Myrkul
Encyclopedia
Myrkul was the fictional Lord of the Dead in the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting based upon the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Further aliases of Myrkul include the Reaper and Old Lord Skull. His symbol is a skull against a black field, known to occur in nightmares of many of the folk of Faerûn
. His alignment is Neutral Evil
created Myrkul for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in Greenwood's Forgotten Realms
world.
#54 (October 1981). Myrkul was introduced as Lord of Bones, Old Lord Skull, god of the dead, wasting, decay, corruption, parasites, old age, dusk, fall, and exhaustion; he is a neutral evil greater god from the plane of Hades
. The article states that Myrkul "usually appears as a cloaked, animated corpse — skeletal at its head, and changing slowly towards its feet, which are gangrenous, rotting flesh. Myrkul is said to have a cold, malignant intelligence and to speak in a high whisper." According to the article, his supernatural servants are known as “Deaths”, similar to those creatures which appear as part of the Deck of Many Things
, as found in the Dungeon Master's Guide
. The article also states that Myrkul "can animate and command the dead, but has no power over undead
above the level of zombies
and skeletons
. He is said to live in a Castle of Bone located in a Moonless Land of Always Night (Hades)." Myrkul is described as one of “The Dark Gods” of evil alignment: "Bhaal
and Myrkul have an unbreakable, symbiotic alliance. Shar is allied with Myrkul." Myrkul is commonly worshipped by neutral evil magic-users
, assassins
, thieves
, and clerics
, and characters working as alchemists when concocting harmful substances; Myrkul is placated by characters working as leeches, surgeons, and midwives.
Myrkul later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sets "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).
(1990), the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars
(1996).
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).
(2005).
, the first to choose, had chosen to rule over Strife, pain, etc., Myrkul tried to one-up him by choosing the Domain of the Dead, so that eventually Bane's subjects would become his. During the Time of Troubles
, in which Lord Ao banished all the gods from the Planes, they were forced to take on mortal Avatars
, Myrkul and Bane allied to seize a Celestial Stairway, an ever-changing stairway that grants access to the Planes from the Realms.
When Bane's avatar was destroyed during a fight with the legendary mage Elminster in the Temple Of Lathander in the city of Shadowdale, Myrkul had his temple's wizards locate the shards of his power. Three of his wizards died in the process due to the unstable nature of magic in the Realms, which is why Myrkul ventured into the Border Ethereal (since none of the gods had lived in the Border Ethereal before the Arrival, Lord Ao didn't see any reason to have Helm blockade it). This made it much easier to locate Bane's being and to reform them into a whole again.
Myrkul was killed in a duel with Mystra
in the skies over the city of Waterdeep, during the Time of Troubles. However, Myrkul infused the sinister artifact called the Crown of Horns
with the remnants of his essence, and teleported it away. The artifact was once in the possession of a yuan-ti from Skullport, but has since abandoned its user. Cyric
briefly gained control of Myrkul's portfolio, but it was later granted to Kelemvor.
, the protagonist will meet Myrkul, and is given the choice to destroy him with the power the Spirit Eater within them gives them. A fitting punishment, since the Spirit Eater was created by Myrkul from his rebellious High Priest, Akachi, as punishment for turning against him.
from the Forgotten Realms
series of books, as well as various other source books from the Dungeons & Dragons Pantheon. Most of the Information is not based on or approved by Wizards of the Coast
(Owner of all D&D copyrights).
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting based upon 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...
. Further aliases of Myrkul include the Reaper and Old Lord Skull. His symbol is a skull against a black field, known to occur in nightmares of many of the folk of Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. His alignment is Neutral Evil
Publication history
Ed GreenwoodEd Greenwood
Ed Greenwood is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group...
created Myrkul for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in Greenwood's Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
world.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Myrkul first appeared within Dungeons & Dragons as one of the deities featured in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" 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...
#54 (October 1981). Myrkul was introduced as Lord of Bones, Old Lord Skull, god of the dead, wasting, decay, corruption, parasites, old age, dusk, fall, and exhaustion; he is a neutral evil greater god from the plane of Hades
Gray Waste
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Gray Waste is a strongly evil aligned plane of existence...
. The article states that Myrkul "usually appears as a cloaked, animated corpse — skeletal at its head, and changing slowly towards its feet, which are gangrenous, rotting flesh. Myrkul is said to have a cold, malignant intelligence and to speak in a high whisper." According to the article, his supernatural servants are known as “Deaths”, similar to those creatures which appear as part of the Deck of Many Things
Deck of many things
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the deck of many things is a powerful magic item. The item comes in the form of a deck of cards, each one causing a distinct effect upon the character who draws it...
, as found in the Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
. The article also states that Myrkul "can animate and command the dead, but has no power over undead
Undead (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, undead is a classification of monsters that can be encountered by player characters. Undead creatures are most often once-living creatures, which have been animated by spiritual or supernatural forces....
above the level of zombies
Zombie (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the zombie is an undead creature, usually created by applying a template to another creature.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
and skeletons
Skeleton (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the skeleton is an undead creature, usually created by applying a template to another creature.-Dungeons & Dragons :...
. He is said to live in a Castle of Bone located in a Moonless Land of Always Night (Hades)." Myrkul is described as one of “The Dark Gods” of evil alignment: "Bhaal
Bhaal
Bhaal, Lord of Murder, is a deity of the fictional Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.-Publication history:Ed Greenwood created Bhaal for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms....
and Myrkul have an unbreakable, symbiotic alliance. Shar is allied with Myrkul." Myrkul is commonly worshipped by neutral evil magic-users
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
, assassins
Assassin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The assassin is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It first appeared in 1975 in the Blackmoor supplement, as a thief sub-class. It next appeared in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons again as a thief sub-class...
, thieves
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
, and clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
, and characters working as alchemists when concocting harmful substances; Myrkul is placated by characters working as leeches, surgeons, and midwives.
Myrkul later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
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...
, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sets "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Myrkul was destroyed in the novel Waterdeep (1989), and its accompanying adventure module of the same name. Despite his death, Myrkul was still described in the hardback Forgotten Realms AdventuresForgotten Realms Adventures
Forgotten Realms Adventures is an accessory for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1990), the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars
Faiths & Avatars
Faiths & Avatars is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign expansion book. The book was designed by Julia Martin with Eric L. Boyd, and additional design by Ed Greenwood, L. Richard Baker III, and David Wise...
(1996).
His role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
Myrkul's worship was discussed in Lost Empires of FaerûnLost Empires of Faerûn (accessory)
Lost Empires of Faerûn is a campaign supplement for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...
(2005).
Character history
In the Dead Three Myrkul was the second to choose from Jergal's powers. Since BaneBane (god)
Bane , is the god of hatred, fear, and tyranny and one of the main evil gods in the fictional Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, Forgotten Realms....
, the first to choose, had chosen to rule over Strife, pain, etc., Myrkul tried to one-up him by choosing the Domain of the Dead, so that eventually Bane's subjects would become his. During the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles (Forgotten Realms)
The Time of Troubles, also known as the Arrival, Godswar, and Avatar Crisis, is a fictional time period in the chronology of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game...
, in which Lord Ao banished all the gods from the Planes, they were forced to take on mortal Avatars
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
, Myrkul and Bane allied to seize a Celestial Stairway, an ever-changing stairway that grants access to the Planes from the Realms.
When Bane's avatar was destroyed during a fight with the legendary mage Elminster in the Temple Of Lathander in the city of Shadowdale, Myrkul had his temple's wizards locate the shards of his power. Three of his wizards died in the process due to the unstable nature of magic in the Realms, which is why Myrkul ventured into the Border Ethereal (since none of the gods had lived in the Border Ethereal before the Arrival, Lord Ao didn't see any reason to have Helm blockade it). This made it much easier to locate Bane's being and to reform them into a whole again.
Myrkul was killed in a duel with Mystra
Mystra (goddess)
Mystra is a fictional goddess in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.She is the Mistress of Magic and Mother of Mysteries who guides the Weave of magic that envelops the world. She tends to the weave constantly, making possible all the...
in the skies over the city of Waterdeep, during the Time of Troubles. However, Myrkul infused the sinister artifact called the Crown of Horns
Crown of Horns
The Crown of Horns is a fictional evil, intelligent artifact of great power from the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
with the remnants of his essence, and teleported it away. The artifact was once in the possession of a yuan-ti from Skullport, but has since abandoned its user. Cyric
Cyric
Cyric is a deity in the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting, a branch of Dungeons & Dragons. Cyric has many titles, including the Prince of Lies, the Dark Sun, the Black Sun, the Mad God, and the Lord of Three Crowns...
briefly gained control of Myrkul's portfolio, but it was later granted to Kelemvor.
Other media
In the Expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the BetrayerNeverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer is a computer role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari. It is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2. It was released in Autumn 2007 for the PC in North America, Europe, and Australia...
, the protagonist will meet Myrkul, and is given the choice to destroy him with the power the Spirit Eater within them gives them. A fitting punishment, since the Spirit Eater was created by Myrkul from his rebellious High Priest, Akachi, as punishment for turning against him.
Sources
This information complied from the Avatar TrilogyThe Avatar Series
The Avatar Series, originally The Avatar Trilogy, is a series of fantasy novels in the Forgotten Realms setting, covering the event known as the Time of Troubles.The books were:...
from the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
series of books, as well as various other source books from the Dungeons & Dragons Pantheon. Most of the Information is not based on or approved by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
(Owner of all D&D copyrights).