silver [three-actions] (concentrate, curse, necromancy, occult) Frequency once per day; Effect The argyrzei concentrates on an adjacent silver object that's no larger than Bulk 2. That object becomes cursed; if the object is being carried, the object's carrier can resist the object becoming cursed with a DC 33 Will save. The argyrzei can maintain up to five curses simultaneously; if it infects a sixth silver item, the oldest cursed item becomes uncursed.Manifest Silver Blade [one-action] (concentrate, conjuration, occult) Requirement The argyrzei isn't carrying a silver blade; Effect The argyrzei pulls one of the broken silver weapons from the stump of its neck, transforming it into a +1 striking wounding silver bastard sword. This weapon crumbles into sand if it leaves the argyrzei's possession.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Cursed Silver

Infected Silver is detailed here

All Monsters in "Nindoru"

NameLevel
Akashti (Sobbing Nindoru)10
Argyrzei (Headless Nindoru)13
Guhdggi (Wandering Nindoru)5
Ijda (Forgetful Nindoru)6
Kagekuma (Lurking Nindoru)8
Meokdan (Hungry Nindoru)2
Shisagishin (Crooked Nindoru)12
Sojiruh (Shrieking Nindoru)4

Nindoru

Source Pathfinder #197: Let the Leaves Fall pg. 84
When an evil mortal soul that has been reincarnated multiple times is wrenched from the cycle of souls and corrupted, it can undergo a horrific transformation into a fiend known as a nindoru. A force for entropy and the breaking of cycles, nindorus are hideous creatures whose bodies often appear distorted, who wield weapons that have been shattered yet still function, and whose true face is often hidden from view. They display traits one might expect to see in an undead creature, such as decaying flesh or exposed bones, yet a nindoru is very much still alive.

Each nindoru epitomizes the fracture of a specific cycle, be it one from the natural world or from societal traditions. To the nindoru, nothing is more delicious than the consumption of a creature who has reincarnated multiple times, with those who are theoretically about to ascend to true enlightenment presenting the tastiest meal. Those slain by a nindoru are themselves torn from the cycle—the lucky ones move on to the Boneyard for judgment, but many are instead corrupted to form more of these horrific fiends.

Followers of Sangpotshi find nindoru to be particularly abhorrent and count them among the greatest threats imaginable. Most commonly found in regions of the world where the reincarnation cycle is strongest, nindorus are, like rakshasas and oni, associated most strongly with the Material Plane.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Butterflies

One of the strangest shared traits of the various types of nindoru are the blood-red butterflies that seem to follow them around, nest on their bodies, or periodically emerge from their wounds. These unnerving insects are physical manifestations of the nindorus' thoughts and symbolize the countless past lives they once lived but turned their backs on. Nindoru butterflies never last long once they flutter more than a few feet from their source, fading away into smoke that quickly dissipates into the air.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Demigods

The most powerful nindorus are demigods, although their cults are quite rare. Prone to reincarnation after death, nindoru demigods like Kugaptee are more properly known as “nindoru ascetics.”

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Nindoru Trait

Nindorus are chaotic evil fiends that rise from corruptions to the cycle of reincarnating souls and live on the Material Plane. Although they often have elements in their appearance that make them seem undead, they're actually living beings. Most nindorus have darkvision, are immune to death effects, have weakness to silver, and possess the power to manifest objects or creatures from their thoughts.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Traitors

While most nindorus are purely chaotic evil in nature, legends tell of exceptionally rare nindorus who manage to escape their own nature and ascend, reincarnating after death into kami or other more benevolent spirits and shedding the nindoru trait as they do so. Of course, these “traitors” are regarded as the most delicious meals imaginable by the nindorus left behind.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Other Nindorus

Many other types of nindorus exist beyond the four presented on these pages. Others include the corpse- copying akashtis (sobbing nindorus), infiltrators of society known as kagekumas (lurking nindorus), the dead defiling shisagishins (crooked nindorus), and the powerful and brutal argyrzeis (headless nindorus).

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Reincarnated Souls

In some cases, you’ll know if a creature a nindoru attacks has a reincarnated soul. Ancestries like samsarans are always reincarnated souls, and a PC’s backstory or even their background can often indicate the presence of a previous life. All of the PCs in Season of Ghosts qualify as reincarnated souls, as they’ve relived their lives over and over for decades. If you ever need to determine if a creature’s soul is reincarnated for the purpose of adjudicating a nindoru’s ability, attempt a DC 11 flat check—on a success, it has a reincarnated soul.