Chaos (Dragonlance)

Chaos, previously known as Ionthas, is a fictional deity in the Dragonlance universe.

Creation

Chaos claims to be the father of all and of nothing, but he is actually a creation of the Highgod.

Graygem of Gargath

In an attempt to find a method of again bestowing magic on Krynn, the gods of magic, Nuitari, Solinari, and Lunitari, paid Hiddukel a magic coin in exchange for tricking Reorx into creating a device that would accomplish this. Hiddukel first went to Chislev and fed her lies about the balance being in jeopardy; she went to Reorx and asked for a powerful magic item that would help restore the balance. Reorx created for her the Graygem of Gargath. To power the gem he sought to encase in it a small portion of Chaos, but unknown at the time, Chaos put all of himself into the gem. Reorx later lost the gem to Lunitari, who was overcome by an urge to study it. The gem eventually landed in the hands of Lord Gargath. The gnomes laid siege to his castle and accidentally broke in. Upon reaching the gem, one half of the gnomes, driven by curiosity, wanted to cut open the gem to see what lay inside; the other half wanted to keep the gem and covet it. A bright gray light appeared and the former became kender and the latter became dwarves.

Eventually, the Graygem ended up in the possession of the Irda. When the Knights of Takhisis landed upon their shores, the Irda, enticed by Takhisis, decided to open the gem in order to release whatever magic was inside to protect their lands, inadvertently releasing Chaos, Father of All and Nothing. Chaos then brought about the Chaos War, but was defeated when twenty Knights of Takhisis and Knights of Solamnia arrived with the white robed mage Palin Majere. While the Knights and the mage kept Chaos distracted, Tasslehoff Burrfoot managed to cut Chaos's foot and allowed Usha to capture a tiny portion of blood in the cracked halves of the Graygem. This once again bound Chaos' essence into the gem, and forced him into a choice: Leave the world, or stay in it and continually force himself to take physical form, something Chaos had little patience for. At the exact moment that Chaos was captured, however, Takhisis stole away the world, bringing about the beginning of the Age of Mortals.

References