Orcus

Orcus, also known as Tenebrous was a primordial and demon lord that served as master of the undead from the Abyss. He sought to exterminate all life throughout the multiverse and transform each world into desolate realms inhabited only by his undead servitors. He was among the powers of the Abyss most often worshipped as deity by the mortals of the Prime Material plane.

Orcus was by other names and held titles such as the Prince of the Undead, and the Blood Lord.

"I will be the last creature when I am done. The cosmos will then be perfect, free of the braying abominations that are all other living things."

- Orcus

Description
Orcus stood some to, with a bloated, vaguely humanoid form marked by bestial features: the head and legs of a goat, ram-like horns, massive bat-like wings, and a long, poison-tipped tail.

Orcus' holy symbol was described as the horned head of a goat, sometimes set over a skull-topped mace.

Personality
Orcus cared for nothing save himself—not even his devotees and undead servants—and focused only on spreading misery and evil. While he was exceptionally brilliant most often directed those servants to carry out his will, Orcus was capable of fighting with a berserker-like frenzy as he sought to utterly annihilate his foes.

In spite of his close association with undeath, Orcus had a ravenous hunger to the point of obscene gluttony. His servants gathered food from across the planes of existence in the ongoing futile attempt to sate his cravings. Throughout his existence he has tasted among the finest delicacies originating from worlds across the multiverse.

Abilities
The Prince of the Undead held dominion over the portfolio of undeath, and held influence over the domains of chaos, death, evil, and undeath.

Orcus did grant limited powers to the meager mortals that slew others in his name, transforming them into mindless zombies or ghouls. He was said to have made a unique form of undead from among the members of a single guild of assassins.

Powers
Orcus could not be harmed by non-magical weapons, highly resistant to the elements, nearly impervious to magic, and wholly immune to any magical or mundane charm or fear.

Orcus was versed in dark speech, the language of ancient evil deities. He held the unique ability to see through the eyes and readily access the memory of any bodak, the lingering remains created when one of his followers succumbed to death.

Anyone that dared to enter within Orcus' lair would be subject to mental onslaught that could leave them with a form of madness. These poor souls could be struck with intense feelings of self-loathing and hopelessness, compulsed to inflict to cruelty upon others, or left with the spread undeath throughout existence. By merely speaking a single, resounding word Orcus could instantly slay mortals that stood within his lair. He could similarly raise scores of undead within moments and conjure massive skeletal arms to instantly neutralize any threats.

Possessions
"The only way to corral that there demon an' git him off'n your backs once and for all is to corral that big skull sick o' his and bring it to me at my spread out Mercuria way, over in the Seven Heavens, and I'll tell yuh how to get rid o' it."

- Saint Sollars the Twice-Martyred, referring to the Wand of Orcus.

When Orcus decided to personally engage in battle, Orcus at times fought with an especially evil mace of disruption.

Wand of Orcus
The relic most-often associated with the Prince of the Undead was the artifact known as the Wand of Orcus, a skull-topped wand with the power to slay any living being. The wand believed by some to be the only means to nullify Orcus' power, and was highly coveted across the planes. It was occasionally left available for mortals to seize, in order grant them the power to wreak chaos and evil across their worlds.

While the Wand of Orcus had been destroyed on several occasions, it could be rebuilt by Orcus over the course of one hundred years. Despite this, the wand has reappeared throughout the plans numerous times after being destroying, within a single century's time. Orcus himself was greatly weakened during the decades when his wand was vanished from existence.

The wand was thought to be in the possession of a cult called the Lurkers In Shadow.

Other Artifacts
Orcus also held a powerful artifact known as the Orcusword, the blade he wielded during his existence as a balor. It was later held in Tchian-Sumere, Orcus's fortress on the Negative Energy Plane.

Orcus himself crafted the infamous evil artifact known as the Crown of Narfell, which was used to corrupt the souls of many regents in the Cold Lands. It was eventually destroyed, and reforged into the Shadow Crown of Ndu.

Realm
Orcus' realm was Thanatos, which was believed to be the 333 layer of the Abyss. It was a barren landscape dotted with shattered necropoles and hordes of undead that roamed its surface. Orcus ruled from his palace of Everlost in the bone-meal desert of Oblivion's End, north of a vast mountain chain called the Final Hills that cut across the layer.

The Prince of the Undead also held court within the fortress city of Naratyr, which sat within the Frozen Sea, fed by the River Styx. The taint of Orcus' one-time slayer Kiaransalee could still be found in Naratyr, as well within the so-called Forbidden Citadel in the city of Lachrymosa in the Final Hills.

Activities
Much of Orcus' existence was spent in an ongoing war with his

Enemies & Allies
Orcus was one third of the triad of demon lords―including Graz'zt and the Prince of Demons Demogorgon―that engaged in ongoing war with one another. He viewed Graz'zt as a self-aggrandized narcissist, and was believed to have warred with Demogorgon for hundreds of thousands of years. Their conflict predated the Days of Thunder if not the formation of Toril itself.

For a brief time, he forged a tenuous alliance with Yeenoghu the Lord of Savagery.

Orcus was a patron of sorts to the Oerthian mage Vecna, and was said to have offered him the ritual by which he which he became the first lich. He was even pleased with the work of Vecna's one-time follower Acererak, who traveled the plans in search of new and horrific ways to slay innocents.

Offspring
Orcus sired a number of half-fiend children with women of the Darakh Dynasty of Narfell, in the centuries leading up to Dale Reckoning. Among his near-mortal sons were Jesthren Darakh, born to Larnaeril Darakh, as well as Heldakar Darakh, Yannos "the Slayer" Darakh, Garthelaun "the Goreclaw" Darakh, and Ilithkar Darakh. Nearly all of their mothers said to have been sacrificed to Orcus following their births.

Worshipers
"Bloated goat prince of undeath, master of vampires and lord of specters, Orcus, grant me your crushing might and the deadly power of your skull-headed wand!"

- The Skull King Quah-Nomog

The cult of Orcus predominantly comprised malevolent humans and the goblinoids, and included at least one line of lineage of red dragons. His cults also attracted twisted creatures with a morbid fascination undeath. Notable among these followers necromancers, and others deliberately seeking the path to unlife via lichdom or vampirism. Among the undead that dwelled within Orcus' palace were zombies, shadows, huecuvae, sheet phantoms, and death knights.

Regions
Orcus had cults dedicated to his worship all across Faerûn, including the realms of Vaasa and Damara. In the Bloodstone Lands, Orcus' worship was coordinated by the Cult of the Goat's Head, and in the Neverwinter Wood, by the Hunt Lords. Despite its transformation into a realm of undeath, Orcus viewed Thay under the Szass Tam as a mere petty fiefdom.

A notable temple of Orcus could be found in the caverns of Deepearth.

His influence was not limited to the Abyss and the Prime Material Plane. Many of Orcus' dark servants spread out across the Shadowfell, determined to commit horrific deeds in his name. In the Shadowfell, Orcus' cultists took over the dark settlements of Moil, and Evernight, the dark echo of Neverwinter in Faerûn. Several Shadowfell cults even banded together for a time to raise up Orcus as a new God of Death, to take the place of the Raven Queen.

Notable Worshipers of Orcus

 * Banak, high priest of Orcus in the Bloodstone Lands
 * Doresain, an elf that feasted upon of flesh of others, remade as the first ghoul in creation.
 * Ghur-Tha the Cleaver, leader of the Ragnor tribe of the Firward Mountains.
 * Kel'zull, the Hierophant of Annihilation.
 * Malagors the Corpse King, a priest that committed horrific deeds and was rewarded by Orcus with transformation into a demon.
 * Soneillon, the succubus Queen of Whispers that claimed Orcus as her patron.
 * Zhengyi, the Witch-King of Vaasa.
 * Kyuss, high priest of Orcus.

Rise to Power
Like many of the most powerful demon lords who struggled for power in the Abyss, Orcus started his existence as a mortal on the Prime Plane. He was apparently a wicked spellcaster of some sort, most probably a priest to some dark deity. 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. Orcus proceeded to climb through the demonic ranks over the next several thousand years, going from larva to mane, from mane to dretch, from dretch to rutterkin, from rutterkin to vrock, from vrock to glabrezu, from glabrezu to nalfeshnee, and eventually a balor.

There existed for Orcus a different origin, stating he was one of the primordials present during the Dawn War and was older than the Abyss itself. Along with fellow primordials Baphomet and Demogorgon, Orcus was said to have brought down the then-current Prince of Demons, Obox-ob. Obox-Ob had attained the shard of pure evil ventured out to the Astral Plane, to gain ultimate power over the entire multiverse. While in the midst of attaining their demonic forms, the trio cast the Prince of Demons down into the point form which the Abyss first formed. They then rode along the Blood Rift and ascended to the ranks of full-fledged demon lords.

However it began, Orcus became the Prince of the Undead and took dominion over Thanatos, the Belly of Death. Even though there are other demon lords aspiring to the title of "Prince of the Undead", Orcus' claim to the title went unchallenged for the most part. Ever hungry for more power, Orcus wanted to be recognized as "Prince of Demons", a title held by Demogorgon and coveted also by Graz'zt. As a result, he became the arch-enemy of both demon lords. In time, Orcus also achieved true godhood.

At some point in his existence, Orcus slew the entity Maanzecorian, once worshipped by the mind flayers.

Gaining Worship in the Realms
In, a servant of Orcus named Thargaun Crell became the first Nentyarch of Tharos, the realm that later came to be known as Narfell. Some 50 years later, circa, Prince of the Undead bestowed upon Crell the Crown of Narfell, a powerful artifact that would corrupt the royal line and their descendants for centuries. His dynasty would rule until, when the lich-king Belevan was slain by the twin sons of Graz'zt.

Orcus became the patron of the Red Wizard Zhengyi in the 10 DR, aiding him in his quest to become a lich.

At some point during or before the mid–14 century DR, Orcus managed to capture his long-time foe Baphomet, and imprisoned him within the dungeons of his lair. }}

Priests of Orcus supported Zhengyi in the, when the lich created the Castle Perilous and gained control over many undead creatures. Zhengyi attacked Damara the following year and finally brought it under his control after nearly a decade of conflict.

In the, the duergar of Deepearth attempted to summon an avatar of Orcus to the Realms. They were thwarted by the future king of Damara Gareth Dragonsbane and his company of adventurers. Following their victory, the adventurers defeated the Witch-King Zhegyi and banished the Lord of Undeath's influence over the region by stealing the Wand of Orcus. They traveled to Orcus' domain of Thanatos, stole the wand away to the Astral Plane, and destroyed it upon an altar of the dragon goddess Tiamat, With Orcus' wand destroyed, the Witch-King was defeated. Castle Perilous and his undead army disintegrated.

Deaths & Rebirths
By this time in his existence, Orcus had grown indolent and no longer concerned himself with the eternal conflict between himself, Demogorgon and Graz'zt. While growing fat and docile within his Abyssal palace, Orcus was slain by the drow demi-goddess Kiaransalee. She then took over rulership of Orcus' realm of Thanatos in the Abyss. Despite its apparent recent destruction, Kiaransalee was said to have locked the Wand of Orcus away in the last layer of Pandemonium. Kiaransalee decreed that Orcus' name be erased from all existence.

Despite the drow demi-goddess' efforts, Orcus was restored as an undead demon lord named Tenebrous. He languished in the shadows of the multiverse and struck out to reclaim power in opportune moments.

Upon his return, Orcus discovered the Last Word, an utterance so powerful that it could destroy deities. The Last Word would also eventually kill those who knew it unless the being was a true deity, and to restore himself to his lost divinity, Orcus went in search for his wand. During his search, Orcus killed several gods, including Primus, god of the modrons, and Maanzecorian. Orcus' efforts were stymied by a group of adventurers and Orcus was again destroyed, this time by the power of the Last Word. A cabal of greater deities, in response to Tenebrous' predations, later nullified the Last Word.

However, Orcus was resurrected by Quah-Nomag, one of his foremost high priests and thralls, in a blasphemous ritual carried out in the Astral Plane. Orcus then reclaimed his name, his kingdom of Thanatos, and re-proclaiming himself Prince of the Undead. After his second death and resurrection, Orcus retained his status as a demon lord and was no longer content with remaining in the palace within his Realm. He immediately sought to claim the realms of his two most hated rivals and dispatched his hordes of undead and demons to claim their powers.

The lost divinity of Tenebrous existed as a vestige, which could be called upon by binders.

Plots on Toril
In the, the Moonsea region was plunged into chaos as the mysterious Order of the Crippled Fang rose to power under leadership of Archmage Maganus. The wizard harbored a grudge against the Zhentarim and against Fzoul Chembryl, the father the organization who was to blame for the deaths of Maganus' parents. He developed a plan to destroy Zhentil Keep and spent a decade putting the events into motion. This plan resulted in the Archmage's trading his soul in exchange for summoning Orcus to the Prime Material plane.

The Order of the Crippled Fang crisis culminated in a full-blown demon attack on Zhentil Keep led by Orcus, his lieutenants Quah-Nomag the Skull-King, vampire lord Kauvra, and lich Harthoon. While a pirate blockade led by a mysteriously returned Avagard, a legendary pirate and enemy of Zhentil Keep (in reality, an agent of the Unseen). The conflict cost many lives of the city's defenders and citizens as well as many structures destroyed or damaged. Eventually, the battle culminated in a battle between Maganus and Fzoul Chembryl, while the Hero of Daggerford, Beirmoura, Lyressa, and Sharalyn Lockleaf stood against the demon lord. When the dust settled, the demon hordes were sent back to the Abyss alongside their master, while Maganus faced Zhentil Keep's justice, a very slow and painful death.

In the late 15 century DR, Orcus found himself summoned to the Underdark of Faerûn along with other demon lords. There he used his necromantic powers to raise and take control over a dead elder brain named Cyrog. A short time later, Orcus was cast back down to the Abyss by the Prince of Demons Demogorgon. The Wand of Orcus was once again left in the Realms to corrupt some mortal foolish enough to claim it for themselves.

When the death curse afflicted Toril some years later, and fewer souls were sent down to the River Styx, Orcus and the other demon lords of the Abyss took immediate notice. Graz'zt managed to waylay both Orcus and even Demogorgon himself, by the Prince of the Undead outmaneuvered his rivals in the end. Orcus managed to open a portal within the land of Chult, so that his minions could recover the source of the death curse, the artifact known as the Soulmonger.

Rumors & Legends
It was speculated that Orcus was responsible for informing mortals of the secret means by which they could bound Eltab to the Prime Material Plane.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Mines of Bloodstone • The Throne of Bloodstone
 * Bloodstone Pass • The Bloodstone Wars • City of the Spider Queen • Storm King's Thunder
 * Video Games
 * Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms • Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea
 * Gamebooks
 * Knight of the Living Dead
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Rage of Demons (Assault on Maerimydra) • Tomb of Annihilation (Streams of Crimson)• Dreams of the Red Wizards (Uprising)
 * Rage of Demons (Assault on Maerimydra) • Tomb of Annihilation (Streams of Crimson)• Dreams of the Red Wizards (Uprising)
 * Rage of Demons (Assault on Maerimydra) • Tomb of Annihilation (Streams of Crimson)• Dreams of the Red Wizards (Uprising)