Errtu
Also known as: The Balor | formerly: Demon Lord of Smoldering Vengeance
Errtu
Basic Information
| Race | Demon — Balor (reduced from Demon Lord) |
| Status | Banished — Abyss |
| Banished | Session 2 — The Scar |
| Returns | ~100 years from Session 2 |
History
| Prior Banishments | Twice, by Drizzt Do'Urden |
| Last Banishment End | 1464 DR (days before Session 2) |
| Ascension Window | Days — fed on demon lord incursion residue |
Background
The Long Wait
Errtu is an ancient balor with a century-old grudge. He was banished from Toril twice by the drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden — the second time in 1364 DR, defeated at the Sea of Moving Ice with the Companions of the Hall. One hundred years in the Abyss. One hundred years of rage and plotting.
His banishment ended mere days before the Ember Ascendant arc.
The Brief Ascension
Errtu returned to Toril to find the material plane reeling from the aftermath of Gromph Baenre's ritual — holes torn between the Abyss and the Underdark, demon lords recently banished back to the Abyss, but their residue still bleeding through the wounds they'd left. Power, unclaimed. Lesser demons, too slow to flee.
In mere days, Errtu devoured it all. He consumed the demon lords' residue. He fed on every scrap of essence left behind. He grew, and changed, and ascended beyond what a balor should be.
Errtu, Demon Lord of Smoldering Vengeance.
He was still savoring it when he felt The Scar tear open above the Dragonspine Mountains — a planar breach, unguarded, bleeding power. He thought he had found a throne.
The Scar — His Mistake
Errtu emerged from the Deep Wastes into The Scar expecting an easy claim. He found a wounded party, a crystallised dragon monument, thousands of Siberys Dragonshards — and Kavu, marked by divine fire. He laughed.
"You will be my first sacrifice."
He had no idea what he had walked into.
The Battle at The Scar
Errtu's emergence was met by a coalition: the party, Caladorn (riding Arveiaturace), Zariel (redeemed, blazing with holy fire instead of hellfire), Karlach (Infernal Engine fully unleashed), and Wulfgar (wielding Aegis-fang — the warhammer that had broken Errtu before).
The divine presence of Kossuth and Asteth the Empress filled the caldera, stripping Errtu's resistances and opposing his demonic essence throughout the fight. He never stood a chance. He just didn't know it until Zariel said:
"Your moment ended the instant you climbed out of that hole, demon."
Zariel's parting words as his form discorporated:
"In a hundred years, when your banishment ends, we'll be waiting. All of us. And we'll send you back again."
Vendetta List
Errtu now carries two outstanding grudges into the Abyss:
- Drizzt Do'Urden — a century old; the original banishment; unresolved
- Kavu Flamekeeper — new, specific, and accompanied by a promise to harm those Kavu loves
Key Moments
| Session | Moment | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| D06 | Emerged from Deep Wastes into The Scar | First appearance; fixated on Kavu immediately |
| D06 | Defeated by party + Zariel, Wulfgar, Karlach, Caladorn | Divine opposition stripped his ascended power |
| D06 | Banished; promised vengeance against Kavu | "I will remember YOU, little ember" |