Elder Evils
The phrase Elder Evils typically refers to deities from long before the Age of Mortals, in the Age Before Ages.
Specifically, one Elder Evil, the Elder Elemental God normally refers to the Elder Elemental Eye, which is secretly an aspect of Tharizdun.
Other Elder Evils
Three beings described as "Elder Eternal Evils" are Dendar the Night Serpent; Kezef the Chaos Hound; and Ityak-Ortheel, the Elf Eater.[1] Later, Dendar and Kezef are considered primordials.[2]
Aboleth Elder Evils
The aboleth race recognized and respected certain powerful alien entities who predated the gods and inhabited the Far Realm. Collectively known as the "Elder Evils," these beings generally cared nothing for any mortal race, offering only madness and destruction.[3]
- Bolothamogg, called Him Who Watches from Beyond the Stars, is said to be the darkness between the stars, more a primal force than a physical entity. It is also said to be a guardian entity that exists to ensure nothing escapes the multiverse to taint the "true reality" of the outer dimensions. The aboleths honor it by building coliseums and other roofless buildings.[3] According to the synchronized barking of twenty-three gibberlings, the demon lord Areex made a secret pact in "another place" with Bolothamogg. The message ordered him to go "Beyond the Stars" to pay the price.[4]
- Holashner, called The Hunger Below, is one of the few Elder Evils to exist fully in the Material Plane. Appearing as part squid and part centipede, the massive entity burrows through the deepest reaches of the world, driven by its unending hunger and eats everything in its path. It leaves behind a black, tar-like substance that is volatile and explosive when exposed to air; the aboleths call this substance the "Black Bile of the World". Over the course of a few months, Black Bile can be compressed by tremendous pressure into an obsidian-like substance called bilestone. Fortunately for the rest of the world, Holashner moves far more slowly than the amount of time it took bilestone to turn back into normal rock. Aboleths honor Holashner by including myriad spindly protrusions or tangled foundations in their architecture, or, very rarely, by crafting bilestone inlays on floors or walls.[3]
- Piscaethces, called The Blood Queen, is the source of the aboleth race, and consequently depicted as a colossal aboleth with no tentacles and mucus the color of blood. The aboleths believe that she traveled across the currents of probability through infinite realities, spreading her spawn as an afterthought. They did not expect or think that she would return. Aboleths honor her by including red crystal domes in their architecture.[3]
- Shothotugg, called the Eater of Worlds, is another one of the few Elder Evils to exist fully in the Material Plane. It is a massive, undulating mass of fluid that exists in a far corner of the multiverse, traveling from world to distant world through the vast emptiness of space. Each world it finds and lands on, it poisons, parasitizes, and eventually destroys. With each destruction, it slightly alters the fundamental forces of the Material Plane. Aboleths honor it by building pools and fountains of magically treated and colored fluids which are heavier than water, and by swirling vortex patterns on the floor.[3] It is also worshiped by the kopru as the Great Whirlpool, symbolizing water, and from whose chaotic whirling everything originated and to which everything will return. They believe it lives in massive underground basins and in the deepest pits. Their shamans sacrifices both treasure and slaves by dropping them into such pits, and after a particularly large number of sacrifices on the day the first kopru city-state was formed, Shothotugg granted them the ability to dominate others with their gaze. With Prukal, Shothotugg is said be have both created the kopru species and parented Demogorgon.[5]
- Y'chak, called The Violet Flame, is unique among the Elder Evils in that it actively took an interest in the development of life, or, more precisely, in the development of the destruction of life. It is a muse and inspiration for all that is destructive and ruinous, making its presence felt on civilizations throughout time. It actively encourages the worship of evil deities, and the aboleths think deities of war, cruelty, and death came to be because of Y'chak's machinations. It typically appears to people as a seductive or respectable person of the same race, but its true form is a pillar of violet flame around a form so horrifying that seeing it invites the complete destruction of the body and soul. Aboleths honor Y'chak by crafting massive pillars of violet flame that burn even underwater; they use the pulsing and writhing of such pillars to mark the passage of time, or even to send simple messages to the entire city at once.[3]
Far Realm-infested Stars
At some point, as consequence of the actions of the Abolethic Sovereignty, some stars became infested with elder evils related to the Eldest. Unlike other stars, they havr no set course or place in the sky but instead danced and wavered unreliably.[6] Most are served by certain types of star spawn.[7]
- Acamar, a corpse star that dooms celestial objects that drew too close.[8]
- Caiphon, a purple star that has enough of a fixed place just above the horizon to be used for navigation, though relying on it in that way proves dangerous.[8]
- Delban, a white star that normally appears only during winter, but sometimes flared into sight in other seasons.[8]
- Gibbeth, a greenish star that is better not to observe or think about overlong.[8]
- Hadar, a cinder-red, slowly dying star that lurks near Ihbar.[8]
- Ihbar, a dark nebula that lays between the stars and eats the light of nearby constellations as it slowly expanded.[8]
- Khirad, a bright blue star whose radiance sometimes leads people to uncover secrets or reveal disturbing insights.[8]
- Nihal, a reddish star that writhes through the night sky.[8]
- Ulban, a blue-white star that confuses people's minds and disrupts their ability to recognize danger.[8][9]
- Zhudun, a corpse star once shone with a baleful light over the city of Cendriane before its fall.[8]
Other Elder Evils
Other beings called elder evils at one time or another included:
- The Eldest, the leader of the Abolethic Sovereignty. The Eldest is the first aboleth, and the ancestor of the aboleth who lived in the world years ago.[10]
- Father Llymic, a being of intense power from the Far Realm who escaped the plane of madness to destroy the world but is encased in ice by elven mages.[11]
- Gaernoo, a dark entity depicted as a monstrous purple creature with a bulbous head, long arms, tentacles in place of legs, and glowing, multifaceted, aquamarine eyes. It is worshiped by the Burnt Tongue Cult and has grick and grell servants.[12]
- Hargut of the Gray Pestilence[13]
- Pandorym, an entity from a space between the planes whose mind is imprisoned in a huge crystal, that is called to the world by the ancient Imaskari to intimidate the gods of their slaves.[11]
- Prukal, the Dark Globe, is an entity believed by the kopru to embody darkness. They think it manifests at sunset above the sky and encloses the world in darkness every night, with the stars being holes punched through Prukal when it is injured by the light beyond the day that land rose from the sea. The darkness that is torn from Prukal, they believe, fall into the oceans to become the great kopura clams. The kopru also believe that, with Shothotugg, Prukal is responsible for both creating the kopru species and parenting Demogorgon.[5]
- Zargon the Returner, the ancient terror of Cynidecea, who can not be killed unless his horn is severed from his body.[11]
- Zurguth is an Elder Evil whom few have written about. By simply existing, he has the power to alter life, transforming it into something more alien merely by being in proximity to it. He is primarily known for unintentionally creating the kaorti race.[14]
Other unrelated beings are sometimes described using the sometimes-hyperbolic phrase "Elder Evils," including Atropus, Kyuss, Ragnorra, Sertrous, and others.
References
Citations
- ↑ Powers & Pantheons, p.188.
- ↑ Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p.79.
- ↑ a b c d e f Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations, p.27-28.
- ↑ Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006), p.138.
- ↑ a b "The Ecology of the Kopru". Dragon #354 (Apr 2007), p.61.
- ↑ City of Torment, p.184.
- ↑ Monster Manual 2 4th edition, p.195.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j "Wish Upon a Star". Dragon #366 (Aug 2008), p.17.
- ↑ "Performing the Pact". Dragon #381 (Nov 2009), p.51.
- ↑ Plague of Spells, p.MMP, 162.
- ↑ a b c Elder Evils, p.4.
- ↑ Candlekeep Mysteries, p.Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor, 102,107-108,111-113.
- ↑ "Realmslore: Ironfang Keep". Dragon #361 (Nov 2007), p.50-51.
- ↑ "Ecology of the Kaorti". Dragon #358 (Aug 2007), p.60.
Bibliography
- Baker, Richard. Princes of the Apocalypse. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2015. Item code B2436.
- Baker, Rich, James Jacobs, and Steve Winter. Lords of Madness. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005.
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
- Cook, Monte. Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.
- Gygax, Gary. Against the Giants (TSR, 1981).
- ———. Descent into the Depths of the Earth (TSR, 1978).
- ———. Hall of the Fire Giant King (TSR, 1978).
- ———. Queen of the Spiders (TSR, 1986).
- ———. Vault of the Drow (TSR, 1978).
- Holian, Gary. "Silent Sorcery: The Silent Ones of Keoland." Living Greyhawk Journal #4. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.
- Jacobs, James, Erik Mona, and Ed Stark. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.
- Kestral, Gwendolyn. Monster Manual IV. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
- Leati, Tito. "The Ecology of the Kopru." Dragon #354. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
- Schneider, F. Wesley and James Lafond Sutter. "The Lightless Depths." Dungeon #144. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
- Schwalb, Robert J. Elder Evils. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
- Vaughan, Greg A. "Wrath of the Abyss." Dungeon #119. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
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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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Against The Giants: The Liberation of Geoff | 36 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | LT2 Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad | 33 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | D3 Vault of the Drow (adventure) | 5, 17 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dead Gods | 75 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 4e (Premium Edition) | 163 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | DMGR4 - Monster Mythology | 3, 60, 66, 67, 100 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dragon magazine #300 | 93 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dragon magazine #347 | 29, 32 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dungeon magazine #070 | 49, 54 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King | 9, 10 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders | 4, 43, 87, 88, 121, 125 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | On Hallowed Ground | 176, 181, 182, 187, 191 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Reference | SEE ALSO Elder Elemental Eye (Tharizdun) |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Reference | SEE ALSO Tharizdun |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, D&D 3.0e | 41 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Slavers, AD&D 2e | 10 |
| Eldar Elemental God {Elder} | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | The Adventure Begins | 3 |
| Elder Elemental Eye | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Caves of Ancient Secrets: RttToEE Web Enhancement, D&D 3.0e | 2 |
| Elder Elemental Eye | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dragon magazine #294 | 31 |
| Elder Elemental Eye | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Dragon magazine #347 | 76 |
| Elder Elemental Eye | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Reference | SEE ALSO Eldar Elemental God |
| Elder Elemental Eye | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Reference | SEE ALSO Tharizdun |
| Elder Elemental Eye | Deity | (Tharizdun?), | Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, D&D 3.0e | 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 16, 19, 21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, 40, 43, 44, 45, 48, 52, 61, 62, 63, 67, 71, 75, 77, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 89, 90, 98, 100 |
| Elder Elemental Eye, Cult of | People Group | Cult, | Into The Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook, D&D 4e | 110, 111 |
| Specialty Priest of Elder Elemental Eye | People Group | Religious order, | Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, D&D 3.0e | 161 |
| The Air temple (The Elder Elemental God Pentology) | Adventure | Located in: Jotens, | To be determined | |
| The Earth temple (The Elder Elemental God Pentology) | Adventure | Located in: Lortmils, | To be determined | |
| The Elemental crypt (The Elder Elemental God Pentology) | Adventure | Located in: Rushmoor, | To be determined | |
| The Fire temple (The Elder Elemental God Pentology) | Adventure | Located in: Yatils, | To be determined | |
| The Water temple (The Elder Elemental God Pentology) | Adventure | Located in: Wild coast (Wooly bay), | To be determined |