Orcus

Orcus is the Demon Prince of Undeath, known as the Blood Lord. After the events of Out of the Abyss, he also holds the mantle of the reigning Prince of Demons after defeating the Demogorgon at Neverlight Grove. He takes some pleasure in the sufferings of the living, but far prefers the company and service of the undead. He is an ancient foe of the Realms.

Orcus is an ancillary character in Out of the Abyss and a secondary character in Queen of the Demonweb Pits.

## **Description**

Orcus is a bestial creature of corruption with a diseased, decaying look. He has the lower torso of a goat, and a humanoid upper body with a corpulent belly swollen with rot. Great bat wings sprout from his shoulders, and his head is like the skull of a goat, the flesh nearly rotted off.

## **Personality**

His desire is to see all life quenched and the multiverse transformed into a vast necropolis populated solely by undead creatures under his command.

Orcus rewards those who spread death in his name by granting them a small portion of his power.

## **Abilities**

Statistics for **Orcus** can be found in the *Out of the Abyss* sourcebook.

The demon lord and his corruption can also induce special forms of madness, which are also detailed in the *Out of the Abyss* sourcebook.

## **Possessions**

Orcus's most prized possession is the legendary *Wand of Orcus*, which is described in chapter 7 of the *Dungeon Master's Guide*.

## **Relationships**

The Blood Lord is a solitary figure and has no need for relationships or alliances. He views the living as a feast for his undead hordes.

Orcus makes his lair in the fortress city of Naratyr, which is on Thanatos, the layer of the Abyss that he rules. Surrounded by a moat fed by the River Styx, Naratyr is an eerily quiet and cold city, its streets often empty for hours at a time. The central castle of bone has interior walls of flesh and carpets made of woven hair. The city contains wandering undead, many of which are engaged in continuous battles with one another.

## **History**

Orcus was one of the first two demon lords created by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, appearing along side the Demogorgon in *Eldritch Wizardry* in 1976. His wand appeared right beside him, and has been one of the game's most nefarious artifacts ever since. Orcus then appeared in the 1977 *Monster Manual* along with several other demon lords.

## **In Rage of Demons**

According to a vision experienced by Tik-Tik in the library of Gravenhollow, the Blood Lord has claimed a mind flayer colony called Cyrog as his thralls. He raised the colony's recently dead Elder Brain into undeath, and the Elder Brain's children soon heeded its call.

He sent his mind flayer thralls to investigate an ancient starcraft buried deep in the Underdark, far to the west of Cyrog. Although the mind flayers did, indeed, locate the fallen *cuttle command* ship, they were thwarted by the Expeditionary Force.

After emerging victorious against the other demon lords at Neverlight Grove in the climax of Out of the Abyss, Orcus was able to claim the title of Prince of Demons from the Demogorgon, which he has coveted for aeons. His victory was short-lived, however, as the heroes of the Underdark Expeditionary Force were able to defeat the newly crowned Prince of Demons in his weakened state and send him back to the Abyss along with the other demon lords, leaving behind the legendary *wand of Orcus*.

Now, the Prince of Demons sits within the spire of Everlost, on the fringes of Thanatos, plotting to retrieve his wand from the heroes who claimed it.