Orcus

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Archfiend
Orcus
Orcus, as depicted in Fiendish Codex I (2006).
Title: Prince of the Undead, Prince of Undeath, The Blood Lord.
Home plane: Abyss
Power level: Demon lord
Gender: Male
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Portfolio: Undead
Domains: Chaos, Death, Demonic, Evil, Undeath.
Superior: None.

Orcus is the Demon Prince of the Undead. His symbol is a mace with a human skull as the head.

Description[edit | edit source]

Orcus is typically described as having the head and legs of a goat, although with ram-like horns, a bloated body, bat-like wings, and a long tail.

Orcus cares for nothing save himself—not even his devotees and undead servants—and focuses only on spreading misery and evil. One of his most identifiable symbols is the Wand of Orcus, a skull-topped artifact with the power to slay any living being. Orcus also once wielded a powerful artifact known as the Orcusword.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Orcus has many enemies, but the mightiest of them is Demogorgon, the Prince of Demons. Other enemies include Graz'zt, Kiaransali, Laduguer, and Saint Bane the Scourger.

Minions[edit | edit source]

The following beings are some of Orcus's most infamous servants:

  • Acererak. The infamous lich Acererak was once a servant of Orcus, long ago.
  • Lord Adromansis of Garasteth, a death knight.
  • Elder Arantham, a huecuva priest, formerly devoted to Bahamut, who seeks to transform Orcus once again into a true god.
  • Bleeding Setch, a cambion, was once a proxy of Orcus. He went into hiding after Orcus's demise, but it isn't clear whether or not he has returned to the service of the Prince of Undeath.
An aspect of Orcus, as depicted in the Miniatures Handbook (2003).
  • Eldanoth, a former vassal of Orcus who abandoned Thanatos when the wards keeping him enslaved to the Prince of the Undead were broken by the demon lord's death. He now dwells on the 359th layer of the Abyss, seeking to become a god of hate and crime.
  • Eldrua, a derro savant who sought to build a device that would siphon thousands of souls to her master in the Abyss.
  • Glyphimhor, a balor who serves Orcus faultlessly and enjoys slaying Kiaransali's faithful.
  • Gorguth, a bodak general who turns away from the service of Orcus to serve Atropus.
  • Hacamuli, one of the messengers of Orcus. He appears as a pale, gaunt horse with hazy black eyes. Flies crawl over his sore-infested body.
  • Harthoon, a powerful lich sorcerer from the material plane. He is Orcus's vizier and a master embalmer.
  • Kauvra, a deadly half-orc vampire known for her rages. She is Orcus's personal enforcer.
  • Khuul the Witch-Ghoul, once one of Orcus's greatest servants. Khuul was slain centuries ago by Saint Bane.
  • Khavra Akti, a grey elven wizard who hopes to aid Orcus in annexing the world of the dead to his Abyssal realm.
  • Kierno Varim, a tiefling warlock known as the "mad animator," who believes that if the undead ever outnumber the dead, reality will rearrange itself so that undeath is the natural order.
  • The King of Ghouls, who served Orcus before his layer was conquered by Yeenoghu.
  • Mauglurien, a dwarven death knight rival of Elder Arantham. Mauglurien hopes to elevate Orcus by slaying an existing goddess of death and reanimating her as an undead thrall. Mauglurien leads a mercenary company called the Ebon Riders.
  • Quah-Nomag, a half-ogre Skull King who was pivotal in Lord Orcus's return. He now inhabits Lash Embrar, having been stationed there after Orcus tired of his pretentions.
  • Shonvurru, an undead marilith who seeks to alter reality by studying or controlling elder evils from the dawn of time.
  • Sithas Tyrr, a "paladin" of Orcus who seeks to change the world by controlling something that even the gods fear.
  • Xerivar, a bloody animated corpse with three quasits continually tearing at his flesh.

Realm[edit | edit source]

Orcus' realm is Thanatos, the 113th layer of the Abyss (although in H4: The Throne of Bloodstone, it is numbered 333rd). Thanatos is a frigid and frozen layer infested with the undead. Several cities dot the layer, most of which are ruled by minions of Orcus, including a powerful succubus and Quah-Nomag himself. The Prince of the Undead rules from his palace of Everlost in the Bone Meal Desert north of the Final Hills, a vast mountain chain that cuts across the layer. Despite Orcus regaining control over Thanatos, Kiaransalee's taint can still be found in the city of Naratyr on the Frozen Sea south of the layer, and in the so-called Forbidden Citadel in the city of Lachrymosa, located in the Final Hills.

Orcus also keeps a fortress, named Tcian Sumere, on the Negative Energy Plane.

Dogma[edit | edit source]

According to Ghostwalk, page 85, followers of Orcus are commanded to promise their souls to their demonic patron, to eschew mercy, and to embrace torture and suffering. They are promised that one day Orcus's minions will overwhelm the world in a tide of undeath, and that even the gods will die. Eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, they are urged, and through Orcus you will gain life everlasting.

Worshipers[edit | edit source]

Orcus battles Demogorgon, as depicted in Fiendish Codex I (2006). Art by Arnie Swekel.

The cult of Orcus is mainly composed of twisted creatures with a morbid fascination with the undead, such as necromancers, as well as creatures deliberately seeking the path to undeath, such as would-be liches and vampires. They often wear macabre costumes decorated with bones and skulls.

Clergy[edit | edit source]

Clerics of Orcus are in charge of promoting necromancy, pain, torture, undeath, and the destruction of all that is good. They pray for spells at midnight. Their colors are red and black, although bone white is often used as decoration.

Leaders in Orcus's church are called Skull Lords. If they achieve great enough status on their world, they may be invited to Thanatos in person, where they are expected to lead a horde of undead against a material world or one of Orcus's foes. If they succeed in this, they are rewarded with the title of Skull King. If they fail, they are reanimated as liches and imprisoned in the city of Golmin Thur forever.

Rituals[edit | edit source]

The vilest ritual in Orcus's already vile faith is the Unhallowing. This ceremony has no set date, but involves sacrificing a paladin to Orcus and creating a self-loathing undead creature from the remains.

Holy days[edit | edit source]

The holy days of Orcus are the nights of the new moons and Sunsebb 28, the last day of the year. When a moon is at its darkest, worshipers of Orcus are required to either create an undead creature or to bring a corpse to other Orcus cultists so that an undead creature can be made.

Artifacts[edit | edit source]

The Wand of Orcus[edit | edit source]

The Wand of Orcus is a powerful artifact. This skull-tipped wand has the ability to automatically slay any living creature it touches.

The Wand is highly coveted across the planes, and Orcus sometimes lets it fall into the hands of mortals in order to allow them to wreak chaos and evil. The Wand is currently thought to be in the possession of a cult called the Lurkers In Shadow.

The Orcusword[edit | edit source]

The Orcusword was Orcus's personal weapon when he was still a balor. It is currently held in Tcian Sumere, Orcus's fortress on the Negative Energy Plane.

History[edit | edit source]

Orcus is a very old demon. Like many of the most powerful demon lords who struggle for power in the Abyss, Orcus started his existence as a mortal on the Material Plane. He was apparently a wicked spellcaster of some sort, most probably a priest to some dark deity. After his death, his soul, like the souls of all chaotic evil mortals, went to the Abyss and Orcus began his afterlife as a lowly larva.

Orcus, as depicted in the Monster Manual (1977).

Orcus proceeded to climb through the demonic ranks in the next several thousand years, going from larva to mane, from mane to dretch, from dretch to rutterkin, from rutterkin to vrock, from vrock to glabrezu, from glabrezu to nalfeshnee, and eventually a balor. From there, he ascended to the rank of demon lord, becoming the Prince of the Undead and ruling the layer of Thanatos, the Belly of Death. Even though there are other demon lords aspiring to the title of "Prince of the Undead," Orcus's claim to the title has gone unchallenged for the most part. Ever hungry for more power, Orcus wanted to be recognized as "Prince of Demons," a title held by Demogorgon and coveted also by Graz'zt. As a result, he became the arch-enemy of both demon lords. In time, buoyed by his mortal cultists, Orcus achieved true godhood.

However, shortly after his divine ascension, Orcus was slain by the drow demigoddess Kiaransalee, who took over rulership of Orcus's layer of the Abyss and locked his wand away in the last layer of Pandemonium. Kiaransalee decreed that Orcus's name be erased from all existence.

A peculiar combination of events thwarted Kiaransalee's plans. Acererak's tampering with the nature of the Negative Energy Plane, the last prayers of Quah-Nomag, and the unexpected awakening of some of the sleepers of the demiplane of Moil combined to cause the spirit of Orcus to be reanimated as an undead god. Renaming himself Tenebrous in order to help obscure himself from his enemies, Orcus traveled to ruins buried in the sands of Pelion. There, he discovered the Last Word, an utterance so powerful that it can destroy deities. The Last Word will also eventually kill those who know it unless the being is a true deity. Thus, to restore his lost divinity, Orcus went in search of his wand. During his search, Orcus killed several gods and other powerful entities, including Bwimb, Primus, and Maanzecorian. Orcus's efforts were stymied by a group of adventurers and Orcus was again destroyed, this time by the power of the Last Word. A cabal of greater deities, in response to Tenebrous's predations, has since weakened the Last Word considerably.

Orcus was resurrected by Quah-Nomag, one of his foremost high priests and thralls, in a blasphemous ritual enacted in the Astral Plane. Orcus then reclaimed his kingdom and his original name, re-proclaiming himself "Prince of the Undead" (despite his hatred of undead). However, as a result of his second death and resurrection, Orcus has lost his divinity; he is a mere demon lord once more.

Orcus's divinity now exists as a vestige named Tenebrous: The Shadow That Was, and can be called upon by binders.

Creative origins[edit | edit source]

Orcus is named after the god of the underworld in Roman mythology. He appeared in John Milton's Paradise Lost as an inhabitant of the Abyss with Demogorgon, Chaos, Ades, and Night.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Bennie, Scott. "Setting Saintly Standards." Dragon #79. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
———. Dead Gods. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1997.
  • Dobson, Michael, and Douglas Niles. The Mines of Bloodstone. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.
———. The Throne of Bloodstone. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.
  • Gygax, Gary. Dungeon Master's Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1979.
———. Monster Manual. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1977.
  • Henson, Dale, and Doug Stewart, eds. Encyclopedia Magica Vol 4. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.
  • Marmell, Ari. "The Ashen Covenant." Dragon #364. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008. Available online:[1]
  • McComb, Colin. Faces of Evil: the Fiends. Renton, WA: TSR, 1997.
———. On Hallowed Ground. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
  • Moldvay, Tom. "Demons, Devils, and Spirits." Dragon #42. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, October 1980.
  • Sernett, Matthew, Dave Noonan, Ari Marmell, and Robert J. Schwalb. Tome of Magic. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.
  • Stewart, Todd, and the Paizo Staff. "1d20 Villains." Dragon #359. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.

The Index is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, and his work as continued and updated by Eric Johnson, Richard DiIoia, Jason "PupickDad" Jacobson, a French fan group, and numerous other fans over the years. The wiki page for the EGI has a list of sources, full product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Clutch of Orcus (LVL3) Spell Spell (Cleric), Libris Mortis, D&D 3.5e 59, 63
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Book of Vile Darkness, D&D 3.0 136-140
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Come Endless Darkness 39, 52, 54, 55, 150, 159, 220, 244
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess 93
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, City of Hawks 30, 31
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Deities & Demigods (1st & 2nd printing), AD&D 1e 105, 133
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Deities & Demigods (3rd+ printing), AD&D 1e 90
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dead Gods 75, 76, 84, 85
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 198
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dance of Demons 45, 67, 75, 91, 101, 149, 170, 172, 176, 199, 201, 220, 221, 222, 223, 341, 367, 368
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #067 25
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #258 47
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #270 67
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #290 103
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #291 98
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #356 67
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dragon magazine #359 97, 98
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dungeon magazine #019 4
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dungeon magazine #089 47, 48, 49, 50
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dungeon magazine #147 54, 55, 56, 66
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Dungeon magazine #149 56, 57
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Eldritch Wizardry 29, 35, 38
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Greyhawk Adventures 14
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, D&D 5e 141, 142, 154, 161, 231
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 153
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Libris Mortis, D&D 3.5e 15, 16, 18, 35, 59, 63, 96, 108, 109, 130, 163, 175
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Legends & Lore, AD&D 1e 90
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Monster Manual 1, AD&D 1e 7, 18
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Monster Manual 1, D&D 4e (Deluxe Edition) 206-210
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Monster Manual 1, D&D 5e 52
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Monster Manual 2, AD&D 1e 5, 39
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Manual of the Planes, AD&D 1e 7, 65, 76, 81, 102
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Manual of the Planes, D&D 3.0 102
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, D&D 5e 152-153
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, OP1 Tales of the Outer Planes, AD&D 1e 67, 68
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting, Pathfinder 1e 172, 174
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Return to the Keep on the Borderland 2
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Return to the Tomb of Horrors 56, 62, 76, 85, 92, 95, 104
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, Book Two 8
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, Sea of Death 20-22
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil 121
Orcus {Tenebrous} Deity Lord of the Undead, Demon prince, Native of: Abyss, Astral, World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) 71
Orcus, Blood Fiend of Monster Dungeon magazine #147 54, 55-56, 81, 83
Orcus, Blood Fiend of Monster Fiend Folio, D&D 3.0 47-48
Orcus, Scythe of Item Artifact, Dungeon magazine #089 47, 48
Orcus, Shrine of Building Shrine, Return to the Keep on the Borderland 2
Orcus, Shrine of (City of Greyhawk) Building Shrine, The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess 93
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Book of Vile Darkness, D&D 3.0 122
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Dead Gods 76, 84, 85
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide 1st Edition 124, 162
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Dungeon Master's Guide, D&D 5e 226-227
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Dungeon magazine #149 57
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Eldritch Wizardry 35, 42
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Libris Mortis, D&D 3.5e 175
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Monster Manual 1, AD&D 1e 18
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Monster Manual 1, D&D 5e 52
Orcus, Wand of Item Artifact, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, D&D 5e 152, 153
Orcusgate (City) (Abyss) Settlement Dungeon magazine #147 85
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