Orcus Orcus was a demon lord and master of the undead . Description . Orcus was 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 cared for nothing save himself — not even his devotees and undead servants — and focused only on spreading misery and evil . One of his most identifiable symbols was the artifact known as the " Wand of Orcus " , a skull - topped wand with the power to slay any living being . Orcus also wielded a powerful artifact known as the " Orcusword " . History . Like many of the most powerful demon lords who struggled for power in the Abyss , Orcus started his existence as a mortal on the Prime 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 proceeded to climb through the demonic ranks over 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 ' claim to the title went 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 , Orcus also achieved true godhood . In - 1025 DR , a human worshiper of Orcus called Thargaun became the first king of Tharos , which would later become known as Narfell . His dynasty would rule until - 633 DR , when the lich - king Belevan was slain by the twin sons of Graz ' zt . In - 431 DR , Jesthren Darakh , a half - fiend ish son of Orcus and Larnaeril Darakh , was born . In - 399 DR , Jesthren slew King Orlathaun , a human descendant of Graz ' zt , and ascended to the throne of Narfell . He died in - 322 DR . In - 367 DR , Orcus fathered another son , Heldakar Darakh , on another woman of the Darakh line . This woman was sacrificed to Orcus immediately following Heldakar ' s birth . This would become a tradition in the Darakh dynasty . Heldakar ascended to the throne of Narfell in - 322 DR , following the death of his half - brother Jesthren . Heldakar died in - 299 DR . In - 338 DR , Orcus fathered Yannos Darakh " the Slayer " on a woman of the Darakh line , who was sacrificed following Yannos ' s birth . Yannos became king of Narfell in - 299 DR , after the death of his half - brother Heldakar . Yannos died in - 270 DR . In - 310 DR , Orcus fathered Garthelaun Darakh " the Goreclaw " on a woman of the Darakh line , who was sacrificed following Garthelaun ' s birth . Garthelaun became king of Narfell in - 270 DR , following the death of his half - brother Yannos . Garthelaun died in - 235 DR . In - 259 DR , Orcus fathered Ilithkar Darakh on a woman of the Darakh line , who was sacrificed following Ilithkar ' s birth . Ilithkar became king of Narfell in - 235 DR , following the death of his half - brother Garthelaun . In - 181 DR , Ilithkar was overthrown by his cousin Rheligaun " the Horned , " a half - fiendish son of Fraz - Urb ' luu . Orcus became the patron of the Red Wizard Zhengyi in the 900s DR , aiding him in his quest to become a lich . Priests of Orcus supported Zhengyi in 1347 DR , when Zhengyi created the Castle Perilous , giving the lich control over many undead creatures . Zhengyi attacked Damara in 1348 DR , finally bringing it under his control in 1357 DR . Zhengyi lost his power when Gareth Dragonsbane and his company banished Orcus ' s power from the realm by stealing his wand . Zhengyi ' s undead army disintegrated along with Castle Perilous and Zhengyi the Witch - King was defeated . Simultaneously , Orcus was slain by the drow demi - goddess Kiaransalee , who took over rulership of Orcus ' layer of the Abyss and locked his ( apparently restored ) wand away in the last layer of Pandemonium . Kiaransalee decreed that Orcus ' name be erased from all existence . Despite the drow demi - goddess ' efforts , Orcus was restored as an undead demon lord , renaming himself Tenebrous . As Tenebrous , Orcus discovered the Last Word , an utterance so powerful that it could destroy deities . The Last Word would also eventually kill those who knew it unless the being was a true deity , and to restore himself to his lost divinity , Orcus went in search for his wand . During his search , Orcus killed several gods , including Primus , god of the modron s , and Maanzecorian . Orcus ' 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 ' predations , later nullified the Last Word . However , Orcus was resurrected by Quah - Nomag , one of his foremost high priests and thralls , in a blasphemous ritual he 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 again lost his divinity and became a demon lord . Orcus ' divinity thereafter existed as a vestige , named Tenebrous , and could be called upon by binder s . Realm . Orcus ' realm was Thanatos , the 113th layer of the Abyss . It was a frigid and frozen layer infested with the undead . Several cities dotted the layer ( most of them ruled by minions of Orcus , including a powerful succubus and Quah - Nomag himself ) . Orcus ruled from his palace of Everlost in the bone - meal desert of Oblivion ' s End , north of a vast mountain chain called the Final Hills that cut across the layer . Despite Orcus regaining control over Thanatos , Kiaransalee ' s taint could 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 . Possessions . Wand of Orcus . The Wand of Orcus was a powerful artifact . This skull - topped wand had the ability to automatically slay any living creature it touched . The Wand was highly coveted across the planes , and Orcus sometimes let it fall into the hands of mortals in order to allow them to wreak chaos and evil . The wand was thought to be in the possession of a cult called the Lurkers In Shadow . The Orcusword . The " Orcusword " was Orcus ' s personal weapon when he was still a balor . It was later held in Tchian - Sumere , Orcus ' s fortress on the Negative Energy Plane . Worshipers . The cult of Orcus was mainly composed of twisted creatures with a morbid fascination with the undead , such as necromancers , as well as creatures deliberately seeking the path to unlife , such as would - be lich es and vampire s . The following beings were some of Orcus ' s most infamous servants :