Kurtulmak

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Kurtulmak
Dungeons & Dragons Deity
Title(s)	The Horned Sorcerer, Steelscale, Stingtail, Watcher
Homeplane	Nine Hells of Baator
Power Level	Intermediate
Alignment	Lawful Evil
Portfolio	Kobolds, trapmaking, mining, war
Domains	Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
Superior	Possibly Io

In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Kurtulmak is the chief deity worshipped by the kobold race. He is a member of the default pantheon.

Kurtulmak is the god of war and mining. The other main god worshipped by the kobolds is Gaknulak the god of protection, stealth, trickery, and traps. A lesser-known kobold demigod is Dakarnok.

Kurtulmak lives in the underground realm of "Draukari" on Avernus, the first layer of the plane of Baator.

1 Description
2 Dogma
3 Worshippers
- 3.1 Clergy
4 Temples
5 Rituals
6 Myths and legends
7 Trivia
8 References

[edit] Description

Kurtulmak appears as a 5-foot tall kobold with steel scales. His tail has a poisoned stinger on its tip, and he also wields a spear. He exudes an aura of fear, causing foes to flee in panic.

[edit] Dogma

Kurtulmak tirelessly drives kobolds to make war upon gnomes, in retaliation for a prank the gnomish deity Garl Glittergold pulled on him. Kurtulmak is known to have neither compassion nor a sense of humour.

[edit] Worshippers

[edit] Clergy

Kurtulmak's priests wear orange scale mail and iron helms. His sacred animal is the rook.

[edit] Temples

Kurtulmak is worshipped at the crescent moon in cave temples. His temples are carved out of earth and used to house adepts, clerics, and the tribes's most valuable treasures. These temples are protected with small, twisting tunnels and a staggering array of deadly traps.

[edit] Rituals

The enemies of kobolds are sacrificed to Kurtulmak monthly (under the cresent moon) in a gory ceremony.

Prayers to Kutulmak have a rhythmic quality to them that can easily be recited while swinging a pickaxe. Prayers can also take the form of battle cries and promises of revenge. "By the point of Kurtulmak's spear and the tip of his poisonous tail, I will see every member of your family perish."

[edit] Myths and legends

Garl Glittergold is said to have collapsed Kurtulmak's hall while the kobold deity was hosting Asmodeus.

Another version of this story is found in the book Races of the Dragon. When Io gave the secret of creation to the first true dragons, the first dragon to use that secret was Caesinsjach, a green dragon. The first Kobold was Kurtulmak. Because he was the first he was much larger than any of his kin. Because of this Caesinsjach commanded her kobolds though Kurtulmak. Naturally he ascended to a position of leadership.

When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to mine for precious metal, he invented the pickaxe. When she ordered them to tile her lair with gold, Kurtulmak minted the first draconic coin. And when she told them to mine precious stones, Kurtulmak taught himself sorcery to divine where minerals were located.

When Caesinsjach's lair was finished and she had become the wealthiest true dragon in creation she let the kobolds go free.

In emulation of his former mistress. Kurtulmak immediately begain mining a lair for himself. Although he never asked for help he nonetheless received it. Every kobold he ever worked with came to his aid.

Kurtulmak found a spot with a near limitless supply of metal ore and precious stones. With Kurtulmak commanding the operation, it quickly became the most structurally sound and resourcefully designed mine the world had ever seen. Kurtulmak called it Darastrixhurthi, a fortress fit for dragons. Nothing rivaled it.

Garl Glittergold was not pleased. While his gnomes were playing useless games, the kobolds were busy working and were ready to emerge as a dominant race. And so with a wave of his hand, Garl collapsed Kurtulmak's mine, crushing all the kobolds inside. The other gods demanded an explanation but no deity came forward to reverse the damage done. Io, realising that no god would help, searched the souls of those who died to find Kurtulmak still clinging to life. Even buried under the mountain he would not give up on his people. Io gave Kurtulmak a choice. He would empower Kurtulmak with the strength to rebuild the mine, or he would make the mighty kobold a champion of his people for all eternity. In this latter case, the loss of Darastrixhurthi would remain, but the memory of what happened would never be forgotten.