The Lord of the 133rd Layer

The Lord of the 133 Layer was a book that collected known information on Orcus, the demon lord master of the undead.

Contents
The book opened with a statement on the status of Orcus as being the most bread, and vile of the innumerable lords of the Abyss, and named him as the demon the most often worshiped as a deity among mortals. The book described the Prince of the Undead as a massively bloated demon carcass that stood tall. His body was described and a grotesque mix of muscle and bloated flesh. The rotund body was crowned with a horned skull of a ram with a gaping tusked maw. The bloated carcass was propped up on muscled hairy cloven-hoofed legs. His archetypical demonic appearance was completed by a set of red leathery bat-like wings and a barb-tipped tail.

The book retold the story of Orcus' war with Demogorgon, the mightiest of the lords of the Abyss, and Graz'zt. The tome accused Orcus of growing complacent in his eternal demonic was and being murdered and deposed by his opponents. But even death could not stop Orcus. The book stated that after death, Orcus took the name of Tenebrous while hiding from his enemies in the darkest places of the multiverse.

Eventually, the book moved on the return of Orcus to his Abyssal rule of Thanatos and his original name. And with the return, the war against other demon lords was reignited. The book stated the after his return, Orcus did now feel content growing fat in the decadence of his castle instead of seeking vengeance and destruction of his foes. Orcus eyed the realms of Demogorgon and Graz'zt as his goals and controlled endless hoards of undead and demons that ravaged entire layers of the Abyss for their bloated lord.

The next part of the book speculated on the power of Orcus and how it compared to his enemies'. The books claimed that Demogorgon's power eclipsed Orcus' and Graz'zt's realm dwarfed the Prince's of the Undead. However, Orcus had the biggest number of worshipers on the Prime Material plane. The Lord of the 133 Layer attributed most of Orcus' followers to orcs, half-orcs, ogres, giants, and corrupt humans who venerated evil. Even in great numbers, Orcus' temples were hidden, and his cults and churches operated as secret societies.

The book's following chapter talked about the worshipers' of Orcus' rituals and beliefs. The book named many atrocities committed by the cults of the Prince of the Undead and especially Orcus' demand for living bloody sacrifices. The blood and skills of the sacrifices were collected for esthetics and ritual use. The book stated that intelligent undead creatures rarely served Orcus willingly, even though vampires, liches, and other power-hungry being served Orcus via dark pacts or sorcerous compulsion.

And lastly, the tome listed known powerful servants of Orcus. One such creature was Quah-Nomag the Skull-King, another - vampire named Kauvra, and lich Harthoon.

History
The copies of the Lord of the 133 Layer circulated the region of the Moonsea circa 1373 DR, during the Order of the Crippled Fang crisis and the blockade of Zhentil Keep.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea