Kazgaroth

Kazgaroth, also spelled Kazgoroth, was an aspect of Malar, who was a powerful, intelligent, evil beast opposed to the balance and the influence of the Earthmother on the Moonshae Isles. It would periodically ravage the land until it was defeated, only to return several years later.

Appearance
Kazgaroth's natural form was that of a massive "tyrannosaurus", but it could shape-change to other forms, including those of people whom it might kill and devour before impersonating. .

Activities
Kazgaroth took several guises. The first few were a cow, which attracted a bit too much attention, and a woman named Meridith, who drew too much attention because Kazgaroth used its powers to make the body of the latter guise more attractive. The Beast's first victim was a man named Erian who was a guard for the prince Tristan Kendrick of the Moonshaes, whom Kazgoroth transformed into a werewolf to subvert one of the Earthmother's defenses, the Pack. Afterwards, he changed into a dryad in order to lure Trahern of Oakvale. His next victim was Thelgaar Ironhand, king of Oman's Isle, of whom he took the identity so he could command the army of northerners in the attack of the southern Moonshae Isles, mainly the city of Caer Corwell. Kazgoroth was finally forced to retreat back to the Darkwell, where it was slain by Prince Tristan and his companions, though its heart was recovered by Trahern.

Kazgoroth served Bhaal, corrupting the Darkwell, enabling his avatar to enter the Moonshaes.

Inconsistencies
Niles' own sourcebook, Moonshae (1987), describes Kazgaroth as an "aspect of Malar", which agrees with many of Kazgaroth's properties, including the ability to spread lycanthropy and its strong opposition to druidic balance, but almost all later works identify Kazgaroth as an avatar or minion of Bhaal. Given that Malar was subservient to Bhaal it is not impossible that both claims are true.

"Backdrop: Moonshae Isles" refers to Kazgaroth as an "aspect of Malar" as well as a "divine servant of Malar" but was written during the time period between the Time of Troubles and the Second Sundering, when Bhaal was dead.