Originating on a distant plane, the diaboli appear to many humanoid cultures as nightmares incarnate. They have dispersed across the infinite planes as much to spread their creed of benevolent chaos as to escape the rampant horrors of an invading reality. Diaboli hail from a demi-plane just slightly out of phase with the rest of the multiverse. Called by humanoids the Demi-plane of Nightmares, this realm once bordered the Borderlund and the Drėmwüth, but no longer exists, leaving them stranded in this reality. On their home plane, diaboli once acted much as humans do on the Prime: they farmed, they hunted, they built villages and towns and interacted peacefully with some of the creatures they shared their home with, and they violently opposed others. Some diaboli become philosophers of some renown, while others skulk in dark alleyways waiting for their next mark. Unlike humans, diaboli have a unifying belief in the superiority of anarchy. They built their societies around the belief that since they could not provably define any one form of government as better than any other, they must simply live without governments. Despite their chaotic natures, diaboli strongly believe in traditions and ancient mores that once maintained their societies. Along with these strong and repeatedly proven customs, diaboli traditionally held together their otherwise free-willed societies with a mixture of traditions, taboos, customs, and a strong sense of fair play. “Do what thou wilt but harm none” was a maxim that unified the diaboli and acts even now as the great truth from which all traditions and taboos grow and which shapes their individual world view as they adapt themselves to the culture and laws of The Unification.

   Personality

Diaboli have a wide variety of personalities (since in their own plane they served as the local equivalent of humans). Unlike humans, however, the great majority of diaboli live chaotic, disorderly lives. The spectrum of personalities exhibited by diaboli is somewhat narrower than thet of humans, but still much wider than most other Prime humanoids. Diaboli generally reflect only the gentler, less frightening aspects of chaos in their personalities. Many reflect this chaos with extreme absent-mindedness, mild to severe mood swings, wild bouts of creativity, and generally mercurial natures.

   Physical Description

Fearsome in form if not in personality, diaboli often elicit reactions of fear or loathing from those who see them. Silhouetted at a distance, a diabolus might pass as a thin-legged human. Once details become apparent, any resemblance to humans quickly disappears. The torso, arms and head of a diabolus have humanlike musculature and structure, but its legs resemble those of a ram or a goat. Diaboli also have long tails that end in small barbs. Small vestigial horns rise from the top of a diabolus’ head and its elflike pointed ears stick out at severe angles. A diabolus’ hands appear humanlike, but they lack a fifth small finger, rather having three fingers and a thumb. Diaboli skin colour ranges from mauve and lavender to the deepest near-black violets. In addition to skin colour, diaboli vary in the amount of hair they can grow. Bare diaboli grow no hair over the entirety of their bodies. Common diaboli grow white and silver hair just as humans do, and males often wear long, but well-groomed beards. Hirsute diaboli also grow coarse, white, goatlike hair from the waist down. Diaboli of all three types share the same abilities; any differences among them form culturally. All diaboli have reptilian eyes ranging from angry reds to bright yellows. Their long tongues fork like those of snakes and provide the diaboli with similar olfactory clues. Wide, prominent noses dominate their faces.

   Relations

Diaboli innately fear most humans and humanoids they meet and find the forms of such creatures repulsive. For their part, many humanoids feel the same way about diaboli. Normally, the groups would only rarely put aside their revulsion and make attempts to communicate and trade. However, the circumstances within The Unification have forced the races together and forced a kind of uneasy accord. Even with the peaceful lines of communication, there is still tension between the races. At worst, this quiet unease leads to cool but respectful meetings, but even at best a gathering of diaboli and humanoids brings about an air of extreme politeness, as if both sides fear insulting or otherwise provoking the other. Adventurers from both sides often make the initial steps of peaceful communication between groups; many find it difficult not to befriend those with whom they frequently face lethal dangers. Because they themselves often live at the fringe of society, adventurers often judge a companion not by their appearance but by their competence, and most diaboli adventurers prove quite capable. However, even among adventurers, there are bigots and racists who enjoy provoking those who are different than them in order to prove their strength and dominance by taking out their newfound foes.

   Alignment

A carefree chaos fills the hearts of diaboli and they constantly seek to spread the joys of such liberation among those with whom they interact. Freedom and spontaneity mark the lives of the diaboli, but they seldom force their gently chaotic beliefs on others. This love of freedom marks them as almost universally chaotic good creatures. Some drift from the benevolent aspects of chaos – becoming engulfed or driven to horrible acts by it – developing into either chaotic neutral or chaotic evil. Those tiny few who forsake chaos for neutrality find themselves shunned and exiled. Neither history nor folklore record any mention of a lawful diabolus.

   Diabolus Racial Traits

• Outsider (native): Diaboli are outsiders with the native subtype. Diaboli have a knack for making themselves at home on new planes.
• Chaotic: Diaboli have the chaotic subtype.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, diaboli have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Diaboli base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: Diaboli can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and diaboli can function just fine with no light at all.
• +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against spells and spell-like effects: Diaboli come from a demi-plane slightly out of phase with other planes, which gives them some resistance to magical effects.
• +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks made against animals and humanoids: The frightful appearance and alien psychology of diaboli make them particularly good at coercing Prime natives.
• -2 penalty on Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Perform and Sense Motive checks: The hideous appearance and strange mannerisms of the diaboli make it difficult for them to interact peaceably with native humanoids and animals of the Prime.
• Weapon Familiarity: Diaboli treat tridents as simple weapons rather than martial weapons.
• Natural Attack: Tail. A diabolus can make a secondary natural attack with its tail (at a -5 penalty on attack rolls). This attack deals 1d4 points of damage and injects its target with a mild poison (DC 10 + ½ HD + Constitution Modifier). The poison’s initial damage causes its victim to become sickened for 2d4 rounds; it has no secondary damage. A sickened creature suffers a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks and ability checks. A diaboli can produce a number of doses of poison equal to 3 + its Constitution modifier per day.
• Level Adjustment: +1.