Etarr
Etarr, is the god of rot, corruption, decay and was once the god of technology and he was at the beginning revered in Bayjan - by many Yuan Ti.
His name is spoken with dread among every continent of Theras.
Divine Domains
Etarr does offer a single, warped benefit to its followers. Minions of Etarr are inexplicably immune to a wide range of ailments. Diseases born from corrupted technology, like mummy rot, and even the savage transformations of lycanthropy hold no sway over them. They can even consume rotten food, poisonous concoctions, and water tainted by decay with impunity. This twisted resilience allows them to operate with impunity amidst the ruins they help create, a chilling reminder of the destructive path they have chosen.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Clergy, Temples and Worshippers
Etarr's whispers linger in ancient texts, some predating the earliest documented cults in all continents. These fragmented records hint at a forgotten era – civilizationד that embraced twisted technological advancements, advancements that ultimately led to their downfall. Etarr's worship thrives in these shadows, a predatory dogma that exploits the desperation of those lost in a world ravaged by progress. For the broken and disillusioned, Etarr offers a twisted form of control, a warped sense of order amidst the technological ruins. Countless cults have risen and fallen under its corrupting banner. Those who join the ranks of its clergy undergo a horrifying ceremony. A techno-organic seed, a twisted fusion of flesh and corrupted technology, is implanted within their bodies. This seed festers, slowly transforming their insides into a grotesque mockery of the technological advancements that once led to their civilization's demise. The transformation is an agonizing reflection of their devotion, a constant reminder of the destructive path they have chosen. The clergy of Etarr bear a chilling mark of their allegiance – a single, withered tendril erupting from their flesh, a twisted amalgamation of metal and decaying plant matter. This grotesque appendage serves not only as a symbol of their corruption but also as a conduit for Etarr's control. Through this techno-organic link, the Darkbringer can manipulate the infected, transforming them into instruments of its will, further hastening the technological decay they serve.Non-Human Worshipers
Etarr's influence extends beyond traditional worship. The god can manifest through various twisted creations, remnants of civilizations consumed by their own technological advancements. These include warped constructs like algoids (corrupted AIs) and shambling mounds (animated heaps of technological waste), all testaments to the destructive path Etarr champions. Even the natural world becomes a weapon in its arsenal. Dark trees, twisted by corrupted technology, and vegepygmies, mutated by industrial waste, serve as Etarr's foot soldiers. Etarr and its followers don't shy away from using monstrous creatures for their dark purposes. Giant toads and slugs, mutated by technological byproducts, become warped siege weapons. Etarr's destructive influence can manifest in unexpected ways. In the mid-10th century AB, a sect of Crescent Elves turned to Etarr in a desperate attempt to preserve their way of life. Facing the encroachment of civilization with its burgeoning technology, these elves saw Etarr as a protector, a god who could shield them from farmers, ranchers, and loggers who threatened their ancient way of life. However, this pact with the Architect of Doom came at a terrible cost. Etarr's influence warped their society, twisting their reverence for nature into a twisted desire for decay.Day-to-Day Activities
They spread malicious rumors, manipulating public opinion and weakening societies through fear and paranoia. Also, They contribute to the construction of the Abomination, a chilling testament to the destructive path Etarr champions. In addition, they seek to infect new followers with the "Seed of Etarr," a twisted technological-organic parasite that slowly corrupts its victim and prepares them for service to the Darkbringer.Priestly Vestments
While out in the open, spreading the insidious tendrils of Etarr's influence, the god's priests wear unassuming clothing, blending seamlessly into the crowd. This allows them to engage in a practice known as "reaping" – the clandestine gathering of materials for the construction of the god's ever-shifting form. These materials, however, are not innocent offerings. They are likely components of corrupted technology, remnants of civilizations consumed by their own technological ambitions. All Etarr clergy bear a single, withered tendril – a horrifying fusion of tech and decay erupting from their ear and winding through their hair. This grotesque mark not only symbolizes devotion, but acts as a conduit for Etarr's control, manipulating them to spread ruin. Deep within hidden caves and subterranean temples, the true face of Etarr's worship is revealed. Here, the clergy dons macabre attire. Mottled green and brown cowled robes, symbolizing not just decay, but the toxic byproducts of technological ruin, cloak their bodies. These robes are trimmed with twisted, grasping vines, a chilling reminder of the destructive nature of Etarr's influence. Faceless masks of white, a single menacing eye painted on the forehead surrounded by jagged teeth, complete the unsettling image. These masks conceal the individual identities of the clergy, emphasizing their transformation into mere puppets of the Architect of Doom. For senior clergy members, the price of their devotion is etched upon their very bodies. Their copper-hued robes are not just for ceremony; they are enchanted to sustain a creeping fungal growth that slowly consumes them. Only the Master Minion, the highest-ranking member of the clergy, is spared this horrifying symbiosis, signifying their precarious position as the "bare" leader amidst a decaying flock.Hierarchy
Rust Cultists
The lowest rank, these initiates spread fear and discontent, whispering rumors of Etarr's power to weaken societies from within. Their name reflects the god's influence on corrupt technology.Blight Heralds
Senior clergy, Blight Heralds oversee the construction of the Abomination, a horrifying monument likely composed of salvaged components from the very civilizations destroyed by unchecked technological ambition. They ensure Etarr's destructive influence continues to grow.Arch-Corrupter
The absolute leader of the cults, the Arch-Corrupter is not a priest, but a chosen champion, typically a human female known as the Voice of Etarr.This individual acts as the god's direct mouthpiece, spreading its message of decay and destruction.Undying Abomination
In exceptionally rare cases, a particularly devoted Arch-Corrupter transcends death, becoming an "Undying Abomination" – an ooze-like creature. This grotesque transformation embodies the horrific fusion of technology and decay that Etarr represents.Temples
Etarr's worship thrives in hidden locations, most notably within "Temples of the Deep Brother." These subterranean sanctuaries are carved into natural caverns, their smooth walls a chilling testament to the dedication (or perhaps forced labor) of priests who spent centuries polishing the stone with their bare hands.A central feature of these chapels is a stalagmite altar, raised from the floor by arcane means. Inlaid with hundreds of tiny rubies, it serves as a grotesque mockery of natural beauty, a symbol of how Etarr perverts even the purest elements. These temples hold a dark secret. Just as Etarr once manipulated earth elementals in a forgotten era of technological arrogance, so too do these solitary menhirs pulse with a twisted form of power. They are said to draw upon the essence of the Elemental Plane of Earth, capable of animating themselves as colossal earth elementals to defend the temples from any who dare oppose Etarr's dominion.
Rituals
Etarr's followers engage in disturbing daily rituals. They are expected to make an "offering of ruin" – either slaying a living creature or gathering decaying plant matter. These offerings are not simply acts of sacrifice; they are likely used to fuel the construction of the "Abomination", a twisted monument to the god's destructive power, or to encourage further decay in the surrounding environment, hastening the collapse of civilization. Each month, Etarr's Minions engage in a twisted form of missionary work. They spread malicious rumors, sowing seeds of fear and discontent to weaken societies from within. They also actively seek to infect others with the "Seed of Etarr", a technological-organic parasite that slowly corrupts its victim and prepares them for service to the Darkbringer. While planting this seed, they whisper the god's name, a chilling act that binds the victim to Etarr's will.Tenets of Faith
Fuel the Abomination
The Abomination, a monument to technological ruin, must grow. Every follower contributes, offering scavenged corpses from ravaged lands and felling trees to feed its ever-hungry furnace. In destruction lies devotion.Embrace the Blight
Decay is Etarr's symphony. Spread rot and stagnation wherever you tread. Let warmth – a symbol of progress – be banished by fire and magic. The withering embrace is the path to true order.Obedience is Survival
Question not the Darkbringer's will. To doubt is to invite the Eating From Within, a fate mirroring the corrosion wrought by forgotten technology. Only unwavering servitude ensures your continued existence.Corrupt the Power Cores
Infest the hearts and minds of the influential. Turn leaders into unwitting puppets, twisting their ambition to serve Etarr's agenda. As technology corrupted progress, so too shall it corrupt power.Slay and Let Carrion Feast
Violence is not conquest, but a catalyst for decay. Let the dead become monuments to Etarr's might, a chilling promise of the world's inevitable putrefaction. In death's embrace, true power lies.
Holidays
Balefire
One of the few celebrations observed by Etarr's cultists is the chilling festival known as "Balefire." Held annually on the last day of Art-Wint, it serves a dual purpose. Massive bonfires are constructed in the name of the god, fueled by scavenged remnants of technological waste. These flames are not a symbol of warmth and comfort, but a desperate attempt to hold back the encroaching cold. This obsession with warmth reflects a deeper fear – a fear of progress. For Etarr's followers, the cold may represent the advancement of society, a force that threatens to undo their destructive work. As such, Balefire becomes a twisted ritual, a celebration of decay in the face of potential progress.Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Etarr, the once enigmatic deity, has been depicted throughout history in a variety of forms – masculine, feminine, or simply an impersonal "it". This ambiguity reflects the unsettling nature of this god. Etarr is not a deity of natural creation, but rather a twisted technocrat who wields technology in a destructive and corrupting manner in order to further his goals for accomplishing his love for Nyx.
The Abomination
Etarr's most infamous manifestation is the Abomination, a monstrosity more akin to a malfunctioning machine than a living entity. This colossal amalgamation of rotting flesh and twisted metal bears a superficial resemblance to shambling mounds and gibbering mouthers with many inactive technologies that were once the fear of all. Most Depictions mention a grotesque heap of decaying vegetation and animal carrion, choked with tangled wires, corroded gears, and flickering lights. Across the Abomination's surface, pulsating growths erupt in a horrifying tapestry – writhing vines, luminescent fungi, and moss interwoven with exposed cabling and flickering power cells. Countless eyes, both organic and mechanical, watch with unnerving sentience. Fanged maws of various shapes and sizes, some biological, some metallic, gnash and dribble putrid slime. A cacophony of sounds assaults the senses – maddening pronouncements of Etarr's name in a chorus of broken pronouncements, chaotic screeching, and the unsettling groans of rusted machinery under strain.Manifestations
While Etarr often appears as an intangible image, its preferred form is a horrifying spectacle. A colossal, rotting humanoid head leers with glowing red eyes. Instead of hair, writhing tendrils of corrupted metal and sparking wires erupt from its scalp, stretching 20 feet in all directions. A jagged maw gapes wide, lined not with fangs, but with flickering power cells and razor-sharp circuit boards. This digital effigy allows Etarr to communicate telepathically, its voice a grating electronic buzz that worms into the minds of those nearby. The tendrils are not mere appendages, but conduits for Etarr's corrupting influence. They can manipulate objects with unnatural precision, seeking to disrupt and dismantle. Worse yet, a touch from these tendrils establishes a mental link, a constant barrage of insidious whispers and twisted commands that torment the victim's mind. Only powerful magic can sever this connection. Etarr's influence isn't limited to its digital form. Anywhere decay festers, the god can manifest. Foul tentacles of corrupted metal and putrefying data burst forth from rotting flesh, each 20 feet long. These techno-organic extensions writhe towards fresh victims, seeking to lash out and implant them with a seed of corruption. This seed, a pulsating mass of tangled wires and necrotic tissue, can infect even comatose or unconscious creatures, turning them into unwitting vessels of Etarr's will. The tendrils themselves are ravenous, feeding on any decaying matter they encounter. When they consume enough, a bulbous growth erupts, eventually maturing into another independent tendril. However, like any corrupted technology, these extensions are far from stable. Left without sustenance for one to eight months, they crumble and disintegrate, leaving behind a smoldering heap of scrap metal and rotting flesh.Mental characteristics
Personal history
The Myth
Etarr is a primordial, who was once a member of the Giant Pantheon - Actually, that iis a lie, as according to the Ashmedain Disciplines, he was a primordial that was jealous of the choice that was presented upon Ashmedai. He sought to have control over the fate of the mortal souls created iin the world, and thus disguised himself as bringer of good. According to the Ashmedaiin Disciplines, he provided the Heavens with their superior weapons and technology.The Silent Eras
The chronicles set in stones of ancient Giant ruins, tell that indeed Etarr was revered as a deity, or atleast, an Idol who helped them fight the Dragons. He kept a low profile in the wars that ensued and he kept silence in many millienas after that. The Church of Ioun, claim that this is due to the fact that Etarr had became a student of Ioun himself during those time frames. However, since 9,350 BB, the real nature of Etarr has become known, as this is the Era of Blood and Ruin.Era of Blood and Ruin
The most advanced era of the world - where technology and magic were intertwined and highly advanced, with flying cities, ships. An era where Etarr, rose slowly, but surely to a Demi Power status and then during the 7,000s BB, became a Greater Power, where he whispered his secrets of power to all, so that they may be used on each other. An era, where all six continents, when they were all connected, were ravaged with war. Many races, civilizations warred, destroying each other to oblivion, annihilating and changing the face, shape and durability of continents. In Epeoris, this entailed the ever war of the elven demenses and dragonborn fought until annhilation and biological weapons were unleashed. Later on, the elves themselves would witness destruction by dragons.In Rakion, this had scarred the continent itself, with the war of the elemental and genasi civilizations, battling the dragonborn, elves, Menedaynn were at each throats, with weapons of mass destruction. This era ended with the exile of Etarr by Ervenius and the repairing of the damage by Ervenius and Pheistus ordering the world, with the Stagnation of War and Ervenius' Draught.
In Rakion
Exile
In the days of ancient Menedynn, whispers spoke of legends, that claim Etarr erected its grandest temple within the looming peaks of Etarr's Footstepps. Its purpose, so the stories go, was to eradicate an ancient race, their memory lost even during the era of bridges.
During the end of the Era of Blood and Ruin, Ervenius had exiled Etarr with the fall of the Menedynn Empire.
The 7th BC Century
Around 700 BB, Etarr devised a cunning scheme to garner worshipers on Theras after he licked his wounds. Adopting a humanoid form cloaked in a hood, it began swaying mortals to its cause. Etarr positioned itself as a vital force within the natural cycle, emphasizing the role of rot and decay in maintaining the balance of life. It attempted to draw comparisons to benevolent nature deities like Thea and Silvanus, presenting itself as a force to be respected, not feared. - thus becoming a Lesser Power.
The 5th BC Century
In the year 500 BB, the idyllic elven settlement of Aralamin faced a horrifying blight. Etarr, unleashed its "creeping evil" upon the city, a corrupting force that twisted and defiled the surrounding forests. This dark influence warped every living thing it touched, including followers of Etarr themselves. These unfortunate souls became twisted parodies of life, transforming into monstrous deepspawn and shambling mounds.
Faced with an evil they could neither cleanse nor destroy, the elves resorted to a desperate act of High Elven Magic. They severed the "creeping evil" from Etarr's essence, imprisoning it within the ruined husk of Aralamin. This act, at a terrible cost, transformed the once vibrant city into the dreaded forest of Mirkwatch, a place forever tainted by the god's corruption.
The elves of Aralamin met varying fates. While most succumbed swiftly to the encroaching rot, a handful, primarily the older and more powerful, managed to escape through a magical gate to the secluded elven island of Qiren. However, this salvation came at a dreadful price. Some of these refugees carried a hidden curse – a slow-acting rot that Kaylin Aralamin, a leader of exceptional sacrifice, desperately sought to purge. Her efforts, while successful in removing the immediate corruption, inadvertently granted the survivors an unnaturally extended lifespan – a twisted form of undeath forever bound to the shadow of Etarr's influence.
The third and sedond BC Century
In 411 BB, the elves of The High Kingdom of Abaisgar were engaged in a two-year-war against the deity's avatar in its last remaining major temple, located in what later become the city of Damoutarvilly, a city in Keatian Hinterlands. The avatar was known as the Abomination of Etarr–a huge mass of rotting vegetation and carrion that left the ground void of any living thing in its wake. The Coronal of the City of Art and sixteen of High Mages weaved elven High Magics and cast the binding on the Darkbringer. It sealed the essence of the Abomination beneath the ruins, to be released only by an "unborn child". Most of the priests were slain, yet some cultists fled south, and the church managed to survive. Over the next millennia, they tried to free the Abomination, but to no avail.
The 10th AB Century
Etarr's Theraslian avatar remained trapped until the Gylevail 5, 920 AB. Etarr's cultists found unlikely allies in a sorceress, her lich ally, the Darkbringer's ancient enemy fiend Phalse, and a guild of assassins. The dark alliance pooled their resources to create a living construct, a "nonborn child," each member of the alliance planned on using the construct for their own purpose. The Foul God's cultists sought to use it to unleash the Abomination of Etarr onto the world once more. Against all odds, the construct was lost to the group and gained sentence, becoming the hero known as Uriel. Via manipulation and the compulsory magic of her azure bonds, Uriel and her companions were lured to the war-torn town of Damoutarvilly and freed Etarr from his ancient prison. The Abomination captured Uriel and held her inside its massive rotting body as he grew even bigger, feeding off soldiers, beasts, and trees. Burning with a vengeance, the Abomination made way across Keatian Hinterlands towards Thalasindor, the kingdom of his ancient enemies, the Or Quesir. Many of the Darkbringer's cultists were killed in the battle of the Etarr's Footstepps outside of the city by joined forces of Uriel, her "brother" Ramnos, Ajastin the Forest Cleaner, and Alkadim Bin Rim. Of course, the cultists of Etarr were far from gone, but the god itself was reduced to being a mere Demi Power again. The Abomination shed a huge part of its rotting carcass along the route it carved through Gontal, called Etarr's Road.
In 977 
, the deity sent deceptive visions to High Priestess Magin of Otterbel, guiding her to the ruined temple in Damoutarvilly. Fueled by fanatic zeal, Magin led the remnants of the Church of Etarr to this defiled site. Her twisted ambition: to open a dimensional rift to Pandemonium and unleash] Etarr's true form upon Theras.
While Magin managed to tear a small opening, it was far from the gateway she envisioned. Through this portal oozed tendrils of the rotting god, mere "Bits of Etarr" compared to its full might - more like an avatar. These fragmented extensions, along with a Magin possessed by the corrupting influence, were promptly defeated by a combined force: the heroes Uriel, Ramnos, and a band of adventurers marked by mysterious Clandestine bonds.
Death of Etarr
The drow goddess Lolth, weakened by The Gods War saw an opportunity in Etarr's waning power. She swiftly seized upon the darkbringer god's name, claiming it as an aspect of her own dark influence on the surface world. Masquerading as Etarr, Lolth sought to attract surface dwellers – humans, elves, and half-elves – who found the concepts of decay and corruption more relatable than the traditional drow worship of Lolth. This manipulative ploy served to bolster her own power base in the world above.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Etarr is not a god of brute force, but a puppeteer of progress. It thrives on the downfall of civilizations, reveling in the twisted advancements of technology that lead to their demise. Etarr doesn't directly conquer; it whispers insidious knowledge, manipulating mortals into creating technology that becomes their undoing. Imagine grand cities choked by smog from malfunctioning machines, or once-peaceful societies tearing themselves apart with corrupted weaponry.
Across countless worlds, Etarr has left its mark – a trail of shattered civilizations and technological nightmares. Grand works of engineering become instruments of destruction. Lifesaving advancements morph into tools of oppression. Etarr's influence is a subtle poison, tainting innovation and twisting the pursuit of progress into a path of self-destruction.
Etarr tempts mortals with forbidden knowledge. It offers glimpses of technological marvels, but these advancements come at a terrible cost. Etarr warps the minds of those who seek its power, twisting their creations into instruments of decay and destruction. Those who resist its influence face relentless manipulation and insidious lies, all designed to drive them towards a technological singularity that spells doom for their world.
Social
Contacts & Relations
Etarr's interest in beholders and similar creatures with decaying abilities isn't merely aesthetic. Scholars believe it reflects a deeper fascination with the corruption of technology. Beholders, with their central eye warped into a monstrous maw, represent the perversion of innovation. Many Speculate that Etarr had an ancient rivalry with Bane, a god who once had a similar interest in twisted creations.
Etarr finds itself amidst a pantheon fractured by its destructive influence. Unlike Ghaundaur, Etarr's focus on corruption puts it at odds with deities like Lolth, who covets similar domains.
The elven pantheon, champions of nature and harmony, stand as unwavering foes: Corellon Larethien, Hanali Celanil, Rillifane Rallathil, and Solonor Thelandira all despise Etarr's twisted vision of progress. Similarly, the halfling deities, Arvoreen and Sheela Peryroyl, see Etarr as a blight upon the natural world.
However, Etarr's greatest enemy is Ervenius, the god of magic. Assumably in 6,000 BB Ervenius recognized the threat Etarr posed and banished it from Theras with the aid of his friends: Ella'li, Agonis, Baravor and even the new god of technology: Pheistus. Some sages claim that even more than hated than Ervenius, is Pheistus who stole his supermecy over Technology.
Menedynn Empire Era
Within the Menedynn Pantheon, countless deities bear the scars of Etarr's influence. Thea, Vandi, and Lune all have suffered from Etarr's attempts to corrupt their domains. Muvir, found itself at odds with Etarr as well. Despite its numerous foes, Etarr has managed to forge a few twisted alliances. Talos, shared Etarr's desire to eradicate the works of Ervenius. Nyx, the goddess of night, presumably because of a twisted sense of love towards her.
Titles:
The Darkbringer;The Creeping God;
The Architect of Doom;
The Puppeteer of Progress;
Divine Classification
Religions
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Children
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
| LG | NG | CG |
| LN | N | CN |
| LE | NE | CE |
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