Karsus

Karsus
Alignment	Neutral
Divine Rank	Dead God, Vestige
Pantheon	Core, Faerun
Portfolio	The folly of arrogance and ambition, unending hubris
Domains	Grants no spells or domains
Home Plane	Prime Material
Worshippers	Karsites, Binders, Thaumaturgists, Netherese

Karsus, also referred to as "The Momentary God" was the Netherese wizard responsible for casting the single 12th level spell and causing the death of Mystryl: Goddess of Magic in the early editions of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Notable not only as a plot point, his legacy has reappeared from edition to edition, in the Forgotten Realms and the Core settings under various guises and incarnations.

History

Karsus was a prodigy of magic born during the golden age of ancient Netheril when they fought against a magical alien race known as the Phaerimm. He was a 41st level Wizard who figured that he needed even more power to fight his nation's enemies. So he developed a spell that would give himself the power of the gods; the only 12th level spell in existence: Karsus Avatar.

His chosen target was none other than the goddess Mystryl who was presumably the most powerful of all the deities. Upon casting, Karsus succeeded in seizing control of her powers and mastery magic for a short time and was really awesome. But JafarKarsus never considered the other responsibilities that came with PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWAH! and magic everywhere on the planet went wild because even a 41st level caster does not equate to a level-uncapped deity that handles fucking magic everywhere. In short Karsus ruined everything for everybody on that day. Luckily in a last gasp of defiance, Mystryl sacrificed herself and placed all of her powers into a young female wizard and rose again as Mystra. Marking the first in the goddess's long line of deaths and rebirths.

Karsus turned to red-hued stone and crashed from the sky into the region that would become later known as the High Forest. He is definitely dead, but his spirit remains intact, though broken due to the realisation of what he has done to the world, and bound in eternal torment to relive the moment that magic was torn asunder.

Karsus Avatar

Little is known about the 12th level spell he used to wrestle control of the Weave from Mystryl. All of the notes regarding its development were obliterated by the successor goddess Mystra upon her ascension.

Not only that, but even if the spell could be reproduced, it would remain impossible to cast thanks to Mystra's changes to the weave itself, rendering spells higher than 9th non-functional.

What is known is that the material components used to cast the spell are incredibly difficult to come by. One of which requires a potion made from a combination of Tarrasque blood and bile from a 12 headed hydra, in which the gizzard of a Gold Dragon needs to be dipped.

Legacy

Though the body of Karsus turned to stone and resides in the High Forest, his spirit lingers in the Material Plane. No deity would touch his soul and take it to the afterlife.

Unfortunately for Karsus, eternal torment encased in stone is not enough. Shortly after his followers began creating a city around the site of his statue, an old enemy lich called Wulgreth moved in and split Karsus soul into fragments, causing any attempt to free him to immediately fail.

One fragment was radiates ephemerally within the High Forest, creating a sphere of magical chaos known as the Dire Wood. During the Time of Troubles the Avatar of Azuth came to the forest and created a magical ring around the wood preventing any further spread outwards, but otherwise leaving the site in its chaotic state.

A second fragment exists bound to the petrified heart of Karsus itself, radiating a permanent emotion spell that overcomes any spell resistance, and brings feelings of intense sadness and powerlessness. The radius of this effect is variable, and likely related to the sphere of magical chaos caused by the first fragment.

A third fragment of his soul is bound within a red-stone golem carved in the appearance of Karsus as he did in life, though the golem constantly bleeds from from a gaping hole in its chest. The golem protects the site of Karsus petrified body and attacks any intruders who encounter it, but if the golem is ever destroyed it always reforms within 24 hours.

Vestige

The consciousness of Karsus can still be contacted and communicated with, existing as a Vestige.

Shades

Karsus not only triggered the death of Mystryl, but he also unwittingly destroyed his own nation of Netheril due to the momentary failure of magic to cause all of its floating cities to drop out of the sky. Except for one; the City of Shade (properly called Thultanthar) which had passed into the plane of shadow, so avoided the fate of all the others.

In fact, the whole reason Thultantar passed into the realm of shadow was thanks to Karsus own apprentice: Telamont Tanthul who had studied the planar sciences and had actually moved the city into the plane of shadow a few days before the casting of Karsus Avatar, but coincidentally became trapped there while magic in the Prime Material went to shit... inadvertently saving the last of the Empire, but also setting in motion faction that would become villains in later editions.