Deev Lords of the Bundahishn

From Scripture to Fragments

These Deevs appear in the Bundahishn (Zoroastrian creation text) as specific servants of Ahriman (Angra Mainyu). In the current era, they exist as powerful fragments—too strong to be fully suppressed by the Broken Sun's Shield, but weakened enough that they cannot manifest in full god-form.

Spazg Div (اسپزگ دیو) - The Deev of Slander

Domain: Gossip, lies, and false speech

Power: Can present lies so convincingly that people believe and turn against one another. Spreads hatred and kina (vengeance) through words.

From Bundahishn: Moves backward in Hell (opposite of all other beings—symbolic of perversion of natural order)

In Némand:

• Manifestation: Appears in courts, political gatherings, anywhere words have power. Cannot be seen directly—works through humans it influences.
• Method: Whispers suggestions into ears of ambitious/resentful people. Voice sounds like their own thoughts. Slowly corrupts Dāvar (Judgment) making them see enemies everywhere.
• Feeding: Broken trust, shattered alliances, destroyed reputations
• Weakness: Truth spoken with absolute conviction (Spenta Mainyu) disrupts its influence. Requires Tier 3+ Dāvar school mastery to detect and counter.
• Alignment Corruption: -3 Spenta per week under influence. Victim becomes paranoid, vindictive.

Tier: 4 (high-level social threat)

Ungrateful Nature: Believed to be most ungrateful of all Deevs—will betray even Ahriman if it serves chaos.

Story Hint: Protagonist discovers court intrigue is actually Spazg fragment's work. Advisor they trust is influenced. Must prove truth without evidence—testing protagonist's integrity and persuasion. Teaches that some enemies fight with words, not swords. Defeating Spazg requires mastering Dāvar + Peyvand (true judgment + genuine connection).

Nasu / Nasav (نسو / نس دیو) - The Corpse Demon

Domain: Decay, contamination, death corruption

From Zoroastrian Scripture: After soul leaves body, Nasu takes form of fly and attacks corpse, causing decay. Makes dead bodies extremely impure.

In Némand:

• Manifestation: Invisible until feeding. Appears as disease-fly during corpse corruption. Leaves body as visible fly after victim purifies (washing ritual).
• Purpose: Prevents consciousness from lingering in dead flesh. Forces soul to journey to 9th planet by making corpse uninhabitable.
• Necessary Evil?: Some scholars argue Nasu serves cosmic function—preventing ghosts/undead by consuming residual consciousness in flesh.
• Danger: Anyone touching corpse without purification becomes contaminated. Nasu fragment transfers. Causes disease, weakness, eventually death if untreated.
• Scavenger Birds: Vultures and crows sacred because they drive Nasu from corpses. Zoroastrian sky burial deliberately uses this.

Traditional Defenses:

• Invoke Haurvatat (Water Amesha Spenta) for purification
• Invoke Rashnu (Justice Yazata) for judgment of soul
• Wash body of contaminated person—Nasu exits as fly

In Your Magic System:

• Purification Device: Tier 2 Water-Resonator filled with blessed water. Projects field that prevents Nasu from manifesting.
• Consciousness Technique: Maintain absolute awareness when near corpses. Didār (Observation) prevents invisible Nasu from touching you.

Tier: 2 (individually weak, but inevitable without countermeasures)

Story Hint: After battle, protagonist must handle fallen comrades. Elderly Zoroastrian priest teaches proper burial rites. Protagonist witnesses Nasu as fly leaving properly purified body—first concrete proof of div existence beyond combat threats. Questions arise: Is Nasu evil or just natural? Does the universe need death to be repulsive so souls move on? Introduces moral complexity to "fighting evil."

Āz (آز) - The Deev of Greed

Domain: Uncontrollable desire, insatiable hunger, avarice

In Bundahishn: One of the most powerful Deevs, embodying endless appetite

In Némand:

• Manifestation: Doesn't appear physically. Instead corrupts Daryāft (Reception) making people unable to feel satisfied.
• Method: Victims never feel "enough." More wealth = more want. More power = more hunger. Even after achieving goals, feel empty.
• Feeding: The hollow despair of those who have everything but feel nothing
• High-Class Corruption: Primarily affects wealthy, powerful, successful people. Poor rarely targeted (little to take). Makes nobility more dangerous than poverty.

Tier: 4-5 (affects society-wide through influential people)

Story Hint: Zahhak himself is Āz-corrupted. His endless hunger for power, his need to consume kingdoms, his inability to be satisfied—all Āz's work. Defeating Zahhak requires breaking Āz's hold, not just killing the man. Protagonist learns that final victory isn't killing tyrant—it's breaking the corruption that made him one.

Aeshma (اَیَشمَه) - The Deev of Wrath

Domain: Rage, violence, destructive fury

In Scripture: Demon of battle-fury and uncontrolled aggression

In Némand:

• Manifestation: Appears on battlefields, in places of violence, during anger
• Method: Amplifies rage to berserker levels. Warriors under influence fight without technique—pure savage fury. More dangerous to allies than enemies.
• Corruption Mechanic: Each kill in rage-state reduces Spenta alignment. Eventually warrior cannot fight without rage. Becomes addicted to fury.
• The Warrior's Trap: Combat effectiveness increases under Aeshma influence (temporarily), making it tempting. Long-term creates broken veterans unable to find peace.

Tier: 3 (moderate power, widespread influence)

Counter: Pahlavani discipline explicitly trains against Aeshma. Controlled technique vs. raw fury. Javanmardi (chivalry) vs. slaughter.

Story Hint: Protagonist in early combat taps into rage for survival—wins fight but notices alignment shift. Mentor warns of Aeshma's trap. Arc develops: learning to fight effectively without fury. Final test: facing overwhelming enemy while maintaining Pahlavani discipline. Choosing technique over rage even when rage would be easier.

Bushyasta (بوشیاست) - The Deev of Sloth

Domain: Laziness, procrastination, sleep, torpor

Appearance: Long-handed demon (can reach from far away)

Method: Induces overwhelming lethargy. Makes waking up impossible. Causes procrastination, missed opportunities, wasted potential.

In Némand:

• Morning Enemy: Strongest at dawn (opposing the sacred sunrise). Makes people sleep through important moments.
• Ambition Killer: Whispers justifications: "Tomorrow is fine," "You need rest," "Others will handle it." Victim believes these are rational thoughts.
• Feeding: Wasted time, unrealized potential, dreams deferred until death

Defense: Discipline, routine, dawn prayer (traditional Zoroastrian practice has mechanical reason—consciousness at sunrise disrupts Bushyasta)

Tier: 2-3 (individually weak, culturally devastating)

Connection to Goje-Ferfer: The tomato-riding child-snatcher who punishes lazy children is a minor Bushyasta fragment. The absurd appearance (boy on tomato) shows how ancient cosmic force degraded into provincial folklore.

Story Hint: Protagonist has crucial deadline—must deliver message, reach location, complete device before alignment. Suddenly feels overwhelming need to rest. "Just one hour sleep..." Realizes this is Bushyasta attack. Must fight own exhaustion as real enemy. Shows div combat isn't always swords—sometimes it's forcing yourself awake.

Yazata of Speech and Healing

Māraspand (مارسپند) - The Sacred Word

Domain: Divine speech, sacred perception, healing

From Avestan: "Holy Spell" or "Divine Speech"—embodiment of word-as-power

In Zoroastrian Calendar: 29th day of each month is Maraspandan (day of sacred speech)

In Némand:

• Manifestation: Pure, radiant soul of Ahura Mazda (messenger between material and spiritual worlds)
• Domains: Speech, time, wisdom, hearing, sight—protector of sacred perception
• Healing Power: Created to combat 9,999 demonic diseases. Uses sacred spells (mantras) to restore health and balance.
• Enemy: Mitokhta Div (demon of lies/false speech). Their conflict represents truth vs. falsehood.

Practical Application:

• Invocation Rituals: Speaking truth with perfect clarity channels Māraspand fragment. Can break curse, reveal hidden div, purify corruption.
• Healing Spells: Tier 3 Engineers can craft Healing-Resonators using Māraspand's principles. Device amplifies spoken mantras into actual curative effect.
• Truth Detection: Devices blessed by Māraspand fragment cannot be deceived. Used in courts, contracts, oaths.

Tier: Yazata (fragment power varies, invocation Tier 3+)

Story Hint: Protagonist suffers div-inflicted disease. Medicine fails. Zoroastrian healer teaches Māraspand invocation. Protagonist must speak their deepest truth aloud (confession, admission, buried secret) to channel healing. The more painful the truth, the stronger the cure. Forces character development through mechanical magic requirement.

The Three Creator Deities of Kermanshah

Note: These are local deity beliefs, likely fragments of larger Yazatas filtered through regional culture:

Hura (هورا) - God of Creation

Symbol: Radiant sun or golden spiral

Domain: Creation, life, genesis

Sacred Time: Dawn (new beginnings)

Power: Creativity is sacred echo of Hura's force. Followers honor creation through art, invention, childbirth.

In Némand: Likely fragment of Ahura Mazda or Spenta Mainyu (creative principle). Kermanshah's unique interpretation shaped by local Azhur Ore deposits and consciousness patterns.

Story Integration: Protagonist visits Kermanshah, meets Hura-worshiping engineers/artisans. Their devices have slightly different aesthetic—emphasize creation over destruction. Could trade knowledge or obtain rare creative-aligned components.

Arouda (آرودا) - God of Protection

Symbol: Shield with intertwined grapevines OR mountain surrounded by stars

Domain: Protection, stability, integrity of physical and spiritual realms

Sacred Time: Twilight, transitions, moments requiring protection

Rituals: Guardian hymns, protective talismans

In Némand: Fragment of guardian Yazata (possibly Sraosha or protective aspect of Amesha Spentas). Power strongest during vulnerable transitions.

Practical Application:

• Arouda Talismans: Tier 2 device. Shield-shaped pendant with grapevine etching. Provides passive protection against div influence during travel.
• Twilight Wards: Barriers activated at dawn/dusk. Use Arouda's principle: protection strongest at transitions.

Story Hint: Protagonist receives Arouda talisman from Kermanshah guardian. During dangerous journey through div-territory, talisman activates at twilight—creates protective field exactly when needed. Shows that regional deities, while fragments, have real power in their domains.

The Deev Hierarchy in Current Era

the Broken Sun's Shield fragmented the greater Deevs, but they adapt:

• Tier 5 (Deev Lords): Āz, Aeshma, Akvan—still powerful enough to influence nations
• Tier 4 (Named Deevs): Spazg, Bushyasta, Nasu—specific domains, widespread influence
• Tier 3 (Regional Deevs): Stronger local fragments with territorial power
• Tier 2 (Lesser Deevs): Province-specific entities, limited but persistent
• Tier 1 (Div Fragments): Nearly folklore-level. Scary but defeatable by aware mortals.

Zahhak's Role: He is Āz-possessed king. Not Deev himself, but human fully corrupted by Deev Lord. This makes him more dangerous—combines mortal cunning with demonic hunger.