Kyuss (Greyhawk)

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Greyhawk Deity

Kyuss
Title(s)	The Wormgod, the Bonemaster, the Herald of the Age of Worms
Home Plane	Prime Material
Power Level	Demigod
Alignment	Neutral Evil
Portfolio	Creation and Mastery of the Undead
Domains	Death, Destruction, Evil, Corruption
Superior	Nerull

In the Dungeons & Dragons World of Greyhawk campaign setting, Kyuss (pronounced kai-OOSS) is a deity concerned with the Creation and Mastery of the Undead. Known as the Bonemaster, the Wormgod, and the Herald of the Age of Worms, his symbol is a skull erupting with writhing green worms.

[edit] History

Once a human priest of Nerull in the Flan kingdom of Sulm, Kyuss escaped that realm shortly before its destruction by fleeing to the Amedio Jungle, when he gained many followers. Kyuss later went to the Spire of Long Shadows, where he sacrificed all of his followers to achieve demi-deityhood. Prior to this, he had sacrificed artifacts of great power, as well as living souls to Nerull in order to gain his favor. When he finally did ascend, there was a small problem with his transformation: he became trapped in the same obelisk with which he channeled his power. It is speculated that Nerull, not wanting to be challenged, even slightly, flawed the ritual somewhat, thus leading to Kyuss' imprisonment.

Even during his imprisonment, he gained following from some very powerful beings. Dragotha, a wyrm red dragon, was allowed by Kyuss to attain the form of a dracolich. Following this, Dragotha was bound to serve Kyuss, and in the process became his herald.

Kyuss is responsible for the creation of the spawn of Kyuss, also known as sons of Kyuss, though these are said to be the least powerful of his creations. He is also believed to be responsible for the creation of the avolakia, ulgurstasta, hounds of Kyuss, and the worm that walks. Collectively, his creations are known as wormspawn.

Kyuss is the force behind the establishment of the Ebon Triad.

[edit] References

Baur, Wolfgang. "A Gathering of Winds." Dungeon #129 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).

Bulmahn, Jason. "The Hall of Harsh reflection." Dungeon #127 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).

Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0 (Wizards of the Coast, 2005). Available online: [1]

Decker, Jesse. "The Spire of Long Shadows." Dungeon #130 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
- Decker, Jesse. "Worm Bound: The Secrets of Kyuss." Dragon #343 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).

Jacobs, James. "Into the Wormcrawl Fissure." Dungeon #134 (Pazio Publishing, 2006).

Leati, Tito. "The Champion's Belt." Dungeon #128 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).
- Leati, Tito. "Dawn of a New Age." Dungeon #135 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).

Logue, Nicholas. "The Library of Last resort." Dungeon #132 (Paizo Publishing, 2006).

Mearls, Mike. "The Three Faces of Evil. Dungeon #125 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).

Mona, Erik. Age of Worms Overload (Paizo Publishing, 2005). [2]
- Mona, Erik. "Backdrop: Diamond Lake." Dungeon #124 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).
- Mona, Erik. "The Whispering Cairn." Dungeon #124 (Paizo Publishing, 2005).