Torog

> "*Do you feel it, my Vessel? The pain. The anguish. The strength. In this creature. How long has it been here? How many wounds has it endured to achieve victory time and time again, without ever hope of rest or respite? Just like us. DO IT. USE OUR POWER. SUSUME HIS SUFFERING WITH OUR OWN AND BEGIN OUR ASCENT. GIVE HIM THE FREEDOM THAT WE TOO SEEK!*"
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**Torog**, also known as the **Lord of Pain** and **The King Who Crawls** (alternatively **The Crawling King**), is the evil god of Demons, the Underdark, torture, imprisonment, and pain and suffering in general. Jailers and torturers tend to make up the majority of Torog's worshipers, but dark cults which revere in the power he grants through suffering do exist. Torog is trapped in the lowest depths of the Underdark and is cursed to only be able to dig deeper so he cannot escape, thus making it his de facto dominion.

## History

Torog was once a minor god in service of another deity, likely Tuern, Bane, or some other god of Chernoggar, although this is never been confirmed as no other god is willing to take responsibility for him. No matter his original allegiance, Torog thirsted for greater power and went rogue during the Dawn War, carving out territory in Tasyurai and slaying other minor gods indiscriminately to absorb their power. By doing so Torog planned to use the chaos of the war to eventually become a greater god. However, Torog was stopped by Gargash, another minor deity and his principle rival. The battle between Torog and Gargash drove the two into the depths of the Underdark, where Torog was eventually victorious. Yet as Gargash was slain, he cursed Torog so that the wounds inflicted from the battle would never heal.

The other gods, who eventually learned of Torog's actions, decided to punish him as well. They trapped Torog within the Underdark so he could never dig his way out and interfere with the ongoing war. Unintentionally, this granted Torog his original wish. Thrashing in agony and anger, Torog came to physically embody the suffering caused by the Dawn War. And that suffering was so great that he became a greater god of the entire dominion of pain.

Torog's hatred for the other gods is unmatched, which has led him to become a close ally of the Demons, who themselves hate the gods for being hunted to near extinction. As such Torog has become the God of Demons and allows them to cohabitate with him in the unknowable depths of the Underdark. Although Torog is technically the 'ruler' of the Underdark, he cares little for what occurs on the upper layers and seldom interferes in affairs. This may be the result of a treaty with Lolth or simply out of disinterest, depending on who you ask.

Torog's unpredictable rage is something to be feared, and slights against him do not go unpunished. One of the most severe examples of this was the fate of Maelbrathyr. After a group of adventurers from the city freed an individual from one of Torog's torture pits, he pulled the entire city into the Underdark and cursed the surviving adventurers to live forever in their own personal hells.

Although he is an evil god, Torog does not get along with the other evil-aligned gods and despises them as equally as all others. In particular Torog has an ongoing feud with Asmodeus as a result of the Blood War, in which Demons and Devils fought for control over the Blood Rift between Tasyurai and the Nine Hells.

## Tenants

* Seek out and revere the deep places beneath the earth.
* Delight in the giving of pain, and consider pain you receive as homage to Torog.
* Bind tightly what is in your charge, and restrain those who wander free.

## Followers

Throughout the wider dominions the majority of Torog's worshipers are jailers and torturers. Scattered cults to Torog do exist, though the vast majority are located in the Underdark. Most devout Torog worshipers carry the Tome of the Shrouded Soul, which outlines how to preform sacred torture rituals and sacrifices. Worshipers who own a tome are often scarred by self-mutilation, making them distinguishable as followers of the God of Suffering. These cults preform sacrifices to Torog by damning subjects to eternity in his torture pits, in exchange they are granted power by their patron proportional to the suffering they cause.

The city of Maelbrathyr had a large Altar to Torog by the year 1447 AON. It was frequented by pilgrims enamored by Torog's handwork in punishing the city and was operated by a drow named Phyrue. There was also a buried Torog temple of unknown origin in Nerath at the Terrah Pit. Some say that even speaking Torog's name can incur his wrath, so he is often referred to as The King Who Crawls or the Lord of Pain.

## Campaign Appearances

### A Heart of Sorrowful Power

Blarg Deaff worships Torog devoutly and enjoys causing suffering to others while holding no qualms of taking physical pain. During The Party's escape from The Raven Roost, Blarg prayed to Torog and was pulled out of the castle in a flesh-rending portal through the Underdark. Blarg also later prayed in the Terrah Pit during the battle with Proditor Magum. As a result Blarg's soul was temporarily pulled into the deepest depths of the Underdark to be viewed by Torog himself. Torog subjected Blarg's soul to intense suffering to test its mettle, and when Blarg endured Torog returned the soul to Blarg's body. In the process The King Who Crawls determined that Blarg's soul was strong enough contain a fracture of the god's being, thus turning Blarg into a vessel of Torog.

Later, when entrapped by Lygi, Blarg called out to the shard of Torog within him for aid. He requested the power to get vengeance no matter the cost. Torog acquiesced, promising to break the chains that restrain Blarg and unleash his full potential. In return, however, Blarg would be bound to break Torog's chains as well. The pact made, Blarg was finally able to unleash the full dragonic aspects of Andask, his body tearing apart under Torog's power to accommodate the new form. Andask would later sadly muse that Blarg had sold his soul to the Lord of Pain, and his future was certainly dark.

Blarg also wields a number of Torog-related items, such as his Chain of Torog. The most prevalent was a Vicious Falchion which drew upon the pain of the user to inflict damage upon targets. Unfortunately the falchion was destroyed when it came into contact with a Shard of Nihil.

### A Cry in the Dark

The majority of the campaign occurred in the Underdark, the nominal domain of the King Who Crawls, though he did not directly appear. The Underparty did travel along The King's Highway for a period of time. The Highway was created when Torog was attempting to dig his way out of the Underdark early in his imprisonment and still contains his congealed blood. They also traveled to Maelbrathyr, the Taken Place condemned by the King Who Crawls. In Maelbrathyr they encountered Phyrue, Priestess of Torog and the Altar of Torog which she maintained. In order to remain in her good graces, Oesis Diety and Farmer Gurk participated in the sacrifice of a Chitine to Torog, although they saved a slave named Elena from the same fate.

### The Psion's Night

Blarg returns in The Psion's Night having advanced his Vessel of Torog status. He had traversed the depths of the Deepdark and met Torog in person, before returning. While most gods have grown silent amidst the Night, the shard of Torog bound to Blarg's soul has only grown more powerful. This has started to drastically effect Blarg's body: His skin, muscle, bone, and other tissue has begun to burn away in Torog's purple flames, particularly on the left side of Blarg's face, which now is merely exposed bone. Yet even as this torturous fire destroys him, that same fire sustains Blarg. Pieces of his body that long should have ceased functioning continue to operate without difficulty. Despite being in constant agony, Torog merely exalts in its continuation and maintains Blarg in perfect fighting condition. Thus grievous injury is of little concern to Blarg. It is his natural state, and Torog will not allow physical damage to ail him beyond mere pain.

Blarg can further channel his self-destructive power to his own gain. By allowing Torog's fire to wreath him, inflicting heavy damage, the ensuing pain significantly strengthens his attacks. In leu of his physical body the flames continually support Blarg's constitution and strike out with him to further inflict pain against his targets.

Blarg retains much of his Torog-aligned equipment, such as the Chain of Torog, in The Psion's Night.

#### The Ashen Skies

In Chernoggar, Torog begins taking steps to complete his bargain with Blarg. During the battle with Thor-Ghesh, Blarg is struck with a fatal would yet survives. The agony of Torog's power unleashed at full force, he fully assumes the aspects of Torog's flames and strikes back at Thor-Ghesh with equal ferocity. During these moments of anguish and determination Blarg begins to see visions from Torog's life, walking down a similar path once.

These visions eventually lead Blarg to a cave where Torog was seemingly born. There he finds a torn nail that was once Torog's, at which point Torog's power rips open Blarg's ribcage and pulls the nail into him.

Later, during the battle with Kostchtchie, Blarg begins to have visions again, a familiarity born of Torog's own battle with Kostchtchie eons before. Emboldened by a chance at revenge, Torog offers assistance to Blarg. Blarg willingly lets himself to be battered down by Kostchtchie, giving into the pain and allowing Torog to use it to take over his body. Torog's flames puppeteer Blarg's broken form back to life and he attacks Kostchtchie. Torog then uses the cracked ice pit that The Afterparty had formed around the Prince of Wrath to magically entomb him within the eternal ice. Torog then relinquishes control of Blarg's body again.

In the Plains of Bone Blarg's visions once again take over. While digging through the bones he uncovers one of Torog's teeth. Once again his chest rips open and swallows the tooth. In a discussion with Bane, the Bronze God tells Blarg that Torog appears to have found a kindred spirit within him. Taking the opportunity of a particularly sturdy vessel Torog seems to be assembling pieces of himself within Blarg to eventually transform Blarg into a new Aspect of Torog. This would allow Torog to escape from his prison, thus fulfilling Blarg's side of the pact. This also seems to be in part why Torog is so invested on keeping Blarg alive through any means necessary.