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Panzuriel is the evil of the depths, partially banished long ago by Deep Sashelas and an alliance of oceanic deities. He raises a rabble of followers wherever he can in order to lay waste to the civilizations on the sea floor, although his favored followers are the kraken and morkoth.

Panzuriel (PDF Version)
(The Enslaver, the Banished One, the Deep Old One, the Many-Tentacled God, the Severed God)
Intermediate Power of the Gray Waste, NE

Portfolio:                 Murder, confusion, subversion, the dark depths of the ocean, trenches, the seafloor, tentacled beasts
Aliases:                     None
Domain Name:           Niflheim/Rezuriel
Superior:                   None
Allies:                       Elder Elemental God, Olhydra
Foes:                           Ahto, Deep Sashelas, Eadro, Istishia, Maglubiyet, Manannan mac Lir, Nomog-Geaya, Osprem, O-Wata-Tsu-Mi, Persana, Poseidon, Procan, Stronmaus, Surminare, Trishina, Valkur, Vaprak, Water Lion, Xerbo
Symbol:                     Kraken head or left footprint
Wor. Align.:              LE, NE, CE

An ancient evil partially banished from the Prime Material Plane, Panzuriel (PAN-zer-ee-el) stews in his fetid aquatic realm in the Gray Waste, planning his revenge on those who have wronged him. His activities are quite constrained, causing him to work through servitors almost exclusively, and in that capacity, he accepts virtually any creature into his service with the capability and desire to spread his evil. He seeks to ever spread chaos and destruction, openly and through subterfuge, laying waste to the great civilizations of the sea.

Panzuriel’s origins are lost to the mists of time, and his exact age is unknown; what is known is that he is very old. Sages are quick to speculate on connections between the Enslaver and other similar ancient evils, including Blibdoolpoolp and the Elder Elemental God, although evidence of these connections is tenuous at best. What is known is that deep in prehistory the Banished One was confronted by a coalition of oceanic powers led by Deep Sashelas and in the ensuing battle that led to his banishment, the elven deity struck off his left foot. Unnoticed by the elven deity or his allies, the foot festered on the sea floor, and has in the intervening millennia allowed Panzuriel to slowly exert more influence over the Prime Material Plane. He is still deeply constrained, however, and operates carefully, relying mostly on whatever denizens of the deep he can sway to his cause. While mostly little more than rabble, he has been known to inspire and organize the rabble of koalinths, merrow, or scrags into great marauding armies. Such worshipers are little more than tools to him; only the kraken and morkoth seem to rise to truly favored status.

There are few powers Panzuriel can call allies, for he sees most other aquatic powers as rivals or enemies. He especially hates Deep Sashelas and those powers who banished him, which variously includes human powers such as Poseidon, Manannan mac Lir, Ahto, Procan, and others, depending on where the legend is set. He has also earned the ire of such powers as Maglubiyet, Nomog-Geaya, and Vaprak, for the influence he wields over their aquatic followers. His only known alliances are with Olhydra, the evil water archomental, and her rumored sire, the Elder Elemental God. In fact, some sages speculate there is a deeper connection between that latter power and Panzuriel, as well as other ancient evils such as the Dark God and Blibdoolpoolp. Whether there is such a connection, or if their connection is no more than the coincidence of being ancient, evil, and oft-banished, is unknown. Finally, the Enslaver is known to have sired some foul progeny of his own, but as he is not one for familial sentimentality, many have been slain or banished by his own hand. He is even said to have sired the beastly Laogzed with a powerful reptilian tanar’ri; few of his other confirmed offspring amount to anywhere close to the Devourer’s level of power.

Despite the bitter rage that seethes inside Panzuriel, he is cool and methodical in his planning. He slowly increases his power, making careful use of his followers, knowing they do not yet have the strength to face the might of the sea elves and their allies. He is cunning enough to not allow his emotions harm his plans, but in situations where he knows he can act as he wishes without disruption, he explodes with truly frightful anger and violence. He also endlessly plots and plans sadistic tortures to inflict on his rival Deep Sashelas, and such activities bring him tremendous pleasure, especially when he manages to capture a mortal sea elf that can play Sashelas’s role in his depraved spectacle.

Due to his banishment, Panzuriel’s ability to act directly upon the Prime Material Plane is limited. He is only able to send on avatar to the Prime, and should it be destroyed or banished, it takes him nearly 20 years to reform it, although this is shortening over the eons. Given these restrictions, he is extremely wary of manifesting in avatar form, and relies more heavily on his priests and followers. Any direct actions he takes are also sure to draw the attention of his foes if he is not careful, and so he acts only after deep deliberation.

Panzuriel’s Avatar (Cleric 34, Fighter 27)
Panzuriel appears as an old, hunched humanoid with green scales on his belly transitioning to yellow on his back. He has prominent gills on his neck, and seaweed like hair flows in a scraggly beard and his scalp is completely bald; his green eyes shine slightly with a sinister light. He wears a tattered black robe and supports himself on a staff clutched in his talons hands; when he walks he hobbles somewhat, dragging his left leg behind him, which ends in a crystalline foot. He draws his priest spell’s from the spheres of all, animal, charm, combat, divination, elemental earth, elemental water, healing, necromantic, summoning, sun, thought, and war.

AC −2; MV 6, Sw 6; HP 144; THAC0 −6; #AT 3 or 9
Dmg 1d6+13+1d10 electricity (staff +4, +7 Str, +2 spec. bonus in staff)/2d6 (foot) or 1d6×8/2d8 (tentacles ×8/beak)
MR 35%; SZ M (6 feet tall or 10 feet wide)
Str 19, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 15
Spells P: 14/14/13/12/10/9/9
Saves PPDM 2, RSW 5, PP 4, BW 4, Sp 6

Special Att/Def: Panzuriel wields the Deepstaff, a coral quarterstaff +4 that deals 1d10 points of electrical damage in addition to normal melee damage; a successful saving throw versus spell halves this electrical damage. His crystalline foot is treated as a +3 magical weapon, and he is able to kick each round in addition to an attack with his staff. He is able to transform himself into a large, 10-foot diameter octopus-like form in one round; in this form he lashes out with all eight tentacles and can bite with his beaked mouth. In this form he has all the normal attacks of a giant octopus and his constriction damage is 2d6.

Once per day, the Enslaver can summon 1d3 kraken or 1d4+2 giant octopi which serve him for up to 6 turns. Three times per day he can cast charm person, charm monster, confusion, and mud/coral storm; this latter ability mimics both versions of the ice storm spell, within a 20-foot radius. He can cast continual darkness and darkness 30’ radius at will.

Panzuriel has perfect infravision to 200 feet, and can see in magical darkness. He can only be struck by magical weapons, but should his banishment end, he will be immune to weapons of +2 enchantment or less. He is also immune to all electrical attacks. Panzuriel must maintain some physical, bodily contact with the sea floor at all times; should he be forced to leave the floor for any reason (levitation, etc.), he suffers 1d6 points of damage each round. He cannot enter shallow waters of less than 50 feet of depth, even if magically compelled. He suffers a −4 penalty to his saving throws against non-reversed spells from the Sun sphere, as well as any spells or magic item powers that create bright light as a primary effect (light, continual light, sunburst, etc.). He is blinded for 1d2 rounds by any spells that create brief, bright light as a side effect, such as lightning bolt and chain lightning, unless he makes a saving throw vs. spell with a −4 penalty.

Other Manifestations
Due to the constraints on his access to the Prime Material Plane, Panzuriel does not manifest his power to aid followers. He sends instructions to his followers through dreams and waking visions, but with most of his followers, these instructions amount to little more than instructions to go forth and cause mayhem or demands for sacrifices. With his kraken and morkoth followers, he sends far more detailed and intense visions, directing them to destroy certain ships, communities, or objects. On rare occasions, he instructs these followers to exert dominion over other followers of his, or even communities of koalinths, vodyanoi, and others who do not worship the Enslaver.

Panzuriel acts through cephalopods of all sorts, especially giant octopi and giant squids, as well as a amphidragons, brine dragons, dragon turtles, eyes of the deep, hydroloths, incarnates of anger, piscoloths, sea demons, sea dragons, sea wyrms, vardig grues, water mephits, and all sea-floor dwelling animals. He expresses his favor through the discovery of crystals and treasures buried in the much of the sea bed. He displays this displeasure through a crackling electrical sensation in the water, the sound of a heavy object slamming to the seafloor or, most likely for non-kraken or non-morkoth followers, instant death.

The Church
Clergy:                      Clerics, specialty priests, shamans
Clergy’s Align.:      LE, NE, CE
Turn Undead:           C: No, SP: No, Sha: No
Cmnd. Undead:         C: Yes, SP: Yes, at priest level −4, Sha: No

All clerics, specialty priests, and shamans of Panzuriel receive religion (Panzuriel) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency. Members of the clergy must always attack sea elves (as well as malenti) to the exclusion of others in a mixed battle party, and may not retreat from such a battle. Shamans of Panzuriel must sacrifice all magic items they discover to the Enslaver. Kraken and morkoth clergy are exempted from this requirement.

The relationship between priests of Panzuriel and other clergies depends almost entirely on the race of worshipers in question. Kraken and morkoth worshipers of the Deep Old One tend to dominate the local rabble of koalinths, scrags, merrow, and vodyanoi should they choose to do so, while these other races tend to fight amongst themselves and against outsiders when not dominated. The Panzuriel clergy occasionally works with evil powers of the depths, but these are often temporary, with the strongest alliances existing with cults of Demogorgon and Dagon. Relations with Blibdoolpoolp’s priests are stable when they exist, but her kuo-toa are uncommon visitors to the seas, keeping alliances brief and temporary but generally amicable. The tensest alliances form with sahuagin worshipers of Sekolah; such alliances are usually for one specific purpose and last no longer than it takes to achieve their goal. The Enslaver’s clergy ever seeks to dominate or destroy those races that follow the good and neutral oceanic powers, with their greatest hatred reserved for sea elves of Deep Sashelas.

Temples and shrines built by followers of the Deep Old One vary by the race building them. Scrags maintain crude idols in their caverns that they perform sacrifices before; such idols are often simply a natural rock that vaguely resembles a cephalopod or humanoid foot. Merrow, vodyanoi, and koalinths carve stone or coral idols for their shrines which are often squid-like or humanoid in form, but never resemble the carver’s race in the latter case. Merrow and koalinth temples are extremely rare, but usually take the form of squat defensible structures with battle trophies taken from sea elves, while vodyanoi carve caverns out into simple shrines or temples depending on the size of the community. Communal morkoth build tall arching cathedrals of dark stone with narrow openings and buttressed walls. If possible, these structures have windows of multicolored crystal that cause most other races to experience disorientation and disquiet when dim light shines through them. The walls and columns will often be carved in seemingly impossible shapes and designs. Kraken have no need to build or maintain temples or shrines, but may direct dominated races to build such if they are inclined to do so; they typically resemble those of morkoth in such rare cases.

Novices in the service of the Enslaver are known as Tentilliums. Full priests are called Benthic Lords. In ascending order of rank, titles used by morkoth priesthoods and those trained or dominated by them are First Tentacular, Second Tentacular, Third Tentacular, Fourth Tentacular, Fifth Tentacular, Sixth Tentacular, Seventh Tentacular, and Eighth Tentacular. All other priests, as well as high-ranking morkoth priests, use individual, custom titles. Specialty priests are known as deep ones. The overwhelming majority of Panzuriel’s clergy are shamans (72%), with the rest consisting of specialty priests (20%) and clerics (8%). The priesthood of the Deep Old One consists of koalinths (35%), merrow (25%), vodyanoi (14%), scrags (10%), morkoth (9%), kraken (3%), and other aquatic races (ixitxachitl, locathah, sahuagin, etc.; 4%). Sea elves and malenti are never allowed to join the priesthood under any circumstance. The gender breakdown of the clergy varies by race; scrags are exclusively female, koalinths and merrow are heavily male dominated (95%), vodyanoi are somewhat more egalitarian (60% male to 40% female), and morkoth and kraken see roughly equal members of each gender. Among other races, the gender breakdown is based on the cultural norms of that race.

Dogma: Dominate or slay the weak, and destroy their works. Turn your enemies against each other and sow confusion in their ranks. Ruin the lands and cities of the hated sea elves, and hunt them to the last. Magic is the purview of the Many-Tentacled God, sacrifice what you take to him, for such power will fuel his freedom.

Day-to-Day Activities: Panzuriel’s clergy is expected to do whatever they can to harm the good communities of the undersea depths. Raids, wars, and enslavement are the typical methods of the less civilized priests, while the more cunning and intelligent may focus on assassinating leaders, charming key members of a community, or subverting disgruntled factions. These latter methods are especially favored by members of communities that ban worship of the Enslaver who are drawn to the evil power of Panzuriel; such individuals often have great resentment and hatred for their own kind. Regardless of the method, death and destruction of their foes, from without or within, is the long-term goal.

Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: The sacrifice of magical items or sea elves is always a cause for celebration among Panzuriel’s clergy. Such ceremonies, known as The Gifting or The Empowering, are required to be held annually, although communities will always try to hold them more often if possible. The ceremonies are always held above great sea trenches or deep shafts on the seafloor. Magical items taken in raids and battle are encased in giant clamshells and secured to heavy rocks before being thrown into the deeps. Similarly, sea elves are tied to heavy stones in such a way that struggling will cause bleeding injuries, in the hopes that they are devoured by the denizens of the depths; if not, they are simply crushed by the great pressure of the deeps.

Kraken and morkoth are not required to perform sacrifices such as these, although they often will sacrifice sea elves they’ve captured. On the contrary, it is said priests of both races regularly collect the sacrificed magic items and make use of them in Panzuriel’s service.

Major Centers of Worship: No significant centers of Panzuriel’s worship are known, in part because coalitions of sea elves, tritons, and merfolk typically form to bring destruction upon them. It is said, however, that the secret cities of the morkoth often have great temples dedicated to the Many-Tentacled God.

Affiliated Orders: No martial or monastic orders are affiliated with Panzuriel’s church, although morkoth theocracies often invoke the Enslaver in their military’s mottos or oaths.

Priestly Vestments: The ceremonial garb of the priesthood varies by race, but merrow and koalinth priests often wear robes made of very fine deep green seaweed, accented by yellow. They keep their heads bare, and carry staves of carved bone or ivory. Morkoth priests wear black robes of seaweed or specially treated selkie skin that are accented with deep green. The holy symbol used by the clergy is a large cut or uncut crystal of any sort, although morkoth and kraken only use valuable varieties.

Adventuring Garb: Priests of the Many-Tentacled God utilize whatever weapons, armor, and clothing is typical for their race and community.

Specialty Priests (Deep Ones)
Requirements:          Wisdom 9
Prime Req.:                Wisdom
Alignment:                LE, NE, CE
Weapons:                   Any
Armor:                       Any
Major Spheres:         All, combat, divination, elemental earth, elemental water, healing (reversed), sun (reversed), war
Minor Spheres:         Animal, charm, summoning
Magical Items:         Same as clerics
Req. Profs:                Blind-fighting
Bonus Profs:             None

• Virtually any aquatic race (and perhaps even surface races) capable of becoming priests may become a deep one, except sea elves and malenti.
• Deep ones are not allowed to multiclass.
• Deep ones may draw their proficiencies from the warrior or priest group without penalty.
• In order to advance in level, deep ones must sacrifice a magic item or a live sea elf (but not malenti). Kraken and morkoth deep ones are exempted from this requirement.
• Deep ones are able to survive to twice their normal maximum depth before suffering any adverse effects.
• Deep ones gain a +4 bonus to their attack rolls against sea elves and malenti, and suffer a −4 penalty to all encounter reaction checks towards the same.
• Deep ones can see twice as far as normal beneath the water and can see normally in total darkness; however, this benefit makes their eyes more sensitive to bright light and they suffer a −4 penalty to all saving throws versus light-based spells and spells from the Sun sphere that create light.
• Deep ones can backstab as a thief of the same level.
• Once per day, deep ones can cast charm person (as the 1st-level wizard spell) or darkness (as the reverse of the 1st-level priest spell light).
• At 3rd level, deep ones regenerate 1 hit point per turn while in continuous contact with the seafloor. If they leave the seafloor for even one round (levitating, swimming, etc.), they must remain in contact for a full turn before they begin regenerating again.
• At 5th level, deep ones can cast babble (as the reverse of the 4th-level priest spell tongues) or Evard’s black tentacles (as the 4th-level wizard spell) once per day.
• At 7th level, deep ones can cast finger of death (as the 7th-level wizard spell) once per month.
• At 10th level, deep ones can cast charm monster or confusion (as the 4th-level wizard spells) once per day.
• At 13th level, deep ones can cast domination (as the 5th-level wizard spell) once per day.
• At 16th level, deep ones can shapechange as a druid into the form of a giant octopus or giant squid.

Panzurian Spells
2nd Level
Clinging Mud (Pr 2; Alteration)
Sphere:                    Elemental Water, Elemental Earth
Range:                     30 yds.
Components:           V, S
Duration:                 2 rds./level
Casting Time:          5
Area of Effect:         10-ft. sq./level
Saving Throw:        Neg.

When this spell is cast, it causes a section of seafloor to take on a viscous, gluey consistency. This has the effect of causing any creatures standing or otherwise touching the seafloor to sink in slightly, and be unable to lift themselves or their appendages out of the muck. While the spell is in effect, creatures affected cannot swim away, and can only move at a rate of 1 foot per round by slowly pushing their limbs through the mire. Large or especially strong creatures are able to move at twice this rate.

At the time of casting, any creatures within the area of effect are allowed a saving throw versus spell, modified for Dexterity; a successful save means they were able to swim off the seabed in time to avoid the spell’s effects, but should they set themselves down again, they will be automatically affected. Creatures outside the area of effect can pull those stuck out of the mud, but it requires a combined Strength of 24, plus one point per assisting creature.

The caster is never affected by this spell. In addition, a cold spell (ice storm, cone of cold, etc.) cast into the area of effect ends the spell instantly.

4th Level
Tentacle Arms (Pr 4; Alteration)
Sphere:                    Combat
Range:                     0
Components:           V, S
Duration:                 1 rd./level
Casting Time:          7
Area of Effect:         The caster
Saving Throw:        None

The tentacle arms spell allows the caster to choose from one of three effects; the caster must choose the effect when memorizing the spell.

The first and most common effect turns the caster’s arms into 6-foot-long tentacles similar to those found on an otyugh. The tentacles have rough edges capable of inflicting 2d4 points of damage per strike. For purposes of manipulation, grappling, or feats of strength, the tentacles have Strength 17.

A second variation turns the caster’s arms into long, snaky tentacles of low Strength (Strength 8) but high coordination (Dexterity 16). The caster may manipulate objects up to 10 feet away with great precision. These tentacles do not cause damage on any strike, but they can wield weapons. The caster could use them to effectively grapple, however, with +2 on any attack rolls.

The third option turns the caster’s arms into 8-foot-long tentacles that sometimes move on their own if the caster is not careful. These clumsy appendages may strike a target with little force, but their touch causes a target to move at half speed (as a slow spell) for 2d6 rounds unless the creature touched makes a saving throw vs. paralyzation, Since they are fairly thick and substantial, however, the caster may also effectively overbear targets with them, making overbearing attacks at +1.

Regardless of the variation used, while the spell is in effect the caster cannot cast spells with somatic components. Unlike the 6th-level wizard spell tentacles, these appendages are the caster’s own arms; if they are severed, the caster’s arms are similarly damaged when the spell ends. Attacks directed at the tentacles reduce the caster’s hit points normally. Also unlike the higher-level spell, the caster may not cause constricting damage.

6th Level
Seabed Sinkhole (Pr 6; Alteration)
Sphere:                    Elemental Earth, Elemental Water
Range:                     30 yds.
Components:           V, S, M
Duration:                 1 rd./2 levels
Casting Time:          1 rd.
Area of Effect:         Special
Saving Throw:        None

With this spell, the caster is able to create an open space just beneath the sea floor that quickly creates a deep sinkhole and a powerful suction in the surrounding water. This powerful suction draws any creatures in the water column above and the area immediately around the sinkhole into the depths, possibly burying them alive. The sinkhole itself has a diameter of one foot per caster level, affecting creatures in the water above it in a cone as wide as the sinkhole mouth at one end, five feet wide per caster level at the top, and as high as ten feet per caster level. Thus, a 14th-level priest would cause a sinkhole that is 14 feet wide to form, creating a cone of suction 140 feet high and 70 feet in diameter at the top.

Creatures within this column must roll for surprise with a −2 penalty or be unable to resist the initial round of pull towards the sinkhole; thereafter they can attempt to resist it normally. The suction pulls creatures towards the sinkhole at a rate of three feet per caster level; however, any creature with a swimming movement rate greater than the caster’s level can attempt to resist the pull and move away from the direction of pull at a movement rate of three feet per point of difference between the caster’s level and their movement rate. For example, a hippocampus with a movement rate of 24 is caught in a seabed sinkhole spell cast by a 14th-level caster; the hippocampus is able to swim out of the suction at a rate of 30 feet per round.

Further, creatures on the seabed within a diameter of 10 feet per caster level must make a Strength check or be pulled off their feet and dragged towards the sinkhole at the same rate as above; swimming will not aid them in escaping, however. For creatures with no Strength score, assume their score is equal to 7 plus their Hit Dice. Creatures who have braced themselves for the spell gain a bonus of 2 to their roll.

Any creature too large to be pulled into the hole suffers 1d4+1 points of damage per two caster levels, to a maximum damage of 10d4+10, and the spell ends immediately. Any creatures in the cavity beneath the sinkhole when the spell ends becomes trapped in loose mud, suffocating unless rescued (see the rules for “Holding Your Breath” in the Players Handbook, Chapter 14).

The caster is never affected by their own casting of this spell.

The material components for this spell are the priest’s holy symbol and a hollow clay sphere the size of a fist.

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