Marut

Maruts were one of the types of the inevitables whose purpose was to enforce the inevitability of death. , lawful intelligent constructs native to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus and the plane of Dweomerheart, where they were created by and served Mystra in her role of guardian of magic.

Description
A marut resembled a massive statue made entirely of onyx, humanoid in form but composed of mechanical components. It was clad in golden armor but carried no weapon or any items.

Activities
These inevitables hunted down those who tried to deny or cheat death in the most extreme manners. They overlooked people who simply struggled to stay alive or even used raise dead or other resurrection magic. Rather, maruts targeted anyone who used unnatural methods to extend their existence, such as by lichdom, or went to terrible lengths to keep death at bay, such as a ruler sacrificing hundreds of people to avoid a plague. Excessive or extensive use of resurrection magic might earn a marut's concern, however. Maruts worked alone.

Personality
Maruts were determined and indefatigable in their duties. They cared about little beyond their tasks or the letter of the contracts they were bound to enforce. It had a voice like an avalanche.

Abilities
A marut commanded an array of magic, replicating the spells air walk, dimension door, fear, greater command, greater dispel magic, mass inflict light wounds, locate creature, and true seeing as often as it willed; chain lightning, circle of death, mark of justice, wall of force each once a day; and earthquake, geas/quest, and plane shift each once a week.

Eschewing weapons, a marut was armed with its fists of thunder and lightning. The left was thunder, striking with a great thunderclap of noise that resounded in its target and could deafen them for up to over a minute. The right was lightning, striking with a great flash of electricity that could blind them for a similar length of time. Both struck with the power of law.

They were skilled in their senses, detecting untruths, focusing, and religious lore.

Combat
Upon identifying its target, a marut simply marched directly toward them, without pause or hesitation, and tried to deliver the death they had evaded. It used wall of force to block escape, assailed with chain lightning at range, and then closed in to punish them by pummeling them with its powerful arms or judicious use of its magic. It employed circle of death when surrounded by foes and greater dispel magic against spellcasters. If its target still escaped, the marut pursued with dimension door and locate creature. Targets who used necromancy to defile death might not be slain, but instead placed under a geas or mark of justice so they might learn respect.

Maruts only entered combat to resolve a dispute or in self-defense, and only used lethal force when a contract called for it or if necessary to ensure their own survival. Empowered with the certainty of law, they were terrifying opponents whose strikes always connected, invariably dealing devastating damage. In addition, they could emanate a blaze of arcane energy from their chests, stunning every creature within a cubic volume on a side.

They were immune to any magical effect that attempted to change their form and were exceptionally resistant to magic. In addition, they were innately capable of plane shifting themselves at will, and occasionally could take up to two creatures with them.

Society
Maruts tasked with ensuring the fulfillment of contracts were known to inhabit the Hall of Concordance in Sigil. There, the Kolyarut engraved a contract between two agreeing parties onto a gold plaque and installed it within the chest of a marut, who then became bound to ensure that contract's fulfillment, as well as to punish any party who broke it.

If called upon to resolve such a dispute, a marut's primary mission was to bring the disagreeing parties back to Sigil, where they could resolve their differences before the Kolyarut.

Relationships
The deities Gorm Gulthyn, Gond, Helm, Hoar, and the Red Knight were also known to employ maruts in their service.

History
The inevitables were created by Mystra, as she was guardian of the laws of magic and they were tasked with enforcing the fundamental laws of the universe. However, others reported Primus, ruler of Mechanus and the modrons, was responsible for the inevitables.

The original goddess of magic, Mystryl, also utilized maruts, sending them to the Material Plane to do her bidding.

Locations
In the Great Wheel cosmology, maruts and other inevitables could normally be found on their home plane of the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, as well as the similarly lawful planes of the Nine Hells and Mount Celestia, and in the Astral Plane. However, they could appear anywhere when in pursuit of their quarry.

In the World Tree cosmology, the inevitables were found in Dweomerheart, the realm of Mystra.

Uses
A priest or mage of great power may specifically summon a marut via a call marut spell, but only for a task in line with its duty.