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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Dec 2008 : 11:36:55
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Counterfeiting is simply making legal tender when you have no legal right to do so. There have been many, many times in history when counterfeiters have made 'money' that has been superior to that of the nation they have been copying. I grant you that with coinage the gnomes aren't making a profit but what they are doing is getting their wealth into easy circulation and avoiding the inevitable questions about "where all that raw, pure gold is coming from".
Then of course there are the spells that they place on select coinage intended to combat wards, allow 'holes' in anti-scrying dweomers and to provide snapshot views of the coin's locale and who it is being handled by on a periodic basis. Some of the coins are in fact enspelled to only 'awaken' upon being handled by specific personages - to allow targeted information gathering and spell intrusions. They are a sneaky bunch, those gnomes.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 24 Dec 2008 : 11:41:49
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As it is Xmas, I bring you all a gift - a monarch of Impiltur from the fabled "Impiltur Lineage". Enjoy and happy holidays to all.
Beldred I, "Fiendslayer"
Young when he came to the throne, as were all the Elethlim monarchs, Beldred I was a firebrand in his youth, leaving the kingdom and travelling to distant lands, including the realms of Tethyr, Calimshan and Cormyr. He made a vibrant impression on all of them and forged strong ties with the rulers of Cormyr and Tethyr. It is said that the future Queen Sybille the Great of Tethyr fell in love with him as only a ten-year old can, when he visited the court at Faerntarn and gave her a pet kitten as a gift.
Called back to the realm with the death of his father, Beldred I found that the wanderlust of his youth did not sit well with the responsibilities of rule and the role of king. He chafed at having to sit through tedious court functions, meetings with his Council of Advisers and other tasks requiring the king’s personal attention and sought every opportunity to depart his realm, whether to ride to war or engage in diplomacy at foreign courts.
Ambitious and wishing to leave a stronger Impiltur behind after his reign, Beldred I staked a claim to his uncle Samar’s throne when Velprin’s monarch died childless, leaving the throne to his nephew Tholeam in 846 DR. Tholeam was Samar’s dead brother’s son, while Beldred was his sister’s. The senior members of Velprin’s court considered the claim of the male line the stronger and so Tholeam’s claim was upheld, much to Beldred’s chagrin. He had spent several months in Velprintalar, lavishing gifts on nobles and other important personages (who quite liked the king but found his companions straitlaced, stuffy and altogether too religious for their liking).
Over the course of the rest of his reign, it is doubtful whether Beldred I spent more than four years in total in the realm proper. He fought a three-year war against Chessagol for alleged assistance to pirate and bandit raids on Impiltur, led “the Scouring”, a year-long campaign to eradicate pockets of fiends in the Rawlinswood, undertook numerous visits to the courts of distant Cormyr and Tethyr and even traveled to far-off Silverymoon and Ascalhorn ere its fall. It was in Ascalhorn that Beldred met and befriended the mage Soargar and offered him the long-vacant post of Mage Royal, which had lapsed with the death of King Forvar II in 726 DR. Soargar accepted the offer and proved a wise councilor and loyal servant of the realm.
Beldred died suddenly in Tethyr after celebrating the marriage of his son and namesake to Princess Andreane of Tethyr, eldest daughter of Queen Sybille the Great. His son and daughter-in-law took the magically preserved body of the king back to Impiltur for the royal funeral.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 18:13:58
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| Pretty darn wonderful, George! A very nice Christmas gift indeed! |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 23:37:17
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You are both more than welcome. I was thinking the other day that my lineage really needs to get 'done' but time and motivation are both in unfortunately short supply these days.
To get my butt into gear I decided that I would come to this fair forum and grant a new year request. The entire line of Impilturian monarchs can be found in GHotR. The next 5 posters on this thread can each nominate a single monarch they want written up - which I will attend to ASAP. So if any of the names on the lineage list have ever caught your fancy, now is the time to find out some more about them (and indirectly makes me hopefully flesh out more of the lineage in doing so). Have to it.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 01:24:22
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
The next 5 posters on this thread can each nominate a single monarch they want written up - which I will attend to ASAP.
Okay, I'll bite.
Agrosh “the Scaled”. He seems interesting. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 27 Dec 2008 01:24:45 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 01:33:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
The next 5 posters on this thread can each nominate a single monarch they want written up - which I will attend to ASAP.
Okay, I'll bite.
Agrosh “the Scaled”. He seems interesting.
Oooh! My turn. 
Ellarath "the Faerie King." I'd like to hear a little more about his time on the throne. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 01:34:56
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| I'd like to read more about Ellarath "the Faerie King" |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3737 Posts |
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Na-Gang
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
348 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 12:48:19
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| Morus "the Crazed" sounds fun. Mad monarchs are always entertaining. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 13:28:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Na-Gang
Morus "the Crazed" sounds fun. Mad monarchs are always entertaining.
An easy one as this king's reign was short:
Morus, “the Crazed”
Intense and willful as a child, Morus grew to be disturbed and moody. Where his grandfather’s paranoia was based on an intelligent mind working overtime, Morus had more than a streak of insanity that made him suspicious of everything and everyone around him. Morus was disliked by all but the courtiers who fawned on him, used his capricious nature to their advantage and avoided and deflected his ire and all-consuming suspicions.
Within a year of him taking the throne, many of the older noble families of the realm such as the Wintersuns and Norilaths began to avoid appearing at the Royal Court, spending their time at country estates and begging off with excuses of illness and emergencies, real and imagined. Such was the capricious nature of Morus that all in his presence feared that they were but a king's whim away from the headman's axe and it swiftly became common knowledge that the royal displeasure was a recurring, fearsome and often lethal phenomenon. Morus' response was to invite the youngest sons of the dozen oldest families of the realm to a lavish feast being held to celebrate his birthday. Only five attended the feast and the remaining seven who excused themselves from attending were found dead, slain by poison, in their beds the next morning. The royal summons was heeded to with alacrity after this event and the Royal Court became a well-attended, socially prominent hub of Lyrabaran society with the capricious Morus lording over all and sundry as every noble and courtier there scrambled to avoid his direct attention.
After two years on the throne Morus suddenly confronted his younger brother at Court, accusing him at a revel of plotting to slay him and usurp the throne. His brother Amarkos had only recently returned from a state visit to King Belhendar Ilistar of Westgate, as Amarkos had married Belhendar’s much younger half-sister, Maelisande. In a wild battle of blades before the horrified Impilturian court, Amarkos was forced to defend himself against his older brother’s unprovoked attack and slew his brother with, as most say, little regret. So passed the unfortunate Morus “the Crazed”, one of the least inspiring of the monarchs of Impiltur.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 16:20:02
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| George, are the Wintersuns related to the Cormyte noble family of the same name? Perhaps the Cormyte branch emigrated from Impiltur? |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 23:57:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
George, are the Wintersuns related to the Cormyte noble family of the same name? Perhaps the Cormyte branch emigrated from Impiltur?
Well, I can't definitely state so as that would be messing in other people's sandboxes. I like to create such possible links and connections to generate more lore potential and possible hooks.
There was a significant diaspora of Impilturian nobles in the wake of the attack of the Scaled Horde. Many came back during and after the Triad Crusade, but some did not, having managed to bring most of their wealth out with them and/or not wishing to return to this seemingly ill-fated kingdom. At the time, the stability of Cormyr under the long rule of Draxius would no doubt have been an attractive proposition.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Asgetrion
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1564 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2008 : 13:46:14
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
George, are the Wintersuns related to the Cormyte noble family of the same name? Perhaps the Cormyte branch emigrated from Impiltur?
Well, I can't definitely state so as that would be messing in other people's sandboxes. I like to create such possible links and connections to generate more lore potential and possible hooks.
There was a significant diaspora of Impilturian nobles in the wake of the attack of the Scaled Horde. Many came back during and after the Triad Crusade, but some did not, having managed to bring most of their wealth out with them and/or not wishing to return to this seemingly ill-fated kingdom. At the time, the stability of Cormyr under the long rule of Draxius would no doubt have been an attractive proposition.
-- George Krashos
Sounds pretty good to me!
And many, many thanks for the juicy Realmslore you've provided on this thread -- especially those that touch on Cormyr and Cormytes.
Also, you asked for feedback on your 'Mantles'-piece, and I think it was very good! 
You know, I've also tinkered with Mantles in a more modest and limited fashion, by creating some as 'Racial Feats' for Pathfinder Beta (e.g. "Whenever you cast a spell as a full-round action, you receive +1 to that spell's DC and Caster Level. You also receive a +1 Insight Bonus to all your saving throws for one round. The benefits of this feat only apply to spells with the casting time of standard action"). |
"What am I doing today? Ask me tomorrow - I can be sure of giving you the right answer then."
-- Askarran of Selgaunt, Master Sage, speaking to a curious merchant, Year of the Helm |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2008 : 22:21:16
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Glad to be of service.
Thanks for the praise on the mantles piece. I really don't know what would have happened to it publishing wise once professional game designers got their teeth into it (likely it wouldn't have passed muster) but it was fun - and difficult - to get it done in its current form.
I like your 'simple' take on them - much easier than my efforts!
Oh and there are still 2 monarch slots free for a write-up. The acolytes here at Candlekeep must either be very busy or disinterested in my favourite kingdom.
I should have Agrosh up for the weekend.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 29 Dec 2008 : 23:00:14
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Oh and there are still 2 monarch slots free for a write-up. The acolytes here at Candlekeep must either be very busy or disinterested in my favourite kingdom.
They're probably just busy with holiday-related stuff.
Or they just haven't seen your generous offer yet!
I'd give it a few more days. Although, if nothing further comes, maybe those of us who have voted already can put forth a second selection to fill the last two slots?
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2008 : 01:13:14
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I'm a big subscriber to the theory that "If you don't ask, you don't get!", so I have no problem with people getting to choose more than one.
BTW, I like the choices so far.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2008 : 04:03:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Dewaint
ah ... BTW may a add a quick one?
Around the current year of your Dragon article (should be 1374/1375DR, right?), are there any activities of the Shadowmasters of Telflamm worth to be mentioned?
If I remember correctly the Shadowmasters were trying to gain a foodhold, or expand their sphere of influence on some of the Impilturian costal cities.
Sorry for the lateness of my reply.
I confess that I haven't come up with anything regarding Telflamm of the activities of the Shadowmasters. I would say that their ambitious attempts to expand their sphere of influence into neighbouring realms has been somewhat stymied by the competition of the Nine Golden Swords which has lobbed on their doorstep.
I refer you to my "A Tour of Telflamm" article in one of the Candlekeep Compendiums for a bit more information.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gang Falconhand
Seeker
United Kingdom
85 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2008 : 08:17:59
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Hi GK!
Roughly (or exactly) where was the city of Delimbiyran? What ruins remain of the city circa 1374? Any inhabitants?
Loving your work! |
"If you have a quality let it define you." |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 30 Dec 2008 : 13:14:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Gang Falconhand
Hi GK!
Roughly (or exactly) where was the city of Delimbiyran? What ruins remain of the city circa 1374? Any inhabitants?
Loving your work!
From the original FK notes (c. 1998), Eric Boyd wrote:
"The capitol city of Delimbiyran lay near the southern tip of Elembar, north of the River Delimbiyr, very close to where the Trail Way meets the Delimbiyr Route today".
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2009 : 12:31:58
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As they say in the classics: better late than never.
Agrosh "the Scaled"
The Tarrik noble family was the oldest in all Impiltur, having its origins in the legendary lost realm of Jhaamdath. Its noble founder, Grelaven Tarrik, was the constant, trusted companion of Impil Mirandor when their refugee group made landfall on the shores of what would become the Easting Coast in the years before the raising of the Standing Stone.
It is unknown exactly when the proud and debauched Tarriks came wholly under the sway of the dread Eltab, Lord of the Hidden Layer, but many note that Tarrendril Tarrik, grandsire of the house's last duke Errendil, was a noted adventurer and known to have walked the dark halls of the the Citadel of Conjurers in the days after he returned from the great campaign led by King Bellodar I into the regions of the Great Dale and Ashanath, in the Year of the Glaring Eye(613 DR). What very few sages know is that it was Tarrendril who came upon the demoncyst that contained the wicked Soneillon, the "Queen of Whispers". In releasing her from her prison, Tarrendril became her thrall and unwitting vehicle for her desire to free her lord and master Eltab from his prison deep beneath Thaymount. Tarrendril was tasked with a mission to retrieve a powerful Narfelli magic item, the Shiftglass of Orthass from the Citadel and use it to free Eltab.
Tarrendril never succeeded in his task, but this mission and the all-pervading domination of Soneillon were passed down the Tarrik line as the family shifted more and more to the worship of fiends and dread rites and debased activities. It was Tarrendril's grandson Errendil who finally succeeded in retrieving the Shiftglass of Orthass in the Year of Sundered Crypts (684 DR) and he travelled that same year to distant Thaymount, beckoned by the will of Eltab. There he sought to use the powers of this artifact to break not only the demoncyst that contained Eltab but also the Adamantine Binding laid on his master centuries ago by the demonbinders of Narfell. The result was altogether unexpected for the artifact succeeded only in transferring the consciousness and a portion of Eltab's demonic power into the mortal vessel that was Errendil to the point that every human aspect of Errendil was extinguished, leaving only a breathing mortal husk for the demon lord to inhabit.
While Eltab initially was furious and disappointed at the failure of his gambit, he swiftly realised that he had for the first time in centuries an opportunity to act in his own interests and directly guide his plans and machinations, notwithstanding the feeble mortal vehicle that gave him the means to do so. So it was that Errendil/Eltab returned to Impiltur and formented the plots and activities which would culminate in the summoning of his dread lieutenant Ndulu, the formation of the Scaled Horde and fall of Impiltur in the Year of the Dowager Lady (726 DR).
Unfortunately, Eltab did not savour the success of his vile plan or delight in the death, ruin and devastation brought about by the invasion of the Scaled Horde, for Errendil's mortal body finally gave out ("burned out" from within by the demonic power that infused it) a scant season before the invasion in the Year of the Shorn Beard (725 DR). With the death of Errendil, Eltab's consciousness returned to his physical form trapped deep beneath the Thaymount.
Agrosh was born to Errendil/Eltab and the Lady Varlora Shimmercrag in the winter of the Year of the Zephyr (688 DR). Officially, the Lady Varlora died in childbirth and her newborn son died a few breaths later but in reality, the crimson-scaled half-fiend Agrosh was torn from his mother in a welter of gore while Errendil/Eltab conjured vile sorceries that infused him with his dying mother's soul and gave him strength and vitality beyond that of a normal half-fiend. Agrosh was raised by a group of trusted Tarrik servants who had become fervent Eltab worshippers in a hidden subterranean bolthole located in the Earthfast Mountains. There, he was trained as a warrior and sorceror of no mean ability and informed that the throne of Impiltur and rule of all surrounding lands was his by birthright.
And so it came to pass that in 726 DR, when the Scaled Horde was ravaging the eastern lands of Impiltur, Agrosh raised a secret army of demon-worshippers from the disaffected and isolated inhabitants of the Earthfasts and marched into the environs of Lyrabar just as the Scaled Horde broke the Royal Host's final stand at the Battle of Weeping Stones. Agrosh's army acted as the anvil to the Scaled Horde's hammer as they converged on the capital and laid waste to the city and all who lived there including King Forvar II and the entire royal line.
With the support of his new consort Soneillon and the blessing of his seneschal Ndulu, Agrosh was crowned King of Impiltur only a handful of days after the death of Forvar. His 'rule' however was nothing of the kind. The realm proper had disintegrated as its citizens fled to surrounding regions or rallied into guerrila groups dedicated to cleansing their lands of the demonic invaders and the humans who had come to worship them. For nigh on three years Agrosh did as he pleased, indulging his base desires and nature and revelling in hunting down humans for sport, whether fiend worshippers or not.
The proclamation of the Triad Crusade and the coming of the great paladin army of Sarshel Elethlim and the advent of the Fiend Wars saw Agrosh ride to war at the head of his Horned Legion, a hand-picked cohort of half-fiend warriors, most of whom were Tarriks or trusted Tarrik retainers. Despite his martial prowess and unearthly strength and vitality, Agrosh was slain in the overpowering attack of the paladin army's vanguard, led by Belthar Garshin, at the Battle of Horned Heads. It is said that he had the satisfaction of drinking Belthar's blood before he was transfixed by a score of holy, blessed spears and his dead body transformed into a pile of maggots ere it was cleansed with fire.
So passed unmourned the only monarch of the "Demon Dynasty" and with his death, Impiltur began its return from the great maelstrom of death and darkness which had torn it asunder.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 10 Mar 2009 11:45:42 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
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PaulBestwick
Seeker
United Kingdom
83 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2009 : 16:47:18
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George I believe there is a monarch request slot still available. Therefore I would request detail on Bellodar I "The Conqueror". My campaign is just kicking off in the Great Dale and any details that relate this region to Impiltur where most of teh characters come from would be of great use. Many thanks ahead of time
Paul |
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Neil Bishop
Learned Scribe
Singapore
100 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2009 : 07:21:49
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| Magnificent! |
Regards
NXB |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
502 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2009 : 05:02:37
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Hey George any chance of getting some info on my Iron Throne timeline question from 2 pages back?
Thanks for all the info above. I'm sure it will see use in my campaign someday. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
Edited by - Gelcur on 09 Jan 2009 05:03:36 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2009 : 12:20:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Gelcur
I was wondering if you had any more information on this timeline. It seems a bit confusing. Lords of Darkness and Power of Faerun both have Sfena disappearing in 1371 DR due to Maready her lieutenant. But the timeline in Grand History says she did not disappear until 1374 DR when Dabron and the Knights of the Shield.
Any insight on these events? Or maybe a direction to look in for further information? Thanks.
There is an explanation that can be used to deal with the apparent anomaly you identify above.
The passage in 'Lords of Darkness' (p.142) does not state as fact that Sfena has been spirited back to the Nine Hells, this is only a supposition. The only thing that is stated as fact is that she has disappeared.
GHotR states as fact that she is spirited away from the Realms by Gargauth in 1374 DR (p.155).
Hence you can have her disappear in 1371 DR but be taken back to the Hells in 1374 DR. What has she been doing in between? Well, that's up to you ...
As an aside, after further checking of my old files, I note that Eric Boyd in his working up for "Power of Faerûn" provided two alternate timelines for this 'Iron Throne' event. In the rush to get GHotR up and done, I picked the earlier one - and in hindsight, the incorrect one. My bad. 
Anyway, I hope the snafu doesn't cause you too many problems. I can think of at least one reason for the time delay:
In 1371 DR, Sfena chose voluntarily to 'disappear', knowing that her father's agents were closing in on her. Her place of refuge however was one known to the Knights of the Shield and they kept that piece of information in their pockets until the time was right to benefit from it in 1374 DR).
But I'm sure you could come up with any number of alternatives.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2009 : 13:41:23
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Okay, one more requested Impilturian monarch:
Bellodar I “the Conqueror”
Very much in the mould of his father, Bellodar I matched a skill for war with the cunning and intelligence to be a great leader of men. Known for his keen wit and almost perfect recall and memory, he was a laconic and confident individual who did not suffer fools gladly nor tolerate those individuals who were more style than substance. That is not to say that Bellodar was not prone himself to flights of fancy - for he considered himself to be a ruler destined for greatness - but his excesses were always tempered by a strong sense of self deprecating humour and the acid tongue of his wife, the Queen Kalinda, daughter of King Strohm II of Tethyr.
In the first year of his reign Bellodar fought off a Flight of Dragons that assailed the lands of the Easting Reach, delivering the slaying stroke that brought down the great white wyrm Anaxargathal. Soon after, he took advantage of the devasation caused by the dragons to annex Chessagol once again to the realm for its 'protection', the city having asserted its independence from Impilturian hegemony in years past. Although Chessagol would pronounce its independence on the day of his death some 30 years later, the annexation was an indication of Bellodar's drive, ambition and sense of opportunism.
In the Year of Old Bones (609 DR), after some 5 years of preparation, Bellodar mustered the largest army and naval armada ever gathered in Impilturian lands by calling the Crownguard (Impiltur's standing militia comprising all males of military age: 25-35) into service. He and his army then crossed the Easting Reach and made landfall at the site of present-day Uthmere, bulding a wooden stockade fort, and pronouncing to his warriors that they were witnessing the birth of a Greater Impiltur and that bards in days to come would sing of their stalwart endevours and bravery in the face of the unknown. After exploring up and down the coast and wintering in Kael Orthar ("Kael" meaning "fort" in the Damaran tongue and "Orthar" being Bellodar's favourite warhorse who died of sickness soon after landing), Bellodar and his army plunged east into the Auldgloam Forest (the collective human name for the Forest of Lethyr and the Rawlinswood ere it shrunk and was separated as it is now) claiming territory and demanding fealty from those humans he encountered. His army cut a swathe through the forest, felling trees as they went and expanding the natural clearing that a glacier had cut through the Auldgloam millenia before.
Those who took up arms against the king, including the small holdings of Phandarel, Kelgrove Gard and Aerdar, were dealt with swiftly and mercilessly - the men of military age being impressed into Bellodar's army with a garrison being put in place and waystops and travel markers for merchant caravans being constructed for the expected surge in trade activities. Bellodar's army also encountered the debased and savage humans of Immircus who worshipped the demon prince Orcus. They were slain to the last man, woman and child when Bellodar saw how they had ritually sacrificed a number of his troops they had ambushed and captured, then raised them as undead and sent them to fight against their erstwhile comrades. Bellodar used magic to scour their foul city into dust but even he quailed at the prospect of exploring the labyrinth of hand-hewn tunnels and chambers that their settlement rested on. The scouts he sent to explore these warrens never returned and warding the entrances with magic, Bellodar and army left behind this accursed place little knowing that his actions at Immircus had awakened a number of demons held in stasis within demoncysts since the time of the fall of Narfell.
Bellodar's “Great March” culminated in the armies of Impiltur reaching the shores of Ashanath. There he built another log and earth fort and prepared to send a force across the lake to explore the lands that might lie beyond. Bellodar did not lead the expedition himself, having succumbed to a minor bout of illness, but fortunately so for nothing was heard of this expedition again, or its leader Duke Halthos Orbil. After their camp experienced a series of attacks by monsters including a flock of chimerae, a rogue gorgon and a juvenile fang dragon - all seemingly appearing out of nowhere (the beasts actually having been summoned and directed by the Witches of Rashemen) - Bellodar and his army marched back to the coast and the ships waiting for them there. The journey back was a difficult one, for despite the small settlements and garrisons that Bellodar had left in his army's wake, illness and discontent among the men to return to the soil of Impiltur proper caused discipline to fail at various times on the return trek. Groups of stragglers would disappear (assailed and slaughtered by demons that the army's activities had roused from slumber) and some of the forts and garrisons established at the start of the great expedition were found empty with no trace of the men who had been stationed there. When the blue water of the Easting Reach first came into sight as the army marched into the environs of Kael Orthar, a great cheer went up from the men and Bellodar himself uttered a fervent prayer to Tymora for their safe return.
On his return to Impiltur in the Year of the Glaring Eye (613 DR), Bellodar declared these new lands ready for settlement and indeed, many settlers left the realm for Kael Orthar and the fringes of the forest and down the road known then as Kingsmarch. But the previously slumbering evils of the Auldgloam were roused and the forest became a place of danger and darkness once more, harking back to the days of ancient Narfell. Those settlers who followed the Kingsmarch east were rarely seen again and the majority clustered around the settlement of Kael Orthar which in time became known as Uthmere for its cleanwater spring.
The aging but still vigorous Bellodar spent the next handful of years ruling peacefully and eagerly planning his next great adventure which was an invasion of the Vast and the annexation of those lands into the kingdom of Impiltur. Bellodar was not afforded the opportunity to bring his plan to fruition for in the Year of the Eagle and Falcon (626 DR) he was slain at the hands of teacherous nobles of House Orbil who assassinated him in revenge for the death of the head of their house many years before. They believed that the king had engineered the death of Halthos Orbil to eliminate a dangerous rival and upon the king's death, their actions flared into open rebellion with Malthos Orbil seeking to overthrow the Durlarvens and place himself on the throne. Their rebellion was short-lived however as the other noble families rallied to the royal standard of the hastily crowned Bellodar II, and the entire house was declared outlaw, their holdings and possessions confiscated by the Crown.
So passed Bellodar I, known to all as "the Conqueror" for his martial bent and military adventures. What few knew at the time was that his ambition and thirst for adventure had roused the hitherto sleeping terrors of the Auldgloam Forest and that the Durlarven Dynasty would rule for exactly 100 further years before it and the realm would fall in a demonic assault of awesome death and destruction.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2009 : 14:56:33
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Good stuff Krash!
So good in fact, that those bits about the events of the Year of Old Bones should fit together with something I've been thinking about for my current FR campaign. Nicely done. |
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe
502 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2009 : 15:11:57
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Thanks for the reply. It was exactly what I needed. It caused to real inconvenience it was more something that came up as I was planning a storyline in that region.
I was presuming something similar would have happened. But wanted to make sure the original reference hadn't been cleared from the canon in favor of the new one as sometimes happens.
As a side note I have to say I enjoy when story creators are so honest with things like this. It really gives me an appreciation for the difficulty that goes into making these product.
Thanks again. |
The party come to a town befallen by hysteria
Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good. |
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Questions for George Krashos
