Zapan

Greyhawk Character

Zapan
General info
Home:	Baator
Alignment:	Lawful evil
Gender:	Male
Species:	Pit fiend
Class:	n/a
Dates
Age:	Unknown (more than several centuries old)

The pit fiend Zapan is the Minister of Immortal Relations in the Dark Eight, which means he is the infernal bureaucrat in charge of relationships between the baatezu and other immortal races of the planes. It is through him and his ministry that the Nine Hells deals with the archons, yugoloths, the efreet, the proxies of various evil gods, and even the demons.

Description

Zapan deals with all immortal planars as equal, offering them terms they find it difficult to resist. It's said he can sweet-talk the feathers from an archon; he shows sympathy to his clients when sympathy will get his race what they want, and lays down threats and ultimatums when that tactic is more likely to show results. To everyone else, he presents the devils as willing supporters, eager to provide other races with their dearest desires. Zapan's subordinates, Hell's ambassadors and diplomats across the planes, imitate their leader's tactics.

Relationships

Each member of the Dark Eight is given authority over one aspect of the Blood War. They separately pursue their own agendas, but the entire council has final say over their decisions. Despite their rivalries and intrigues, though, the Dark Eight works well as a team, and Hell's bureaucracy moves efficiently.

History

The Dark Eight was founded prior to the Reckoning of Hell as a secret order of pit fiends. Under the leadership of the pit fiend Cantrum, they wormed their way to the leadership of Baator's nine armies. During the Reckoning, they revealed the true control they had been hiding even from the archdevils they purportedly served; they turned their armies against the rebellious Lords of the Nine, making it clear that Asmodeus's cleverness could not be matched and his power could not be questioned.

The first recorded public intervention of the Dark Eight following Cantrum's death was the Rebellion of the Inferiors, in which balor spies secretly inspired a revolt among lesser devils in one infernal settlement. The Dark Eight arrived to personally deal with the situation; the balors were revealed, and they were torn apart by their enraged dupes.

The pit fiend presently known as Zapan is not the original one, who had once led four companies of cornugons in the service of Belial. When a member of the Dark Eight dies, the event is swiftly covered up and a new pit fiend is appointed in the old one's place, given the name of the predecessor in order to maintain the illusion of continuity. The present Zapan has reigned for several centuries. He worked his way up the ranks using oily insinuations, his penchant for making deals with anyone as his primary talent. Supposedly, Furcas wanted to recruit him as a protege in his Ministry of Mortal Relations, but the pit fiend who would become known as Zapan had set his sights on pulling the wool over the eyes of his fellow immortals instead.

Publishing history

Zapan was first mentioned in Dragon #75 (1983) and appeared in the first edition Monster Manual II. Although initially he was portrayed as one of Belial's minions, he was reinterpreted as one of the Dark Eight in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991). In Hellbound: The Blood War (1996), it was revealed that the present Zapan was not the original one who had served Belial.

Bibliography

• Cook, Monte. A Paladin in Hell. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998. ISBN 0-7869-1210-3

• Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.

• Greenwood, Ed. "The Nine Hells, Part I." Dragon #75. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.

• LaFountain, J. Paul. Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991.

• Laws, Robin D., and Robert J. Schwalb. Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.

• McComb, Colin. Faces of Evil: The Fiends. Renton, WA: TSR, 1997.

• McComb, Colin, and Monte Cook. Hellbound: The Blood War. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.

• Pramas, Chris. Guide to Hell. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.

• Varney, Allen, ed. Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.

  Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image
Zapan (Duke of Hell)	Non-player character	Devil, Pit fiend,	Dragon magazine #075	9, 26
Zapan (Duke of Hell)	Non-player character	Devil, Pit fiend,	Monster Manual 2, AD&D 1e	44
Zapan (Duke of Hell)	Non-player character	Devil, Pit fiend,	Manual of the Planes, AD&D 1e	65