Orthros
Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark is a spirit that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack.
Ritual, seal and taboo
The seal of Orthros must be drawn on a square adjacent to a hole, and the hero must chat to the seal while facing the hole across from them.
To remain bound to Orthos, the hero must not be in an unlit square for more than a few turns while they are either blind or not carrying an active light source. The turn limit provides a grace period to cure blindness or otherwise light the hero's surroundings.
Mark
A hero that has Orthos bound will have strange winds tug on their clothes, which can be seen from a distance. This mark is disguised by not wearing a cloak other than a mummy wrapping.
Benefits
While bound, Orthos grants the hero disintegration resistance along with the musicalize spell skill.
The active powers of Orthos are as follows:
- Exhalation of the Rift: The hero exhales a line of wind in a chosen direction that is three squares wide, and struck targets are knocked back. Targets in the center of the line take 5 spirit dice of damage, while targets along the edges take 1d5 spirit dice of damage.
The passive powers of Orthos are as follows:
- Flickering outline: The hero gains displacement.
- Void Sight: The hero gains astral vision.
A user has suggested improving this page or section as follows:
"Orthos has been known to cause difficulties with sanity recovery; if this is not yet resolved, how should it be properly noted?"
Messages
- The hole grows darker, and a whistling occurs at the edge of hearing.
- The mournful whistle grows louder, as the air around you flows into the pit.
- But that is all that occurs. Darkness. Wind. And a lonely whistle.
- You attempted to bind Orthos.
- A whistling occurs at the edge of hearing.
- The mournful whistle grows louder, as the air around you flows into the pit.
- As above, while blind.
- You feel that it will stay with you for a while.
- You successfully bound Orthos to yourself.
- Your blade vibrates for a moment.
- You successfully bound Orthos to the Pen of the Void.
- For an instant you are falling.
- You performed the binding ritual incorrectly. There is no message for failing to bind Orthos due to a lack of open slots for spirits of the Near Void.
Encyclopedia entry
In the dark there is something that will always be a shade darker than the lightless black, as though it drew back the night like a curtain. That thing can be heard, even across the inconceivable gulf that separates the place of the vestiges and the known Multiverse. The faintest whisper suggests a howl as maddening as it is endless.
