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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2018 : 13:26:52

The demoncysts were all over from The Priador to Vaasa and future Impiltur. I'd imagine the demoncyst beneath the Thaymount is because one of the first things the Nentyarch commanded was for Eltab to assault Rashemen. It may have acted as a beachhead for him. In fact, afterward, he may have ruled FROM this demoncyst acting as his throne on high (literally on high). Remember that at those times, the country boundaries may have been different. For all we know, he led his army north to Rashemen to get to this demoncyst because it had something he needed, and then he got sealed in using Hadryllis.

As George indicated, I wouldn't be surprised if the invasion didn't also involve the use of the gate to Shandaular. Eltab and the Myrkulites had in fact occupied said city for 96 years. The invasion into southern Unther and Mulhorand could have been something of a ruse to pull away forces in the northlands while he and a smaller group went north to this demoncyst. Perhaps he intended some deadly ritual to harvest the spirit energy/telthors of Rashemen in revenge for their ousting him three centuries prior. Maybe it was for some other reason.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2018 : 13:45:11

Well having read the demoncyst sources the implication is that they are static which means of all the places one could appear it did so right beneath the most magically mighty ruin in the region. Sounds like a bit much of a coincidence to me.

Then the mulhorand need to bind eltab and decide to bind him inside a manifestation of his own corrupting nature on the planet toril. If I was going to bind a demon Lord it would be beneath some of the most holy of runes, relics, and servants I could find in the hope they keep him locked away. It certainly wouldn't be inside an abyssal pus filled buboe infecting the land.

So either the cyst was already there and coincidence be damned and the mulhorandi are unspeakably dumb, or by binding him it created the demoncyst (which is how they appeared on toril in the first place)

My own preference is that the cysts grow and are spreading outward from dun orthass and the thaymount like a cancer but that's because I see the abyssal taint as a cancer that corrupts and destroys.

It may be that they chose to ignore the portals beneath the thaymount and just bound him into the ruin for kicks (It's far enough away from their major population centres while being close enough to keep guard over) but it doesn't matter what they were doing. As soon as they did it the demoncyst was formed and eltab was lost from the realms until 684 DR because as I said I doubt demoncyst come with Windows so you can see who is inside.

That means I'm free to spin it however and I get to add in a cool legend about the lost legion of the sun (and a reason why there are no more legions of the sun only legions of the dawn)

Edited by - Gary Dallison on 04 May 2018 13:47:03

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 04 May 2018 : 23:30:02

I agree, it does seem odd that they bound him in an area of Abyssal energy. That being said, his layer basically was kind of extended and portions shattered/destroyed by making it coterminous with Toril. However, we also don't know how MUCH of his layer was destroyed. These demoncysts may only comprise 1% or 2% of his abyssal domain (or they might comprise a helluva lot more). We also know that the Balor named Ndulu is in the abyss IN the hidden layer, and warring with other demons to control the Hidden Layer. Meanwhile Eltab is bound to Toril. So, given what we know.. we know that Eltab is still LORD of his layer, but he also can't leave Toril. So, unlike Ndulu, he can't be banished back to the Abyss because of the Adamantine Binding. So, the only thing they can do is put him away into a demoncyst and then "shut the door" so that he can't interact with the world. At least that's my take.

Now, Eltab MAY be able to summon MORE of his layer to Toril (since he is its LORD), and that opens up some other possibilities as well. In fact, his layer may have been infecting Toril prior to his summoning and these demoncysts have existed. That may be WHY his layer is called the "Hidden Layer"... he secretly extends it to worlds to use it to invade them.... "kind of" similar to the orcs of Azeroth a little when they worked with demons. What Orcus showed the Narfelli was how to create the Adamantine Binding, not necessarily how to create the demoncysts, and thus, while Eltab may have been subtly invading countless worlds, the Adamantine Binding has entrapped him to this one world.

IF this is true, destroying the Adamantine Binding would allow Eltab to go home, but it wouldn't necessarily mean that Toril is free of his influence.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Edited by - sleyvas on 04 May 2018 23:38:15

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 05 May 2018 : 10:32:28

A further thought is that the mulhorandi are not experts at binding outsiders like the Nar, and so would not stand a chance of binding eltab. They are however known for banishing powerful outsiders.

I'm picturing him being forced through the permanent gate (like a star gate) in the bowels of the citadel. At the moment he enters the gate a thick mist covers the entire thaymount.

Eltab is not allowed to leave faerun but his body has physically passed through a gateway. His empty husk exits the gateway wherever it is pointing to. His mind is thrust into the nearest most suitable vessel (The incarnation of anhur and general of the legion of the sun). A stage 10 demoncyst swells to cover most of the gateway chamber (where it maybe starts growing him a new body), and the mists of Ravenloft claim the entire legion of the sun and all their rashemmi slave attendants and dump them all in Hazlan with no personal memories (They can still read and write and perform learned tasks but they don't know who they are).

In Hazlan the army quickly decide that eltab is their leader and his medals and appellation denoting him as an incarnation must make him their king. He becomes the nameless king and the army quickly conquers all of Hazlan.

The Nameless King is gradually but increasingly plagued by horrifying dreams of a great horned monster and the grizzly murders of everyone in Hazlan. He becomes paranoid and slightly unhinged as the centuries go by, convinced that something terrible will happen and that he will be the cause. By the third century his body is afflicted by a strange pox that turns his skin scaly and mottled and horrified lumps growing from odd places like his head and knees.
Eventually the Nameless King resolves to fake his own death and flee Hazlan. He becomes a terrifying beast that stalks thr wilds of Hazlan.

Then Errendil Tarrik uses the shiftglass of orthass to pierce all barriers and open a direct connection to eltab. Eltab memories come flooding back and he possesses Errendil to escape Ravenloft (Not realising this takes him back to Toril).

Now we have Eltabs newly grown body beneath thaymount trapped in a demoncyst but without a consciousness. Eltab mind is possessing Errendil Tarrik (but will soon burn that body out), and the twisted and demonic body of the incarnation of Angus is roaming the countryside of Hazlan with his original mind restored but his sanity shattered over what he has done and what he has become.

I don't think anyone that contradicts the canon.

I did note in the gazetteer of Ravenloft that there were insectoid creatures being the first occupants of Hazlan. I Don't recall their name right now but I'm wondering if I could tie it to spellweavers right now.

Lastly this spellglass of orthass seems to have been named after dun orthass. Did the same guy that designed dun orthass also make the spellglass. Could the spellglass have been used in the binding of eltab originally (I'm guessing you have to lure the demon to your binding first in order to bind them and what better way to get his attention than make a magic telephone that rings whoever you name no matter where they are and even if they haven't got a phone.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 07 May 2018 : 21:46:40

I've been trying to think of an alternate reason why Bast left Mulhorand. I don't do Ao and I don't do pantheon/god nonsense so I've had to rationalize why a semi divine being would leave her place of power (from the point of view of security and established assets), to wander the Inner Sea lands.

My first thought was that she could have been exiled during the mulhorandi civil war (having chosen the wrong side to support - easy mistake because Set does not walk around with a big sign above his said saying "I am ebil"), but that was too early for the Mulhorandi association with animals.

So I'm wondering if the previously warlike Bast (lieutenant of Anhur) was blamed for causing unrest of some sort and it was the last straw (after her siding with Set she was likely suspected of being a baddie).
The beast cults arrive in Mulhorand at the height of the Mulhorandi and Unther second empires. I previously dated this to -240 DR but this is not at the height of the second empire of Mulhorand which was re-established really when Narfell and Raumathar collapsed and the Priador repopulated. So I'm thinking that the Suren migrated west to Narfell and south into Murghom/Mulhorand to escape the copper demon of tros and his evil.

So -200 to -130 DR the suren migrate into Mulhorand and bring with them the worship of beast cults. Sometime around -50 DR a great number of suren refugees are slaughtered and this causing an uprising which the mulhorandi are forced to put down (ruthlessly of course). This eradicates the suren from Mulhorand (because there are no suren there today in any significant number), allows time for the beast cults to become popular.

Bast and her clergy get implicated for the initial slaughter and she is exiled from Mulhorand along with the bulk of her clergy, based on this crime, her lack of acceptance of Horus-Re, and the crime of siding with Set during the civil war (the slaughter taking place near her Divine Precept). Of course the evidence was planted to implicate her clergy, I'm thinking the Suren discovered drow infiltrators (possibly from Undrek'Thoz as they have been infiltrating drow cities for some time I believe) or alternatively Set and his servants planted the evidence.

That way Bast has to leave Mulhorand and I don't need any arranged swaps between pantheons because I think the pantheon model is a human construct and worship can go wherever it wants (unfortunately established churches in the new regions quickly destroy emerging rivals).

Demzer
Senior Scribe

877 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2018 : 07:26:19

Uhm, well, aside from the facts that Bast siding with Set is not something you can handwaive like that or that making up big migrations and slaughters should require a little more supporting evidence you seem to be confused about one fundamental fact: Bast didn't leave Mulhorand, she expanded out of Mulhorand while retaining her status, flock, temples and whatever there.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2018 : 08:57:16

Well powers and pantheon mentions the beast cults becoming popular during the second empire and the hordelands box notes the migration of the suren at around the same time so I linked the two and the suren or a group driven before the suren and bring with them animal worship.

The civil war is more about dynastic change. I don't recall many dynastic changes happening peacefully. Re died so everyone is going to want to be the new king. Ergo horus would have to fight for it. There would be alliances and pacts and fighting and ultimately a civil war between the most powerful faction. As I said before Set doesn't walk round advertising he is evil. Yes he is known for it now but back then he ruled a precept (probably the priador) so he was considered one of the gang back then and his actions during the civil war must have led to his exile. Bast was anhurs lieutenant against set so I imagine she became really anti set after the civil war possibly because set tricked her.

Powers and pantheon clearly states bast wandered faerun. Easy to do as a semi divine being. Her leaving mulhorand is justification for bane and mask being allowed into the old empires. I don't do the pantheon nonsense so if she left I need a reason for her to leave. I'm not exiting her flock or all her clergy, just bast herself and her senior clergy at the high temple. The junior clergy then rebuild her church but bast is gone nd becomes shares over time.

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2018 : 16:29:22

Not big on the idea of Eltab jumping bodies into an incarnation of Anhur, and I could see him being able to travel to his portions of the demoncysts that are Toril bound (he does that currently). I'd see it more as there are certain "closets" (i.e. demoncysts related to his home plane) that he can still be pushed into and then the door shut. Also, since Hadryllis has some ties to the Adamantine Binding, it also has some ties to "shutting the door and locking it". Meanwhile, this shut demoncyst still leaks into Toril, because it infects the waters of the river Eltar. What becomes a good question though is why is it that the glyph made from the city of Eltabbar is an effective lock on this particular demoncyst (it would seem to have something to do with the river water), and why does destroying images of this glyph (in the form of maps) weaken the glyph.

I could see the mists of Ravenloft possibly showing up and absorbing Rashemi and Mulhorandi folk during said encounter though. In fact, it might even be interesting if its hinted that Eltab enacts something to call the mists and have them come rolling in over his enemies. Basically, maybe some demon lords have learned how to attract the attentions of the dark powers of Ravenloft, even if they don't know how to control it. Since Hadryllis didn't leave Toril, I wouldn't involve the incarnation of Anhur in that though, and I'd have him survive to return as a hero to Mulhorand. Otherwise I'd feel like it would state that he disappeared or fell in the entry.

Also, just to throw out there Dun Orthass is the Citadel of Conjurers (for those that don't recognize the name who are also reading this conversation), which is also where the Adamantine Binding is found that ties the whole Eltab/demoncysts thing together.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 08 May 2018 : 20:37:37

I don't really like it when baddies or goodies have everything go according to plan, I much prefer fate to throw a curve ball in there that randomizes things.

I'm not going to state Eltab went to Ravenloft, nor that Eltab possessed the incarnation of Anhur. The only nods I have to my preferred course of events is an event in the timeline that mists descend upon the Thaymount and the army vanishes. Nearby soldiers sent to investigate discover only a huge organic swelling that is impervious to harm, and the sword Hadryllis left on the floor.

I'm also intending to add a moniker or title to Eltab of the Nameless King.

Other than that what actually happens is up to the reader. However I need the army to disappear because Mulhorand takes no action to expand its borders over the next few centuries and seemingly leaves Unther to retake all of the Shaar following the defeat of Eltabranar. The loss of an army could explain this lack of follow up, and allows for myths and legends to arise out of the event. Mulhorand was saved during an invasion by Narfell by Unther. a Mulhorandi city was sacked by pirates and presumably saved by a nearby legion. All these events even though at wrong times and unrelated could be attributed to the Lost Legion by commoners and enter folklore as a good luck story and secret defender of Mulhorand.

And I need a reason why the demoncyst exists. I don't believe that such a huge cyst existed in the thaymount before this time (too much of a coincidence). I don't believe Mulhorand possessed the skill to bind Eltab in such a way (its not their style or preference for magic). So the demoncyst appeared by Eltab being here. If he could switch between Demoncysts then he would have swapped at several crucial points in the past (before Szass Tam bound him to the thakorskils seat for one) and that didn't happen so I think he is stuck and the demoncysts are more a regeneration point for him (the nearest one regrowing him because he cannot leave Toril, even in death).

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2018 : 17:38:55

I've decided to mix things up a bit with Set.

He was once part of the club of mulhorandi gods and then was outcast when horus became king. So I'm having horus lay the blame of every ill that befall mulhorand at Sets feet.

Now it may be that set did kill osiris and poison ra as he lay beaten by gruumsh but it doesn't have to be so.

After millennia of persecution and exile I don't doubt that Set wants to destroy House Helcalliant or Helicaunt (depending upon the source) but that doesn't make him a bad guy necessarily.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2018 : 21:02:06

Decided upon -147 DR, year of the candlemaker as the date of the first mortal pharaoh.

The Final Battle of the Godkings in -148 DR seems strangely named, and signifies to me the point at which they finally retreat from mortal affairs.

They must have grown tired of having to risk their lives to save Mulhorand, and had probably gotten bored of the responsibilities of rulership. So in the years following the founding of the second empire I'm picturing more and more affairs are placed in the hands of mortals.

When the horde of summoned fiends from the Great Conflagration marched on Mulhorand the Gods roused themselves to save the day once again and perhaps one or more of their number may have perished (Bes, Anubis and other minor gods of Mulhorand that are all but unknown today).

And then after that last bloody battle they handed over to their mortal kin and moved into their towers and shut the doors forever.

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 09 May 2018 : 21:36:28

Hmmm, one thing that pops in mind regarding the "Nameless King".... the part about Nameless. You know, we have this whole thing going on with a lot of the death "gods" (Orcus, Kiaransalee, The Raven Queen) and other beings like the Queen of Air and Darkness wherein their names are lost. It might be worth popping in something wherein some powerful entity does a ritual which makes people forget the Nameless King's name. Picturing something interesting like Baba Yaga showing up in Ravenloft and freeing her Rashemi kin.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 12 May 2018 : 10:56:22

So I've been thinking why is semphar connected to Kara the when it is soon far away.

Semphar was part of imaskari and I'm thinking it was home to true imaskari rather than a slave region.

I've added portal nexus to imaskari as a means to link together the far flung empire so I'm wondering if an extra dimensional portal nexus wasn't present in semphar.

That way the diluted imaskari that were subjugated by the mulhorandi could have hidden and lost the keys to the portal nexus but later it was rediscovered by power groups and I can make murghoms Dragon theme be a corruption of the celestial Dragon.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 14 May 2018 : 11:10:46

Anyone consider themselves a semphar expert. If I'm reading it right I think I've counted 3 separate rebellions. Since semphar is the more southern of semphar and murghoms and semphar blocks mulhorand access to much of murghoms then surely if semphar becomes independent then murghoms does to.

Anyone considered how semphar and murghoms are governed. If semphar keeps rebelling then I'd be expecting mulhorandi occupation of the state with perhaps a puppet government to maintain the veneer of independence. If murghoms is more or less independent is it just paying tribute to it's mulhorandi masters.

I'm wondering historically 1st through 3rd empire of mulhorand as well as present day

Demzer
Senior Scribe

877 Posts

Posted - 14 May 2018 : 15:02:58

quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Anyone consider themselves a semphar expert. If I'm reading it right I think I've counted 3 separate rebellions. Since semphar is the more southern of semphar and murghoms and semphar blocks mulhorand access to much of murghoms then surely if semphar becomes independent then murghoms does to.

I'm not an expert on anything but it's actually the other way around, with Murghom in between Mulhorand and Semphar. Semphar is also the more eastern rather than the more southern, it had the strongest and most direct links to the Hordelands and Kara-Tur (the only other "door" to Faerun is way north and west at Citadel Rashemaar and with the Golden Way which in itself is much more modern than Semphar's ties to Kara-Tur).

I don't have time to check my sources but I seem to remember Semphar being the most independentist (thus the rebellions) and having been at odds with Murghom many times over the water of Gbor Nor before eventually Mulhorand settled the disputes but I may be mistaken on this one.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 14 May 2018 : 16:35:10

That helps a bit as if expect the most distant province to cause the most trouble.

Horus was entitled guardian of Semphar so I'm guessing that was his divine precept during the first empire. I'll have to try and nail down the semphar rebellions to proper dates or at least to a century.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 14 May 2018 : 21:30:04

Well Semphar and Murghom are problematic history wise as the Hordelands only gives a brief overview of history and no actual dates so here is what I have.

�-1482 DR: Mulhorand conquers the eastern realm of Semphar.
-1048 DR: Semphar declares independence from Mulhorand
�-202 DR: Year of the Purchased Princes: The Kalmyks of the Endless Wastes conquer Semphar in the name of the Kao Dynasty of the Shou Lung Empire.
�-120 DR: Year of Confusion: The Suren march against the Kalmyks, conquering Khazari and Ra-Khati. Semphar declares independence and gradually comes under the sway of Mulhorand and is once again a protectorate of the Mulhorandi Empire within a decade.
�-41 DR: Year of the Sphinx's Riddle: The Havi are pushed out of the Ejen Horo and into Murghom by other tribes (displaced by the resurgence of the Kao Dynasty).
�-39 DR: Year of the Fraudulent Truths: Semphar rebels while Mulhorand deals with the Havi invading Murghom.

The last question becomes when did Mulhorand re-exert it's control over Semphar for the final time and did Semphar rebel in time with Thay's rebellion (they seem to have rebelled every other time Mulhorand experienced trouble).

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 14 May 2018 : 23:54:51

quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Well Semphar and Murghom are problematic history wise as the Hordelands only gives a brief overview of history and no actual dates so here is what I have.

�-1482 DR: Mulhorand conquers the eastern realm of Semphar.
-1048 DR: Semphar declares independence from Mulhorand
�-202 DR: Year of the Purchased Princes: The Kalmyks of the Endless Wastes conquer Semphar in the name of the Kao Dynasty of the Shou Lung Empire.
�-120 DR: Year of Confusion: The Suren march against the Kalmyks, conquering Khazari and Ra-Khati. Semphar declares independence and gradually comes under the sway of Mulhorand and is once again a protectorate of the Mulhorandi Empire within a decade.
�-41 DR: Year of the Sphinx's Riddle: The Havi are pushed out of the Ejen Horo and into Murghom by other tribes (displaced by the resurgence of the Kao Dynasty).
�-39 DR: Year of the Fraudulent Truths: Semphar rebels while Mulhorand deals with the Havi invading Murghom.

The last question becomes when did Mulhorand re-exert it's control over Semphar for the final time and did Semphar rebel in time with Thay's rebellion (they seem to have rebelled every other time Mulhorand experienced trouble).

One thing I'd note is that the first rebellion is following the Orcgate wars in -1069 DR by twenty one years, and I'd imagine that this was during the fallout between Osiris and Horus and Set, while rulership was in flux.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 15 May 2018 : 06:44:43

I made that event up as I figured semphar would rebel during the period of civil strife.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 16 May 2018 : 13:01:20

I have the base outline of Mulhorand available.

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/regions/the-old-empires/mulhorand/

I've tried to expand somewhat on the history and distinguish it from real world Egypt.

The animal headed gods are now depicted as such because of the rise of beast cults during the second empire. The title of Pharaoh comes from the Imaskari title of Empheroar (meaning Lord Artificer), the gods have the same names but their history is based wholly on events within Faerun.

I've attempted to set up a governing dynamic in Mulhorand whereby the Pharaoh is the ultimate power and the Church of Horus-Re administers to the central government. Beneath the Pharaoh are the Divine Precepts who are the titular heads of each church (the Pharaoh is the Divine Precept of the Church of Horus-Re so is the most powerful man in Mulhorand) and each Church has an area of responsibility in central government. Beneath the Divine Precepts are the regional governors, known as Precepts, who implement policy within the regions.

Mulhorand has a standing army, known as the Legions of Dawn, each of which is recruited and maintained by the Church of Anhur, but each legion is often commanded by those loyal to the Church of Horus Re. The Precepts have a militia known as the Pehtemi (Shields of the People) who act as local police forces and internal patrolmen.

Just need to work on the specifics for now.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 17 May 2018 : 20:40:33

I came across the Font of Time in the Encyclopedia Magica.

Its a Mulhorandi artifact located in the Eastern Wastes (Raurin) that Nezram the Worldwalker writes about). Apparently if one stares into it on a full moon one can possess the body of someone and experience life during the height of Mulhorand (presumably the first empire).

Now that sounds like a time portal to me. So who would create a time portal in the Raurin Desert that links to the First Empire of Mulhorand. Or perhaps someone created a time portal and the last time they set it to was during the height of Mulhorand.

Was Nezram the Worldwalker actually a time traveler and that's how he got sooo powerful (living a lifetime in the past before returning to the present with all this knowledge).

Given its location in Raurin (if they are indeed the eastern wastes of Mulhorand), I'd be tempted to blame the construction on the Imaskari. If so why didn't they use it, perhaps they made it wrongly and tried to travel to a particular date (set in the future that didn't exist yet) and it was only after that date passed that the portal became active.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 18 May 2018 : 13:18:24

I made Karathoth (the maker of Karathoth's Jewel in encyclopedia magica) Karathoth I, the only non incarnation of Horus-re who reigned as Pharaoh for a brief time when all the incarnations of Horus were killed during Thays rebellion (more proof in my mind that the incarnations were not created by the gods but actually a ritual a supplicant had to undergo). So Karathoth reigns for 8 weeks while new candidates are selected and undergo the ritual (some are unsuccessful and perish or are twisted into abomjnations). After Karathoth abdicated his position he spends a year crafting the magnificent jewel that bears his name which has been bore by every Pharaoh since (12 of the 37 facets have cracked from use).

The secret of the manufacture of Karathoth's Jewel lies in the arcanum of magic although it is for a much lesser version 4-7 facets and has been reproduced by many over the years (who pay the church of thoth for access to the blueprint).

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11830 Posts

Posted - 18 May 2018 : 14:34:11

quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

I came across the Font of Time in the Encyclopedia Magica.

Its a Mulhorandi artifact located in the Eastern Wastes (Raurin) that Nezram the Worldwalker writes about). Apparently if one stares into it on a full moon one can possess the body of someone and experience life during the height of Mulhorand (presumably the first empire).

Now that sounds like a time portal to me. So who would create a time portal in the Raurin Desert that links to the First Empire of Mulhorand. Or perhaps someone created a time portal and the last time they set it to was during the height of Mulhorand.

Was Nezram the Worldwalker actually a time traveler and that's how he got sooo powerful (living a lifetime in the past before returning to the present with all this knowledge).

Given its location in Raurin (if they are indeed the eastern wastes of Mulhorand), I'd be tempted to blame the construction on the Imaskari. If so why didn't they use it, perhaps they made it wrongly and tried to travel to a particular date (set in the future that didn't exist yet) and it was only after that date passed that the portal became active.

http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21876

Read through this that I started last year.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 18 May 2018 : 15:30:43

I must have missed that one. Nice to see I was thinking similar things to everyone else.

Odd that he has descendants around azulduth and the lonely lake. Almost as if he lived in both places and fathered (or adopted) many children. Both places could be the location of the font of time.

I do now wonder how old Nezram is. He had lots of children by 643 DR and was already famous for his abilities. Is it possible that the font of time allows one to travel back as far as their birth but no further. So Nezram may be born in the middle of the first empire.

Nezram obviously didn't make the font and it's location indicates imaskari origin, but how would the imaskari create it and set it to a point in their future (impossible as far as dnd rules are concerned) unless it only allowed anyone to travel back to the point of their birth and no one was alive that was born before the Mulan appeared (thus preventing the imaskari from stopping their own destruction).

Nezram being an old incarnation is also an interesting one. He could be an incarnation of a long dead God of mulhorand, which would make for interesting hooks and possibilities to bring back a dead God.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 18 May 2018 : 20:47:07

Well I've decided who Nezram's father is, it is one of the Gods of Mulhorand, and its not a nice one. His real name is Nezra Amsetis, son of the Grand Vizier of Mulhorand and Divine Precept of the Priador.

I figured Nezram's knowledge of gemstone golems came from Imaskar (as did much of Mulhorand's magic). Nezram is probably one of the last people who know how to make these mighty monsters. Nezram learned about the Imaskari lore from his father, the greatest magic user in Mulhorand, known for his lengthy explorations of Raurin.

I'm not entirely sure what more to do with Nezram though. Considering he is the greatest wizard of his age, he is not mentioned as having done anything noteworthy so the first task is to think up of some epic achievements for him.

Gary Dallison
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United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 18 May 2018 : 21:34:13

A brief article on Nezram for now that I can build upon when I decide what he has done.

I've decided Nezram went wandering the planes but then came back after his tower was destroyed and his secret chambers owned by the sarrukh.

Then Nezram went into the Font of Time to try and stop the sarrukh, not realizing that he accidentally caused the sarrukh to return and they weren't present on Toril that far back in the past. So he's spent over 2000 years in the past and may have gone a little bit mad and is now imprisoned (literally or in his mind) perhaps living as a hermit or as a mad oracle, and needs someone to come and free him.

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/npcs/nezram/

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 22 May 2018 : 08:59:17

So Derlaunt started off the statues that wall. It's a nice hook but I want to do more with it.

He found a scroll that showed him how to control one of the statues (or so he thought with his very limited understanding of magic).

The question is where did he get the scroll from (nothing happens by accident).

Given that the sarrukh devised the ritual to interrupt the programming of the statues that wall I'm inclined to say they made sure Derlaunt got hold of the scroll but for what purpose. Just weakening mulhorand is no good because the sarrukh of okoth are not going to invade mulhorand they want to infiltrate it.

Any thoughts

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 23 May 2018 : 17:34:04

Just happened to be reading through mulhorand quotes from pages from the mages.

I noticed that tassos arcanabula was left in tassos cave in starmantle. Also noted that chathuuladroth pilfered Nezram tower including his unique mageries time and kept it for 6 centuries until a band (called the black gauntlet) slew him and stole his hoard and took the unique mageries book back to their hold in starmantle.

Then in noted in 1324 DR that there was a renewed interest in times after a number of old books were recovered.

I wonder if the books were recovered by the same band and their hold was atop tassos old cave.

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 16 Jul 2018 : 14:07:37

After a very long break (had to do a work based certification), I'm back to working on this.

I've been working on my version of the rules a fair bit

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/arrgs-rules/arrgs-classes/
https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/arrgs-rules/arrgs-magic-items/
https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/arrgs-rules/arrgs-options/
https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/arrgs-rules/arrgs-races/
https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/arrgs-rules/arrgs-skills/

I've also returned to Dalath to try and finish the skeleton articles I have been working on. It now has a secret group of slaves (the Fire Drakes) trying to free Dalath from the rule of the Freeholder houses, but in secret the Fire Drakes are supplied and organized by the Freeholder Houses who in turn are beholden to the Millennium Wyrm.

The Cult of Tiamat wishes to infiltrate the Fire Drakes (believing them to be dragon worshippers) but every time it gets close a rebellion occurs and all the slaves (and the Fire Drakes) and its cultists are slaughtered

If anyone has any information or ideas for Dalath I'd really appreciate it, as there is precious little I can find on the settlement so I'm mostly making it up here.

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/regions/the-old-empires/unther/dalath/

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6361 Posts

Posted - 18 Jul 2018 : 14:38:37

I'm working on the cult of the old gods, based on some information provided by Tom Costa (hope he doesn't mind, I think I've renamed the city to something more Untheric).

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/home/organisations/the-cult-of-the-old-gods/

Its an amalgam of priests who worship one of a variety of gods that have long since died or fled from Unther and Akanu. The tyrannical rule of Gil-Geamesq and decline of Unther has caused this cult to flourish in the last few decades.

The ensi of the old gods will be looking for items of significance to their deity so they can try and bring them back to life (for those that are known to be dead) or bring their attention back to Unther (where they have been absent for a long while).

They are also trying to convert as many as possible into worshipping the old gods, usually by providing good works such as herb lore, education, marriage ceremonies, blessings, advice, etc.

In a future adventure path involving the invasion of Unther (by Mulhorand) and ultimate rebirth of Unther, I'm imagining that some of these old gods might be restored to life by this cult and the activities of the players - who will find artefacts relating to these gods and assist in rituals to bring them back to life.

Edited by - Gary Dallison on 18 Jul 2018 21:00:46

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