The Lord of the Wastes

The Lord of the Wastes - sometimes known as the Beast or the Desolate One - is an ancient and malevolent deity.
==History==
The Lord of the Wastes has strong influence in the barren and desolate parts of the world. He is worshipped by sand elves, yuan-ti, goatfolk, gnolls, orcs and many others. Most travellers are willing to offer a prayer to him before attempting to traverse the waste. Those who lead others to his faith are the Waste Preachers (wandering troublemakers who preach doom and despair) and the Twisted Ones (mortals who have been marked as servants of a rakshasa by having their wrists grotesquely reversed). They obey commands given to them by the Lords of Dust, a loose group of jinn and rakshasas who wreak chaos and destruction in the name of the Desolate One.
==Description==
The Lord of the Wastes is a harsh and unforgiving deity. He demands blood sacrifices, and those who follow him believe that it is inevitable and right that all life will eventually be extinguished. He is usually depicted as a skeletal figure, but some legends claim that his true form is that of a colossal monster - an inexorable engine of desolation with gigantic horns, claws, teeth and spiked skin liked armour which cannot be pierced by any kind of weapon or spell. In the heart of a desert sandstorm, the sand elves believe it is possible to hear the voice of the Lord of the Wastes in the howling winds, and converse with him. An offering must be made to the dark god before he answers any questions - usually the life of another, but he might also accept one's own blood or drinking water.
==In the Campaign==
While exploring a desert in the Outworld, Vantis and Lannus glimpsed a colossal and terrifying shape through the swirling sands. Later a terrible ritual was performed at the Blackened Shore, and Hagu (last of the gnolls) was sacrificed with Khratash on the Altar of the Apocalypse. After this ritual the Lord of the Wastes entered the inworld as a physical entity, an aspect of his being known as the Tarrasque. Vantis, Lannus and Rexxar defeated the Tarrasque outside the walls of Cliffbreak, and then Rexxar stabbed it with Khratash. This action apparently killed all living rakshasas, and effectively ended the Lords of Dust. It is believed however that the Lord of the Wastes endures in some form.
== Divinations ==
On various occasions Lannus has used divination magic in an attempt to determine the location of the Lord of the Wastes. He has received the following responses (the first prior to the battle at Cliffbreak, the second immediately afterwards):
"He drifts shore to shoreTo where the sea pulls back andRakshasas gather""He has retreated, wounded, to a place beyond your reachOn a path your eyes of mortal shadow cannot seeAnd still you lack the strength to face himSo seek it while you have the time"
Category:Deities
Category:Major Villains
Category:Outworlders
Category:Giant Monsters
Category:Divinations