Karzoug
Runelord of Greed
Karzoug was the final runelord of greed and ruler of the Thassalonian realm of Shalast in the Age of Legend over 10,000 years ago. The capital of his region was opulent Xin-Shalast. While he was, himself, an Azlanti human, he was indeed a powerful man—said to be the most gifted manipulator of Transmutation magic in Thassilon and to have lived for hundreds of years.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Early enslavement
Karzoug was born in -5836 AR, during the reign of Runelord Haphrama, in the city of Malistoke as a slave to the lich Zinlun. Most details about his early life are unknown, removed from historical records by his command. At the age of 27, Karzoug tricked Zinlun into selling him to a cannibal in a fit of pique; he then killed his new master and used his gold teeth to become an apprentice to the demon binder Thurbel. Karzoug served Thurbel for seven years as a slave and lure for summoned demons, who killed him many times, but after every death, Thurbel resurrected him. During this time, he learnt magical powers, rulership, and the exercise of power from the demons.Deception and ascent
When Haphrama called for new apprentices, Karzoug sabotaged one of Thurbel's conjurations, let the summoned demon devour his master's soul and looted his belongings. With this wealth, he impressed Haphrama enough to be chosen as an apprentice and learnt much about transmutation from the runelord. Karzoug found himself fascinated by the thinning of reality in Mhar Massif and eventually secured an alliance with the almost-humans of Leng, who secretly taught him eldritch reality-warping powers in exchange for easier access to the Material Plane. In -5759 AR, Haphrama discovered Karzoug's plots, only to be killed alongside his other apprentice Vhage by a spell that the almost-humans taught Karzoug.Reign
A year after succeeding Haphrama as runelord of greed, Karzoug razed his own hometown of Malistoke and erased most details of his embarrassing early life as a slave. He also destroyed his first master Zinlun's lair but failed to destroy the lich completely. In the same year, on the site where Malistoke once stood, Karzoug quarried miles of stone to build monuments, creating the Storval Deep. During Karzoug's reign, Shalast grew in power, and Xin-Shalast became one of the most breathtaking cities in Golarion, though this grandeur only benefited Karzoug himself and the nobles. He ruled with corruption and ruthlessness: he once ordered an entire city to be burnt because the local tax collectors were short a few silvers. He and Alaznist, the ruler of Bakrakhan, were in perpetual warfare, constantly battling at the border between their two realms. In -5620 AR, Karzoug built the Cyphergate and murdered its engineer Draveenzi to ensure that no one but himself would know of its secret as a portal to the Dimension of Time. Karzoug devised an occult ritual to travel to the past but never finished the research before Earthfall. In -5353 AR, Karzoug established Guiltspur to serve as an embassy between Shalast and Leng. In -5319 AR, he achieved a triumph over his rival Zutha by stealing the Shard of Gluttony, which he then tasked the Dark Rider with guarding. By the end of his reign, Karzoug was the strongest runelord of greed to have ever ruled Shalast.Earthfall
In order to survive Earthfall and the destruction of Thassilon, Karzoug used a runewell to create a demiplane sanctuary known as the Eye of Avarice. After she failed to create her own runewell, the runelord of envy Belimarius paid Karzoug an obscene amount of money and treasure and asked for his help. Karzoug accepted the payment, but he had no intention to aid a rival, so he gave her bad advice, and Belimarius never had the time investigating Karzoug's aid to discover his trap.
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