GitP Regulars as Elder Evils!

[Aegis013]

They are an involved bit of writing, fortunately they're mostly fluff so there's little enough math that needs done. Plus Zaydos provided a nice, lazy way of doing them. Kellbyb took me... 30 minutes, I think.

I went overboard, since once I start on something and get on a roll I just ride the momentum where it takes me, so there's an actual creature stat block in the end based on the Elder Evil stat blocks from the book.

[dascarletm]

Oh yes! sign me, dascarletm up!

[PsyBomb]

All are doomed to sorrow.

Let's give this one a shot, see if I can do better than the Deity...

The Hungering Void

In the space between things exists a void. This much is common knowledge. Learned scholars believe that what fills this void is the substance of the Astral plane (Know: Planes, DC 25). If only this were the case. Rather, the Astral Plane is itself one of these "things", as are such concepts as space, time, good, evil, emotion, and thought. In the infinitesimal slivers where these things are not, there exists the Void... and the Void is hungry (Know: Planes, DC 35). It takes a very rare and hardy mind to perceive it without shattering instantly... and a MUCH tougher one to use it, bringing into the world its influence for their own gain.

What even those hardy souls don't know is that there is a mind within the void, one which has existed since before the Gods were born. It is trapped, for all things cause it unbearable agony, but it is mighty indeed and twisted beyond the comprehension of gods and men (Know: Planes, DC 40). The one clear desire or drive ever perceived from it was nothing less than the utter annihilation of all of existance, so that its agonies would end. The poor prophet, whose name is now forgotten to history, spent the remaining week of his life suicidally insane... as did the telepath who wrenched the thought from him and managed to communicate it (Know: Planes DC45).

Although the effects are imperceptably miniscule for now, users of the Void have begun to loosen the bonds that hold all of reality together. At its current rate, it would take hundreds of millenia to accomplish. Unfortunately, the more that it unravels, the more it lets the Void seep through, and the more people get a glimpse of the Void and use it (assuming they survive the first perception of it). Added to this, the Hungering Void has begun now to take notice of the effect. Its pain has decreased in a miniscule way for the first time in its long memory, and it sees a way to undo all that which has caused it agony. (Know: Planes DC 50)

Goals:

The Hungering Void hates all things, up to and including concepts which all intelligent life holds to be immutable truths of existance. It seeks to annihilate it all in order to end its agonies, though what it will do after even the memory of emotion is gone is a mystery. (Know: Planes DC 50)

Sign:
Intrusion of the Void
All things become less vibrant, less effective, and less definite as it is invaded by the aching emptiness between all things. Colors become muted and measurements become less accurate. Emotion, hope, alignment, and even base thought are snuffed out, until even the memory of their existance is gone.

Effects:
Faint: Colors and emotions begin to wash out. All morale and alignment-based bonuses are reduced by one, while all numeric penalties are increased by one. All characters of a Void archetype count as being one level higher when calculating the effects of their class abilities.
Moderate: Concepts become less concrete and measurements less definite. Any time a character travels more than a mile or takes longer than an hour at a task, the measurement of distance or time randomly increases or decreases by 1d10%. All creatures must make a Will save (DC 5) each day or have their convictions begin to erode. Failing three of these saves in a row causes one non-neutral component of their alignment to become neutral. Outsiders with alignment descriptors lose them if they become True Neutral. If already true Neutral, a creature failing three consecutive saves instead gains one permanent negative level. This is not derived from negative energy, and so affects even those normally immune. All effects from Faint are increased by one.
Strong: Reality begins to unwind as the Hungering Void beings to truly intrude. Creatures can no longer receive Morale or Alignment-based bonuses, while all numeric penalties are doubled. The Will save DC increases to 10, and it only takes two consecutive failed saves to gain a negative level. Any creature that dies under this Sign dissolves into an aching, colorless emptiness over the course of the next five minutes and cannot be revived or contacted after, their soul annihilated. The holes in reality remain and are immobile, causing their space to be considered difficult terrain. The possible variance in time or distance increases to 1d20%, and can occur at distances over a half-mile and times of over a half-hour.
Overwhelming: The holes in reality show their hunger. As Strong, plus all holes in reality of Small or larger size made under the influence of the Hungering Void gain a damaging aura. This deals 2d6 untyped damage each round to everything with five feet and 1d6 to everything between five and ten feet away. There is no save, and the damage ignores hardness, damage reduction, energy resistance, regeneration, and all other means of reduction or conversion to nonlethal. The Will save increases to 15, and it only takes one failed save to force an alignment change or gain a negative level. The possible variance in time and distance increases to 3d20%, and can occur at distances of over 100 feet and times of over ten minutes.

Malefic Property:
In addition to the normal malefic property common to all Elder Evils, The Hungering Void has Aura of Unmaking.

Aura of Unmaking: All beings within range of this Malefic Property take 2d6 damage per round, as the Overwhelming sign. All healing is halved, and all spells, powers, and abilities from the Creation subschool or Metacreativity discipline are cast as though the caster were four levels lower. Any living thing or object within the range of this Malefic Property which dies or is destroyed becomes a hole in reality.

Traits/Tactics/Etc
The Hungering Void has no direct manifestation until the Overwhelming sign, at which point it will choose the largest hole in reality and come through at that size. It seeks only to annihilate all things, driven mad by its agonizing contact with all things real.

Spoiler: Timeline

Show

EL 3 - Theoretical magi are coming to find a new source of power, utilizing one of the few resources not yet frequently tapped. The users of this Void Power have a disturbing trend of being slightly less than sane, and some band together into a cult of nihilistic destruction.

EL 9 (faint sign) - More of these cults begin springing up across the plane as the use of the Void becomes more common and their power increases. One such cult seems to be everywhere, and the four at its core exist in a state of crystalline insanity, minds somehow functioning despite being so fractured that telepaths attempting to read them are driven insane themselves

EL 13 (moderate sign) - A strange, detached attitude about morals and philosophy begins to spread, with concerned relatives bringing cases to psychologists and sanitariums in small but significant numbers. Small animals and the insane begin to die, their minds snuffed out like a candle under a jar. Merchants begin to suffer, as do scientists, alchemists, and others who depend on precision, as their careful calibrations and tight schedules start to slip. The Void cults grow in power as people care less and less to oppose them.

EL 17 (strong sign) - Even the most devoted sometimes fall from their ideals, such as Paladins, Daevics, and Outsiders who have been on the plane for longer missions. Crusades and sieges falter, and riots break out where the iron fist of a tyrant finds itself loosened. Trade is becoming impossible, as quick trips become unpredictable. Sanitariums flood with more and more cases, and more people and larger animals begin to die. The dissolving forms of the dead begin to leave voids which become common before long. Some of the formerly-packed buildings of the victims collapse on themselves as the terrible voids harm the structure, and those that die from the falling order only spread the plague. The strongest cults have taken to slaughtering kidnapped victims where the voids will be most disruptive, such as the entryways of public buildings and across roads

EL 19 (overwhelming sign) - At once, the holes in reality simultaneously begin to eat those nearby, rapidly spreading a colorless wasting as more and more creatures die. Now, even the plants and stones leave holes to spread as more and more falls into the cracks in reality. From the void where a mighty dragon died of the detachment, a horrible un-form steps. It is the Mind Within the Hungry Void, and it seeks to unmake all. If not stopped, all will be void in days.

[Socratov]

I will grant permission for transcendance into Elder Evilness. I'm curious what the Mad ARab woudl write of me in the Necronomicon... I'm also curious why no elder evils exist of Keld Denar and Glyphstone...

[Elricaltovilla]

I will grant permission for transcendance into Elder Evilness. I'm curious what the Mad ARab woudl write of me in the Necronomicon... I'm also curious why no elder evils exist of Keld Denar and Glyphstone...

You need permission from the person before you're allowed to write an entry for them.

[PsyBomb]

You need permission from the person before you're allowed to write an entry for them.

Yeah, that part is a pity, but necessary. I've had 9th-level Vestiges written for The_Giant and Emperor Tippy since I heard about these threads, waiting for them to grant permission.

[Elricaltovilla]

Yeah, that part is a pity, but necessary. I've had 9th-level Vestiges written for The_Giant and Emperor Tippy since I heard about these threads, waiting for them to grant permission.

As far as I know, nobody's tweeted at the giant to let him know we're doing these threads. I'd do it, but I'm a luddite.

[illyahr]

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! His royal bardness, illyahr, gives permission.

[LoyalPaladin]

I think that might be since it's just harder to write up an elder evil than it is to toss together a quick stance or maneuver.

I agree with this.

Well it's not like anyone is going to get an elder evil unless somebody starts writing them.

But, I also agree with this!

They are an involved bit of writing, fortunately they're mostly fluff so there's little enough math that needs done. Plus Zaydos provided a nice, lazy way of doing them. Kellbyb took me... 30 minutes, I think.

I think Neo's took me about 30ish minutes as well.

[Zaydos]

Vael the Night Queen

Long ago when humanity was young there were great kingdoms which prospered on magic. During this time monsters were rare, magical beasts hostile to mankind all but unknown, and even dragons steered clear of humanity. It was a golden age of humanity, and magical knowledge spread and prospered (Knowledge History DC 30). Stories tell of one queen, known as Vael, who sought more power. Already one of the most feared mage-queens of her day, she warred with her neighbors and after many losing battles was on the verge of total defeat, her kingdom in ruins. Unwilling to relinquish her position she began a dire ritual which granted her great power with which to vanquish her enemies (Kno History DC 33). During this time the Lower Planes had no contact with the world, no outside influences reaching it save for the celestial hosts you worked to ensure things passed peacefully. Vael in her need for power opened her world to other planes, as she made a pact with the Abyss for power. Thus Vael became the first warlock, or so it is said (Kno History DC 36). The story continues telling of how Vael repulsed her enemies with her new dark power, and hordes of chaos spawned fiends, covering the sky in dark clouds which caused a perpetual night. Her armies threatened to sweep across the world, stomping down kingdom after kingdom. With each kingdom destroyed the queen grew more and more mad and more and more vile. The great mage-kingdoms formed a coalition against her, combining their magics to almost defeat her, but they were not powerful enough to halt the Night Queen's forces. (Kno History DC 39). Soon she was no longer recognizable as human, as much obyrith as woman. It was only when her royal consort turned from her side and fled to the archons and begged the aid of the Celestial Host that the tide of the war changed. Combining arcane and heavenly might they slowly beat back the forces of demons she had released onto the plane, and with the sacrifice of her consort's life the Night Queen was exiled from the plane, trapped in the sun itself (Kno History DC 42).

Goals:

The Night Queen seeks escape from her imprisonment to this day. Sealed within the sun she is incapable of acting directly but it is said that to this day mages on occasion seek to release her in hopes that she will share some of her ancient knowledge (Kno Arcana DC 33). It is less well known that due to her making the first demonic pact, warlocks to this day occasionally hear her whispers in their dreams, edging them to release the queen (Kno Arcana DC 36). Once released Vael seeks to rebuild her kingdom, resuming her conquest of the prime with the same force of obyriths, now augmented by the tanar'ri spawned since her imprisonment, that she once led. She will blacken the sun and conquer the world, leaving it a hell on the Prime. (Kno Arcana DC 39) Some hints whisper, though, that is not her final goal. She seeks to feed the Prime itself to the Abyss in hopes of becoming its consort and helping it consume the Great Wheel itself (Kno Arcana DC 42).

Sign

Abyssal Convergence
The boundaries of the planes became weak as the sun was blackened by clouds of eternal night.

Faint: Days tend to be overcast, angry dark clouds in the sky. Warlocks find it easy to draw forth a little more power and may take 1 point of Constitution damage (this damage cannot be reduced or negated in any way) to add their Charisma modifier to damage with their Eldritch Blast.

Moderate: Clouds constantly cover the sky making all days heavily overcast. Demons are easier to summon (an additional demon appearing whenever one is summoned or called) but have a 50% chance of appearing uncontrolled, and outside of any summoning circle they were intended for. Portals to the Abyss open rarely at scattered locations across the plane (1d20 portals a day, each lasting 1 hour). Warlocks gain the Dark One's Blessing Invocation, but each time they use it they must make a Will save (DC 10 + 2 per previous use) or become absolutely loyal to Vael.

Strong: The cloud cover is now thick and dark enough to block out the light of the sun, reducing day to the equivalent of a starlit night, and leaving night completely lightless. Demons are never under their summoner's control when summoned or called and always appear outside of summoning circles. Portals to the Abyss open infrequently at many locations across the plane (5d20 portals a day, each lasting 6 hours). Warlocks gain the The Dead Walk Invocation (even if they do not have access to Lesser Invocations), but each time they use it they must make a Will save (DC 10 + 3 per previous use) or become absolutely loyal to Vael.

Overwhelming: The cloud cover now blocks all sunlight absolutely. Portals to the Abyss open frequently at all locations across the plane (any given 10 mile by 10 mile square will have at least 1 portal open at all times). Demons flood into it. Warlocks gain the Utterdark Blast Invocation (even if they do not have access to Dark Invocations), but each time they use it they must make a Will save (DC 15 + 5 per previous use) or become absolutely loyal to Vael.

Malefic Property

Betrayal of Sorcery

The dark powers of an ancient sorcerer-queen fill reality twisting magic away from those who would use it against her.

Effect: Whenever a creature within the area of the Malefic Property casts an arcane spell or uses an invocation Vael becomes aware of it. She may choose, as a free action usable outside of her turn on her part, to either attempt to stifle it or steal it. If she stifles it the spell simply has a 50% chance of absolute failure. If she attempts to steal it the caster must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Vael's hit dice + Vael's Charisma modifier) or Vael steals the spell, becoming the sole target of it (Vael cannot steal spells with an Area or Effect).

Traits/Tactics/Etc

Vael cannot stand sunlight. She is still sealed within the sun until her Strong Sign is present and even the heavily blocked light forces her underground during the day until her sign is overwhelming. She takes the appearance of a beautiful cat-eared tiefling with a forked, feline tail, but her true form is a horror to behold, the Abyss's twisted idea of a Queen. She has the Obyrith subtype, 17th level Wizard casting (she's been weakened by her long imprisonment) and 20th level warlock abilities, able to fire 3 eldritch blasts per round. Any creature which sees her true form must make a Will save or be overcome with the Madness of Humility, forced to prostrate themselves (lay prone) and avert their eyes from any royal being (such as Vael) when in the presence of one. If slain Vael reforms 10 minutes later, unless the location is currently under full sunlight; if it is she reforms as soon as the sunlight ends. Vael is highly resistant, if not immune, to non-holy weapons.

[NeoPhoenix0]

You mean the default alignment of Elder Evils? Seriously half the ones in the book are omnicidal, if not more.

basically yes, Though i never really did read through that book because of the disappointment. It's probably better this way though.

I will make an elder evil for someone sometime in the next couple of days.

[LoyalPaladin]

Permissions/Request:
Snowbluff

This was happening eventually, at least this way I can take responsibility for it.

Eternal Snow

Eternal Snow is a being that wants to create a world of perfection and beauty.

This being was originally the Chaotic Good deity of the fey, keeping them safe and bringing them their otherworldly beauty. But over time the Fey grew complacent and began to take their beauty for granted.

This mortified Eternal Snow.

Unable to accept that the fey had taken their gift for granted, Eternal Snow devised new and more complex ways to bring beauty to the fey. This resulted in their current trickster-like personalities.

Eternal Snow used their extensive connection to arcane magic to shape the fey into more and more wild personalities. Eternal Snow was cast away by the fey and sealed in a plane that is known only to the oldest of fey scholars.

Driven mad by the fey's rejection once again, Eternal Snow waits in the forgotten plane. There, the once proud deity sits devising new ways to bring beauty to the world, should the fey's wards ever fail.

Goal

Eternal Snow seeks nothing more than to create a perfectly beautiful world of their own design.

Sign

Perfect Harmony
The world is flawed, that will be changed.

Effects

Faint:
All fey creatures begin to suffer terrible nightmares and must make a will save DC 5 upon waking or become shaken for the rest of the day.

Moderate:
All creatures on the plane have their type changed to fey and are thus subjected to shaken affect upon a failed will save. The will save for becoming shaken's DC is increased to 12 and all creatures with the fey type enjoy a +2 to charisma.

Strong:
All fey typed creatures Wisdom is decreased by -2 and their charisma is now increased by +4. All creatures that fail a DC 10 fortitude save have their size reduced by 20%. In addition to this, all creatures with the fey subtype must make a will save DC 15. If the creature fails the will save, they roll a d6 and are subjected to the corresponding effect below.

• 1: You begin to act coldly towards your allies, but when alone with those you care about you bubble over with your affectionate emotions.
• 2: You develop deep feelings with the next person you see. Initially you behave sweet and affectionate, but after 48 hours you become enthralled with the subject and over protective to the point of lethal force.
• 3: You become soft and sweet to everyone you meet, regardless of circumstances.
• 4: You begin to see yourself as the most superior being in existence, encouraging others to see you the same.
• 5: You begin to act irrationally and would prefer everything was handed to you on a silver platter. You see your party members as slaves to your cause.
• 6: You fall in love with your mortal enemy, occasionally switching between your past mental state and your new one, never long enough to kill your foe.

Overwhelming:
All creatures now enjoy a +8 charisma bonus, the save for resisting the effects of the chart above becomes 24 and must be rolled daily until failed. All creatures must also succeed a fortitude save of 15 or have their size reduced by 20% + 5%/Charisma modifier. (This applies to creatures who have already failed the previous Fortitude save as well.) Violence is no longer permitted and all weapons and armor are treated as cold iron to prevent creatures from taking up arms against Eternal Snow.

Malefic Property

In addition to the normal malefic properties common to all Elder Evils, Eternal Snow has Lethal Beauty.

Lethal Beauty:
Any creature that comes into Eternal Snow's established throne room is subjected to this ability. If a creature is in contact with Cold Iron and it's type is fey it is immediately subjected to a petrifaction effect. The fortitude save for this is 10+ 1/2 Eternal Snow's HD + The creature's own Charisma modifier.

Traits/Tactics/Etc

Upon the manifestation of Eternal Snow's strong sign, a white spirit begins to roam the land. It searches day and night for the most grand a beautiful of all throne rooms. Once it has found one it likes, the spirit bonds to the rooms door and disappears.

Upon the manifestation of Eternal Snow's overwhelming sign, the door opens to the forgotten plane and Eternal Snow steps through, claiming the room to as their own.

After Eternal Snow is in the plane, they begin to shape the world in images it sees fit, adding any petrified creatures that rebelled to it's menagerie of beautiful statues.

[Snowbluff]

I don't know what you mean by double post, LP.

[LoyalPaladin]

Previous - Sweep #2 - Next

Permissions
AmberVael
kellbyb
Ashtagon
Nibbens
dascarletm
Socratav
illyahr

Elder Evils
The Paladin Most Loyal
Xaos Phoenix
Kellbyb, The Deadly Silence
Chaos Reborn
The Hungering Void
Vael the Night Queen
Eternal Snow

I don't know what you mean by double post, LP.

Silly me. How could I be so blind, SB?

[Dusk Eclipse]

I shall shroud the world in Darkness (which is to say permission granted)

[Vhaidara]

Q'l a'Drath

Red Fel...haven't we discussed you not hacking my Skype anymore? I checked the times, and literally, as you were posting that, I was in heated discussion with a fellow player about the possibility of our Half-Dragon Fiendish offspring.. Like, gestation periods and everything.

In other news...What the **** bro? Where did this come from? I love it, because I am a dragon fanatic. But really, I want to know what inspired this. It only taps a small part of my homebrew (the Sarkans), doesn't overly connect to any of the prominent characters I've posted about (other than the one half red dragon warforged), and I don't see much to any of the topics I frequently post about (PoW, Spheres, and trust between players and GMs). But it fits me so well.

HOW DID YOU KNOW?

[AmberVael]

Vael the Night Queen

Fun stuff! The background makes me think of Skuld. (No, not the norn.)

I do find it amusing that you chose to make me a standard fiend based warlock when my work has been about making non-fiendish choices for warlocks, but dark sorceress queen is definitely my style. Its good work!

[LoyalPaladin]

HOW DID YOU KNOW?

You can't hide anything from Malevolus! *cough cough* I'm not sure what came over me. It must of been the wind.

[Vhaidara]

Also, Vael, I'm kind of tempted to try and make one based off of my vague memories of Aesa.

[Zaydos]

Fun stuff! The background makes me think of Skuld. (No, not the norn.)

I do find it amusing that you chose to make me a standard fiend based warlock when my work has been about making non-fiendish choices for warlocks, but dark sorceress queen is definitely my style. Its good work!

I picked the Abyss because it worked the best for an Elder Evil. There is a reason I went with the Abyss over Dagon, though. I mean the Obyriths are Eldritch Horrors, but there are implications that the Abyss itself might be a Lovecraftian entity pushing into the Great Wheel.

And I did not consciously base things on Hrolf's sister, though it is highly possible that it influenced me. If not it, well I grew up reading sci-fi/fantasy and it influenced them (fun little thing the alignment system was taken from a Poul Anderson book, Poul Anderson did a translation of Hrolf Kraki's Saga).

[AmberVael]

Also, Vael, I'm kind of tempted to try and make one based off of my vague memories of Aesa.

Talk about the horrible and unknowable!

I picked the Abyss because it worked the best for an Elder Evil. There is a reason I went with the Abyss over Dagon, though. I mean the Obyriths are Eldritch Horrors, but there are implications that the Abyss itself might be a Lovecraftian entity pushing into the Great Wheel.

And I did not consciously base things on Hrolf's sister, though it is highly possible that it influenced me. If not it, well I grew up reading sci-fi/fantasy and it influenced them (fun little thing the alignment system was taken from a Poul Anderson book, Poul Anderson did a translation of Hrolf Kraki's Saga).

Abyss has a lot of style, and I much prefer the idea of the churning primordial chaos over structured hells. (Well I mean, hells can be cool but you definitely gotta have primordial chaos- I still lament that Tiamat somehow ended up as lawful.) It definitely does have more lovecraftian style.

I'm really fond of the norse sagas and stories, with Hrolf Kraki's being one of my favorites. Elk-Frodi is hilarious in a cool way, and Bodvar is quite fun. Plus Skuld is just a pure badass (who totally should have ruled forever). After that probably comes the Hervarar Saga, because Hervor. Hervor is crazy in a way that makes me think of Kamina.

[Zaydos]

Abyss has a lot of style, and I much prefer the idea of the churning primordial chaos over structured hells. (Well I mean, hells can be cool but you definitely gotta have primordial chaos- I still lament that Tiamat somehow ended up as lawful.) It definitely does have more lovecraftian style.

Despite 60% of her spawn being Chaotic Evil too. Then again Tiamat has nothing to do with her namesake.

I'm really fond of the norse sagas and stories, with Hrolf Kraki's being one of my favorites. Elk-Frodi is hilarious in a cool way, and Bodvar is quite fun. Plus Skuld is just a pure badass (who totally should have ruled forever). After that probably comes the Hervarar Saga, because Hervor. Hervor is crazy in a way that makes me think of Kamina.

Never read Hervarar, did enjoy (read love) Volsunga and Grettir's.

[Leliel]

I'll grant permission for this. This should be interesting.

Hm:

Sekeva, The Drowned Emperor

In a time before history, before humanity existed as we know it, there existed a tribe of primitive humanoids. Now, these humanoids were only primitive in that they were obviously ancestors of humans, somewhere between apes and true humans, but they were already massively intelligent, and perhaps could have built a lasting culture of their own, were it not for the the fact this was also the day of the aboleth, the chaos creature, the primordial monsters produced by errors of the gods in their creation of the plane. Some did form kingdoms anyway, countries made for the express purpose of overthrowing the alien and cruel lords. The founder and ruler of one of these kingdoms was named Sekeva. (DC Knowledge (History) 17).

Now, Sekeva was more than just a member of the primitive humanoids. He was, in fact, the child of a male of his proper race and a primeval goddess of the hunt and sea. From their union came what was quite possibly the first demigod to ever exist, certainly the first one recorded. Instilled with the wild spirit and powers of his mother, and the compassion of his father that attracted her in the first place, Sekeva grew to despise the primal monsters that enslaved the world, and rose a city from the ocean to create a civilization of their hunters. This did not end well, as evinced by reports of his island sinking beneath the sea.(DC 20).

What many scholars don't know, however, is that this wasn't because Sekeva's hunt was unsuccessful. Not hardly. He is likely the reason humans are not ruled by aberrations to this day, and why aboleths sulk in the sea, brooding on the ruins of their once-great people. Rather, Sekeva overcame the primal monsters by being more ruthless than they could fathom, in ways only a human-like mind could devise; sacrificing thousands of the men he believed in for a single shot at killing one of the hated aboleths, betraying the trust of his mother, killing his father to invoke a mighty spell...in time, Sekeva became almost as vile as his prey, a ruthless tyrant who was the only one who still believed his cause was noble. In truth, he had long convinced himself that the only humanoid fit to rule humanoids was himself. (DC 25)

It went further than that, however; Sekeva had come to despise the weakness of his race, how the loathsome aboleths could endure thousands of tons of pressure to flee and plot in, while his armies scowled on the surface. No, he turned to the forbidden art of fleshwarping to achieve that. The most brutal and vicious of his warriors and generals were made in the image of mighty sharks to continue the pursuit underwater, no matter how deep; the ancestors of the sahuagin people (Sekolah is, in fact, the result of Sekeva's greatest general ascending to godhood himself). When the true gods realized what the hunter-king was doing, they confronted him, only to realize that Sekeva was no coward; he did nothing to his generals that he had not already practiced upon himself. He had become a monster of elemental water and pure predation, one part rabid beast and one part vicious cunning. The gods, realizing that Sekeva's madness would not end with his death and he would return to torment the world as an undead being, sank his entire coral city beneath the waves, imprisoning him under it. (DC 27)

Unfortunately for the world, he had planned for this. Sekeva had secretly set out five of his most trusted artisans and magicians to hide idols of his ancient kingdom all over the word. As his city sank, the idols "remembered" the stars as they were over the lost kingdom; a conjugation known as a Grand Cross. Whenever the planets align in another Grand Cross, the idols awake and subtly influence the people in whose nations they lie to bring them together, infecting all they command with some of the sahuagin's bloodlust and warlike nature (hence why Grand Crosses are viewed as omens of strife and conflict throughout the world). Should the Five Storm Keys ever come together (or three, now; Sekeva made it so that even the ghost of the Keys may serve the same purpose), they will unleash a massive temporal spell that will make it so that the sinking of the city never happened, and the Drowned Emperor will begin his hunts anew-forever. (DC 32)

Goals: Sekeva's motives, for all of his greed and bloodthirst, ultimately spring from something positive; his belief that humanoids should govern themselves. He doesn't hate the gods (he would have manipulated things to have killed Sekolah long ago if that was the case), but it is his belief they should advise the mortal races rather than quietly puppeteers them. The war against the primal aberrations changed him for the much worse, however; he views himself as the ideal ruler of all mortals, and violence as the only honest form of communication. He also looks down upon land dwelling races as weak, as well as people who will not sacrifice everything to achieve victory, no matter how total or ruthless. He is, quite simply, a paragon of the race he founded, and as the sahuagin are reminded of who their ancestor is, they and other evil aquatic races will flock to him.

Sign:

Storm of Stars

The awakening of the Storm Keys brings about an age of warped time and hostile seas, as the ocean is slowly brought back to an era of constant storms and chaos; ideal for the Drowned Emperor and his servants, not so much for any landlubber that intrudes upon his domain.

Effects:

Faint: The seas become more difficult to navigate; stars seem to move out of their proper positions as navigators attempt to chart them, freak currents and winds blow ships off course, and freak accidents occur on those ships on a regular basis. More than that, coastal towns suffer an upswing in sharks and other predatory fish, all who seem eager to harass the air-breathers-especially those with aberrant blood in their history.

Moderate: Two of the Storm Keys are united, and the seas begin to churn faster; it actually appears the stars visibly move now, and storms that seem intent on disrupting sea travel and providing ample opportunity for pirates become commonplace. The marauding fish grow more aggressive and monstrous; larger and more brutal sharks seem to attack in entire schools, and coordinate their activities with smaller predators such as barracuda and lionfish. Worse, said predators are found further and further inland, even (especially) in the Underdark.

Strong: All three of the surviving Storm Keys are gathered, and the naval phenomenon becomes impossible to mistake for natural. In place of storms, there are vicious elementals of air and water, the sea beasts appear in landlocked freshwater lakes with more intelligent sea life often leading them, and space itself seems to buckle and warp on the open ocean, with distances being whatever they feel like at the time. Phantoms of a colorful city of coral begin to dance in the horizon.

Overwhelming: Having been left to sleep together, the ghost of one of the Storm Keys joins its brethren. The Drowned Emperor's city begins to manifest fully, its location an island of almost perverse stability in a world surrounded by a constant hurricane. Tears to the Elemental Planes of Air and Water become commonplace, the sealife becomes a constant siege, and the ocean becomes a place where a ship may arrive at the west side of a continent by moving south from it. The one upside to all this is that aberrations are the focus of much of the land phenomenon, a hunt resumed...but the hunters, sahuagin and devil-worshipers who look up to the Drowned Emperor, demand greater and greater power for their "heroism."

[Lex-Kat]

Well I'll submit, out of curiosity, to being made into an Elder Evil. Though I doubt most here know me, since the Gaming sub-forum isn't my normal posting area. Permission Granted. Though if no one creates me, I won't mind either. Just thought it'd be fun.

[Red Fel]

This was happening eventually, at least this way I can take responsibility for it.

Eternal Snow

Probably best that you did it, LP. I was thinking about what to do for Snow, and the best I could come up with was apocalypse by global yandere.

Scary thing is, I almost had it. But that's evil, even for me. Shelving that...

Red Fel...haven't we discussed you not hacking my Skype anymore?

We have not, and your objection is duly noted. And ignored.

In other news...What the **** bro? Where did this come from? I love it, because I am a dragon fanatic. But really, I want to know what inspired this. It only taps a small part of my homebrew (the Sarkans), doesn't overly connect to any of the prominent characters I've posted about (other than the one half red dragon warforged), and I don't see much to any of the topics I frequently post about (PoW, Spheres, and trust between players and GMs). But it fits me so well.

HOW DID YOU KNOW?

I based it on your interest in Dragons and such. I was leaning in the direction of an Elder Evil that turned everything into Dragons - as artificial lifeforms, thus touching slightly on Warforged - but decided against that. I just started with the concept of Dragon propagation, and it flowed organically from there.

Also, mind-taker.

You can't hide anything from Malevolus! *cough cough* I'm not sure what came over me. It must of been the wind.

... Nobody likes a poser, LP. There can be only one Malevolus.

Or, um, actually, like, four? I think there were four of me in that thread, maybe? Point still stands.

[IZ42]

Well one of those is actually the literal landscape of the outer planes and an Elder Evil.

[Snowbluff]

Probably best that you did it, LP. I was thinking about what to do for Snow, and the best I could come up with was apocalypse by global yandere.

Scary thing is, I almost had it. But that's evil, even for me. Shelving that...

You see, now I want it.

IF I WANT IT YOU WANT TO GIVE IT, RIGHT?!

[Red Fel]

You see, now I want it.

IF I WANT IT YOU WANT TO GIVE IT, RIGHT?!

[Zaydos]

The Forty-Two Vessels of Iz

Ages ago when Bel was still merely a pit fiend, he led an incursion onto the Prime. His infernal forces were finally driven back when he was struck down by a mortal warrior after a long and bloody fight (Kno History DC 20). Bel slew the warrior that struck him down upon the field of battle on Avernus, a blow that pierced spirit as well as body. This warrior's sword was shattered into 42 pieces (Kno History DC 23) and his mangled soul rendered unable to pass on to the next life becoming a vestige (Kno Planes DC 26). However, it was not truly his entire soul which became a vestige, pieces had been torn off by the pit fiend's blow. These pieces grew lost in the void between planes, tethered by infernal energy to the Great Wheel, but too insubstantial to stay within it. (Kno the Planes DC 32). They attached to one of Iz's mortal companions, a fellow warrior who had held his heart, and lingering on her followed back onto the Prime Material. These ghosts of Iz were sighted from time to time, mere shadows of an entity with no substance or ability to affect the world. (Kno History DC 35) However something of Baator still stirs within these tattered soul-fragments. When the hell blade Hope Flenser, the blade Bel wielded in the battle and stored now in Elysium, is brought back to the Prime it will call to these fragmented spirits, causing their infernal energies to resonate and awaken within them. (Kno the Planes DC 40) The ghosts of Iz will then change, becoming the Forty-Two Vessels (Know the Planes DC 42).

Goals:

The ghosts of Iz are mad, utterly and completely mad. Driven insane by the tortured state of their soul for all these millennia. (Kno Religion DC 36). As the 42 Vessels they will now have the power to act upon this madness. There first act will be hunting down and slaying all the descendants of their comrades at arms (Kno Religion DC 42). They will hunt and kill every individual descended from their companions, and then turn to any individual who has wielded one of the 42 shards of Iz, or bound Iz the Grand Master, and kill them and the descendants of any that has had such a connection. Once they have killed all these entities, they will destroy the 42 shards of Iz and thus destroy all their ties to the world, destroying themselves (Kno Religion DC 48).

Sign:

Tattered Souls
The dead did not rest easy, nor did they die easy, in the days that were to come. Nothing seemed to pass on properly, and when heroes were revived, they came back wrong.

Faint: Any creature revived from the dead loses a level regardless of method used, this is in addition to their normal level loss (i.e. 1 from Revivify and 2 from Raise Dead). This additional level loss can be removed by Restoration as normal for level loss unlike that incurred by normal revival from the dead.

Moderate: Humanoids which die have a 25% chance of rising as incorporeal undead (stronger creature = stronger undead) 1d4 days after their death unless kept in a consecrated or hallowed area for 24 hours. Creatures which are revived from the dead gain enough depravity or corruption to raise them to the next level of taint of that type (whichever is a lower level of taint, or depravity in the case of a tie).

Strong: Humanoids which die have a 50% chance of rising as incorporeal undead 1d6 hours after their death unless kept in a consecrated or hallowed area for 24 hours (if kept for the end of the initial 1d6 hours and then removed it will begin ticking down time again from when it was put in the consecrated area). Creatures revived from the dead have a 50% chance of having their alignment shift 1 step towards Neutral Evil (towards Evil first).

Overwhelming: Humanoids which die rise as incorporeal undead after 1d6 hours outside of a consecrated or hallowed area. Any creature revived from the dead has their alignment shift 1 step towards Neutral Evil and gains enough depravity and corruption to raise them to the next level of taint in each of those types.

Malefic Property

Hellfire Burns

Living creatures near the 42 Vessels burn with the fires of Hell which the tattered soul has felt for generations.

Effect: Any creature within the area of this malefic property must make a Fortitude and Will save when they enter the area and every minute thereafter (DC 10 + 1/2 the HD of the Vessel + the Vessel's Constitution modifier). If they fail the Fortitude save they take 1d6 hellfire damage per 3 hit dice of vessel. If they fail the Will save they take 1 Charisma drain. If in the area of multiple Vessels' malefic properties only the strongest's needs to be saved against.

Tactics/Traits/Etc

The 42 Vessels are in fact 42 creatures. The weakest 10 become active when the sign is merely faint. 10 more become active with each additional level of the sign until the last level is activated at which point the 2 strongest become active as well (for 5 levels). The 'inactive' vessels take the sword and hide it at the beginning, biding for time as they feast upon its infernal energies. The 42 vessels cannot be slain except in the presence of Hope Flenser, any attempt to do so just causes them to reform next to it 1d4 weeks later if the sign is faint, days later if the sign is moderate, hours later if the sign is strong, and minutes later if the sign is overwhelming. Even if slain next to the blade they will still reform unless all 42 are slain at once, but do so more slowly (treat sign as 1 grade weaker, with faint reforming 1d4 months later). The vessels are each vaguely humanoid in shape, but seemingly covered in a green steel chitin. The weakest are corporeal, while the stronger grades are able to change between corporeal and incorporeal with increasing ease. Each has the ability to form a greatsword out of hellfire to supplement their melee attacks. The 42 vessels rarely work together, but the strongest 2 continuously guard the Hope Flenser, knowing that it can end them before they finish their mission.

[ScrambledBrains]

I know absolutely nothing about Elder Evils, I play primarily Neutral Good sneaky types and I'm not entirely certain what most of the forum would consider my most note-worthy characteristics. That said, ScrambledBrains gives permission.

*Leaps off of a cliff and then fades into nothingness before hitting the ground.*

(Yes, this is my new way to exit random threads. )