Kanchelsis
Encyclopedia
In many campaign setting
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, Kanchelsis is a deity of blood, debauchery, magic, and vampirism
. His symbol is a bat with glowing red eyes.
(1992), including details about his priesthood.
Kanchelsis was detailed for third edition in the article "Forgotten Faiths" in Dragon
#359 (September 2007), by F. Wesley Schneider.
The Beast resembles a wild-eyed, tousle-headed human male with powerful muscles and taloned claws. He is excessively hairy. He is a wild creature, the personification of the wild beast that rages inside all vampires. He runs with wolves and tears out throats, drinking as much blood as he can swallow.
The Rake resembles a slim, elegant human or half-elf
with long, slender hands, finely-chiseled features, and a friendly smile. He is always dressed immaculately. This is the more elegant side of vampirism, savoring blood as mortal sophisticates might savor wine. He is a charismatic seducer, a lover of high fashion, debauchery, and art.
-lord Huersefful, the "Shrouded Eclipse;" the elven
vampire queen Ivirere, called "the Verdant Eclipse;" and the wizard-lord Vlad Tolenkov. Dozens of elder vampires meet in Kanchelsis's mansion every year to discuss their plans for the Union. Even the vampire lords of the Demiplane of Dread are said to give Kanchelsis a grudging amount of fear and respect.
. His domain there is described as a vast mansion that changes continuously based on Kanchelsis's whims. The halls are filled with mirrors and framed portraits, and the manse includes aviaries and chilling gardens. His home is awash in blood, and some rooms are said to be sculpted from living blood sculptures; some of this blood is spiced with narcotics and alkaloids. The vampyres, nosferatu, and similar followers who populate the mansion are in a constant state of extreme hunger, as Kanchelsis sadistically offers them only the most meager of blood rations.
, drow, and all who hunger for luxury and blood.
. The resulting creation combined the beauty and agelessness of the elder elves and the hunger and ambition of humans, becoming known as Kanchelsis, the first vampire. The elven gods will not speak of this myth, or explain how their good intentions could have gone so awry. It's been hypothesized that some elder evil corrupted the elven magic at a critical moment.
#346, the first vampires were created by Pelor
, who cursed them for turning away from his light and pursuing evil magic instead. The myth suggests that Pelor would forgive them, if they were interested in forgiveness.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Kanchelsis is a deity of blood, debauchery, magic, and vampirism
Vampire (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features...
. His symbol is a bat with glowing red eyes.
Publication history
Kanchelsis was first detailed in the book Monster MythologyMonster Mythology
Monster Mythology is a sourcebook for the second edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Released by TSR in 1992 and written by Carl Sargent, with interior illustrations by Terry Dykstra, John and Laura Lakey, and Keith Parkinson, Monster Mythology was released as a companion volume for...
(1992), including details about his priesthood.
Kanchelsis was detailed for third edition in the article "Forgotten Faiths" in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#359 (September 2007), by F. Wesley Schneider.
Description
Kanchelsis takes on two different forms:The Beast resembles a wild-eyed, tousle-headed human male with powerful muscles and taloned claws. He is excessively hairy. He is a wild creature, the personification of the wild beast that rages inside all vampires. He runs with wolves and tears out throats, drinking as much blood as he can swallow.
The Rake resembles a slim, elegant human or half-elf
Half-elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
-Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition :The half-elf appeared as a player character race in the original Player's Handbook . The half-elf also appeared in the original Monster Manual...
with long, slender hands, finely-chiseled features, and a friendly smile. He is always dressed immaculately. This is the more elegant side of vampirism, savoring blood as mortal sophisticates might savor wine. He is a charismatic seducer, a lover of high fashion, debauchery, and art.
Relationships
Kanchelsis's primary servants are the blood fiends (vampiric demons) Memnul, Dagrobard, and Vonce. Kanchelsis is also the mastermind behind and ultimate leader of the Union of Eclipses, a world-spanning brotherhood of undead spellcasters (introduced in Dungeon #123). Prominent leaders of the Union of Eclipses include the vampire sorcerer Baucojin, known as the "Crimson Eclipse;" the lichLich (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the lich is an undead creature; a spellcaster who seeks to defy death by magical means.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
-lord Huersefful, the "Shrouded Eclipse;" the elven
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
vampire queen Ivirere, called "the Verdant Eclipse;" and the wizard-lord Vlad Tolenkov. Dozens of elder vampires meet in Kanchelsis's mansion every year to discuss their plans for the Union. Even the vampire lords of the Demiplane of Dread are said to give Kanchelsis a grudging amount of fear and respect.
Realm
Kanchelsis lives in the Lair of the Beast & Mansion of the Rake on the 487th layer of the AbyssAbyss (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Abyss or more fully, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, used in the Planescape...
. His domain there is described as a vast mansion that changes continuously based on Kanchelsis's whims. The halls are filled with mirrors and framed portraits, and the manse includes aviaries and chilling gardens. His home is awash in blood, and some rooms are said to be sculpted from living blood sculptures; some of this blood is spiced with narcotics and alkaloids. The vampyres, nosferatu, and similar followers who populate the mansion are in a constant state of extreme hunger, as Kanchelsis sadistically offers them only the most meager of blood rations.
Dogma
Kanchelsis's dogma, like the deity, is split, involving both a hunger for sophistication and debauchery and a terrible, insatiable lust for blood and violence.Worshippers
Kanchelsis is worshipped by some vampiresVampire (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features...
, drow, and all who hunger for luxury and blood.
Bad blood
Long ago, in the eldest of days, the gods sacrificed their own blood to create the world. Divine blood was directed by divine will to bring continents, mountains, and whole races into being. Something went terribly wrong, however, when the sacrifice of the Seldarine mingled with the blood of the nameless creator of humanityHuman (Dungeons & Dragons)
Humans are a race available for player characters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Although short-lived by comparison, humans are the most populous of all Dungeons & Dragons races. They are renowned for their diversity and ambition, and although they lack specializations like...
. The resulting creation combined the beauty and agelessness of the elder elves and the hunger and ambition of humans, becoming known as Kanchelsis, the first vampire. The elven gods will not speak of this myth, or explain how their good intentions could have gone so awry. It's been hypothesized that some elder evil corrupted the elven magic at a critical moment.
Pelor
In an alternate myth found in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#346, the first vampires were created by Pelor
Pelor
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Pelor is the god of the Sun, Light, Strength, and Healing. Pelor is also a prominent member of the third edition of the game's default pantheon, and is a popular choice among player character clerics because he...
, who cursed them for turning away from his light and pursuing evil magic instead. The myth suggests that Pelor would forgive them, if they were interested in forgiveness.
Additional reading
- Stark, Ed, James Jacobs, and Erik MonaErik Mona-Career:Erik Mona served as the editor-in-chief of Dragon magazine since 2004 and Dungeon magazine from 2004 to 2006; at the time, both magazines were published by Paizo Publishing, until the license through Wizards of the Coast expired in September 2007...
. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the AbyssFiendish Codex I: Hordes of the AbyssFiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Chapter 1: Demonic Lore:...
. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.