| Category | Groups | ||||||
| Type | Think Tank (Orchish Empire) | ||||||
| Region | Grashakh | ||||||
| Headquarters | Spire of Krak-Oth | ||||||
| Size | |||||||
| Races |
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| Alignment | non-good | ||||||
| Deities | varies | ||||||
| Symbol | ring of eyes | ||||||
| Established | 4 Bliss 1351 |
The Court of One Hundred Eyes are the personal advisers to the Emperor of the Orchish Empire. As an organization, they operate under the auspices of the High Command.
The Court of One Hundred Eyes was established by Emperor Blac'drugulois and a close confidant and compatriot - the senior beholder Modragh. Collaboratively, they assembled a contingent of beholders to assist in governing the expansive populace and domain of the Orchish Empire.
Even my keen intellect cannot subdue this rapidly expanding population. I have refined their speech, enforced discipline, and quelled their chaotic designs through generations of selective breeding, but what eludes me is granting them the elevated cognitive faculties to oversee affairs on a grand scale. The beholders, with their heightened intellectual potential, shall be cultivated and nurtured as advisors and think-tanks.
Blac'drugulois, excerpt from a personal journal - "Hollow 1349"
Blac'drugulois and Modragh retained the most intelligent and obedient of these creatures until the court consisted of ten elder beholders. Over the passage of time, the number of beholders has grown to manage the concerns of an expanding populace. These beholders enable the reigning emperor to draw upon a pool of intellect that rivals that of an illithid think-tank.
The experiment has gone awry. Modragh and I created something far more horrific than either of us could have imagined. Five years of research by the Court, and explorations to ancient locales and across realms, have culminated in the birth of a monstrosity of true power. It was uncontrollable, a manifestation of unbridled rage, and we battled it for an arduous duration. It surpassed any beholder we had ever encountered, possessing 24 distinct eye rays, 12 gaping maws, and a hide akin to the skin of a demon lord. We slew the gibbering orb at great cost, with Modragh gone and myself weakened, suffering from the aftermath of the gibbering.
Blac'drugulois, excerpt from a personal journal - "Hollow 1812"
When the Emperor Blac'drugulois was killed, the Second Orchish Civil War ensued. Throughout this civil unrest, several of the court's beholders were slain when they attempted to install themselves as the leader of the Orchish Empire. Upon Monty the Mad ascending to the position of Emperor, he restructured the court, incorporating more loyal members of humanoid lineage alongside the beholders.
The Emperor closely supervises the Court of One Hundred Eyes, meticulously monitoring their actions for any underlying intentions that may jeopardize his rule. Those deemed a threat to his sovereignty or considered a vexation are either eliminated, exiled (see Master Death Ball), or dispatched to remote outposts.
When the Court was established, Modragh determined that the only way to maintain a steady supply of beholders and ensure their subservience was to create them. Blac'drugulois and Modragh designed a beholder crèche and had the military construct it near the Spire of Krak-Oth. Within the Beholder Crèche, staff members raise beholders from birth to adulthood, training the subservient ones and eliminating the unruly and self-serving. Those that survive, though the majority do not, may eventually serve as an Eye of the Court.
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Modragh | served under Blac'drugulois |
| Niras Reev'f | serving Monty the Mad |
| Master Death Ball | exiled |