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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Dec 2013 : 11:50:09
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And a bit more. A slightly more well known realm.
Athalantar
Uthgrael Aumar, grandfather of the famous Elminster of Shadowdale, founded the fabled realm of Athalantar, the Realm of the Stag, in the Year of the Murmuring Dead (183 DR). After a long and prosperous reign, his death in 216 DR saw the realm fall into strife as the “Warring Princes of Athalantar” vied for the throne.
The accession of Beluar in the Year of the Dancing Lights (218 DR) saw the ushering in of the reign of the Magelords until they were cast down by Elminster and his allies, led by the wise and loyal Helm Stoneblade, Knight of Athalantar. Elminster bestowed the Stag Throne upon Helm and his successors, and they ruled benevolently and well until the reign of Onthrar, “the Ill-fated”.
Onthrar suffered the misfortune of rebuffing the affections of the noblewoman Aratanta Orrspear, who swore vengeance and found it in a faded old tome in her family library, recovered from a tomb on the High Moor by her ancestor, the sorceress Arlathra. The “Book of Banes” as the tome came to be known, was a collection of spellcurses and dark rituals, which the increasingly crazed Aratanta studied with feverish and deadly intent. In the Year of Regretful Births (313 DR), Onthrar and his wife Tyril welcomed the birth of triplet daughters. What should have been a joyous celebration was destroyed by the vile sorceries of the now madwits Aratanta, who ensured that instead of giving birth to three human girls, Tyril instead gave birth to three infant hags.
Having to slay his own progeny snapped the reason of Onthrar that day, and he lingered on for a further year, a broken man, until he took his own life. His brother Faeram took up the rulership, but it appeared that the Land of the Stag itself was cursed. Harsh winters, virulent plagues and blighted crops featured with unceasing regularity in the years that followed until the roused orcs of the Horde of Black Banners swept down from their mountain demesnes in the Greypeak Mountains and laid waste to the land, slaying many of its inhabitants.
Most of the survivors fled east to Elembar, while a brave few, led by Faeram’s nephew Dorgild, trekked north into the fringes of the High Forest. There they encountered the Uthgardt barbarians of the Tree Ghost tribe and were taken in, losing all memory of their ancestry and the Kingdom of the Stag. These survivors unwittingly brought with them the Hag Curse of Aratanta however, and in the years and centuries that followed, the Tree Ghosts would be bedevilled by the sporadic birth of these abominations.
The rulers of Athalantar are presented below:
Monarch Realm(s) Ruled Birth Death Reigned Notes
Aumar Dynasty
Uthgrael, “the Stag King” Athalantar 152 216 183/216 Founder of Athalantar; Dies of heartstop.
Beluar Athalantar 189 240 218/240 1st son of Uthgrael; Slain by his nephew Elminster.
Stoneblade Dynasty
Helm Athalantar 181 262 240/259 Knight of Athalantar; Chosen to rule by Elminster; Dies of old age.
Elthryn, “the Young King” Athalantar 242 ? 259/282 Son and sole heir of Helm; Relinquishes the throne to go and live with the elves of the High Forest.
Roreld Athalantar 263 290 282/290 1st son of Elthryn; Slain by orcs of the Norglor tribe led by their chieftain Hurolk; Dies without issue.
Rindol Athalantar 266 309 290/309 2nd son of Elthryn; Dies of disease.
Onthrar, “the Ill-fated” Athalantar 289 314 309/314 1st son of Rindol; Father of the “Hag Princesses”; Takes own life.
Faeram Athalantar 292 342 314/342 2nd son of Rindol; Slain in battle with the orcs of the Horde of Black Banners.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 02 Dec 2013 11:57:50 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2013 : 11:52:54
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Nearly done.
Calandor
Calantor was first formed as a duchy of Phalorm when King Javilarhh I bestowed this fiefdom upon his younger brother Faeldath in the Year of Trials Arcane (523 DR). The line of Faeldath took the name of Calantor from the ancestral seat of the Snowswords located in the foothills of the Forlorn Hills. This location was named after the elven ranger Calan of Merinth (a now lost elven village on the southern border of the High Forest, destroyed long ago by orc raiders and which was part of the now vanished realm of Pharren) who built a fortified encampment on one of the outlying hillocks, which managed to survive for a handful of years and became known as Calan’s Tor before a swooping dragon brought death and ruin to the settlement.
The dukes of Calantor gave steady and loyal service to the realms of Phalorm and Delimbiyran, embracing the brotherhood and accord between races that the former land championed and exemplifying the stability and leadership that the latter realm sought to bring to the Sword Coast North in the years after 616 DR.
With the death of King Davyd in the Year of the Triton’s Horn (697 DR), the Kingdom of Man was riven into a seething cauldron of ambition and intrigue. Pre-eminent among the nobles of the Kingdom of Man, Tarralin of Calantor was seen by many to be the logical inheritor of the Shining Throne of Delimbiyran, but his sudden death in 698 DR saw any chance of unity among the humans of the Delimbiyr vanish. Tarralin’s son and successor, the proud and overbearing Baroth, was disliked by most of the established nobles of the region, even where they had strongly supported his father. His brazen attempts to curry favour with gifts and flattery quickly wore thin, and his clumsy attempts to manipulate events to garner him a throne were dashed when one of his chief rivals, Lord Orlen Amanatas, was slain in a “brigand attack” that was all too clearly nothing of the kind, following the defeat of orc raiders in 702 DR. Reviled and shunned from that time, Baroth’s calls for unity fell on deaf ears and his ambitions died with him when he was slain in the great fires that engulfed the city of Delimbiyran in the Year of Doom (714 DR).
Baroth had changed the name of his ducal holding to Calandor, seeking to differentiate his time and rule from that of his predecessors, and the name remained with his passing. Following this, the realm of Calandor remained “first among equals” in the cluster of human lands that were formed in the wake of Delimbiyran’s fall, its rulers wielding not insignificant influence and power throughout the environs of the Sword Coast North.
The realm was eventually re-named the Duchy of Daggerford by Tyndal, son-in-law of the last ruling duke of Calandor, Maeran, when he assumed rulership following Maeran’s death. Tyndal had married Eleesa of Calandor in 945 DR and assumed rule in the Year of the Advancing Wind (947 DR).
The rulers of Calantor/Calandor are presented below:
Ruler Realm(s) Ruled Birth Death Reigned Notes
Calantor/Calandor Dynasty
Faeldath Calantor 482 550 523/550 Brother of Javilarhh I of Phalorm; Dies of old age.
Laernorth Calantor 518 557 550/557 3rd son of Faeldath; Dies at the Battle of Blunted Fangs, fighting against the hobgoblins of the Serpent Hills.
Faedathin Calantor 544 583 557/583 Son and sole heir of Laernorth; Slain by pirate raiders led by the infamous Black Alaric when visiting the holdings of his cousin, Duke Corvan Stoneblade.
Naroth, “the Grimspear” Calantor 565 611 583/611 1st son of Faeldathin; Dies in battle against the Everhorde.
Dornoth Calantor 592 645 611/645 2nd son of Naroth; Dies of disease.
Maernorth, Calantor 617 672(?) 645/672 Son and sole heir of Dornoth; Disappears along with his entire retinue in the vicinity of the Evermoors whilst travelling north to Silverymoon.
Tarralin Calantor 641 696 672/698 1st son of Maernorth; Dies in mysterious circumstances, believed to involve poison and the machinations of his son Baroth.
Baroth, “the Throneseeker” Calandor 664 714 698/714 Son and sole heir of Tarralin; Slain in the magical backlash that results from the destruction of the Warrior’s Gate in far-off Myth Drannor, which sets of a deadly conflagration and razes much of Delimbiyran.
Narothur, “the Ancient” Calandor 688 787 714/787 1st son of Baroth; Dies of old age.
Raenath Calandor 745 807 787/807 Grandson of Narothur; Dies of disease.
Gaerlan Calandor 775 847 807/847 3rd son of Raenath;
Borraur Calandor 804 870 847/870 2nd son of Gaerlan; Dies of old age.
Taroth, “the Terrible” Calandor 834 877 870/877 1st son of Borraur; Slain in battle with orc raiders out of the High Moor led by their chieftain Morog, “the Many-Tusked”; Dies without issue.
Laroth Calandor 837 899 877/899 2nd son of Borralin; Dies of disease.
Haelath, “the Scaleslain” Calandor 852 910 899/910 Son and sole heir of Laroth; Slain by lizardmen when exploring the ruins of Tavaray.
Baeran, “the Bold” Calandor 888 932 910/932 1st son of Haelath; Slain in the First Trollwar; Dies without issue.
Maeran Calandor 890 947 932/947 2nd son of Haelath; Inadvertently slain during a battle between the dragons Teskulladar and the great wyrm Cortulorrulagalargath.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2013 : 11:54:58
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And last but not least.
Scathril
The duchy of Scathril was bestowed upon Turvan Stoneblade, descendant of the last ruler of long-fallen Athalantar, by his brother-in-law Javilarhh I of Phalorm. Turvan had married Javilarhh’s sister Nareetha in the Year of the Unwavering Glare (510 DR) thereby bringing together two storied lineages of the North.
Turvan was granted rulership over the cleared region between the Lizard Marsh and the Trollbark Forest and his seat of rule was established at Scathril, a now-vanished holding on the coastal promontory north of the long-destroyed Seatower of Ilinyth.
Being of the royal line of Athalantar, Turvan and his successors were victims of the Hag Curse of Aratanta and it is thought that the dukes of Scathril slew at least a handful of hagborn progeny in the years following the formation of the Realm of Three Kings. Legend has it that the Lady Kalra, sister of Duke Turvan, fled Scathril in 548 DR when with child, dismayed at what the portents revealed regarding the impending birth. Kalra was never seen or heard of again, but the rise in hag activity in the northern environs of the Trollbark Forest over the following decades, point to a horrible fate for her and the genesis of the blight on the region that would in time become known as the Haglands.
The dukes of Scathril were warlike and eager for the fray, with at least five lords dying in battles for Phalorm. In the waning days of the Kingdom, with their lands beset, the line of Turvan was undone when three ruling dukes were slain in the space of three scant years and the hoped for heir of Baerild was hagborn. The Stoneblade male line was ended prior to the demise of Phalorm proper, and their holding absorbed by Haryd I into the lands of Delimbiyran, the Kingdom of Man.
The rulers of Scathril are presented below:
Ruler Realm(s) Ruled Birth Death Reigned Notes
Stoneblade Dynasty
Turvan, “the Grey” Scathril 485 555 523/555 Descendant of Rindol of Athalantar; Dies of old age.
Corvan Scathril 517 568 555/568 1st son of Turvan; Slain at the Battle of Silent Arrows.
Naerild Scathril 542 575 568/585 1st son of Corvan; Dies in battle with pirate raiders.
Laenril, “the Firescourge” Scathril 550 592 585/592 3rd son of Corvan; Slain at the Battle of Burning Leaves.
Malgarth Scathril 572 611 592/611 1st son (twin) of Laenril; Dies in battle with the Everhorde.
Talgarth Scathril 572 612 611/612 2nd son (twin) of Laenril; Slain at the Battle of Firetears.
Baerild, “the Accursed” Scathril 575 614 612/614 3rd son of Laenril; Slain at the Battle of Sodden Fields.
Apologies again for the formatting. Anything other than straight text gets butchered here at the 'Keep. Hope its been worth wading through.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6288 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2013 : 23:02:51
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Let me know if you want a properly formatted MS Word File, Sage.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2013 : 02:29:03
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Let me know if you want a properly formatted MS Word File, Sage.
-- George Krashos
If you've already got one file set up, then, sure, send it along. Otherwise, I'll just work it up myself. [And we both know how long that will take. Right?]  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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crazedventurers
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1073 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2013 : 20:31:36
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WOW
Just amazingly brilliant Lore on the North
Many many Thanks George
Cheers
Damian |
So saith Ed. I've never said he was sane, have I?
Gods, all this writing and he's running a constant fantasy version of Coronation Street in his head, too. .
shudder,
love to all,
THO
Candlekeep Forum 7 May 2005 |
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Lukas Kain
Seeker
USA
60 Posts |
Posted - 04 Dec 2013 : 18:42:20
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Why don't you e-mail me what you've got and I'll see if I've got extra stuff. Send it to: krashos@bigpond.com
-- George Krashos
Hey George. Thank you for all the assistance you've given me. As long as I'm not particularly verbose, would it be acceptable for me to email you as well? I don't mean to be that guy piggy-backing off another, yet here I find myself. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2013 : 02:03:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Lukas Kain
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Why don't you e-mail me what you've got and I'll see if I've got extra stuff. Send it to: krashos@bigpond.com
-- George Krashos
Hey George. Thank you for all the assistance you've given me. As long as I'm not particularly verbose, would it be acceptable for me to email you as well? I don't mean to be that guy piggy-backing off another, yet here I find myself.
Absolutely. I'm happy to field offline queries. I reserve the right to post anything juicy I might come up with on this thread though!
Feel free.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6288 Posts |
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Jakuta Khan
Senior Scribe
496 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 20:44:49
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Hi george,
Since you gave the information about the previously existing Hobgoblin empire / kingdom in or on impilturs borders, i was wondering.
I have asked ed previously about why hobgoblins do not build realms elsewhere in the realms - and he explained it by their very nature, being satisfied if they can get what they need and them then only defending to maintain this ( frankly interpreted... )
So i wonder why the hobgoblins in this area have been behaving different. First i thought it might have had to do with being ruled by soneillon and she forcing them to their will.
But they acted aggressively etc. And founding realms way earlier than she arrived.
So are they of a different stock? Have they got a completely different mindset than hobgoblins elsewhere in the realms?
Thank you very much for some reply.
Btw happy new year to you!! |
Edited by - Jakuta Khan on 02 Jan 2014 19:10:43 |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 23:45:10
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Hi George,
I was looking through the 2E book Prayers from the Faithful and started wondering what types of demihuman prayer books would be like. I was curious if you had given this some thought before. What would you think dwarven versions of holy books would be like?
Thank you and Happy New Year! |
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JPDeed
Acolyte
Australia
15 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 17:42:30
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Hi George,
Where would some locations be that shield dwarf and gold dwarf settlements interact, and in general, how do you see each subrace perceive each other as communities rather than individuals? |
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JPDeed
Acolyte
Australia
15 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 17:51:52
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Annnd one more question to peg onto that - if there are dwarven vampires, would you consider them to retain the host of standard vampire abilities/strengths/weaknesses, or something more torturous to the core of "being" a dwarf? I swear I read in an old 2nd ed. monster compendium relating to Ravenloft possibly an alternate approach to demihuman vampires.
Cheers mate! |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 07:01:06
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quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Hi George, hope Christmas was nice, I was wondering if you had any thoughts when the destruction of the greater riildath forest began (by the dragon overlords) and was finished by there human and hobgoblin servants.
The reason I ask is it affects my idea on the Spirit Realms I am working on in the running the realms section.
I was thinking the first dracorage would have been a big contender for the forest around ashanath and rashemen to be separated from the riildath as the dragon overlords go nuts and burn it down.
The hobgoblins and humanoid (I figure humans) soldiers of these overlords then deforest the area further.
Also if you have any ideas on who the dragons could be and where they might lair then that would be awesome. I guess the giantsrun mountains would be one dragon realm but im not sure where the others could be maybe somewhere towards thay or the hordelands.
I realise its from so long ago but the history is often the best bit
To begin to answer this query (understanding that my response is exactly that: "my response" - you can take from it what you will), you have to think of the northern reaches of the East in terms of the various inhalations and exhalations of the Great Glacier.
Before -2550 DR, there is no Great Glacier. Sure there is an ice sheet and polar cap, but I've always considered that what existed there was a huge taiga region clustered around the various mountain ranges that are best shown in the map provided by the FR Atlas by Karen Wynn Fonstad on pgs.6-7. This is where the dragons and then the giants mostly established their realms, warred and ultimately brought an end to their respective periods of preeminence. I say mostly because there were indeed giant and draconic presences in more southerly regions and indeed in what was known as the Riildath and is now the two wooded regions known as the Forest of Lethyr and the Rawlinswood.
It is indeed likely that in the dim ages this was one great wooded region, with the icy forests of the taiga giving way to more temperate forests as one travelled south. It is also likely that the wars between the giants and the dragons did deforest portions of the woodlands. As to when that may have occurred, the likely timing is for several thousand years after c. -25,000 DR as Ostoria declined from a cohesive whole to a series of giant sub-kingdoms: sub-kingdoms that the remaining vengeful and most powerful dragons saw as vulnerable to attack. While the "Time of Dragons" is delineated as being for a set period in the FR historical sources, I like to think that the end of that period of draconic mastery did not mean the end of draconic kingdoms, powerful wyrms controlling territory or wyrms receiving the fealty and submission of 'lesser races'. What it means in my book was that for the first time, draconic power was under challenge and that they indeed fell from that position of preeminence that they had previously enjoyed. In simple terms, the dragons no longer ruled all, displayed less open power and authority and were hunted and slain by the lesser races that they had previously dismissed as mere food or useful slaves. In this regard, the giants lead the way by the greatest measure but in holding forth as the dragons' biggest foe (literally and figuratively) they too were weakened and lost the power most readily exemplified by great Ostoria.
So, to the details. The woodlands of the Ashanath were ravaged in c. -18,000 DR with the fall of the realm of the great red dragon Ashanaglathos, whose primary lair was in the present-day Firward Mountains and extended south to the area of present-day Twostars, west and north in an arc to the area of Bezentil and and then northeasterly to his mountain lair. Succumbing to the dracorage he is thought to have been drowned in the Lake of Tears when the waters rose up and took him after he had brought fire and destructions to his own holdings on the western shore as well as the fey-haunted woodlands of the eastern shore (the Ashanwood is named after him when centuries later a draconic tooth of huge size washed up on the eastern shore in the Year of the Dragonstar (99 DR). From there it was taken into the woods by the Witches of Rashemen where they wove a great warding akin to a mythal preventing the "spawn of Ashanaglathos and all who had partaken of his blood" from entering the home of the telthor. Rashemen remains a land rarely troubled by dragons to this day.
Ashanaglathos was known to have hobgoblin servitors and after his death, and it is stated that many of them searched out and slew his wyrmlings, destroyed unhatched eggs and used those eggs to augment their own strength, longevity and mastery of magic. The fall of the dragon's kingdom saw his servants scattered, with the most powerful hobgoblins trekking north to join kin, but some moving west into the forests where they eked out a nomadic existence, avoiding the bigger races.
Other dragons did rule kingdoms in and around the Unapproachable East, but most are dead or disappeared from living memory. One of the most enduring was the green dragon Galaminthautor, who ruled the woodland comprised of the present-day Forest of Lethyr from the time of the dracorage to the coming of the dark elves of Ilythiir (those woodlands extending much further south, to the borders of present-day Thesk in those long ago days). The Ilythiiri are thought to have either slain or enslaved her after a titanic struggle and she was not seen or heard of again after c. -10,250 DR.
The white dragon Norfaerhoern is believed to have ruled from a lair located in the northern most peak of the present-day Icerim Mountains. Less savage than the standard dragons of his ilk, Norfaerhoern is known to have wielded amazing magics including allowing him to alter temperatures and sustain life in otherwise inhospitable polar regions. He is believed to have created several 'hidden valley' lairs throughout the northern reaches of the East where he would stash food (on the hoof - rothe in the main), treasure and lore on rune magic plundered from the giants. Human prehistoric tales talk of the 'Cloud of Claws' and the 'Yellow Eye of Frost', both thought to refer to Norfaerhoern, but his passing was not noted and it is unknown how and when he left the world, if at all.
Perhaps one of the most interesting tales of the dragons of the East is that of a dragon of unknown species known only as Orslinn, or "the Great Slave" in the tongue of the serpentfolk. This dragon is thought to have been taken as a hatchling by the Ba'etith with the advent of the Time of Dragons and nurtured by this mysterious group for purposes unknown. When the Thousand Year War commenced some sages postulate that in an attempt to return to past glories, the final gambit of the sarrukh was realised. Orslinn was unleashed upon the draconic avatar of Garyx and slew him in a huge battle over the skies of the present-day Tortured Lands, preventing the dragons from regaining hegemony over the Realms. With the fall of Ostoria, the sarrukh believed that they could return to their position of power but the departure of most of the sarrukh of Okoth had left that realm too weak to seize its opportunity and the other sarrukh realms were not in a position to take advantage. The fate of Orslinn is unknown but there are some sages who believe that he lives on in stasis, perhaps somewhere deep underneath the Dragonjaw Mountains, awaiting the next sarrukh gambit and attempt to return to power in the Realms.
I hope this has been helpful.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 03 Jan 2014 07:05:05 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 07:20:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Jakuta Khan
Hi george,
Since you gave the information about the previously existing Hobgoblin empire / kingdom in or on impilturs borders, i was wondering.
I have asked ed previously about why hobgoblins do not build realms elsewhere in the realms - and he explained it by their very nature, being satisfied if they can get what they need and them then only defending to maintain this ( frankly interpreted... )
So i wonder why the hobgoblins in this area have been behaving different. First i thought it might have had to do with being ruled by soneillon and she forcing them to their will.
But they acted aggressively etc. And founding realms way earlier than she arrived.
So are they of a different stock? Have they got a completely different mindset than hobgoblins elsewhere in the realms?
Thank you very much for some reply.
Btw happy new year to you!!
No, I don't think they've acted all that differently from standard hobgoblins. Ed's view on hobgoblins applies just as much to the hobgoblins I've talked about and described as to the hobgoblins of the Heartlands or the North. Where they have acted in a warlike or aggressive manner (which is what I presume you are referring to) it has been due to the fact that they have had no choice. Other than when controlled, ruled or manipulated by other more powerful entities (dragon overlords, the Ilythiiri of Narathmault or Soneillon), circumstances have forced them to take on an aggressive mindset for survival. The formation and expansion of the Great Glacier has been the catalyst for most of this, shrinking their living space, destroying their food sources and bringing them into close (and deadly) proximity to racial enemies such as humans, elves and dwarves where previous geographical space had kept them apart save for skirmishing and raiding. The only realm of consequence that they created was Haekrukkha, but it was so close to the elves of Larlotha and the dwarves of Earthfast that it was always doomed. I'd refer you to previous pages in my thread where the history of the East was fleshed out somewhat. That timeline makes it clear that the hobgoblins are reacting to circumstances, not being out and out aggressors.
However, I do consider that my "eastern Hobgoblins" are more warlike than standard hobgoblins, and possessed of a "we'll get you before you get us" mindset. That hasn't seen them become dumb savages though. They remain wily and patient foes, strong in the magics they wield, and always planning and acting with foresight.
--- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 07:30:10
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quote:
Originally posted by JPDeed
Annnd one more question to peg onto that - if there are dwarven vampires, would you consider them to retain the host of standard vampire abilities/strengths/weaknesses, or something more torturous to the core of "being" a dwarf? I swear I read in an old 2nd ed. monster compendium relating to Ravenloft possibly an alternate approach to demihuman vampires.
Cheers mate!
Indeed, the Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium provided different stats for dwarven vampires as opposed to "standard" ones. I managed to find a link for the write up here:
http://www.lomion.de/cmm/vampdwar.php
I personally like the idea of 'intelligent' undead such as vampires and liches having a few standard basic abilities but variations depending on race and/or class in life that would make them much more interesting to play against and keep an adventuring party on their toes as it were.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6288 Posts |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 10:33:56
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quote:
Originally posted by JPDeed
Hi George,
Where would some locations be that shield dwarf and gold dwarf settlements interact, and in general, how do you see each subrace perceive each other as communities rather than individuals?
I can't think of anywhere in the Realms that a shield dwarf settlement and a gold dwarf settlement would be in a position to interact on a large scale. That said, I present to you one of the more peculiar dwarven discoveries of recent times.
In the Year of the Rock (1289 DR), a group of dwarves of Clan Deepshield, a small clan situated in a series of deep caverns beneath the southern Stormhorns east of Proskur and known as Sarndul, came upon a dwarven tunnel complex in the peaks of the neighbouring Sunset Mountains. Unlocking a series of rune doors (doors that opened only after a series of dethek runes were pressed in the correct sequence - pressing the wrong rune caused various magical and mundane traps to be triggered), the dwarves entered a series of interconnected rooms and storehouses and discovered that the complex had been constructed as a safehold for King Bryth Firebeard, blood of Thordbard, last ruler of fallen Oghrann. They found little of note other than magically preserved food, a cache of weapons and armour and a a small mithral sphere, covered in runes, and described by the High One Tol Deepshield as "the merest of baubles, but verily singing with the touch of the Soulforger".
Holding the sphere and pronouncing the word "barast" created a shimmering, silver portal that snatched all who touched or passed through it to another subterranean complex. Little in the way of treasure was found in this further complex but careful exploration of the surrounding region caused the elders of Clan Deepshield to discover that the further complex was located on the northern fringes of Torglor, deep beneath the Snowflake Mountains and once a sub-kingdom of fabled Shanatar. Clan Deepshield used this further complex for storage and for limited exploration but soon considered that the dangers posed by the Middledark meant that the complex, which they named Borontar, had little value other than as a fungi farm for food.
And so it was with some surprise in the Year of the Starfall (1300 DR) that dwarves of Clan Deepshield, making a routine visit to harvest fungi, encountered dwarves of Clan Hundelve of Tarnhall in the Deep Realms surveying their work. What was initially a tense encounter soon gave way to stout converse as dwarven politeness and social graces took hold. As it turned out, Clan Hundelve had been aware of Borontar for over five centuries, they too having come across a mithral sphere identical to the one held by Clan Deepshield, and had also considered the place of little real value. Clan elders had however mandated that the place be visited every 50 years and that was the reason for their presence. And so it was that a scant ten-day later Axelord Ebersar Deepshield, blood of Arn "the Giantslayer", ruler of his clan met with Axelord Rathagos "the Red", son of Tybult, leader of Clan Hundelve to discuss the fate of Borontar. After some careful and shrewd negotiation it was agreed that Borontar would continue to be used as a vast fungus farm, supplying Clan Hundelve with a source of food that it would use to ease its reliance on provender coming out of Daunting. In return, Clan Hundelve provided the Deepshield dwarves with raw metals that were in scarce supply in the North, primarily hizagkuur and a metal known as yaethil (in our world, nickel).
As such, the settlement of Borontar (for a settlement it has become: a small collective of fungus farmers, carters, guards and the everpresent bureaucracy that facilitate the trade between the two clans) has flourished although not without teething problems. As expected, the gold dwarves of Tarnhall find the shield dwarves of the Stormhorns to be lacking in refinement, slow of speech and wit and 'nothing better than farmers'. The dwarves of Clan Deepshield find the gold dwarves to be soft, full of airs and graces and 'in need of a good go round with an orc horde'. Only the patience and growing friendship of the two main administrators Daurant Deepshield and Obar Hundelve has seen matters run smoothly. They have rightly deduced that Borontar was likely a way post between fledgling Oghrann, great Shanatar and the Deep Realm in the very early days of the dwarven settlement of the North, created to speed couriers, high level diplomats and to serve as an emergency refuge. That said, the interactions between the gold and shield dwarves have been cordial and without any major incident. There have even been three marriages, although secrecy has caused elaborate tales to be put in place as to how a gold or shield dwarf has ended up in Tarnhall and Sarndul respectively.
In recent decades, with the arrival of githyanki in the ruins of Torglor, the dwarves of Borontar have put an emphasis on security and greatly reduced their quiet exploration of Borontar's environs.They have built up a small arsenal of weapons and armaments scavenged from the ruins of Torglor that they know are most effective against creatures strong in the Invisible Art but do not intend to hold Borontar to the detriment of their own holdings. If the day comes that Borontar is discovered by any powerful enemy, then it is likely that this interaction between gold and shield dwarves will cease and swiftly so. Until then, this unique situation remains a testament to dwarven commonsense and racial kinship.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 03 Jan 2014 13:13:08 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6559 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 13:30:21
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quote:
Originally posted by Eilserus
Hi George,
I was looking through the 2E book Prayers from the Faithful and started wondering what types of demihuman prayer books would be like. I was curious if you had given this some thought before. What would you think dwarven versions of holy books would be like?
Thank you and Happy New Year!
"Prayers From the Faithful" remains one of my favourite FR products of all time and every time I read it, I take more and more from it. It's the Realms gift that keeps on giving!
I've long thought about Ed or someone with the talent (Eric Boyd would be the best alternative) doing a follow-up and wouldn't it be awesome if it included demi-human versions?! Long ago, for the Realms-L, I did a series of posts titled "Khanor's Prayer Stones" which could be described as something of "Prayers From the Faithful" treatment for Moradin. It was the second of two articles I put up to Dragon Magazine (and was told fairly quickly by Jesse Decker that it was an article that "only a Realms fan could love" and was rejected on that basis) and was written up on an old MAC. As such, I don't have an electronic copy and have a sneaking suspicion that my hard copy disappeared in one of my house moves. The Realms-L archives contain a reference to the posting I did but clearly it occurred before the archiving process was put in place.
I've toyed recently with trying to recreate it - much of it remains vivid in my memory from the frontpiece flavour quote to the spells it contained - but I've not got the time just right now to devote to that task.
I've always wondered why Ed omitted such deities as Tempus and Talona from his "Prayers From the Faithful" book (and others such as Lliira and Leira while we're at it) and live in hope that he actually did write up 'tomes' for those deities that might one day see the light of day. Here's hoping.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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JPDeed
Acolyte
Australia
15 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 17:45:50
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Most excellent. A meaty chunk of stout folk lore. This fills many gaps for me... and thanks for digging up that dwarf vampire link too... you are a c
champ . Expect more dwarvish (dwarven?) questions to come! |
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sleyvas
Great Reader
USA
11426 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 18:29:05
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Hi George, hope Christmas was nice, I was wondering if you had any thoughts when the destruction of the greater riildath forest began (by the dragon overlords) and was finished by there human and hobgoblin servants.
The reason I ask is it affects my idea on the Spirit Realms I am working on in the running the realms section.
I was thinking the first dracorage would have been a big contender for the forest around ashanath and rashemen to be separated from the riildath as the dragon overlords go nuts and burn it down.
The hobgoblins and humanoid (I figure humans) soldiers of these overlords then deforest the area further.
Also if you have any ideas on who the dragons could be and where they might lair then that would be awesome. I guess the giantsrun mountains would be one dragon realm but im not sure where the others could be maybe somewhere towards thay or the hordelands.
I realise its from so long ago but the history is often the best bit
To begin to answer this query (understanding that my response is exactly that: "my response" - you can take from it what you will), you have to think of the northern reaches of the East in terms of the various inhalations and exhalations of the Great Glacier.
Before -2550 DR, there is no Great Glacier. Sure there is an ice sheet and polar cap, but I've always considered that what existed there was a huge taiga region clustered around the various mountain ranges that are best shown in the map provided by the FR Atlas by Karen Wynn Fonstad on pgs.6-7. This is where the dragons and then the giants mostly established their realms, warred and ultimately brought an end to their respective periods of preeminence. I say mostly because there were indeed giant and draconic presences in more southerly regions and indeed in what was known as the Riildath and is now the two wooded regions known as the Forest of Lethyr and the Rawlinswood.
It is indeed likely that in the dim ages this was one great wooded region, with the icy forests of the taiga giving way to more temperate forests as one travelled south. It is also likely that the wars between the giants and the dragons did deforest portions of the woodlands. As to when that may have occurred, the likely timing is for several thousand years after c. -25,000 DR as Ostoria declined from a cohesive whole to a series of giant sub-kingdoms: sub-kingdoms that the remaining vengeful and most powerful dragons saw as vulnerable to attack. While the "Time of Dragons" is delineated as being for a set period in the FR historical sources, I like to think that the end of that period of draconic mastery did not mean the end of draconic kingdoms, powerful wyrms controlling territory or wyrms receiving the fealty and submission of 'lesser races'. What it means in my book was that for the first time, draconic power was under challenge and that they indeed fell from that position of preeminence that they had previously enjoyed. In simple terms, the dragons no longer ruled all, displayed less open power and authority and were hunted and slain by the lesser races that they had previously dismissed as mere food or useful slaves. In this regard, the giants lead the way by the greatest measure but in holding forth as the dragons' biggest foe (literally and figuratively) they too were weakened and lost the power most readily exemplified by great Ostoria.
So, to the details. The woodlands of the Ashanath were ravaged in c. -18,000 DR with the fall of the realm of the great red dragon Ashanaglathos, whose primary lair was in the present-day Firward Mountains and extended south to the area of present-day Twostars, west and north in an arc to the area of Bezentil and and then northeasterly to his mountain lair. Succumbing to the dracorage he is thought to have been drowned in the Lake of Tears when the waters rose up and took him after he had brought fire and destructions to his own holdings on the western shore as well as the fey-haunted woodlands of the eastern shore (the Ashanwood is named after him when centuries later a draconic tooth of huge size washed up on the eastern shore in the Year of the Dragonstar (99 DR). From there it was taken into the woods by the Witches of Rashemen where they wove a great warding akin to a mythal preventing the "spawn of Ashanaglathos and all who had partaken of his blood" from entering the home of the telthor. Rashemen remains a land rarely troubled by dragons to this day.
Ashanaglathos was known to have hobgoblin servitors and after his death, and it is stated that many of them searched out and slew his wyrmlings, destroyed unhatched eggs and used those eggs to augment their own strength, longevity and mastery of magic. The fall of the dragon's kingdom saw his servants scattered, with the most powerful hobgoblins trekking north to join kin, but some moving west into the forests where they eked out a nomadic existence, avoiding the bigger races.
Other dragons did rule kingdoms in and around the Unapproachable East, but most are dead or disappeared from living memory. One of the most enduring was the green dragon Galaminthautor, who ruled the woodland comprised of the present-day Forest of Lethyr from the time of the dracorage to the coming of the dark elves of Ilythiir (those woodlands extending much further south, to the borders of present-day Thesk in those long ago days). The Ilythiiri are thought to have either slain or enslaved her after a titanic struggle and she was not seen or heard of again after c. -10,250 DR.
The white dragon Norfaerhoern is believed to have ruled from a lair located in the northern most peak of the present-day Icerim Mountains. Less savage than the standard dragons of his ilk, Norfaerhoern is known to have wielded amazing magics including allowing him to alter temperatures and sustain life in otherwise inhospitable polar regions. He is believed to have created several 'hidden valley' lairs throughout the northern reaches of the East where he would stash food (on the hoof - rothe in the main), treasure and lore on rune magic plundered from the giants. Human prehistoric tales talk of the 'Cloud of Claws' and the 'Yellow Eye of Frost', both thought to refer to Norfaerhoern, but his passing was not noted and it is unknown how and when he left the world, if at all.
Perhaps one of the most interesting tales of the dragons of the East is that of a dragon of unknown species known only as Orslinn, or "the Great Slave" in the tongue of the serpentfolk. This dragon is thought to have been taken as a hatchling by the Ba'etith with the advent of the Time of Dragons and nurtured by this mysterious group for purposes unknown. When the Thousand Year War commenced some sages postulate that in an attempt to return to past glories, the final gambit of the sarrukh was realised. Orslinn was unleashed upon the draconic avatar of Garyx and slew him in a huge battle over the skies of the present-day Tortured Lands, preventing the dragons from regaining hegemony over the Realms. With the fall of Ostoria, the sarrukh believed that they could return to their position of power but the departure of most of the sarrukh of Okoth had left that realm too weak to seize its opportunity and the other sarrukh realms were not in a position to take advantage. The fate of Orslinn is unknown but there are some sages who believe that he lives on in stasis, perhaps somewhere deep underneath the Dragonjaw Mountains, awaiting the next sarrukh gambit and attempt to return to power in the Realms.
I hope this has been helpful.
-- George Krashos
Liking the Ashanaglathos lore. Would need to hear more on the green dragon Galaminthautor, as this makes him about 15 thousand years old when he finally passes.... lot of time to be over the Lethyr forest. The Orslinn lore is very intriguing (and noting the tortured lands where Orslinn and Garyx fought was would be relatively close <west of> to the fire giant kingdom of Helligheim which contained Ironfang Keep). That he was a dragon of unknown origin makes me wonder if he wasn't heavily experimented upon by the Sarrukh. Maybe he had multiple heads, multiple breath weapons, a poisonous bite, a natural carapace similar to a dragon turtle... or who knows what else (and maybe his magic was of an entirely different sort.... maybe he used the giants rune magic, or incarnum or pact magic). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6288 Posts |
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kysus
Seeker
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 02:32:28
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hello george,
First i wanted to say how much i loved your article on Impiltur in dragon 346. I use that article alot for when my D&D group does games in that area. So there were a number of questions Ive sorta saved up about the area i was hoping you could help me with.
The first one that i was wondering about was a grove of trees called Alithyn's copse in the grey forest. If you had any further notes on this grove and if it was linked to the legend in the campaign setting about a number of elves turning themselves in to trees to escape destruction?
Any light you could shed on this would be much awesome. |
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sleyvas
Great Reader
USA
11426 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2014 : 13:45:36
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quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Ooh, good idea I was thinking unknown origin meant like Inferno or Garnet but a dragon covered in grafts is much better. I wonder if they could use their alteration abilities on him because a dragon is slightly reptilian in nature.
A 15,000 year old dragon is a brilliant idea, imagine the size and power of him, I bet she wouldn't be able to fly at that age. But if you love your pact magic a 15,000 year old dragon is bound to be a good candidate for a vestige.
Oooo, I like that idea of it becoming a vestige/spirit creature. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2014 : 13:42:40
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| Wow indeed! This is great stuff! Totally using this in our current campaign! |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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Derulbaskul
Senior Scribe
Singapore
406 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2014 : 07:25:35
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Thanks, George and AJA. You're a pair of top blokes. (As an Australian I can get away with saying that.)
I've just been preparing some things for a new campaign in the North and Khanor's Prayer Stones provides some really great flavour. (Edit) And Baghtru's fist is going to be used first....
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Awesome stuff, Krash!
I'm positively bewildered by just where and when I'll make use of this great material in my Realms.
I came to this thread for George's talent... and came away laughing at Sage's humour. As if you will ever get around to using this material.... :)
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Cheers
D
NB: Please remember: A cannon is a big gun. Canon is what we discuss here. |
Edited by - Derulbaskul on 10 Jan 2014 07:27:48 |
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mikemax
Acolyte
14 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jan 2014 : 21:10:15
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OK, I've been reading posts on here and looking at all of the supplements that I own but can't seem to find very many details on how the Warswords are organized and even less on how the Warwands.
George (or anyone else who knows) can you expand any on the inner workings of these groups?
Thanks much. |
Edited by - mikemax on 13 Jan 2014 16:21:11 |
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Questions for George Krashos
