Zutha

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Zutha

(Person)

Titles

Runelord of Gluttony
Lord of Gastash
(-5642 to -5293 AR)

Alignment

Chaotic evil

Ancestry/Species

Human (Azlanti) lich

Class

Wizard (Necromancer)

Gender

Male

Homeland

Gastash, Thassilon

Organization

Runelords

Images of Zutha

Source: Runeplague, pg(s). 68

Zutha (pronounced ZOO-tha) was the fifth and final runelord of gluttony and ruler of the Thassilonian domain of Gastash, reigning from -5642 AR to the end of Thassilon in -5293 AR.

Appearance

A portrait of the runelord Zutha.

Zutha was an obese man, with bones visible in some places where his flesh had rotten away. Before Earthfall, Zutha had already become a unique lich that could taste, touch, and feel like a living human, but at a price. His undead body required constant renewal from stolen life energy. He attained this undead state to allow him to continue glutting himself on the produce of his rich kingdom.

Personality and background

Zutha became runelord of gluttony in -5642 AR. An apprentice of his predecessor Goparlis, he took advantage of Goparlis' obsession with the theft of his sword to betray and replace him. Zutha then exchanged the corpse of Goparlis for the sword, which became known as Ungarato after the graveknight who originally stole it.

It is said that Zutha never ate the same meal twice, constantly dining on exotic foods and "meal-slaves" from across Golarion. He was described as being mightier with the pen than the sword but this was not a slight against his skill at arms. Zutha sold Gastash's excess food to every domain in Thassilon, often selling to both sides in a war between rival runelords. Those who crossed Zutha soon found their supplies running very short. Zutha's favourite weapon was a set of rings and aeon stones that he could use in a unique way. He even favoured this above his scythe-like weapon of rule.

Earthfall

Like all of the runelords, Zutha divined Thassilon's impending fall and made contingencies to survive. Before the disaster struck, he constructed a towering monolith called the Cenotaph and buried himself beneath it. Further, he bound his essence into an eldritch book, the Gluttonous Tome, that was split into three volumes (the Black Book, Bone Grimoire and Kardosian Codex) in -5418 AR and entrusted to his three greatest servants, instructing them to bring the pieces back once the dangers of Earthfall had passed. Thassilon's destruction was more complete than Zutha anticipated, however, and the three books were scattered to the farthest corners of Avistan.

As civilisation rebuilt in the following ages, many necromancers visited the Cenotaph in the hopes of claiming part of Zutha's might. The most infamous of these necromancers is undoubtedly Tar-Baphon, better known as the Whispering Tyrant, who even managed to rise over Zutha in power.

Recent events

In 4715 AR, Varian Jeggare rebuilt the Gluttonous Tome under Zutha's influence, but Jeggare's companions Radovan Virholt and Eando Kline freed him from Zutha and together they defeated the risen runelord before he could properly reconstruct his body, and later scattered the Gluttonous Tome again. However, this brief return was enough for Zutha to re-establish a foothold in the world and for his influence to fester within all fragments.

While the Black Book and the Kardosian Codex remained hidden, the Bone Grimoire fell into the hands of Leptonia, a half-drow cleric of Yamasoth, who used it as payment for the service of the dhampir necromancer Erigantus in crafting the polymorph plague. Erigantus took the Bone Grimoire to Kaer Maga and studied it, all while Zutha's influence grew within its pages.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

Preceded by Goparlis

Runelord of Gluttony Lord of Gastash Zutha -5642 to -5293 AR

Succeeded by none