| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 10 Jan 2018 : 14:17:46
This is something I had written up long ago, but that I've slowly adjusted as I learned things over time. I was going to put it in the Favorite Zulkir thread, but now I'm thinking a separate thread for discussion might be the better path. BTW, this only discusses up to like the 1370's. I do plan on doing something more with Ythazz.
A history of Ythazz Buvaar and his involvement with the formation of Thay
Ythazz had been part of the original uprising in Mulhorand in -1087 DR by the Theurgist Adept Thayd (put to death -1081). That uprising had been about the god-kings controlling the studies of the wizards of the Mulhorandi Empire. Thayd was killed, but Ythazz was one of the few surviving conspirators who fled. A few years later the Orcgate opened, which threw Mulhorand into yet another conflict (whether Ythazz had something to do with the Orcgate opening is doubtful due to his relative power at the time, however there are rumors that escaped “Thaydists” were involved in the opening of the Orcgates).
After the Orcgate wars, the country of Narfell formed when refugee mercenaries from the orcgate wars returned home. The Narfellians were similar in belief to the followers of Thayd that magical research should be allowed to take its own course. While many of the Narfellians turned to the arts of conjuration and consorting with planar allies for their powers, others turned to the black arts of necromancy. This proved the perfect environment for the young lich, Ythazz, and he gathered a group of like minded spellcasters amongst the Nars. Ythazz was able to secure a small realm for himself along the coast of what is modern day Thesk, from which he trained apprentices in the arts of magical warfare to face off against their enemies in nearby Raumathar. The next few centuries passed in relative peace, with Ythazz spending much time researching and experimenting upon captured subjects to see what new monstrosities he could make. After a time, as with all megalomaniacs, he began to think he was undefeatable, and he convinced his fellow Narfellians that the path to greatness lay in seizing the weakened empires of Mulhorand and Unther.
So, the Nars formed a fleet of ships with the intention of sailing down and capturing the coast of Mulhorand and Unther and from there launching attacks upon the newly formed Raumathari city of Kensten. Unfortunately, the Nars had overestimated the combined power of the elder empires, and the fleet of Narfell never even made landfall. Ythazz was destroyed by the priests of Osiris in a fierce spellbattle aboard his own capital ship. The lich’s phylactery sank below the waves, where it was captured by a powerful sahuagin priest. Without his spellbooks, Ythazz was incapable of challenging the sahuagin to recover his soul’s repository. As a result the sahuagin put the lich into service to his tribe creating magic items that they could use or trade to surface worlders. In return, Ythazz was given access to select spells to study that had been recovered from surface world raids. Over time, however, Ythazz was secretly able to gather an intact spellbook, and using it he was able to find and reclaim his phylactery and escape.
Almost half a century had passed before Ythazz had once again returned to the surface world. He returned to Narfell, only to find that one of his enemy’s apprentices, an upstart named Mellifleur, had laid claim to his tower and all of his possessions. What was worse was that Ythazz recognized that this apprentice’s power rivaled his own, especially without access to the centuries of compiled research which he had left behind for security. So, Ythazz set about rebuilding once again, performing raids against both the Raumathari battlemages and Narfellian Demonbinders in order to recover items of art and books of lore.
Despite being a lich, Ythazz was not a master of necromancy, so he never understood the accident that occurred to Mellifleur a century later. However, being a lich, he quickly understood that one of his former compatriots had suddenly ascended into godhood when he discovered that Mellifleur had become the Lord of Liches. Ythazz, already having disdane for the gods because of his time with Thayd, was repulsed by this idea even further because he had held Mellifleur in contempt. The lord of Liches success galled Ythazz, and he spent the next two centuries and vast sums of money trying to uncover the mysteries behind the ritual. Yet for all his efforts, he found himself none the wiser as to what had been the lynchpin to Mellifleur’s ascension. Perhaps with more time, he might have been able to understand it, but time was not on his side. Karsus’ Folly changed the way magic worked throughout the entire world, and Ythazz found his body destroyed in a conflagration of suddenly released magics. Ythazz found himself entrapped in his own phylactery, and he could not escape.
Nearly a millennia passed before his phylactery was recovered by Chessentan adventurers who didn’t recognize it for what it truly was. Selling the phylactery as an art object, the phylactery came into the hands of a southern necromancer by the name of Velsharoon. The necromancer recognized the “art object” for its true nature, and he sought to unlock its mysteries, eventually succeeding. Ythazz found himself free and indebted to Velsharoon. In gratitude, he offered to teach Velsharoon lost mysteries of the art, and in return the necromancer would educate Ythazz in the more modern magical advances as well as the changes in the world.
While he had been entrapped, the world had changed much. The mystical empire of Netheril had fallen, and from its ashes Halruaa had been born in the untamed lands of the south. The great realms of Narfell and Raumathar had mutually fallen, and the empire of Mulhorand had seen a resurgence with the recovery of Raumathari lands. Ythazz found that Mystra had changed the way magic worked following Karsus’ Folly, and thus many of his great secrets were lost to time. Ythazz felt a need to discover and test the thresholds of the art; and he found a kindred spirit within Velsharoon.
The two great mages formed a secret society of like minded researchers who would test the dark arts, gathering to their banner those Halruaan and Mulan mages who chafed under the strictures of their society. They sought the power of their Netherese ancestors, for they would be masters of the world again. Calling themselves “red wizards”, whether for their focus on blood, war, or just boldness, is unknown now. Some say it was Velsharoon's studies into binding magics which truly turned the Halruaans against their society. What is known is that they performed experimental atrocities that sickened their fellow Halruaan elders when they discovered them. There were minor scuffles that occurred, but the final straw culminated in 827 DR when Omm Hlandrar brought the fight to Velsharoon in fierce spellbattle above the plains of the Shaar. The battle ended in a draw, but Ythazz and Velsharoon decided it was best to move to more secure surroundings.
In the years that followed, Ythazz and Velsharoon and other exiled Halruaan's and discontented Mulan mages formed a small society that would eventually discover that Thayd was not truly dead, but rather entrapped in a strange “place beyond places” and that Thayd could be made to “ride” their minds and share their experience through binding magic (which were rumored to be a secret shared amongst many Theurgist Adepts of old). After performing a ritual of great and bloody magic, they managed to free Thayd from this netherworld, or at least partially, for he was able to take over the bodies of others, but he would slowly burn them out and thus was forced to periodically transfer from host to host. However, with his return, Thayd announced that they would finally claim a homeland of their own. It would be a land where magical experimentation would not be blocked by religious worries or the dictates of a council of arcanists too fearful of discovery.
So it was that they moved to the Priador, a section of Mulhorand which had previously been held variously by Narfellians and Raumatharans. Needless to say, it was a portion of the empire bubbling with rebellion. Ythazz and Velsharoon formed alliances with several new Mulan allies such as the conjurer Jorgmacdon Odesseiron, the necromancer Zhengyi, and the Patriarch of the Tam Family. They also joined with Mulan necromancers from the Mausoleum City of Pholzubbalt beneath Thesk and many Mulan wizards from the League of Samathar along the Wizards' Reach. Working from the shadows, through their lesser red wizards, they slowly gathered disaffected Mulan mages from throughout Mulhorand and Unther as well. Thayd worked his way into the government by seizing the body of a young Osirian priest, working as a spy from within.
It was in 922 DR that Thayd, Ythazz, and the other “red wizards” truly began to work against the Mulhorandi, staging an uprising in the Priador’s capital city of Delhumide. 2002 years after the death of Thayd, Ythazz had finally raised up enough power to strike against the church of Mulhorand with the help of his fellow red wizards. The war was quick, ended in the battle of Thazalhar when the red wizard Jorgmacdon did what the Narfellian conjurers had failed to do, summoning and controlling the demon lord Eltab. The red wizards named the country Thay in honor of the leader whose vision had taken nearly two millenia to achieve.
Of course, Ythazz had been prepared for the assault and the destruction. He was not at all prepared for the rebuilding and consolidation required afterwards. Initially, peace ruled as each mage setup their own demesne amongst the conquered land. But this calm was soon replaced by occasional magical assaults, as each mage sought to eliminate their rivals. Thayd ruled with a lax hand, using his personal Zulkirs, a group of seven loyal followers including Ythazz Buvaar, Ilkrim Hlannadar (better known as “the Dragon-Devoured” a, Jorgmacdon Odesseiron, Velsharoon, Escalthar, and Zhengyi as roaming messengers, enforcers, and assassins, as well as local Justicars in the case of disputes. Then came the betrayal of Ilkrim Hlannadar, better known to Thayan folklore as “the Dragon-devoured,” thanks to Thayd’s swift and ruthless reaction to his treachery. After this betrayal, the number of Zulkirs loyal to Thayd were now merely five.
Then came the day when Thayd disappeared. Some whispered that it had something to do with the “artifact” beneath Amruthar. Others whispered that he'd disappeared along with Jorgmacdon plundering the recently dragon-scorched ruins of Peleveran in search of something known as the wells of darkness. Infighting amongst the remaining red wizards resulted in Council of the Black Star, called by Escalthar atop Laltharr, a bare crag (later blasted to rubble in a spell-duel) in southwestern Thay. During this Council, he announced that he himself would be leaving Thay, but that he would not see it fall to ruins. It was during this council that it was revealed how much influence Ythazz had gained amongst the other Mulan wizards of Thay. They agreed to form a new Zulkirate, comprised of an all Mulan council of Zulkirs. Most importantly, they named Tarabbas Mroound as Zulkir of Necromancy rather than either Zhengyi or Velsharoon, and both wizards were forced to exile themselves from the land which they had helped free.
Having won out against the God-Kings, Ythazz turned once again to his researches. Eventually, he discovered the secret to attaining a higher level of lichdom, transforming himself into a demilich. However, in his time spent researching, Ythazz had committed a grievous error. He had quit watching his underlings.
Ythazz still doesn’t know who sent the golem to entrap his skull within the globe of arandur with its magic-sucking interior. Nor did he know where they transported to afterwards until recently, when the welds on the exterior of the arandur globe began to finally crack. Unfortunately, he finds himself in an area of dead magic, surrounded by numerous constructs, and enclosed within an arandur globe that is attached to a metallic clamp to the floor. Except for a few spells which he has magically “scribed” within the gems replacing his teeth, he is also without his spells. His original phylactery has been destroyed, leaving him with only the soul gems comprising his demi-lich body. However, he is not without hope. The foulness of his presence draws undead to his general area. Most are destroyed for drawing too near. However, some are intelligent enough that they have gleaned some idea of what awaits ahead. Working as his servants, they seek someone who can help them free “the dark one” from his prison, and Ythazz waits for the day that they succeed. |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 12:45:18
BTW, long ago, I had actually written up some history for the Skull Staff of the Necromancer. I'm going to modify the history just a tidbit, and lessen its telepathic ability. I'm picturing the demi-lich skull on the skull staff talking like Skeletor.... which could be fun.... then I also linked in some additional "functionality" for the vestige phylactery.
The below rules were written up with 3.5e in mind, but should give an idea of what to do with the artifact for other versions of the game. Basically this is an item that got enhanced over time. It was probably just a staff with necromantic power, then some binding magic was added to it, then it became a lich's phylactery... then that same lich tried to become a demi-lich, but since this item wouldn't let go of his soul, he became bound to it and making the item "sentient" and an artifact... then Velsharoon gets it and uses it during his ascension and it becomes a symbol of his office.
Artifact: Skull Staff of the necromancer (Imaskari artifact)
Powers of Skull Staff:
Spells: command undead at will, gentle repose at will, animate dead 3/day, create undead 2/day, control undead 2/day, finger of death 2/day
+1 quarterstaff, unholy, vile, souldrinker, ghost touch, sure striking
increases the number of hit dice of undead controllable by caster to 10 HD per caster level
The Skull Staff of the necromancer also functions as a Vestige Phylactery (see Tome of Magic, allows the binder to bind an extra vestige but within the staff, and he may swap out this vestige for one that he has bound to his body). Note, just like a regular vestige phylactery, whenever the Skull Staff of the Necromancer contains an extra vestige, the staff tends to shake and move as though alive. Furthermore, the vestige is capable of talking through the demilich skull attached to the staff. It should be noted that the tone of the "voice" used changes depending on whether Murghos or a vestige is talking through the staff (and even sounds different for different vestiges), and it is not unusual in these situations to hear the staff's "inhabitants" carrying on a conversation between themselves.
The Skull Staff of the necromancer also functions as a Soul Lens (see Tome of Magic, increases all supernatural ability Save DC's granted by a vestige bound to the wielder by +1)
The Skull Staff of the necromancer provides a +4 bonus to binding checks to bind a vestige (this bonus becomes +6 if binding Balam)
(Int 19 Wis 10 Char 19 AL NE Ego 31 Communication: speech, telepathy Senses: 120 ft darkvision, blindsense, and hearing
Languages: Abyssal, Infernal, Celestial, Draconic, Aragrakh (Old High Wyrm), Imaskari, Roushoum, Mulhorandi, Untheric and reads magic
Lesser powers: detect magic (at will), Staff has 10 ranks in Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (history:Imaskar),and Knowledge (the planes)
Greater powers: magic circle against good at will, fear 3/day
Special Purpose: Defeat/slay divine spellcasters Special Purpose Power: wielder gets +2 profane bonus on saves
Lore:
The Skull Staff of the Necromancer is a powerful Imaskari artifact wielded by several Lord Artificers before the fall of Imaskar. It was constructed by a powerful anima mage named Murghos who very commonly bound the vestige known as Balam to himself. As a result, Murghos was influenced over time by Balam to hate the servants of the gods (even moreso than the norm for an Imaskari). Murghos created the Staff of the Necromancer as a tool with which to strike at his hated enemies. Over time, Murghos transformed himself into a lich, using the staff as his phylactery. After a few centuries more, Murghos felt his hold on this plane loosening and Murghos began the ritual to invest himself with even greater power as a demi-lich. However, something went wrong with the ritual sacrifice (some believe that the vestige of Balam that was in the staff's phylactery at the time had something to do with this) and Murghos the demi-lich's skull became fused to the staff (thus its new name of "The Skull Staff of Necromancers") . However, a small portion of Murghos' own sentience remained trapped in the staff, endowing it with even greater magical power and turning it into an artifact. When this sentient artifact talks, it does so through the skull on the staff, and when it speaks “telepathically” to its owner it can only send mental pictures, not actual words or thoughts, and thus its most common form of communication is through its talking skull.
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| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 12:22:22
Oh, on the Mellifleur / Velsharoon ascension in 1368 DR... I believe I've said it before in suppositions, but I half wonder if part of the reason Velsharoon doesn't get absorbed by what we took to calling the "Mellifleur Collective" is that he "cleansed" the phylactery of Mellifleur somehow, freeing up some of the energy which tied it back to other gods. Since he was actively trying to reach godhood, instead of accidentally doing so as Mellifleur did, it would make sense that he take steps to not somehow awaken the other gods whose artifacts he's using to aid his ascension.
By that I have written up that Velsharoon's ritual involved
Bone powder from a lich taken over by Mellifleur (whom Velsharoon killed) during the avatar crisis. Said lich was also a remnant of the royal house of Narfell, and thus of the blood of Orcus.
A phylactery from said lich, which had in essence become a "Phylactery of Mellifleur"
sneaking in to get some of the blood and bile leftover from Gareth and company when they soaked the wand of orcus in the blood of Tiamat
a bottle of pure heart's blood from the Karsestone
The Skull Staff of the Necromancer (which is not tied to a deity UNTIL Velsharoon ties it to himself)
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| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 03:55:05
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Ok, so in another thread, Krash threw out the idea that Larloch's netherese enclave of Jiksidur which crash landed in Narfell just might have something to do with the formation of Thay.
I assume this comes from the description of Jiksidur in 3rd E that says the reason he gave Tam the chair and orb were to get some of his stuff from Netheril back.
My issue with this is just plain distance. Hark's Finger, the mountain that Jiksidur is said to have become, is nowhere near Thay. Its like 1000 miles away on the other side of Thesk, Ashanath, and Narfell, way up by the great glacier.
While I see no reason why artifacts from it could not have been recovered over the centuries and made their way into Tam's hands (clumsy as that is), I think it is a huge stretch to try to link the two. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 03:52:24
quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
Have you seen the 90s movie "The Mummy"? I kind of like to think of Thayd's return like that. He is entombed and mummified alive and thus "killed" in Mulhorand. Then 2000 years later his followers free him and he comes back to life by consuming the life of others - specifically a couple of the living gods of Mulhorand.
(I think this could be interesting depending on the identity of the people he consumes here).
Anyhow - he comes back to like and is now basically a god in his own right but he has some weakness that eventually requires him to seek out undeath.
---
Other side notes - I don't like having Mellifleur have strong FR ties; its too sloppy. Also, we would need to figure out a very good reason for the exiles.
Mellifleur already does have FR ties. He's noted as having taken power from Bane in the entry where they introduce him.
Where is this entry? 4th E I'm guessing?
No, the original entry for Mellifleur, in Monster Mythology for 2nd edition. It basically says that a deity was about to "raise a mortal priest to become a demigod through divine ascension" and that "a great backwash of god-magic resonated with Mellifleur's ritual, and the wizard became a demigod instead". It then goes and says that who this deity is varies depending on the world (Toril says Bane, Greyhawk says Nerull, and other world invoke other dark names). It then goes on to say that illithids believe this happened separately on multiple worlds "at the same time". We've all said here that the "at the same time" piece is rubbish, but the idea that there's an "over identity" that's Mellifleur and was collecting in mages of other worlds fits. So, basically wizard becomes lich, draws on demi-god status... and then the god of liches "takes over" this particular new demigod like a computer virus.
The other part that ties Mellifleur to the realms is that Powers and Pantheons from 2nd edition gives an alias for Velsharoon as Mellifleur. Thus, my take on that was the Velsharoon somewhat reenacted the ritual, but he was able to break himself away from "the Mellifleur Collective". |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 03:32:06
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
On the "how Thayd comes back" piece, I can't buy him mummified. He is killed by the Mulhorandi, summarily executioned, and probably with manifestations of the gods looking on if I had to bet (if not, then at the very least the incarnations of said gods). I can't see them keeping the body around, much less preserving it as a mummy.
On the whole mummy mummification thing, watch this little video and see what I mean. The mummification IS the execution AND an eternal punishment. Pretty cool if you ask me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNqAo9uGWyA
And then, then, in order to come back he needs to steal pieces of living people to replace those that were taken during his mummification... How awesome would it be if these pieces had to be from the incarnations themselves!!!
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Also, we have Ed telling us in some "Ask Ed" response (I don't have that link handy) that basically Thayd came back riding people and burning out the hosts
Ed did say this, but not about the 2000 year time period before the founding of Thay. This happened just prior to the creation of the Zulkirate. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 03:24:40
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Oh, and actually Masked Mage... I take back what I said when you noted that Ythazz has summoned Eltab.... Ythazz SUMMONING Eltab is fine... Jorgmacdon is noted as BINDING Eltab into the Glyph that's Eltabbar. So, we could say that Ythazz summoned him, and Jorgmacdon bound him and forced him away. Maybe Ythazz found controlling Eltab a little to much work and Jorgmacdon had to come in and take the reins.... or Ythazz was just too tired... or he just lacked the skill in making glyphs and runes.
Yep - was going to point that out :P. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 03:24:30
Ok, so in another thread, Krash threw out the idea that Larloch's netherese enclave of Jiksidur which crash landed in Narfell just might have something to do with the formation of Thay. Its not a bad idea. How might we use that? I personally was throwing out some big names as Thayd's zulkirs earlier, but at the time, they were all probably barely archmages hitting around 20th level (since this is all maybe 500 years before the mid to late 1300's). I'm picturing Thayd himself being someone in the upper 20's to lower 30's in level in "modern day" 3rd edition rules. So, I've already put Ythazz and Velsharoon together and how they met (and later fall out). So, what about Jorgmacdon and Zhengyi? Jorgmacdon seems to have an interest in summoning magic, which makes him perfect to be studying Narfellian Lore. With Zhengyi, some of us have wondered if he's not actually somehow tied to the royal family of Narfell (and thus had blood ties to Orcus). So, maybe these two were working together? Maybe they entered Jiksidur and came out with.... a non functional mythallar?
How can we use this? Well, maybe Larloch left the mythallar behind because he thought he wouldn't be able to fix it. Jorgmacdon and Zhengyi recognize it as powerful and retrieve it, but they need help powering it up. In steps this brilliant transmuter, Escalthar, whose been studying some lore books of an untheric cabal of wizards calling themselves "the Black Flame". They had learned of this artifact long ago, and they learned how to tap into it, but only on a small scale. So, Escalthar (who is lets say a brilliant Mulan spellcaster who has grown up in the League of Samathar along the Wizards' Reach), figures out how to take the non-functional mythallar, combine it with <insert item name here>, and hook that in with the "black star" artifact.... and the mythallar becomes a "BlackFire Mythallar".
So, this puts 5 of the 7 original zulkirs together. The only two missing are Ilkrim Hlannadar (the betrayer who is "dragon-devoured) and some guy I haven't named, both of whom die before Thayd does. You know what, have Ilkrim's death be in 1018 DR when Peleveran is destroyed, Cormyr and Calimshan is attacked by dragons, and Alaskerbanbastos of Unther becomes a dracolich. Maybe he betrayed Thayd by trying to work with the cult of the dragon. I'm having Jorgmacdon disappear down in Peleveran around the same time Thayd disappears (I'm sticking Jorgmacdon searching for the "wells of darkness" following the destruction of Peleveran by the Cult of the Dragon). If Thayd disappears say 4 years later with Jorgmacdon disappearing a few weeks later, that can give 8 years for some serious infighting between the factions loyal to Ythazz (Mulans), Velsharoon (some Halruaans), and Zhengyi (who are Nar-blooded)... and Velsharoon and Zhengyi are maybe both forced to flee due to lack of resources. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 03:20:13
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
Have you seen the 90s movie "The Mummy"? I kind of like to think of Thayd's return like that. He is entombed and mummified alive and thus "killed" in Mulhorand. Then 2000 years later his followers free him and he comes back to life by consuming the life of others - specifically a couple of the living gods of Mulhorand.
(I think this could be interesting depending on the identity of the people he consumes here).
Anyhow - he comes back to like and is now basically a god in his own right but he has some weakness that eventually requires him to seek out undeath.
---
Other side notes - I don't like having Mellifleur have strong FR ties; its too sloppy. Also, we would need to figure out a very good reason for the exiles.
Mellifleur already does have FR ties. He's noted as having taken power from Bane in the entry where they introduce him.
Where is this entry? 4th E I'm guessing?
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| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 02:25:20
Ok, so in another thread we were discussing "HOW" Thayd came back... so I'm just gonna spitball a concept, and hope for help to improve it.
So, in the above... we've got
--Thayd trapped in the "place where vestiges go"
--Ythazz and Velsharoon working together while in Halruaa and eventually leaving after forming the "red wizards"
--Someone named Escalthar who has a sigil of a "black star" and who seems to have a specialty of sorts with transmutation
--an "artifact" beneath what will become Amruthar presumably from before the formation of Thay. We know that in later years this artifact becomes a tool of the red wizards and access to it becomes a political tool of sorts
--we know that Kossuth is known as "the black flame"
--we know that Thayd becomes something akin to a Suel Lich, and Suel Liches descriptions I will list below for clarity of where I'm going
The host of a Suel lich appears as a human with coarse, leathery skin and eyes that glow an ominous black fire. As the Suel lich grows in power, its skin becomes a thick hide, and the fire in its eyes becomes more pronounced. At the host body’s venerable age, the Suel lich is little more than wrinkled husk whose entire head is bathed in black fire. While without a host body, the essence of the lich appears as a human shadow of fiery black energy.
So perhaps Escalthar has been studying a starmetal meteor buried beneath Amruthar that has been coated in layer upon layer of cooling lava. This meteor generates some kind of energy field of "black fire", and Escalthar has learned how to modify this energy in order to draw it off (in game terms, perhaps this is a form of shadow weave energy, and he's developed a means to convert it to weave energy using something equivalent to a weave tap, but in reverse).
Meanwhile, maybe after discussing about Thayd's death with Ythazz, Velsharoon thinks Thayd may now be a vestige, and he figures out the ritual to bind him as a vestige. Thus, Velsharoon starts to get to know Thayd, and Ythazz sees freeing Thayd as a means to even greater secrets of power.
Maybe the reason that Escalthar and Ythazz & Velsharoon meet up is that this place was ALSO where Thayd died, because maybe long ago he was also using this artifact. So, Velsharoon figures maybe he can modify a binding using a vestige phylactery (in fact, the one Thayd was transferred using which is what they came there to get, along with Thayd's hidden spellbook containing the spell phylactery link) and actually draw Thayd OUT of the place where he's trapped and into a construct that they create. However, he'll need a lot of power to do it, and so in comes Escalthar who offers to use the "black star" and draw its "black fire" out to power this ritual. Maybe include some lesser apprentices as well of all three spellcasters. So, they cast the ritual, which destroys the vestige phylactery but it does draw Thayd out of the place where vestiges go.... kinda.... Thayd appears to them as a human shadow of fiery black energy and he immediately seizes the body of an apprentice, whose eyes turn into black fiery pits.
Where do we go from here... well, in the above, I assumed Thayd was flitting between Mulhorandi hosts to spy on the enemy (probably using illusions to cover his eyes). |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 01:34:27
Oh, and actually Masked Mage... I take back what I said when you noted that Ythazz has summoned Eltab.... Ythazz SUMMONING Eltab is fine... Jorgmacdon is noted as BINDING Eltab into the Glyph that's Eltabbar. So, we could say that Ythazz summoned him, and Jorgmacdon bound him and forced him away. Maybe Ythazz found controlling Eltab a little to much work and Jorgmacdon had to come in and take the reins.... or Ythazz was just too tired... or he just lacked the skill in making glyphs and runes. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Jan 2018 : 00:36:38
This is a Vestige along with history that I made up for Thayd (btw, I know he's NOT the last Imaskari... but its what he WAS known as). This history could easily provide a reason why Thayd maybe works "like" a suel lich, in several ways in fact. One could be that when the Raurin was destroyed, he was affected like the Suel were. Another could be the strange interaction that turned him into a vestige also affected how he returned to the world (which I've left unexplained) to lead the Thayan Revolution. Or perhaps even when he returned to the world he was some kind of normal, and it was when he "disappeared" around the time of the forming of the Zulkirate that he became something that had to ride bodies. Or it could simply be that when he disappeared, he went back to being a vestige.
BTW, this could easily be adapted to him being a warlock patron now (but a trapped one like a vestige) for 5e. Also, in my Complete Red Book of Spell Strategy up on DM's Guild, I give rules for "theurgist adepts" and "Occultist Binders" for 5e. So, this could easily be adapted to 5e rules.
Thayd, the last Imaskari
Vestige Level 6th
Binding DC 28 Special Requirement: Yes
The stories of Thayd's powers are numerous and varied. It is well documented that he was a practictioner of the arcane arts, but exactly of what art varies by teller. Some say he was a conjurer of amazing skill, some say he was a practictioner of the dark arts of necromancy, some say a warlock with ties to alien beings of power and madness, some say he was a practictioner of pact magic, some say he was a being who sought to enhance his body with fiendish power. In truth, all of these stories are true. As a result of his studies in life, Thayd is a popular choice amongst anima mages and eldritch animists (multi-class warlock-animists).
Legend: Thayd was a powerful member of the Imaskari whose abilities in planar travel had led him to many other worlds. In doing so, he had discovered many different cultures of magic and had brought this learning back to his homeland. Due to his own culture's mistrust of divine beings, whom he believed wished to enslave their followers, Thayd soon found himself to be a prominent member amongst the Theurgian Society on an another prime world. In particular, Thayd's studies into other prime planar theories had discovered that other worlds often shared similar stories of powerful beings that could be contacted through pact magic. This led him to test his theories by trying to contact the same vestiges from within different Crystal Spheres.
Its rumored that Thayd setup portals to the Theurgist's Library from Toril, though where these portals terminated and if they still function is unknown. These rumors also suggest that a spell-enshrouded trap was placed upon one of them by the Mulan manifestation of Thoth during the uprising of the Mulan slaves against their Imaskari masters. Thayd was studying in this other prime material plane when said uprising occurred, so he was caught off-guard when his mystical wards began to alert him to the fall of Inupras. Unfortunately, he was not prepared for the trapped symbol where he appeared on the other side of the portal, which set off a spell of imprisonment that placed Thayd in suspended animation and trapped within the world.
More than a millenia passed but eventually a powerful anima mage of the Theurgian Society rediscovered lore on the lost portal to Toril and their former ally, Thayd. Hoping to gain more power, the Theurgian passed through the portal (its trap having long since lost its power) and divined where Thayd was and used a spell of freedom. Little is known of what happened next nor exactly how much time passed. What is known is that eventually Thayd discovered exactly what had happened to his people, and his wrath was great. Still, he knew that he was still only one man and he knew that he must gather power and make alliances again before confronting the Mulan Incarnations who had usurped his old homeland.
The path to his rise in power is muddled, though its rumored that he gathered followers from the Mausoleum City, Pholzubbalt, as well as powerful mages from the surrounding territories. Calling themselves the Theurgist Adepts, they started a war with the empires of Mulhorand and Unther. Utilizing powerful evocations, foul necromancies, and the binding of powerful fiends and elementals, Thayd and his Theurgist Adepts quickly seized the northern portions of both empires. The native nar people of the area find themselves in a quandary, as some prefer their new masters, while others find their new masters abhorrent. Many Nar tribesmen found pact magic and its simplicity alluring and become seduced by its power, joining the leagues of the Theurgist Adepts.
Having gained knowledge of several portals through studying ancient Imaskari and Theurgian lorebooks on earlier cultures, Thayd decided that there was at least one near the Mulhorandi Empire that might prove of use. Realizing that they would need slaves to hold his newly formed empire, Thayd opened a keyed portal to another prime plane containing an empire of fanatically religious orcs. However, he feared to bring over adult orcs, because he did not want to risk religious insurrection as his forebears had. Therefore, he and his Theurgist Adepts raided the world in lightning strikes, taking only the youngest of orcs back with them (knowing full well, that it would only take a few years for them to reach adulthood as opposed to human slaves). The older orcs were either sacrificed to their demon allies or turned into undead to further aid the Theurgists' war efforts.
The exact culmination of assaults which ultimately led to Thayd's fall is undocumented, but its said that the incarnations of the gods finally rose up against him and the Theurgist Adepts. After days of battle, which had cost him his contingencies, his corpse hosts, many of his simulacrums, many of his most powerful magic items, and even forced him into the body of his clone in his laboratory, he found himself in desperate straights. He did not have the time or resources lined up to perform the ritual of endless night which would allow him to become a lich after he died, but he did have a scroll of a phylactery link spell which he'd first learned of in the Theurgist's library. Phylactery Link combined arcane power with the power of pact magic to create a temporary link between the caster and a vestige phylactery, such that if the caster were killed his soul would be transferred to the phylactery, but it could return to the original body if it were healed to consciousness. Knowing that his remaining two simulacrums awaited him in his final safehold and could use limited wish spells to restore his body, Thayd cast the phylactery link spell then used scrolls of contingency and teleportation upon himself, quickly grabbed a few staves and wands, renewed his vestige bindings, and then set about to re-memorize his spells. Unfortunately for him, Thayd would not have time to restore his roster of arcane magic before his enemies rediscovered him, and his spell of teleportation failed him due to the power of a weirdstone which the Incarnations had brought with them to counter the Imaskari planar magics. His body bled out on the floor even as his soul transferred to the vestige phylactery and all he could do was hope that it would return to a healthy state somehow as time passed. Unfortunately, twenty four hours later, Thayd learned that there was a previously undocumented drawback to the phylactery link spell which he'd cast, when his soul was transferred to the place between life and death where vestiges reside.
Special Requirement: Thayd's manner of passing makes him relish the feeling of life. As a result, he requires that the binder voluntarily give of his own health in order to bind Thayd (in the form of voluntarily taking 1 point of Constitution loss). If this constitution loss is recovered while Thayd is still bound, the pact becomes an unsuccessful pact and the binder suffers as though he had ignored the wishes of a vestige that influences him (i.e. -1 penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks until Thayd leaves). Due to this requirement, and the power of his influence, most binders will not bind Thayd to themselves on a daily basis, but will do so when they require his particular brand of granted abilities. Thayd refuses to bind to any being who is devoted to a deity, as he finds the interaction less fulfilling.
Manifestation: A tiny metal box covered in arcane symbols about the size of a jewelry box rises out ground where Thayd's symbol is drawn. Thayd appears to pull himself up out of this box, though there is no way his body could have fit in such a small space. He appears as he did in life, which is to say his appearance changes each time as he appears to be a binder displaying the various signs of other vestiges to which he has bound himself. Still, in all of his appearances, he appears to have a wound seeping blood which drips onto the symbol at his feet and disappears.
Sign: You appear to have a wound on your torso that slowly drips blood. Simple bandages can prevent this blood from being seen by anyone else or ruining your clothing. It will not stop bleeding however for as long as you have the constitution loss as a result of binding Thayd. If not covered with some sort of thick cloth, this blood also has a strange red glow in the dark. You cannot suppress this sign unless you can also ignore the special requirements of binding to this vestige.
Influence: Thayd's influence causes you to have a particular hatred of cleric, paladins, and other devotees of deities. You must require that all those who serve gods also stand in deference to your own will, and you must assert your superiority to them. If they will also accept your commands and serve you, then Thayd is satisfied. Otherwise, you may never come to their aid nor work to prevent them from being harmed (even by your own hand), and given any chance to betray them you must do so.
Granted Abilities: Thayd grants you the ability to analyze portals, summon a swarm of bones to assault your enemies, bind a fiend to your will, and summon a howling chain to assault and hinder your foes. In addition, if you possess the abilities of an arcane spell caster (for instance, if you are a multi-class arcane character), Thayd provides you some additional abilities.
Analyze Portal - at will, as the spell from the forgotten realms campaign setting
Summon Bone Swarm - at will, you summon a swarm of skeletal hands, claws, teeth, talons, etc... that attack your target at your base attack bonus once per round for 2d6 points of slashing dmg. The bone swarm continues to attack for 1d4+2 rounds and is AC 12 with half the binder's hit points. You may only have one swarm in effect at a time, and if the target dies the bone swarm disappears.
Devil's Pact - By taking 10 minutes to draw a binding circle, the binder is able to summon a devil to serve him. However, unlike a planar binding spell, the binder is given the truename of the fiend by Thayd, and as a result there is no chance of the fiend turning against its master. Making this pact requires the sacrifice of an intelligent being, whose blood is used in the creation of the binding circle. No more than one fiend can be bound at a time.
This devil will accompany you and fight for you. This devil obeys your commands to the best of its abilities. If the devil is more than 30 feet from you at the end of your turn, it is automatically unsummoned. If the devil is unsummoned or destroyed, you cannot summon another for 1 hour. The type of devil you can summon depends on your binder level (you can always summon a lesser devil if you want to)
1st-10th imp
11th-12th bearded devil, chain devil, or hell cat
13th-15th bone devil or Erinyes (requires that the sacrifice also be of a being with at least 2 hit dice)
16th-18th barbed devil (requires that the sacrifice also be of a being with at least 3 hit dice)
19th or higher gelugon (requires that the sacrifice also be of a being with at least 3 hit dice and non-evil)
Howling Chain - at will, you may cast Howling Chain as the spell found in the Player's Guide to Faerun. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds.
SPECIAL ABILITIES FOR ARCANE CASTERS: Having been an anima mage himself, Thayd appreciates it when his binders do NOT use exploit vestige on him (since exploit vestige lessens his connection to the binder). He doesn't mind if they use exploit vestige on other vestiges. Using the below abilities requires the binder to give complete control to the vestige (i.e. the DM) for the entire round that the spells are cast, and therefore binders that have displeased Thayd should beware. The PC cannot provide any input as to what spells to use with vestige metamagic nor any other castings that occur that round.
Summon Undead - The arcane caster gains an extra arcane spell of his highest level, but this spell must be a summon undead spell for that level (ex. a 5th lvl slot would be filled with Summon Undead V). Note that it doesn't matter if this spell is on the character's spell list or not, nor if its from an opposition school, nor does this spell count against the maximum number of spells per day.
Summon Alien - The arcane caster gains an extra arcane spell of his highest level, but this spell must be a summon monster spell for that level (ex. a 5th lvl slot would be filled with Summon Monster V). Note that it doesn't matter if this spell is on the character's spell list or not, nor if its from an opposition school, nor does this spell count against the maximum number of spells per day. The monster(s) to be summoned must be ones that would normally have the fiendish template assigned, but rather than the fiendish template, the pseudonatural template should be assigned (see complete arcane).
Additional Vestige Metamagic - As the ability given by the anima mage prestige class, except that this usage is controlled by Thayd (i.e. the DM) himself. Note: this also gives the DM control over any additional spells being cast in this same round. This usage of Vestige Metamagic is in addition to any (if any) provided by the anima mage prestige class. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 10 Jan 2018 : 23:37:43
quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
Have you seen the 90s movie "The Mummy"? I kind of like to think of Thayd's return like that. He is entombed and mummified alive and thus "killed" in Mulhorand. Then 2000 years later his followers free him and he comes back to life by consuming the life of others - specifically a couple of the living gods of Mulhorand.
(I think this could be interesting depending on the identity of the people he consumes here).
Anyhow - he comes back to like and is now basically a god in his own right but he has some weakness that eventually requires him to seek out undeath.
---
Other side notes - I don't like having Mellifleur have strong FR ties; its too sloppy. Also, we would need to figure out a very good reason for the exiles.
Mellifleur already does have FR ties. He's noted as having taken power from Bane in the entry where they introduce him.
On the "how Thayd comes back" piece, I can't buy him mummified. He is killed by the Mulhorandi, summarily executioned, and probably with manifestations of the gods looking on if I had to bet (if not, then at the very least the incarnations of said gods). I can't see them keeping the body around, much less preserving it as a mummy. Also, we have Ed telling us in some "Ask Ed" response (I don't have that link handy) that basically Thayd came back riding people and burning out the hosts (which until recently I had not equated to Suel Lich <thanks Markustay>.... though I'm not equating him to Suel... just that a similar magical destruction happened in the Raurin which may have affected him some, and then when he was assaulted by the Imaskari, it maybe got worse.... or hell, for all we know, maybe he was "riding" an incarnation during the years when he lead the Theurgist Adepts, and the incarnation didn't "burn out" as easily as a mortal.
On who summoned Eltab, there's what's said in dreams of red wizards and there's what's said in Red Gold (which mentions Jorgmacdon, but shows him in a lesser role). I choose to believe dreams of red wizards more for this summoning... however, I would have other arcane casters helping with the ritual (i.e. Jorgmacdon leading the ritual). I say this because Jorgmacdon becomes the first zulkir of conjuration, so he should be better at this than Ythazz.
BTW, on Thayd, at one point I had also written up some lore to use him as a vestige. I'm going to repost that here, read through it for possible update needs, and then we can see if that works with this history. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 10 Jan 2018 : 20:26:42
quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
Have you seen the 90s movie "The Mummy"? I kind of like to think of Thayd's return like that. He is entombed and mummified alive and thus "killed" in Mulhorand. Then 2000 years later his followers free him and he comes back to life by consuming the life of others - specifically a couple of the living gods of Mulhorand.
(I think this could be interesting depending on the identity of the people he consumes here).
Anyhow - he comes back to like and is now basically a god in his own right but he has some weakness that eventually requires him to seek out undeath.
---
Other side notes - I don't like having Mellifleur have strong FR ties; its too sloppy. Also, we would need to figure out a very good reason for the exiles.
Also - Ythazz summoned Eltab. |
| The Masked Mage |
Posted - 10 Jan 2018 : 20:25:13
Have you seen the 90s movie "The Mummy"? I kind of like to think of Thayd's return like that. He is entombed and mummified alive and thus "killed" in Mulhorand. Then 2000 years later his followers free him and he comes back to life by consuming the life of others - specifically a couple of the living gods of Mulhorand.
(I think this could be interesting depending on the identity of the people he consumes here).
Anyhow - he comes back to like and is now basically a god in his own right but he has some weakness that eventually requires him to seek out undeath.
---
Other side notes - I don't like having Mellifleur have strong FR ties; its too sloppy. Also, we would need to figure out a very good reason for the exiles. |
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