afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VII

[Efrate]

Curiously despite his control of undead Nerull is not a lich though he is a caster. Vecna became a lich before ascending but I do not know if he was the first.

[afroakuma]

Is there any info regarding the first lich and or the first golem?
Am considering having one, the other, or both present at the end of time and it'd be nice to know any lore about them that might already exist.

There is not. It's highly likely that neither exists anymore; the first golem would have suffered the same problems as other golems but writ large as the formal process had not yet been set in stone, as it were. The first lich would likely have provoked a backlash from the forces of Good.

Was Mellifleur the first Lich?

Nyet. That's sort of the point of him, really, when you get right down to it - nothing was exceptional about Mellifleur himself except the unusual circumstances out of his control that bestowed godhood on him. See also the Mellifleur campaign path I posted, in which he's riddled with foes.

Also, how old is Talos the Triple Iron Golem? He may have been the first? First mentioned in the 1E DMG IIRC, and also referred to in BoVD.

He serves Dispater, so definitely "old," but I'd be surprised if Talos was the first.

[Bartmanhomer]

How's Heironeous and Kord relationship like?

[LordofBones]

Is there afrocanon for Afflux, along the lines of what you did for Evening Glory?

Who amongst the Faerunian pantheon are the closest to becoming multispheric deities? I'm guessing Velsharoon is one of them, since he's taken to using Mellifleur's name as an alias?

[unseenmage]

There is not. It's highly likely that neither exists anymore; the first golem would have suffered the same problems as other golems but writ large as the formal process had not yet been set in stone, as it were. The first lich would likely have provoked a backlash from the forces of Good.

Nyet. That's sort of the point of him, really, when you get right down to it - nothing was exceptional about Mellifleur himself except the unusual circumstances out of his control that bestowed godhood on him. See also the Mellifleur campaign path I posted, in which he's riddled with foes.

He serves Dispater, so definitely "old," but I'd be surprised if Talos was the first.

So if one were to extrapolate.. what would the oldest mortal spellcasting race be who could have pioneered lichdom?

Same question but for Golems and without the mortal qualifier. Even immortals like automation after all.

[Droid Tony]

Who amongst the Faerunian pantheon are the closest to becoming multispheric deities? I'm guessing Velsharoon is one of them, since he's taken to using Mellifleur's name as an alias?

All the greater powers, at least, though many all ready are spread out across the worlds depending on the source.

Most 1E and 2E Realms Lore has the Faerunian pantheon worshiped across many worlds other then just Toril. There are plenty of vague refrences to many unamed other worlds. It's only when you open a Planescape product do you find the Faerunian pantheon all bottled up to a single sphere.

Both 1E and at least eairly 2E when with the D&D Myrstra idea that each deity was known by many names across the Prime Plane. This idea got dropped quick as being too confusing, but has never gone away entierly.

A good example is Tyr, as a multisphere deity. He is worshied in the Realms, as part of the Norse pantheon, and is also worshiped by saurilis on their dinosaur planet(as Dragonbait is a paladin of Tyr).

[afroakuma]

How's Heironeous and Kord relationship like?

They don't really have much of one; Kord is favored for the most part in places where Heironeous is not; their only meaningful overlap is in Keoland, on Oerth. As Kord is a Suel deity and Heironeous is Oeridian, they didn't have an ancient relationship prior to the Great Migrations. I would expect for the most part they can interact pleasantly but neither sees any real need to open the door further - Heironeous would find Kord too reckless and self-indulgent, Kord would find Heironeous too staid and dutiful.

Is there afrocanon for Afflux, along the lines of what you did for Evening Glory?

If I must, I must.

Afflux's realm, Bloodwrack Spire, looms over all else on its sphere of Minethys, third layer of Carceri. A cluster of five towers forming a jagged daggerlike edifice, the whole is made of some reflective near-black glassy substance, with rivulets of blood trickling from many an aperture, forming a blood moat around the whole. Nightwings lurk atop the towers, rarely roused but never friendly, and the lands around the tower complex are stalked by wheeps and Afflux's dolors, a bodak variant whose gaze causes potentially lethal pain and suffering. Commonly seen visitors include kochrachons, night hags, and vampires.

Bloodwrack Spire is one of the best places in all the planes to procure liquid pain, for it is frequently extracted in the course of the vile experiments that take place here. The five towers, from least to greatest, are Masochism, Surrender, Silence, Screaming, and Truth; the last and greatest of these is the tallest, but also the most narrow, and is home to the deity himself. Afflux is a much-despised deity with few friends; Karontor appreciates his facility with torture, Kanchelsis and Erythnul appreciate his taste for blood, and Cas appreciates his cruelty. None of these, however, care for the obsessive nature of Afflux. In general he is courted for alliances of convenience, for Afflux and his followers are extremely happy to have new prey to torture.

For his part, Afflux considers himself a scholar and delver of deep mysteries, and thinks himself a peer of powers such as Vecna and Ilsensine. For Vecna's part, Afflux is a useful idiot, willing to do the laborious parts of extracting information. Afflux, meanwhile, believes that with Vecna he shall unlock ancient secrets of the multiverse (many of which Vecna already knows and has no intention of sharing). What the Maimed God misses is that Afflux discovers things rooted in emotions and feelings, which Vecna often overlooks on the road to winnowing out dark and hidden fact. Ilsensine similarly considers Afflux to be a lesser mind, rather than any kind of peer; the illithid god does, however, appreciate Afflux's willingness to experiment on his subjects in often extreme ways, and some mind flayers take the Bloodspiller as their patron to gain insights into ways to warp and twist the flesh.

Who amongst the Faerunian pantheon are the closest to becoming multispheric deities? I'm guessing Velsharoon is one of them, since he's taken to using Mellifleur's name as an alias?

I mean, we're ignoring the ones who already are, right? There are a fair number of those... I might say Lurue, honestly, purely because she might make a good patron for unicorns from other spheres. Talos has been putting in some effort with his underling demigods... Tymora is represented by a number of adventurers, and if they travel the spheres or the planes, her faith might naturally spread with them.

So if one were to extrapolate.. what would the oldest mortal spellcasting race be who could have pioneered lichdom?

They rarely become spellcasters, but the first mortal race, and certainly capable of casting spells, would be the aboleths. I don't find them to be a particularly viable candidate for what you're looking at, mind you... past them, it would be the kutalla, the broul, the lovokei, the sh'taargh... if you follow afro-canon, the ancient gnomes... and the juna. It's possible ancient spell weavers emerged in the distant past, and we know for a fact that some spell weavers pursued lichdom. The successors of the juna would have been the thri-kreen, if you're looking for something more fun.

Same question but for Golems and without the mortal qualifier. Even immortals like automation after all.

I mean, I have an answer for that... Again, aboleths are the first mortal race, and we know aboleths make golems, for some values of the word "golem" (shaboath). Wouldn't be my answer, but that's definitely a way you could go which would not be unreasonable. Would be a psionically driven golem in that case, most likely.

and is also worshiped by saurilis on their dinosaur planet(as Dragonbait is a paladin of Tyr).

IIRC Dragonbait wasn't originally a servant of Tyr; Tyr provided his spells on behalf of his native patron, a deity of law. I believe they also had a goddess of good fortune and a harvest goddess, cognates to Tymora and Chauntea, though Hall of Heroes makes it clear that the saurials' gods are different from those of the Realms and that their access to spells granted by their own patron deities is impeded while on Toril.

[unseenmage]

...

They rarely become spellcasters, but the first mortal race, and certainly capable of casting spells, would be the aboleths. I don't find them to be a particularly viable candidate for what you're looking at, mind you... past them, it would be the kutalla, the broul, the lovokei, the sh'taargh... if you follow afro-canon, the ancient gnomes... and the juna. It's possible ancient spell weavers emerged in the distant past, and we know for a fact that some spell weavers pursued lichdom. The successors of the juna would have been the thri-kreen, if you're looking for something more fun.

I mean, I have an answer for that... Again, aboleths are the first mortal race, and we know aboleths make golems, for some values of the word "golem" (shaboath). Wouldn't be my answer, but that's definitely a way you could go which would not be unreasonable. Would be a psionically driven golem in that case, most likely.

...

Hm. I hadnt even considered the aboleth. My mistake really.
Now that I have though... I like it.

For the Golem side ot things, now that I think about it I think I needed to've put a 'humanoid' qualifier in there somewhere.
For my purposes I would need the oldest race likely to create a humanoid shaped golem.

Which I'm sure Aboleths still could, but would they?

[afroakuma]

For the Golem side ot things, now that I think about it I think I needed to've put a 'humanoid' qualifier in there somewhere.
For my purposes I would need the oldest race likely to create a humanoid shaped golem.

Egh... that's more troublesome. We don't have information on the known races of the First Sphere, apart from the juna, who were not humanoid. The reigar would be potential candidates, but they didn't really believe in making things last. They also blew up their own home planet. Not likely the first golem a reigar ever made would still be intact. There was an ancient era wherein the hurwaeti were great... odd candidate, and the race has degenerated, but if you want something different... Afro-canon still offers gnomes, for whatever that's worth.

Which I'm sure Aboleths still could, but would they?

No. Aboleths make use of humanoids when they're nearby and available, but they truly do not like humanoids at all. Shaboaths are much more useful to them.

[enderlord99]

Assuming (perhaps dubiously) that Obox-Ob controls (to roughly the extent that anything in the Abyss can be controlled) not only layer 663 of the Abyss but also layers 664 through 666... then he plus the Big Three directly control a total of nine layers between them.

If these nine layers were (definitely dubiously) matched up one-to-one with the layers of Baator... which would correspond to which?

Dis obviously matches up with one of the layers of Azzagrat (because "big city") but I don't know which of those three, nor do I have any other matchups

[Tzardok]

Assuming (perhaps dubiously) that Obox-Ob controls (to roughly the extent that anything in the Abyss can be controlled) not only layer 663 of the Abyss but also layers 664 through 666... then he plus the Big Three directly control a total of nine layers between them.

If these nine layers were (definitely dubiously) matched up one-to-one with the layers of Baator... which would correspond to which?

Dis obviously matches up with one of the layers of Azzagrat (because "big city") but I don't know which of those three, nor do I have any other matchups

You do know that we don't know anything about 664-666, y'know?

But fine, I'll indulge you: Stygia and Thanatos are both cold and ocean-y. Malbolge and The Gaping Maw are both places of fecundant growth. Nessus and Nr. 666 match because they are the lowest. Match-up Zionyn and Maladomini, both have bugs as rulers. Phlegetos and the lowest layer of Azzagrat, both are places of hedonism and do funky things with temperature. The middle layer of Azzagrat and Minauros, both are swampy. Cania and Nr. 665, and Avernus and Nr. 664, because I say so.

[Tzardok]

I always like it when I find a question about Hourglass of Zihaja to ask; in no other setting I can get the answers straight from the creator.
How did Nathar manage ascension to divinity without Zihaja subsuming him as an aspect?
Is Nathar in any way loyal to Johoum and tries to free him?

[Bartmanhomer]

Do Eilistraee the Good Drow Deity accepts everyone regardless of other race who worship her or only good drow race who worship her?

[Dalmosh]

Complete Psionic discusses the possibility of Flayerspawn Psychics that have manifested appropriate cosmetic illithid heritor traits being able to live secretly in the lower rungs of illithid society.

Would illithids even care about this?

To what extent would they tolerate such individuals provided they were willing to conform to the norms of the society, and were sincere in their attempts to ape illithids?

[tyckspoon]

Do Eilistraee the Good Drow Deity accepts everyone regardless of other race who worship her or only good drow race who worship her?

Very few gods will actually reject any sincere worshipper; the more niche ones tend to just not evangelize much or simply are not very interesting or attractive to anybody outside their narrow field of interest. Eilistraee's main problem would likely be that her domains/areas of influence are pretty common aside from the 'patron for non-standard Drow' thing; unless you happen to actually be an outcast Drow your current pantheon probably has a better-known god you can worship (indeed 'Chaotic Good god of Elfness' describes like 3/4 of the standard elf gods already.)

[Alea]

Complete Psionic discusses the possibility of Flayerspawn Psychics that have manifested appropriate cosmetic illithid heritor traits being able to live secretly in the lower rungs of illithid society.

Would illithids even care about this?

To what extent would they tolerate such individuals provided they were willing to conform to the norms of the society, and were sincere in their attempts to ape illithids?

Complete Psionic is a terrible book, and frequently clashes heavily with existing canon. The flayerspawn concept is, wholesale, an example: it’s nonsense.

[afroakuma]

I always like it when I find a question about Hourglass of Zihaja to ask; in no other setting I can get the answers straight from the creator.

Ah farts.

How did Nathar manage ascension to divinity without Zihaja subsuming him as an aspect?

The racial gods weren't aspected and Nathar doesn't have/won't have a disruptive enough following to imbalance things.

Is Nathar in any way loyal to Johoum and tries to free him?

No.

Do Eilistraee the Good Drow Deity accepts everyone regardless of other race who worship her or only good drow race who worship her?

She doesn't reject worshipers on the basis of race, but it would be very unlikely for non-drow to find her emotionally resonant in the way of a patron deity.

Would illithids even care about this?

They'd kill someone they detected doing this. Illithids do not enjoy being deceived, and anyone who isn't a true illithid is experimentation material.

To what extent would they tolerate such individuals provided they were willing to conform to the norms of the society, and were sincere in their attempts to ape illithids?

I mean, you said it there - "ape." Only difference is that we might misguidedly find it cute for a while; illithids don't have a notion of "cute" and would simply be insulted.

Also Alea is right, it's a horribly dumb concept. Six feats to be able to eat brains poorly... come on, book.

[Thurbane]

I love the treatment you gave the Qorrashi!

Any chance you could do similar with the Khayal (shadow genies, ToM)?

Hate to be that guy, but time permitting, submitting request again? I loved the Afrocanon for the Qorrashi, and I'm a big fan of geniekind in general.

[Fable Wright]

Also Alea is right, it's a horribly dumb concept. Six feats to be able to eat brains poorly... come on, book.

Really? Complete Psionics material being absolutely terrible? Inconceivable.

More on topic, aside from divine realms and such, what would you call the most interesting settlements on each of the Outer Planes? Places which might attract the desperate or deranged and act as plot hooks. The Abyss and Baator have been given more than their fair share of neat places, and the Yugoloths ensured that there were at least three places of interest between the two, but for the discerning traveler, what's the most interesting place on Acheron? Pandemonium? Arcadia? (Aside from the divine realms in these places.)

[Eldan]

Heya. Not sure if you've seen this thread, but I don't suppose you'd know anything more about the Demon Lords Gresil, Eblis or Volisupula? From all I can find, they are just some of those names that were put in to fill out lists.

Edit: and by all means, don't invest too much time in this question. A "no" is completely sufficient. Just wondering if you can think of any additional sources.

[Tzardok]

The racial gods weren't aspected and Nathar doesn't have/won't have a disruptive enough following to imbalance things.

Ah, I assumed that Marthuak and the Dvernin Deities hadn't been aspected because they are invited guests, while Nathar's definitely unwanted. But if he isn't important enough for the greater balance, I'll accept it.
Different Zihaja question, then I'll stop it if it annoys you that much:
Empress Tamamaska of the devils. What rank did she have in Baator before she lead her armies into the Kamala? Was she just an opportunistic middle officer? A General in the Blood War? A Duke of Hell?... A primordial Lady of the Nine???

[afroakuma]

Hate to be that guy

I don't even know what you want me to do besides make up a ridiculous name for the king. I wrote like 200 words on the qorrash that had anything to do with society, and the Tome of Magic covered that.

Khayal think other races are weak and gullible. They disdain living among others, and prefer their own cities on the Plane of Shadow, the largest of which is the City of Onyx, where lies the Grand Palace of Endings, home to the King of Shadows (Malik al-Khayal). The current Malik al-Khayal is Khalil al-Samat Hashim al-Nur ben Saam, who prefers to be called Samat ben Saam among his own people. At his direction, the City of Onyx is open to travelers and trade, though he forbids non-khayal entry to the city center where lies his palace. The emirs of the other cities defer to the Malik on all matters, though unlike his father Saam, the current Malik considers himself first among equals and rarely exercises his vested authority save when he is concerned his people's instincts would result in missed opportunities.

A rumor persists among some sages who study the War of Law and Chaos that the khayal have their origins as genies who betrayed the vaati and sided with the Queen of Chaos against the Inner Planes, becoming shorn of their elemental ties as punishment. For their part, the shadow genies insist they have always been free, independent, and much too clever to be caught up in any such nonsense. They do not look at all kindly on such rumors being discussed in their presence.

Unless one can get the better of a khayal in a matter of deception and honor, a chilly reception should be expected. A friendly khayal is one who still believes themself superior to their "friend" and obviously in charge, and they make poor and unreliable hirelings as they defer to none without the express decree of the Malik al-Khayal. The shadow genies do have certain personal and societal principles, however, and are quite clear that they do not appreciate the darkness being considered "evil" or "dangerous" in any way. Some parts of Deep Shadow are avoided by the khayal, and these they do not speak of; a khayal guide, if one can be engaged and trusted at all, is most definitely the safest way to travel the Deep. Khayal have a very particular dislike for jann and have skirmished with them for millennia, sometimes escalating into open war. They are instinctively leery of gnomes.

Now then, to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Spoiler: The rest

Show

Erimesh
Large Outsider (Earth, Extraplanar, Fire)
HD 12d8+36 (90 hp)
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares); burrow 80 ft. (16 squares)
Init: +5
AC 24; touch 10; flat-footed 23 (+8 natural, +6 armor, +1 Dex, -1 size)
BAB +12; Grp +24
Attack Slam +19 melee (1d8+8 plus 1d6 fire) or gevshek +19 melee (2d6+12 plus 1d6 fire)
Full-Attack 2 slams +19 melee (1d8+8 plus 1d6 fire) or gevshek +19/+14/+9 melee (2d6+12 plus 1d6 fire)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with gevshek)
Special Attacks Earth mastery, eruption, heat, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities Darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/adamantine, immunity to acid and fire, plane shift, resistance to electricity 10, telepathy 100 ft., vulnerability to cold
Saves Fort +11 Ref +9 Will +10
Abilities Str 27, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills Appraise +17, Balance +6, Concentration +18, Craft (any three) +17, Diplomacy +12, Listen +12, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +17, Spot +12, Use Magic Device +12
Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Improved Initiative^B, Improved Trip, Power Attack
Environment Paraelemental Plane of Magma
Organization Solitary, company (2-4) or band (6-15)
Challenge Rating 10
Treasure Standard plus Large gevshek and Large banded mail
Alignment Always lawful good
Advancement 13-18 HD (Large); 19-36 HD (Huge)

Incandescent strips of metal atop blackened leather cast the marblelike flesh of this towering being in an eerie glow. No, not marble... the texture and color are closer to white ashes, the marbling coming from ripples of heat within its body. Its demonic grin bares teeth, sharpened and steely. Two saberlike horns, the color of blackened gold, peak at its temples before running down the back of its head. Its eyes glow with a terrible flame as the metallic polearm it holds begins to shift and slither.

The erimish (sing. erimesh) are the genies of magma, frightening in countenance but tremendously good-natured unless riled to action. Undisputed master craftsmen of the Inner Planes, they wield weapons designed to respond to the burning heat of their bodies.

Combat

Erimish are concerned about collateral damage and restrain themselves when necessary, using their tripping skills to catch and limit foes. An erimesh will not hesitate to use its abilities to its best tactical advantage and knows the value of flight. Bands of steel is a preferred tool for non-lethally sidelining an adversary.

Earth Mastery (Ex) An erimesh gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the erimesh takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)

Eruption (Su) Three times per day as a standard action, an erimesh may magically grow in size and power (as righteous might but without gaining DR). While erupted, the veins of the erimesh glow white-hot and its skin blackens temporarily. The erimesh's heat ability expands to encompass those within 30 ft. and deals 2d6 fire damage instead of 1d6. Eruption lasts for 1 minute.

Heat (Ex) An erimesh's red-hot body deals 1d6 points of extra fire damage whenever it hits in melee, or in each round it maintains a hold when grappling. While erupted, this damage increases to 2d6, and also affects creatures who start their turns within 30 ft. of the erimesh.

Plane Shift (Sp) A genie can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the genie and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the genie. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) At will - arcane lock, greater magic weapon (metal weapons only), heat metal, magic vestment (metal items only), rebirth of iron^CM (restores magical properties), see invisibility, 3/day - bands of steel^SC (DC 15), fabricate, fly, invisibility (self only), metal melt^SC (DC 16); 1/day - firestride exhalation^DM (DC 16), gaseous form (1 hour), iron body, limited wish (for nongenies only). Caster level 12th, save DCs Charisma-based.

Armorers of the vaati and their allies in the War of Law and Chaos, the erimish made their greatest contributions from the back lines, rarely participating in battle outside of chaotic incursions into the Paraelemental Plane of Magma. Earnest and humble, their culture views their contribution as necessary but not exceptional, diligent but not bold. "We did what someone would have had to do," is their take on their history, a legacy of providing the arms & armor that helped decide the multiverse for Law over Chaos.

Today, the erimish live in a great many small groups, or kasaba, each headed by a bey. The leader of the race, the Beylerbey (Bey of Beys), administrates from Shehir, the Obsidian City, where he presides over the Forum Dragonforged, a civic landmark gifted to the erimish by dragonkind in thanks for services of old. His official residence, the Ametrine Palace, is also largely given over to administrative and diplomatic functions. It is considered a visual wonder, pillar crystals blending purple and gold casting external light in splendid patterns across the smooth tiled floors. Another prominent structure, the Olivine Palace, is used to host visiting dignitaries. The current Beylerbey is Baris Korayzade Erol Taner Bey, recognized among the other courts as Erol Bey or Chief Erol.

The erimish rarely travel outside of their own plane, save to conduct trade and diplomacy or when tipped off to the possible location of a trapped or bound erimesh - the forces of Chaos kidnapped and sealed a great number in the Age Before Ages, and their kinfolk have worked to find and free them over the millennia. They have worked with the efreet and the dao, but find both to be untrustworthy; they are on very friendly terms with the archons and the guardinals, their best customers, and will work with modrons if asked - though the exemplars of pure law are hard to deal with in their own way. There has been reconciliation between the erimish and the eladrin since the long-ago War, though relations are still rather frosty and each race finds it difficult to understand the other.

The erimish patrol the Obsidian Forest for Inner Planar criminals and observe the Glowing Dunes to conduct rescue missions if anyone should unwisely trek into the deadly "sands". They know how to navigate the Chalk Islands, though there needs to be a particularly good reason for them to voluntarily escort anyone toward the border of the Negative Energy Plane in this way. The Sands, the transitional region between Magma and Dust, is antithetical to the principles and values of the erimish, and they have erected basalt towers across the border to warn off travelers.

The Beylerbey does not contest the self-proclaimed supremacy of the magma mephit leader Chilimba, and the erimish generally indulge the mephits until they go away. They find magmen and lava children to be a small nuisance, nothing more. Thoqqua are intrusive pests, the fire giants of the lava tubes are being watched from a safe distance, and magma paraelementals are generally friendly. The erimish have started selling enchanted olivine stones which allow nonnatives to safely breathe the air of Magma, though the heat remains the traveler's problem.

Erimish use many kinds of weapon, but one unique to them is the gevshek, which in the hands of most beings is functionally an uncomfortable and hard-to-hold guisarme (-1 to attack rolls for non-erimish). However, the "shaft" is in truth a clever assembly of thermally-sensitive links. When heat metal is cast on a gevshek, the links loosen, transforming into a weapon like a spiked chain or kusari-gama. Unlike a spiked chain, the gevshek's guisarme head and sturdy base weight allow it to deal either slashing or bludgeoning damage (the user decides when attacking). In all other respects, a loosened gevshek provides the same benefits as a spiked chain. Rebirth of iron resolidifies the weapon into its guisarme form.

Suresh
Large Outsider (Earth, Extraplanar, Water)
HD 8d8+24 (60 hp)
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); swim 60 ft. (12 squares)
Init: +6
AC 17; touch 11; flat-footed 15 (+6 natural, +2 Dex, -1 size)
BAB +8; Grp +17
Attack Slam +12 melee (2d6+5)
Full-Attack 2 slams +12 melee (2d6+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Bellow, spell-like abilities, terrain mastery
Special Qualities Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to acid and petrification, plane shift, resistance to cold 10, resistance to fire 10, telepathy 100 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves Fort +9 Ref +8 Will +10
Abilities Str 21, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills Balance +13, Bluff +13, Concentration +14, Disguise +13, Escape Artist +13, Knowledge (any three) +14, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +14, Spot +10, Swim +24
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Initiative^B, Improved Natural Attack, Iron Will
Environment Paraelemental Plane of Ooze
Organization Solitary, company (2-4) or band (6-15)
Challenge Rating 8
Treasure Standard
Alignment Always true neutral
Advancement 9-12 HD (Large); 13-24 HD (Huge)

A stout and well-muscled person towers over you, skin the color of clay slick with an oily sheen. Its eyes glow softly, and the light dances on iridescent scales on the sides of its neck.

The sureshi are the genies of mud and clay, serene and disengaged unless provoked to action. Shorter than other genies and much more robust, their skin is usually coated in a shiny oil, and often features hints of colorful scales that seem to appear only when they can catch the light. Each shoulder features a large eye which is usually kept closed but is a brilliant blue when opened. These are usually passed off as tattoos by those unfamiliar with the sureshi.

Combat

Sureshi sometimes wield weapons but are just as happy to strike foes with their fists. They are averse to aerial combat and always seek to manipulate the battlefield to their advantage using their powers. While sureshi generally prefer to avoid violence, when pressed they are quite comfortable bringing lethal force to bear against their foes. It is difficult to get the drop on a suresh thanks to the race's tremorsense ability.

Bellow (Su) As a standard action, a suresh may unleash a cacophonous bellow, affecting all within 30 ft. of it. Those who experience the bellow take 4d8 sonic damage and must make a Will save (DC 17) or have their memory temporarily impacted as follows: prepared casters lose at least 1d6 levels of already-prepared spells (if required to lose fewer levels than any of the caster's remaining spells, the caster must lose a higher-level spell); spontaneous casters forget one of their spells (minimum spell level 1d6 or highest remaining if minimum is not met); martial adepts forget a maneuver or stance in the same fashion; psionic characters forget a power in this manner. Characters who possess more than one of these capabilities may choose among all of them, provided the total minimum number of levels affected is reached. Characters who are not affected in any of the preceding ways instead suffer 1d4 Int damage. Forgotten spells, maneuvers, and powers are recovered after a full eight-hour rest. The suresh may bellow once per hour; those who successfully save against a suresh's bellow cannot be affected by the same suresh's bellow for 24 hours. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability; the save DC is Con-based.

Plane Shift (Sp) A genie can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the genie and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the genie. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) At will - amorphous form^SC (self only), blinding spittle^SC, create food and water, earthen grasp^SC, grease, resinous tar^CM, see invisibility, soften earth and stone, 3/day - alter self, dispel magic, earthbind^SC (DC 14), invisibility (self only), mesmerizing glare^SC, solid fog, stone shape, transmute rock to mud; 1/day - caustic mire^CM (DC 16), gaseous form (1 hour), limited wish (for nongenies only), stoneskin, true seeing. Caster level 12th, save DCs Charisma-based.

Terrain Mastery (Ex) A suresh gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground or immersed in water. If an opponent is airborne, the suresh takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.) The suresh and the foe do not need to both be in contact with ground or both be in contact with water; one being on the ground and the other in water is sufficient for the suresh to gain this bonus.

Skills Sureshi have a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks and Spot checks.

Logistics, fortifications, recruitment, scouting; these were just a handful of the myriad roles the sureshi played on behalf of the vaati during the War of Law and Chaos. A key resource for the forces of Law, the sureshi employed their natural intellect to impressive success. Unfortunately, distrust saw them relegated more toward administrative roles and away from combat, a fact that the sureshi have never forgotten. This, along with their relative lack of recognition on the Prime and the Planes next to the genies of the cardinal Elemental Planes, contributes to a certain indifference and disdain shown by the sureshi to others. A suresh with class levels is most likely to train as a factotum, bard (griot), warblade, or archivist; this last is because they reason they helped protect the multiversal order so that the gods could thrive, and so they should have access to the power without needing to pay lip service to the principles.

There are not many sureshi settlements on the Paraelemental Plane of Ooze - at least, not many that are known. Adventurers report finding sureshi enclaves in Minauros, on Baator; on little-known layers of the Abyss; on isles dotting Osse, in Arborea; and even in Lunia on Mount Celestia. Whether there is any truth to these rumors - do they really have an embassy in Semuanya's Bog? - is hard to say. A suresh won't bother telling. To their mind, the Eternal Sureshi Manden encompasses all corners of the multiverse, insofar as the Great Mansa determines it to be so - after all, they earned it.

The Great Mansa of the Sureshi is Feisal Rashad al-Tariq ben Kazim, who oversees the City of Porcelain Splendor from his Lithophane Tower. The formal administrative center of the manden is the Glasswater Palace at the heart of the Inscribed City, the largest sureshi city on the Plane of Ooze, though the Mansa rarely spends time there. The farbas and faamas, regional administrators & princes, meet once a year with the Mansa at the Glasswater Palace to provide updates on the status of the manden as a whole and request deployment of farins (knight-generals) if needed. Near the Glasswater Palace lies the College of Speakers, where a select few study to become griots - bard-counselors for the Mansa and his court.

The sureshi maintain relationships that are rarely described more warmly than "cordial" by outside observers. They like the rilmani best, though they find their "active balancekeeping" unusual and unrelatable. Illumians often journey to the Inscribed City, seeking entry for the purpose of study, and for the most part these visitors have been welcome. Other genies are for the most part tolerated, though sureshi do not particularly like the dao and will take steps to make them feel subtly unwelcome. A small number of rakshasas have been permitted entry into sureshi cities, though they tend to dislike the environment of the plane as a whole and rarely stay long. The Mansa has a treaty in place with Bwimb II, the Princess of Ooze Paraelementals, agreeing to mutual noninterference. It is rumored that he provided her intelligence about the true nature of her father's killer.

On Ooze itself, besides visitors from Earth and Water, the sureshi get along with the local ruvoka tribes and are vicious adversaries of the ooze sprites, an unusual example of two largely neutral peoples at war. Ooze mephits avoid sureshi, having puzzled out long ago that the genies do not like them and are powerful enough to make that stick. Few others live on the Plane of Ooze, and there are very few visitors, even to the extraordinary sites that characterize the power base of the sureshi.

One question that puzzles sages is why the other genie races turned on the sureshi during the War of Law and Chaos. One reputable source suggests that the ooze paraelementals held court with the then Mansa to discuss a possible surrender to Chaos, which they as beings of Ooze believed they might well survive and even thrive under. While the Mansa declined, dao spies leaked the meeting to the other genies in order to cast the sureshi in a poor light. Another attestation, this one more potentially spurious, is of some interest: it suggests that the grave error of the sureshi was in their role as recruiters for the war effort among the mortal races. In this myth, a suresh reveals to mortals for the first time that genies can be bound in service - the resultant suffering among geniekind is thus laid at the feet of the sureshi. For their part, the sureshi do not acknowledge this preposterous myth.

Dukhan
Large Outsider (Air, Extraplanar, Fire)
HD 7d8+7 (38 hp)
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); fly 60 ft. (12 squares) (perfect)
Init: +10
AC 19; touch 15; flat-footed 13 (+6 Dex, +4 natural, -1 size)
BAB +7; Grp +11
Attack Slam +10 melee (1d8+4)
Full-Attack 2 slams +10 melee (1d8+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Air mastery, sneak attack +2d6, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities Billow, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire and sonic, plane shift, resistance to electricity 10, smokesight, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves Fort +6 Ref +11 Will +4
Abilities Str 18, Dex 23, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 9, Cha 18
Skills Bluff +16, Concentration +11, Escape Artist +16, Hide +15, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (any one) +13, Listen +6, Move Silently +16, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +13, Spot +6
Feats Ability Focus (eyebite)^B, Combat Casting, Improved Initiative^B, Persuasive, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (eyebite)^B, Skill Focus (Hide)
Environment Paraelemental Plane of Smoke
Organization Solitary, company (2-4) or band (6-15)
Challenge Rating 7
Treasure Standard
Alignment Always chaotic evil
Advancement 8-11 HD (Large); 12-21 HD (Huge)

The slender but towering figure before you has velvety crimson skin, appearing ripply and damascened, but what draws your attention are the solid gold eyes, black pupils like a snake's - when they aren't melting and spiraling in a way that fills you with dread.

Dukhani are the genies of smoke, overbearing, erratic, and quick to anger. Distractible, capricious, self-interested, dukhani make for dangerous friends and troublesome adversaries.

Combat
Dukhani make ample use of their abilities to flood the area with smoke and illusions, bringing down troublesome targets with their potent eyebite ability. They never fight on fair footing if they can help it.

Air Mastery (Ex) Airborne creatures take a -1 penalty on attack and damage rolls against a dukhan.

Billow (Su) Once per round as an immediate action, a dukhan may allow its physical form to briefly billow out as a cloud of smoke, becoming insubstantial, in response to an attack directed against it. That attack fails to affect the dukhan. Certain effects which manipulate air or gases (gust of wind, etc.) cannot be effectively avoided in this fashion and take full effect as normal. The dukhan must be aware of the attack to be able to billow. Any time a dukhan would be denied its Dexterity bonus to AC, it cannot billow.

Plane Shift (Sp) A genie can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the genie and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the genie. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).

Smokesight (Ex) Dukhani can see through all forms of smoke, nonmagical or otherwise.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) At will - blades of fire^SC, invisibility (self only), obscure object, pyrotechnics (smoke only; DC 16), rebuke^SC (DC 16), see invisibility, unseen servant, wall of smoke^SC (DC 15), 3/day - alter self, blur, caustic smoke^CM (DC 17), delusions of grandeur^SC (DC 16), eyebite (DC 22), nauseating breath^SC (DC 17), sending, tongues; 1/day - break enchantment, gaseous form (1 hour), mirror image, persistent image (DC 19); 1/year - wish (nongenies only). Caster level 10th, save DCs Charisma-based.

At the peak of the War of Law and Chaos, things looked dire for the vaati and their allies. The forces of Chaos seemed insurmountable. Faced with this most consequential of moments, the dukhani bravely volunteered for a dangerous and terrible mission, one specifically suited to their talents. They went in without fear, they went in without hesitation, and their journeys took them deep into Limbo and the heart of the Abyss itself. They succeeded. They changed.

Today, the dukhani are unpredictable, selfish, violent, and frequently rude - yet the other genie races, save the khayal, treat them with utmost kindness and welcome. Only the sureshi are cool to their intrusive and demanding visitors, feeling their own role in the War was overlooked and the dukhani are overindulged. The specific contributions of the sureshi, after all, are a matter of considerable record. What, exactly, the dukhani did for the war effort remains something of a secret, though many sages have a fairly strong guess.

Traditionally close with the djinn and the efreet, the dukhani now watch with amusement as the two adversarial races duel over the Paraelemental Plane of Smoke. Their settlements are given foreboding names, such as their capital city of Khym, called the Whispered City. Here, the Great Sunan of the Dukhani, Sarvendah Asaputri, delivers judgments and receives petitions and tributes from the Ember Throne, at the center of the Palace of Fleeting Tranquilities. The lesser sunans often send gifts when summoned rather than appearing themselves, hoping to appease and distract Her Most Insidious and Ineffable Majesty and avoid her wrath. The Great Sunan has palaces in many locations around the plane, including the Palace of Poisoned Minds near the Gray Way and the splendid Mansion of Flickering Beauty near the Aurora.

Dukhani love to roam the Planes, but rarely settle anywhere long. Occasionally they visit Arborea, which rarely ends well; the slaad are more fun, and dukhani get along relatively well with tanar'ri - but not obyriths, and they will get particularly violent if Pale Night is mentioned in their presence. They sometimes deal with the baatezu for tasks that require a more chaotic hand than the devils are capable of applying, though few are so foolish as to trust a dukhan for long. Alliances between a dukhan and a yugoloth invariably end in bloodshed. This leaves the dukhani with the Inner Planes and the Prime.

Were the dukhani a less erratic people, their skirmishes with the paraelementals' rulers, the Smoke Dukes, would have long ago escalated to wars. Unnoticed by them are the smoke mephits, whose ruler Ehkahk claims to be superior to the Great Sunan and considers the Sunanate an unruly subject - though he has never dared say this to her face. Rumor has it that Ehkahk is spreading information among planeswalkers on the summoning and binding of dukhani, in the hopes of undermining his rival. The dukhani watch the battles between the paraelementals and the genies of Air and Fire with great amusement, encouraging the djinn and the efreet in order to provoke further bloodshed.

Dukhani love to travel and adventure; to them, the multiverse is up for grabs and anyone who crosses them has earned whatever pain the dukhan cares to visit upon them. Dukhani favor classes such as rogue, beguiler, hexblade, and swordsage. No matter what they train in, dukhani will always lie, bluff, and obfuscate - it's simply not in their nature to treat others with respect or as equals.

More on topic, aside from divine realms and such, what would you call the most interesting settlements on each of the Outer Planes?

Really? You're gonna bother me for all seventeen at once?

"Most interesting" I'm not going to qualify, that's a personal assessment. I can name a settlement of some degree of interest, unrelated to a divine realm, from each plane:

• The Abyss
Broken Reach, a waypoint, staging ground, and trade hub for mercenaries and more unsavory services.
• Acheron
Istvarhan, one of the eight hassitoria, half-living cities that march across the battlefields of Avalas.
• Arborea
Grandfather Oak, a settlement (several, really) situated at the base and in the boughs of the oldest living tree on the plane.
• Arcadia
Melodia, the home base of the Harmonium faction, a place where every citizen is a cog in the machinery - and outsiders are detected quickly.
• Baator
Grenpoli, called the City of Diplomacy, a place where baatezu come to learn the ins and outs of power and deception.
• The Beastlands
Al Karak Elam-Jhankal, a city of winged elves woven into the boughs of great trees.
• Bytopia
Yeoman, a trading town that has come into the interests of the Planar Trade Consortium.
• Carceri
Fetaphon, an oil-trading town perilously suspended above a chasm of bubbling tar.
• Elysium
Release From Care, a port town on the River Oceanus and natural hub for travelers.
• Gehenna
Nimicri, a sinister moonlet city floating above the volcanic land which is actually a living being mimicking thousands of onetime visitors.
• Hades
Death of Innocence, a town that blends resignation with refusal to surrender to a worse fate.
• Limbo
Barnstable, a halfling village where the citizens work in shifts to keep the land stable.
• Mechanus
Delon-Estin-Oti, a harmonious place of total law and equality where the citizens have largely forgotten the art of conversation.
• Mount Celestia
Empyrea, a city of herbalism, healing, and hospitals, where it is said that the magical fountains can purge evil thoughts.
• The Outlands
Ironridge, a kind of "hub town" for travelers seeking the Dwarven Mountain, Glorium, Xaos, or death in the maddening caverns of Ilsensine & Gzemnid.
• Pandemonium
Windglum, a city of exiles with diversity to rival Sigil, secured by five great gates that protect from the maddening wind.
• Ysgard
Skeinheim, home base of the Ring-giver sect, a place of welcome and paying-it-forward.

Heya. Not sure if you've seen this thread, but I don't suppose you'd know anything more about the Demon Lords Gresil, Eblis or Volisupula? From all I can find, they are just some of those names that were put in to fill out lists.

About Gresil, all that is known is that he owns a library with millions of texts; Eblis has nothing more than a title. As for Volisupula, we know that he visits Sigil once in a blue moon, has hired the Mercykillers in the past, and has a grudge against the githzerai that is quiiiite fresh, ever since one stole the amulet that was key to his fortress and then tried to usurp it.

Ah, I assumed that Marthuak and the Dvernin Deities hadn't been aspected because they are invited guests, while Nathar's definitely unwanted. But if he isn't important enough for the greater balance, I'll accept it.

I have no idea if we ever discussed anything about it. I have no notes from that time and negative interest in pondering it.

Empress Tamamaska of the devils. What rank did she have in Baator before she lead her armies into the Kamala? Was she just an opportunistic middle officer?

Yes.

A primordial Lady of the Nine???

C'mon, seriously? No.

[Thurbane]

I don't even know what you want me to do besides make up a ridiculous name for the king. I wrote like 200 words on the qorrash that had anything to do with society, and the Tome of Magic covered that.

Khayal think other races are weak and gullible. They disdain living among others, and prefer their own cities on the Plane of Shadow, the largest of which is the City of Onyx, where lies the Grand Palace of Endings, home to the King of Shadows (Malik al-Khayal). The current Malik al-Khayal is Khalil al-Samat Hashim al-Nur ben Saam, who prefers to be called Samat ben Saam among his own people. At his direction, the City of Onyx is open to travelers and trade, though he forbids non-khayal entry to the city center where lies his palace. The emirs of the other cities defer to the Malik on all matters, though unlike his father Saam, the current Malik considers himself first among equals and rarely exercises his vested authority save when he is concerned his people's instincts would result in missed opportunities.

A rumor persists among some sages who study the War of Law and Chaos that the khayal have their origins as genies who betrayed the vaati and sided with the Queen of Chaos against the Inner Planes, becoming shorn of their elemental ties as punishment. For their part, the shadow genies insist they have always been free, independent, and much too clever to be caught up in any such nonsense. They do not look at all kindly on such rumors being discussed in their presence.

Unless one can get the better of a khayal in a matter of deception and honor, a chilly reception should be expected. A friendly khayal is one who still believes themself superior to their "friend" and obviously in charge, and they make poor and unreliable hirelings as they defer to none without the express decree of the Malik al-Khayal. The shadow genies do have certain personal and societal principles, however, and are quite clear that they do not appreciate the darkness being considered "evil" or "dangerous" in any way. Some parts of Deep Shadow are avoided by the khayal, and these they do not speak of; a khayal guide, if one can be engaged and trusted at all, is most definitely the safest way to travel the Deep. Khayal have a very particular dislike for jann and have skirmished with them for millennia, sometimes escalating into open war. They are instinctively leery of gnomes.

Now then, to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Spoiler: The rest

Show

Erimesh
Large Outsider (Earth, Extraplanar, Fire)
HD 12d8+36 (90 hp)
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares); burrow 80 ft. (16 squares)
Init: +5
AC 24; touch 10; flat-footed 23 (+8 natural, +6 armor, +1 Dex, -1 size)
BAB +12; Grp +24
Attack Slam +19 melee (1d8+8 plus 1d6 fire) or gevshek +19 melee (2d6+12 plus 1d6 fire)
Full-Attack 2 slams +19 melee (1d8+8 plus 1d6 fire) or gevshek +19/+14/+9 melee (2d6+12 plus 1d6 fire)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with gevshek)
Special Attacks Earth mastery, eruption, heat, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities Darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/adamantine, immunity to acid and fire, plane shift, resistance to electricity 10, telepathy 100 ft., vulnerability to cold
Saves Fort +11 Ref +9 Will +10
Abilities Str 27, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills Appraise +17, Balance +6, Concentration +18, Craft (any three) +17, Diplomacy +12, Listen +12, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +17, Spot +12, Use Magic Device +12
Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Improved Initiative^B, Improved Trip, Power Attack
Environment Paraelemental Plane of Magma
Organization Solitary, company (2-4) or band (6-15)
Challenge Rating 10
Treasure Standard plus Large gevshek and Large banded mail
Alignment Always lawful good
Advancement 13-18 HD (Large); 19-36 HD (Huge)

Incandescent strips of metal atop blackened leather cast the marblelike flesh of this towering being in an eerie glow. No, not marble... the texture and color are closer to white ashes, the marbling coming from ripples of heat within its body. Its demonic grin bares teeth, sharpened and steely. Two saberlike horns, the color of blackened gold, peak at its temples before running down the back of its head. Its eyes glow with a terrible flame as the metallic polearm it holds begins to shift and slither.

The erimish (sing. erimesh) are the genies of magma, frightening in countenance but tremendously good-natured unless riled to action. Undisputed master craftsmen of the Inner Planes, they wield weapons designed to respond to the burning heat of their bodies.

Combat

Erimish are concerned about collateral damage and restrain themselves when necessary, using their tripping skills to catch and limit foes. An erimesh will not hesitate to use its abilities to its best tactical advantage and knows the value of flight. Bands of steel is a preferred tool for non-lethally sidelining an adversary.

Earth Mastery (Ex) An erimesh gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground. If an opponent is airborne or waterborne, the erimesh takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.)

Eruption (Su) Three times per day as a standard action, an erimesh may magically grow in size and power (as righteous might but without gaining DR). While erupted, the veins of the erimesh glow white-hot and its skin blackens temporarily. The erimesh's heat ability expands to encompass those within 30 ft. and deals 2d6 fire damage instead of 1d6. Eruption lasts for 1 minute.

Heat (Ex) An erimesh's red-hot body deals 1d6 points of extra fire damage whenever it hits in melee, or in each round it maintains a hold when grappling. While erupted, this damage increases to 2d6, and also affects creatures who start their turns within 30 ft. of the erimesh.

Plane Shift (Sp) A genie can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the genie and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the genie. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) At will - arcane lock, greater magic weapon (metal weapons only), heat metal, magic vestment (metal items only), rebirth of iron^CM (restores magical properties), see invisibility, 3/day - bands of steel^SC (DC 15), fabricate, fly, invisibility (self only), metal melt^SC (DC 16); 1/day - firestride exhalation^DM (DC 16), gaseous form (1 hour), iron body, limited wish (for nongenies only). Caster level 12th, save DCs Charisma-based.

Armorers of the vaati and their allies in the War of Law and Chaos, the erimish made their greatest contributions from the back lines, rarely participating in battle outside of chaotic incursions into the Paraelemental Plane of Magma. Earnest and humble, their culture views their contribution as necessary but not exceptional, diligent but not bold. "We did what someone would have had to do," is their take on their history, a legacy of providing the arms & armor that helped decide the multiverse for Law over Chaos.

Today, the erimish live in a great many small groups, or kasaba, each headed by a bey. The leader of the race, the Beylerbey (Bey of Beys), administrates from Shehir, the Obsidian City, where he presides over the Forum Dragonforged, a civic landmark gifted to the erimish by dragonkind in thanks for services of old. His official residence, the Ametrine Palace, is also largely given over to administrative and diplomatic functions. It is considered a visual wonder, pillar crystals blending purple and gold casting external light in splendid patterns across the smooth tiled floors. Another prominent structure, the Olivine Palace, is used to host visiting dignitaries. The current Beylerbey is Baris Korayzade Erol Taner Bey, recognized among the other courts as Erol Bey or Chief Erol.

The erimish rarely travel outside of their own plane, save to conduct trade and diplomacy or when tipped off to the possible location of a trapped or bound erimesh - the forces of Chaos kidnapped and sealed a great number in the Age Before Ages, and their kinfolk have worked to find and free them over the millennia. They have worked with the efreet and the dao, but find both to be untrustworthy; they are on very friendly terms with the archons and the guardinals, their best customers, and will work with modrons if asked - though the exemplars of pure law are hard to deal with in their own way. There has been reconciliation between the erimish and the eladrin since the long-ago War, though relations are still rather frosty and each race finds it difficult to understand the other.

The erimish patrol the Obsidian Forest for Inner Planar criminals and observe the Glowing Dunes to conduct rescue missions if anyone should unwisely trek into the deadly "sands". They know how to navigate the Chalk Islands, though there needs to be a particularly good reason for them to voluntarily escort anyone toward the border of the Negative Energy Plane in this way. The Sands, the transitional region between Magma and Dust, is antithetical to the principles and values of the erimish, and they have erected basalt towers across the border to warn off travelers.

The Beylerbey does not contest the self-proclaimed supremacy of the magma mephit leader Chilimba, and the erimish generally indulge the mephits until they go away. They find magmen and lava children to be a small nuisance, nothing more. Thoqqua are intrusive pests, the fire giants of the lava tubes are being watched from a safe distance, and magma paraelementals are generally friendly. The erimish have started selling enchanted olivine stones which allow nonnatives to safely breathe the air of Magma, though the heat remains the traveler's problem.

Erimish use many kinds of weapon, but one unique to them is the gevshek, which in the hands of most beings is functionally an uncomfortable and hard-to-hold guisarme (-1 to attack rolls for non-erimish). However, the "shaft" is in truth a clever assembly of thermally-sensitive links. When heat metal is cast on a gevshek, the links loosen, transforming into a weapon like a spiked chain or kusari-gama. Unlike a spiked chain, the gevshek's guisarme head and sturdy base weight allow it to deal either slashing or bludgeoning damage (the user decides when attacking). In all other respects, a loosened gevshek provides the same benefits as a spiked chain. Rebirth of iron resolidifies the weapon into its guisarme form.

Suresh
Large Outsider (Earth, Extraplanar, Water)
HD 8d8+24 (60 hp)
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); swim 60 ft. (12 squares)
Init: +6
AC 17; touch 11; flat-footed 15 (+6 natural, +2 Dex, -1 size)
BAB +8; Grp +17
Attack Slam +12 melee (2d6+5)
Full-Attack 2 slams +12 melee (2d6+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Bellow, spell-like abilities, terrain mastery
Special Qualities Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to acid and petrification, plane shift, resistance to cold 10, resistance to fire 10, telepathy 100 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves Fort +9 Ref +8 Will +10
Abilities Str 21, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 15
Skills Balance +13, Bluff +13, Concentration +14, Disguise +13, Escape Artist +13, Knowledge (any three) +14, Sense Motive +13, Spellcraft +14, Spot +10, Swim +24
Feats Combat Casting, Improved Initiative^B, Improved Natural Attack, Iron Will
Environment Paraelemental Plane of Ooze
Organization Solitary, company (2-4) or band (6-15)
Challenge Rating 8
Treasure Standard
Alignment Always true neutral
Advancement 9-12 HD (Large); 13-24 HD (Huge)

A stout and well-muscled person towers over you, skin the color of clay slick with an oily sheen. Its eyes glow softly, and the light dances on iridescent scales on the sides of its neck.

The sureshi are the genies of mud and clay, serene and disengaged unless provoked to action. Shorter than other genies and much more robust, their skin is usually coated in a shiny oil, and often features hints of colorful scales that seem to appear only when they can catch the light. Each shoulder features a large eye which is usually kept closed but is a brilliant blue when opened. These are usually passed off as tattoos by those unfamiliar with the sureshi.

Combat

Sureshi sometimes wield weapons but are just as happy to strike foes with their fists. They are averse to aerial combat and always seek to manipulate the battlefield to their advantage using their powers. While sureshi generally prefer to avoid violence, when pressed they are quite comfortable bringing lethal force to bear against their foes. It is difficult to get the drop on a suresh thanks to the race's tremorsense ability.

Bellow (Su) As a standard action, a suresh may unleash a cacophonous bellow, affecting all within 30 ft. of it. Those who experience the bellow take 4d8 sonic damage and must make a Will save (DC 17) or have their memory temporarily impacted as follows: prepared casters lose at least 1d6 levels of already-prepared spells until they next rest (if required to lose fewer levels than any of the caster's remaining spells, the caster must lose a higher-level spell); spontaneous casters forget one of their spells (minimum spell level 1d6 or highest remaining if minimum is not met); martial adepts forget a maneuver or stance in the same fashion; psionic characters forget a power in this manner. Characters who are not affected in any of the preceding ways instead suffer 1d4 Int drain. The suresh may bellow once per minute. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability; the save DC is Con-based.

Plane Shift (Sp) A genie can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the genie and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the genie. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) At will - amorphous form^SC (self only), blinding spittle^SC, create food and water, earthen grasp^SC, grease, resinous tar^CM, see invisibility, soften earth and stone, 3/day - alter self, dispel magic, earthbind^SC (DC 14), invisibility (self only), mesmerizing glare^SC, solid fog, stone shape, transmute rock to mud; 1/day - caustic mire^CM (DC 16), gaseous form (1 hour), limited wish (for nongenies only), stoneskin, true seeing. Caster level 12th, save DCs Charisma-based.

Terrain Mastery (Ex) A suresh gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls if both it and its foe are touching the ground or immersed in water. If an opponent is airborne, the suresh takes a -4 penalty on attack and damage rolls. (These modifiers are not included in the statistics block.) The suresh and the foe do not need to both be in contact with ground or both be in contact with water; one being on the ground and the other in water is sufficient for the suresh to gain this bonus.

Skills Sureshi have a +8 racial bonus on Swim checks and Spot checks.

Logistics, fortifications, recruitment, scouting; these were just a handful of the myriad roles the sureshi played on behalf of the vaati during the War of Law and Chaos. A key resource for the forces of Law, the sureshi employed their natural intellect to impressive success. Unfortunately, distrust saw them relegated more toward administrative roles and away from combat, a fact that the sureshi have never forgotten. This, along with their relative lack of recognition on the Prime and the Planes next to the genies of the cardinal Elemental Planes, contributes to a certain indifference and disdain shown by the sureshi to others. A suresh with class levels is most likely to train as a factotum, bard (griot), warblade, or archivist; this last is because they reason they helped protect the multiversal order so that the gods could thrive, and so they should have access to the power without needing to pay lip service to the principles.

There are not many sureshi settlements on the Paraelemental Plane of Ooze - at least, not many that are known. Adventurers report finding sureshi enclaves in Minauros, on Baator; on little-known layers of the Abyss; on isles dotting Osse, in Arborea; and even in Lunia on Mount Celestia. Whether there is any truth to these rumors - do they really have an embassy in Semuanya's Bog? - is hard to say. A suresh won't bother telling. To their mind, the Eternal Sureshi Manden encompasses all corners of the multiverse, insofar as the Great Mansa determines it to be so - after all, they earned it.

The Great Mansa of the Sureshi is Feisal Rashad al-Tariq ben Kazim, who oversees the City of Porcelain Splendor from his Lithophane Tower. The formal administrative center of the manden is the Glasswater Palace at the heart of the Inscribed City, the largest sureshi city on the Plane of Ooze, though the Mansa rarely spends time there. The farbas and faamas, regional administrators & princes, meet once a year with the Mansa at the Glasswater Palace to provide updates on the status of the manden as a whole and request deployment of farins (knight-generals) if needed. Near the Glasswater Palace lies the College of Speakers, where a select few study to become griots - bard-counselors for the Mansa and his court.

The sureshi maintain relationships that are rarely described more warmly than "cordial" by outside observers. They like the rilmani best, though they find their "active balancekeeping" unusual and unrelatable. Illumians often journey to the Inscribed City, seeking entry for the purpose of study, and for the most part these visitors have been welcome. Other genies are for the most part tolerated, though sureshi do not particularly like the dao and will take steps to make them feel subtly unwelcome. A small number of rakshasas have been permitted entry into sureshi cities, though they tend to dislike the environment of the plane as a whole and rarely stay long. The Mansa has a treaty in place with Bwimb II, the Princess of Ooze Paraelementals, agreeing to mutual noninterference. It is rumored that he provided her intelligence about the true nature of her father's killer.

On Ooze itself, besides visitors from Earth and Water, the sureshi get along with the local ruvoka tribes and are vicious adversaries of the ooze sprites, an unusual example of two largely neutral peoples at war. Ooze mephits avoid sureshi, having puzzled out long ago that the genies do not like them and are powerful enough to make that stick. Few others live on the Plane of Ooze, and there are very few visitors, even to the extraordinary sites that characterize the power base of the sureshi.

One question that puzzles sages is why the other genie races turned on the sureshi during the War of Law and Chaos. One reputable source suggests that the ooze paraelementals held court with the then Mansa to discuss a possible surrender to Chaos, which they as beings of Ooze believed they might well survive and even thrive under. While the Mansa declined, dao spies leaked the meeting to the other genies in order to cast the sureshi in a poor light. Another attestation, this one more potentially spurious, is of some interest: it suggests that the grave error of the sureshi was in their role as recruiters for the war effort among the mortal races. In this myth, a suresh reveals to mortals for the first time that genies can be bound in service - the resultant suffering among geniekind is thus laid at the feet of the sureshi. For their part, the sureshi do not acknowledge this preposterous myth.

Dukhan
Large Outsider (Air, Extraplanar, Fire)
HD 7d8+7 (38 hp)
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares); fly 60 ft. (12 squares) (perfect)
Init: +10
AC 19; touch 15; flat-footed 13 (+6 Dex, +4 natural, -1 size)
BAB +7; Grp +11
Attack Slam +10 melee (1d8+4)
Full-Attack 2 slams +10 melee (1d8+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks Air mastery, sneak attack +2d6, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities Billow, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire and sonic, plane shift, resistance to electricity 10, smokesight, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves Fort +6 Ref +11 Will +4
Abilities Str 18, Dex 23, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 9, Cha 18
Skills Bluff +16, Concentration +11, Escape Artist +16, Hide +15, Intimidate +16, Knowledge (any one) +13, Listen +6, Move Silently +16, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +13, Spot +6
Feats Ability Focus (eyebite)^B, Combat Casting, Improved Initiative^B, Persuasive, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (eyebite)^B, Skill Focus (Hide)
Environment Paraelemental Plane of Smoke
Organization Solitary, company (2-4) or band (6-15)
Challenge Rating 7
Treasure Standard
Alignment Always chaotic evil
Advancement 8-11 HD (Large); 12-21 HD (Huge)

The slender but towering figure before you has velvety crimson skin, appearing ripply and damascened, but what draws your attention are the solid gold eyes, black pupils like a snake's - when they aren't melting and spiraling in a way that fills you with dread.

Dukhani are the genies of smoke, overbearing, erratic, and quick to anger. Distractible, capricious, self-interested, dukhani make for dangerous friends and troublesome adversaries.

Combat
Dukhani make ample use of their abilities to flood the area with smoke and illusions, bringing down troublesome targets with their potent eyebite ability. They never fight on fair footing if they can help it.

Air Mastery (Ex) Airborne creatures take a -1 penalty on attack and damage rolls against a dukhan.

Billow (Su) Once per round as an immediate action, a dukhan may allow its physical form to briefly billow out as a cloud of smoke, becoming insubstantial, in response to an attack directed against it. That attack fails to affect the dukhan. Certain effects which manipulate air or gases (gust of wind, etc.) cannot be effectively avoided in this fashion and take full effect as normal. The dukhan must be aware of the attack to be able to billow. Any time a dukhan would be denied its Dexterity bonus to AC, it cannot billow.

Plane Shift (Sp) A genie can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane. This ability transports the genie and up to eight other creatures, provided they all link hands with the genie. It is otherwise similar to the spell of the same name (caster level 13th).

Smokesight (Ex) Dukhani can see through all forms of smoke, nonmagical or otherwise.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) At will - blades of fire^SC, invisibility (self only), obscure object, pyrotechnics (smoke only; DC 16), rebuke^SC (DC 16), see invisibility, unseen servant, wall of smoke^SC (DC 15), 3/day - alter self, blur, caustic smoke^CM (DC 17), delusions of grandeur^SC (DC 16), eyebite (DC 22), nauseating breath^SC (DC 17), sending, tongues; 1/day - break enchantment, gaseous form (1 hour), mirror image, persistent image (DC 19); 1/year - wish (nongenies only). Caster level 10th, save DCs Charisma-based.

At the peak of the War of Law and Chaos, things looked dire for the vaati and their allies. The forces of Chaos seemed insurmountable. Faced with this most consequential of moments, the dukhani bravely volunteered for a dangerous and terrible mission, one specifically suited to their talents. They went in without fear, they went in without hesitation, and their journeys took them deep into Limbo and the heart of the Abyss itself. They succeeded. They changed.

Today, the dukhani are unpredictable, selfish, violent, and frequently rude - yet the other genie races, save the khayal, treat them with utmost kindness and welcome. Only the sureshi are cool to their intrusive and demanding visitors, feeling their own role in the War was overlooked and the dukhani are overindulged. The specific contributions of the sureshi, after all, are a matter of considerable record. What, exactly, the dukhani did for the war effort remains something of a secret, though many sages have a fairly strong guess.

Traditionally close with the djinn and the efreet, the dukhani now watch with amusement as the two adversarial races duel over the Paraelemental Plane of Smoke. Their settlements are given foreboding names, such as their capital city of Khym, called the Whispered City. Here, the Great Sunan of the Dukhani, Sarvendah Asaputri, delivers judgments and receives petitions and tributes from the Ember Throne, at the center of the Palace of Fleeting Tranquilities. The lesser sunans often send gifts when summoned rather than appearing themselves, hoping to appease and distract Her Most Insidious and Ineffable Majesty and avoid her wrath. The Great Sunan has palaces in many locations around the plane, including the Palace of Poisoned Minds near the Gray Way and the splendid Mansion of Flickering Beauty near the Aurora.

Dukhani love to roam the Planes, but rarely settle anywhere long. Occasionally they visit Arborea, which rarely ends well; the slaad are more fun, and dukhani get along relatively well with tanar'ri - but not obyriths, and they will get particularly violent if Pale Night is mentioned in their presence. They sometimes deal with the baatezu for tasks that require a more chaotic hand than the devils are capable of applying, though few are so foolish as to trust a dukhan for long. Alliances between a dukhan and a yugoloth invariably end in bloodshed. This leaves the dukhani with the Inner Planes and the Prime.

Were the dukhani a less erratic people, their skirmishes with the paraelementals' rulers, the Smoke Dukes, would have long ago escalated to wars. Unnoticed by them are the smoke mephits, whose ruler Ehkahk claims to be superior to the Great Sunan and considers the Sunanate an unruly subject - though he has never dared say this to her face. Rumor has it that Ehkahk is spreading information among planeswalkers on the summoning and binding of dukhani, in the hopes of undermining his rival. The dukhani watch the battles between the paraelementals and the genies of Air and Fire with great amusement, encouraging the djinn and the efreet in order to provoke further bloodshed.

Dukhani love to travel and adventure; to them, the multiverse is up for grabs and anyone who crosses them has earned whatever pain the dukhan cares to visit upon them. Dukhani favor classes such as rogue, beguiler, hexblade, and swordsage. No matter what they train in, dukhani will always lie, bluff, and obfuscate - it's simply not in their nature to treat others with respect or as equals.

Very well written, and much appreciated.

Thank you for your and effort and time, and sorry if the request angered you.

[afroakuma]

Very well written, and much appreciated.

Thank you for your and effort and time, and sorry if the request angered you.

Angered, no; just confused and a bit frustrated. As noted, I didn't do all that much on the qorrashi. It's hard to know where to take that.

[Eldan]

About Gresil, all that is known is that he owns a library with millions of texts; Eblis has nothing more than a title. As for Volisupula, we know that he visits Sigil once in a blue moon, has hired the Mercykillers in the past, and has a grudge against the githzerai that is quiiiite fresh, ever since one stole the amulet that was key to his fortress and then tried to usurp it.

About what I found then, thanks.

Fun fact: sources I found can't seem to agree if Volisupula is male or female. Given that the domain is named Skinshedder, and the associated title is "Flayed Marquesse", along with the "finery" portfolio, my headcanon is that Volisupula flays their victims and wears their skins, taking on their personality. So they appear sometimes male, sometimes female.

[Tzardok]

I think I'll need to build statue to honor your efforts. What material would you like it to be made from?

Bellow (Su) As a standard action, a suresh may unleash a cacophonous bellow, affecting all within 30 ft. of it. Those who experience the bellow take 4d8 sonic damage and must make a Will save (DC 17) or have their memory temporarily impacted as follows: prepared casters lose at least 1d6 levels of already-prepared spells until they next rest (if required to lose fewer levels than any of the caster's remaining spells, the caster must lose a higher-level spell); spontaneous casters forget one of their spells (minimum spell level 1d6 or highest remaining if minimum is not met); martial adepts forget a maneuver or stance in the same fashion; psionic characters forget a power in this manner. Characters who are not affected in any of the preceding ways instead suffer 1d4 Int drain. The suresh may bellow once per minute. This is a sonic, mind-affecting ability; the save DC is Con-based.

Just for the sake of preventing misunderstandings: forgotten spontanous spells/maneuvers/powers return too when the character rests the next time, right? And what about class combinations? What happens if, for example, a cerebromancer is affected? Does he lose a power, a spell or both? And a last thing: attribute drain is permanent. Wouldn't Int damage be better fitting for the "temporarily impacted" description?

I have no idea if we ever discussed anything about it. I have no notes from that time and negative interest in pondering it.

Understood. To hell with hourglasses, right?

[Bartmanhomer]

What's the history of the horrible truth of Pelor and the Burning Hate?

[afroakuma]

About what I found then, thanks.

I mean, you know what, blank canvas and all that... let's build some afro-canon. It may not be official, but if there's nothing else to go on...

Eblis

Eblis the Defiant, Eblis the Unbowed, Eblis of the Unbent Knee. An ambitious tanar'ri who clawed his way up through impossible odds, his rise was halted as a glabrezu when a rival sold him out to the demon lord Acreoth. The demon lord offered Eblis his life in slavery if he would but surrender himself and his forces. Instead, Eblis devoured his own minions and transformed their bones into rafada demons, bursting forth from his fortress and tearing out the throat of Acreoth. This triumph earned him great power and spread his renown, but rivals once again tried to undermine him, this time by roping him into the Blood War. When the molydeus came to collect him, Eblis refused to submit, and slew three of the recruiter demons, making his kilt and cape from their hides.

With his challengers cowed, Eblis sought to strive for still more, rallying the dispossessed of Pazunia as he staked his claim to the topmost layer of the Abyss. Once more, adversaries surrounded him to beat him low, but Eblis would not yield, and as his foes threw more and more force against him, they left themselves weakened for others to topple them in turn, until at last Eblis stood, bloody and defiant, at the center of a wheel of carnage and ruin. All who witnessed him on that day knew that to challenge him was to surrender all hope for prosperity, to defy him was to make an implacable foe, and that to break him would mean breaking oneself. To the Unbowed Lord, who would not break or yield or free, all of Pazunia bowed in turn.

At least for a time.

When Pazuzu declared himself lord of the Abyssal skies, Eblis hungered to challenge him - how could he not? He cast forth his declaration: "the land is mine, thus how can you claim the sky above it? This land bows to my name and none other."

"Quite true," said Pazuzu.

Within a mere century, the Prince of the Lower Aerial Kingdoms had begun infusing his essence into the topmost layer, calling in favors and stirring up minor lords to undermine Eblis. Never did Pazuzu bother to openly challenge him, never did his forces hold ranks against the might of Eblis... and never did Eblis manage to hold onto more of the Plain of Infinite Portals than he could see from the top of his fortress. With every move, Pazuzu withdrew from where Eblis walked and closed ranks behind him, creating a bubble of uttermost impotence around the Defiant Lord. The land itself wears the name of another, and rivals on the 1st layer of the Abyss do not bother extending themselves beyond their personal fiefdoms.

Eblis remains powerful indeed, but he can never lay claim to the layer he most desires; he is but one of many on Pazunia, fighting for scraps at the table. He has the might to seize and conquer another layer with ease, but to do so would be to abandon his claim. It would mean accepting defeat. It would mean that Pazuzu has won. Eblis is unbowed, he will never surrender, and he will never get what he wants.

Oh yes, and Pazuzu created an evil bird monster to stalk the Prime in his name. A relative of the crane, its knees are permanently bent. The other way.

Eblis's fortress, Shattering Tor, is an ugly spire surrounded by bones and broken blades. His rafadas crawl the cracked and dented battlements, while rutterkin pick through the debris of a hundred armies. He spends his time dispatching minions to undermine surrenders and force the continuation of wars whether resolvable or hopeless, a pursuit in which he is aided from time to time - albeit without his consent or gratitude - by the demoness Barbu. Eblis constantly looks to recruit new underlings to challenge Pazuzu, but the land itself has defied him, as though the Abyss is celebrating his personal credo by giving him a chance to prove it every single day. Eblis despises quiet subversion and corruption; he believes in being loud, proud, and violent in advocacy of one's own excellence.

Gresil
Some legends say he was invested at the end of the War of Law and Chaos; others that it was the tanar'ri rebellion. Some place him much more recently; but the common thread in each is that Gresil was charged by an obyrith lord - alternately the Queen of Chaos, Dagon, or Pale Night - with maintaining a record of all that had spawned in the darkness under the hated yoke of Law. Gresil himself has no opinion on rumors surrounding him; he is an eternal and merciless archivist who must be bribed to reveal his secrets. Millions of texts line his vast repository, from the horrific recountings of a tanar'ri's lifetime achievements in malevolence and woe, to accursed scrolls and tomes filled with blackest lore and magics to scar the soul.

Gresil's library, El Djeru, occupies a unique position in the Abyss; it is not situated on any one layer, but instead slides among them invisibly, an ugly thorned monolith that always seems to be sinking slowly in midair. The library has eleven doors - eleven known doors, at least, each appearing as some grim basaltic dolmen or menhir covered in thorns and branching projections, which surround tall obsidian doors. These doorways similarly wander the Abyss, though they are more reliably located - rarely is one far from the triple realm of Graz'zt, for instance. Each of the doors features its own guardian and its own perils, though Gresil is aware of them at all times and may issue telepathic commands for the defenses to stand down if he wishes to invite a visitor in.

An artful trader and blackmailer, Gresil has plumbed the deepest secrets of the Abyss in every sense and knows more about the plane than perhaps any other tanar'ri living. He hungers to collect information which could cause pain and suffering, and is not shy about sharing what he has if he thinks it will make the multiverse somehow worse. His vast swathes of information provide him a certain measure of protection from his peers and betters; notably, during the rampage of Tenebrous, the shadow of Orcus left Gresil alive - though it is believed the Custodian of Records had to provide some valuable information in return.

Something of a snoop and a busybody (how else would he collect records), Gresil can be counted on to regularly correspond with similar agents of subtle chaos, including the demon aide-de-camp Verin. He assists the nalfeshnees in their judgments and the molydei in their recruitments. His collection of prized artifacts includes his pride and joy, Perdition's Orrery - an intricate work of shattered obsidian spinning in erratic patterns, in which are bound metallic spheres that tarnish and crack. It is said that to put one's ear to such a sphere is to hear the festering evil of a Prime world and understand how best to corrupt it still further.

Gresil's collection is a target for many thieves from 'round the Planes, from genies seeking rare artifacts to yugoloths wanting to purge their records to celestials hoping to burn a profane work of uttermost vileness. A black market trade in "back doors" to the archive thrives in the underbelly of Sigil, Zelatar, and other places. Gresil's minions, faceless robed things with intimidating horns, move among the shadows to restore missing articles from his records and remove those who would defy the Custodian. Part of the cost of doing the sort of business that he does is a need to guarantee that records will, after all, remain sealed - after being screamed out by the fearsome red scriveners that line the walls.

Hopefully that helps.

Just for the sake of preventing misunderstandings: forgotten spontanous spells/maneuvers/powers return too when the character rests the next time, right? And what about class combinations? What happens if, for example, a cerebromancer is affected? Does he lose a power, a spell or both? And a last thing: attribute drain is permanent. Wouldn't Int damage be better fitting for the "temporarily impacted" description?

Valid points, I shall have to retouch.

Understood. To hell with hourglasses, right?

It doesn't really jive with the broader multiverse, and it's been a long time since I last worked on it in any capacity. I'm afraid the spark just isn't there for me as it once was. Sorry about that.

[Fable Wright]

What's the history of the horrible truth of Pelor and the Burning Hate?

Baseless speculation based off of art generated when the art team was not working in concert with the mechanics team, as compiled in this thread. It goes to show the rather poor implementation of D&D 3.5's alignment system.

[unseenmage]

What's the oldest pantheon/people who have a real world analogue? Esp one with a Golem or artificial person myth?