Cormyr and the Dalelands

Monsterous Deities

Monstrous Deities cover the various deities of the monstrous races of Faerun, and elsewhere.

• Blibdoolpoolp
  
• Great Mother
  
• Hruggek
  
• Ilsensine
  
• Kurtulmak
  
• Laogzed
  
• Maglubiyet
  
• Sekolah
  
• Vlaakith
  

Blibdoolpoolp
The Sea Mother, The Whip of Whips, The Drowning Godess

Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Symbol: Lobster Head or Black Pearl
Home Plane: Fated Depths
Portfolio: Kuo-toas, Evil, Undersea Creatures
Worshipers: Kuo-toas, Evil Undersea Creatures
Favored Weapon: Pincer Staff (quartertaff)

Blibdoolpoolp is an ancient deity of a race driven back from their earliest habitats, below and near the oceans, mostly by humans and allied demihumans. Now her people populate only the Underdark, in competition with illithids and drow. Blibdoolpoolp is consequently a deity warped by hatreds. She hates humans and most demihumans (especially elves) for driving her race away from their homes and slaughtering them and she hates the deities of the illithids and drow as competitors for the little space her race has left. She does not actually have special eminity for aquatic races, save sea elves, since they did not play a major role in the extinction of the surface kuo-toa.

Added to this festering hatred, or possibly because of it, is a questionable mental status. Blibdoolpoolp may not quite be insane, but she is very unpredictable, irrational, and prone to wild mood swings. The area she occupies in the Fated Depths is a spherical temple that resembles a small moon drifting through the unholy waters of the plane. Fiendish crustaceans and kuo-toa petitioners share this enormous structure, serving their increasingly irrelevant deity.

As an ancient deity, Blibdoolpoolp is said to know deep magical secrets that are part of the fundamental fabric of the universe. At least she thinks she does, as she broods over those secrets and holds them unto herself. Because she shuns contacts with all other deities, and doesn't share her knowledge, there is no way of knowing.

The Great Mother
Progenitor of Beholders

Greater Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Symbol: Egg with an eye
Home Plane: The Deep Caverns (Realm of a Million Eyes)
Portfolio: Magic, fertility, tyranny
Worshipers: Beholders
Favored Weapon: Greataxe

From birth, beholders know that they came not from their parent, who disavows them and turns on them as an enemy, but from an ancient being known as the Great Mother. To beholders, the Great Mother epitomizes the truth. All else is imperfection, and as a result, each beholder strives to become as perfect in mind and body as the Great Mother. Each beholder vividly recalls its birth not as the event occurred, but as if it had been spawned personally by the Great Mother herself. Each beholder also believes to the core of its being that it personifies the closest approximation the flesh can hope for in replicating the true majesty of the Great Mother. All others are pretenders that must be destroyed, for each moment that another beholder lives is an insult to the Great Mother. To a beholder, there is no greater way to demonstrate its faith than to slaughter and kill.

Hruggek
The Decapitator, The Master of Ambush

Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Symbol: Morningstar
Home Plane: Clangor (Hruggekolohk)
Portfolio: Violence, Combat, Ambushes
Worshipers: Bugbears
Favored Weapon: Morningstar

Hruggek is a deity who delights in fairly savage combat, he is not truly a war/battle god in all respects though. Mass battles and epic confrontations are not what the bugbear god seeks. His people are not numerous enough for this and he prefers to see them use stealth and wiles to pick off small groups of other creatures.

Hrugglek has no special racial enemies. The bugbears are an opportunistic race, and Hruggek has no special antipathies to other deities for past slights. He is quite happy to see elves, dwarves, goblins, gnomes or any other available walking target knocked on the head (or, preferably, to have its head severed). He houses a large collection of magically enchanted severed heads within his home on Clangor. These grizzly trophies often utter praises to him, or use enchantments such as power words to foil his enemies. It is not known where his collection of heads comes from, some say they are his own trophies, but it is also thought that perhaps a former deity left them and he claimed them along with his lair.

Ilsensine
The Tentacled Lord, the Great Brain, the God Brain

Greater Deity
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Symbol: Glowing brain with two tentacles or a stylized illithid face with four mouth tentacles rendered in jade green.
Home Plane: Deep Caverns (The Cavern of Thought)
Portfolio: Mental domination, magic
Worshipers: Mind flayers, tyrants, psionic creatures, psions, psychic warriors, sorcerers, wizards
Favored Weapon: Tentacle (unarmed strike)

Illithid religion differs from most theologies in that it lacks any concern with the afterlife. Mind flayers know what becomes of them when they die--they meld with the elder brain. Instead, mind flayers revere a deity whose philosophies mirror their own: that knowledge is the greatest commodity, darkness the greatest illumination, the mind the greatest power, and illithids the greatest race. They have such a deity in Ilsensine. Ilsensine resides in the vast Caverns of Thought in the Deep Caverns. It has no physical body but manifests itself as cohesive thought in the shape of a gigantic, pulsing brain. Ganglia of infi nite length trail outward in all directions from its glowing shape and reach to all corners of existence. Through these ganglia, Ilsensine taps all the knowledge that is. It peers into the minds of the greatest sages of all dimensions, saps fading memories from the desiccating brains of dead wizards, and stares across space and time itself to learn all there is to know. Of everything it surveys, it judges the mind flayers as the most worthy of mortal creatures.

Mind flayers do not worship Ilsensine in the same sense that humans or elves worship their deities. They revere the god for its gigantic, all-sensing mental capacity. To them, Ilsensine is the ultimate form of what an elder brain aspires to be and might become, in the fullness of uncountable eons of growth. The illithids envy its vast knowledge, which in practical terms appears limitless. They entreat Ilsensine for favors and even supplicate it, but their innate, overpowering egoism prevents any true "worship." The priesthood of Ilsensine is small and selective. Illithid clerics live monastically, pursuing knowledge for its own sake and engaging in experiments to develop new psionic powers. Through their worship, they enlist the aid of all-sensing Ilsensine, who knows things that are hidden even to the elder brains. Mind flayer priests are not reviled the way wizards (and especially sorcerers) are, but they don't mix with illithid society. They rarely leave their temples except when conducting important ceremonies. Taking a cue from Ilsensine, the clerics sometimes use cranium rats as spies or to convey messages across long distances. When Ilsensine needs to intervene directly in material affairs, it most often sends its proxy, Lugribossk.

Kurtulmak
Gnomesmasher, The Watcher, Steelscale, The Horned Sorcerer, Stingtail.

Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Symbol: Gnome Skull
Home Plane: Clangor (Draukari)
Portfolio: Kobolds, Hatred
Worshipers: Kobolds
Favored Weapon: Warhammer

Kurtulmak (kurt-uhl-mak), the deity of kobolds, appears as a particularly large kobold. He is about 5 feet tall, with scaly skin mottled black and green. His ratlike tail is long and tipped with a wicked stinger. Kurtulmak taught the kobolds the arts of mining, ambushing, and trapmaking. Garl Glittergold, deity of the gnomes, once collapsed Kurtulmak's cavernous home as a joke. The event wounded Kurtulmak's pride on two fronts, as he considered himself both an expert trickster and a miner without equal. Since then Kurtulmak has hated Garl and all gnomes. Kurtulmak hates being bettered by any means, especially by some frivolous method such as an illusion or a practical joke. He carries grudges and has a huge
chip on his small shoulder.

Dogma:

Kurtulmak is a savage deity who is always attentive to events on the Material Plane and eager to secure any advantage for his people. He teaches the kobolds that fair fights are for fools or for the unlucky. It is better to flee and fight again than to be defeated, and no fight is truly over if even one kobold lives. Revenge is sweet, says Kurtulmak, even if it takes years to arrange. Kurtulmak also teaches his people that a quick wit, a good plan, and a well-laid ambush are far better than a strong sword arm.

Clergy and Temples:

Kurtulmak's clerics lead war and raiding parties, see to tribal defense (especially the construction of traps), and oversee each tribe's mining operations. Others lead expeditions to explore new areas and probe dwarf and gnome settlements for weaknesses the kobolds can exploit. No kobold community is complete without a temple or shrine to Kurtulmak. They are usually dug out of solid rock and accessed through narrow, twisting passages guarded by traps. Inside, a temple to Kurtulmak is cramped and usually decorated with piles of gnome skulls.

Laogzed
Devourer, The Eater of Souls

Demigod
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Symbol: Oozing toad-lizard
Home Plane: Deep Caverns (The Rotting Plain)
Portfolio: Hunger, Destruction
Worshipers: Troglodytes, Tren
Favored Weapon: Club

Laogzed is a disgusting creature who's function among the fullness of creation is very questionable. It's only apparent desire and purpose is to eat anything it comes across, although it has an instinctual evil that leads it to prefer organic matter, preferably with plenty of juices (blood) and still wriggling, which gives it pleasurable sensations as it chews and swallows its food. It's origins are mythologically ascribed to the coupling of an evil god with a reptilian tanar'ri female; sometimes Panzuriel is considered to be this monsters father, else a demented deity of darkness such as the Elder Elemental God. Other gods tolerate it as a necessary scavenger with some kind of cleansing role. Laogzed is the patron deity of troglodytes and tren, a vile being whose appearance suggests both toad and lizard. Laogzed's oozing skin is covered with loose patches of dead flesh, he is a chaotic deity of eating, gluttony, and wanton destruction.

Maglubiyet
The High Chieftain, The Battle Lord, Fiery-eyes, The Mighty, The Lord of Depths and Darkness

Greater Deity
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Symbol: Bloody Axe
Home Plane: Clangor (Grashmog, the Heart of Battle)
Portfolio: Goblins, Hobgolblins, Leadership, War
Worshipers: Goblinoids
Favored Weapon: Warhammer

Maglubiyet is the patron god of both goblins and hobgoblins. Similar in many ways to Grummsh, the orcish god; he wishes to see war waged for the glory of his people, and eternally urges them on to conflict and strife. Maglubiyet's favored targets for this warfare are slightly different. Whilst orcs drive ever on to virtually any new habitat they can find, goblins have a stronger affinity with underground environments. Maglubiyet wishes to see his people destroy surface races, of course, but this is for the glory of war and carnage rather than for territory. The prime enemies and competitors for the goblins are dwarves and gnomes, and these are the races Maglubiyet drives his servants to destroy whenever they find them.

Maglubiyet favors a rigid hierarchy among goblins and hobgoblins. There is an exact pecking order in tribes; each member knows who is above him and who is below him. Nonetheless, rulers rule by virtue of strength. When that wanes, they are swiftly disposed of as Maglubiyet wishes. Goblins have a natural lifespan of up to 50 years or so, but few of the leaders live that long. A paranoid deity, he once had a pair of sons, but sent them on suicide missions to rid himself of them long ago. He employs a handful of baatazu advisers, along with yugoloth mercenaries in his endless struggle.

Sekolah
The Great Shark, The Joyful Hunter, The Caller From the Depths

Lesser Deity
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Symbol: White Shark
Home Plane: Fated Depths
Portfolio: Sahuagin, Hunting, Tyranny, Plunder
Worshipers: Sahuagin
Nature Deity: Yes
Cleric Alignments: LN, LE, NE
Favored Weapon: Trident

The vicious, ever-hungry Sekolah is a deity with almost no allies whatsoever. He represents an elemental force of uncaring viciousness and brutality, and he drives his race to plunder, slaughter, and dominion, their fecund nature ensuring they can never be wiped out. One of the two powers that lives in the dark waters of Fated Depths, Sekolah has no realm. The god rules where it is, and no creature dares challenge it. Sekolah will go to some lengths to find kraken, squid, and similar marine monsters of vast size, to provide him with a worthwhile hunt anywhere he can reach across the planes.

Vlaakith
Vlaakith CLVII, The Lich-Queen

Lesser Deity (Proxy for Tiamat)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Home Plane: Astral Plane
Portfolio: Githyanki, conquest, raiding, destruction of illithids, eternal rulership
Worshipers: Githyanki, red dragon mounts
Favored Weapon: "Silver Sword" (greatsword)

Vlaakith CLVII, the reigning sovereign of the githyanki race, is the legitimate descendant of the original Vlaakith, and her word is law. Unlike her predecessors, however, she is a lich, has no heirs, and in her undead state is now unable to produce them. Vlaakith demands unswerving loyalty and obedience from her people, and few dare question her resolve or her wisdom. She sequesters herself in her forlorn palace and is rarely seen by her subjects. She views undeath merely as a transitional state and strives to become a true god, attaining true immortality and power as vast as the Astral Plane itself.

History/Relationships:
Eons ago, the forerunners of the githyanki rebelled against the mind flayers. After winning their freedom with the aid of the legendary Gith, they established a hereditary monarchy, naming Gith their ruler. Gith declined the honor. Civil strife ravaged the forerunner race of the githyanki and githzerai, and the two became vicious rivals.

Eventually, the githyanki settled on the Astral Plane. The husk of the dead god that became the important githyanki city of Tu'narath was ancient even then. A family claiming a blood relationship to Gith took power and established Tu'narath as its capital. Years after the githyanki claimed the Astral Plane as their home, Vlaakith I began advising Gith, the githyanki liberator and ruler, in matters of state. In pursuit of pwoerful allies, Vlaakith advised Gith to descend into the Nine Hells and met with the legendary Tiamat, queen of evil dragons. Gith agreed, and soon thereafter an eternal pact was forged between the githyanki and red dragons.

Ephelomon, Tiamat's red dragon consort, visited the Astral Plane and informed Vlaakith I of the pact. He also reported that Gith would remain in Baator and that she had chosen Vlaakith I as her successor. Gith's last command was that her people continue their legacy of conquest. Whenever the githyanki ventured to the Material Plane, they would find staunch allies among red dragons lairing there. Vlaakith I and her descendants have maintained this pact in the years since, carving lairs for numerous dragons in the rocky hillsides near the githyanki capital city of Tu'narath, luring red dragons to the Astral Plane with promises of long lives and vast troves.

Unable to sire children of her own, Vlaakith the Lich-Queen has taken her people's pact with red dragons to a new level by creating the duthka'giths, fearless and brutal githyanki with red dragon blood. Originally created by an arcane spell of Vlaakith's devising, the duthka'gith can now create progeny of their own. Duthka'gith hatcheries can be found in many secret locations on the Material Plane. Duthka'giths that survive to adulthood often return to the Astral Plane to serve as elite shock troops and palace guards. Most githyanki barely tolerate and secretly detest the duthka'giths. Some believe the lich-queen has perverted the pact with the red dragons and strayed from the wishes of Gith; others fear that the duthka'giths are the mad queen's attempt to "perfect" the githyanki race--a grim harbinger of worse things to come.

The Vlaakith line provided much-needed leadership and constancy. The large degree of stability of government in Tu'narath is rare in the multiverse, even among the gods. The Vlaakith line has ruled the githyanki for countless millennia.

The current ruler, Queen Vlaakith CLVII, has reigned for well over a thousand years. Unlike all her predecessors, this Vlaakith is a lich. She has no heirs, and her elimination would lead to great turmoil among the githyanki.

The Palace of Whispers:

Vlaakith the lich-queen dwells in Susurrus, the Palace of Whispers. Its polished obsidian walls are supported by flying buttresses and carved with narrow windows set with opaque panes of crimson glass. Entrance is gained through the 100-foot-tall statue of Gith that "guards" the palace and watches over the city below. A vast necropolis surrounds the palace on all sides, the graves and mausoleums of fallen githyanki heroes eerily silent. As one nears Susurrus, the whispers of the dead trapped within its walls can be heard. These whispers become louder as one enters the forlorn edifice, and even more intense in the presence of Vlaakith.