| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| deserk |
Posted - 15 Nov 2021 : 12:34:48
I was just wondering over this, since the history and lore written about them (mostly from the Serpent Kingdoms book) seem to only speak of their presence and origins in the Anauroch. But do they have communities elsewhere?
The Shining South book does list them in as a potential encounter in the Shaar and the Shining Lands (Durpar, Estagund & Var the Golden). But nothing in the actual text of that book speaks of their presence or role there.
Personally I do think asabis that would thrive well in many other parts of Faerun, particularly in the arid and sandy lands of Calimshan, Unther, Mulhorand, and the Raurin Desert. They would make a nice alternative there to the typical marauding orc/goblin warband. |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 15 Nov 2021 : 23:51:45
Most sapient lizard creatures on Toril were created by the sarrukh.
An interesting question here is: how did they appear in Anauroch?
Considering they seem to be adapted to deserts and it was not a desert in Netheril era. Also, while they have a Netherese name (the same perhaps could be said about many creatures not living on Toril), yet there are no mentions of them in Netheril sourcebooks, and anyway their long-term peaceful coexistence side by side with the Netherese would be unlikely (just ask the gnomes). Also, the asabi don't seem able to discover and colonize a remote new habitat on their own, while the sarrukh large-scale or overt activity ceased much earlier, and anyone else is very unlikely to be able and willing, even if the asabi had allies.
My answer is: most likely just like the Bedine, via some gate(s) between Anauroch and Zakhara or maybe other places. Perhaps gates made by the Sarrukh.
IIRC there even was some mention of yikaria scouts in this area back in Netheril time (it's on the list for Mortal Consequences, so probably from there).
There don't seem to be any asabi in Zakhara in the described era, but whether they were native or recently arrived from somewhere else still, they would only need to get in a big feud with the jann and/or firenewts to... find the place increasingly inhospitable.
Having a name on Netherese tongue fits with the gate hypothesis: some scouts popped in, looked around, met the local humans and went back. The others didn't follow because it would be an obviously bad idea. Much later another scout party discovered that there's a better place for them now and led the settlers. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 15 Nov 2021 : 12:57:22
If I remember rightly asabi were created by sarrukh.
If so the answer depends upon how you view the sarrukh.
You can take the canon depiction where sarrukh across Faerun were influenced by happenings in okoth and merrshaulk because they were divine based, which implies some kind of unified civilisation split into separate empires.
Or you can view it logically. The sarrukh in Okoth split their empire in civil war and a group migrated to chult. This group created the naga and yuan ti and were wholly isolated from anything happening in okoth.
The merrshaulk group also split at some point and part of them spread north to isstosseffifil. This third group were also totally isolated from the other two empires with no connections between them because they hated each other for ideological reasons and notions of racial purity and body image.
I go with the latter, ergo the asabi were created in isstosseffifil, and remain there or in neighbouring regions due to environment specialisation, competition, geographic isolation etc. |
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