History
Zebuxoruk is known as The Forsaken, The Disgraced, and the Ungod. He neither
good nor evil, as many tales place him on either side, typically biased towards those who wrote the lore. Among the pantheon, he is either despised or completely ignored by all of the other
gods and goddesses. Zebuxoruk is a mysterious entity that some say embodies the mortal spirit. His thirst for knowledge resulted in an unsettling revelation of the nature of the pantheon itself. Multiple times, he has become a mortal man wandering the worlds such as
Norrath. Many believe that he began his life a mere mortal, but through his acquisition of knowledge, ascended to godhood. Returning to mortal life could have been something he wished for or it could have been a punishment by other gods for being a thorn in their side. Zebuxoruk is truly an enigma.
At the height of the
Iksar Empire in Kunark, it is said that Emperor Venril Sathir discovered a magical
book called "The Unholy Writ of War" and used its contents to build the Sebilisian Empire. The origin of the book was kept a secret for many years. The truth is that Kotiz, the powerful Iksar
necromancer, met in secret with Zebuxoruk and was taught from the Unholy Book of Zebuxoruk the battle strategies and magics of the future. Tactics and knowledge that would not become discovered for many years. All that the ungod asked in return was fifty
sacrifices. Venril Sathir discovered Kotiz's secret pact with Zebuxoruk and killed his fellow Iksar, taking the book for himself. This explains the accelerated advancement of the Iksar during this period.
During the
Age of Turmoil, he sought to teach the mortals of his discoveries. This led to his imprisonment within the Plane of Time and the invasion of the
Planes of Power by the mortals of
Norrath. The
elemental gods understood that if Zebuxoruk shared his knowledge, it would disrupt the balance of power between the created and the creators. They, along with the combined might of the pantheon, attempted to forever trap Zebuxoruk within a stasis field. The Norrathians were able to free him by progressing through the pantheon one
plane at a time, culminating with a gauntlet of battles with the gods in the Plane of Time. After successfully defeating Quarm, a four-headed
dragon of the combined might of the elemental gods, the mortals freed Zebuxoruk. Though, before he could share his intelligence with them, he was halted by
Druzzil Ro. Zebuxoruk stood confused, for it was Druzzil Ro that inspired him to seek all knowledge in the first place. Druzzil clarified this by saying he should do so only without affecting the fates of others, and his plans would cause irreversable ramifactions throughout the universe. To resolve this issue, Druzzil Ro was forced to
reweave the fabric of time itself in order to revert back to a time before mortals trespassed upon the Plane of Time. Zebuxoruk would be left to his
prison for an eternity.
Near the end of the
Age of Turmoil, the agents of Discord were able to take advantage of weaknesses in the fabric of time made possible as a result of
Druzzil's actions. They sought to alter major events throughout the history of
Norrath in order bring about its destruction. A rift was torn in through the Plane of Time which led to the potential future of the world. Among the wreckage of the planet and
corpses of the
gods, stood Zebuxoruk. Alone in the Void, still imprisoned, Zebuxoruk taught the mortals how to prevent the inevitable destruction of their world. The Norrathians were successful in correcting the outcome of these important events and went on to defeat Lord Brekt, the god of discord. Zebuxoruk congratulated the mortals, but explained that their world would once again be invaded by beings unknown to them, from other worlds. He has seen all possibilities through the rifts and
portals within the Plane of Time. By repairing the rifts in time, the mortals had inadvertently sealed Zebuxoruk back into his eternal
prison. Of course, he foresaw this, but knew what had to be done.
Rumors tell of a hidden city on
Norrath that honors, but not worships, Zebuxoruk. The ungod himself could not care less for such a place. The city is run by lorekeepers who collect and protect all proof of the Forsaken's existence, works, and effects on the world. These keepers are typically fallen
priests,
paladins, and
shadow knights who have been forsaken by their own deities and now seek true
neutrality within the universe.
Appearance
In most lore, Zebuxoruk is depicted as a lanky, almost emaciated man in tattered clothing and a gnarled
staff. During the
Age of Turmoil he manifested himself as a
bearded, homeless looking man hunched over and shackled in
chains. Instead of a staff, he wielded a
scythe. He is one of several
gods who have returned to
Norrath during the
Age of Destiny, still seeking to learn and spread knowledge. Zebuxoruk was instrumental in the rediscovery of the continent of
Kunark.
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