The primordials are ancient beings of chaos and raw elemental power. They emerged from the Elemental Chaos before the creation of the world, just as the gods emerged from the Astral Sea. Their total numbers are unknown, and their individual strength varies, with some of the strongest far surpassing gods in power, requiring teams of four to six gods to take them down.
In the beginning of time, the primordials created the world in a raw form mirroring the Elemental Chaos using their power over elemental energy and matter. When the gods of the Astral Sea made their own improvements upon Creation by instilling it with properties of permanence, the primordials saw it as a maring of their work and planned to destroy it in order to begin it all over again. The gods didn't want to see their own work destroyed, so the Dawn War broke out between the primordials and the gods over the control of the cosmos. In the end, the gods won (in the Points of Light setting), with the different primordials either dead, imprisoned or in hiding. Most of the primordials still in existence are driven by their desire to complete their vision of destroying the world and the gods that meddled with it.
Most people who have heard of the primordials known them as the enemies of the gods and see them as enemies of creation, monsters that the gods had to triumph over to bring the world into its right, orderly form. There exist hidden elemental cults, however, that worship different primordials as elemental deities. The cults all come with different agendas, most dark as the primordials themselves. Most commonly, primordials care little for mortal worshippers, seeing them as insignificant specks in comparison to themselves. Many mortals in turn dream of the primordials' raw elemental magic, and some have even found ways of gaining access to it.
Archomentals[]
Archomentals, also called elemental princes, are primordials that stand apart in many ways to other primordials. They control large hosts of lesser elemental creatures, and are roughly split into two groups, the princes of elemental evil and the princes of elemental good. The princes of elemental evil see a being known as the Elder Elemental Eye as their master, and seek among other things to free this being to help them destroy the world. The princes of elemental good are said to be considered 'good' not out of any moral code, but because of their opposition to their counterparts in the princes of elemental evil. If they have good intentions, they express them on behalf of the elemental creatures that dwell in their realms.
Some archomentals of elemental evil includes:
- Cryonax, prince of evil cold creatures
- Imix, prince of evil fire creatures
- Ogrémoch, prince of evil earth creatures
- Olhydra, princess of evil water creatures
- Yan-C-Bin, prince of evil air creatures
Some archomentals of elemental good includes:
- Ben-hadar, lord of good water creatures
- Chan, queen of good air creatures
- Sunnis, queen of good earth creatures
- Zaaman Rul, prince of good fire creatures, son of Imix and Bristia Pel
Demon lords[]
When Tharizdun used the Shard of Evil to create the Abyss, the energies unleashed transformed a number of primordials into the first demon lords. These beings included Demogorgon (before his head split into two heads), Orcus, and Baphomet, among others. These beings are no longer considered primordials but demon lords.
Known primordials[]
Name |
Title |
Status |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Achazar | The Pillar of Wrath | Dormant | A fire primordial that ruled Tarmalune in Abeir |
Akadi | Queen of Air | Deity | Elemental lord worshiped in Toril as goddess of the sky |
Alu Kahn Sang | Wind of Destruction | Free | A vast, raging dust storm in the Elemental Chaos |
Alyolvoy | -- | Unknown | An obscure primordial of water and mud |
Arambar | -- | Dead | Slain long ago; its essence causes Abeir's steelsky |
Asgorath | The World Shaper | Deity | A primordial who hurled a comet at Toril, creating the Sea of Fallen Stars; worshiped in the draconic pantheon |
Atropus | The World Born Dead | Free | A vast primordial of undeath, spawner of the atropals |
Balcoth | The Groaning King | Imprisoned | Beheaded primordial, powerless without its body |
Ben-hadar | The Valorous Tempest | Free | Archomental, lord of good sea creatures |
Borem | of the lake of Boiling Mud | Dead | One of the Seven lost Gods of Toril; killed by Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal in their mortal lives |
Bristia Pel | Princess of Everlasting Flame | Dead | Archomental of fire, killed in battle against the Queen of Chaos |
Bryakus | The Colossus of Chaos | Dormant | Sundered into many pieces; its blood spawned all hydras |
Bwimb | Baron of Ooze | Dead? | Archomental, prince of evil ooze creatures; killed by Orcus but respawned as a new Bwimb |
Castanamir | The Shattered Khan | Dormant | Patron of storm and cloud giants, entombed in sea |
Chan | The Silent One | Free | Archomental, queen of good air creatures |
Chlimbia | Prince of Magma | Imprisoned | Archomental, prince of evil magma creatures |
Cryonax | Prince of Elemental Cold | Imprisoned | Archomental, prince of evil cold creatures |
Crystalle | King of Minerals | Free | Archomental, prince of mineral creatures |
Dendar | The Night Serpent | Imprisoned | An Elder Evil of Abeir-Toril; fated to destroy the world |
Dur-baagal | -- | Dead | An ice primordial of Abeir-Toril slain by Auril |
Ehkahk | The Smoldering Duke | Free | Archomental, prince of smoke creatures, ruler of Fume |
Entropy | -- | Imprisoned? | Held in a sphere of annihilation; now free? |
Erek-Hus | King of Terror | Dead | Clove lo in two, then defeated by Bahamut and Tiamat |
Garash | -- | Unknown | A primordial that vanished seeking the Shard of Evil |
Gargash | -- | Dead | Underdark primordial that cursed Torog |
Gazra | The Shifting Emperor | Free | Archomental, prince of ash creatures |
Grumbar | Lord of Earth | Deity | Elemental lord worshiped in Toril as god of the earth |
Haemnathuun | The Blood Lord | Dead | Created abominations; its corpse floats in the Astral Sea |
Herumar | The Sand Scourge | Free | Monstrous hydra-like primordial dwelling in Athas |
Heur-Ket | The Storm Unabated | Imprisoned | Storm primordial thought to be bound in Hestavar |
lktha-Lau | The Ever Empty | Free | Primordial of nothingness, uncaring and remote |
llmeth | -- | Dead | A slain primordial that exists as a vestige now |
lmix | Prince of Elemental Fire | Imprisoned | Archomental, prince of evil fire creatures |
lstishia | Lord of Water | Deity | Elemental lord worshiped in Toril as god of water |
Karshimis | Despot of Shyr | Unknown | Primordial of Abeir, ruler of the land of Shyr |
Kezef | The Chaos Hound | Free | An Elder Evil of Abeir-Toril that hunts mortal souls |
Kossuth | Lord of Fire | Deity | Elemental lord worshiped in ToriI as the god of fire |
Lormoch | Master of Tides | Dead | Long-dead primordial |
Maegera | Dormant | Dormant fire primordial trapped under Gauntlgrym | |
Maram | of the Great Spear | Imprisoned | One of the Seven Lost Gods of Toril; sealed in the Elemental Chaos by the Monuments of the Ancients |
Miska | The Wolf Spider | Exiled | Demonic primordial banished by Rod of Seven Parts |
Mual-Tar | The Thunder Serpent | Imprisoned | Bound by chains forged by Moradin |
Murgremir | The Rotting Hill | Free | Primordial of muck and decay that haunts the Blackmire |
Nehushta | -- | Unknown | Primordial who created the fortress of Glaur |
Nekal | of the Glowing Deep | Dead | Water primordial slain by Pelor, Kord, Bane, Sehanine |
Nihil | -- | Dead | Primordial of unbeing, defeated by Bahamut |
Ogremoch | Prince of Elemental Earth | Imprisoned | Archomental, prince of evil earth creatures |
Olhydra | Princess of Elemental Water | Imprisoned | Archomental, princess of evil water creatures |
Piranoth | The World Mover | Imprisoned | Primordial of earth, fire, frost; patron of giants |
Queen of Chaos | -- | Dormant | Demonic primordial or obyrith now dormant in the Steaming Fen, an Abyssal layer |
Rorn | Rorn of the Rages | Dormant | Powerful, hated, lava-like primordial of Abeir |
Sehil | -- | Dead | Primordial killed by Kord in last battle of the Dawn War |
Shangar | The Uncrowned | Imprisoned | A primordial of fire |
Shax | The Destroyer | Dead | Dead primordial of the sea; exists as a vestige now |
Sisanthak | The Endless Winter | Imprisoned | Ice primordial trapped on the astral mote Frostburn |
Solkara | The Crushing Wave | Imprisoned | Primordial of crushing depths and icy cold defeated by Melora, Kord, and Sehanine; imprisoned in glacier |
Sun Sing | Viceroy of the Void | Free | Archomental associated with darkness, emptiness |
Sunnis | The True Stone | Free | Archomental, patron of the Underdark, venerated by svirfneblin and stonechildren |
Syvexrae | The Queen of Stone | Dead | Petrified; her body serves as the palace of Doresain |
Tabrach-Ti | Queen of Bronze | Dead | First primordial to fall in Dawn War; slain by Bane |
Telos | -- | Dormant | Primordial of Abeir-Toril who fell from the sky in Vaasa |
Timesus | The Black Star | Dead | A powerful primordial of dissolution, entropy |
Ty-h'kadi | Prince of Thunder and Lightning | Free | Storm primordial, rival of Heur-Ket |
Tziphal | The Mountain Builder | Dormant | Primordial of folding earth, petrification, volcanoes; created many races with power of petrification |
Ubtao | The Deceiver | Deity | A primordial of Abeir-toril that keeps Dendar imprisoned; worshipped as the god of Chult |
UI-Athra | The Mouths of Thirst | Free | Monstrous primordial of Athas; spawner of silt horrors |
Ulctilantilokla | -- | Free | A primordial that grew from the first dream |
Umboras | Lord of Rimefire | Imprisoned | Lured to Pandemonium by Raven Queen and trapped |
Uzrith | -- | Unknown | An obscure primordial of earth and mud |
Vezzuvu | The Burning Mountain | Imprisoned | Volcano primordial; trapped in a field of radiance |
Vorsheen | -- | Imprisoned | Fire primordial trapped on the astral mote Frostburn |
Yan-C-Bin | Prince of Elemental Air | Imprisoned | Archomental, prince of evil air creatures |
Zaaman Rul | The Resilient Ember | Free | Archomental, chid of Imix and Bristia Pel |
Zurtharak | The Vein of Iron | Dead | Earth primordial defeated by Moradin |
Character Options[]
Here are some options for players to consider if they want a stronger thematic link to primordials in their play.
Classes[]
- Druid (Primal Wrath class feature)
- Elementalist (Sorcerer subclass)
- Hexblade (Warlock subclass, Elemental Pact class feature)
- Mage (School of Pyromancy class feature)
- Sentinel (Druid subclass, Druid of the Wastes class feature)
- Sha'ir (Wizard subclass)
- Shaman (Animist Shaman build, Elemental Spirit class feature)
- Sorcerer (Chaos Spell Source or Storm Spell Source class feature)
- Warlock (Elemental Pact class feature)
Character Themes[]
- Chaosmade (Dragon Magazine #408)
- Elemental Priest (Dark Sun Campaign Setting)
- Primordial Adept (HotEC)
Paragon Paths[]
- Herald of Vezzuvu (Earthforger theme, firecrafter theme, primordial adept theme, or elemental pact warlock, HotEC)
- Primordial Channeler (Sorcerer, Wild Magic class feature, Arcane Power)
- Rimetongue Caller (Wizard, Primordial language, Arcane Power)
- Smoking Crown Initiate (Elemental Priest theme, Dark Sun Campaign Setting)
Epic destinies[]
- Emerging Primordial (HotEC)
- Master Hierophant (Dragon Magazine #396)
- Storm Sovereign (Dragon Magazine #372)