Description
Orcus, also known as Tenebrous, is a demon prince and purported primordial that serves as master of the undead from the depths of the Abyss. Returned from undeath but not technically alive, the Demon Lord of Undeath is the multiverse’s staunchest advocate for stagnation, seeking to exterminate all life, to darken and desolate all worlds, until all that remains in his static reality are undead moved only by his will. He is chaotic evil.
Orcus
I will be the last creature when I am done. The cosmos will then be perfect, free of the braying abominations that are all other living things.
Appearance
Orcus is the very picture of demonic, an imposing figure of vaguely humanoid form standing some 4.6 to 6.1 m tall. His frame is immense, a twisted fusion of corpulence, muscle and rot-bloated flesh. His physique is marked by bestial features: the horned, desiccated head of a ram, thick-furred legs and cloven hooves of a goat, massive, black wings of a bat, a great maw filled with tusks, and a long, thick, constantly moving tail, poison-tipped and covered in spines.
Foul and hideous, Orcus seems to walk the line between life and undeath. His wings stir clouds of reeking, diseased air and his body is riddled with sores, suggesting he is alive, albeit sickly, while his skull-like head, nearly bereft of flesh, and the glowing red eyes within hint he is undead.
Titles
- Lord of the Undead
- Prince of Undeath
- The Goat-Horned Demon
- The Shadow That Was
Personality
Orcus is wholly misanthropic and self-absorbed with his hatred of all things. A nihilistic and brooding being who seeks to put an end to all hope. He cares for nothing save himself—not even his devotees and undead servants—and focusses only on spreading the evil and agony that resides within him. Despite his all-consuming hatred towards existence itself, Orcus is not an aimless force of chaotic destruction. Rather he is an exceedingly brilliant strategist, wholly consumed with inflicting agony upon those he despises. Interestingly enough, Orcus does appear to find some modicum of joy and appreciation in the misery he causes.
While undead typically do not require food for sustenance, Orcus has a gluttonous hunger that can never be satiated. His servants gather food from across the planes of existence in the ongoing futile attempt to sate his cravings. Throughout his existence he has tasted among the finest delicacies originating from myriad worlds across the multiverse. Only when the Blood Lord drinks the blood of the living does he feel satisfaction.
Relationships
DM Note
- Myrtis: While Orcus sees Myrtis as nothing but a tool, he has acknowledged her as one of the more useful ones. He does not fully trust her yet, but believes in her ability to uphold her end of the bargain.