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Years later, while exploring a castle his armies had conquered, he came across the ''Machine'' that would bear his name, a horseshoe-shaped nightmare of black metal, festooned with levers, dials, sockets, wires, and plugs. Through trial and error, he learned to manipulate it, learning more about its functioning than even the wisest sages have since then. If he was mad before, the blasphemous technology of the device drove him over the edge, but it also brought him great power. With his disciplined troops and his new powers, he carved out a mighty fiefdom. It is said that, with the machine, he brought no fewer than 50 new species of monsters into the world. He thought nothing of barrages of fire that annihilated large numbers of his own troops, so long as he carried the day. His reign was one of cruelty and horror, but it is credited in part for the impressive Oeridian successes in the days before their victories over the rival [[Suel]] and [[Flan]] were assured.
Years later, while exploring a castle his armies had conquered, he came across the ''Machine'' that would bear his name, a horseshoe-shaped nightmare of black metal, festooned with levers, dials, sockets, wires, and plugs. Through trial and error, he learned to manipulate it, learning more about its functioning than even the wisest sages have since then. If he was mad before, the blasphemous technology of the device drove him over the edge, but it also brought him great power. With his disciplined troops and his new powers, he carved out a mighty fiefdom. It is said that, with the machine, he brought no fewer than 50 new species of monsters into the world. He thought nothing of barrages of fire that annihilated large numbers of his own troops, so long as he carried the day. His reign was one of cruelty and horror, but it is credited in part for the impressive Oeridian successes in the days before their victories over the rival [[Suel]] and [[Flan]] were assured.


Lum's reign approached its twilight when his formerly loyal subordinate, General [[Leuk-O]], discovered the ''Mighty Servant'' artifact in the [[Belching Vortex of Leuk-O|Belching Vortex]] that would become known by his name. Some believed that the ''[[Mighty Servant of Leuk-O]]'' and the ''Machine'' were created by the same otherworldly artificer. It is said the quasi-deity [[Krovis]] awoke from his sleep during this period to help bring Lum's tyranny to an end. With the power of his ''Mighty Servant'', Leuk-O gathered a host that matched Lum's own. The two armies clashed many times before their final battle, when Lum disappeared and Leuk-O died, his soul being drawned into his ''Mighty Servant'' and becoming its animating force. Lum would resurface later on, having being captured by the agent of a powerful archdevil who used a partially functioning ''[[Machine of Lum the Mad]]'' to find him, so that he could assist in restoring the machine to its primal state.
Lum's reign approached its twilight when his formerly loyal subordinate, General [[Leuk-O]], discovered the ''Mighty Servant'' artifact in the [[Belching Vortex of Leuk-O|Belching Vortex]] that would become known by his name. Some believed that the ''[[Mighty Servant of Leuk-O]]'' and the ''Infernal Machine'' were created by the same otherworldly artificer. It is said the quasi-deity [[Krovis]] awoke from his sleep during this period to help bring Lum's tyranny to an end. With the power of his ''Mighty Servant'', Leuk-O gathered a host that matched Lum's own. The two armies clashed many times before their final battle, when Lum disappeared and Leuk-O died, his soul being drawned into his ''Mighty Servant'' and becoming its animating force. Lum would resurface later on, having being captured by the agent of a powerful archdevil who used a partially functioning ''[[Machine of Lum the Mad]]'' to find him, so that he could assist in restoring the machine to its primal state.


==Writings==
==Writings==

Revision as of 19:09, 20 November 2023

Greyhawk Character
Lum the Mad
Lum the Mad, as depicted in The Vortex of Madness (2000). Art by Hannibal King.
General info
Home:Aerdy
Alignment:Chaotic Evil
Gender:Male
Species:Human
Class:Wizard (Invoker) 14
Dates
Age:Over 800

Baron Lum the Mad was a mighty Oeridian warlord whose power was at least partially due to his possession of the artifact known as the Machine of Lum the Mad. Lum was betrayed by his former general, Leuk-O, when the latter came to possess the artifact later known as the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O. Their final conflict left a large area wasted. A mysterious mist appeared, and Lum plunged through a dimensional rift to the plane of Limbo, where he waited for centuries, his connection to the machine leaving him unable to die.

The machine itself was housed in the fortress Rifter, near Rauxes, until the latter city was destroyed in 586 CY, quite likely due to the machine's wild influence.

History

Baron Lum lived a life obsessed with war and conquest, trained for it from boyhood, when he was rewarded for thinking and planning but punished for frivolous behavior. His first experience with the love of the opposite sex was twisted, painful, and empty. He grew to be a handsome man with rugged features marred with only a few scars. More than eight centuries ago he discovered the sword Druniazth, an artifact sacred to Tharizdun. He wielded it against Ur-Flannae sorcerers of the Thelwood, but lost it during the fray. He spent the rest of his time on Oerth searching for it, the effort slowly driving him insane.

Years later, while exploring a castle his armies had conquered, he came across the Machine that would bear his name, a horseshoe-shaped nightmare of black metal, festooned with levers, dials, sockets, wires, and plugs. Through trial and error, he learned to manipulate it, learning more about its functioning than even the wisest sages have since then. If he was mad before, the blasphemous technology of the device drove him over the edge, but it also brought him great power. With his disciplined troops and his new powers, he carved out a mighty fiefdom. It is said that, with the machine, he brought no fewer than 50 new species of monsters into the world. He thought nothing of barrages of fire that annihilated large numbers of his own troops, so long as he carried the day. His reign was one of cruelty and horror, but it is credited in part for the impressive Oeridian successes in the days before their victories over the rival Suel and Flan were assured.

Lum's reign approached its twilight when his formerly loyal subordinate, General Leuk-O, discovered the Mighty Servant artifact in the Belching Vortex that would become known by his name. Some believed that the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O and the Infernal Machine were created by the same otherworldly artificer. It is said the quasi-deity Krovis awoke from his sleep during this period to help bring Lum's tyranny to an end. With the power of his Mighty Servant, Leuk-O gathered a host that matched Lum's own. The two armies clashed many times before their final battle, when Lum disappeared and Leuk-O died, his soul being drawned into his Mighty Servant and becoming its animating force. Lum would resurface later on, having being captured by the agent of a powerful archdevil who used a partially functioning Machine of Lum the Mad to find him, so that he could assist in restoring the machine to its primal state.

Writings

Lum is known to have authored the following works:

  • Minds of the Unknown[1]

Publication history

The 2nd-edition accessory The Inner Planes claims Lum the Mad might be the creator of the otherworldly craft known as the Avenger.

Baron Lum and his Machine play a major role in Vortex of Madness by Chris Pramas.

A 4th-edition adventure in Dungeon #162 featured Lum's Engine, another artifact said to have been created by Lum. This artifact channels energy from the Far Realm, among other properties.

The 5th-edition adventure Infernal Machine Rebuild ', centered on his machine, has him making an direct appearance in the last chapter of the adventure Final Showdown. In that adventure, he is given the stat block of a Warlord.

Lum the Mad in other media

Lum and his Machine have been featured in the computer games Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, as being imprisoned in Watcher's Keep, and briefly at the end of Planescape: Torment when the final boss refers to a time when the Nameless One "danced sorceries with Lum the Mad."

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ Dragon #82 (Feb 1984), p.58.

Bibliography

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

Lum the Mad Non-player character Dragon magazine #082 58
Lum the Mad Non-player character Dragon magazine #167 13
Lum the Mad Non-player character Dragon magazine #294 96
Lum the Mad Non-player character Dragon magazine #299 101, 103
Lum the Mad Non-player character Eldritch Wizardry 46
Lum the Mad Non-player character Future Tech Meets Fantasy, D&D 3.5e Web Article
Lum the Mad Non-player character Ivid the Undying 7, 42, 137
Lum the Mad Non-player character Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 5
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Book of Artifacts, AD&D 2e 53 - 57
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 159
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #299 103
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Dragon magazine #351 42
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Eldritch Wizardry 46
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Future Tech Meets Fantasy, D&D 3.5e Web Article
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Ivid the Undying 42
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e 5
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, Return of the Eight 47
Lum the Mad, Machine of Item Artifact, The Adventure Begins 24
Machine of Lum the Mad Item Artifact, Oerth Journal #17 17
Machine of Lum the Mad Item Artifact, Reference SEE Lum the Mad, Machine of
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