Tyranthraxus Tyranthraxus , also called the " Possessing Spirit " and the " Flamed One " , was a malign entity who stole control over the bodies of others to further its wicked goals . He was said to have been one of the Seven Lost Gods forced long ago to bow before Bane . Some sages have identified him as a type of yugoloth , though spells normally effective against such fiends have been shown to have no effect on him . All that is truly known is that Tyranthraxus was an extraplanar entity of unknown origin but apparently ( according to the creature ' s own diary ) , a very weak example of his kind . History . Some sages have said that Tyranthraxus ruled over a large swathe of land consisting of the Moonsea region and northern Cormanthor in an unknown time before the Dalelands were settled by human s . He had 3 lairs during this time : One in the Dragonspine Mountains , one in what is now Yûlash and one in what is now Phlan . He came into frequent conflict with the elves of Cormanthor and was also known by the ogre s of Thar . He was driven out of Yûlash by followers of Moander wielding the " Gauntlets of Moander " and his rule was ended by someone wearing the " Helm of the Dragon " ( which showed his true form when he was in possession of someone ) and the " Blade of Lathander " , a holy sword said to have been forged specifically to slay him . Over the years , many tales of possessing spirits have been told but it is impossible to determine which , if any , actually involved Tyranthraxus . The oldest of these legends of Tyranthraxus were those of the ogre s ( once known as the beast - men ) of Thar . They claimed that , long ago , Tyranthraxus was a powerful general who lead " the Riders out of the Waste . " In this form , he conquered the ancient kingdoms of Barze , Horreb , and Vane . While temporarily bodiless , he was imprisoned by one Baron Schodt in a vial of shining water which sank beneath the depths of Lake Longreach . The Kingdom of Barze was overrun by Tyranthraxus and his Twisted Ones in - 356 DR . Some say the Dark Three had a hand in setting Tyranthraxus against their former allies in Barze . At some point ( possibly before the conquest of Barze ) , Bane ( and likely his comrades Bhaal and Myrkul ) apparently encountered Tyranthraxus during their quest for immortality and forced the Flamed One into servitude . Circa 1240 DR , agents of Tyranthraxus convinced the bronze dragon Srossar to bathe in the " pool of radiance " , convincing him it would grant him greater wisdom and understanding of the multiverse . Instead , it allowed Tyranthraxus to possess his body . Combining his own powers with the immense powers of his host , Tyranthraxus raised an army of orc s , hobgoblin s , and similar creatures and stormed into Phlan . For 50 years however , the barrier formed by the Moonsea and the forces of Zhentil Keep kept him from expanding any further . Then he was caught by surprise when Phlan began to be recolonized by humans . In 1340 DR , Tyranthraxus ' rule over Phlan was challenged by the adventurers Shal Bal , Ren o ' the Blade , and Tarl Desanea . When it looked like he would be destroyed , Tyranthraxus entered a different body and dove into the " pool " , using its magic to teleport away . Emerging from another " pool of radiance " , he found himself in the ruins of Myth Drannor 17 years later . Here he quickly established himself as a dominant force over the baatezu and other evil creatures inhabiting the city through a mixture of diplomacy , strategic possessions and playing the various factions against each other . He learned from his new subordinates how to better manipulate these " pools " and used the one he ' d entered the city from to erect a magical barrier over the city , barring entry in or out . Later in the year , Tyranthraxus intercepted some members of the Fire Knives guild along with a small group of Moander - worshipers fleeing north from Westgate who told the tale of a woman named Alias , branded by their masters and a few others with magical blue tattoos called Azure Bonds which forced her to do their will . Although Alias managed to break free , Tyranthraxus saw an opportunity to further his own goals by placing these brands on a group of adventurers similar to those that managed to defeat him in Phlan . He gathered the cultists , Fire Knives , a renegade Red Wizard of Thay and a group of Zhentarim mages then captured a party of sellswords to inscribe the Azure Bonds onto . Each faction gave the party a compulsion but none realised that it was possible for the group to resist them . Unfortunately , the adventurers proved more resourceful at breaking the Azure Bonds than fulfilling their compulsions and with the help of Elminster to open a hole in the barrier surrounding Myth Drannor , used the " Gauntlets of Moander " , " Helm of the Dragon " , and " Blade of Lathander " to defeat Tyranthraxus in his lair . Though Tyranthraxus was thought to be dead , he had apparently survived defeat once more by retreating back through the " pool of radiance " that brought him to Myth Drannor but was not heard from again , kept in stasis by the " pool " , until 1489 DR . A meteor strike in Kraunun ’ s Crater in the Moonsea region created a new " pool of radiance " from which Tyranthraxus emerged , quickly possessing a stone giant shaman . Using the influence afforded to him by such a body , Tyranthraxus came to dominate the Burning Banner orc tribe and decided to offer his army ' s services to the dragon Vorgansharax when the wyrm ' s agents came to claim the power of the " pool " . His true plan however , was to possess Vorgansharax . Whether Tyranthraxus was ultimately defeated or not was unclear - but Vorgansharax was noted to have started asking questions about the Moonsea region that he should ' ve already known the answers to , after the dragon ' s agents brought a sample of the " pool " at Kraunan ' s Crater to him . Around 1492 DR Tyranthraxus had managed to subtly possess the green dragon , without Vorgansharax noticing to be enthralled by the evil spirit . Physical description . Tyranthraxus took the body of whoever he was possessing and avoided changing its appearance too much in order to avoid suspicion . Abilites . The Possessing Spirit could cause his stolen body to erupt in a fiery aura . He could read all thoughts within his line of sight and accurately mimic the voice , gestures , and posture of the one whose body he was inhabiting . If not in a body , he was able to sustain himself within any magical liquid , though it is not known how long he could last outside such a medium . Personality . He was cruel , ruthless , and intelligent . Tyranthraxus was a meticulous record - keeper . He liked to keep written records of every significant action , his conquests , his subversions , every creature under his control , what resources he could command , etc . Being in a body that was incapable of writing was rather frustrating to him . He also felt humiliated whenever he was forced into the body of an animal , having to flee from larger animals and unable to communicate . Goals . While in the body of Srossar , Tyranthraxus ' goal was to control the mind of every living creature on the Material Plane , a goal he believed he could achieve with the " pool of radiance " , six " ioun stone s " and blood to fuel his own life energy . He had managed to collect four " ioun stones " when he encountered the adventurers that would kill his body , and attempted to get the two stones that Ren carried to complete the set , pretending to be Srossar , set free from his own influence . The party however , saw through his lies though and foiled his plan . After he found himself in Myth Drannor , he felt vulnerable , being forced into the body of a human after so long in the mighty body of a dragon . He put his plans of mass - control on hold and instead sought the destruction of the three magic items that could destroy his true form . During his most recent appearance , Tyranthraxus ' main goal was to again possess the body of a dragon - Vorgansharax being the most prominent dragon in the region at that time . Relationships . Tyranthraxus ' s enemies included Shal Bal , Ren o ' the Blade , and Tarl Desanea . He was the most powerful member of the New Alliance . Around 1492 the Flamed One forged a pact with the Dark Powers of Ravenloft in order to rais the dead of Valhingen Graveyard for bolstered the army of Vorgansharax with undead s . Notes . It has been suggested that the being commonly known as Tyranthraxus is actually a disguise created by Maram of the Great Spear in order to throw off those who research his powers . This however , was a red herring meant to confuse players . Tyranthraxus and Maram are separate beings .