Delvers into Secrets

Warlocks, with their eldritch pacts and otherworldly patrons, are enigmatic figures in the realm. While rare, their presence is often felt in significant ways. These individuals do not study magic like wizards, nor are they born with it like sorcerers. Instead, they gain their arcane power through a binding agreement with an otherworldly being, forever linking their fates to that of their patron.

In the Flanaess, warlocks frequently form pacts with some of the most infamous powers of Oerth. The ascendant demigod Iuz, known for his expanding influence, has taken to offering dark bargains to those who would serve his vile purposes. Similarly, Vecna, the Whispered One, and Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion, extend their influence through secretive warlocks who risk their sanity and souls in pursuit of forbidden power. While such individuals are shunned or hunted in many places, their cunning and devastating abilities make them difficult to root out entirely. On the other hand, celestial warlocks offer a beacon of hope, channeling their patron’s light to combat darkness.

The Baklunish lands provide a contrasting example, where warlocks are more openly acknowledged. Here, the pacts are often forged not with dark powers but with noble genie lords. Warlocks of the Djinn, Efreet, Marids, and Dao are seen as intermediaries between mortals and the elemental forces, balancing their precarious relationships with their mighty patrons to gain immense elemental power.