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Ehkahk, called the Smoldering Duke, was an entity who claimed to rule the Paraelemental Plane of Smoke. His exact nature was subject to much rumor and dispute: certain old, rotting books named him a true archomental,[1][3] while many other rumors said he was naught more than an unusually intelligent smoke mephit,[2][6][7] and yet other rumors claimed he was the hybrid offspring of a djinn and an efreet.[4]
Description[]
Ehkahk was a gaunt creature, humanoid in form and comparable in size to a human child. His skin was ash-grey in color, and smoke poured from his back, giving the impression of wings, and from his eyes and mouth, leaving trails in the air when he moved.[4]
Personality[]
Ehkahk, whatever manner of being he was, was markedly more intelligent than the smoke mephits he resembled. He seemed to disdain violence while also delighting in exercising his abilities, particularly against those who were disrespectful. While he did not always treat his subjects well, he was fiercely protective of Fume.[4][2]
Abilities[]
Ehkahk was recorded to have power over smoke and vapours: he could summon poisonous fumes to blind and burn enemies, use it to teleport both himself and an ally, and also summon smoke hounds. He fought with a rapier of ash, could fly and hover with his wings of smoke, and was unharmed by fire and immune to disease[4]
Possessions[]
Ehkahk had a great library containing all manner of lore in his Choking Palace, for he valued knowledge greatly. He also had an impressive collection of smoking implements.[4][2] And in his gardens grew all sorts of plants that were smoked or made into incense.[8]
Realm[]
The seat of Ehkahk's power was the Choking Palace, a floating castle of gray-black iron, whose every room and hall contained a brazier that filled the place with semimagical smoke—this smoke was transparent to any creature that sincerely served Ehkahk and completely opaque to any who did not, and he could view any goings-on within the smoke. The central keep of the palace held a great library full of all manner of lore.[2]
Ehkahk's domain, small though it was, was called Fume.[4][5]
Activities[]
Ehkahk sought to spread his influence across his homeplane, but he took his time doing so. Any goals he had beyond that were wholly unknown, and he did not seem to take any interest in events on any other planes.[2]
It was said, mostly by the same sources that said Ehkahk was merely a smoke mephit, that his claim to rulership was a largely self-appointed one and regarded as a "joke", and that the djinn and efreet who came to the Paraelemental Plane of Smoke (mostly to war with each other) ignored.[6][7] And that he could only claim rulership of the Paraelemental Plane because no-one bothered to contest his word, or cared to enough to knock him out of power.[9]
Ehkahk rarely left his keep and spent much of time either studying or writing his journals in his library (or, according to some rumors, falling asleep over said journals). Only the foolish dared to disturb Ehkahk while he wrote.[4][2]
Relationships[]
Allies[]
The good archomental of Air, Chan, sometimes prevailed upon Ehkahk to provide her with information on Zaaman Rul's struggles on the Plane of Fire. Ehkahk's concern over his own self-preservation, though, made it a tenuous alliance.[10]
He was also known to send ambassadors to the City of Brass.[4]
Servitors[]
Ehkahk was mostly served by smoke mephits and smoke para-elementals, though some renegade djinn and efreet also served him. He also kept a large kennel of smoke hounds.[2][4]
History[]
In the Age Before Ages, Ehkahk was one of the archomentals who chose to fight for the Wind Dukes of Aaqa on the side of Law until, during one of the war's major battles, he and Chilimba betrayed the four Princes of Elemental Good (who also fought for Law) and then ambushed and killed the then-good archomental of Fire, Bristia Pel.[11]
Rumors & Legends[]
Ehkahk's true nature was a mystery and many stories and rumors were given as explanations, including:
- He was, in fact, a true archomental.[1][3][5]
- He was naught more than an unusually intelligent but not more-powerful smoke mephit.[2][6][7]
- He was naught more than an unusually intelligent elemental.[4]
- He was the hybrid offspring of a djinn and an efreeti.[4]
- He was the child or sentient fragment of a slain primordial.[4]
A second mystery to him was that he had been slain in plain view of witnesses multiple times only to return his court afterwards. It was speculated that he was truly unkillable, or that "Ehkahk" was a name taken up by multiple individuals.[4]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jeff Grubb (July 1987). Manual of the Planes 1st edition. (TSR), p. 53. ISBN 0880383992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Monte Cook and William W. Connors (December 7, 1998). The Inner Planes. Edited by Michele Carter and Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 89–90. ISBN 0-7869-0736-3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Eric Jansing and Kevin Baase (September 2006). “Princes of Elemental Evil - The Archomentals”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #347 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 39.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 Excerpts: Plane Below: Masters of the Elements. Excerpts Archive. Wizards of the Coast. (2009-12-11). Archived from the original on 2019-12-13. Retrieved on 2023-04-23.
Ari Marmell, et al. (December 2009). The Plane Below. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 146–147. ISBN 978-0-7869-5249-6. - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Richard Baker, Robert J. Schwalb (February, 2012). Heroes of the Elemental Chaos. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 32. ISBN 78-0-7869-5981-5.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 David "Zeb" Cook (1994). Planescape Campaign Setting, A DM Guide to the Planes. Edited by David Wise. (TSR, Inc), p. 32. ISBN 978-1560768340.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Monte Cook, ed. (1998). Monstrous Compendium Planescape Appendix III. Edited by Michele Carter and Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 10. ISBN 0-7869-0751-7.
- ↑ Ari Marmell, et al. (December 2009). The Plane Below. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-0-7869-5249-6.
- ↑ Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 53. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
- ↑ Eric Jansing and Kevin Baase (March 2007). “Princes of Elemental Good: The Archomentals, Part II”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #353 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 47.
- ↑ Eric Jansing and Kevin Baase (March 2007). “Princes of Elemental Good: The Archomentals, Part II”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #353 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 43.