Merrshaulk

Not to be confused with Mhairshaulk.

An aspect of Merrshaulk

Merrshaulk
(Aspect of Sseth)

3e
2e

3rd Edition Statistics^[1]^[2]

Power Level

Aspect of Sseth^{[note 1]}

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Home Plane

The Abyss/74^th layer

Realm

Smaragd

Portfolio

Beasts
Predators
Somnolence

Domains

Animal, Chaos, Charm, Destruction, Fate, Plant, Scalykind, War

Worshipers

Yuan-ti outcasts, hunters, asabi of Oreme

Worshiper
alignments

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Favored weapon

Longsword

2nd Edition Statistics^[3]^[4]

Power Level

Intermediate deity^{[note 2]}

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Symbol

Cobra head

Home Plane

The Abyss/74^th layer

Realm

Smaragd

Portfolio

Poison, somnolence

Worshipers

Yuan-ti

Avatar

Fighter	10
Wizard	12
Priest	12

Merrshaulk was once the chief god of the reptilian yuan-ti, a chaotic evil despot who cared little for his followers save that they remained devoted to him^[5] and made frequent, bloody sacrifices of themselves to him. His clerics were known as vrael olo (meaning 'favored ones'^[6]). His symbol was a cobra's head.^[1]

Divine Realm[]

Merrshaulk's divine realm was called Smaragd and was the 74th layer of the Abyss. The bullywug god Ramenos also slumbered on this layer.^[7]

Worshipers[]

Although once the primary deity of the yuan-ti, Merrshaulk came to only be worshiped by the outcasts of that species. These outcasts believed that worshiping Sseth was foolish and decadent.^[8] Merrshaulk was also the god worshiped by the asabi of Oreme, as he was the deity of their sarrukh masters.^[9]

Merrshaulk was a multiversal power, still actively worshiped by the yuan-ti of other worlds.^[3]^[4]^[10]^[11]

History[]

Merrshaulk was one of the divine fragments that split off from the World Serpent. As the World Serpent ceased being actively worshiped by scalykind in favor of its aspects during the Days of Thunder, it was primarily the yuan-ti who took up the worship of Merrshaulk.

When some of the sarrukh of Okoth were transformed into couatls by Jazirian, they warred with their former kin. Despite being outnumbered, the couatls battled the sarrukh to a stalemate, but then Merrshaulk personally fought against Jazirian and killed his fellow World Serpent fragment, causing the couatls to flee.^[12]

Merrshaulk eventually entered a period of somnolence and failed to consistently answer the prayers of his priests. He was eventually awakened by the sarrukh emperor Pil'it'ith.^[13] Merrshaulk thanked Pil'it'ith for his service to scalykind and directed him to create a new sarrukh homeland, promising to once more watch over the sarrukh and making Pil'it'ith his Chosen.^[13] Later, in the Year of Erupting Crypts, −304 DR, a charismatic winged snake calling itself Sseth appeared to the yuan-ti, declaring itself Merrshaulk reborn.^[1] Sseth then became the primary deity of the yuan-ti and Pil'it'ith's subjects, with only a few holdouts of Merrshaulk's faith, stubbornly clinging to the old ways.

After Sseth's ascendancy, Merrshaulk became an aspect of Sseth for those who did not know of or refused to worship Merrshaulk's 'replacement'^[1] and as a result, when Set had Sseth imprisoned during the Time of Troubles, Set also took on the guise of Merrshaulk.

Circa 1373 DR, a monstrous aspect of Merrshaulk, identified as "the Eternal Hunger," was defeated by the adventurers Rannek, Zhai, and Illius at a yuan-ti temple in Chult.^[14]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

Notes[]

↑ In 3rd edition Core sources Merrshaulk was an intermediate deity, just as Sseth is in the Forgotten Realms.
↑ This was the power level given in 2nd edition Core sources. Presumably it was applicable in the Forgotten Realms before the rise of Sseth, who himself became an intermediate deity with Merrshaulk as his alias/aspect.

Card Games: Blood Wars
Video Games: Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 188–189. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 103. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 100. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 177. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 187. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 1560768746.
↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 18. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ David Noonan (May 2004). Complete Divine. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-3272-4.
↑ Rich Redman, James Wyatt (May 2001). Defenders of the Faith. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 94. ISBN 0-7869-1840-3.
↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
↑ Stormfront Studios (November 2004). Designed by J. Epps. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. Atari, Inc.

Connections[]

The Yuan-Ti Pantheon

Dendar • Merrshaulk • Sseth • Sss'thasine'ss • Varae • Zehir

Deities

Deities of the Post–Second Sundering Era

Deities of the Post-Spellplague Era

Deities of the Era of Upheaval

Deities of the Age of Humanity

[1] In 3rd edition Core sources Merrshaulk was an intermediate deity, just as Sseth is in the Forgotten Realms.

[4] This was the power level given in 2nd edition Core sources. Presumably it was applicable in the Forgotten Realms before the rise of Sseth, who himself became an intermediate deity with Merrshaulk as his alias/aspect.

[SK-p188-2] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 188–189. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[MotP3E-3] Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 103. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.

[MM-5] 3.0 ^3.1 Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 100. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.

[OHG-6] 4.0 ^4.1 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 177. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.

[7] Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 187. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[8] Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 10. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[9] Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. Planes of Chaos (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 1560768746.

[10] Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 18. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[11] Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[12] David Noonan (May 2004). Complete Divine. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-3272-4.

[13] Rich Redman, James Wyatt (May 2001). Defenders of the Faith. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 94. ISBN 0-7869-1840-3.

[14] Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[SK-p60-15] 13.0 ^13.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

[16] Stormfront Studios (November 2004). Designed by J. Epps. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. Atari, Inc.

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