Elemental Princes of Evil / Archomentals

[BOZ]

I'm finally getting around to using these guys, and I want to know more about them. I wanted more information on their history, both as a "group" (insofar as they can be thought of as a group, since they most certainly don't cooperate), and as individuals. Specifically, I mean the original five: Cryonax, Imix, Ogrémoch, Olhydra, and Yan-C-Bin.

I have heard somewhere that they were involved somehow in the ancient wars between Law and Chaos, siding with the Queen of Chaos against the Wind Dukes of Aqaa. Got any more insight on that?

Did the Age of Worms involve them at all (even tangentially)? I read Erik Mona posting somewhere that Ogrémoch was mentioned in Dungeon #124, for example. What was the extent of their involvement?

Were they not also involved somehow in the original Temple of Elemental Evil module, and/or involved with Tharizdun? Weren't they claimed to have been spawn of Tharizdun/Elemental Elder God? Could anyone elaborate on that?

Is there any other information that I need for their origins or involvement in other plots or major events? What sources can I go to, to read more about them?

Whatever gaps we have, I have no problem inventing, but I want to know what I don't need to make up.


Known sources the Elemental Princes of Evil have appeared in include:
Fiend Folio (1981)
Egg of the Phoenix (both versions, though I12 has a lot more info)
Manual of the Planes (1987)
Planescape Monstrous Compendium III
The Inner Planes
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
Dragon Magazine #285

Any others?

 

[Alzrius]

I have heard somewhere that they were involved somehow in the ancient wars between Law and Chaos, siding with the Queen of Chaos against the Wind Dukes of Aqaa. Got any more insight on that?

Did the Age of Worms involve them at all (even tangentially)? I read Erik Mona posting somewhere that Ogrémoch was mentioned in Dungeon #124, for example. What was the extent of their involvement?

Ogremoch was the one who threw his lot in with the Queen of Chaos. Other than that and, IIRC, a book falsely associated with Chan, that was it.

Were they not also involved somehow in the original Temple of Elemental Evil module, and/or involved with Tharizdun? Weren't they claimed to have been spawn of Tharizdun/Elemental Elder God? Could anyone elaborate on that?

That was postulated in several mentions of them in older editions. IIRC, RttToEE confirmed it.

 

[Ripzerai]

Ogremoch was the one who threw his lot in with the Queen of Chaos. Other than that and, IIRC, a book falsely associated with Chan, that was it.

Source?

I know the Age of Worms stuff - Wolfgang Baur's second contribution to that arc - said Bwimb (who does qualify as at least a minor archomental of evil) was involved with the Queen of Chaos, but I don't remember Ogremoch or his siblings from the 1e Fiend Folio.

 

[Ripzerai]

Were they not also involved somehow in the original Temple of Elemental Evil module

No. Not a single mention. Imix is in Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, of course.

Weren't they claimed to have been spawn of Tharizdun/Elemental Elder God?

Yes, but it's not definite. In the PSMCIII, I think.

 

[Erik Mona]

Dungeon #124, page 29. Room 13.

--Erik

 

[Ripzerai]

Dungeon #124, page 29. Room 13.

--Erik

Yeah, I just found it. And turned the computer back on to correct myself. Stupid of me not to check before posting.

It just says he contributed a legion of lesser earth elementals (and himself) at the last great battle.

So: both Ogremoch and Bwimb.

 

[Ripzerai]

Any others?

There's some mentions of them in the Secrets of the Lamp boxed set for Al-Qadim. The efreet often worship Imix as a god, Yan-C-Bin commands all the air grues using them as his spies throughout the plane, and the djinn originally stole their capital city, the Court of Ice and Steel, from a princess of elemental evil.

 

[diaglo]

my memory is fading fast.

wasn't there a give away with the first Grenadier Dragon of the Month sets? and i think the mini they gave was one of the elemental princes plus a stat sheet. you got it if you sent them the proof of purchase for all the other sets.
edit: nevermind. i think i now remember it was Ygorl, the Slaad Lord of Entropy...

 

[BOZ]

So, Ogrémoch was involved in only the final battle of the war between the Queen of Chaos and Miska? And we have no knowledge of the others being involved? It would make sense that they did not cooperate, so I can understand if he was the only one involved in that conflict. (though, it would have been interesting to see something weird, like Yan-C-Bin supporting the vaati, heh)

If the evil archomentals were not mentioned in the original Temple of Elemental Evil, is it possible (likely?) that they were involved behind the scenes? Would that interfere with the Tharizdun/Zuggtmoy dynamic? I know that Imix figured fairly prominently in the "Return" module but was not the main bad guy, so what was the nature of his involvement? Did he want in on the action? Were the others involved somehow but bowed out, leaving more room for him to be involved? Did Tharizdun choose to involve him? What pages would I look for this information? Are there also some clues in the Zuggtmoy Demonomicon article (I'll look for myself, of course)?

Do we know anything more about the early origins of the archomentals, other than Tharizdun may have spawned them? (anyone have a page number for RotToEE where their parentage is confirmed?) What is/was their relationship to him besides that, if any? Any indication as to how old they are? Compared to other ancient beings, like the Queen of Chaos, or certain ancient demons, or the gods?

I won't be using Bwimb (just the original 5), though I may toss his/her name around a bit. Of course, now that I think of it, what sort of relationship did the 5 main evil archomentals have with the lesser folks (like Ehkahk and Chilimba)? Allies, rivals, etc?

IIRC, I think some of them were responsible for creating their good-aligned counterparts (Zaaman Rul is apparently the son of Imix, for example); are all of the origins of the good archomentals described? Did the evil archomentals create any other beings?

What, if any, is their relationship with Grumbar, Istishia, Akadi, and Kossuth?

Do we know if these 5 have any established relationships with other gods? What about archfiends? (curious to see if they are mentioned in FC1, but that won't help me at the moment)

Do these 5 archomentals have any other notable servants, or creations, artifacts, notable allies? Who are their enemies (besides each other), and do we know how these relationships formed? The "why's" are often more important than the "how's".

There's some mentions of them in the Secrets of the Lamp boxed set for Al-Qadim. The efreet often worship Imix as a god, Yan-C-Bin commands all the air grues using them as his spies throughout the plane, and the djinn originally stole their capital city, the Court of Ice and Steel, from a princess of elemental evil.

That's interesting. Is their involvement in the setting more of an "oh, by the way" mentioning, or do they have more direct involvement and interests therein? I may not use the AQ stuff much at all, but it might just be interesting for me to know.

 

[Wycen]

I believe Bwimb was slain by Tenebrous/Orcus during the latter's search for his wand. This would of course by from Great Modron March and Dead Gods.