Tharizdun's Imprisonment

[Scott]

How long in the past was Tharizdun imprisoned?

Scott

[grodog]

IMC, hundreds of millennia before the Twin Cataclysms.

[geneweigel]

It was in a prior age of Gygax's world, which is currently in "The Epoch of Magic" at the current "time" of the D&D game. The beginning of the 1983 Glossography suggests there were an unknown number of ages and the beginning of WG4 THE FORGOTTEN TEMPLE OF THARIZDUN says the cult flourished for generations in a previous age.

The mythical "Greek ages" for comparison are as follows:

In the Hellenistic chronology of Greek mythology, the Golden Age lasts ca. 1710 to 1674 BC, the Silver Age 1674 to 1628 BC, the First Brazen Age 1628 to 1472 BC, the Heroic Age 1460 to 1103 BC, while the Iron Age was considered as still ongoing by Hesiod in the 8th century.

I'm not sure what the novels suggested for his improsnment although, I'd suspect COME ENDLESS DARKNESS said something.

[Scott]

Just going by the info in WG4 would make me think five to 10 thousand years, probably closer to 10,000.

[geneweigel]

Actually its not that long. I just found the line:

From COME ENDLESS DARKNESS page 10

They explained to him that a millenium and more had passed since Tharizdun, the Darkest of Evil, King of Wickedness, Emperor of all the Netherplanes, was brought to ruin.

[grodog]

Wow, that's really recent---post-TC recent! Hmmm. I've never really imagined that Tharizdun was actively around that soon, or that he was even actively worshipped during the prime of the Suloise Empire. Hmmm. May need to do some re-thinking....

[Scott]

That's stil pre-TC. At the time of the Guide, it hadn't even been a thousand years since the TC. The text in the Forgotten Temple implies that it wasn't that long ago, it's only been a hundred years since the last follower of Tharizdun died. I pushed it back to 5,000 plus because having him active during the Suel prime seemed questionable to me too.
Scott

[geneweigel]

In my travels to find that quote it said there was mention that he was limited but his his "dreams empower much of the evil that permeates the lower planes" (from ARTIFACT OF EVIL pgs. 47-48).

And just what is in the "Black Cyst" of WG4 anyway? A "dream avatar" of some sort? I actually asked Gary this in person once just before he was distracted and never found out...

Oh well.

However, I know for a fact that the lost temple of WG4 and the inverted ziggurat of AoE are from the same remnant culture as the Isle of Woe of the DMG: Pre-Flan. And there never was any behind the scenes detail either but it was going to be...

Doh!

[grodog]

So there's a link between the Isles of Woe and Tharizdun, eh? Hmmm, I wonder what that implies about Yagrax and the Codex?

[geneweigel]

I'll bet they were.

[geneweigel]

Well, since Gravestone serves Tharizdun and owns the codex, I'd bet Yagrax is Gravestone or a past counterpart to Gravestone.

[grodog]

Interesting take, Gene. I don't recall Gravestone owning the Codex, but it has been quite awhile since I last re-read the Gord series end-to-end.

[GT]

Gary once said that the Tharizdun of WG4 was but a fragment of the "whole" Tharizdun that had managed to manifest upon Oerth. Tsojcanth and allies put this entity down, as opposed to Pelor and other deities who put the entity proper in imprisonment.

[GT]

... I had c.-280 CY as the date of the Tsojcanth/Tharizdun battle (roughly the millenia), but the original "God War" was ages gone by... ^__^

[geneweigel]

Read page 10 it goes on with the details of whats going on.

[GT]

Yeah... that seems to refer to the last Tharizdun manifestation. I'll dig out Gary's quotes about Tharizdun later... when I'm not holding the child!
^__^

[Scott]

Still haven't learned multi-tasking GT?

[GT]

Heh! I can do the "football carry", but the flailing arms still inhibit some actions...^__^