Elder evils were ancient, powerful, and generally evil beings or entities. Their power could rival, or even surpass, that of demigods, such that they could destroy an entire world.[1]
Elder evils
Examples of these beings included Atropus, an undead planetoid said to be the first atropal, a stillborn god; Zargon the Returner, the original lord of the Nine Hells who was cast out by Asmodeus; Father Llymic, a being of intense power from the Far Realm who escaped the plane of madness to destroy the world but was encased in ice by elven mages; Pandorym, an entity from a space between the planes whose mind was imprisoned in a huge crystal, that was called to the world by the ancient Imaskari to intimidate the gods of their slaves.[1] Other beings called Elder Evils include Shothragot and Haask, Voice of Hargut.[citation needed]
Elder Eternal Evils
Three beings described as "Elder Eternal Evils" are Dendar the Night Serpent; Kezef the Chaos Hound; and Ityak-Ortheel, the Elf Eater.[2] Later, Dendar and Kezef were considered primordials.[3]
Aboleth Elder Evils
The aboleth race recognized a class of powerful alien entities who predated the gods and inhabit the Far Realm. Collectively known as the "Elder Evils," these beings generally care nothing for any mortal race, offering only madness and destruction.[4]
- Bolothamogg, Him Who Watches from Beyond the Stars, was a guardian force that sought to protect the Far Realm from the "taint" of our reality. Bolothamogg had some sort of alliance with the demon lord Areex.[5]
- The Eldest, the leader of the Abolethic Sovereignty. It was believed that the Eldest was the first aboleth of Abeir-Toril, and the ancestor of the aboleth that lived in the world of Toril around 1479 DR.[6]
- Holashner, the Hunger Below, was one of the few Elder Evils to exist fully in the Prime Material Plane. Appearing as part squid and part centipede, this massive creature burrowed through the deepest reaches of the world, driven only by its unending hunger. It ate stone, magma, creatures, and anything else in its path.[citation needed]
- Piscaethces, the Blood Queen, was the source of the aboleth race, depicted as a vast aboleth with no tentacles and with mucus the color of blood.[citation needed]
- Shothotugg, the Eater of Worlds, dwelt in a distant corner of the multiverse, physically far removed from the world itself. An undulant mass of seething fluid the size of a mountain, Shothotugg traveled through the gulfs of space from world to world, poisoning and parasitizing any world on which it alighted.[citation needed]
- Y'chak, the Violet Flame, was unique among the Elder Evils in a terrible way—it was actively interested in the development of life or, to be more precise, in the development of the destruction of life. Its true form was said to be a brilliant pillar of violet flames that concealed an inner form so horrifying that to see it clearly was to invite utter destruction upon the body and soul.[citation needed]
- Zurguth was an Elder Evil whom few had written about. By simply existing, he had the power to alter life, transforming it into something more alien merely by being in proximity to it. He is primarily known for unintentionally creating the kaorti race.[7]
Far Realm-infested Stars
At some point before 1396 DR, and as consequence of the actions of the Abolethic Sovereignty, some stars in Realmspace became infested with elder evils related to the Eldest.[8]
Appendix
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Schwalb, Robert J. (December 2007). Elder Evils. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-7869-4733-1.
- ↑ Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 188. ISBN 978-0786906574.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 79. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ Richard Baker, James Jacobs, and Steve Winter (April 2005). Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-7869-3657-6.
- ↑ Ed Stark, James Jacobs, Erik Mona (June 13, 2006). Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 138. ISBN 0-7869-3919-2.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell (December 2008). Plague of Spells (Mass Market Paperback). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 162. ISBN 978-0-7869-4965-6.
- ↑ James Jacobs (August 2007). “The Ecology of the Kaorti”. In Erik Mona ed. Dragon #358 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell (2009). City of Torment. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 184. ISBN 978-07869-5184-0.