| Category | Heroes |
| Region | Hells Womb |
| Race | Beholder (Eye of the Deep) |
| Gender | male |
| Title | Forge Master of Valefor Deathworks |
| Alignment | neutral evil |
| Birthplace | Green Nebulous |
Netharium, an ancient Eye of the Deep, resides at a great forge at the heart of Valefor. This forge is known as the Valefor Deathworks. His presence in this place dates back to when Valefor was a stronghold of the hobgoblins, where he served as an object of amusement for the residents and visitors. This status as a curiosity in a tank of water began after his capture in the Green Nebulous. His aboleth captors sold him to a group of illithids, who in turn sold him to a drow merchant on his way to Valefor. The drow merchant then sold Netharium for a substantial sum to the reigning satrap of Valefor, who promptly had him dumped into a large basin that fed into a glass-colored pool, which served as the floor of the central palace chamber.
When Valefor was overrun by rampaging demons, Netharum was beset by a pack of runehounds. Although he survived the attack, he sustained severe injuries, losing his central eye and suffering grievous wounds. In his desperation, he appealed to many deities for aid to keep him alive, but only one answered his pleas. Tarâk, more interested in prolonging his suffering than providing genuine assistance, sent a Mîmêk dissector/necromancer to tend to his wounds. This "treatment" resulted in Netheram being partially paralyzed and then subjected to invasive procedures. The Mîmêk removed Netharum's destroyed central eye and replaced it with a special device given to him by one of Tarâk's avatars. This device was a Tiwa'erra Void Sphere, a sphere of annihilation formed when Ptah destroyed Tiwa'erra.
The perimeter of a Tiwa'erra Void Sphere is encircled by crystallized quintessence. This renders the sphere ineffectual for those aspiring to govern its motions, yet when employed to annihilate magical objects, it imprisons the sorcery within, where it can subsequently be extracted and utilized to assist in the enchantment of additional items.
Taranorn, from her work - "Ebon Spheres of Nothingness"
Netharum was then transformed, his pincers removed and replaced with forging implements - a hammer and tongs. With these attachments, and the inherent magical properties of the Valefor Deathworks, he became a master smith over the subsequent century. His hammer is removable and can be swapped with other tools he has crafted. Netharum has created or assisted in the forging of numerous items, two of the most renowned being the Eye of Garn and the Deathguard Plate.
Netharum occasionally recollects that he was once an aquatic being. When this transpires, he laments and cries out "I'm drowning," whereupon he leaps into the wretched waters of the Pool of Valefor and then bobs about. Throughout this period, he is largely ineffective in providing assistance at the forge.
Although Netharum is profoundly wicked, one aspect he handles with impartiality is conducting a forging for a substantial sack of gold. He has redeemed sinister items for neutral parties acting on behalf of divine factions, and dismantled minor virtuous artifacts for evil customers. When it comes to business, he harbors no concern for alignments or the morality of his forge-work.