Evangelist

Evangelists, the velstracs' unofficial ambassadors, roam the farthest reaches of the planes to spread the word of their kind's abhorrent belief in perfection through pain. They're therefore the most frequently encountered velstracs in the Universe, leading covens of hedonistic mortal flesh-sculptors or serving as wardens of horrific dungeons. In regions ruled by infernal powers, evangelists might serve as lieutenants or advisors, whispering secret paths to power in exchange for mortals' souls or choice mortal flesh. Evangelists are the same size as humans, although with their flesh transformed into something resembling a mockery of aristocratic raiments, and they often weigh 350 pounds or more.

The shadow-dwelling fiends known as velstracs all share a horrifying preoccupation with the search for ultimate sensation through self-mutilation. Velstracs transcend their stoic detachment only when inflicting pain and terror upon their victims, practicing new forms of torture, or turning their agonizing practices back on themselves. They consider themselves enlightened beings, transcending such limitations as morality or mortal taboos, but their victims know them as emotionless tormentors who inflict sadistic suffering. These fiends claim to seek perfection in thought, form, and action, although they don't recognize any refinement that doesn't require the painful excision of the flesh or spirit. Velstracs manifest from the souls of the most extreme masochistic or sadistic mortals who are judged and sent on to the Netherworld. They take on forms that suit their vile predilections, ranging from the low-ranking augurs to the maestros of suffering and mutilation, the eremites. The process of transformation warps the soul step by step, with other velstracs conveying their new members through untold chambers of pain among the dark reaches of the Netherworld.