The Return of Orcus

[Joshua Randall]

Manual of the Planes has a sidebar titled "The Return of Orcus" (p. 103) that contains the following passage:

As Tenebrous, Orcus was able to slay even deities, wielding an ancient power known as the Last Word.

Is there any other sourcebook or adventure that gives more information about this incident?

 

[Nightfall]

Nope, just that Orcus is alive and well and us Orcus fans are happy.

Tome of Magic: Pact Magic section talks about Tenebrous being separated from Orcus. That's about it.

 

[EricNoah]

Is this what took place in the Planescape adventure, Dead Gods? I own it but never actually played it...

 

[the Jester]

[sblock]The Great Modron March and Dead Gods, two 2e Planescape modules. [/sblock]

 

[Nightfall]

Eric,

No Dead gods was Orcus coming back as Tenebrous then some how dying before coming back as Orcus again.

 

[EricNoah]

Ah yes, Great Modron March -- I had gotten those two adventures kind of blended together in my mind, which I guess happened because they're linked together.

 

[Piratecat]

Here be spoilers.

The Great Modron March set up Dead Gods, but never actually revealed by the little buggers were marching. In Dead Gods, you find out that Orcus has been killed, became undead, and sought out a word of power that could kill even Gods. He then axed Primus and took his place, sending the modrons out to look for his Lost Rod of Orcus.

Dead Gods involve the PCs thwarting Orcus by getting to it before he actually tracks it down, and thus more-or-less ruining his plans to bring himself back to life.

 

[NiTessine]

SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE GREAT MODRON MARCH, DEAD GODS and DIE, VECNA, DIE!



Yeah, that's the short version of what went on in the background in The Great Modron March and Dead Gods.

Tenebrous killed Primus with the Final Word and assumed his position as the leader of the modrons. Then he sent out the Modron March early to find the Rod of Orcus, which had been hidden by servants of Kiaransalee after her takeover of Thanatos.

In addition to Primus, Tenebrous bumped off Maanzecorian, the illithid god of magic, Bwimb, the Baron of Paraelemental Ooze, Tomeri, a goddess of wisdom and love from some Prime world, and the Aztec deity Camaxtli.

Once the March returned to Mechanus and Tenebrous got the information he needed, he scooted off to retrieve his stuff and to return to life. The old Primus became a vestige, and a new one was promoted to replace him. The new Primus saw the anarchy and chaos that the modrons had been corrupted by and recalled all modrons to Regulus, which he sealed off.

Tenebrous succeeded in his plot to return to life as Orcus with the help of the half-ogre priest Quah-Namog. However, while Orcus was resurrected, Tenebrous became a vestige.

Kiaransalee fled Thanatos pretty fast after the news got around that Orcus was back.

Interestingly, while Tenebrous went around killing gods with the Last Word, I think Vecna escaped Ravenloft in Die, Vecna, Die! with the First Word...

 

[Alzrius]

Interestingly, while Tenebrous went around killing gods with the Last Word, I think Vecna escaped Ravenloft in Die, Vecna, Die! with the First Word...

What (if any) of the Words were used when Vecna escaped Ravenloft are unknown (he did use the Words of Creation Once Spoken in Vecna Reborn, but that entire adventure was a feint on his part to throw off the Dark Powers).

Also, the events of DVD take place after Dead Gods - we know that DG takes place before Faction War (due to the latter book's prologue), whereas DVD takes place after it (since DVD references it).

 

[NiTessine]

What (if any) of the Words were used when Vecna escaped Ravenloft are unknown (he did use the Words of Creation Once Spoken in Vecna Reborn, but that entire adventure was a feint on his part to throw off the Dark Powers).

Also, the events of DVD take place after Dead Gods - we know that DG takes place before Faction War (due to the latter book's prologue), whereas DVD takes place after it (since DVD references it).

Ach, I confused the Vecna adventures, sorry. I've never read any of them in depth.

I was unclear, sorry. I know the chronological order of the modules, but left the sentence open to interpretation. Ain't English fun?