Ghaunadaur

That Which Lurks, the Elder Eye, the Ancient One

Ghaunadaur (GONE-ah-door) is a fell deity that has plagued the darkest reaches of the Realms since the dawn of time. That Which Lurks appears as an amorphous, dark purple blob with many tentacles. It is venerated by the largest slimes, oozes, slugs, and other crawling things-some of which are said to possess intelligence, albeit alien. Once all such beings worshiped Ghaunadaur, but it struck most of them mad in a fit of fury for some transgression-said by some to involve its failure to defeat Lolth shortly after her banishment from the Seldarine- and stole their intellects. As a result, many of its worshipers, and most of its power, ceased to exist. That Which Lurks and its giant roper servants have been venerated for eons by various creatures of the Underdark, particularly lone or sub-intelligent monsters and other outcasts (whom it occasionally aids, in return for adulation), as well as the few intelligent amorphs that remain. Evil beings seeking an alternative to established deities-including drow dissatisfied with the rule of Lolth - have also begun to worship That Which Lurks. Most humans find the worship of Ghaunadaur disgusting, but there are secret, subterranean altars and cults to the Elder Eye all over Toril, particularly in the older and more degenerate lands of the southern Sword Coast, Thay, and Kara-Tur.
Although Ghaunadaur is a distinct entity unrelated to the tanar'ri lord Juiblex, the Faceless Lord, or the otherwise unnamed Elder Elemental God neither of the latter two powers is active in the Realms, and Ghaunadaur has assumed both of their aspects within the crystal sphere of Realmspace. Gormauth Souldrinker may have once been the name of a separate power, but if so, it has long been totally subsumed by That Which Lurks. Some rumors hold that Ghaunadaur occasionally lurks on the Elemental Plane of Earth and the Paraelemental Plane of Smoke, while others place him in the Abyss.
Ghaunadaur is unpredictable by human standards. It may aid worshipers who merely pay lip service to its rituals-even expending great power to grant permanent magical boons-but may also devour or maim them, without warning. Ghaunadaur enjoys watching the hunting and devouring activities of large horrible monsters and the suffering they cause. Ghaunadaur is silent and terrible when outside the Inner Planes, but old records tell of gibbering, bestial language spoken in the deity's great court of mingled mud and gelatin pools. Ghaunadaur only communicates telepathically with blunt and simple communications (for example, "Approve," No," "Not," "Slay," "Come to Me," "Go to [mental picture of desired place]," and so on).

Divine Domains

Death

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Purplish eye on purple, violet, and black circles

Tenets of Faith

All creatures have their place, and all are fit to wield power. Those who hunt weed out the weak and strengthen the stock of all. Those who rebel or who walk apart find new ways and try new things and do most to advance their races. Creatures of power best house the energy of life, which Ghaunadaur reveres and represents.
The faithful of Ghaunadaur are to make sacrifices to the Eye, persuade others to sacrifice themselves to Ghaunadaur or in service of the Eye, further the knowledge and fear of Ghaunadaur, and in the end give themselves to Ghaunadaur in unresisting self-sacrifice. Priests of Ghaunadaur are to convert all beings that they can to worship Ghaunadaur. They must slay all clergy of other faiths, plundering their temples and holdings for wealth to better their own lot and to further the worship of Ghaunadaur.

Holidays

Ghaunadaur expects a prayer of adulation and praise, accompanied by a sacrifice, at least once per day. If live sacrifices cannot be procured that often, the Elder Eye accepts offerings of bones and food burned in oil. Braziers of perfumed incense are also burned. If a priest is unable to procure such offerings, the priest must pray while holding one hand in an open flame. The priest's hand must be covered with any magical oil or potion. (Oils or potions of fire resistance are instantly converted to lamp oil, with the appropriate results.) If the prayer is accepted (55% chance), the hand is healed of any damage it sustains immediately after sustaining it.
In any place of worship to Ghaunadaur, all cloth furnishings and garments worn by priests are to be of hues pleasing to Ghaunadaur's eye. Acceptable colors are copper, amber, flame-orange, russet, gold, dark red, plum, purple, amethyst, violet, heliotrope, mauve, lilac, lavender, black, and silver. Smoke and flame are to be a part of all sacrifices to Ghaunadaur. No creature should speak out against the will of Ghaunadaur in the presence of the Eye, its avatar, or its manifestation. If such defiance occurs, a sacrifice of appeasement must be performed (preferably involving the creature who defied the Elder Eye).

Divine Goals & Aspirations

Day-to-Day Activities

Priests of Ghaunadaur must do whatever pleases Ghaunadaur best and serve the Eye absolutely. Priests of Ghaunadaur have simple duties: They are to ensure, by force or threat, that a ready supply of sacrifices reaches Ghaunadaur's altars. The god supplies them with spells and tentacle rods to ensure success in this. Most of all, Ghaunadaur delights in creatures that offer themselves to him without resistance (regardless of whether these sacrifices have been magically charmed or otherwise coerced by its clergy). Priests who can bring such offerings to the Eye's altars often are highly valued and favored by the god. Priests of Ghaunadaur are encouraged to become familiar with the use and manufacture of acids, poisons (including gases and incenses), and flaming oils of all sorts. (Temples and priestly abodes are typically well supplied with such weapons in a ready state.)

Priestly Vestments

As listed above, the vestments of all priests of Ghaunadaur must be of hues pleasing to the Elder Eye. Typical raiment includes a full-length robe with voluminous sleeves, a dark tabard emblazoned with the symbol of the Elder Eye, and a gleaming, silver skull cap. All priests wear their hair long and unbound, but beards and mustaches are not permitted.
The holy symbol of the faith is a sphere of black obsidian at least 3 inches in diameter, which is sometimes worn on a chain around the neck. Such spheres are often enveloped in a nimbus of mauve-hued continual faerie fire.

Adventuring Garb

When adventuring, Ghaunadaur's clergy employ whatever weapons, armor, or equipment is most appropriate to the task at hand. Most priests are careful to always wear hues pleasing to the Elder Eye, however, just in case it is observing their performance, even going so far as to tint their armor and weapons.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Ghaunadaur an ancient deity, said to have emerged from the primordial ooze. Venerated by the largest slimes, oozes, -slugs, and other crawling things, some of which are said to possess intelligence, albeit alien, Ghaunadaur struck most of them mad in a fit fury for some transgression and stole their intellects. As a result, many of its worshipers, and most of its power, ceased to exist. Only in recent millennia have evil beings seeking an alternative to established deities begun to worship That Which Lurks, and it is only the veneration of drow disaffected with Lolth that places him within the drow pantheon. Ghaunadaur has no allies. He is opposed to nearly every deity with a presence in the Underdark as well as Malar and the various members of the Seldarine.

Symbol: Purplish eye on purple, violet, and black circles
Home Plane: Demonweb Pits, Paraelemental Plane of Ooze/The Cauldron of Slime
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Portfolio: Oozes, slimes, jellies, outcasts, ropers, rebels, all things subterranean
Worshipers: Aboleths, drow, fighters, oozes, outcasts, ropers
Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE
Domains: Death
Favored Weapon: An amorphous tentacle (warhammer)
ALIASES: Ghaunadar, Gormauth Souldrinker, Juiblex, the Elder Elemental God
ALLIES: Bwimb, Moander, Deep Duerra, Eilistraee, Gargauth, Laduguer, Lolth, the Seldarine, Selvetarm, Vhaeraun, Lolth, Malar, Selvetarm, Vhaeraun, Blibdoolpoolp, the Blood Queen, Diinkarazan, Diirinka, Great Mother, Gzemnid, llsensine, Ilxendren, Laogzed, Maanzecorian, Psilofyr

Divine Classification

Lesser God (although possibly a Demon Lord or Primordial)