Staff of Lost Tarab

The Fall of the Holy State of Tarab and the Creation of the Staff of Lost Tarab

The Holy State of Tarab was once a beacon of light, wisdom, and renewal in the world, a nation built on the ideals of its patron god, Tarab. Revered for his teachings of equality, peace, and the welfare of all people, Tarab's divine power sustained not only his followers but the very essence of the nation itself. The land of Tarab was blessed, its cities rich with beauty and culture, its people prosperous and guided by the tenets of their god. At its height, the Holy State was a radiant force, bolstered by the divine power of Tarab, whose celestial realm spanned infinite horizons of eternal dawn.

Yet, like many realms of light and hope, the Holy State of Tarab was destined to face its darkest hour.

The Undead Siege and the Final Battle

The fall of the Holy State began with the rise of a terrible power: an undead army led by a formidable general, a lich known as N’kalath, whose thirst for destruction was driven by the whispers of the Great Old Ones. N’kalath, empowered by the dark forces beyond the stars, launched an assault on the Holy State that shattered its defenses and ravaged its cities. The undead legions were merciless, cutting down all in their path.

At the heart of this onslaught, Ambergris, a powerful wizard and one of Tarab's most devoted servants, devised a final, desperate plan to save the kingdom. With the army of the undead closing in, Ambergris sought to channel all of Tarab’s remaining divine energy into a single, potent vessel—what would become the Crystal of Tarab.

This crystal, embedded into the Staff of Lost Tarab, was to serve as a weapon of divine retribution, designed to unleash a radiant pulse of divine light that would wipe out the undead, cleansing the land of their taint and turning the tide of the battle. The plan was to release the stored power of Tarab himself, using the last of the god's strength to save the kingdom and smite the forces of darkness.

However, N'kalath, a master of necromantic and abyssal magic, had prepared for such a move. He shielded his army with a dark ritual, creating an impenetrable arcane barrier that rendered Ambergris’ crystal ineffective. When Ambergris unleashed the divine power of Tarab, the light failed to pierce the barrier, and the holy radiance was deflected into the heavens, leaving the undead forces unscathed. The final stand of Ambergris and the Holy State faltered, and as N'kalath’s forces overran the capital, the Holy State of Tarab crumbled, its people slaughtered or enslaved, and its cities left in ruin.

The Binding of Tarab

With the fall of the Holy State came the fall of Tarab himself. As a god whose existence was intrinsically tied to his followers, Tarab’s divine power had been severely weakened by the loss of his worshippers. When the undead overran his kingdom, and his people were no longer able to offer prayers or tribute, Tarab’s strength diminished rapidly.

In a last-ditch effort to preserve the essence of his god, Ambergris poured all of Tarab’s remaining divine energy into the Crystal of Tarab. This crystal was meant to be a vessel of hope, but instead, it became a prison. The crystal’s immense power trapped Tarab within it, binding him to the staff and relegating the once-mighty god to a demiplane, a fraction of his former celestial realm. No longer infinite, this demiplane was reduced to a small, enclosed space—a garden of eternal dawn, where Tarab now dwells, isolated from the world he once protected.

The celestial realm of Tarab, once a vast expanse of light and renewal, was obliterated in the final battle. What remains is a shadow of his former domain—the demiplane inside the Crystal of Tarab, held within the staff. Here, Tarab continues to exist, his influence and power fading, though not entirely lost. He is aware of the outside world, watching with a sorrowful gaze as his name fades from memory.

The Creation of the Staff of Lost Tarab

The Staff of Lost Tarab was created by Ambergris, who, after the fall of the Holy State, was left with nothing but the remnants of his god’s power locked inside the Crystal of Tarab. For years, Ambergris wandered the world, seeking a way to restore his god or at least find a way to honor his memory.

Realizing the potential within the crystal, Ambergris spent years carefully crafting a staff to harness the remaining divine power. Using ancient wood from the heart of the Holy State, polished and etched with intricate carvings that depicted the rise and fall of Tarab, Ambergris forged the staff as both a weapon and a memorial. At its top, he embedded the Crystal of Tarab, the heart of the staff, and the last vessel of Tarab’s divinity.

The Power of the Staff

The Staff of Lost Tarab is an artifact imbued with the essence of the dying god. While its power is diminished, it still holds immense magical potential, drawn from the divine energy of Tarab himself.

• Divine Radiance: The staff allows its wielder to call upon light and radiance, capable of turning away lesser undead and offering protection from dark magic. It is a shadow of the light that once burned through Tarab’s divine realm, but it is still powerful enough to offer aid in battle.

• Demiplane of Dawn: The wielder of the staff can access Tarab’s demiplane, a small, tranquil realm where Tarab himself dwells. In this garden of eternal dawn, Tarab can be consulted. Though his power is fading, he can still offer wisdom, guidance, and insight into the nature of prophecies and divine intervention. Here, it is always just after dawn—a place of renewal, but also of melancholy for the god who has lost so much.

• Soulbound to Tarab: Anyone attuned to the staff can feel Tarab’s presence—his sorrow, his melancholy, but also his resilience. His essence, while weakened, can still guide those who wield the staff toward acts of renewal and protection. However, his power is tied to the wielder's faith and conviction—without those qualities, the staff’s true potential remains locked.

The Fate of Tarab

Tarab now resides in his demiplane, trapped within the crystal on the staff. He remains a neutral good god, yearning for his lost people and the realm he once protected. He spends his days tending to the garden of dawn, a symbolic reflection of his desire for renewal and rebirth. His mind, however, is haunted by the knowledge that his strength is fading, and without worshipers, he will eventually fade from existence.

Despite this, Tarab is not without hope. He understands that prophecies, while powerful, are not absolute. He teaches those who seek his wisdom that destiny requires action. Prophecies are merely glimpses of possible futures—they do not unfold without effort and sacrifice. His final task to the wielder of the staff, and to those who seek to protect the world, is to prevent the rise of the Great Old Ones, whose cults still linger in the shadows.

Tarab is a dying god, but he is not yet gone. His final wish is that his legacy of protecting the world from cosmic horrors be fulfilled, and that the Great Old Ones—those like Rhan-Tegoth and Krang—never rise again.

The Staff of Lost Tarab remains a testament to his sacrifice, his diminished divinity, and the tragic fate of his people. Ambergris, its wielder, now carries the weight of this ancient legacy, walking a path between mortal and divine, past and future, life and death.