Erac's Cousin is a mysterious figure who never reveals his name, fearing that knowing another's true name gives one power over them.

Once a Lawful Good Mage, Erac's Cousin overtaken by an unknown insanity, slew all his followers and companions, stealing all their goods. Following this, he left off being a mage and began anew as a fighter. He has made a pact with a devil. In exchange for the souls of those he slays, he will be made into a major devil.

Erac himself was a lawful good mage who worked his way up to Warlock before he died on a sub-level of the 6th level of the Greyhawk Castle dungeons. He was trapped in an area with a star on the ceiling. The star was magical and by wishing upon it, Erac could have escaped. Unfortunately, the hapless adventurer never discovered the star's secret and eventually starved to death.

Erac's Cousin, himself a lawful good wizard, found the remains of Erac some months later and owed much of his early success to the Wand of Fear, and the Silver Horn of Valhalla recovered from the body. Erac's Cousin took Erac's skeleton and always kept it hidden, carrying it around with him in a portable hole.

Although Erac's Cousin was good he was also a touch on the greedy side. A mage named Bombadil took advantage of this. On the 10th dungeon level of Greyhawk Castle there stands a mysterious statue known as the Enigma of Greyhawk. Many adventurers have tried in vain to unlock the statue's secrets. Knowing that Erac's Cousin was attempting to acquire the hidden knowledge of the Statue, Bombadil secretly placed a magic mouth on the Enigma stating: "The ways of balance need to be maintained. If you freely donate items of magic to a Neutral Mage in the city of Greyhawk your fortune will be made!" Upon hearing the message Erac's Cousin immediately donated a magical shield and a Wand of Metal & Mineral Detection that he had in his possession to the first neutral mage from Greyhawk that he ran into, and conveniently enough, it was the sly Bombadil.

Later as a high level wizard, Erac's Cousin was teleported to Barsoom from another area of the Greyhawk dungeon. He arrived stark naked, and even worse magic was useless there, so he was forced to use a tree branch to fight toe-to-toe with the Cannibals of Ugor. Over time, Erac's Cousin adapted and eventually excelled on the strange planet. Over the many months that followed, being unable to use magic, Erac's Cousin began gaining levels as a fighter and learned to fight with two swords simultaneously. Due to the planet's lower gravity, the marooned character's strength was heroic, he could leap some 20-40 ft. high and much more than that forward. Before finally returning to Oerth he had gone from fighting hordes of Green Men to organizing an escape from the mines of the Yellow Men.

Erac's Cousin had attracted a body of powerful followers. Several, unable to abide his strict lawful good nature, deserted him and instead chose to work for the characters Robilar and Teric. Erac's Cousin was a rival of Robilar's, but he was reluctant to confront the powerful fighter and always was sure to have a number of area effect spells memorized to counter Robilar's ring of spell turning, and a dimension door ready in case a hasty retreat was called for.

Later the character became quite deadly when he traded with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum a Wand of Enemy Detection for some silly looking item they had to offer which became a Vorpal Blade when he left the demi-plane where the twins were residing, and on a subsequent outdoor adventure he acquired a second Vorpal Blade. He would summon monsters, cast a few damage causing spells like Magic Missile and Cone of Cold and then go charging into combat wielding his two enchanted long swords. It was rumored that in the hands of a paladin one or both of the Vorpal Blades may have had some additional powers, but the greedy adventurer was never willing to part with his prized weapons. Back in the Greyhawk dungeons, Erac's Cousin and an adventuring companion, the fighter Aylerach, came upon a beautiful face that cried golden tears. He foolishly believed the face and agreed to complete a quest to gain The Urn of Moon Dust from some werebears. The completion of the quest resulted in the freeing of the demon prince Fraz-Urb'luu. Erac's Cousin attempted to slice off the fiend's head to undo his foolishness, but the demon grabbed both of Erac's Cousin's swords in his hands and destroyed them. In desperation Erac's Cousin used a gate spell from a scroll he had and managed to gate in the god Zeus, but to his shock and horror, the god chose to ignore his plea for help and the demon whisked the adventurers away to his own private plane. Eventually the two escaped, making their way back to Greyhawk.

Erac's Cousin was lawful and good, but always had a greedy streak. The mental agony caused by the loss of his prized possessions coupled with the suffering he had endured at the hands of the demon prince pushed him over the edge and as a result he turned his back on goodness and instead chose a path of evil, calling on the devil Asmodeus. A pact was made. The now quite evil adventurer has pledged to send the devil as many souls as possible so that his place in the infernal hierarchy may be assured... Erac's Cousin, given over completely to evil with his greed now unchecked, slew all his loyal henchmen, sending their souls to hell and stealing all their goods and possessions for himself. To his delight, and as part of their pact, Erac's Cousin has been awarded an Imp follower by Asmodeus.

In spite of his pact with Asmodeus, Erac's Cousin fears death, pursuing any means necessary to delay it. He has taken many potions of longevity and is therefore seemingly very young. He is paranoid, able, and deadly. Never taking any personal chances anymore since his Imp (in rat form) is always nearby except when he is running souls to the master.

Obviously such a character as Erac's Cousin will have no friends. If he associates with people at all it is either to fulfill a bargain or to further his own greed. This greed is great, so great in fact that he will do anything within his power to enrich himself, especially if it is magical items, particularly those that will prolong his miserable life.

Occasionally Erac's Cousin still thinks of resurrecting Erac, but so far the fear of the confrontation that may occur has prevented him from actually doing so.

* Note: This artical was originally written by Scott Gregg and posted here