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Nimbaloth, the Empty Death

deity active

Current state

Nimbaloth, the Empty Death is a reclusive outer god — a shapeless, nihilistic force that hunts along the river of souls, consuming both the hunter and the soul so that the devoured receive no afterlife and cannot be resurrected. The party cleric first described her as the direct opposite of his own faith [S3]. Her holy symbol is a mossy skull; the party identified one in a hidden circular room and destroyed the magical idol, collapsing the floor into a pit [S6]. A stone door in the library's restricted collection depicts her as a feminine shape rising from cemetery mists, feeding on the spirits of her worshippers, and pointed toward the ghoul Cult of the Canker that venerates her [S13]. An octagonal graveyard chamber served as a shrine to her, with a despair-aura altar the party destroyed during an encounter with crawling hands and flicker-wisps [S21]. The full scope of her connection to Gauntlight was revealed when the party learned that Belcorra serves her: the lantern of empty light is a window to her domain, the void glutton is her intermediary, and the Gauntlight ritual was designed to let her into the world [S24]. She has no shape, affiliation, or rewards to grant — a nihilistic power whose purpose is to consume everything until it returns to nothing — and the mouth in Belcorra's temple is described as the place where she feeds through [S40]. Souls dying under the empty-death curse are marked and eventually consumed and utterly annihilated by her; the Whispering Reeds text is a compilation of encounters with Nimbaloth assembled to find ways to counteract it [S50]. Hooded cultists who 'don't care about living' continue to openly invoke her [S45], and the captive Sagathi was identified as a servant tied to her cult [S51]. Deeper in the vaults, a grave knight bore Nimbaloth's symbols and was counted among her servants [S56], and the pale-blue glow of the Gauntlight beam was tied explicitly to her empty-death power [S58]. As of [S61], Bulcora's journal references an underground temple being expanded toward the Darklands below — likely an attempt to extend Nimbaloth's reach further — though a party member noted that the evil forge gear encountered nearby was not tied to her specifically.

Recorded status active · Last seen S61

Why this matters now

Latest recorded development
  • S61 The outer god / empty death referenced via Bulcora's journal note about an underground temple to 'Nimbel' the enemy was trying to expand to — likely the Darklands cavern below. Abbas notes the evil forge gear is 'not Nimbaloth' (i.e., not tied to the empty death) but still evil. [S61 · 03:11:39 · turn 1720]

2 open hooks remain on this record.

Recent appearances

Open hooks

Relationships

Full history

Show the complete record (13 sessions)
First seen [S3 · 04:13:42 · turn 2123] · All sessions S3 S6 S13 S21 S24 S40 S45 S50 S51 S56 S58 S59 S61

Recorded beats

  • S3 Introduced as the reclusive outer god worshipped at the chapel, a soul-devourer the cleric calls the opposite of his own faith. [S3 · 04:13:42 · turn 2123]
  • S6 Her mossy-skull holy symbol is identified on a hidden room's wall; the party destroys the idol, collapsing the floor into a pit. [S6 · 03:04:58 · turn 1873]
  • S13 Depicted on the library's restricted-collection door; the ghoul Cult of the Canker appears to venerate her, with the door thought to lead to their high priestess. [S13 · 02:33:37 · turn 1431]
  • S21 An octagonal graveyard chamber is found to be her shrine; the party destroys its despair-aura altar. [S21 · 01:05:00 · turn 0272]
  • S24 Revealed that Belcorra serves her; the lantern of empty light is a window to her domain and the Gauntlight ritual aims to let her into the world. [S24 · 00:23:58 · turn 0187]
  • S40 A force-of-nature 'goddess' / outer god of nothingness, the Empty Death. Unlike the prayable Pharasma, she has no shape, affiliation, or rewards to grant — a nihilistic power whose entire point is to consume everything until it returns to nothing. She likes undeath, and 'the mouth' in Belcorra's… [S40 · 00:29:52 · turn 0133]
  • S45 The outer god / empty-death entity the hooded cultists in the opening fight worship; referenced when a player notes the fanatics 'don't care about living.' [S45 · 00:44:54 · turn 0416]
  • S50 The outer god tied to the empty death. Souls dying under the empty death's effect are cursed and marked, become chaotic-evil ghosts, and are eventually consumed and utterly annihilated by Nimbaloth. The Whispering Reeds is a compilation of encounters with Nimbaloth meant to find ways to counteract… [S50 · 02:05:16 · turn 1077]
  • S51 The outer god / 'cult'-tier hidden entity behind the empty death; victims of the curse are 'marked' for and ultimately consumed by it. Knowledge of Nimbaloth is cryptic and known only to a hidden cult. The captive Sagathi is described as 'a servant of Al Thor' (an ASR rendering tied to Nimbaloth).… [S51 · 00:20:47 · turn 0167]
  • S56 An entity/power referenced as the source of the grave knight: the knight is a 'grave knight of Nimbaloth', adorned with its symbols, and described as a Nimbaloth-only creature. Name is ASR-mangled; likely refers to Nimbaloth (a Lovecraftian power associated with the Abomination Vaults). [S56 · 04:06:01 · turn 5222]
  • S58 The outer god of the empty death. The pale-blue glow of the Lantern of Empty Light and the Gauntlight beam are tied to Nimbaloth/necromancy and the 'empty death' the party has encountered before. [S58 · 02:53:30 · turn 1338]
  • S59 The outer god / Empty Death referenced as the likely source of imbuing for Volok's necromantic apparatus when the party debates which recall-knowledge skills apply. [S59 · 00:59:07 · turn 0529]
  • S61 The outer god / empty death referenced via Bulcora's journal note about an underground temple to 'Nimbel' the enemy was trying to expand to — likely the Darklands cavern below. Abbas notes the evil forge gear is 'not Nimbaloth' (i.e., not tied to the empty death) but still evil. [S61 · 03:11:39 · turn 1720]