quote:

---

Originally posted by cpthero2

Master Zeromaru X,

Living Gem war
1367DR - 1368DR: purported to go on for at least (5) months, but not exactly known
Type: A rebellion

The "war" was not a proper war itself. It was a wizard who had some serious insanity issues who went and pursued the royal library of Ruathym. In the process of doing so, he found the Tome of the Unicorn and encountered Shoon VII (my favorite wizard). He made a deal with Shoon VII that ultimately led to Shoon VII escape imprisonment in the tome. The boon granted Shond Tharovin (the wizard who found the tome) was information on where to find the Living Gem. Ultimately he found it and supplanted the government in Schamedar. An archmage tried to stop Shond, but failed and died in the casting of a spell. In the end, cultists of Shond slew many in the city. The fight lasted months when finally the Satraps attacked and took over the city after much death, money and time was spent retaking the city.

Best regards,

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Zeromaru X

quote:

---

Originally posted by cpthero2

Master Zeromaru X,

Living Gem war
1367DR - 1368DR: purported to go on for at least (5) months, but not exactly known
Type: A rebellion

The "war" was not a proper war itself. It was a wizard who had some serious insanity issues who went and pursued the royal library of Ruathym. In the process of doing so, he found the Tome of the Unicorn and encountered Shoon VII (my favorite wizard). He made a deal with Shoon VII that ultimately led to Shoon VII escape imprisonment in the tome. The boon granted Shond Tharovin (the wizard who found the tome) was information on where to find the Living Gem. Ultimately he found it and supplanted the government in Schamedar. An archmage tried to stop Shond, but failed and died in the casting of a spell. In the end, cultists of Shond slew many in the city. The fight lasted months when finally the Satraps attacked and took over the city after much death, money and time was spent retaking the city.

Best regards,

---

Do you have the source for this?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Zeromaru X

Sure! I'm updating the list with the events from the 5e sources. I'll add the sources on my next update.

---

quote:

---

I know dude but wizards all across Toril had telepathic heart attacks and all sorts pf nonsense, often losing access to magic fpr their entire lives beyond even the spellplaghe. And the soul-swap left Zallanora as a demi-lich with an undefined level of unholy power. We haven't seen elf-Shoon once since he freaky-friday'd off into obscurity, unless someone else has some hidden lore.

---

quote:

---

Posted - 17 Apr 2012 : 19:50:43
Unofficial musings (and solely my own):

He's probably no longer on Faerun if A)you take the 4th Ed canon (Returned Abeir et al) into account with B) my long-term plans (which may or may not have ever gone into play) for the character. I'd planned to ship him off to the Maztican continent to slowly but surely conquer without as much interference from gods or mortals. As that chunk of land is elsewhere, that'd be where I'd be writing Shoon/Zallanora stuff were it up to me. Even so, any such plans of his/hers would only have become even mildly noticeable in current FR canon/timelines because he can afford to take the long view and only move/manipulate a pawn or two every few years and look at making major (for him and his covert plans) moves every fifty to 75 years or so--and even then these would not be obvious moves to anyone who doesn't operate in centuries of planning/thinking. As always, your plans and your mileage and usage may vary; (s)he is one of the better tools I left lying in the sandbox for GMs with which to play. Strangely, not nearly as many people have twigged to just how much potential for story (and chaos and blood and thunder and everything in between) lies in the ruins of Shoonach; was I too circumspect with the story nuggets and plot possibilities there, or what? Steven sowing a few seeds to perhaps turn over some old idea-compost that's been laying fallow since 1998 or so.....

---

quote:

---

The spellplague, as far as my unenlightened 5e experience can tell, hit like an 18-wheeler fuel truckcarrying liquid blue fire exploding across continents giving wizards such a bad time that Cormyr's entire system of war wizards had to be rebuilt from the ground up.

---

quote:

---

Isn't it more interesting to believe that, first of all, some of that OP demilich power was left behind in his remains in the Tome now controlled by Zallanora? And also, a Lich wearing a bpdy kept pretty by Gentle Repose is still a lich, yes? Liches have conditionally less features (spellcasting set aside) than a demilich. There is a tradeoff in access to surreal soul powers when one dons a physical form to interact with the world, cast non-psionic magic, and wield magic items. Shoon in this body would cease to be a demilich and would, in a way, be like a lich in a fleshy body only instead of being kept alive by gentle repose they are kept alive with blood and air. This story from what i have seen took a sharp left turn at Shond and we never learned any details of the tranference. Obviously Shoon took the body to live on and be a catastrophically terrible evil creature.

---

quote:

---

He believes she might be able to soul
drain him, which might return their spirits to their proper bodies. While the experiment is a curiosity to him, he does not wish to give up his freedom or this new body. (Lands of Intrigue, Book III, p.11)

---

quote:

---

Enchantments placed on the Tome by its creator allow both demiliches to use stealspell to gain one spell once a round from the mind of any one person who touches the Tome, no matter how brief a contact. (Lands of Intrigue, Book III, p.11)

---

quote:

---

Neither Shoon nor Zallanora, as demiliches, are capable of memorizing spells as they once did, so their spellcasting is limited to what they can stealspell. (Lands of Intrigue, Book III, p.11)

---

quote:

---

Zallanora is nearly mad with fear and despair... (Lands of Intrigue, Book III, p.11)

---

quote:

---

However the spellplague is creative liberty incarnate. I knew what I was saying when I played the failed-redemption card because this is a story trope that had been pulled off in other mediums with equally terrible beings.

---

quote:

---

I'm sure liches survived the spellplague, blue fire, and the death of Mystra in their own various ways.

---

quote:

---

However is Elf-Shoon even a lich anymore? He's a soul stripped free from the bonds of a mortal coil who can destroy the souls of others to sustain their presence as a physical thing.

---

quote:

---

But Elf-Shoon swapped souls with Zalanorra.

---

quote:

---

When Zallanora faced the demilich and it attempted to drink her soul, the magical anarchy of the times altered the magic; the minds and spirits of Shoon and the elf switched bodies. (Lands of Intrigue, Book III, p.9)

---

quote:

---

Now her soul is dormant in the remains and able to be fueled on souls were it to come to that. Elf-Shoon though? He inhabits a body that likely can't tell the difference between their souls. That body is almost certainly in my mind, mortal.

---

quote:

---

If the body died Shoon would likely (as the process in which a body's soul would be flung through the astral upon death has long since been disconnected from Shoon's soul) be stuck in those remains and become another demilich- or maybe an expert can state a more studied answer there. But I don't think shoon has to absorb souls in this form. To sustain his vile magic, of course. But if he was stripped of his wizard levels? Then?

---

quote:

---

If all the soul gems, as well as the demilich’s phylactery, are not destroyed after a demilich is downed, the demilich reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death. The soul gems also allow the demilich to use its most devastating ability, trap the soul. (Epic Level Handbook, p.177)

---

quote:

---

If the spellplague tore through the body of what would appear to all as a living female elf wizard of supreme power the same way it tore through the War Wizards, could it drain him of his arcane powers all the same? An unexpected ridoculous downside to the sinful act of stealing an innocent's body and using it for evil? One Shoon would never have anticipated even with a megalomaniacal immortal paranoia?

---

quote:

---

As long as the body is fed food and water and air, it is a perfectly viable vessel for a soul. (It's not as if Zallarona's soul has any connection to it at this point. On that note did she just find a way to become a lich without imbibing the suicide potion? That's kind of a big deal- Vecna should get on that.)

---

quote:

---

Shoon would likely still have some capacity to psionically (does the spellplague affect psionics?) drain life and use souls to sustain his spirit or perhaps the body (like in moments of starvation or fatal wounding) in a dire situation. But it would be far easier to just keep the act up and be Zallanora.

---

quote:

---

Some sages attribute the expansion of psionic ability to the Spellplague, believing that the twisting of magical energy has somehow permitted psionic power to flourish. Other scholars believe that the influx of psionic energy originates with Abeir’s return. (Psionic Powers, 5th Edition, p.110)

---

quote:

---

Say you're a lich (not a demilich! different capabilities!) and you lose ALL of your wizard powers and can NEVER cast an arcane spell again. Not to mention the gods are COMPLETELY gone and speak with nobody, so faking your way into priest levels is out of the picture. All you can do is absorb souls.

Well, it would be much more limited of course, but below is a list of things it could still do:

• Still highly resistant in actual physical battle with a DR 15/bludgeoning and magic
• Still Immune cold, electricity, and maintains its undead traits
• Maintains its melee touch +5 (1d8+5 plus paralyzing touch)
• Maintains its special attacks: grave touch* (9/day), paralyzing touch (DC 18), power over undead* (9/day, DC 18), Rejuvination and Fear Aura

It could just amass an army of undead slowly but surely and bring it to bear against mortal locations, and giving the ultimatum to join or die, and keeps the train rolling.

quote:

---

Is that really a smart timr to live off in the wilderness attacking travellers and stealing their aouls, attracting attention to yourself when you have no spells to defend or flee with?

---

Sure it is. What's the consequence? It gets "killed", and the comes back 1d10 days later? It would easily wade through most opponents, and the ones that finally managed to kill him, wouldn't know where his phylactery is, so it would "live" without issue. It could then raise the people it slayed, add them to the undead pile, and keep it going forever. There is no divination, so there would be no viable way to find the phylactery. It would be a horrid situation I think.

quote:

---

Plus, this whole situation happened BECAUSE of wild magi released when she was attacked by Shoon and Shond, right? Why would Shoon ever risk another incalculable random event from wild magic by attempting to push the boundaries again during an age of wild magic tearing across all of Toril and Returned-Abeir in devastating fashion?

---

The reason he would risk it, is due to his magic immunity. I cannot say why any magic would have effected him, since there are only three spells which can: Dispel Evil, Shatter, and Holy Smite. So, weird, one-off surge of magic created a combination of those three spells that oddly caused that to happen. Even if that were possible, the odds of that happening again in a wild magic surge would be so improbable, that taking that chance would be well worth it.

quote:

---

If i were him I'd take what gifts I have and run off to a safe village and hunker down, never eating a soul if it would even draw a single eye towards me. I dont care what kind of unstoppable undead I am under the flesh and blood, I can't even cast a cantrip. Limited to the speed of foot and cart (save for portal secrets) even if a militia comes to sus you out for unholy acts of evil and you kill them, that's just going to attract the attention of those who can actually destroy you or worse.

---

Though, he could as I mentioned above, just raise an almost infinitely large undead army, and assault the world with it, causing one capitulation after another. He can't be killed unless all (8) soul gems are destroyed, alongside his skull and the phylactery. However, there would be absolutely no way to find his phylactery, since it is likely hidden in a pocket dimension, while he is using the Phylactery Transference to keep his AC around 60 or so, which would mean, very few people on the planet could even make contact with him, let alone damage him with DR30. Again though, even if he "dies" in a fight, he just comes back a few days later.

quote:

---

Does Shoon even have a working phylactery?

---

As far as I know: yes. Though, he likely has it fragmented with a spell such as Aumvor's Fragmented Phylactery. Making it almost impossible to track down.

quote:

---

If the Tome of the Unicorn acted as a Phylactery, then that phylactery is in my opinion absolutely 100% HERS now.

---

Even if the tome was the phylactery was the tome, it would be both of theirs, as they are both demi-liches.

quote:

---

For the sake of narrative tension, Shoon is a lich in skin with no Phylactery. If his form dies, he's going to be stuck in Zallarona's bones until someone happens upon them. If he tries to attack someone as a Demilich he might encounter wild magic again and get a far less favorable fate. (The soul-swap workin out in his favor was an example of total randomness seeming to favor letting evil get off scott-free. No genius would ever expect randomness to favor them twice.) The best scenario is to quietly live a life as an elf in the spellplague.

---

The narrative tale is quite cool. I like it a lot. I don't think it comports with the canon above, but I think it is great. :)

[quote]Think about it. She's an elf. She won't age much at all over a century or two. He can wait out the spellplague, and lose track of time as they get deep into their fake life as Zallarona. It's a classic trope! I'm not saying he would forget anything but he is in no rush to return to overt lichdom- not for multiple centuries! This is a scenario where an innocent elf became an unholy demilich and an unhply demilich became a innocent elf. Why not run the trope out juuust long enough to make a party of players consider the possibolity of him at least not being a threat.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by cpthero2

Master Zeromaru X,

You can find information about the Living Gem War in Empires of the Shining Sea, on pages 38, 39 & 45. You can also find a bit about it in Volo's Guide to All Things Magical, p.110-11.

Best regards,

---

quote:

---

I'll top off my research with that edition of Volo's huide, thank you.

---

quote:

---

As for the detailed breakdown, thank you! Liches and demi-liches are awe inspiring in their durability in both the mundane and the narrative. Even when you have someone using every contextual tool in their arsenal to set one of these monsters into a calm environment there are still too many reasons to continue being an active force of horror and pain.

---