Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless
Encyclopedia
The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless is a powerful artifact used to bind demons
, in the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
.
(1976).
.
.
(2002).
There is a flaw in the artifact, however, or perhaps the chaos that demons represent cannot be fully bound. Each time the Flask is used, there is a cumulative 5% chance the demon will be able to turn on its user, dragging their hapless would-be master back to the Abyss
to serve as a dretch.
Like other magic items of artifact-level power, the Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless cannot be destroyed by ordinary means. Suggested means of destroying it include imprisoning 100 greater demons at once, filling it with the tears of 1,000 orphaned children, or filling it with earth from every battlefield Tuerny ever fought on.
in it, forcing the demon prince to fight for him against his enemies. During one battle, however, Graz'zt managed to overcome his captor, transforming Tuerny into a dretch and spiriting him away into the Abyss. The Iron Flask disappeared as well at that time.
In the Ravenloft
supplement Champions of the Mists, the Iron Flask is discovered in the domain of Hazlik in the Demiplane of Dread by a cleric known as Brother Dominic. In the wilderness of the Southern Core, he founds a monastery dedicated to hiding away the artifact so that it cannot endanger the outside world.
However, the Iron Flask appears in the Abyss
in the adventure "Enemies of My Enemy" in Dungeon #149, where the player characters have the opportunity to use it to bind an aspect of Obox-ob
. Iggwilv
desires the artifact for herself, and is willing to ally herself with the heroes in exchange for it.
The 4th edition supplement Demonomicon (2010) mentions (page 49) that Iggwilv still possesses the Iron Flask of Tuerny, with a portion of Demogorgon's spirit within it gained from the events of the Savage Tide
adventure path. In this book, she speculates the artifact and the essence bound inside it will allow her to spy on a gathering of demon lords
undetected.
Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demons are the most widespread race of fiends. The demons are chaotic evil by nature, and are native to the Abyss...
, in the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless first appeared in the fourth supplement to the original D&D rules, Eldritch WizardryEldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
(1976).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless was also mentioned in the original 1979 Dungeon Master's GuideDungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless was further developed in 1993's Book of ArtifactsBook of Artifacts
The Book of Artifacts is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. This book, published by TSR, Inc. in 1993, details 50 different artifacts, special magic items found within the game at the Dungeon Master's...
.
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2008)
The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless appeared in the Book of Vile DarknessBook of Vile Darkness
Book of Vile Darkness is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The book was written by Monte Cook and published by Wizards of the Coast in October 2002. Described as a "detailed look at the nature of evil," it was the first Dungeons &...
(2002).
Description
The Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless is a heavy urn plugged with a turnip-shaped stopper. It is small enough to be easily carried in one's palm. The urn is relatively plain in design, but the stopper is covered with runes and sigils.Powers
Demons imprisoned within the Flask can be temporarily released by the artifact's owner for up to eight hours to attack targets of the owner's choosing. The Flask can imprison demons of considerable power, including mighty aspects of demon lords.There is a flaw in the artifact, however, or perhaps the chaos that demons represent cannot be fully bound. Each time the Flask is used, there is a cumulative 5% chance the demon will be able to turn on its user, dragging their hapless would-be master back to the Abyss
Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Abyss or more fully, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, used in the Planescape...
to serve as a dretch.
Like other magic items of artifact-level power, the Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless cannot be destroyed by ordinary means. Suggested means of destroying it include imprisoning 100 greater demons at once, filling it with the tears of 1,000 orphaned children, or filling it with earth from every battlefield Tuerny ever fought on.
History
The Iron Flask was created by Tuerny, a powerful Oeridian wizard who lived over 900 years ago (as of 585 CY) in the region now known as Ahlissa. After slaying his own king and founding an expansionist tyranny, Tuerny created the artifact at around the age of fifty. He managed to capture Graz'ztGraz'zt
Graz'zt is a demon lord in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and one of the most powerful demons in the Abyss. Graz'zt, one of the earliest and most famous demons created for Dungeons and Dragons, was named as one of the greatest villains in D&D history by the final print issue of...
in it, forcing the demon prince to fight for him against his enemies. During one battle, however, Graz'zt managed to overcome his captor, transforming Tuerny into a dretch and spiriting him away into the Abyss. The Iron Flask disappeared as well at that time.
In the Ravenloft
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
supplement Champions of the Mists, the Iron Flask is discovered in the domain of Hazlik in the Demiplane of Dread by a cleric known as Brother Dominic. In the wilderness of the Southern Core, he founds a monastery dedicated to hiding away the artifact so that it cannot endanger the outside world.
However, the Iron Flask appears in the Abyss
Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the Abyss or more fully, the Infinite Layers of the Abyss, is a chaotic evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, used in the Planescape...
in the adventure "Enemies of My Enemy" in Dungeon #149, where the player characters have the opportunity to use it to bind an aspect of Obox-ob
Obox-ob
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Obox-ob is a demon lord, also called the Prince of Vermin...
. Iggwilv
Iggwilv
Iggwilv is a fictional wizard from the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. She was created by Gary Gygax and was named one of the greatest villains in D&D history in the final issue of Dragon....
desires the artifact for herself, and is willing to ally herself with the heroes in exchange for it.
The 4th edition supplement Demonomicon (2010) mentions (page 49) that Iggwilv still possesses the Iron Flask of Tuerny, with a portion of Demogorgon's spirit within it gained from the events of the Savage Tide
Savage Tide
The Savage Tide Adventure Path is the third and final Adventure Path for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game published in Dungeon Adventures...
adventure path. In this book, she speculates the artifact and the essence bound inside it will allow her to spy on a gathering of demon lords
Demon lord (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, demon lords are demons who have gained great power and established a position of preeminence among demonkind. Each demon lord has a unique appearance and set of abilities. Most control at least one layer of the Abyss...
undetected.
Additional reading
- Grohe, Allan T., and Erik MonaErik Mona-Career:Erik Mona served as the editor-in-chief of Dragon magazine since 2004 and Dungeon magazine from 2004 to 2006; at the time, both magazines were published by Paizo Publishing, until the license through Wizards of the Coast expired in September 2007...
. "All OerthOerthIn the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
's Artifacts." DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#299. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2002.
- Moore, Roger E.Roger E. MooreRoger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing games. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon magazine.-Early life:...
Return of the EightReturn of the EightReturn of the Eight is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module was published by Wizards of the Coast in 1998 under its recently acquired "TSR" imprint for the second edition Advanced Dungeons &...
. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.
- Sargent, CarlCarl SargentCarl L. Sargent is a British author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels.-Early career:...
. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995 (unpublished). Available online:http://www.io.com/~wmallman/ivid.html
- Vaughan, GregGreg A. Vaughan-Works:Grey A. Vaughan's role-playing credits for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game include Drow of the Underdark, Scepter Tower of Spellguard, Pathfinder #11: Skeletons of Scarwall, Anauroch: The Empire of Shade, The Twilight Tomb, and Pathfinder #6: Spires of Xin-Shalast.He was written...
. "Prince of DemonsPrince of DemonsPrince of Demons is a title contested by the greatest demon lords of the Abyss, in the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game.-The current Prince of Demons:...
." DungeonDungeonA dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...
#150. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.