Kalderus

**Kalderus** is a monstrosity of pure chaos and one of the oldest beings in existence. He is considered a major god, though he does not fit into normal definitions of deities and does not have traditional clerics amongst his followers.

## Creation and History

Kalderus is the result of discord amongst the primordial spirits. When those elemental beings argued, a monster with two hearts appeared that threatened to consume the fledgling universe. The spirits and other gods managed to contain the mindless beast. They split the monster into two weaker parts and contained them in a rift outside of time and space. The being with the Heart of Law was annihilated in a duel between the feuding halves of the monster, leaving only the being with the Heart of Chaos remaining in the cage. The Heart of Law fell to the material plane, and thereafter known as the Gern Heart.

According to information known around the time of the Scientarian Revolution, Kalderus had appeared on Gernon around 4000 b.s.r. and caused a major catastrophe, before somehow being returned to its own dimension. The limited legends stated that it was drawn to increased concentrations of arcane magic.

## The Children of Kalderus

There are a small number of cultists that worship the beast of chaos, though their legends are often filled with absurd sentiments such as giving a voice to Kalderus (a purely unintelligent beast), or believing that anything but destruction could come from his arrival. In 10 a.s.r.,Rogark Yarsnar, leader of the Children of Kalderus told the party of Kusetare, Kasidrek, Raito Hiyoshi, Valdemarr and Harkalios this tale:

"In an age long past, the world was full of magic and the people were lazy. And Kalderus saw that the laziness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only magic continually and it angered Volguus Zildrohar’s heart. And The Black King said, “For this I will destroy man from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for their magic angers me. I am making everything new! Every living substance I will blot out from off the face of the earth. Everything that is in the earth shall perish. The indolent, and unbelieving, and sorcerers, and all those who practice magic arts, shall be cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone: which is the second death."

And The Dread Tulu brought rage against man. And the Lord of the Grebhoria said, “And I, behold, I do bring the rain of inferno upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.” And all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and beast, and every swarming thing that swarmeth upon the earth, and every man; all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was on the land, died. And Kalderus blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were blotted out from the earth.

Then Kalderus said, “It is done. I am the Destructor, the one who brings the end. To those who are cold I will give heat without cost from the torch of the fire of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

And the surface of the world was bare and dead. But under the surface man lived on. A short figure came up out of the earth and stood through the fire. And he wore clothing made of spider silk, with a leather apron around his chest. And the figure said, “This is how you will know that the I was sent by one more powerful than me and that this was not my idea: If this entity dies a natural death and suffers the fate of all mankind, then I was not sent by one more powerful than me. But if the something totally new happens, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows it, and it goes down alive into the deep Abyss, then you will know that what has happened has displeased one more powerful than me.”

As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under Kalderus split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed it. And the figure cast it into the bottomless pit of the Abyss, and shut it up, and set a seal upon it, that it should stay there, till the eons should be fulfilled and its children walk the earth: and after that it must be loosed a little season.

And as the earth opened, it shook and trembled and the shaking of the earth brought forth the men from under the surface. At the sight and sound of Kalderus falling into the deep Abyss, the people around it fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if the figure might possibly be a god. The figure answered them all, “I command the earth. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the whose hammer I am not worthy to polish. He will command both metal and earth. His hammer and tongs in his hand, he will come to smelt the precious metal from the ore.” And with many other words the figure exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

Then the figure led the people from the great plains of wasteland and they went West, traveling from place to place as the figure commanded. For a month they traveled West without finding water. Whenever the people said, “Give us water to drink.” the figure struck a rock, and water came out of it for the people to drink.

Then they came to a spring and seventy pine trees, and they camped there near the water. From there they followed the river down to a great lake and made camp their. And they called their settlement Southpoint for it was the Southernmost point of the lake."

## Recent History

Kalderus was trying to enter the world around the time of the Scientarian Revolution, drawn by the excessive use of Arcane Magic on the plane for the past 4000 years.

The Spawn of Kalderus, a collection of other chaotic beings, were sent to herald it into the world, causing major trouble around the city of Qoata. In 15 a.s.r it was summoned by members of the Children of Kalderus and attacked Kurosekai. Alek Tellumnar fought back and managed to send it back to its dimensional prison, but died in the battle.