As Light covered the Darkness, Pelor finally saw Beory, and Beory saw Pelor,
and immediately they fell madly in love... Then they began their dance of joy, and from their dances their Children were born...
Excerpt from the Marauders of Greyhawk website. (https://maraudeursdegreyhawk.fr/temple/divinites/beory.php).
THE ELDER ELEMENTAL GOD / THE DARK GOD / THE ELDER ELEMENTAL EYE / THARIZDUN
The first two deities are identified in the DMGR4 supplement "MONSTER MYTHOLOGY" by Carl Sargent. Tharizdun first appears in the 1982 Folio (a high-ranking god) and then in the World of Greyhawk boxed set, where he becomes a middle-ranking god.
The Elder Elemental God, a Greater God, is a mysterious "Lost God." Even the greatest creator gods do not speak of him to their elder priests. But he is known to be banished to a single demiplane, constantly fighting for his liberation, and desperately seeking to gain power through rituals and tributes performed on the Material Plane, though he is completely indifferent to the fate of his servants.
He is a terrible deity, blindly destructive, easily driven to unknowable rages. How he manages to manifest on the Material Plane is unknown; it is evident that he cannot be fully bound and is capable of projecting some of his power.
He does not truly rage like an "avatar," for his appearances are unpredictable and depend less on the god's will to manifest than on his ability to do so. The performance of rituals by his servants plays a minor role, but the magical fluctuations related to his extraplanar ban are more significant.
The god also manifests through physical phenomena as well as his "avatars." Some of these manifestations persist in his oldest sanctuaries, or perhaps they simply represent "weak points" where the god's power can be best channeled. These manifestations include: sucking tentacles emerging from an altar that drain a victim's energy or suck them into the altar to destroy them irreparably; the appearance of a glowing golden eye that blinds, insanely ages, or prematurely ages beholders; and the transformation of this magical orb into a stone egg from which salamanders hatch, blindly attacking any living being within range.
The Dark God (ian Intermediate rank god whose power varies)
This god is sometimes called "the God of the End of All Things," the one who will stand alone when time and worlds have ended, filled with the power of eternal darkness. This fearsome god drains reason and strength from soul and body, but his acceptance of his worshippers into the cold eternity of his being holds a terrible allure for certain insane creatures. Perhaps the Dark God is banished, like the Elder Elemental God; perhaps he has simply vanished into eternal night; or perhaps he stands outside of space and time, awaiting rebirth at the end of all things.
Gameplay Notes: The Dark God cannot use avatars or send omens to most worlds; this is only possible if he has an active cult. He only desires this to absorb life energies and bodies. Special note on shrines: Like those of the Old Elemental God, the lost shrines of this deity are horrific places, but more frightening: exhaustion, fatigue, hallucinatory illusions, catatonia, depression, and paralysis await those who enter them. But so too do arcane secrets, unique magical treasures, and great tomes of lore.
In the adventure Book 1-4 "THE TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL," the Elder Elemental Evil is likely an aspect of the Elder Elemental God described above.
The Elder Elemental Eye is a deception that conceals the reality of the existence of Tharizdun, an aspect of the Dark God in the world of Greyhawk, imprisoned by an alliance of deities since the beginning of time. This subterfuge allows Iuz to tap into the power of Elemental Evil and its demonic allies (Lolth, Zuggtmoy) to develop the Temple and its four elemental sects.
Seven religions are thus present in the "Temple of Elemental Evil":
• The clerics of the four elemental temples who worship Elemental Evil
• The servants of Iuz, the master builder of the Temple.
• The servants of Zuggtmoy, imprisoned in the Temple.
• The servants of Lolth (Lareth and Falrinth the Mage who holds the golden Orb of Death) who have watched over the Temple, Iuz, and his alliance with Zuggtmoy since the rebellion of Eclavdra, one of her high priestesses.
The Elder Elemental Eye is mysterious. A successful DC 17 Religion (Intelligence) check is required to identify the symbol, and a similar DC 20 check is required to determine its details. The symbol of the Ancient Elemental Eye is a downward-pointing black triangle with an inverted yellow Y inside, so that the ends of the figure meet the midpoint of each side of the triangle.
The cult also uses the much more explicit symbol of the golden flaming eye. For years, this was mistakenly believed to be the symbol of Zuggtmoy. While Tharizdun was imprisoned far away, he used powerful demon lords such as Zuggtmoy, Lolth, and Demogorgon as intermediaries to transmit his power to his priests. In some cases, the demon was completely unaware of what was happening; others believed itself to be the object of the worshipper's worship. Long ago, when Lareth the Fair commanded the fortress (the outpost of the Temple of Elemental Evil), Zuggtmoy and Lolth mistook him for their priest, when in reality, he served only the Ancient Elemental Eye (and thus Tharizdun).
Tharizdun or the Dark God are fairly well-known names, but they are so feared that the details always remain mysterious. With a successful DC 18 Religion (Intelligence) check, someone can recognize his symbol, the obex (a two-stepped inverted pyramid), or other attributes, such as the purple and black colors, the wriggling tentacle theme, the intense and persistent cold, and the strength-related effects. Another successful DC 23 Religion (Intelligence) check is required to verify the details.
What we learn from the adventure "Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil." Monte Cook confirms the hypothesis that Tharizdun and the Elder Elemental Eye are one and the same. The Dreamers of Apocalypse wish to free Tharizdun, who will destroy our universe. And, after long holding the hypothesis of two completely distinct gods from DMGR 4, two elements cause me to change my opinion:
* It is surprising that the descriptions of the two deities are identical: a formless, tentacled mass that evokes a Great Old One and not a deity from the world of Greyhawk, as we imagine Pelor or Nerull. They are both "locked away."
* More importantly, Monte Cook tells us that the Elemental Princes of Evil obey Tharizdun and will facilitate his release. For me, these Princes are the creation of the Elder Elemental Evil.
Hence a hypothesis that would unify these elements:
The ElderElemental God is an entity older than the deities of Greyhawk. He is called Ancient Elemental Evil (one of these many aspects) in the world of Greyhawk. In Book T1-4, Iuz manipulates the evil priests of the four elements and, with the help of Lolth and then Zuggtmoy, sows chaos in Keoland and then southern Furyondy for purely military purposes. No apocalypse is envisaged.
Tharizdun is the Ancient Elemental Evil, an aspect of the Old Elemental God, in the world of Greyhawk. He hides in the adventure "Return to the Ancient Elemental Temple" as the Elder Elemental Eye. But the goal is indeed his liberation and the destruction of our universe.
This explains his imprisonment by all the deities of Greyhawk. He is not a deity as we understand it. He is a Great Old One, one of the creative and destructive entities that created our multiverse, will destroy it, and will rebuild it.
Before his imprisonment, Tharizdun was a greater deity, like the Elder Elemental God, and became an intermediate deity after his imprisonment.
Elder Elemental God = EEG
Sorry for the poor translation.
Thank you, what's your opinion?
Really interesting theory, and I think it does a great job of tying together some of the more nebulous parts of Greyhawk lore. The idea that the Elder Elemental God is a primal, pre-deific force and that Tharizdun is one of its aspects actually helps make sense of a lot of the inconsistencies between modules. wordle
What if The Elder Elemental God is the 'core entity' seeking to destroy the Universe, and it manifests 'local' aspect Powers in each Crystal Sphere (yes, I'm a Spelljammer fan)? In this context, Tharizdun would be the aspect present in Greyhawk/Greyspace. Ghaunadaur in the Realms could be the Realmspace aspect, and the Dark God could be the aspect from an undefined sphere.
Maybe the EEG needs all its local aspects to be freed to manifest itself fully/unmake the Universe? In this way, as long as either the Dark God, or Tharizdun remain locked away, the Universe is safe.
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