Dagon

Dagon () was a primordial, an obyrith, and a demon lord. The Lord of the Darkened Depths laired in the Shadowsea, the 89 layer of the Abyss.Demonomicon implies (but does not explicitly state) Dagon is a primordial on pages 7 and 8, by referring to "the mighty primordials clashing in a battle", which is presumed to include Dagon. However, it declares Dagon officially an obyrith on page 17. It is possible that instead Dagon attacked these primordials or is a primordial who became an obyrith.
==Description==
Dagon's form was a mixture of shark, mollusc and sea serpent aspects.
==Relationships==
===Progeny===
Dagon also seems to have had heroic, "good" progeny in Faerûn, one for certain in the form of Captain Thoster, one of the heroes attempting to stop the eladrin Malyanna from opening the Far Manifold with the Key of Stars in the . Thoster's heritage manifested itself in increments periodically during his quest; originally, he believed it to be of kuo-toa origin, but eventually it was revealed to him (via an extremely painful transformation) that he was in actuality a 'demon scion' and a direct descendant of Dagon.
===The Outcast Dagon===
The demon lord Dagon should not be confused with the exiled devil of the same name, who dwelled on Avernus, first layer of the Nine Hells. Originally known as Jaqon, Asmodeus forcibly changed Jaqon's name to "Dagon" to thwart attempts to summon the offender.
==Worshipers==
Dagon was served by aquatic demons, especially wastrilith, and was worshiped by aquatic races such as kraken, chuuls, sea hags, water nagas, and kuo-toa.
==History==
In ancient myth, when the first primordials arrived in the Abyss, Dagon was already there, lurking in the depths. When Demogorgon went to claim the shard of evil, Dagon rose out of the Blood Sea to challenge him for control. Though they fought a titanic battle, the shard was claimed instead by Obox-ob. In later times, Dagon was the only one of the demon lords to be known openly as an obyrith.
Dagon's history on Toril lay below the surface of the Sea of Fallen Stars and the waters in the west of Maztica. He and his minions lurked for a long time in the Trench of Lopok and were only known as "Those who Sleep Below". They infested the dreams of those who swam in the Sea of Fallen Stars with nightmares. The most ambitious of the demons was Prince Dagon, who planned to overcome a pantheon of sea creatures and achieve their divine powers. To reach this goal he brought the depths of the Sea of Fallen Stars under the control of his servants and their forces. The next step was made with long-forgotten eldritch magic. He restricted the influence of the deities of the shalarin in the Sea of Corynactis, on the west of Maztica.
The next step was the creation of five "wild tides" to sweep large numbers of shalarin into the Sea of Fallen Stars, where his minions could slaughter them. The first wild tide began in with the opening of the Wildtide Portals connecting the two ocean realms. Many shalarin were swept into the Sea of Fallen Stars, where roughly 70% died under the attacks of Dagon's servants. The rest were only rescued by the intervention of enemies of Dagon, like merfolk.
Dagon repeated this tactic every 720 years and the last wild tide was in the . This time, the portal stayed and became permanent. The shalarin of Faerûn kept the portal a secret, fearing that others could use it for their own ends. But another fact was more disturbing for them. Between the fourth and fifth tide, the shalarin of their homelands near Maztica had all but abandoned their gods because they had grown silent. Instead of the gods, they began to venerate the demon Dagon and his cult became the dominant religion in the Sea of Corynactis. The shalarin of the Sea of Fallen Stars cut off the travel between their communities. But it was too late and the cult of Dagon had already taken root among their ranks and grew in secret.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
Outside of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, the name 'Dagon' was originally that of an ancient Mesopotamian and Canaanite fertility god, named Dagon or Dagan, who was mistakenly interpreted as a fish-god. Dagon, mainly the fish-god version, appears often in popular culture, most notably H.P. Lovecraft's influential horror short story "Dagon". This appears to be the basis for the D&D Dagon.
Dagon is first mentioned in the 1-edition Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook Monster Manual II, where it is said in passing that he rules a liquid layer dominated by marine dretches, hezrous, krakens, and horrible fish-monsters.
===Further Reading===
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===Appearances===
:;Adventures
::The Throne of Bloodstone
===References===
de:Dagon
Category:Demon lords
Category:Obyriths
Category:Primordials
Category:Inhabitants of the Abyss
Category:Inhabitants of the Lower Planes
Category:Inhabitants of the Great Wheel planes
Category:Inhabitants of masculine gender