Sarkathus

Sarkathus, The Demon Lord of Discord (Fiend, Balor)

Role in the Cabal: Sarkathus is Durnstang’s connection to the Abyss, a key force of pure chaos and destruction within the Cabal of the Unseen Hand. His role is to sow discord, destabilise societies, and create an environment where mortal order and divine control crumble. He is a fiend of immense power, a Balor who revels in corruption and the annihilation of structure. While Sarkathus believes he is serving his own chaotic interests, Durnstang secretly manipulates him to undermine the Weave’s stability. The demon lord's actions cause widespread fear and suffering, weakening the bonds that hold the mortal realm and the Weave together.

Background: Sarkathus is an ancient Balor from the Abyss, a fiery pit lord who has clawed his way up through demonic ranks by sheer brutality and cunning. He was once a ruler of a vast dominion in the Abyss, but was banished by rival demon lords, who feared his growing influence. Since then, he has wandered the planes, acting as a mercenary for various fiends, gods, and mortal powers who seek his strength. It was during one of these forays into the Prime Material Plane that he was recruited into Durnstang’s Cabal.

Sarkathus thrives on chaos, destruction, and the suffering of mortals. His philosophy is simple: break down all order, let chaos reign, and rebuild nothing. He despises mortals and their attempts to impose order on the universe, viewing their societies as fragile, laughable constructs that deserve to be shattered. Sarkathus believes that by spreading his brand of chaos, he is restoring the true nature of the multiverse—one ruled by the raw forces of destruction and entropy.

Though Sarkathus is unaware of Durnstang’s deeper plan to sever the Weave, his chaotic nature makes him a perfect tool for that very purpose. Durnstang exploits Sarkathus’s desire for carnage to ensure that the demon lord’s efforts align with his own goals of unraveling reality itself.

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Sarkathus’ Motivation:

Sarkathus is driven by the pursuit of pure chaos. He sees any form of order—be it in governments, religions, or the cosmic rules of the Weave itself—as an affront to the natural state of existence. In his view, the universe should be an unrelenting storm of conflict, where only the strongest survive, and the weak are consumed. Mortals and gods alike should have no place in dictating the structure of reality.

By joining the Cabal, Sarkathus has found a means to unleash unprecedented chaos on the mortal plane. He cares little for the Cabal’s ultimate goals or for Durnstang’s obsession with the Weave; all that matters to Sarkathus is the destruction of everything that binds reality together, and the suffering he can inflict along the way. If Durnstang’s plan helps him achieve that, Sarkathus is more than happy to play his part.

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The Abyssal Operations of Sarkathus

1. The Cult of Discord: Sarkathus spreads his influence through mortal cults that worship him as a god of chaos and destruction. These cults are made up of outcasts, anarchists, and those who have suffered under oppressive regimes, eager to tear down the systems that have wronged them. The Cult of Discord specialises in infiltrating kingdoms, religious orders, and guilds, corrupting them from within. They incite rebellion, assassinate leaders, and spread misinformation, creating a constant state of unrest and distrust. These cults are unaware of Durnstang’s greater plan, but their actions weaken the societal structures that keep the Weave intact, opening cracks for Durnstang’s influence to seep in.

2. The War of All Against All: Sarkathus excels at turning allies against one another. His agents manipulate rival kingdoms, guilds, and religious sects into conflict, often using illusion magic or fiendish whispers to sow paranoia. These conflicts are designed to escalate into total war, with devastating consequences for both sides. Sarkathus enjoys watching mortals tear themselves apart, and these wars weaken the bonds of cooperation that hold the mortal world together. With every city burned and every ruler slain, the Weave frays a little more.

3. Summoning Abyssal Armies: Sarkathus has the ability to summon fiendish armies from the Abyss, a chaotic horde of demons, shadowy fiends, and destructive elementals that he unleashes upon the Prime Material Plane. These creatures wreak havoc on civilisation, leaving destruction in their wake. The presence of such powerful fiends causes disturbances in the Weave, as their sheer chaotic nature disrupts the flow of magic and life. Sarkathus’ summoning rituals are growing more frequent, and each time he tears open a portal to the Abyss, the Weave’s integrity weakens.

4. The Ashen Blade Mercenaries: Sarkathus has forged a pact with a mercenary company known as *The Ashen Blade*, a ruthless band of warriors and assassins who sell their services to the highest bidder. While most of the mercenaries believe they are working for gold and power, their true loyalty lies with Sarkathus. Under his influence, the Ashen Blade sows chaos by assassinating key political figures, sabotaging trade routes, and destabilising kingdoms. They thrive in the anarchy they create, furthering Sarkathus’ goals of societal collapse. The Ashen Blade’s efforts indirectly serve Durnstang’s plan by making it harder for societies to maintain order and resist the growing influence of the Cabal.

5. Tainting the Magical Fabric: Sarkathus has a deep understanding of how chaos can disrupt magic itself. Through his demonic followers, he has learned how to corrupt magical nexuses—places where the Weave is strongest. His fiendish agents invade these places of power, desecrating them and causing magical disturbances that ripple through the fabric of reality. These disruptions make it harder for mortal spellcasters to control their magic, and as the Weave becomes more unstable, the boundaries between life, death, and the Abyss blur, creating more weak points that Durnstang can exploit.

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Sarkathus’ Role in Durnstang’s Plan

Sarkathus is a blunt instrument, a force of chaos that Durnstang uses to destabilise the mortal realm. While the demon lord is unaware of Durnstang’s true goal of severing the Weave, his actions serve to weaken the cosmic structure that holds reality together. Every war, every assassination, and every magical disturbance caused by Sarkathus and his agents chips away at the order that the Weave represents.

Durnstang carefully manipulates Sarkathus by feeding his desire for destruction, often through intermediaries who promise the demon lord opportunities to spread chaos. Sarkathus is more than happy to oblige, unleashing his hordes and spreading disorder, all the while unaware that he is paving the way for the Weave’s unraveling.

Durnstang sees Sarkathus as a necessary force of entropy, using his chaotic nature to destabilise the world and soften it for the final blow. Sarkathus’ fiendish influence causes widespread panic and destruction, creating the ideal conditions for Durnstang’s agents to move in and further unravel the Weave.

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Sarkathus’ Endgame

Sarkathus’ ultimate goal is to reduce the Prime Material Plane to a state of unrelenting chaos, a war-torn wasteland where mortals are trapped in endless conflict and suffering. He envisions a world where order is impossible, and only the strongest and most ruthless survive. If he could, he would burn the mortal plane to ash, letting demons and fiends rule over the ruins. He dreams of turning the material realm into an extension of the Abyss, where his power would be unmatched, and no mortal or god could oppose him.

What Sarkathus doesn’t realise is that if Durnstang’s plan succeeds, even his vision of chaos may be swept away. Should the Weave be severed, the resulting collapse of reality could lead to a state of total oblivion—a fate even the Abyss might not survive. Sarkathus’ lust for destruction blinds him to the greater dangers of Durnstang’s plan, making him an unwitting pawn in the god’s plot to unravel the fabric of the cosmos.

For now, Sarkathus revels in the carnage he creates, unaware that his actions could lead to a reality where even chaos has no meaning.