Anthraxus Master of Khin - Oin and nominal ruler of the Blood Rift , Anthraxus the Decayed ( æn - THRAK - sus ) commands considerable power and authority . To the demon s of the rift and the Wasting Tower , he is the Lord of Misery and Despair , worshiped in fear and revered as a god . Anthraxus appears as a gaunt , ghoulish creature draped in moldering gray robes . His skin is covered with ulcers and oozing pustules , and his eyes glow red from deep in their sockets . Lore . Anthraxus was not the first master of Khin - Oin , and he has held control of the Wasting Tower more than once . Though he reclaimed the great throne known as the Siege Malicious only a century ago as of approximately 1479 DR , Anthraxus has ruled Khin - Oin for nearly three millennia all together , far longer than any of his predecessors . Anthraxus was once an unenhanced ultroloth , but a coven of night hag s transformed him into an altraloth , tasking him with destroying a crusade of paladins . Once he had fulfilled his contract with the hags , in approximately - 1522 DR , Anthraxus violently wrested the Wasting Tower from his predecessor to become the reigning Oinoloth of the yugoloth race . His predecessor is rumored to have been imprisoned in the Underdark on the world of Oerth . In approximately 1357 DR , an arcanaloth called Yrkhetep became unusually obsessed with the Vilhon Reach , seeking to usurp Anthraxus and take over the Siege Malicious of Khin - Oin through an artifact called the " Infinity Train " . To stop Yrkhetep ' s plans , Anthraxus subtly intervened on the side of Good . When he uncovered Yrkhetep ' s full plans , he lured the arcanaloth to his home plane to confront him directly . Anthraxus was ousted by the ultroloth Mydianchlarus at some point between 1357 DR and 1369 DR not through violence , but by Mydianchlarus whispering a secret in Anthraxus ' s ear so profound and disturbing that he was compelled to leave Khin - Oin and move on . As of 1369 DR he was wandering the Fiendish Planes , petitioning the various god s of evil to serve as their proxy , using riches hidden in keeps and safehouses throughout the Fiendish Planes to finance his schemes , and hoping to employ a team of adventurers to force their way into Khin - Oin and keep Mydianchlarus distracted while he confronted the usurper directly . These schemes must have worked , because by approximately 1379 DR he had regained his throne . Since resuming power , Anthraxus has worked tirelessly to complete two primary objectives : recovering a legendary artifact known as the " Staff of the Lower Planes " , and completing the construction of the Tower of Incarnate Pain on the boundary of the Blood Rift and Pazunia . A project started under his predecessor Mydianchlarus , the tower is designed to channel power between itself , Khin - Oin , and the ancient Tower of the Arcanaloths on the Plain of a Thousand Portals . This flow of abyssal energy is intended to trigger a planar nexus , channeling virtually unlimited power into the Siege Malicious . Encounters . Though he trusts no one , Anthraxus maintains a small circle of baernaloth viziers as his personal guard . Baernaloths are tall , gaunt daemons with horned heads resembling the skulls of rams or cattle . Their glazed eyes run with sickly yellow fluid and their gray skin is stretched tight across their bones . It was through their invaluable service that Anthraxus was able to discern the whereabouts and weaknesses of his most formidable enemies on his path to reclaiming the rule of Khin - Oin . Combat . The forces of Khin - Oin are at Anthraxus ' s command , but the master of the Wasting Tower seeks any opportunity to face off against foes in direct combat . A paragon of sadism even among his own kind , Anthraxus commands his baernaloth viziers to spread their attacks around — inflicting maximum pain but stopping short of killing their opponents . Knowing that few creatures apart from deities and other daemon lords can challenge him , Anthraxus relishes using " vile compulsion " to command enemies to attack their own allies . A master tactic , the daemon lord always has backup forces and escape plans at the ready . Secrets . Anthraxus spent the better part of the last age hunting down and slaying those yugoloth lords he considered rivals to his claim for Khin - Oin , assuming the guise of other yugoloth lords to accomplish his assassinations . Amassing power as he went , the Lord of Misery then marched on the Wasting Tower and challenged its master , Mydianchlarus , for control of the Siege Malicious . Though Mydianchlarus was slain , Anthraxus was thwarted in his attempt to wholly destroy his hated foe . The Sepulcher of Mydianchlarus now lingers as a burning reminder of Anthraxus ' s broken reign . Cult . As a hallmark of their faith , mortal servants of Anthraxus are afflicted with diseases that give them a ghoulish , disfigured appearance . Cultists gather in dark shrines called conventicles , where they perform rituals and blood sacrifices in their master ' s name . Anthraxus ' s cultists revile health , youth , beauty , and innocence , and creatures that possess such qualities are rarely found among the daemon lord ' s followers . Cult priests , known as degogs , dress in crimson robes with black hoods and sashes . The most favored of Anthraxus ' s mortal servants are raised to the station of archdegog , and they are occasionally chosen to serve as the vessel for one of Anthraxus ' s aspects . Out of Combat . Supplicants seeking boons or favors of Anthraxus journey to the Wasting Tower by the thousands . These faithful are dealt with by the daemon lord ' s archdegogs and viziers . His fear of challenge means that Anthraxus spends his time guarding the Siege Malicious , meeting with only a small circle of his most trustworthy followers . Other creatures that come face to face with the daemon lord find themselves engaged in combat in short order . Notes . Anthraxus has darkvision , and blindsight . He speaks Abyssal , Common , Primordial , and he has telepathy . He also hovers and can teleport . Anthraxus rules from the Siege Malicious , a gargantuan artifact - throne set at the tower ' s summit . Any creature that can mount an assault on the tower , fighting to the top past its daemon defenders , can challenge the current lord . The victor of such a battle masters the power of the Siege Malicious and assumes control of the mighty fortress . However , the great throne is possessed of fell magic , and corrupts whoever sits upon it . Anthraxus ' s present rule over Khin - Oin has lasted only a century . But the daemon lord has been master of the tower before , and has ruled Khin - Oin for a total of three thousand years .