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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6383 Posts

Posted - 01 Jul 2012 : 20:13:34

I just came across a paragraph in 2nd ed Faiths and Avatars about Amaunator that said the following.

"Priests of Amaunator were powerful political figures at the height of the Netherese empire. Many served as regional rulers and political advisors. Despite the clergy members' efforts to halt the creeping desert, Anauroch approached relentlessly after the magical catastrophe brought on by Karse's pride. When the population rose up in revolt after seven years of bad harvests, the priests of Amaunator responded without mercy to suppress the uprising. This slide towards tyranny led to the overthrow of the political and religious authority of Amaunator's clergy."

Now i figured the bit about revolution and bad harvests must be referring to one of the survivor states of Netheril of which we know little. Now Asram was destroyed by Talona's Plague, and Anauria was destroyed by an orc horde (although the name of one of its cities; Amazandar or something like that is a little bit close to Amaunator), whereas Hlondath was destroyed by famine and the encroachment of Anauroch which seems the best fit to me.

Since Amaunator's clergy were regional rulers and advisors presumably of Low Netheril at the time of the fall, they may have retained that influence when the survivor states were created so could it be that Hlondath was possibly a theocracy, or if not heavily influenced by the clergy of Amaunator, and large numbers of temples devoted to Amaunator might be located among the ruins of Hlondath.
One could imagine that after the mages of Netheril destroyed its empire that people turned to religion to save them from the Phaerimm among other things. Could this ruling clergy then have become tyrants that forced people to do their duty according to the law and work through famine and hard times, maybe even force them into ill advised wars with Cormanthor (Amaunator did always obey the letter of the law).

Im just wondering if anyone has anything on the survivor states more than what is in Lost Empires of Faerun that may confirm or deny the above.

xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore

USA
1853 Posts

Posted - 01 Jul 2012 : 23:23:59

Nice find.

quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

(although the name of one of its cities; Amazandar or something like that is a little bit close to Amaunator)

Coincidence I believe, but I'm not sure where the name came from. Amazandar, also called the City of Gems, was the capital of Anauria.

quote:
Im just wondering if anyone has anything on the survivor states more than what is in Lost Empires of Faerun that may confirm or deny the above.

Anauroch, the 2e FR13 sourcebook, not the Empire of Shade book, has some bits about the survivor kingdoms, including several more city names and a small map.

The Netheril box set, also from 2e, has a couple of notes, but I don't remember it saying anything beyond what was in FR13.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6383 Posts

Posted - 02 Jul 2012 : 07:09:21

Hmm, i might have a go at developing Hlondath a bit more with this. Im sure it could be worked into the history quite easily that the Crown Against the Sceptre wars was all the result of the ruling priests forcing Hlondath to go to war with Cormanthor over ridiculous rules.

For instance Netheril claimed control of a certain type of magic, or maybe they discover Cormanthor owns a set of the Nether scrolls and so Hlondath goes to war with Cormanthor to recover magical items or magical knowledge that belonged to Netheril and therefore belong to Hlondath. It seems in keeping with something priests of Amaunator would do, and might explain the ridiculous action of that nation a bit better.

Maybe when the war is over that is after the revolt has happened and the people have forced out Amaunators clergy for its tyranny and persecution, and the famine. And then of course shortly after that the desert swallows the entire country.

Brimstone
Great Reader

USA
3290 Posts

Posted - 02 Jul 2012 : 10:05:16

Check out these links.

Anauria, Asram, Hlondath - a little tome I found..

Fan made PDF. Good stuff.

EDIT The first link that I posted isn't there. Snowblood's PDF still works.

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep

Edited by - Brimstone on 02 Jul 2012 13:49:32

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6383 Posts

Posted - 02 Jul 2012 : 11:05:40

Hmm the site from the first link no longer exists (or so my work connection tells me, i will try again when i get home).