Tharizdun (ther-iz-DOON)

The Dark God; The Chained God; The Forgotten God, He of Eternal Darkness, The Elder Elemental God

Eternal Darkness, Decay, Entropy, Malign Knowledge, and Insanity

Greater God, Location Unknown

Aliases: None
Domain Name: Unknown
Superior: None
Origin: Unknown/'The Old Ones
Allies: None
Enemies: Everyone
Symbol: a dark spiral or inverted pyramid
Worshipper’s Alignment: Neutral Evil, Chaotic Evil

Little is known about the deity known as Tharizdun, although his name is associated with loss of strength and sanity, exhaustion and cold, fatigue, mind-bending illusions, depression, catatonia, and paralysis. Legend says that Tharizdun is banished and imprisoned in some unknown demiplane, and there are those who strive to bring their old master forth. What manner of madmen, or which creatures, served him aeons ago is also unknown, although there are rumors that the Scarlet Brotherhood reveres Tharizdun and they seek his release through the use of a mighty artifact of evil.
The legends tell that Tharizdun once enveloped the Oerth in darkness and madness, until Pelor arrived and shown his brilliance upon the Oerth for the first time and drove Tharizdun away. Of course, the priests of Pholtus dispute this and claim their deity drove Tharizdun away with his blinding light. Regardless, Tharizdun fled and waited to regain his strength.
As Tharizdun was weakened, so the other gods warred over all of existence. The creator gods populated the world in their likeness, while the corruptor gods perverted the works of creation. For all eternity this war rages, even to this day.
After millenia, Tharizdun returned to Oerth to find it now populated with many diverse lifeforms and the world was thriving. Tharizdun reached out, so far unnoticed, and introduced his form of madness as the Elder Elemental God.
Over time the EEG drew the attention of evil giants, establishing a cult among them that sacrificed to the EEG. Small groups of other races served as both worshippers and sacrifices to the EEG. Eventually, an enclave of ancient Flannae discovered the EEG’s existence. These foolish few began to worship the alien being and were soon sacrificing to it.
The EEG also began to seduce powerful followers of Dorgha Torgu (the Baklunish deity of Material Dimensions and Material Elements) with his primal elemental powers. The first most powerful follower of this dark deity came to be known as a Geomancer for his mastery of the Elemental Province of Earth. This sorcerer-priest conquered entire realms in the name of the Elder Elemental God and wreaked havoc across many prime material planes with the help of his evil master and the host of power-seekers who began to worship in his wake. The evolution of other wizardly priesthoods was a natural result, thus the Hydromancers, Pyromancers, Aeromancers, and Cryomancers were founded. The priesthoods often established themselves as God-Kings in many realms. The sects served the EEG in their own way. They also kept each other busy with constant struggles for dominance. The EEG was amused for a time.
With their evil master manipulating them every step of the way, these priesthoods enraged Dorgha Torgu and he sought a way to thwart them, beginning his transformation from a truly neutral deitiy to becoming actively involved. Taking the secrets given to him by the Elemental Lords he bade his faithful to imbibe essences of the elements, so they could acquire the powers of the elements themselves. In doing this, wizards and priests began to evolve differently than their peers. Eventually, these powerful beings were forced to seek solace in the elemental province they had chosen to emulate. Surrounded by raw elemental power, they leaped ahead in evolution becoming the four societies of genie; Dao, Djinni, Efreeti, and Marid opposed the works of the elemental priesthoods with their patron power, Dorgha Torgu at their lead.
The EEG, fully aware of the schemes of Dorgha Torgu, assisted Obendar, wizard-priest of the Suloise Imperium, in creating the Great Binders, entrapping the Genie King of the north and his 8 sons, and bending their power to his will. It was at this time as well that the EEG rewarded the most faithful and powerful of the Suloise wizard-priests with a transformation into the five Elemental Princes of Evil (Cryonax [Cold], Imix [Fire], Ogremach [Earth], Olhydra [Water], and Yan-C-Bin [Air]), all while the EEG felt his power weakening.
The EEG guided the ruling wizard-priests in discovering the secrets of the Invoked Devastation (the Bringer of Doom), a cataclysm yet to come against the Baklunish peoples.
All of this was not without price for Tharizdun. All his machinations and creations left him weak and unable to reach his followers. Nearing extinction and unable to raise enough power to defeat the very elements they relied upon to hold power over their slaves, the elemental priesthoods were scattered across the cosmos, never again to hold power over entire worlds. The EEG, now nearly powerless without his followers, sought retribution but Dorgha Torgu and his minions, the genii, were too powerful to face directly.
To regain his strength, Tharizdun reached out to an acient people of Yak-men who inhabited what would become known as the Flanaes, called the Yikaria. Tharizdun became their faceless god. The Yikaria enslaved the Flan peoples and often sacrificed them to their faceless god for his favor. Tharizdun also began to influence and manipulate the noble genie-kind through the Elemental Princes of Evil. Through subtle influence and blatant corruption of select genie social circles, separation among the ranks was achieved. Earth resented Air’s erratic behavior and Flame resented Water’s power over it. Finally, war broke out across the Elemental Planes. Dorgha Torgu’s children fell to the lies and deceit of the dark god’s influence.
The hidden Flannish enclave of Tharizdun worshippers, unaware that the Yikari were worshipping the same deity, began to preach to the Flan that the way out of bondage was to follow the ways of Tharizdun, and whenever possible, sacrifice the Yikaria to Tharizdun for his favor, and he would lead them out of bondage. This pleased Tharizdun, and so the Flan people begane to turn away from the Old Faith and follow the teachings of Tharizdun, and he began to grow powerful again.
After he started attracting the devotion of the early Flannish people, Beory began to notice him. Tharizdun drove some of the ancient deities who opposed him (and are no longer remembered) to madness, absorbing their power. He was now more powerful than he had ever been. Beory called a council with the other great deities of Oerth, and it was decided that Tharizdun was too powerful for them to oppose alone. Beory, Pelor, Rao, Kord, and Procan decided to align and concentrate their efforts to defeat Tharizdun. Even the mighty Nerull, the great god of Death, and Incabulos, the great god of Evil and Plagues, were so fearful of Tharizdun that these deities joined the alliance to destroy him.
In this regard the gods failed, for Tharizdun was not destroyed, but they were able to imprison him. Where Tharizdun is, no one but the gods know. Some believe he is trapped in some demi-plane, while others believe he has been imprisoned in the sun orbiting Oerth. He could be buried deep beneath the Oerth, or relegated to one of the outer planes from whence he cannot escape. Regardless, it is rumored that the gods created seven seals that hold his prison closed, and although Tharizdun is imprisoned, he can still reach out and touch the world, albeit not with the power he once was able to. Thus, he is still able to grant some spells and powers to his priests, but not many and not spells that are too powerful.
The war between the Bakluni and Suel was reaching a climax. The Suel, tapping the powers of the Dark Lord of Entropy, struck their enemy with a devastation unrivaled to this day, having perfected the Bringer of Doom, and channeling what was left of Tharizdun's power rthrough it, leaving Tharizdun a spent force. Thousands upon thousands of Bakluni died and still others had to suffer through the pain of a wasting death. The Bakluni cried for retribution.
Dorgha Torgu sought a means to intervene. The Elder Elemental God, conveniently close by, provided him with the method of retribution. To him, the EEG gave the Ashen Staff. Dorgha summoned his most powerful priests and to them gave the Ashen Staff. At the center of Tovag Baragu the priests prayed and chanted, focusing the energies of Dorgha Torgu and unleashed the Rain of Colorless Fire upon the Suloise Empire.
While the Invoked Devastation of the Suel was wrought through the vilest of evil power, the counter-response by a god of neutrality was unjust despite provocation. This single act violated his neutrality and his charge, and the Oerthly Baklunish Pantheon cast him out. Tharizdun finally received his revenge for the loss of his powerful followers.
Tharizdun has not been heard from for thousands of years. If freed, it is said that the gods would again unite to lock him away, for he wishes no less than to unravel the fabric of the universe. Sites keyed to him still exist, and his relics still hold power. Although no true depictions of him remain, he is thought to be an utterly black entity without a solid form, leaving cold, decay, and insanity in his wake.
There seems to be a concensus among scholars that Tharizdun and the Elder Elemental God are one and the same being, but no knows for sure.

The Church

There is no organzied church dev oted to Tharizdun. Worship of Tharizdun takes place in unknown subterranean temples of chill, darkness, and insanity. Such places are highly secret, and many are lost and ruined. Litanies of this Power are hideous in the extreme. Most folks feel that the less they know about the Dark God, the better they like it. Even mention of his dread name is held to be a danger.
Many of his clerics are mad. The rest are deluded enough to think that his release will grant them privilege when he remakes the world. They are very secretive and learn to trust only other members of the cult. They conduct bizarre rituals and explore ancient sites for keys to his chains. Because of Tharizdun's imprisonment, clerics are only able to receive up to second level spells.

Dogma

Light must be snuffed, perfection decayed, order dissolved, and minds fragmented.
All sorts of evil are described in the few remaining texts — foul rituals of sacrifice, destruction, and horrors from beyond this world unleashed upon the innocent. The current teachings of this faith revolve around the number three, the discovery of items relating to his power (keys to contacting him), and the means to free him from his confinement.

Tharizdun's Priests

The sole duty of this priesthood is to free Tharizdun from his prison. They sacrifice all to this end. The extent and location of the priesthood is unknown.

Requirements

Abilities: Wisdom 15
Alignment: any evil
Weapons: any
Armor: none
Raiment: black robes
Major Spheres: Astral, Divination, Elemental (all), Healing (rev), Numbers, Sun (rev), Thought, Time
Minor Spheres: Charm, Wards
Special Note: priests may not currently use spells above 2nd level due to Tharizdun's imprisonment

Granted Powers

• At 1st level, priests may use all cold-based wizard spells as priest spells of same level
• At 5th level, priests may cast Suggestion with accompanying visual illusion if appropriate
• Aty 9th level, priests may cast Otiluke's Freezing Sphere

Note: Because of Tharizdun's imprisonment, Tharizdun's priests do not currently have access to any spells above 2nd level in power.
Turn Undead: No
Command Undead: Yes