A marut is one of the inevitables whose purpose is to enforce the inevitability of death. [2] [3] They are found on the plane of Dolurrh , the Realm of the Dead. [1]
Description
A marut resembles a massive statue made entirely of onyx, humanoid in form but composed of mechanical components. It is clad in golden armor but carries no weapon or any items. [2] [3] It has a voice like an avalanche. [4]
Activities
These inevitables hunt down those who try to deny or cheat death in the most extreme manners. They overlook people who simply struggle to stay alive or even use raise dead or other resurrection magic. Rather, maruts target anyone who uses unnatural methods to extend their existence, such as by lichdom , or who goes to terrible lengths to keep death at bay, such as a ruler sacrificing hundreds of people to avoid a plague. Excessive or extensive use of resurrection magic may earn a marut's concern, however. Maruts work alone. [2] [3]
Maruts also disapprove of and try to prevent planar travelers from Eberron trying to "rescue" deceased beings from Dolurrh and bringing them back through portals or with spells in order to restore them to life. [1]
Among the, the god Lendys used four maruts as his heralds. [5] Two maruts may take the form of stone dragons in Lendys's Test of Justice in the spheres of Korrandar , below the mountain Korrandar in Sarlona . They judge the misdeeds of those who find them, and attack if they deemed their defense insufficient. In this trial by combat, the guilty are slain and the victorious were purified. [6]
Maruts are known to work with formians , who similarly appreciate law and order. Formian queens of Xen'drik regularly had dealings with powers of Dolurrh such as the maruts and often had a lone marut guardian. Maruts. Moreover, maruts regularly journeyed to Xen'drik to pursue oath-breakers and outlaws. [7] [note 1]
Personality
Maruts are determined and indefatigable in their duties. [2] [3]
Abilities
A marut commands an array of magic, replicating the spells air walk , dimension door , fear , greater command , greater dispel magic , mass inflict light wounds , locate creature , and true seeing as often as it wills; chain lightning , circle of death , mark of justice , wall of force each once a day; and earthquake , geas/quest , and plane shift each once a week. [2] [3]
Eschewing weapons, a marut is armed with its fists of thunder and lightning. The left is thunder, striking with a great thunderclap of noise that resounds in its target and can deafen them for up to over a minute. The right is lightning, striking with a great flash of electricity that can blind them for a similar length of time. Both strike with the power of law. [2] [3]
They are skilled in their senses, detecting untruths, focusing, and religious lore. [2] [3]
Tactics
Upon identifying its target, a marut simply marches directly toward them, without pause or hesitation, and tries to deliver the death they had evaded. It uses wall of force to block escape, assails with chain lightning at range, and then closes in to punish them by pummeling them with its powerful arms or judicious use of its magic. It employs circle of death when surrounded by foes and greater dispel magic against spellcasters. If its target still escapes, the marut pursues with dimension door and locate creature . Targets who use necromancy to defile death might not be slain, but instead placed under a geas or mark of justice so they might learn respect for death. [2] [3]
Locations
While they're normally found on the plane of Dolurrh, [1] they can appear anywhere when in pursuit of their quarry. [2] They can emerge from manifest zones to Dolurrh, such as the aukarak reality storms of Sarlona 's Tashana Tundra . [8]
History
Once, when members of the House Jorasco Enclave in Stormreach resurrected a slain adventurer member of the Wayfinder Foundation , a group of maruts appeared. They killed the adventurer again, wrecked the enclave, and departed. [9] [10]
Uses
A priest or mage of great power may specifically summon a marut via a call marut spell, but only for a task in line with its duty. [11] [4]
A mage could also transform themselves into the semblance of a marut, together with its armor and some of its powers, with the spell unyielding form of inevitable death . [12]
Appendix
See Also
Notes
External Links
- Marut article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki , a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Keith Baker , Bill Slavicsek , & James Wyatt (2004). Eberron Campaign Setting . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 95. ISBN 0-7869-3274-0 .
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Jeff Grubb , Bruce R. Cordell , and David Noonan (2001). Manual of the Planes . ( Wizards of the Coast ), pp. 127, 176–179. ISBN 0-7869-1850-0 .
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Skip Williams , Jonathan Tweet , and Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual (3.5 edition) . ( Wizards of the Coast ), pp. 158–160. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X .
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Matthew Sernett , Jeff Grubb , Mike McArtor (Dec 2005). Spell Compendium . ( Wizards of the Coast ), pp. 42, 253, 270, 285. ISBN 0-7869-3702-5 .
- ↑ Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel , Jennifer Clarke Wilkes , and Kolja Raven Liquette (2006). Races of the Dragon . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 157. ISBN 0-7869-3913-3 .
- ↑ Keith Baker , Scott Fitzgerald Gray , Glenn McDonald , and Chris Sims (2007). Secrets of Sarlona . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7869-4037-0 .
- ↑ Keith Baker , Jason Bulmahn , & Amber Scott (2006). Secrets of Xen'drik . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 61. ISBN 0-7869-3916-8 .
- ↑ Keith Baker , Scott Fitzgerald Gray , Glenn McDonald , and Chris Sims (2007). Secrets of Sarlona . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 144. ISBN 978-0-7869-4037-0 .
- ↑ Keith Baker , Nicolas Logue , James Desborough , C.A. Suleiman (2008). City of Stormreach . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 42. ISBN 0-7869-4803-5 .
- ↑ Keith Baker , Jason Bulmahn , & Amber Scott (2006). Secrets of Xen'drik . ( Wizards of the Coast ), p. 16. ISBN 0-7869-3916-8 .
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell and Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel (2004). Planar Handbook . ( Wizards of the Coast ), pp. 89, 90, 92, 96. ISBN 0-7869-3429-8 .
- ↑ Ari Marmell , Skip Williams (February 2006). Complete Mage . ( Wizards of the Coast ), pp. 94, 122. ISBN 0-7869-3937-0 .