Raxivort
Encyclopedia
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
, Raxivort is the patron god of the xvart
s. He also acts as a patron of wererats, bats, and rats. His symbol is a fiery blue hand.
in Dragon
#64 (1982). Raxivort was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
(1983).
Raxivort was described in Dragon #264 (1999) for second edition.
Raxivort was detailed for third edition in the article "Forgotten Faiths" in Dragon
#359 (September 2007), by F. Wesley Schneider.
of great hideousness (even for a xvart). His skin is bright blue and his eyes glow with orange light. He wears silken garments over blue chainmail, all of which shimmer as if aflame. He carries small, bladed weapons such as knives and daggers, as well as his falchion, the Azure Razor. Raxivort can also take the form of a rat or a giant bat.
's Master of Slaves. They parted on extremely bad terms, and remain deadly foes. Raxivort controls the hordes of vermin that infest the streets of Zelatar, Graz'zt's capital city.
.
Their chief duty is to ensure their own survival and that of their tribe (in that order).
. A large temple to the Night Flutterer is rumored to exist in the Drachensgrab Mountains.
. Both days are known as Raxivort's Orgy.
calendar, Raxivort was a mortal xvart somewhere in the Flanaess
. By his wit and strength, he rose to rulership over all xvartkind. Desiring still more power, he made pacts with beings of the outer planes, eventually contacting Graz'zt. Raxivort proved himself to his new demonic master, and was eventually rewarded with the position of Master of Slaves.
Only recently, after lengthy and apparently faithful service, Raxivort betrayed his master. When Graz'zt was least prepared, he struck, attempting to seize control of Graz'zt's layer of the Abyss, and the two entities warred for several months. Ultimately Raxivort called a truce, and made off to Pandemonium with much of Graz'zt's treasure.
Today Raxivort dwells in a realm called the Black Sewers in Pandesmos. He sends swarms of rats to Graz'zt's capital city, while Graz'zt sends assassins to kill his hated foe.
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...
for 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...
, Raxivort is the patron god of the xvart
Xvart
A xvart is small fictional humanoid creature found in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Publication history:The svart was created by Cricky Hitchcock, and first appeared in White Dwarf #9 ....
s. He also acts as a patron of wererats, bats, and rats. His symbol is a fiery blue hand.
Publication history
Raxivort was first detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game in the article "Greyhawk's World" by Gary GygaxGary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
in Dragon
Dragon (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...
#64 (1982). Raxivort was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
The World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
(1983).
Raxivort was described in Dragon #264 (1999) for second edition.
Raxivort was detailed for third edition in the article "Forgotten Faiths" in Dragon
Dragon (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...
#359 (September 2007), by F. Wesley Schneider.
Description
Raxivort resembles a xvartXvart
A xvart is small fictional humanoid creature found in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game.-Publication history:The svart was created by Cricky Hitchcock, and first appeared in White Dwarf #9 ....
of great hideousness (even for a xvart). His skin is bright blue and his eyes glow with orange light. He wears silken garments over blue chainmail, all of which shimmer as if aflame. He carries small, bladed weapons such as knives and daggers, as well as his falchion, the Azure Razor. Raxivort can also take the form of a rat or a giant bat.
Relationships
Raxivort was formerly Graz'ztGraz'zt
Graz'zt is a demon lord in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and one of the most powerful demons in the Abyss. Graz'zt, one of the earliest and most famous demons created for Dungeons and Dragons, was named as one of the greatest villains in D&D history by the final print issue of...
's Master of Slaves. They parted on extremely bad terms, and remain deadly foes. Raxivort controls the hordes of vermin that infest the streets of Zelatar, Graz'zt's capital city.
Realm
Raxivort's realm, the Black Sewers, is in Pandesmos, one of the layers of PandemoniumPandemonium (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Pandemonium is the Outer plane where Chaotic Evil and Chaotic Neutral petitioners are sent after death. Pandemonium is a large, complex cavern that never ends. Compounding this problem, howling winds drive most of its...
.
Dogma
Raxivort teaches that might makes right. If xvarts are not strong enough to prevail, the proper course of action is to retreat, and return with enforcements. He advises patience, and advocates any means—lying, cheating, theft, enslavement—to survive. With patience, one can still triumph in the end.Worshipers
Most of the Night Flutterer's worshipers are xvarts, though wererats and werebats occasionally also revere him.Clergy
Shamans of Raxivort wear special stilts that elevate them to a height of five feet. Over these, they wear long black robes and a mask of gold or gilded copper. The stilts are worn only on ceremonial occasions.Their chief duty is to ensure their own survival and that of their tribe (in that order).
Temples
Raxivort's worship is illegal in most lands, even those of Iuz. There are likely temples to the Packmaster of Rats in the Duchy of Berghof, the Bone March, and the PomarjPomarj
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Pomarj can refer either to a large peninsula located in the central Flanaess, or to the Orcish Empire of the Pomarj, located in the same region....
. A large temple to the Night Flutterer is rumored to exist in the Drachensgrab Mountains.
Holy days
The days most sacred to Raxivort's cult are the xvart mating seasons, on Growfest 4 and Brewfest 4Greyhawk Calendar
The Greyhawk Calendar is a fictional calendar used in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game...
. Both days are known as Raxivort's Orgy.
History
Long before the Baklunish-Suloise Wars, before even the beginning of the elvenElf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
calendar, Raxivort was a mortal xvart somewhere in the Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
. By his wit and strength, he rose to rulership over all xvartkind. Desiring still more power, he made pacts with beings of the outer planes, eventually contacting Graz'zt. Raxivort proved himself to his new demonic master, and was eventually rewarded with the position of Master of Slaves.
Only recently, after lengthy and apparently faithful service, Raxivort betrayed his master. When Graz'zt was least prepared, he struck, attempting to seize control of Graz'zt's layer of the Abyss, and the two entities warred for several months. Ultimately Raxivort called a truce, and made off to Pandemonium with much of Graz'zt's treasure.
Today Raxivort dwells in a realm called the Black Sewers in Pandesmos. He sends swarms of rats to Graz'zt's capital city, while Graz'zt sends assassins to kill his hated foe.
Additional reading
- Morris, Graeme. The Sentinel. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
- Stark, Ed, James Jacobs, and Erik MonaErik Mona-Career:Erik Mona served as the editor-in-chief of Dragon magazine since 2004 and Dungeon magazine from 2004 to 2006; at the time, both magazines were published by Paizo Publishing, until the license through Wizards of the Coast expired in September 2007...
. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the AbyssFiendish Codex I: Hordes of the AbyssFiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss is an optional supplemental source book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.-Chapter 1: Demonic Lore:...
. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.