[17]:47–48 The adventure features a magical device called a Deadgate that "saw much use in ancient times in the Sueloise homeland". Both are equal in strength and necessary for transformation. Both energies are understood to compose power in its wholeness and entirety. [29]:4 In "Adventure Book Two", the characters encounter an angel of secrets named Calah, who secretly serves Vecna. [20], Orcus was featured as a deity on page 85 of the campaign setting sourcebook Ghostwalk (2003) by Monte Cook and Sean K. Orcus is the Change. Seven demon types debuted in that book (which became well known for its provocative cover): the imaginatively named demons Type I to VI, as well as the succubus. Orcusâs energy like Pluto can be working seemingly âhidden form viewâ in your life for many years. Administration of the town's affairs falls to the balor Glyphimhor. His thick, spiny tail is in constant motion." From there, he ascended to the rank of demon lord, becoming the Prince of the Undead and ruling the layer of Thanatos, the Belly of Death. [4]:16 The first edition Monster Manual II reveals that the demon lord Graz'zt is a dedicated foe of both Demogorgon and Orcus. The back ribcage of the suit opens to allow a wearer access to a complex leather harness within, and once strapped inside the wearer's head is automatically penetrated by a probiscus made of bone, which acts as a conduit between the wearer's mental commands and the suit. [33], The Throne of Bloodstone describes the vast Abyssian fortress of Orcus, a citadel which represents the focal point of his power. [23] Orcus was featured in Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss (2006) by Ed Stark, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona, with his 3.5 revision game statistics on pages 73–74, and a description of Thanatos on pages 127-132. One of his most identifiable symbols was the artifact known as the Wand of Orcus, a skull-topped wand with the power to slay any living being. What can we create now? Dead forests filled with twisted black trees and barren moors dominate. [29]:28–29, The fourth edition Manual of the Planes mentions Amoth, a power of justice and mercy slain thousands of years ago by Orcus in a combined attack with the demon princes Demogorgon and Rimmon, although Rimmon was also destroyed in the attack. [18]:137 Orcus actually despises the undead, using them without thought or consideration, but despises the living as well, and hates all things except for achieving personal power and spreading misery and destruction. [29]:23, In The Throne of Bloodstone, Orcus is paying Pazuzu to battle any creatures he finds in the sky. The creatures that dwell within serve to allow only those to pass through who may do so at the will of Orcus. The adventure suggests that he used it when he was still a balor, and allowed his greatest servant to use it temporarily. The Scythe of Orcus is a minor artifact which Orcus has been known to give to his favored minions, and which appeared in the adventure "Headless" in Dungeon #89, with game statistics on page 59. His symbol is a mace with a human skull as the head. Orcus was born on the planet of Emorphi shortly after the Enlightenment. Cultists of Orcus reside in cities spread across the layer's vast tundras, and thousands of undead roam the land outside the cities. [18]:138, The fourth edition Monster Manual describes Orcus as "one of the most powerful demons in the Abyss - powerful enough to threaten gods". "[31] The first edition Manual of the Planes describes the layer of the Abyss ruled by Orcus: "The dwelling of Orcus is a great palace made of bones, rising out of ground bone meal. "Return to the Tomb of Horrors. The Wand of Orcus is a fictional magical weapon described in various Dungeons & Dragons media. Favored Weapons: Ornamental heavy mace (spiked or skull-tipped) Form of Worship and Holidays: Day of the Dead (Late Fall), Nights of blood red and horned moons. Orcus is about contacting new worlds and realms of being and bringing in those attributes that will create a new form that is in alignment with the highest form of the individual as well as the collective. The huge chamber of the Princely Guard is accessible by characters who cross the battle arena, or enter the castle at any of the external doorways below or at the level of the room; this serves as the front door of Orcus' castle, and the Princely Guard will capture or kill anyone trying to see Orcus without an appointment. They both represent unconditional love though they express it in opposite but complementary capacities. Power is also now not seen as one aspect of duality either, — utter destruction solely, or only love and goodness. The adventure Dead Gods gives a glimpse into the past life of Orcus, as seen through a manifestation in the form of a shapechanging creature on the Astral Plane: At first, the being appears to be a fat, grotesque human - probably a foul wizard or a wicked priest, judging by the evil affectations and horrid symbols on his clothing. He was apparently a wicked spellcaster of some sort, most probably a priest to some dark deity. In this sourcebook, it is revealed that Gareth Dragonsbane and his band of adventurers were responsible for the defeat of Orcus. When put together, they become the full symbol of Orcus. Tools to run your online business with easeâ¦, My stomach fat is like a macaroni salad of emotions.Â, Review of Isis Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild, Reading / Session Policies Terms & Conditions & Waiver. [15]:121 The adventure also explains that after being an Abyssal lord, Orcus eventually became a deity, forever giving up his physical form. Orcus is also about new frequencies of energy. Where Pluto leaves you in the shock of the sudden disaster that has just occurred whether physically or emotionally, Orcus is the mother who rushes in and holds her child and makes everything ok. Itâs that getting just what you need to not just regenerate and recuperate â but thrive after the disaster of Pluto has destroyed all. A pillar in the center of the room serves as an elevator to and from the throne room. [15]:102–103 The appendix noted that Tomeri was the goddess of wisdom and love, and that the bulk of her human worshippers were on the Prime Material Plane, where her death was felt most heavily. "Demogorgon's Champions: The Death Knights of Oerth, Part Two. His black, skull-tipped rod serves as his symbol. If successful, this will impress Orcus enough for him to promise that his legions will attack Demogorgon, claiming that "I will be there to win your battle for you! In the adventure on pages 6–9, it is confirmed that Kiaransalee had actually previously killed Orcus, and it is also revealed that the mysterious being who killed and posed as Primus was actually Tenebrous, the creature which was what was left of the former demon lord and deity Orcus. [18]:137, The third edition Tome of Magic reveals that part of the godly power that Orcus shed after his death and subsequent resurrection as a demon lord remained intact. In many Dungeons & Dragonsbooks, Orcus has typically been described as having the head and legs of a goat, although with ram-like horns, a bloated body, bat-like wings, and a long tail. He commands legions of followers, living and dead, and cults dedicated to him are terrifyingly widespread in the natural world. [24], Fiendish Codex I describes the frost-rimed Plains of Hunger, east of the River Styx, which teem with hordes of undead wandering aimlessly for victims, each horde containing hundreds of skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and more. By the time of the start of the adventure, she had finished constructing the Deadgate over a pit to the Abyss, and had nearly completed filling the device with severed heads. The Cult of Orcus is a loosely organized network of worshippers of Orcus which features in a large number of D&D settings, campaigns, and novels. [13], In the mega adventure The Great Modron March (1997) also by Cook and McComb, it is revealed that on page 11 that Primus of the modrons had been killed and temporarily replaced by a mysterious shadowy entity searching for something he has lost. While Pluto works to destroy all that would impede you from being able to express your spirit into form, Orcus on the other hand works to bring all those things into your life that will assist you, and support you in being able to express your spirit in form. His great wings stir up a reeking cloud of diseased air. The modrons found that two drow had hidden the wand, but the memories of the drow were erased when they were drowned in the River Styx, so Tenebrous sought to use a magical blossom to restore their memories and find the wand. After his death, his soul, like the souls of all chaotic evil mortals, went to the Abyss and Orcus began his afterlife as a lowly larva. If the characters try to leave Orcusgate, the inhabitants will try to prevent them from leaving, placing guards at the gates, and Glyphimhor himself will appear if the characters get too close to the gates, attacking them only if they try to leave, and forcing them to remain as long as possible. Obox-ob was the first demon lord to hold the title of "Prince of Demons", a coveted status symbol, followed by Miska the Wolf-Spider, and then Demogorgon. [9] The adventure explains that the Palace of Orcus is found in a deep valley surrounded by immense mountains, which are honeycombed with narrow passages. [24]:130, Fiendish Codex I notes that when a Skull Lord heeds the call of Orcus to come to Thanatos, he is expected to take control of an invasion force of undead, and those that fail become liches in the haunted city of Golmin Thur, where they remain forevermore. [9]:59 The walls around the fortress are affected by the spatial distortion in the area, making them dangerous to climb; additionally, the walls are able to form appendages to attack climbing creatures. Itâs about flow. [47]:24 The book notes that it has been a decade since the defeat of the Witch-King and the destruction of Castle Perilous, and in that time Kiaransalee's priests have nearly exterminated the remaining clergy of Orcus in the Bloodstone Lands, and destroyed most of the goblinkin tribes who venerated Orcus while the Witch-King reigned. Orcus is a very old demon. The fifth area is a sacristy which contains the phylactery which holds the remains of Orcus, which his followers had smuggled out of Thanatos when Orcus was slain, and brought to Tcian Sumere; an illio of this scene appears on page 172 of the book. [24] The book states that Orcus returned to Thanatos only in the last few years, and set about removing the influence of Kiaransalee and her worshippers, destroying or conscripting the demons who swore fealty to her; a few mortal and intelligent undead followers of Kiaransalee remain in hiding to plot revenge against Orcus. This place has become a central focus of his cult, and mortal Skull Lords are expected to make a pilgrimage here upon first visiting Thanatos. Perceptive characters will get the feeling that they are being watched and followed. [24]:127, According to the fourth edition Monster Manual, Orcus was once a mighty primordial who was corrupted by the evil of the Abyss, reshaping him "into the likeness of pure destructive evil". [9]:63 Five areas contain mazes in one of four shapes (squares, octagons, pentagons, and hexagons), each with different puzzles, traps, and opponents to overcome. [15]:124, The third edition Manual of the Planes mentions that the drow deity which assumed control of Thanatos had disappeared, "and no one knows whether she fled or was slain". A shimmering green dome - transparent, but his head and glowing red eyes suggest undeath broken promises, and.:26 Orcus/Tenebrous also appears in a list of foes of the symbol of blame, criticism endings! 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