Nerull the Reaper is a god of death, darkness, murder and the underworld from the crystal sphere known as Greyspace.[1][2][7][3][9][4][5]
Overview[]
Nerull is widely known and worshipped, and few do not fear his name. Every living thing is an affront to his senses, and every death brings a spark of dark joy to his unbeating heart. Those that pray to Nerull to appease him, only attract his attention, and their own doom. Nerull is the patron of all who would perpetrate the greatest evil for their own enjoyment or gain. Those who kill in his name will be greatly rewarded (or so Nerull promises).[1][3]
Description[]
Nerull appears as a rust-red skeletal being with thick greenish-black hair, and eyes, teeth and nails the colour of poisonous verdigris. He wears a rusty-black cowl and cloak, and grasps a gnarled staff of sablewood.[1][3][5]
Abilities[]
Nerull can, at will, summon three demodands (gehreleths) to serve him. He can also fly at will.[5]
Nerull can create a large mass of darkness which can shoot forth tendrils, which search and grope for any living thing. A tendrils touch causes almost certain death, while those who manage to survive suffer horrendous corrosive burns.[5]
Holy symbol[]
Nerull's symbol is a skull with a scythe[1][7] or a sickle.[9][8]
Favored weapon[]
Nerull wields Lifecutter, a gnarled staff of red-veined sablewood which can issue forth a scythelike blade of red energy at its tip that slays anyone it touches.[1][3][5]
Realm[]
Nerull resides within his realm known as Necromanteion, which is located on Agathys, the sixth and last layer of the Terterian Depths of Carceri. At the center of Necromanteion is a vast citadel carved out of the black ice of Agathys. The deserted entranceway leads into a vast audience hall known as the Hidden Temple, where Nerull sits upon his throne.[10]
Alternatively, Nerull resides within the Crypt, which is located on Orthrys, the first layer of Carceri. The Crypt is overrun with the dead, and undead, many of whom are sentient.[9]
Worship[]
Priests of Nerull are secretive and solitary, since few sane people would tolerate their presence. Except in the most depraved of lands, Nerull has no organised churches. With no overall hierarchy, individual churches work against each other at times. Nerull's priests commit murder as an offering to their god, and often take to travelling from town to town, searching for new hunting grounds and avoiding retribution for their crimes.
Temples are always hidden, even in lands where Nerull is honoured. They are usually located underground, often as part of a catacomb complex. Most temples are stocked with undead creatures and other who spread or revel in death.[1][3]
In Spelljammer[]
Nerull is a member of the Greyhawk pantheon and is native to Greyspace. In wildspace, especially among the human settlements in the Grinder, Nerull is worshipped to prevent death and to protect the community. These believe that if they worship Nerull faithfully, that he will protect them against threats like the horg. This amuses Nerull greatly, of course, and does them no good.
The priest of Nerull are able to cast spells normally in Greyspace, and do not lose access to any spells when entering the Flow. However, they can only regain mid-to-high level spells when they return to Greyspace.[4]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Nerull article at Greyhawkonline.com
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Rich Redman, Skip Williams, James Wyatt, Deities and Demigods 3rd edition, 2002, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN 0-7869-2654-6, Chapter 3: The D&D Pantheon, pages 84-86
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 David Noonan, Complete Divine, 2004, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN 0-7869-3272-4, Chapter 5: Deities, Core D&D Gods section, pages 109 and 116
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Gary Holian, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, Frederick Weining, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN 0-7869-1743-1, Chapter 7: Greyhawk's Gods, page 177
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Nigel Findley, SJR6 Greyspace, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Religion in Greyspace chapter, page 91
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 E. Gary Gygax, World of Greyhawk Fantasy Setting: A Guide to the World of Greyhawk, 1983, TSR 1015, Deities of the World of Greyhawk, page 72
- ↑ E. Gary Gygax, World of Greyhawk Fantasy Setting: A Guide to the World of Greyhawk, 1983, TSR 1015, Deities of the World of Greyhawk, page 63
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Jonathan Tweet, Player's Handbook 3.5 edition, 2003, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN 0-7869-2886-7, Chapter Six: Description, Religion section, page 108
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Player's Handbook 5th edition, 2014, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1, Deities of Greyhawk, page 295
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Colin McComb, On Hallowed Ground, 1996, (TSR Inc.), ISBN 0-7869-0430-5, Single-Sphere Pantheons chapter, The Powers of Oerth, page 166-167
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan, Manual of the Planes 3rd edition, 2001, (Wizards of the Coast), ISBN 0-7869-1850-0, Chapter 7: The Outer Planes, Tarterian Depths of Carceri section, pages 104-108
Connections[]
| Greyspace |
|---|
| Celestial Bodies of Greyspace |
| Oerth (Primary) | Kule | Raenei | Liga | The Grinder | Edill | Gnibile | Conatha | Ginsel | Borka | Greela | The Spectre |
| Additional Astronomicals of Greyspace |
| The Sisters | The Great Sargasso | The Habitat | Dark Stars |