The Return of Orcus

[Shemeska]

For what it's worth, there's a bit of foreboding to the events of 'Great Modron March' and 'Dead Gods' in the module 'Doors to the Unknown'.

 

[Felon]

I have Dead Gods. Supposedly, the adventurers are supposed to prevent Orcus's resurrection. At some point though, his high priest, Quah-Nogg or something--actually manages to pull it off after all.

 

[Ulrick]

I have Dead Gods. Supposedly, the adventurers are supposed to prevent Orcus's resurrection. At some point though, his high priest, Quah-Nogg or something--actually manages to pull it off after all.

And because Orcus came back and the OGL came to being, Necromancer Games was born...


...um...yeah.


Its interesting how Orcus "died" to begin with. I think TSR was trying to "clean up its act" in 2nd Edition by not refering to Demons, Devils, and Dieties from real world myth and history.

Here's some wikipedia tibits on ORCUS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcus_(mythology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90482_Orcus

 

[BOZ]

or, even better yet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcus_(Dungeons_&_Dragons)

 

[Shemeska]

Its interesting how Orcus "died" to begin with. I think TSR was trying to "clean up its act" in 2nd Edition by not refering to Demons, Devils, and Dieties from real world myth and history.

Here's some wikipedia tibits on ORCUS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcus_(mythology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90482_Orcus

I'm not certain it had anything to do with the early 2e attempts at self sanitization. The fiends weren't mentioned till MC:OP, and then after that point the archfiends wouldn't be named explicitely till later (though when they were, they didn't hold back in terms of material and detail). Without having my books in front of me, does anyone recall when his death was first mentioned? Was the event itself before or after Planescape?

At least with regards to within the Planescape material, I believe that the setup for his return was in the works from the first point of mention as a pre-planned metaplot.

 

[Pants]

I'm not certain it had anything to do with the early 2e attempts at self sanitization. The fiends weren't mentioned till MC:OP, and then after that point the archfiends wouldn't be named explicitely till later (though when they were, they didn't hold back in terms of material and detail). Without having my books in front of me, does anyone recall when his death was first mentioned? Was the event itself before or after Planescape?

At least with regards to within the Planescape material, I believe that the setup for his return was in the works from the first point of mention as a pre-planned metaplot.

Monte mentioned in a thread a few months ago that during that time, the PS team was essentially 'flying under the radar.' They were able to sneak some things into products that normally wouldn't get past the censor-happy suits at TSR. Orcus's return was one of those things I believe.

I'm a firm believer of the Orcus dying being a part of the self-sanitization of TSR, but really... I have no proof to back it up.

 

[Agamon]

Ah, 2nd edition. Were these actually adventures or novels disguised as adventures?

 

[Nightfall]

Ag,

These were actual adventures.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

So, does Dead Gods say anything about what is supposed to keep Orcus from using the Last Word to kill off any more gods? Or what is keeping other gods/entities from grabbing Orcus to get the information that is the Last Word from him? Because it seems like that would be a pretty useful thing to have.

 

[Brakkart]

So, does Dead Gods say anything about what is supposed to keep Orcus from using the Last Word to kill off any more gods? Or what is keeping other gods/entities from grabbing Orcus to get the information that is the Last Word from him? Because it seems like that would be a pretty useful thing to have.

The power of the Last Word was consuming him as Tenebrous. Had he not found his Rod and been reborn again into Orcus, it would have annihilated him. When he again became Orcus, he lost the use of it. He found the knowledge of the Last Word in some unbeliveably ancient ruins in the lowest level of Gehenna (I think), and if I remember rightly he made sure that no-one could get that knowledge after him.