| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 10 Jul 2012 : 14:03:39
Edited
Since i redid my timeline partway through the thread using Eric Boyd's contributions but when i first created the thread didnt think to reserve a few posts, you will have to check out the second page for the timeline as it stands now.
Just added some more detail about the Mulhorandi army occupying Unther and a bit about an aspect of Gilgeam that still lives (brilliant idea by Power2the1, hope he doesnt mind i borrowed it) |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 03 Nov 2015 : 10:01:48
I gave a lot more love for the old empires than this scroll (which was a beginning). If you check out the alternate dimensions links in my sig I devoted issues 3, 4, 5, and 6 I think to expanding unther, mulhorand, and thay. I even tried writing up a brief campaign centred around the conquest of unther.
I'll admit none of this (or anything I do) is compatible with novels. The novels are a resource I do not possess and so I concentrated on what was in the sourcebooks instead. I'm not sure how many people have read the novels but you are the first to mention ekurs fate in them.
I view the novels as someone else's story/version of events. In the end I made a nod to the alabaster staff and zimrilim was involved in giving unlife to gilgeams avatar. These aspects of Gilgeam were then involved in a highlander style conflict that saw Gilgeam return as the untheric god of madness and undeath.
This however was just part of a greater storyline involving the conquest of unther and merging of the mulhorandi and untheric pantheons.
I hope to revisit the old empires again, they were a lot of fun |
| Icelander |
Posted - 02 Nov 2015 : 23:56:21
It's nice to see interest in the Old Empires.
I couldn't help but notice, however, that it's hard to reconcile this timeline of Unther with the novel The Alabaster Staff, set mostly in Messemprar.
To take a fairly major problem, Gilgeam-ite lords have very different fates. Lords Ekur and Zimrilim were alive and well at the beginning of the year DR 1373 and the novel makes clear they went into hiding immediately upon the death of Gilgeam in DR 1358. They've been in Messemprar for at least a decade, probably the full 15 years. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 26 May 2014 : 15:11:23
while its not the same thing, check the original draconomicon (2e I think). You'll find more on the draconic pantheon there. |
| Razz |
Posted - 26 May 2014 : 13:41:32
Dragons of Faerun was good except it lost a star from me because of the fact it was supposed to contain information on the Draconic Pantheon and it never made it, not even as a web enhancement. I wish we could have an update on that to 3e. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 11 Apr 2014 : 00:57:05
quote:
Originally posted by Mapolq
Bit out of topic, so forgive me - but I'm starting to dig your idea on the Thayan exiles, sleyvas. Still think the Zulkirs should restore "actual Thay" on the Plateau asap, but you're convincing me an additional splinter state run by Thayan Mulan who've been living abroad for a century would be pretty awesome.
Thanks. The actual physical place could be up in the air. My main thing in choosing a place was to pick somewhere that GENERALLY people didn't utilize because it hadn't been explored much. That would be why I would stay away from Mulmaster-Thayans for building a big empire personally (because it might cheese off folks who like Mulmaster). However, at the same time, it does make perfect sense in that area. I definitely could see Lauzoril, the Zulkir of Enchantment, and Dmitra Flass, the first princess of Thay, both building something there. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 11 Apr 2014 : 00:24:56
Didn't Nezram return in 3e? I recall something about him being a little Ticked-off about what has transpired since he went Planeswalking.
|
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 10 Apr 2014 : 14:40:11
Just found a very interesting reference to greater Quelzarn in the Cloak and Dagger sourcebook.
In Eric Boyd's excellent expanded timeline of the old empires it mentions the possible sighting of a Greater Quelzarn which i didnt really know what one was at first and so ignored it.
Looking into it a Quelzarn is the typical sea serpent we have heard of in old sailor's stories. I'm presuming the greater quelzarn are the enormous versions that destroy massive galleons in a single bite/tail slap.
Now Gilgeam supposedly hunted a few of these and they are mentioned a few times in the old empires sources.
Now comes the quote from Cloak and Dagger
quote:
Vyqinak seeks to discover and plunder the lost wreck of the Sapphire of Enki, an Untheric sailing ship thought to lie in the Haunted Plains (the sea floor between Westgate and Sembia) beneath a thick layer of silt. The Night King believes the lost vessel might hold the legendary Songs of Sea Serpents, a tome reputedly penned by Nezram “Worldwalker” that describes how the wizards of Unther transformed individual quelzarn into a greater form capable of wielding powerful magic.
Now Nezram of course is some ancient famous mage. The earliest mention i have of him in the histories is in 643 DR when he leaves his tower (located on the shores of Azulduth) to explore other planes using a Sarrukh portal.
So i think we have a strong link here between the Quelzarn and the Sarrukh. As a sea "serpent" quelzarn are possibly reptilian in nature. Nezram penned a book that details the creation of greater quelzarn and he lives in a tower atop ruins of an ancient sarrukh civilisation.
So i wonder if the Sarrukh did not create and unleash these greater quelzarn either as a mode of transport across the Inner Seas (because they werent one sea back then) or to combat the batrachi that were encroaching upon their territory in the aftermath of the Okoth Empire.
But whatever their origins it is possible that some remained until the arrival of the Old Empires (Unther, Mulhorand, and Chessenta). Maybe a wizard of Unther created them for Gilgeam to hunt. Maybe Nezram wasnt Mulhorandi as the quote says, maybe he was of a different or older origin like Imaskari and was paid or deliberately releasing greater Quelzarn for whatever reason. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 25 Mar 2014 : 16:47:40
Hijackers.
Although given the nature of Thay's ruling class with the constant backstabbing and infighting (in 3e anyway) i wouldnt have thought it necessary for another Thayan faction, every Zulkir is already out for themselves.
Although I do like the sound of Thay in Mulmaster, the warring churches of Bane thing in the Moonsea all came to nought and now the Zhentarim practically own the Moonsea so another strong organisation in that area would be good for intrigues (again 3e). |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 25 Mar 2014 : 14:23:52
quote:
Originally posted by Mapolq
Bit out of topic, so forgive me - but I'm starting to dig your idea on the Thayan exiles, sleyvas. Still think the Zulkirs should restore "actual Thay" on the Plateau asap, but you're convincing me an additional splinter state run by Thayan Mulan who've been living abroad for a century would be pretty awesome.
I've had a similar idea for a while... Except, my Thayan exiles would be based out of Mulmaster -- I picked there because Thay already had a lot of influence there, and it seemed obvious for them to start somewhere where they already had some strength.
To me, the beauty of a conflict between Thay and Thay-In-Exile is that it creates so many opportunities for intrigue. Intrigue between the two factions; intrigue within one of the factions; intrigue with other groups trying to lessen Thay's power, whether for noble purposes (like the Harpers) or for self-serving purposes (Zhents, Shades, independent wizards looking to score some spells, other groups); intrigue with groups playing one or more other groups against each other... There is a world of potential there. |
| Mapolq |
Posted - 25 Mar 2014 : 13:51:52
Bit out of topic, so forgive me - but I'm starting to dig your idea on the Thayan exiles, sleyvas. Still think the Zulkirs should restore "actual Thay" on the Plateau asap, but you're convincing me an additional splinter state run by Thayan Mulan who've been living abroad for a century would be pretty awesome. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 25 Mar 2014 : 12:16:34
Added updates to organisations and places, and plots and rumours on page 2. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 23:24:52
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Eww, returned abeir, spell plague, dirty words, unclean.
But you have given me a few ideas.
I just dont see Okoth and Thay ever making contact. Both are separated by geography and the nation of Mulhorand and Sarrukh relies on secrecy for survival so they arent going to reveal themselves. Furthermore both organisations are bent on world domination and that does not lend well to alliances. More likely the Okothian Sarrukh might try to subvert people in a nearby Thayan enclave and then use them to try and take control of the Red Wizards as a whole.
However you have given me several ideas for expanding the church of Set and Sarrukh. The Ship of the Gods explosion caused a massive tsunami that in official sources did absolutely no damage. However given recent real world examples we know tsunami can be devastating even to modern buildings. So i had it annihilate a few of the coastal towns of Unther and Mulhorand. These natural harbours will likely be settled by pirates first as Unther is in chaos and Mulhorand is busy conquering Unther.
Now the church of Set was always set on infiltrating Mulhorand and seems to have avoided Unther entirely. With Gilgeam gone i think that should change.
The Sarrukh/church of Set could gain agents in the pirate settlements using histaachi and the lycanthropy of Sebek. They could also use similar tactics to create a faction in ruined Unthalass (further delaying rebuilding by Mulhorand).
A further development idea i have had is the merging of the Unther and Mulhorandi pantheons. They both now occupy the same territory (since Mulhorand is conquering Unther) and the Untheric people already worship one Mulhorandi deity in the form of Ishtar (Isis). So if the pantheons merge then it is stronger as a whole and the people of Mulhorand and Unther can worship whatever gods they wish.
So Enlil becomes god of Unther, Wind, and Agriculture
Ishtar remains as she is.
Hoar is god of retribution and poetic justice (he might lose vengeance to Horus Re if he chooses to return, or Ao might take it from Horus and give it to Hoar)
Marduk can return as Bahamut
Tiamat remains as she is
Nanna-Sin can be the god of Defence and Protection from Evil
Gilgeam if one of his avatars were to be released and gain enough worship (and kill the other avatars) then he could be the god of madness, tyranny, and maybe undeath.
The Untheric people might not always like the Mulhorandi but they were ancient allies and i bet they would rather join the Mulhorandi pantheon than the Faerunian pantheon.
Now onto the mess that is the Mulhorand and Unther gods. The mechanics and reasoning behind it has been a mess from the start and as always im not afraid to scrap the broken stuff and rework it. So saying they are wholly material plane bound and separated from their essence does not make any sense at all (especially if you only follow FR and dont go for any core rubbish which makes an unnecessary mess of things even more) and so i'm going to continue along the line of thought that they chose to manifest all their power in a single avatar rather than they had to. Then shortly after the orcgate wars they realised the dangers of such action and changed tactic, so they dwelled on the outer plane and Gilgeam in particular manifested a major powerful avatar as a show of power. But that way i can have him with multiple aspects locked in dungeons across the world (they reached the Great Dale at one point in history) so it can be a massive adventure to stop them all.
So onto the spear of Bane. I have theorised before that the church of Bane originated in the lands around the Vilhon Reach. All the evidence seems to support this, and so after the Dark Three's adventures and power gathering, they returned to the Vilhon Reach to establish cults to themselves (in preparation for ascension). And upon becoming a god; Bane in particular looks to have left behind some "gifts" (the cloak in Mourktar, and now the spear of Bane). I cant see any link between Maldreidor and Bane. It is probably likely that Maldreidor was just watching with interest and when he had the chance to acquire the spear he took it.
On the Thay in the south thing, I've said it in many threads for about 2 years, so I wasn't as clear here. The "Thayans" that would go there wouldn't have ever lived in Thay. They are a 3-5 generations removed group who decide that their homeland sucks now and they'd rather build a new country in the southlands where there will be less coordination between countries (because said countries have been decimated). I call it "the United Tharchions of the Shaar" (and my original intent was that they also try to seize the airspace above the great rift and land in the Western Shaar as well, but Okoth and the beastlands and Durpar and/or Estagund also make interesting targets) |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 23:15:23
quote:
Originally posted by Mournblade
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
On some of your ideas
On the Sarrukh and Set.... I've said it several times... there should be a group of Thayans down in the Eastern Shaar, Okoth, possibly the beastlands, Durpar, and Estagund as well. They might make an alliance with the Sarrukh, and they might welcome the church of Set as traditional enemies of the Mulhorandi. Then, make this new place with the Thayans somewhat LIKE Stygia from the Conan novels. Make it a pirate nation filled with slave traders as well, but their pirate ships may take advantage of having monsters aboard their crew. Then have them raiding into Dambrath, Halruaa, Chult, the nearby Yikarian Empire and possibly coming into conflict or alliance with the Corsairs in the islands from "Corsairs of the Great Sea". It won't happen, but I'll still say it.
On the avatars of Gilgeam, remember that up until the time of troubles, the deities of Unther and Mulhorand weren't gods. They were confined to the prime material in mortal form. So, I don't see this one happening.
On the spear of Bane... damn good find. I agree, it makes for a good story if it were in fact stolen from the primordial, Maram of the Great Spear, and it was broken into the spear and shaft to weaken him (and the two parts hidden away). How the dragon found out about this? Did he know Bane as a living being?
On the restoration of the Untheric Pantheon... I'd rather see the Mulhorandi pantheon return and the Untherites turn to these deities. However, I wouldn't have them forget their old gods.... just they recognize that say "Utu relinquished control of the sun to Horus-Re". However, perhaps they also link certain Faerunian gods to their old gods (perhaps they see Jergal as their old evil lord of the dead Nergal), and said deities build on this. Similarly, if you wanted to bring back the male god of the moon, Nanna-Sin.... perhaps the second moon god, Zotha, might come back charading as him.
On the Mulhorand invasion, I'd rather it be that the people of Mulhorand and Unther found themselves transferred to Abeir. The people of Unther had no contact with the Faerunian Pantheon, but the people of Mulhorand enacted powerful rituals to call their gods back through their god-kings. The gods responded by sending avatars to help protect their people. As a result, the Untheric people converted to Mulhorandi worship.... and the empire of Mulhorand began conquering Abeir. Being the few humans in the world, all slaves were enlisted to aid the empire, and freed after they proved themselves worthy by capturing 10 times their own number in "lesser humanoids" to work the fields as their replacements. There still remained a caste structure with Mulans at the top and those of other blood in a lesser status, but the Mulhorandi empire soon had many lizardfolk, kobold, and even dragonborn and genasi slaves. Yuan-ti were found to be unfit slaves though, and were mercilessly hunted (it doesn't help that the church of Set allies with them). Meanwhile, the slaves are well treated... even given healing magic, to the amazement of the slaves. Over the past hundred years, the Mulan people were encouraged to have large families, and former slaves considered it a great blessing to bear the child of a Mulan-born, for it ensured that they and their child would be treated better in society. As a result, many female slaves never wed but instead became mistresses of their former masters (of course, this was aided by the fact that many male slaves died in the initial conflicts after the spellplague transference). All of this is going on when the Mulhorandi lands transfer back to Toril... and their great empire that they had grown in Abeir is cut down in size.
YES cut down in size, BUT they still have the Great Empire mentality, and will be an important power player in the realms.
Since we are accepting the Spellplague and the Twinning occured in the NEXT realms this is the coolest sceneario I have heard.
Exactly, they've had the taste of Empire, and they have developed a racial superiority based on being separated from other humans for a century, plus having reptile folk as servants rather than humans has made them more callous with their slaves (i.e. they don't put up with any hint of rebellion).
Then, they come back, force the Imaskari on their lands to flee (possibly down into the new Thay I was describing that's loosely allied with the Okothian Sarrukh... possibly some taking up residence in the plains of Purple Dust...), and right on their borders they have a Chessenta that is definitely not happy to see them... a possibly reborn Thay to the north.... and possibly a variation of Thay "allied" with a number of monstrous races to the south. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 21:39:00
Important Sites
Greenfields: As of 1375 DR, the entire Greenfields area is under control of Mulhorand. Military outposts dot the borders to protect the newly acquired territory from any retaliation by Unther.
The Mulhorandi army marching through the Greenfields ruined the fields and these will have to be rebuilt before it becomes productive again.
Mulhorand is currently busy bringing in slaves from Mulhorand to work the fields as well as priests of Thoth to create the water pumps prevalent in Mulhorand.
The Enclave is no more, having moved their base of operations to Messemprar. However given that no one was entirely sure of the Enclave’s original base of operations it is likely that many hidden secrets lie in the sleepy fields of this region.
Firetrees (Town, 3,000): Firetrees was once a bustling town with a strong Cult of Tiamat hidden inside. During the chaos that engulfed Unther in the 1360’s the entire town was abducted by the Cult and put to work in the Greenfields to provide food for Unthalass as part of a secret agreement between Furifax and the cult.
When the army of Mulhorand marched through the Greenfields area the slaves fled north ahead of the army until it reached Messemprar. Now that Greenfields is under Mulhorandi control the original inhabitants are not willing to return home and so have spread out among the other remaining settlements of Unther.
Firetrees is now a military outpost for the Mulhorandi occupation force.
Unthalass (Large City, 80,000): Unthalass went through many upheavals during the chaotic years of 1360 – 1375 DR. It was first run by a number of factions shifting between the Grey Ghost bandits, Cult of Tiamat, Church of Gilgeam, and the Church of Ishtar. Then the dragon overlords of Alasklerbanbastos arrived to impose their order on the city. Finally the Mulhorandi arrived and have established the current status quo.
Much of Unthalass is in the process of being rebuilt. The Palace District, containing the Ziggurat of Eternal Victory is still a contested ruin where the Cult of Tiamat, Mulhorandi Forces, Church of Set, and numerous independent wererats, lamias, and other monster vie for control over the ruins. This place is strictly off limits to anyone but members of the Mulhorandi occupation force, and those adventuring bands licensed by Lord Khemenhet and his administrative staff (some of whom are histaachi loyal to Okoth and therefore Set).
The centre of government is now based in the Port District that was heavily fortified by Zimrilim before his apparent death at the hands of Alasklerbanbastos’ dragon vassal. From here the rebuilding effort is beginning and much of the Port District is in good shape with a new headquarters of the Mulhorani occupation force and a market place and harbour with expansive docks.
The rest of the city is still slums, although marginally better than the ruins of the Palace District. Unthalass’ population is dwindling as people leave because of crime, hunger, and unpopular foreign rulers.
Mulhorand however hopes that Unthalass will become the second capital of Mulhorand and bring much trade and wealth as it did for Unther.
Red Haven: Red Haven was utterly destroyed by the tsunami caused by the eruption of the Ship of the Gods volcano in 1369 DR. It is quickly resettled by pirates and scoundrels in the chaos of Unther. These pirates flee at the first sign of organised trouble (such as the army of Mulhorand) and return once the area is free.
The church of Set gains inroads into these lawless settlements, and the hidden histaachi within the church also create more agents among the more powerful pirates.
Shussel (City, 50,000): In 1375 DR, the rebuilding begins. The expanded port built by the Mulhorandi is put to good use quickly making Shussel the second port city of Unther. It quickly grows to a population of 50,000 as the slums are reclaimed by those loyal Untherites leaving Unthalass.
The Church of Nanna-Sin choose Shussel to build the first temple in Unther in several millennia, centred on the site of Nanna-Sin's ascension to Zigguraxis.
Ssintar (Town, 2,000): Following the Time of Troubles and the death of Gilgeam, Ssintar became a military camp ran by Lord Gudea who wanted to unite Unther and restore peace and order to the land.
Shortly after the Ship of the Gods erupted, Lord Gudea began experiencing visions sent to him by Nanna-Sin. Upon releasing Nanna-Sin from his god tomb, the town of Ssintar became a ghost town overnight as the army of Lord Gudea marched on Shussel. After conquering Shussel the populace and Lord Gudea's army were transported to Zigguraxis.
In 1375 DR with Unther re-established the town of Ssintar is resettled by a new generation of miners with a population of 2,000 people. Lord Gudea however remains in Messemprar as general of the army of Unther.
|
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 21:20:56
Important NPCs
Dama: Dama, one of the leaders of the slave revolt was killed shortly after the slave revolt began, falling to the blades of Shuruppak “The Reaper”.
Furifax: Shortly after the death of Gilgeam; Furifax marches with his Grey Ghosts upon Unthalass, hoping to seize the city and its riches and destroy Gilgeam’s church. Instead he finds the settlement in complete anarchy with factions fortifying themselves into various sectors.
Forging an alliance with Ultuhegel and the church of Ishtar; Furifax agrees to provide food for Unthalass in exchange for Ultuhegel’s help in securing the city.
Furifax turns to his Cult of Tiamat contacts to provide the food and they begin kidnapping citizens to work in the Greenfields as slaves.
A chance betrayal leads to the church of Ishtar discovering the kidnappings and Furifax’s involvement. Ultuhegel is kidnapped by Lord Zimrilim and the clergy form into the Rebels of the Moon, led by the genasi Ningal who leave Unther.
Furifax is left in Unthalass which is divided up between himself and Zimrilim and the Cult of Tiamat until Alasklerbanbastos arrives and devours the remaining priesthood of Gilgeam (now Cyric worshippers).
Furifax by now chafes under the idea of ruling a city. It was certainly more complicated than he had ever imagined and required an awful lot more effort than he wanted.
As soon as Mulhorand invaded Unther, Furifax used the opportunity to flee Unthalas and Unther back into the Shaar with as much treasure as they could carry.
Ibalpiel: Shortly after Gilgeam’s death, Ibalpiel was slain by her political ally Lord Ekur. She was tied to a number of rocks and thrown into the Alamber Sea.
Lord Gudea: Lord Gudea may have been the only honest Lord in the whole of Unther. A fair ruler, he was widely respected by the local populace. Gudea had been in talks with Furifax and the cult of Tiamat to get him out of Unther should Gilgeam fall in case the local population turn against the lords.
Gudea needn’t have worried so. With Gilgeam gone and anarchy in the streets, the people looked to those they respected in power to save them and bring stability. It was the local people that secreted Gudea out of Unthalass and allowed him to return to his holding in Ssintar.
Slowly Gudea built up his forces waiting until he was strong enough to unite Unther and save the people from anarchy and the evil of the Cult of Tiamat.
Unfortunately that day came sooner than he anticipated. The Ship of the Gods explosion awoke the slumbering form of Nanna-Sin that had been comatosed for over 2 millennia. Nanna-Sin reached out to the nearest person dedicated to fighting evil and still loyal to Unther. That person was Lord Gudea.
Together Lord Gudea and Nanna-Sin set about preparing the people of Unther for its salvation. They travelled at the head of Gudea’s army to Shussel and vanquished Lord Ekur and his mercenaries. Then using the Beacon of the Gods; found washed up on a beach. Nanna-Sin transported the entire population of Shussel to Zigguraxis to train them into an army to retake Unther.
Lord Tukulti: Once word of Gilgeam’s death reaches Firetrees, it takes only a few hours before the Cult of Tiamat find and execute Tukulti and seize control of the town.
Lord Teumman: Teumman Bloodletter was devoured by the great wyrm Maldraedior within an hour of Gilgeam's death. With Gilgeam finally gone, Maldraedior is free to operate as he wishes and expand his influence and that of his god.
Lord Annunaki: Annunaki was caught up at the beginning of the slave revolt of Messemprar. He attempted to maintain control of the city and managed to secure the palace district, however he was slain shortly after the revolt began in 1358 when an angry mob stormed the palace and slew him and his guards.
Lord Ekur: Lord Ekur was an evil and cowardly ruler. Shortly after Gilgeam’s death, Lord Ekur allied himself with Ibalpiel and the church of Ishtar to improve his chances of retaining control in Shussel.
Once his position was secure and he had hired enough Chessentan mercenaries; Ekur disposed of Ibalpiel (tying her to rocks and throwing her into the Alamber Sea) and ran Shussel with an iron grip.
A long time rival of Lord Gudea, it was inevitable that he and Gudea would come to blows at some point. In 1370 DR that happens as Lord Gudea and the avatar of Nanna-Sin march on Shussel. Ekur’s mercenaries quickly abandon him when they fail to inflict any damage on Ekur’s army. A short time later Ekur is hanged by the people of Shussel that he persecuted for so long.
Lord Karigzulu: Lord Karigzulu is one of the first Lords of Unther to die following Gilgeam’s death. While fleeing Red Haven on his own personal boat he is ambushed by a number of Sahuagin raiders and dragged into the depths.
Lord Zimrilim: Zimrilim was ready when Gilgeam finally perished. He and the priesthood of Gilgeam loyal to him immediately begin fortifying themselves in the Port District using Chessentan mercenaries that Zimrilim had been paying for years.
Unknown to his underlings, Zimrilim turned to Cyric after the death of Gilgeam and so managed to maintain his clerical powers. His lesser priests do not know where their powers come from, most refuse to accept Gilgeam is really dead and so continue to believe he grants their spells. Zimrilim also received some aid from Banites hidden in Unthalass working for the Zhentarim. After their god's death they turned to Cyric as well and threw their lot in with Zimrilim and the church of Gilgeam in Unthalass.
For nearly a decade Zimrilim ruled a portion of Unthalass, sometimes in conjunction with others; such as Furifax, sometimes against others. However all that changed when Alasklerbanbastos made his play to carve out an empire from Chessenta and Unther. One of the Great Bone Wyrm's vassals descended upon Unther and supposedly devoured Zimrilim before ruling Unther unopposed (until the armies of Mulhoran arrived).
Ruduk: With the advent of a full blown rebellion in Messemprar, Ruduk found himself at the forefront of the action. Quickly he contacted Shurlash of the Northern Wizards and suggested a joint venture in ruling Messemprar. Ruduk then took a back seat as Damu and the Northern Wizards became the focus of the rebellion.
Following Gilgeam’s death, Ruduk continued his spying role for the Red Wizards of Thay and acted as their agent in the city.
When Mulhorand invaded Unther, Ruduk was once again thrust into a position of vulnerability. He was forced by his Red Wizard employers to act as an ambassador to the Northern Wizards. Through Ruduk the Red Wizards offered spells, and magic items on the cheap to combat the Mulhorandi forces.
Ruduk is beginning to reconsider his allegiances. He does not enjoy being a public figure, especially when there is significant danger involved. He would escape his employers if only he could discover somewhere on Faerûn where the Red Wizards couldn’t touch him. For now he will continue to act as ambassador for Thay in the hopes that once the war between Unther and Mulhorand is over he will be given charge of the new enclave that will surely open in Messemprar
Shurlash: Shurlash is a man caught between what is right and what is necessary. Initially Shurlash and Dama begin open rebellion against Gilgeam’s rule in 1357 as they claim rule of the free city of Messemprar.
Dama survives until 1358 DR when he falls to Shuruppak’s blade, and Shurlash and his northern wizards are left in control of an isolated city against the might of Gilgeam and Unther.
Things take a turn for the better when Gilgeam himself perishes, plunging Unther into chaos and allowing Messemprar some respite from conquest. After resisting anarchy and the later attacks from Alasklerbanbastos’ draconic vassals, Shurlash and Messemprar are faced with the final conquest and annihilation of Unther by the forces of Mulhorand.
Desperate and alone he finds aid from the most unexpected of places. The church of Bane based in Mourktar provides an army of templars and priests to counter the Mulhorandi priesthood. The Red Wizards of Thay also provide cheap magic items and spells to Messemprar through their contact Ruduk, in the hope that they will be allowed to create enclaves in Unther. Finally at the 11th hour, the legion of Nanna-Sin appears behind the Mulhorandi army, and once supplemented with the Rebels of the Moon led by Ningal this leaves the Mulhorandi cut off from their supply lines.
To secure his victory, Shurlash reaches out to the Magus Society and the Enclave, hoping to amass and concentrate enough magical power to overwhelm the Mulhorandi forces. Unfortunately Shurlash never got to see his dream of a free Unther reach fruition, during a meeting with the Magus Society, the Karanoks strike again and execute the entire Magus Society (including their mole Therescales) and Shurlash who was attending negotiations with the Magus Society.
Shuruppak: After the death of Gilgeam, Shuruppak continued with his last orders from Gilgeam himself. Unfortunately no one knows what those last orders were. Most assume Gilgeam ordered the assassination of prominent members of the resistance in Messemprar. If so then once Shurlash is executed in 1374, then Shuruppak may very well be a free agent.
Of course if Gilgeam was less precise in his orders and charged Shuruppak with killing every rebel in Unther then the entire population of the Unther could well be a target, including the Mulhorand army.
What is certain is that Shuruppak has disappeared from site in Unther and the rest of Faerûn and could now be absolutely anywhere.
Tiglath: Tiglath is a woman filled with vengeance. She hated Gilgeam and everything he stood for, in her deepest darkest desires she wants to end the church of Gilgeam and any remnant of Gilgeam’s rule. After that she is content to leave Unther be while she runs the church of Tiamat.
Tiglath is not an evil person and finds the despicable deeds inflicted upon slaves difficult to bear. With Unthalass in Mulhorandi hands, Tiglath wants to build her church in Messemprar and grow old and rich from the proceeds of worship.
Tiglath realises that this probably does not sit well with her goddess Tiamat. While Gilgeam was alive, Tiglath needed Tiamat to give her strength enough to achieve vengeance. With Gilgeam gone and all traces of his church dead or dying, she realises that she does not fit into Tiamat’s ideal as she is uncomfortable performing the dark deeds asked of her unless it is to destroy Gilgeam and his church.
Sooner or later Tiglath will have to leave Tiamat’s church or perish by the hand of one of her underlings. She is debating fleeing across the Inner Sea to the barbarian lands, and she intends to take the church’s treasury when she does so. If only the barbarians in lands such as Cormyr and Sembia weren’t so uncultured.
Utuhegel: After the death of Ibalpiel in 1360 DR, Utuhegel is the highest ranking priest of Ishtar in Unther. She spends most of her time in Unthalass tending to the needs of the poor and the downtrodden.
The secret shrines to Ishtar dotted throughout the city indicate hideaways were those in need may find safety and shelter under the protection of Utuhegel and the underpriests that remained after the death of Gilgeam.
After a disastrous alliance with Furifax and the Grey Ghosts to secure the safety of the people of Unthalass; Ultuhegel is kidnapped and assumed dead by many in the church of Ishtar who flock to the banner of the genasi Ningal who forges them into the Rebels of the Moon.
Utuhegel eventually escapes Zimrilim’s clutches when Alasklerbanbastos’ dragons arrive to claim Unther. Utuhegel remains with her few loyal followers in Unthalass and tends to the needs of the people.
Utuhegel becomes a saviour of the downtrodden in the eyes of the poor and the slaves that still remain in Unthalass, and she constantly seeks to help those remaining to escape. Should Unther survive or reform around Messemprar then Utuhegel will leave Unthalass to administer the church of Ishtar in Unther. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 21:14:33
Important Organisation
(Note any not detailed here are already covered in the Dragons of Faerun update.
Armies of Mulhorand: The forces of Mulhorand are in total control of southern Unther. Everything south of Unthalass, including the Greenfields which produces most of Unther’s food. During the invasion of Unther, Mulhorand captured every town up to Messemprar by 1374 DR. The only resistance of Unther left was Messemprar, however this town proved remarkably resilient and had a number of unexpected allies. First the Red Wizards of Thay began providing magic ordinance to Messemprar, then Banite templars from Mourktar arrived to bolster the defences. Finally as the armies of Mulhorand were at the gates, the Legion of Nanna-Sin arrived in Shussel and combined with the Rebels of the Moon to harass the Mulhorandi vanguard.
With such forces arrayed against them, the church of Anhur decided it would be better to retreat and consolidate their gains rather than risk losing the war entirely and everything they had conquered.
So the Mulhorandi forces retreated to Unthalass and Firetrees to fortify their position.
Mulhorand will soon grow very rich once the Greenfields are restored, so the war was not without success.
However Unthalass is proving difficult to pacify. The Cult of Tiamat and forces of the Zhentarim are still strong in the city and seek to sabotage the Mulhorandi at every turn. Worse are the monsters coming up from the catacombs under the Ziggurat of Eternal Victory. Although the rest of Unther is relatively stable, the palace district is a dangerous place where few wander except bands of adventurers looking to gain fame and fortune
Church of Ishtar: The church of Ishtar went through a schism during recent years. Those in Shussel remained neutral in the conflicts throughout Unther, and as a result were viewed in a poor light by the people of Unther.
The faithful in other settlements did not necessarily follow the example set by their High Priest (Ibalpiel) and Utuhegel in Unthalass attempted to secure the city for the people and oust the church of Gilgeam.
Unfortunately both factions encountered difficulties. Ibalpiel was killed by her ally Lord Ekur, and the church of Ishtar in Shussel was persecuted and dispersed. Utuhegel was captured by Lord Zimrilim and her followers turned to a genasi called Ningal to lead them. Ningal formed this arm of the church of Ishtar into the Rebels of the Moon who now venerate Selûne as an aspect Ishtar and roam Unther attempting to free it from anarchy and Mulhorandi occupation.
Church of Ramman: The church of Ramman, like the church of Gilgeam is all but extinct in the realms. Their god was slain by Hoar during the Time of Troubles, and their clergy were exterminated in Unthalass by the church of Gilgeam shortly afterwards.
The only survivors are a few isolated faithful to a dead god that can no longer answer their prayers. It is likely the remains of this church will join the cults of the dead gods in searching for artefact to revive their deity.
Church of Set: Traditionally the church of Set had no sphere of influence within Unther. However after the Time of Troubles and the death of Gilgeam, all that changed. First Set desired to expand his area into Unther in the absence of an Untheric pantheon, hoping to gain worshippers away from Mulhorand.
This effort had limited success, and a cult of Set now grows in the catacombs beneath Unther, although they are constantly at war with the church of Tiamat that also dwells in the area.
In Unther, the church of Set were fortunate enough to set up a cult in Sampranasz, that went undetected for many years. Using this cult they purchased an educated a number of slaves, brain washing them into believing in the church of Set and turning them against Mulhorand.
The churches of Anhur and Horus-Re in Mulhorand came to blows over the issue of Horus-Re dominating life in Mulhorand, and in the chaos that ensued the young Pharaoh replaced his government with well educated slaves, many of whom were now loyal worshippers of Set.
Also, just prior to the Time of Troubles, the church of Set encountered the Okothian Sarrukh beneath Azulduth and gained a potent ally (although it did not know it).
The encounter was a disaster with the entire expedition believed to be wiped out except for two survivors that died shortly after from a fungal infection.
However the Okothian Sarrukh were now aware of the church of Set and under instructions from their god (who was now also Set) they set about creating a secret church within the church to further Set’s power.
The Okothian Sarrukh, employed ancient magics to turn human worshippers of Set into histaachi, making them entirely loyal and under control of the Sarrukh. These histaachi at first occupied low positions in the church, but some of them gained positions of power and then were used to turn others in places of power and position in Mulhorand and Unther into histaachi.
By 1375 the human church of Set unknowingly has allies at every level of government in every settlement around the Alamber Sea.
The church of Set is now making plans to initiate a complete takeover of Mulhorand, and it hopes to do the same in Unther. All it needs is to spread enough misfortune to make the people of these countries believe that the traditional gods are cursed. Then the church of Set can emerge to save them and rule the land.
The Many Fanged Serpent: This organisation is hidden within the Church of Set. Shortly after the Time of Troubles an expedition of Set’s priests discovered the Okothian Sarrukh. Immediately the church began dispatching ambassadorial missions to attempt an alliance between the Sarrukh and the church of Set (unaware that they both served the same master).
The Sarrukh of Okothian barely entertained the Set worshippers but did hatch a plan to expand their own influence using the Church of Set. They secretly transformed a number of the Setites into histaachi and using these agents created other histaachi among the slave contacts of the Church of Set and among other organisation not related to the church of Set (specifically government agencies in Unther and Mulhorand).
No one in the Church of Set that is not a member of the Many Fanged Serpent is aware of its existence. Those that are aware are merely sleeper agents at the moment reporting back to their Okothian superiors via travelling merchants, otherwise they perform exactly as the Church of Set wishes.
Church of the Dead Gods: The churches of the dead gods do not exist as any kind of organisation. Instead individuals or small groups of worshippers congregate in settlements across Faerûn; from the Shaar to the Great Dale, to worship long silent gods in their own particular way.
Some of the worshippers such as those of Nanna-Sin actually begin to have their prayers answered in the years following Gilgeam's death as their gods return to Unther.
When the Untheric and Mulhorani pantheons unite, some of these gods emerge from the ashes to reinvigorate the dwindling pantheon.
The Grey Ghosts: Upon hearing of the death of Gilgeam, Furifax marched his Grey Ghosts on Unthalass hoping to seize the city while it was in the grip of anarchy. After a series of alliances and setbacks, Furifax and the Grey Ghosts abandoned Unthalass to the invading Mulhorandi army as soon as they were able.
With Gilgeam gone their only goal now is to survive and make as much money as possible robbing travellers. To that end they stay firmly in the eastern Shaar ambushing caravans and travellers aplenty.
Legion of Nanna-Sin: A recent organisation that serves as the militant arm and beginning of the church of Nanna-Sin.
Composed entirely of aasimar; formed from the population of Shussel and the army of Lord Gudea, who were transformed and trained by the reawakened Nanna-Sin on Zigguraxis before the armies of Mulhorand invaded Unther.
The Legion returned to Unther at the 11th hour behind Mulhorandi lines to open up a second front on the invaders.
Rebels of the Moon: The Rebels of the Moon were formed by Ningal from the remnants of the church of Ishtar in Unthalass following what they believe to be Utuhegel's death at the hands of Zimrilim.
These now militant worshippers of Ishtar venerate Selûne as an aspect of Ishtar, and follow Ningal as she leads them to battle the church of Gilgeam and the forces of Mulhorand wherever they are able.
Refusing aid from other organisations dedicated to freeing Unther and destroying Gilgeam and his remaining church out of suspicions over their motivations for the future of Unther; Ningal and the Rebels of the Moon begin to lose face and faith as their numbers dwindle.
That changes with the reappearance of the Legion of Nanna-Sin, a group of elite aasimar dedicated to good and the preservation of Unther. The two organisations quickly join forces and become a menace to the vanguard of the Mulhorandi forces.
|
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 21:09:37
Defence
After Gilgeam's death during the Time of Troubles, the armies of Unther are shattered and fractured, taking sides with the various factions that divide Unther between them.
The remaining navy of Unther that resides in Unthalass under the control of Zimrilim (until his supposed death at the hands of Alasklerbanbastos' vassal) is annihilated by the eruption of the Ship of the Gods volcano and the resulting tsunami that devastates the lands of the Alamber Sea
Plots and Rumours
Gilgeam’s Memoirs: Recovered from the ruin of the Ziggurat of Eternal Victory are what appears to be a volume of the memoirs of Gilgeam, god king of Unther. Spanning at least 3,000 volumes; each volume a book over 2 feet thick, the ramblings of Gilgeam span the ages from the beginning of his arrival on Toril right up to his destruction during the Time of Troubles.
Who knows what details may be uncovered in the progressively insane writings of the ruler of Unther. Will it detail his power of Nanna-Sin, will it elaborate on his origins from Chessenta, will it spell out his betrayal of Enlil and the location of his prison.
Currently only one tome was rescued from the monster infested ruins in Unthalass’ palace district, but the tomb robber spoke of rooms full of identical tomes; just before he was executed by the Mulhorandi.
Return of the Gilgeams: Rumours abound that Gilgeam has been sighted in numerous places throughout Unther. Reports of survivors from attacks by the mad god king begin to arrive in Unthalass and Messemprar. Could the god king of Unther have survived his destruction at the hands of Tiamat or is something more sinister afoot.
In truth the Cult of Tiamat learned of one of the locations of Gilgeam’s aspects from his memoirs in the Ziggurat of Eternal Victory. They intended to open the tomb and kill the aspect but were unprepared for the insane savagery and disregard for personal safety exhibited by the aspect.
This minor manifestation of Gilgeam now roams the Plains of Black Ash and the surrounding area destroying anything it encounters as it vents its rage over millennia of imprisonment.
The remaining worshippers of Gilgeam are now receiving visions from this aspect and are struggling to piece them together to find the locations of the other aspects.
The Spear of Bane: Formed from the blood of Maram of the Great Spear, this huge spear is made out of Thinaun; a soul draining metal, and impregnated with the blood of the primordial Maram that the Dark Three battled so long ago.
Legends say that it has the power to slay any being; including gods, with but a single stroke.
After Bane’s ascension on the southern shores of the Inner Sea, several powerful artefacts he possessed remained behind to be gathered by his followers. One such artefact; the Black Lord’s Cloak was kept as a sacred relic in the temple of Mourktar. Another artefact, the Spear of Bane ended up in the hoard of Maldraedior beneath the Untheric town of Darath
|
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 21:08:58
Okay, first of a few posts on various aspects of Unther from 1360 onwards, and then as I work of Mulhorand and Chessenta I can add them too.
Religion
Following the Time of Troubles the Untheric pantheon all but vanishes. Gilgeam and Ramman are slain, Ishtar long ago bequeathed her power to Isis in Mulhorand and Marduk did the same upon his death to Bahamut. Only Tiamat and Hoar remain of the Untheri deities, and they joined the Faerûnian pantheon.
Around 1370 DR things begin to change for the Untheric peoples and their deities, all of which occurs because of the death of Gilgeam who had driven off, slain, or imprisoned the other deities so long ago.
With Gilgeam's death there was nothing keeping Nanna-Sin in a state of perpetual slumber beneath the Riders to the Sky Mountains. So when the Ship of the Gods volcano exploded, Nanna-Sin awoke after millennia of sleep.
Enlil; long ago imprisoned by Gilgeam in the Shaar, could now be freed. It only took for a group of adventurers to break the seals on his prison and he quickly returned to rule the people he loved so dearly.
Many others have the potential to return; left as powerful beings roaming the southern and eastern realms worshipped by isolated peoples, should they wish to rejoin the Untheric pantheon there is no doubt they would be accepted.
Those deities that perished long ago or more recently would require artefact, or exceptional powerful magic to restore them to life, but even Gilgeam is not beyond rejoining the Untheric gods in the future.
On the last day of 1374 DR, Enlil returns to Unther, freed from his prison beneath the Sea of Fallen Stars. In a meeting between the gods of Unther and Mulhorand, the deities come to an agreement to restore the ancient truce between their two empires. The warring armies cease fighting, Unthalass and the land south of it become part of Mulhorand, while Unther retains the cities north of Unthalass, ruled from the new capital of Messemprar.
Gilgeam: Gilgeam was originally a deity of the Babylonian pantheon that settled Chessenta from -1771 DR. While never a particularly generous or benevolent deity, he was at least fair in his dealings and implemented a slightly modified form of Enlil’s code of laws for Chessenta.
During the Orcgate Wars, the Chessenta Pantheon marched to war with the Untheric Pantheon to the rescue of the Mulhorandi Empire, whose gods were secluded away in the Raurin desert researching ways to break the Imaskari Planar Barrier.
The god Ra was killed in the opening battles with the avatars of the orc gods defending his people and his empire from their scourge.
When the Chessentan and Untheric armies arrived they immediately launched an attack upon the orc hordes and inflicted severe damage. However they did not count on the raw fury and savagery of the orc gods who did not bother with honourable combat.
Many of the gods of Chessenta and Unther were struck down by poison, disease, foul magic, or general dirty tactics. The gods Inanna, Girru, Ki, Nergal, and Utu are all slain in combat with the orcish gods.
Gilgeam and Nanna-Sin battle the orc god Ilneval, and during the battle both are wounded by one of Ilneval’s weapons which had been licked by the orc god Yurtrus, infecting it with foul disease and poisons.
Nanna-Sin, was immediately comatosed, and Gilgeam was severely weakened, and at that point Tiamat chose to reveal herself as the great betrayer. She launched a savage assault on the weakened Gilgeam, who was only saved from death by Marduk who placed himself in harms way and perished from the attack.
After the battle was over, the dead gods were buried, including the comatose Nanna-Sin who could not be awakened. Unknown to all, Nanna-Sin’s body was purging the seed of evil that tried to infect him. Gilgeam had already succumbed and the evil was spreading fast. He suggested to the others that Nanna-Sin should be buried with honour since he could not be awakened even by divine healing.
Over the centuries Gilgeam was consumed by the evil within him, but it was not noticed by any of his fellow deities until it was too late. After the Orcgate Wars, both the Chessentan and Untheric pantheons were less than half what they had once been. And so Enlil suggested the pantheon’s and the empires merged to strengthen their people and make strong. Gilgeam agreed, and at the meeting point where he and Enlil were to join their peoples, Gilgeam ambushed Enlil and imprisoned him deep in the bowels of the earth.
Returning to Unthalass, Gilgeam proclaimed that Enlil had embraced him as son and gifted all his empire to Gilgeam who would rule both Chessenta and Unther as father.
Over the centuries Gilgeam became more and more tyrannical, persecuting the other churches and gods, and either driving them away or destroying them (more than one god met his end in the sphere of Entropy).
Gilgeam even rewrote history so that no one would ever know the depths of his evil and deception. And in safety and security, Gilgeam wallowed in his own pleasures.
Gilgeam is now dead, killed by Tiamat the Dragon Queen. His corpse lies in the astral sea, and his worshippers are almost extinct.
However, during his lifetime, whenever he faced a crisis or a threat to his personal safety, Gilgeam created another aspect of himself (a much weaker version of his full power avatar) and imprisoned it in a place of safety as insurance should he ever be slain. At least three such aspects exist, one was created around the time of the Orcgate Wars beginning -1076 DR), another was created before his conflict with Enlil in -734 DR, and finally another was created during Eltabranar’s invasion of Unther and Mulhorand in 202 DR (which featured Eltab himself).
Other aspects may have been created at various points in history, but only the one created around the time of the Orcgate Wars has any chance of resembling the true character of Gilgeam. If the aspect was created before his infection by Yurtrus then there is a chance of restoring Gilgeam to his full glory.
Any of the aspects could be rescue and elevated to godhood with enough magic and worship. However all aspects are insane and would require significant efforts to heal him.
Ishtar: Ishtar was originally part of the Babylonian pantheon of gods whose people founded Chessenta. She joined the Untheric pantheon with Gilgeam at the start of the Second Untheric Empire in -734 DR once Enlil disappeared.
Ishtar’s greatest secret and the reason for her following Gilgeam everywhere was that she truly loved him. However as the centuries passed she came to realise that the tyrant Gilgeam was not the same being she had grown to love, and so in her sadness, she left all her powers and worshippers to the Mulhorandi goddess Isis, and she leapt into the sphere known as Entropy and was consumed utterly.
Ramman: Ramman was another Babylonian god that originally refused to join Gilgeam in Unther and instead remained in the homeland of Chessenta, his main reason for staying is that the portfolio of thunder and storms was already claimed by Assuran of the Three Thunders. As the years passed and the worship of the Babylonian gods was gradually displaced in Chessenta by those of other pantheons, the rest of the Babylonian pantheon moved to Unther and Unthalass.
And so at the height of the Second Untheric Empire, in 108 DR, Ramman travelled to Unther and did battle with Assuran in an epic conflict that saw storms lash the Alamber coast for 6 whole months and lead to the first Great Flood of Unthalass. Ultimately Ramman won and became the Untheric god of war, thunder, rain, and storms.
He also punished the wicked and on more than one occasion it was suspected that he flooded the Alamber river to punish the people of decadent Unthalass.
The strength of the people’s belief in Ramman meant that he could not easily be ousted or destroyed by Gilgeam and so he was one of the few gods of Unther to survive until the Time of Troubles when he was slain by his hated foe Hoar/Assuran.
Now a corpse in the astral sea, it will take ancient and powerful magic or a great artefact to bring Ramman back to life.
Tiamat: Tiamat, in her guise as the Dark Lady; who liked to use magic to change into a five headed dragon, was an ancient enemy of the gods of Unther and Chessenta. In secret she wove her plots and her magic, always trying to destroy the gods and steal Unther and Chessenta from them.
At many points in history it looked like she might be successful in her aims.
During the Orcgate Wars she almost slew Gilgeam; but instead destroyed Marduk, her hated foe, before retreating back to the shadows.
Then she made a pact with an ancient red wyrm named Tchazzar to steal Chessenta away from Unther and Gilgeam who she had come to loathe almost as much as Bahamut. In exchange for a ring that would make him her vessel/vassal, Tiamat helped Tchazzar in his quest for godhood, and Chessenta broke from Unther for the final time.
Finally during the Time of Troubles; Tiamat attacked Gilgeam but was slain. Her spirit was split amongst her vessels; Tchazzar, Gestanius and Skuthosin, who were compelled to seek each other out and devour one another. Her spirit reunited and reformed she once again attacked Gilgeam and succeeded in destroying his avatar just after the close of the Time of Troubles. However Gilgeam himself attacked the still weakened Tiamat in her planar demesne and destroyed her utterly.
Unbeknownst to Gilgeam there was another being called Tiamat on Toril. This Tiamat was actually a five headed dragon rather than using magic to take that form. She was the god of all chromatic dragon on Toril and was even more ancient and powerful than the Tiamat of Unther.
Once Gilgeam slew the Dark Lady, the Queen of Dragons took the worshippers of Tiamat of Unther into her fold and likewise launched an attack on Gilgeam in Zigguraxis. The draconic behemoth easily crushed Gilgeam in her jaws and ended the tyrant of Unther forever.
Enlil: Enlil was the original ruler of Unther and leader of the Untheric Pantheon. Following the Orcgate Wars his pantheon was decimated and he sought a means to preserve his empire and its people. He turned to his long time allies the Babylonian gods that ruled Chessenta suggesting that the two empires and pantheons merge that they might better protect themselves.
The plan was well received and Gilgeam went as representative of Chessenta to meet Enlil and sign the treaty into law. The meeting place was neutral ground far from Unther or Chessenta and since the two beings were allies and both incredibly powerful they saw no need for anyone else to attend.
And so Gilgeam ambushed the unsuspecting Enlil and subdued him quickly by force of arms. Using ancient Imaskari magics that he had unearthed, Gilgeam imprisoned Enlil deep beneath the earth in the Bymmal Trench in the Sea of Fallen Stars.
Then returning to Unther, Gilgeam claimed rule of Unther and the pantheon claiming that Enlil had grown tired of loss and left Faerûn forever.
And so Enlil has remained hidden and lost from the world, awaiting his chance for freedom. With Gilgeam dead and his powers no longer being used to hide Enlil’s prison, it is possible that a group of adventurers might brave the tomb and break the seals separating Enlil’s essence from Toril and allow him to rejoin the pantheon.
Since the Mulhorandi and Untheric pantheon are destined to merge, Enlil would naturally be the god of Unther itself. However given the recent troubles with the priesthood of Horus-Re over the governorship of Mulhorand, it is possible that Enlil might claim the portfolio of Law from Horus-Re for himself as the creator of the laws of Unther.
Nanna-Sin: Nanna-Sin was the god of the moon for the Sumerian pantheon and was injured fighting the orc god Ilneval in the Orcgate Wars, this injury led to him being infected with the seed of evil from whatever noxious poisons Yurtrus used to treat Ilneval’s blades.
During the battle Marduk was also killed leaping in front of a blast of power from Tiamat that was aimed at Gilgeam and Nanna-Sin.
The blast annihilated Marduk who; in the nano-seconds before he perished, split his powers and portfolio amongst those he deemed worthy. Part of his powers went to Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon who was the supposed antithesis of Tiamat, although Marduk did not realise it was a different Tiamat he was opposed to.
The remainder of his powers; the portfolio of Defence Against Evil, went to the nearest living being. That person; by a millimetre or two, was Nanna-Sin. The evil infection comatosed Nanna-Sin as his body attempted to purge it.
Slowly but surely his body did eliminate the seed of evil, and Nanna-Sin would have awoken invigorated by the power given to him by Marduk. Unfortunately the seed of evil had already taken hold of Gilgeam who was by now head of the Untheric pantheon and a greater deity of extreme power and evil.
Gilgeam used a portion of this power to keep Nanna-Sin in eternal slumber in his god tomb in the Riders to the Sky Mountains.
When Gilgeam died Nanna-Sin just needed sufficient stimulus to awaken him from a sleep lasting several millennia. The eruption of the Ship of the Gods volcano did just that.
Almost faded from lack of worship, Nanna-Sin sought out the nearest being receptive to his teachings and willing to help save Unther from its perils.
Nanna-Sin found Lord Gudea and together they set off to unite Unther once again and combat the Mulhorandi invaders. Using an ancient artefact; the Beacon of Light; Nanna-Sin transported the entire population of Shussel, and Lord Gudea’s army, to Zigguraxis. There he instructed them in the arts of war and turned them into an army of elite aasimar.
Then at the 11th hour, the Legion of Nanna-Sin returned to fight the Mulhorandi and restore Unther.
Once the Untheric and Mulhorandi pantheons are merged it is likely that Nanna-Sin will take the portfolio of Defence Against Evil and the Moon.
Hoar: Hoar was the ancient Sumerian deity of thunder, known as Assuran of the Three Thunders. He was a vindictive and vengeful deity that was never particularly popular with the people of Unther.
So when his rival for the portfolio of thunder and rains; Ramman of Chessenta, arrived in 108 DR. Hoar attempted to drive off the usurper in a battle that lasted many months and flooded Unthalass and wrecked much of the Alamber coast.
Ultimately Hoar was driven off and fled with his remaining worshippers to the feuding cities of Chessenta, which long ago had embraced deities from other pantheons. There Hoar rebuilt his church dealing out retribution in the many blood feuds of the cities of Chessenta.
During the Time of Troubles Hoar returned to wreak his vengeance on Ramman, and slew his ancient foe. Now a part of the Faerûnian pantheon, Hoar is poised to to return to the Untheric pantheon.
If the merger of the Untheric and Mulhorandi pantheons occurs, it is likely that Hoar will take the portfolio of retribution from Horus-Re and become the god of vengeance, retribution, and poetic justice in both Faerûn and Mulhorand/Unther.
Set: Set is not a deity normally associated with the Untheric pantheon. However following the Time of Troubles Set sought to expand his sphere of influence beyond Mulhorand.
To accomplish this aim he dispatched members of his church to ruined Unthalass where they quickly established a cult beneath the catacombs of the palace district.
At the same time, Okothian Sarrukh had been creating histaachi agents within the ranks of Mulhorand's government. By the time of the Mulhorandi invasion of Unther a number of histaachi were already in prominent positions in the army in charge of organisation and supply.
When the Mulhorandi conquered southern Unther, these agents were among a number of officials left in charge of establishing Mulhorandi control in the newly conquered settlements. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 16:13:37
Accept the spellplague - Never (cue maniacal laughter).
Unless of course 5E FR turns out to be absolutely awesome and then i will eat my words. |
| Mournblade |
Posted - 24 Mar 2014 : 14:38:59
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
On some of your ideas
On the Sarrukh and Set.... I've said it several times... there should be a group of Thayans down in the Eastern Shaar, Okoth, possibly the beastlands, Durpar, and Estagund as well. They might make an alliance with the Sarrukh, and they might welcome the church of Set as traditional enemies of the Mulhorandi. Then, make this new place with the Thayans somewhat LIKE Stygia from the Conan novels. Make it a pirate nation filled with slave traders as well, but their pirate ships may take advantage of having monsters aboard their crew. Then have them raiding into Dambrath, Halruaa, Chult, the nearby Yikarian Empire and possibly coming into conflict or alliance with the Corsairs in the islands from "Corsairs of the Great Sea". It won't happen, but I'll still say it.
On the avatars of Gilgeam, remember that up until the time of troubles, the deities of Unther and Mulhorand weren't gods. They were confined to the prime material in mortal form. So, I don't see this one happening.
On the spear of Bane... damn good find. I agree, it makes for a good story if it were in fact stolen from the primordial, Maram of the Great Spear, and it was broken into the spear and shaft to weaken him (and the two parts hidden away). How the dragon found out about this? Did he know Bane as a living being?
On the restoration of the Untheric Pantheon... I'd rather see the Mulhorandi pantheon return and the Untherites turn to these deities. However, I wouldn't have them forget their old gods.... just they recognize that say "Utu relinquished control of the sun to Horus-Re". However, perhaps they also link certain Faerunian gods to their old gods (perhaps they see Jergal as their old evil lord of the dead Nergal), and said deities build on this. Similarly, if you wanted to bring back the male god of the moon, Nanna-Sin.... perhaps the second moon god, Zotha, might come back charading as him.
On the Mulhorand invasion, I'd rather it be that the people of Mulhorand and Unther found themselves transferred to Abeir. The people of Unther had no contact with the Faerunian Pantheon, but the people of Mulhorand enacted powerful rituals to call their gods back through their god-kings. The gods responded by sending avatars to help protect their people. As a result, the Untheric people converted to Mulhorandi worship.... and the empire of Mulhorand began conquering Abeir. Being the few humans in the world, all slaves were enlisted to aid the empire, and freed after they proved themselves worthy by capturing 10 times their own number in "lesser humanoids" to work the fields as their replacements. There still remained a caste structure with Mulans at the top and those of other blood in a lesser status, but the Mulhorandi empire soon had many lizardfolk, kobold, and even dragonborn and genasi slaves. Yuan-ti were found to be unfit slaves though, and were mercilessly hunted (it doesn't help that the church of Set allies with them). Meanwhile, the slaves are well treated... even given healing magic, to the amazement of the slaves. Over the past hundred years, the Mulan people were encouraged to have large families, and former slaves considered it a great blessing to bear the child of a Mulan-born, for it ensured that they and their child would be treated better in society. As a result, many female slaves never wed but instead became mistresses of their former masters (of course, this was aided by the fact that many male slaves died in the initial conflicts after the spellplague transference). All of this is going on when the Mulhorandi lands transfer back to Toril... and their great empire that they had grown in Abeir is cut down in size.
YES cut down in size, BUT they still have the Great Empire mentality, and will be an important power player in the realms.
Since we are accepting the Spellplague and the Twinning occured in the NEXT realms this is the coolest sceneario I have heard.
|
| Markustay |
Posted - 21 Mar 2014 : 13:57:33
Haven't read the thread, not even the OP, but have speed-read through the last post to get the gist of the conversation.
The Sarrukh were all over Faerûn, including the south. The map I have in my head for their lands are predominantly the same lands the Netherese dominated - see the map that came with the box set (and supposedly drawn by The Terraseer himself!), but they had 'enclaves' all over the place. The Sarrukh may have had a presence in the Thay region in ancient times, but that would have put them on the border of the Fey lands, which were primarily in the east. I could see a 'neutral zone' between the two Creator-Race civilizations encompassing much of the Unapproachable East (which could explain a lot, if their was some sort of clandestine 'cold war' going on throughout that area). Regardless, the Terraseer seemed to have been a disguised Sarrukh that traveled all over the place and steered events, which means he could have been even more widely traveled, or there could have been others like him.
Thay itself poises a problem - there was a major Ilythiir presence there, and we know that drow hate anything remotely connected to The Fey (see Elaine's Halruaa series). However, we are talking about a LONG time, and the drow of today are not the same creatures as the original Ilythiir (who were still elves). Could it be possible the Ilythiir found out about some sort of weapon the Sarrukh had against the Fey, and went there to retrieve it, or learn its secrets? As ancient as the Crown wars were, the Creators still would have been ancient history even to them. There is something there - some sort of antagonism between the Sarrukh and the fey, although its only hinted at in the lore. The Fey were the only Creatori not invited to participate in the Nether scrolls, and instead helped with the creation of the Imaskarkana in the east. Not sure what any of that means, but there is definitely something to all that.
As for the topic of the thread itself, I never really cared for Unther, and didn't mind it being phased-out in 3e, but I do miss Mulhorand. I'd prefer, if they brought Unther back in any form, they do something new and creative with it - perhaps an ancient, decadent kingdom (recently returned from Abeir) without any of the Sumerian/Babylonian trappings. Perhaps a piece of the original Mulan culture (pre-deific interloping) had been shifted to Abeir thousands of years ago, and thats what we could have in 5e (which would allow Ed to put his own, original spin back on things). |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 21 Mar 2014 : 09:46:14
Eww, returned abeir, spell plague, dirty words, unclean.
But you have given me a few ideas.
I just dont see Okoth and Thay ever making contact. Both are separated by geography and the nation of Mulhorand and Sarrukh relies on secrecy for survival so they arent going to reveal themselves. Furthermore both organisations are bent on world domination and that does not lend well to alliances. More likely the Okothian Sarrukh might try to subvert people in a nearby Thayan enclave and then use them to try and take control of the Red Wizards as a whole.
However you have given me several ideas for expanding the church of Set and Sarrukh. The Ship of the Gods explosion caused a massive tsunami that in official sources did absolutely no damage. However given recent real world examples we know tsunami can be devastating even to modern buildings. So i had it annihilate a few of the coastal towns of Unther and Mulhorand. These natural harbours will likely be settled by pirates first as Unther is in chaos and Mulhorand is busy conquering Unther.
Now the church of Set was always set on infiltrating Mulhorand and seems to have avoided Unther entirely. With Gilgeam gone i think that should change.
The Sarrukh/church of Set could gain agents in the pirate settlements using histaachi and the lycanthropy of Sebek. They could also use similar tactics to create a faction in ruined Unthalass (further delaying rebuilding by Mulhorand).
A further development idea i have had is the merging of the Unther and Mulhorandi pantheons. They both now occupy the same territory (since Mulhorand is conquering Unther) and the Untheric people already worship one Mulhorandi deity in the form of Ishtar (Isis). So if the pantheons merge then it is stronger as a whole and the people of Mulhorand and Unther can worship whatever gods they wish.
So Enlil becomes god of Unther, Wind, and Agriculture
Ishtar remains as she is.
Hoar is god of retribution and poetic justice (he might lose vengeance to Horus Re if he chooses to return, or Ao might take it from Horus and give it to Hoar)
Marduk can return as Bahamut
Tiamat remains as she is
Nanna-Sin can be the god of Defence and Protection from Evil
Gilgeam if one of his avatars were to be released and gain enough worship (and kill the other avatars) then he could be the god of madness, tyranny, and maybe undeath.
The Untheric people might not always like the Mulhorandi but they were ancient allies and i bet they would rather join the Mulhorandi pantheon than the Faerunian pantheon.
Now onto the mess that is the Mulhorand and Unther gods. The mechanics and reasoning behind it has been a mess from the start and as always im not afraid to scrap the broken stuff and rework it. So saying they are wholly material plane bound and separated from their essence does not make any sense at all (especially if you only follow FR and dont go for any core rubbish which makes an unnecessary mess of things even more) and so i'm going to continue along the line of thought that they chose to manifest all their power in a single avatar rather than they had to. Then shortly after the orcgate wars they realised the dangers of such action and changed tactic, so they dwelled on the outer plane and Gilgeam in particular manifested a major powerful avatar as a show of power. But that way i can have him with multiple aspects locked in dungeons across the world (they reached the Great Dale at one point in history) so it can be a massive adventure to stop them all.
So onto the spear of Bane. I have theorised before that the church of Bane originated in the lands around the Vilhon Reach. All the evidence seems to support this, and so after the Dark Three's adventures and power gathering, they returned to the Vilhon Reach to establish cults to themselves (in preparation for ascension). And upon becoming a god; Bane in particular looks to have left behind some "gifts" (the cloak in Mourktar, and now the spear of Bane). I cant see any link between Maldreidor and Bane. It is probably likely that Maldreidor was just watching with interest and when he had the chance to acquire the spear he took it. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 21 Mar 2014 : 00:08:10
On some of your ideas
On the Sarrukh and Set.... I've said it several times... there should be a group of Thayans down in the Eastern Shaar, Okoth, possibly the beastlands, Durpar, and Estagund as well. They might make an alliance with the Sarrukh, and they might welcome the church of Set as traditional enemies of the Mulhorandi. Then, make this new place with the Thayans somewhat LIKE Stygia from the Conan novels. Make it a pirate nation filled with slave traders as well, but their pirate ships may take advantage of having monsters aboard their crew. Then have them raiding into Dambrath, Halruaa, Chult, the nearby Yikarian Empire and possibly coming into conflict or alliance with the Corsairs in the islands from "Corsairs of the Great Sea". It won't happen, but I'll still say it.
On the avatars of Gilgeam, remember that up until the time of troubles, the deities of Unther and Mulhorand weren't gods. They were confined to the prime material in mortal form. So, I don't see this one happening.
On the spear of Bane... damn good find. I agree, it makes for a good story if it were in fact stolen from the primordial, Maram of the Great Spear, and it was broken into the spear and shaft to weaken him (and the two parts hidden away). How the dragon found out about this? Did he know Bane as a living being?
On the restoration of the Untheric Pantheon... I'd rather see the Mulhorandi pantheon return and the Untherites turn to these deities. However, I wouldn't have them forget their old gods.... just they recognize that say "Utu relinquished control of the sun to Horus-Re". However, perhaps they also link certain Faerunian gods to their old gods (perhaps they see Jergal as their old evil lord of the dead Nergal), and said deities build on this. Similarly, if you wanted to bring back the male god of the moon, Nanna-Sin.... perhaps the second moon god, Zotha, might come back charading as him.
On the Mulhorand invasion, I'd rather it be that the people of Mulhorand and Unther found themselves transferred to Abeir. The people of Unther had no contact with the Faerunian Pantheon, but the people of Mulhorand enacted powerful rituals to call their gods back through their god-kings. The gods responded by sending avatars to help protect their people. As a result, the Untheric people converted to Mulhorandi worship.... and the empire of Mulhorand began conquering Abeir. Being the few humans in the world, all slaves were enlisted to aid the empire, and freed after they proved themselves worthy by capturing 10 times their own number in "lesser humanoids" to work the fields as their replacements. There still remained a caste structure with Mulans at the top and those of other blood in a lesser status, but the Mulhorandi empire soon had many lizardfolk, kobold, and even dragonborn and genasi slaves. Yuan-ti were found to be unfit slaves though, and were mercilessly hunted (it doesn't help that the church of Set allies with them). Meanwhile, the slaves are well treated... even given healing magic, to the amazement of the slaves. Over the past hundred years, the Mulan people were encouraged to have large families, and former slaves considered it a great blessing to bear the child of a Mulan-born, for it ensured that they and their child would be treated better in society. As a result, many female slaves never wed but instead became mistresses of their former masters (of course, this was aided by the fact that many male slaves died in the initial conflicts after the spellplague transference). All of this is going on when the Mulhorandi lands transfer back to Toril... and their great empire that they had grown in Abeir is cut down in size. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 20 Mar 2014 : 19:48:47
Ahh, didn't know that about 2nd edition (has been 10 years since I read a 2nd edition rulebook).
Oh well. I still intend for Enlil to make a comeback. Why would a greater god of a pantheon just up and leave for no apparent reason. Then his son turns into a complete and total control freak.
Sounds much more plausible for his evil twisted son to try and do away with him.
Since I'm going with the idea that the Mulhorand and Untheric gods hung around in avatar form on the material plane because they liked the physical pleasures. Perhaps Gilgeam poisoned and or ambushed Enlil, rendered him unconscious/incapable, and buried him deep deep deep underground.
Or trapped him in some kind of magical prison or construct. The citadel of black ash seems a good place. It was liberated from Vulpomyscan around -1000 DR so it was empty for a good few hundred years before Enlil disappeared.
Gilgeam could have trapped Enlil deep in those lava tubes that descend into the bowels of the earth and left him there for millennia (and forgot about him). Maybe the explosion at the citadel of Black Ash is Enlil trying to break free. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 20 Mar 2014 : 18:07:50
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Interestingly it says in Old Empires the worshippers of the dead Untheric gods can cast up to 2nd level spells.
So someone or something is providing their spells and it is probably something divine but very weak. I wouldnt have many more gods survive than those i already picked, but maybe this shows that Enlil is still alive and trapped and so can only provide a weak amount of support to worshippers of the Untheric pantheon.
Pretty much any cleric can get 1st/2nd level spells. Spelljamming priests, who are in a sphere where their power is not present, can still get 1st and 2nd level spells... And if a greater doppelganger eats a divine caster, they can still get 1st and 2nd level spells, too. Maybe that's all from internal faith, or maybe it's from a very loose connection to the deity... |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 20 Mar 2014 : 16:25:38
Interestingly it says in Old Empires the worshippers of the dead Untheric gods can cast up to 2nd level spells.
So someone or something is providing their spells and it is probably something divine but very weak. I wouldnt have many more gods survive than those i already picked, but maybe this shows that Enlil is still alive and trapped and so can only provide a weak amount of support to worshippers of the Untheric pantheon. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 20 Mar 2014 : 09:59:53
Well just refound one of my first posts and the history section looks pretty solid i'm now looking to expand things adventure and location wise.
A few thoughts include
1 - The Sarrukh and the church of Set. For some reason the Okothian sarrukh (ruled by pililtith - however you spell his name) dont really seem to be in alliance with the church of Set, despite them both serving the same god. I would prefer to see the Okothian Sarrukh come to dominate the church of Set. So they send out their Yuan-Ti and histaachi servants initially as allies, but secretly they begin replacing the existing hierarchy and or turning the humans into histaachi (to make them more pliant). That way Mulhorand continues to face an ancient foe, but one revitalised with even more ancient evil and ancient knowledge.
2 - The many avatars of Gilgeam. In Gilgeam's writeup it states that Gilgeam was too proud and paranoid to have more than one avatar in existence at any one time. I dont think that is entirely true. I think he trusted only one avatar to be wandering around freely. But as paranoid as he was about his avatar's betrayal, i think he was more afraid of death. So Gilgeam created multiple avatars during his rule and imprisoned them in various places as insurance in case he was ever killed. I figure that one avatar was created shortly after the orcgate wars (-1076 DR). Another after Enlil's departure (-734 DR) Another one during the war with Eltabbranar (202 DR). Basically any time Gilgeam's life was in danger.
These avatars are now utterly insane (and some possibly dead) but it leaves a quest for Gilgeamites to restore their god in some form or another but it also means the PCs can prevent it after multiple Gilgeams appear and start wreaking havoc across the realms.
I'm thinking one avatar imprisoned in Unthalass, one in the Shaar, another in Thay.
3 - The Spear of Bane. This weapon is included in Maldriedor's writeup in Draconomicon and is alluded to as being a weapon capable of killing a god (because it belonged to a god i presume). I'm thinking this spear actually belonged to Maram (of the Great Spear) and it drains the energy/life force of any being it stabs. It was probably recovered during the same times as the Black Lord's Cloak artefact that lies in Mourktar. Unfortunately it is actually a massive weapon so its probably a Large Longspear (or a Huge normal spear). The PC's could retrieve it from Maldriedor and use it to kill Gilgeam's avatars.
4 - Restoration of the Untheric Pantheon. I'm having Nanna Sin return from near death. He was poisoned/infected by the same substance as Gilgeam (which drove Gilgeam mad and evil) during the orcgate war and the battle with Yurtrus. Nanna-Sin being the god of protection from evil was comatosed as his body attempted to purge it. Gilgeam had no such protection and began the slide to evil, starting with using his deific power to keep Nanna-Sin in a coma. The other gods were unable to revive Nanna-Sin and so he was buried in a god tomb like the other casualties of the orcgate wars.
After Gilgeam's death Nanna-Sin awoke when the ship of the gods erupted and as only a demipower began to reach out and try to attract worshippers.
Enlil never really retired, he was forcibly removed by Gilgeam. Maybe imprisoned in Zigguraxis. I think a suitably epic quest to awaken him could be involved.
Hoar is still alive so could easily make a return.
Bahamut could use his power to recreate Marduk (in my game Marduk was a separate being to Bahamut, but when he died he relinquished his power and portfolios to Bahamut to continue the fight against Tiamat).
Tiamat is of course still around (although a different Tiamat to the original in my game)
5 - The Mulhorandi Invasion. In the history i have played it so the new Pharaoh has two advisors a high priest of Anhur and one of Horus-Re after the church of Horus was discredited.
Rather than seeing Mulhorand successful and the church of Anhur eclipse the church of Horus as the major religion in Mulhoran. I would prefer it if Mulhorand could not complete the conquest. So its army gets routed at Messemprar but Mulhorand retains control of Unthalass and the lands south. Unther now consists of the lands on the Northern Plains and the Plains of Black Ash.
So Anhur's church also suffers a setback and Horus-Re and Anhur are on equal footing vying for the attention of the Pharaoh.
Anyone have anymore ideas for adventures and locations in Mulhorand, and interesting plot hooks. Especially how to proceed with the Church of Set/Okothian Sarrukh, and what could be the ultimate goal. I figure the Okothian Sarrukh wouldnt want to kill the Pharaoh, merely make him a histaachi and use Mulhorand's army to fight the Khaasta for them. |
| glitter |
Posted - 20 Aug 2012 : 11:11:05
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
The priesthood of Ramman in the Unthalass temple (in the Palace district) were quickly destroyed by the priests of Gilgeam when Hoar killed Ramman and they likewise lost their spellcasting ability.
Since I played a follower of Ramman a long time ago, I must help him on that. 
1) Since Ramman decided to support Gilgeam until the very end, why do you think that his priesthood would imediatly attack all rammanites ?
2) There is no other mention about followers of Ramman while they hold a very interesting position, the Green fields, where most of the food in Unther came from until the mulhorandi invasion. And even after the death of Ramman, Anhur/Ramatep should be an important player in the game, but even WotC prefer to stay silent about it, for what I read all those years ago, the decision to get ride of the Old Empires was already taken.
But I recognize that the situation of rammanites is not comfortable at all before the ToT and the weird decision of Ramman to stick with a status quo and after the ToT, for obvious reason (for those of wanted to stayed faithful to Ramman and choose the way of the Ensi).
With my group of players, we played three campaigns in (or close to) Unther and each time, there was a cold war between Isthar + Ramman + another player (Furifax or Northern wizards) vs Gilgeam.
In one of them, they even allied together versus the threat of Tchazzar + the Gret Bone Wyrm who wanted to invade the country.
Anyway, nice job, it was good to read it.
Eric: too long to read it now  |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 19 Aug 2012 : 19:41:54
Well i havent read any of the stories around it but from what i can gather reading in the sourcebooks. Tiamat's avatar was killed by Gilgeam's avatar (i dont think aspects existed in 2nd edition) early in the Time of Troubles.
Tiamat split into 3 dragons (Tchazzar, GEstanius and the other one) Tchazzar devoured the other two, reformed into Tiamat's 2nd avatar who killed Gilgeam's avatar but i think was in turn killed by Gilgeam himself (this may have happened just at the end or after the Time of Troubles). Tiamat then attacked Gilgeam and the two gods battled across the planes before Tiamat finally won.
Not sure how this impacts on your idea for the campaign. Really Gilgeam is dead good and proper in canon but there is no reason why he couldnt have had multiple avatars, one of whom may have been locked away somewhere (maybe for protection but is therefore even more insane than the first). It wouldnt be the first time a god died but one of its "avatars" survived, Moander for instance has some part of him imprisoned beneath somewhere in the Moonsea i think (Tsornyl i think springs to mind).
I kinda like the idea of having a few loony aspects of Gilgeam still running around even more nutty than the original, all thinking they are the true Gilgeam. In fact you gave me an idea, mind if i steal it and weave it into the missing history i have been writing. |
| Power2the1 |
Posted - 17 Aug 2012 : 23:10:34
I use to run an Unther campaign, and was planning on restarting one eventually since I find the Old Empire areas of the Realms more interesting. I love seeing Mr. Boyd show some much needed attention to this region!
Dazzlerdal I'll be looking at your work closely. I have an Unthercentric timeline that I have been working on myself, mainly dealing with Gilgeam's aspect being the cruel manifestation, and that he, in theory, is still alive (Tiamat only killed the aspect of Gilgeam, correct?) and his remining circle of followers gathering around the Black Ash Plain. Might post it later. Your ideas look awesome btw! |
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