![[Kazgoroth.png|500]] **The Beast | The Darkwalker of the Moonshae Isles** **Also Known As**: Kazgaroth, The Beast, The Darkwalker **Alignment**: Chaotic Evil **Nature**: Ancient Monstrous Being; Aspect of [[Malar]] **Divine Status**: Quasi-Power; Divine Servant or Manifestation of Malar **Former Patron**: [[Bhaal]], the Lord of Murder **Region of Influence**: [[Moonshae Isles]] **Principal Adversary**: [[Earthmother]] **Known Followers**: The Cult of the Beast, Blood Warriors, Evil Lycanthropes, Firbolgs and Fomorians **Holy Symbol**: None Established --- ### **Overview** **Kazgoroth**, also known as the Beast or the Darkwalker, is an ancient and malevolent being whose existence has plagued the [[Moonshae Isles]] since the earliest ages of their recorded history. A monstrous manifestation associated with [[Malar]], the Beastlord, Kazgoroth embodies the savage corruption of the natural world and the deliberate destruction of the delicate Balance maintained by the [[Earthmother]]. Unlike the ordinary predators whose hunting and killing serve a necessary purpose within the wilderness, Kazgoroth brings devastation without regard for the preservation of life, turning the very forces of nature against the lands that sustain them. The origins of the Beast are obscured by antiquity, its presence upon the Moonshaes reaching back nearly as far as the oldest traditions concerning the Earthmother herself. The goddess regarded the islands as an extension of her own being, nurturing their forests, valleys, seas, and mountains while maintaining a careful Balance between growth and destruction. Kazgoroth threatened this order not merely through violence, but through the corruption of the sacred places by which the Earthmother maintained her connection to the land. Whenever the Beast emerged, its purpose was to weaken the goddess, despoil her sanctuaries, and transform the natural savagery of the wilderness into a force of uncontrolled annihilation. In its natural form, Kazgoroth resembles an enormous, demonic tyrannosaur, standing approximately eighteen feet tall and possessing immense jaws, powerful foreclaws, and a muscular tail capable of striking creatures behind it. Its great mouth contains corrosive saliva, while its eyes burn with a fierce and unnatural intelligence. Despite this monstrous appearance, the Beast is no mindless creature. It possesses considerable cunning, preferring deception, manipulation, and the corruption of existing loyalties to open battle whenever such methods offer a greater chance of success. Its most dangerous ability is shapeshifting, which allows it to assume the forms of other creatures and move among its enemies without revealing its true nature. The Beast has impersonated mortals, taken the appearance of woodland beings, and assumed the identities of those it has murdered. Through these disguises, it has undermined kingdoms, deceived the servants of the Earthmother, and turned former allies against one another. Its capacity for corruption is particularly feared among druids, for the Beast takes considerable pleasure in transforming those devoted to the protection of nature into instruments of its destruction. Kazgoroth's divine allegiance has changed throughout its history. The earliest published accounts identify it as an aspect of Malar, the god of hunting, bloodlust, and bestial savagery. Later traditions describe a period during which Bhaal, the Lord of Murder, assumed control of the Beast and employed its powers against the Earthmother. Under Bhaal's influence, Kazgoroth became an instrument of murder and desecration, further extending the threat it posed to the inhabitants of the Moonshaes. Although the Beast has been defeated on several occasions, its destruction has rarely ensured lasting peace. Its capacity for returning from apparent death, together with the efforts of fanatical followers seeking its resurrection, has made Kazgoroth an enduring danger to the islands. The legends of the Ffolk, the histories of the Llewyrr elves, and the traditions preserved by the Earthmother's druids all remember its devastation, while the descendants of its former enemies remain watchful for signs of another awakening. --- ### **Domain and Influence** Kazgoroth's influence is centred upon the Moonshae Isles, an ancient archipelago whose wild landscapes have long been sustained through the power of the Earthmother. The goddess's presence is most closely associated with the forests, mountains, moors, and seas of the islands, where the rhythms of life and death are maintained through a divine Balance. This order does not demand the elimination of predation or destruction, for the Earthmother recognises that death, hunger, and natural violence are necessary parts of existence. Rather, it requires that these forces remain within their proper place, preventing any single aspect of nature from overwhelming the rest. The Beast represents a fundamental violation of this Balance. Its violence does not sustain the wilderness or preserve the proper relationship between predator and prey, but instead seeks to destroy the natural order upon which the islands depend. It takes particular pleasure in profaning places of exceptional beauty and sanctity, especially the sacred moonwells through which the Earthmother watches over her domain. These pools are among the most important religious sites of the Ffolk, whose druids maintain them as places of healing, divine communion, and spiritual protection. When a moonwell is polluted or desecrated, it may become a **darkwell**, its pure waters transformed into a source of corruption and destructive supernatural power. Kazgoroth draws strength from such places, resting within their tainted depths while absorbing the energy stolen from the Earthmother. The process weakens the goddess's influence and allows the Beast to recover from injuries that might otherwise prevent its continued attacks. Darkwells therefore serve as both places of refuge and sources of power, making their destruction or purification essential to any effort to drive Kazgoroth from the islands. The corruption of moonwells has consequences extending far beyond the immediate presence of the Beast. Because the pools are connected to the Earthmother, their desecration inflicts suffering upon the goddess and diminishes her ability to protect the surrounding lands. The creatures that depend upon her strength may become vulnerable, while druids who draw upon the sanctity of the wilderness find themselves confronting a power that seeks to turn their own calling against them. Kazgoroth has repeatedly demonstrated a preference for using existing inhabitants as instruments of destruction. Firbolgs and fomorians have served among its monstrous forces, while mortal warriors have fallen under its enchantments and become agents of its will. Such servants extend its influence beyond the immediate reach of its physical form, allowing the Beast to wage war, gather followers, and corrupt sacred places while remaining concealed within a darkwell. Its most dangerous servants may once have belonged to the Earthmother herself. By corrupting druids, woodland beings, and other creatures whose loyalty is ordinarily directed toward the Balance, Kazgoroth undermines the very defences established against it. The resulting betrayals can prove more devastating than open attacks, for they force the goddess's followers to confront former companions whose knowledge of sacred places and religious practices can now be employed against them. In later centuries, Kazgoroth's influence survived through the worship of evil lycanthropes, particularly those dwelling upon the island of Moray. These cultists regard the Beast as a manifestation of Malar and believe that its return will allow them to establish dominion over the Moonshaes. Their activities include the capture of victims, the performance of blood sacrifices within moonwells, and the deliberate spread of lycanthropy among communities they seek to undermine. Kazgoroth's domain is therefore not a separate plane or a conventional divine kingdom. Its power is expressed through the corruption of the Moonshaes themselves, transforming the sacred landscape of the Earthmother into a battleground between the Balance and the unnatural savagery represented by the Beast. --- ### **Symbols and Icons**  Kazgoroth possesses no independently established holy symbol in the published accounts of its history. Unlike a conventional deity whose worshippers maintain a recognised priesthood and religious iconography, the Beast is principally identified through its monstrous appearance, its connection to corrupted moonwells, and the savagery of those who serve it. The most recognisable representation of Kazgoroth is its natural form: an enormous predatory reptile whose immense jaws, powerful claws, and terrible strength distinguish it from the ordinary creatures of the Moonshaes. This monstrous appearance is particularly significant because the Beast seldom remains within it when deception offers a more effective means of accomplishing its purpose. Images of the great reptilian creature therefore represent the form concealed beneath the disguises through which it has repeatedly deceived its enemies. Its association with Malar also connects it to the religious traditions of the Beastlord. Malar's established holy symbol is a bestial claw, representing the savagery and bloodlust of the hunt. Worshippers who regard Kazgoroth as an aspect of Malar may therefore employ the recognised imagery of their divine patron, although no separate emblem is officially assigned to Kazgoroth itself. The darkwell remains another important sign of the Beast's presence. A moonwell whose waters have been corrupted or desecrated represents an assault upon the Earthmother and may indicate that Kazgoroth or its servants have established a source of unnatural power nearby. Such sites are feared by the faithful of the goddess, for the desecration of a sacred pool threatens both the land and the divine protection upon which its inhabitants depend. No official design consisting of a withered tree, thorn-wreathed skull, or serpent-entwined roots has been established as Kazgoroth's personal symbol. Its followers are more directly associated with the bestial imagery of Malar, the bloodshed of their rituals, and the corrupted moonwells through which they seek their master's return. --- ### **Worship and Tributes** Worship of Kazgoroth is most clearly associated with the **Cult of the Beast**, a violent religious movement devoted to Malar through the manifestation of the Darkwalker. Its followers include evil lycanthropes, savage humanoids, and hostile fey whose ambitions centre upon the destruction of the Earthmother's influence and the establishment of a wilderness ruled through bloodshed and predatory strength. Their devotion differs from that of ordinary hunters who honour Malar, for the cult seeks the return of a specific monstrous power whose previous appearances brought devastation to the Moonshae Isles. The cult's principal objective is the resurrection of Kazgoroth. Its members believe that the Beast can be restored through sufficient blood sacrifice within the sacred moonwells of the Earthmother, transforming places of divine protection into instruments of corruption. To accomplish this purpose, they capture victims and transport them to the pools, where their deaths are offered in the expectation that the accumulated bloodshed will eventually permit the Darkwalker to rise again. These sacrifices are not merely symbolic acts of devotion. The cultists believe that the desecration of moonwells actively contributes to the restoration of their patron, weakening the Earthmother while strengthening the possibility of Kazgoroth's return. Their victims may be drawn from any people who fall into their hands, for the cult places little importance upon distinctions between humanoid races when selecting those to be killed. During the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries DR, the cult's strongest followers were concentrated upon Moray, where violent lycanthrope tribes occupied forested regions beyond the secure control of the island's settlements. These creatures attacked travellers, conducted raids, and carried captives into the wilderness, maintaining their religious practices through terror and secrecy. The cult also sought to spread lycanthropy among the inhabitants of the Moonshaes. Such efforts served both a religious and strategic purpose, increasing the number of creatures associated with Malar while creating potential allies within communities otherwise hostile to the Beast. Cultists operating beyond Moray gathered information, concealed their allegiance, and worked to extend the influence of their masters throughout the archipelago. The worship of Kazgoroth has therefore been closely associated with violence, predation, and the deliberate corruption of the Earthmother's sacred places. No established religious calendar, universal priestly ceremony, or system of named blessings governs its followers. Their devotion is defined instead by their determination to restore the Darkwalker and prepare the Moonshaes for the destruction they believe will accompany its return. --- ### **Clergy and Temples** Kazgoroth does not possess a recognised independent priesthood comparable to the churches of the established Faerûnian gods. Its worship is associated primarily with Malarite religious traditions, particularly those maintained by lycanthropes and other creatures devoted to the savage aspects of the Beastlord. The Cult of the Beast provides the clearest example of an organised movement dedicated specifically to Kazgoroth, although its authority is exercised through tribal leaders and monstrous devotees rather than a conventional hierarchy of temples and ordained priests. During the later history of the Moonshaes, the cult became especially powerful among the lycanthropes of Moray. Its most formidable followers belonged to the **Red Shadow**, a loose alliance of two evil lycanthrope tribes whose members inhabited the deep forests of the island. These creatures included numerous werewolves and other shapechangers, while associated humanoids and fey provided assistance through espionage, raiding, and the acquisition of victims. The Red Shadow's religious activities centred upon the desecration of moonwells. Their members conducted attacks against nearby settlements and travellers, frequently killing those who resisted while preserving selected captives for sacrifice. The victims were carried into the wilderness and slain within the waters of sacred pools, where the cultists believed the bloodshed would contribute to the eventual restoration of Kazgoroth. These practices transformed the moonwells into contested religious sites. To the Earthmother's druids, the pools represented the sanctity and spiritual health of the islands. To the Cult of the Beast, the same locations offered an opportunity to undermine the goddess and summon a power capable of destroying her influence. The Red Shadow was associated with the **Red Moon** and **Shadow Moon** tribes, which maintained strongholds within the wilderness of Moray. Their members regarded the eventual return of Kazgoroth as the fulfilment of their religious ambitions and sought to prepare the islands for renewed warfare under the Beast's authority. Beyond these lycanthrope communities, the cult extended into settlements throughout the Moonshaes. Its adherents included violent humanoids and evil fey who gathered intelligence, spread lycanthropy, and supported the activities of the tribes upon Moray. Their methods depended heavily upon secrecy, allowing followers to conceal their allegiance until an opportunity arose to assist in the capture of victims or the corruption of another sacred site. No published account establishes an independent order of Kazgorothian druids possessing unique religious spells, nor is there a recognised network of formal temples dedicated exclusively to the Beast. The cult's most important sacred locations are the moonwells it seeks to profane, for those sites possess the supernatural significance necessary to its efforts to resurrect Kazgoroth. --- ### **Powers and Abilities** Kazgoroth is a formidable supernatural creature whose abilities combine immense physical strength, powerful shapeshifting, magical domination, and an extraordinary capacity for corrupting the living and the dead. Although its nature is associated with Malar, the Beast possesses distinct powers that have repeatedly allowed it to challenge the servants of the Earthmother and devastate the Moonshae Isles. Its greatest strength lies not merely in destructive force but in its ability to undermine the loyalties and protections upon which its enemies depend. **The Form of the Beast** In its natural state, Kazgoroth resembles an immense, monstrous tyrannosaur whose body possesses extraordinary strength and endurance. Its powerful jaws contain corrosive saliva, while its foreclaws and tail allow it to strike enemies at close range with devastating force. The creature's size makes it a terrifying opponent, but its high intelligence ensures that it rarely relies upon physical strength alone when more subtle methods can achieve its objectives. The Beast possesses considerable resistance to ordinary weapons and magic, making conventional attacks unlikely to overcome it. Its original published abilities also distinguish between the arcane and divine magic that it can resist and the druidic powers against which it possesses less protection. This vulnerability is significant because the Earthmother's druids have repeatedly stood among its principal adversaries. **The Many Faces of Kazgoroth** Kazgoroth can change its shape at will, assuming a wide variety of forms through which it may conceal its true identity. Its transformations allow it to appear as ordinary animals, humanoids, and other creatures, granting it the means to approach enemies who would otherwise recognise and oppose the Beast. The ability is particularly dangerous when combined with murder and impersonation, for Kazgoroth has assumed the identities of individuals it killed, using their familiar appearance to deceive companions and command unsuspecting followers. During the Darkwalker War, the Beast employed several disguises while moving across the Moonshaes. Its transformations included the appearance of an ordinary cow, a woman named Meridith, a woodland dryad, and the Northman ruler Thelgaar Ironhand. These guises allowed it to move through different communities and exploit the expectations of those it encountered, turning its enemies' knowledge of familiar people and creatures against them. **The Corruption of the Living** Kazgoroth possesses powerful enchantments capable of bending other creatures to its will. Its original abilities include a lasting charm through which a victim becomes increasingly dominated by the Beast, suffering a gradual erosion of personal presence and independence. Such corruption allows Kazgoroth to acquire servants without requiring their willing allegiance, making it especially dangerous to individuals whose positions grant them access to important locations or influential companions. The Beast takes particular pleasure in corrupting druids and other servants of the Earthmother. Their knowledge of sacred groves, moonwells, and the goddess's defences makes them valuable instruments in its campaign against the Balance. By transforming these protectors into enemies of their own faith, Kazgoroth can accomplish destruction that would otherwise require considerable force. **The Curse of Lycanthropy** Kazgoroth can inflict lycanthropy through its bite, transforming victims into creatures whose altered nature may place them beneath the influence of the Beast. This power proved particularly significant during the Darkwalker War, when its corruption of Erian allowed a former servant of Tristan Kendrick to threaten the Earthmother's Pack. The ability also reflects Kazgoroth's connection to Malar, whose worship is closely associated with savage predators and evil lycanthropes. The transformation of living creatures into monstrous hunters provides a natural means through which the Beast's influence can spread, particularly among communities whose inhabitants are unprepared for the appearance of supernatural predators. **The Blood Warriors** One of Kazgoroth's most terrible abilities is the creation of **Blood Warriors**, undead soldiers formed through a corrupted version of powerful mass enchantment. The Beast can transform a substantial company of living warriors into fanatically loyal servants, preserving their ability to fight while binding them to its destructive purpose. These troops possess fiery red eyes and bodies that gradually decay, leaving them with an appearance increasingly resembling that of ordinary zombies. Unlike mindless undead, the Blood Warriors retain the ability to fight as trained soldiers, making them especially dangerous when organised beneath a capable commander. Their existence depends upon continued killing, for they steadily weaken when deprived of victims and recover strength through the deaths of those they slay. The Beast can therefore employ them as an army whose supernatural condition requires perpetual violence, ensuring that their continued survival contributes directly to the devastation of the surrounding lands. The Blood Warriors may also receive temporary supernatural speed through a ritual involving the blood of sacrificed victims. Their commanders employ this practice before battle, allowing the undead soldiers to attack with increased ferocity. The ability distinguishes these creatures from ordinary animated corpses and reveals the extent to which Kazgoroth can corrupt both mortal warriors and the powers associated with undeath. **The Power of the Darkwell** Kazgoroth draws strength from moonwells whose sacred waters have been desecrated. These corrupted pools, known as darkwells, provide places of refuge in which the Beast may rest and recover its power while weakening the Earthmother. The connection is particularly dangerous because the moonwells are ordinarily instruments of the goddess's divine influence, and their corruption allows Kazgoroth to exploit a power originally intended to preserve the Balance. The Beast may command firbolgs and other servants to guard these sites or assist in their desecration, ensuring that the darkwell remains protected while it gathers strength. The corruption of such a pool is therefore both a religious offence against the Earthmother and a practical means of sustaining Kazgoroth's supernatural existence. **The Return of the Beast** Kazgoroth possesses an extraordinary capacity for returning after apparent destruction. The earliest published account establishes that the Beast may reappear after a period of years if slain through ordinary means, demonstrating that its defeat does not necessarily eliminate the danger it poses to the Moonshaes. The **Sword of Cymrych Hugh** is of particular significance to this power. The ancient account suggests that destroying Kazgoroth with the sword and reducing its remains to ashes might prevent its return permanently, although the possibility is presented as a rumour rather than an established certainty. Subsequent history demonstrates that the threat of Kazgoroth's restoration remained significant, even after the Beast suffered major defeats at the hands of the Ffolk. Its ability to return has therefore become an important part of the legends surrounding the Darkwalker, ensuring that the inhabitants of the Moonshaes regard each victory as an occasion for vigilance rather than unquestioned security. --- ### **Treatment of the Chosen and Faithful** Kazgoroth's treatment of its followers reflects the cruelty and self-interest associated with its monstrous nature. It does not cultivate loyalty through affection or establish a stable relationship of mutual obligation with those who serve it. Instead, the Beast employs fear, enchantment, and the promise of destructive power to obtain whatever assistance is required for its immediate objectives. Servants who remain useful may be permitted to survive, while those who obstruct its plans risk becoming victims of the same violence inflicted upon its enemies. Its most effective followers are frequently individuals whose existing responsibilities or influence can be turned toward the destruction of the Earthmother's Balance. Druids and woodland beings are particularly valuable because their knowledge allows the Beast to reach places that would otherwise remain protected from its influence. Kazgoroth's corruption of such servants represents a deliberate attack upon the spiritual foundations of the Moonshaes, transforming guardians of nature into instruments of desecration. Mortal warriors may suffer a still more terrible fate through transformation into Blood Warriors. These undead servants become bound to the Beast's will, their continued existence dependent upon the slaughter of living creatures. Whatever loyalties they possessed before their corruption are subordinated to Kazgoroth's purposes, leaving them as instruments of violence whose growing physical decay reflects their unnatural condition. The followers of the Cult of the Beast pursue a more voluntary form of devotion, believing that the resurrection of Kazgoroth will bring them power over the Moonshaes. Among the Red Shadow tribes, this expectation is inseparable from their worship of Malar and their desire to establish a wilderness dominated by predatory creatures. Their willingness to sacrifice captives and spread lycanthropy demonstrates the extent to which the cult has embraced the monstrous principles associated with its patron. No established account describes Kazgoroth granting a formal system of supernatural blessings to favoured worshippers. Its documented powers concern transformation, enchantment, lycanthropy, and the creation of undead servants rather than permanent gifts of poison immunity, regeneration, or prophetic knowledge. Those who serve the Beast therefore do so without reliable assurance of protection or reward. Even the most fanatical followers remain vulnerable to its destructive impulses, for Kazgoroth's purpose is the disruption of the Balance rather than the preservation of those who claim to advance its cause. --- ### **Myths and Legends** **The First Coming of the Beast** The earliest recorded appearance of Kazgoroth occurred around **−2000 DR**, when Malar unleashed the Beast upon the Moonshae Isles. Its arrival brought a period of extraordinary violence, threatening the ancient settlements and sacred wilderness maintained under the protection of the Earthmother. The goddess recognised the danger posed by this monstrous intrusion and called upon her children and the peoples of the islands to resist its advance. The Llewyrr elves, the dwarves, and the great guardians of the Earthmother united against Kazgoroth and the monstrous forces that accompanied it. Among these enemies were firbolgs and fomorians, whose strength allowed them to threaten settlements and sacred places throughout the archipelago. The conflict endured for decades, bringing devastation to the islands and placing immense pressure upon the defenders of the Balance. Although Kazgoroth was eventually driven back, the victory came at considerable cost. The ancient realm of Sarifal suffered through the long struggle, and its decline contributed to the eventual withdrawal of its fey influence from the Moonshaes. The first great war against the Beast therefore became one of the defining catastrophes of the islands' early history, establishing an enmity that would endure for millennia. **The Reign of Cymrych Hugh** Kazgoroth returned in **201 DR**, during a period when the Ffolk inhabited divided kingdoms throughout the Moonshae Isles. By this time, Bhaal had assumed control of the Beast, directing its violence toward the destruction of the Earthmother's influence and the peoples who remained beneath her protection. The renewed threat compelled the Ffolk to unite against an enemy that individual kingdoms could not hope to defeat alone. A great ruler arose among them: **[[Cymrych Hugh]]**, king of Callidyrr upon the island of Alaron. With the blessing of the Earthmother and a mighty sword forged by the finest dwarven craftsmen, Cymrych Hugh confronted Kazgoroth and inflicted terrible injuries upon the Beast. Although it survived, the monster was driven back into its hidden refuge, where it remained inactive for centuries. The victory transformed the history of the Moonshaes. Cymrych Hugh united the Ffolk beneath his authority and became the first High King of their people, establishing a period of greater unity and prosperity. His sword became one of the most important treasures associated with the kingship, while the memory of his confrontation with Kazgoroth endured as a symbol of the struggle between the Balance and the ancient forces seeking its destruction. **The Darkwalker War** In **1345 DR**, Kazgoroth emerged once more and began a campaign intended to destroy the influence of the Earthmother throughout the Moonshae Isles. The Beast gathered monstrous followers, corrupted a sacred moonwell into a darkwell, and employed its shapeshifting powers to infiltrate the communities and military forces of the islands. Its return became the central threat of the conflict remembered as the **Darkwalker War**, during which the survival of the Ffolk and their goddess was placed in extraordinary danger. The Beast's campaign depended heavily upon deception. It assumed the forms of several creatures while travelling across Gwynneth, exploiting the trust of those who encountered its disguises. Among its victims was Erian, a guard associated with Prince Tristan Kendrick, whom Kazgoroth transformed into a werewolf. Through this corrupted servant, the Beast was able to threaten the Earthmother's Pack, turning one of the goddess's own instruments of natural balance against the people it had previously protected. Kazgoroth also impersonated **Thelgaar Ironhand**, king of Oman's Isle, using the dead ruler's identity to command Northmen warriors during an assault upon the kingdom of Corwell. The deception enabled the Beast to transform an existing conflict between the Ffolk and the Northmen into a campaign intended to destroy the Earthmother's followers and seize control of the islands. **The Death of the Leviathan** The Earthmother responded to Kazgoroth's growing power by awakening her great defenders, including the immense whale known as the **[[Leviathan]]**. This ancient creature had protected the seas surrounding the Moonshaes since time immemorial, and its extraordinary size made it one of the most formidable beings associated with the goddess. When the Northmen fleet approached the waters separating the islands, the Leviathan attacked the invading ships, destroying numerous vessels and threatening to bring the campaign to an end. Kazgoroth, however, had anticipated the possibility of the creature's intervention and prepared a means of destroying it. The Beast arranged for selected longships to be equipped with reinforced rams, which it empowered with deadly poison. As the Leviathan exhausted itself through repeated attacks upon the fleet, Kazgoroth ordered the remaining ships to strike the great whale. The poisoned rams inflicted fatal injuries, bringing an end to one of the Earthmother's oldest and most powerful children. Although the Leviathan was slain, its sacrifice severely weakened the invading fleet and delayed the Northmen's advance. The defenders of Corwell gained valuable time to prepare for the attack, while the loss of the great whale demonstrated the terrible cost of the war against the Darkwalker. **The Corruption of the Pack** The Beast's campaign also threatened another of the Earthmother's great defenders: the **Pack**, a gathering of wolves entrusted with the preservation of the natural balance between life and death. Through the werewolf Erian, Kazgoroth sought to seize control of this force and turn its hunting instinct against the Ffolk. Erian succeeded in killing the Pack's leader and temporarily assuming control of the wolves, unleashing them upon settlements and livestock rather than directing their savagery toward the proper maintenance of the Balance. The resulting violence weakened the defenders of the Earthmother and threatened to destroy another of her most important instruments of protection. The goddess eventually guided **Canthus**, the moorhound companion of Tristan Kendrick, to confront the corrupted leader. Protected by a silver Torque of the Goddess, Canthus overcame Erian and restored the Pack to the Earthmother's service. Under his leadership, the wolves returned to the defence of the Moonshaes, playing an important role in the struggle against Kazgoroth's invading forces. **The Battle of Caer Corwell** Kazgoroth's invasion culminated in the assault upon **Caer Corwell**, where the defenders of the Ffolk confronted the Northmen and monstrous forces gathered beneath the Beast's command. The battle threatened the kingdom with destruction, but the resistance of its defenders, together with the intervention of the Earthmother's surviving allies, prevented the attackers from achieving an immediate victory. Prince **[[Tristan Kendrick]]** wielded the Sword of Cymrych Hugh against Kazgoroth, employing the ancient weapon that had once driven the Beast into retreat. The sword's supernatural strength enabled him to wound the monster, forcing it to abandon the battlefield and withdraw toward the corrupted moonwell from which it had drawn power. Tristan and his companions pursued Kazgoroth into the wilderness, determined to prevent it from recovering and renewing its campaign. The final confrontation took place at the darkwell, where the heroes faced the Beast in the heart of its corrupted sanctuary. Kazgoroth was slain, but the victory required terrible sacrifice. Tristan and several of his companions fell during the confrontation, and only the intervention of the Earthmother restored the surviving heroes to life. The battle ended the immediate threat of the Darkwalker and brought a measure of peace to the Moonshaes, although the Beast's destruction did not eliminate every trace of its supernatural power. **The Heart of Kazgoroth** The remains of Kazgoroth continued to exert a terrible influence after its apparent death. Its petrified heart survived the destruction of its body and was eventually recovered by servants of Bhaal, whose ambitions threatened to restore the Beast through another act of corruption. In **1346 DR**, the Bhaalist priest **[[Hobarth]]** employed the heart in a campaign against the sacred places of the Earthmother. His activities brought devastation to Myrloch Vale, where another moonwell was corrupted into a darkwell and the goddess's followers struggled to preserve the remaining sanctity of the land. Following the commands of Bhaal, Hobarth placed the heart within the body of **[[Genna Moonsinger]]**, the Great Druid of the Moonshaes, whose petrified form had become the instrument of the dark ritual. The result was a monstrous transformation combining the druid's body and memories with the returning will of Kazgoroth. The renewed Beast once again threatened the Earthmother and her servants, forcing Tristan Kendrick to confront an enemy whose destruction had already required extraordinary sacrifice. Kazgoroth was defeated for a second time, and the struggle culminated in the expulsion of Bhaal's influence from the Moonshaes. The surviving traditions of these events established that the destruction of Kazgoroth's body did not necessarily eliminate the supernatural power through which it might return. **The Cult of the Beast** Centuries after the defeat of the Darkwalker, devotion to Kazgoroth survived among evil lycanthropes and other servants of Malar. These cultists regarded the Beast as an aspect of their divine patron and believed that its resurrection would allow them to establish a new order throughout the Moonshae Isles. The **Black Blood** lycanthropes of Moray became particularly prominent in these traditions, employing blood sacrifices within the moonwells in an effort to restore the Beast. Their activities contributed to the continued desecration of sacred places and the spread of terror among the island's settlements. By the later fifteenth century DR and the beginning of the sixteenth, the movement was associated with the **Cult of the Beast** and the **Red Shadow**, whose lycanthrope tribes maintained powerful positions within the forests of Moray. Their members continued to seek victims for sacrifice and spread lycanthropy among the inhabitants of the Moonshaes, believing that the eventual resurrection of Kazgoroth would bring about the destruction of the Earthmother's remaining influence. Their continued existence demonstrates that the Darkwalker's defeat did not bring an end to its legacy. Although the Beast itself had been overcome, the ambition to restore its power survived among creatures who regarded its return as the fulfilment of their religious purpose. --- ### **Encounters with Kazgoroth's Influence** The influence of Kazgoroth is most readily recognised through the corruption of places sacred to the Earthmother. A moonwell whose waters have become polluted or desecrated may indicate the presence of the Beast's servants, particularly if the surrounding wilderness shows evidence of deliberate destruction rather than the ordinary processes of nature. Such sites are of exceptional importance to the druids of the Moonshaes, for their preservation is inseparable from the spiritual health of the islands. Travellers entering regions controlled by the Cult of the Beast may encounter evil lycanthropes hunting captives for sacrifice. These creatures frequently operate in organised packs, using their knowledge of the forests to ambush travellers and carry prisoners into remote sanctuaries. Their activities are especially dangerous upon Moray, where the Red Shadow tribes have maintained a reputation for savagery and determined opposition to the followers of the Earthmother. A more unsettling indication of Kazgoroth's influence is the corruption of creatures who would ordinarily defend the Balance. Druids whose behaviour has become hostile to their own sanctuaries, animals transformed through lycanthropy, or warriors whose loyalties have been unnaturally altered may indicate that the Beast's powers or those of its servants have been employed. Such encounters are particularly dangerous because the victims may retain knowledge of communities and sacred places whose safety they once helped preserve. The presence of Blood Warriors would represent a more direct manifestation of Kazgoroth's supernatural power. These undead soldiers, recognisable by their fiery red eyes and decaying bodies, serve with fanatical obedience and require continued killing to sustain their unnatural existence. An army of such creatures could inflict devastating losses upon settlements, especially when commanded by a capable leader whose knowledge allows the troops to exploit the weaknesses of their enemies. Should Kazgoroth itself return, its shapeshifting would make its presence difficult to identify. The Beast has repeatedly assumed familiar forms to gain the confidence of those it intends to destroy, making deception one of its most dangerous weapons. An apparently ordinary traveller, woodland creature, or respected leader might conceal the monstrous intelligence of the Darkwalker, whose true form remains hidden until its purpose has been accomplished. Those confronting Kazgoroth must contend with an enemy possessing extraordinary strength, supernatural resistance, and powerful enchantments capable of turning companions against one another. Its ability to spread lycanthropy and corrupt the living creates dangers that extend beyond the immediate battle, while its connection to darkwells may allow it to recover from injuries that would otherwise force its retreat. The Sword of Cymrych Hugh remains particularly significant in traditions concerning the Beast's destruction, although even its legendary power does not establish that Kazgoroth can never return. The survival of its cult and the continued desecration of moonwells demonstrate that the threat of another awakening remains part of the history and religious fears of the Moonshae Isles. --- ### **Conclusion** Kazgoroth, the Beast of the Moonshae Isles, is an ancient and malevolent manifestation of the destructive savagery associated with Malar, whose history has been profoundly shaped by its later service to Bhaal. Its purpose is the disruption of the Earthmother's Balance, achieved through the corruption of sacred moonwells, the manipulation of living creatures, and the devastation of the lands entrusted to the goddess's protection. From the earliest wars against the Llewyrr elves and the dwarves to its confrontations with Cymrych Hugh and Tristan Kendrick, the Darkwalker has repeatedly threatened the survival of the Moonshaes. Its ability to assume other forms, spread lycanthropy, corrupt druids, and create undead Blood Warriors has allowed it to employ both deception and overwhelming force against those who oppose it. Although defeated on several occasions, Kazgoroth has endured through the supernatural legacy of its former manifestations and the devotion of cultists determined to restore its power. The Cult of the Beast continues to seek its resurrection through the desecration of moonwells and the sacrifice of living creatures, believing that the Darkwalker's return will permit the followers of Malar to establish dominion over the islands. Kazgoroth therefore remains one of the greatest ancient enemies of the Earthmother, a monstrous power whose threat extends beyond any single battle or generation. Its history demonstrates the terrible consequences of turning the natural savagery of the wilderness against the Balance that sustains it, and its continued influence ensures that the Moonshaes can never entirely forget the darkness concealed beneath the name of the Beast.