Rajaat and His Link to the Spirit of Athas Itself
What we know of Rajaat remains one of the greatest clues regarding the cosmology and even cosmogony of Athas. The powers Rajaat demonstrated, especially upon his brief Escape, were truly profound, and beyond what even gods might accomplish on other worlds. An explanation of how he achieved such awesome power so as to change in an instant the nature of the Dark Sun itself, returning it to an azure star, is demanded. I have explored this before in times past, but Star-Sage here captures the core of what is to me the most likely explanation:
We may identify it with Rajaat’s early experiments, but when- and where-ever he achieved it, Rajaat seems to me to have directly tied himself to the Spirit of Athas itself. This is a tremendous feat, and may have been achieved by his profound defiler experiments, drawing upon life itself so greatly (likely with obsidian glass and 10th level spells) that he drew into himself the power of the Spirit of Athas. He may have even used the Dark Lens to achieve this, casting 10th level spells through the Lens, and drawing upon Athas itself to fuel these mighty spells.
Though he likely did not fully realize it at first, Rajaat likely enjoys a singular connection to this tremendous source of power, very similar to how the Champions have a permanent connection to the Elemental Planes. But for Rajaat, this connection presumably allows him infinite access to elemental priest spells of any degree of power, including 10th level, and as such he is like a spiritual nexus between the Elemental and Prime Material Planes. If he can change the sun into a blue star, surely he can make volcanoes explore, silt seas turn to water, and the winds catch aflame across the world. I am not sure there is a limit to his power, as such, but whatever power he draws from the Elemental Planes would likely cause the PMP and EPs to draw closer to each other, and should he pull too greatly, he would merge both realities, causing a return to what I would imagine to be the Beginning of Time for Athas. The Spirit of Athas, all but mindless as Jiun-Nish speculates, would likely not react until something truly existential such as this would occur.
During his Escape it seemed to me that Rajaat did not cast a single actual wizard spell: all his supernatural abilities seemed to be acts of pure will that called upon an endless supply of Elemental Power.
This spiritual relationship with the Spirit of Athas itself makes Rajaat more than simply immortal… he cannot be truly destroyed as long as Athas exists.
Rajaat’s relationship to the Spirit of Athas it likely irreversible and cannot be suborned while Rajaat lives. In many ways he is “one” with the Spirit of Athas. Only 10th level Cosmos magic might have even a chance to sever this relationship, and I would likely argue that even while imprisoned, Rajaat could strive to resist this. Severing the spiritual connection would be like cutting apart a Siamese twin, and though it might ultimately succeed, it might cause epochal upheaval upon the Elemental and Prime Material Planes as never before seen.
Though not a god as such, Rajaat is easily among the most powerful beings, god or otherwise, in all of D&D. Not being subject to a need for belief among a base of followers, he is immortal all the same, and inexorably tied to the very fate of his universe, due to his own profound learning, science, mystic lore, and due to his being the first to attempt to tap the core power of the Spirit of Athas itself to fuel his tremendous defiling spells, all of which were likely focused through the Dark Lens. To the first goes the spoils, and his power is thus extraordinary, even in a game of gods and primordial powers.
