Tharexite

Tharexites are undead Dwarven cannibals from the city of Tharex.

History
Tharexites were originally common Dwarves. In the year 451 of the Second Age, it was revealed that Dwarven king Hinrack Brommot of Tharex was engaging in cannibalism, after one of his would-be victims managed to escape. Mountain King Yleric Toralt, disgusted with the reports, demanded that Hinrack be arrested and executed. The soldiers loyal to Hinrack managed to best every guard who sought to carry out Yleric's orders. Yleric began to lay siege to the city, but before his forces made it, Hinrack had already hired a number of mercenaries and criminals to join his forces. By the year 478, Hinrack had managed to make a deal with the High Elf necomancer by the name of Synlorn Daegolor. If King Hinrack provided him sanctuary and supported his experiments, he would raise from the dead all of the soldiers of Tharex without compromising their intelligence or free will. In the same year, Dwarven forces first encountered a Tharexite, and as a result collapsed the tunnels connecting the two worlds. In the year 486, Mountain King Yleric hired a band of adventurers to slay Hinrack, and they were successful in this task. In the year 57 of the Third Age, a group of adventurers passed through Tharex. They confirmed that that Hinrack the Cannibal had been raised from the dead, that the whole city had been turned into Tharexites, and that Synlorn Daegolor had become a Lich.

In the year 98 of the Third Era, a Tharexite raid had razed a nearby Duergar city, and turned a number of Duergar into Tharexites.

Culture
In the areas of architecture and craftsmanship, Tharexite culture is almost identical to Dwarven culture. In every other area, however, the two are radically different. Tharexite culture centers on cannibalism, hunting down sentient beings and eating them. They are especially fond of other dwarves, but are not above eating other races.

Once a Theraxite has been accepted into Tharexite society, they will often sharpen their teeth. This is a practice which dates back to King Hinrack himself.

Religion
The Tharexite Temple of Vekrom encourages magical and necromantic study amongst Tharexites. They credit Vekrom with the origins of the Tharexites, and view him as constantly maintaining their continued existence. They also believe that Vekrom will one day gift the Tharexites with the ability to cast magic, so that they may engage in necromancy themselves.

They venerate Liches, viewing them as holy and the chosen of Vekrom. They especially venerate Synlorn Daegolor, calling him a saint and asking him to perform certain rituals and ceremonies for their temple. They believe that Synlorn was the instrument of Vekrom in creating their race, and they often turn the bodies of sacrifice victims over to Synlorn.

Their main temple in the city of Tharex is the most ornate and organized. It is a tall building made of dark stone. It has a platform for ritual sacrifices in the center, and stained glass windows depicting significant events in Tharexite Vekrom worship, such as the resurrection of Hinrack the Cannibal and Synlorn becoming a Lich.

The Temple of Vekrom has a ceremony two times a year where they sacrifice a significant victim to Vekrom. Past victims have included nobles (usually Dwarven or Duergar), famous adventurers, clerics and paladins of rival gods, and even an Ilithid Elder Brain. They also have a holiday where their High Priest will ceremonially kill a significant Dwarf or Duergar of evil alignment - willing or unwilling - just to have them raised by Synlorn. Outside of holy days, they will also occasionally sacrifice prisoners of war.

Unlike Derstag and Moggoth worship in Tharex, Tharexites who worship Vekrom have formal contact with Vekrom worshippers from other civilizations.

Derstag
Worship of Derstag amongst denizens of Therax began with an associate of King Hinrack named Hordeth Durol, who is now the High Priest of Derstag in Therax. The Temple of Derstag tends to be hedonistic, encouraging cannibalism for the sake of pleasure. They often have little concern for formal religion or history.

There are four holidays celebrated by the Theraxite temple of Derstag, each of them being a feast on the flesh of formerly sapient beings.

Trivia

 * Tharexites are original to the world of Tirmais. They were inspired by the cannibal dwarves from Thomara in Critical Role (C1E109-113).