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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 26 Mar 2014 :  09:42:51  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
Originally in the sages of realmslore section in a thread on the Imaskari Planar Barrier but really i intend to flesh out Chessenta and make it more usable for those who dont intend to butcher their campaign world with the spell plague.


-1771 DR: The nation of Chessenta is established as an autonomous province of the First Untheric Empire; the fiefdom adopting its name from its first imperial magistrate, Grand Viceroy Iphram Chess. With his first official proclamation, Chess decreed the territory be cleansed of all indigenous species, notably the darker-skinned Turami of the Akana and the Batoi halfling populations along the Adder River.
- Ancient Chessenta otherwise known as Akanu is established by the Babylonian pantheon of gods that lead their Mulan people north beyond Unther’s borders. The god Anu establishes the capital of Adanu (meaning place of Anu) in the modern day Adder Swamp on the south-eastern shores of the Bay of Chessenta. The native Turami peoples are forced further west to the Vilhon Reach and the nation of Jhaamdath. The land itself is called Akanu (meaning land of Anu)
-Founding of the First Chessentan Empire


First Chessentan Empire (-1771 DR to -1069 DR)
The first empire of Chessenta was founded by the manifestations of the Babylonian pantheon around the bay of Chessenta. What it’s original name was no one but the gods know, however since Gilgeam rewrote the histories of Unther and Chessenta many times to show him in a better light it has been named Chessenta after the first Grand Viceroy Iphram Chess.
In truth Iphram Chess was administrator of Adanu and ambassador to Unther, but when Gilgeam became god-king of Unther he changed the written histories so that Chessenta was always part of Unther.
The society of ancient Chessenta paralleled that of Unther and the two societies were almost indistinguishable apart from the worship of different gods.
Early history of Chessenta is marked by the clearing of the forest that covered Chessenta. This forest was the same great forest that contained the elven realms of Syorpiir, Thearnytaar, and Eiellûr in other places of Faerûn.
In clearing out the forest the Chessentan peoples and their Babylonian gods came into conflict with green elves, fey creatures, Turami humans, and tribes of halflings known as Batoi.
Once the forest was cleared by -1504 DR, Chessenta encountered the eastern cities of Jhaamdath and noting the prevalence of Turami people (that were also native in Chessenta and viewed as weak) immediately began on a period of conquest.
The empire of Chessenta; whose army was skilled in battle through fighting elves, fey, and other creatures for the first two centuries of it’s existence, easily conquered the mostly Turami populated settlements of Eastern Jhaamdath (Reth, Hlath, and where the Blade Kingdoms stand today).
However once they reached more central Jhaamdath they struggled to gain a foothold in the Vilhon Reach area due to the strange psionic disciplines used by the Jhaamdathi warriors.
After centuries of war with nothing to show for it but an extended stalemate and many thousands of dead, the two nations finally come to an accord when Unther, Mulhorand and Chessenta were threatened by a far more dangerous foe; the orcs.
-1750 DR: Chessenta evicts the coastal dwelling Batoi halfling tribes around the Bay of Chessenta. The halflings set off across the Sea of Fallen Stars on primitive rafts, eventually coming to settle in the land that will become Aglarond
-1700 DR: Chessenta begins serious logging activities of the forests that dominate the inland of Chessenta. In doing so they encounter tribes of Turami humans, green elves, and fey creatures ready to defend their homes. Over the next two centuries they cut and burn vast swathes of the forest, revealing a vast lake in central Chessenta which is named the Akanumere after the god Anu (it later becomes corrupted to Akanamere).
-1600 DR: By this time the primordial defenders of the forests in Chessenta are all dead or gone because of the Babylonian gods of Chessenta waging war on the powerful beings. Only Sebek survives by skulking in the swamplands and hiding in the unwanted lands of Chessenta.
-1504 DR to -1069 DR: Eastern provinces of Jhaamdath fall under the sway of Unther.
-1504 DR to -1069 DR: The empire of Chessenta logs much of the forest lands in Chessenta and discovers settlements of Jhaamdath around the Akanamere lake. Assuming the Turami populated settlements are weak and easily conquered; like the Turami natives in Chessenta; they seize the area now known as the Blade Kingdoms. Within a year well organised armies of strange warriors with powers of the mind are marching on Chessenta.
The two nations are easily matched with the Blade Kingdom regularly changing hands as they are conquered and reconquered by the two nations. Ultimately the war continues to a fruitless end when Chessenta’s ancient allies; the Mulhorandi; call for aid as they face the orcs.
Chessenta cedes control of all territory gained during the conflict back to Jhaamdath
c. -1500 DR: Mulhorandi expansion results in the settlement of the Priador and annexation of Murghôm, the Plains of Purple Dust, and the Raurin Desert.
-Untheric expansion results in the settlement of the Wizards’ Reach and much of the Eastern Shaar.
-1482 DR: Mulhorand conquers the eastern realm of Semphâr.
-1400 DR: First crude ships sail the open waters of the Inner Sea, as Unther expands across the Alamber. These ships are the standard for sea travel for the next two millennia.
-1250 DR: Unther battles Yuireshanyaar for control of the southern Aglarondan coast. The star elves are driven back into the woods. Further Untheric expansion near the Great Rift [–6000, 316] brings this nation into conflict with the gold dwarves of the Deep Realms.
c. -1200 DR: The Boneyard, more properly known as Pholzubbalt [1000], the Mausoleum City, is founded by a secret cabal of Mulhorandi necromancers deep under present-day Thesk.
-1124 DR: The Mulhorandi outpost of Semkhrun is founded in Semphâr.
-1087 DR: The Theurgist Adept (wizard) Thayd leads a rebellion of mages against Mulhorand and Unther, seizing the northern provinces of both empires as his own territory.
-1081 DR: Thayd and his conspirators are defeated. Before he is executed, Thayd prophesies that Mulhorand and Unther will decline.
-1076 DR to -1069 DR: The Orcgate Wars: The Orcgate opens in the southern portion of the Plateau of Thay. Renegade Mulhorandi wizards employ Imaskari portal magic to open planar gates to an orc world. Hundreds of thousands of orcs inundate the northern territories of both Mulhorand and Unther. Mulhorand hires Nar, Raumathari, Rashemi, and Sossrim mercenaries to fight the orc invaders.
-1075 DR: First battle of the Orcgate Wars. Orcs overrun many northern settlements, slaying thousands
-1071 DR: Battle of the Gods: The orc god Gruumsh kills the Mulhorandi deity Ra in the first known deicide. The Untheric gods Inanna, Girru, Ki, Nanna-Sin, Nergal, and Utu are slain by orc deities. During the final Battle of the Gods, Tiamat launches a surprise attack against Gilgeam while he battles Ilneval. The ever-vigilant Marduk intervenes, killing Tiamat before she can land a death blow against Gilgeam, but at the cost of his own life.
- Nanna Sin is granted the portfolio of Defence against Evil by Marduk right before his death. Nanna-Sin and Gilgeam are both poisoned by Ilneval's blades (which were treated by Yurtrus). Nanna-Sin's body attempts to purge the seed of evil whereas Gilgeam succumbs to the infection. Gilgeam uses his power to keep Nanna-Sin in a coma and suggests to the remains of the pantheon that his body is interred in a god tomb like the other casualties.



Second Chessentan Empire (-1069 DR to -734 DR)
While not strictly a separate empire it does mark a significant shift in the life of the empire of Chessenta. With the death of Marduk, Nergal, and Girru almost half the gods of Chessenta are dead. Only Gilgeam, Ishtar, Anu, Anshar and Ramman remain as openly worshipped gods. Tiamat (called Dahak in Chessenta) and Druaga; a monstrous multi-armed creature that stalks the land slaying any it finds; hide in the shadows attracting worship from the disaffected and the criminals of Chessenta.
Gilgeam is also now irrevocably evil and begins hatching a plan to eliminate the other gods so that he may rule as king of Chessenta.
Problems begin to strike Chessenta as gods from nearby pantheons cause trouble in the lands of Chessenta. Orcs also begin to become commonplace in Chessenta as few were brought as slaves from the Orcgate Wars and escaped into the wilds. Within 100 years they are a plague on the lands around.
Gilgeam sets out to make a name for himself as prior to this he was merely a minor deity of Strength. He personally hunts down and wrestles the creature Druaga on the slopes of Mount Thulbane and to mark this event the people of Chessenta establish an annual wrestling match in honour of his victory.
Using an ancient artefact from the ruins of Imaskar, Gilgeam covertly slays Anshar after tricking the deity into swallowing the pea size sphere that would later be known as Entropy. Entropy quickly consumes Anshar from the inside, beating any attempts to save him.
Gilgeam volunteers to take over the reins from Anshar and is allowed by Anu in recognition of his defeat of Druaga.
Gilgeam arranges the assassination of Anu by having him supposedly bitten by a serpent on the ankle while crossing the Adder River. In truth Anu stepped on Entropy and the sphere lodged itself inside the god consuming another god from the inside out.
Leaderless the Babylonian gods looked to Gilgeam to guide them.
In Unther, the Untheric pantheon were also suffering setbacks and noted a significant loss of power and influence after the Orcgate Wars. Gilgeam as leader of the gods of Chessenta approached Enlil and proposed the two pantheons merge to strengthen themselves against the resurgent Mulhorand.

-1050 DR: A power struggle between Osiris and Set to succeed Re results in the murder of Osiris.
-1048 DR: Isis resurrects Osiris. Horus-Re battles Set and becomes chief of the Mulhorandi pantheon, Set worship is abolished. The tower of Set in Skuld is destroyed.
- The First Mulhorand Empire ends.
-1000 DR: Grey orcs, taken as slaves during the Orcgate Wars begin to escape captivity and form tribes in the wilds of Chessenta.
-950 DR: The orc tribes in Chessenta destroy a hidden dwarf realm beneath the Akanapeaks and from that base begin plaguing Chessenta with regular raids.
-750 DR: One of Gilgeam’s final experiments with Entropy involves his most powerful servant; Viceroy Ulgar; Gilgeam’s chief advisor an administrator as well as a magic user of considerable power. Gilgeam and Ulgar use magic to attempt a merging with Entropy so that they might utilise it’s power. Gilgeam forces Ulgar to be the first test subject.
The experiment results in Ulgar being transformed into a life draining undead creature of incredible power akin to a vampire lord but without any known weaknesses (except for an uncontrollable fear of water). Ulgar soon becomes uncontrollable and Gilgeam lacks the means to slay the monster so he tricks his former aide into boarding a ship that will take him to a newly discovered peninsula (Altumbel) that he can rule in the name of Chessenta. Instead he is abandoned on an uninhabited island in the Sea of Fallen Stars.
-734 DR: Enlil decides to leave Toril. His son Gilgeam becomes god-king of Unther.
- In a proposed merging of the Chessentan and Untheric pantheons, Gilgeam ambushes Enlil and using ancient Imaskari magics he imprisons Enlil in the Bymmal Trench in the Sea of Fallen Stars.



Third Chessentan Empire (-734 DR to 108 DR)
This age marks the union of Unther and Chessenta and begins with betrayal.
In the meeting between Gilgeam and Enlil on the shores of Aglarond; neutral territory for both, Gilgeam ambushes the father of Unther and imprisons him deep in the Bymmal Trench beneath the Sea of Fallen Stars using Imaskari magic.
He then announces to the Sumerian pantheon of Unther that Enlil embraced him as a son and declared his intention to unite the pantheons under Gilgeam. Unable to contact Enlil and with Gilgeam now answering the prayers of Enlil the Sumerian gods had little choice but to accept.
The gods Gilgeam and Ishtar move to Unthalass and the Untheric pantheon. Ramman remains in Chessenta as one of the few remaining Babylonian gods due to his portfolio conflicting with Assuran in Unther.
Gilgeam now claimed sovereignty of both Unther and Chessenta, although in truth he cared little for Chessenta and what he viewed as it’s failed people. He desired the power and wealth of Unther and lived only in decadent Unthalass feasting on life’s pleasures.
Gradually Gilgeam drove away the other Sumerian deities; Ki and Nin-Hursag, and he continually raised taxes and imposed harsh laws on his subjects.
In Unther his rule was absolute and could not be questioned, but in far off Chessenta people began to resent Gilgeam and the Babylonian gods for the harshness of his rule.
Ramman slowly watched as other gods encroached in Chessenta, weakening his power and attracting worshippers from his church. Following the fall of Jhaamdath in -255 DR, the ancient Turami natives of Chessenta returned en-masse and brought with them the worship of the Faerunian gods including dark gods such as Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal.
Chessenta soon became a place of warring cities and endless feuds as the cities of Chessenta chose a more local loyalty than any notion of the country of Chessenta.
Ramman was bolstered by the constant feuding but recognised that this was short lived as the population of Chessenta would undoubtedly decline in such endless conflict.
So in 108 DR he marched into Unther to do battle with Assuran. The fallout from this battle flooded Unthalass and drowned the Chessentan capital of Adanu.

- The First Untheric Empire comes to an end.
- Untheric Calendar begins.
- Beginning of the Second Untheric Empire.
- -634 DR Year of Dwindling Darkness: A cabal of evil necromancers in Deep Imaskar overthrow Ilphemon’s heir and slaughters his family, bringing an end to the line of the ancient Imaskari lord.
- -623 DR to -150 DR: The empires of Narfell and Raumathar warred throughout this period. Centuries of warfare culminated in a great decade-long conflagration (beginning in –160 DR) that consumed both empires and left all manner of summoned beings unchained upon the face of Faerûn.
- -623 DR Year of Clipped Wings: Early successes by Narfell that extended the empire’s reach to the northern shore of the Alamber Sea are reversed because of an ill-conceived invasion of Mulhorand and a surprise attack by Raumathar’s army. In order to halt the empire’s decline, legions of demons are summoned and openly march with Narfell’s armies for the first time.
- The Kingdom of Durpar is founded under Maharajah Udandwi, uniting all the trading communities along the northern coast of the Golden Water.
- Wendonai is summoned by a Nar Demonbinder but banished for 2,000 years by an epic spell cast by a Mulhorandi cleric of Horus Re. He is eligible to return in 1377 DR and spends that time plotting against Mulhorand.
- -474 DR: The city of Cimbar is founded by Ramman as a grand repository of knowledge of the empire of Chessenta. In doing so Ramman hopes to inspire the people of Chessenta to regain their former glory in the absence of Gilgeam and the other Babylonian gods.
- -425 DR Year of Ancestral Voices: Paladins of Osiris destroy the Mulhorandi city of Sekras [1183].
- -276 DR Year of Overflowing Casks: A bloody coup in Jhaamdath replaces the psiocracy of bladelords with a militant emperor (a powerful metamind), who commands the building of a great navy on the Inner Sea.
- Jhaamdathan loggers come into conflict with the elves of the Chondalwood. Over the next twenty years, Jhaamdathan forces hunt down and slaughter the elves, only the city of Rucien Xan survives within Nikerymath and nine out of every 10 elves is slain.
- Hundreds of dissenters among the church of Auppenser are imprisoned. Some are publicly executed for treason, but most are released after being altered with mind-affecting psionics that instil loyalty to Emperor Dharien. Church protest over the new regime declines, and many members go into hiding.
- Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, and Loviatar are behind the troubles in Jhaamdath, plotting tyranny, death, destruction, and pain on an unprecedented scale, anticipating that any sustained action against the elves will result in severe repercussions. So they install an expansionist militant emperor on the throne of Jhaamdath and foment trouble within the realm.
- -255 DR Year of Furious Waves: Fall of Jhaamdath: The Twelve Cities of the Sword are destroyed by a gargantuan tsunami raised by the elven High Mages of Nikerymath. This event reshaped the coastline into the contours of the Vilhon Reach known in the present day. The survivors flee north and settle the lands of present day Cormyr, Sembia, the Dalelands, and the Vast.
- By the time the flood happens Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, and Loviatar are long fled from Jhaamdath. Bane is busy leading an army in Chessenta near Mourktar astride his steed Alasklerbanbastos, when he ascends to godhood leaving behind a number of artefacts including the Black Lords Cloak and the Spear of Bane.
- -247 DR to -238 DR: Procession of Justice: Tyr, god of war and justice, bursts forth from a portal near modern-day Alaghôn in Turmish, then leads a force of two hundred archons across the Vilhon Reach in an effort to pacify the remnants of ancient Jhaamdath, which had fallen into lawlessness. Tyr’s host slays Valigan Thirdborn, a lesser deity of anarchy.
- The remnants of Jhaamdath begin to make their way into Chessenta, seeking to escape from the floods and the anarchy and persecution in their homeland. These refugees bring with them the worship of gods such as Waukeen, Tempus, Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, and Loviatar.
- The combination of portfolios of Trade, Strife, Death, Murder, and War of these newly arrived gods begins to erode the unity of the empire of Chessenta as everyone starts competing for trade and petty rivalries turn into conflicts which escalate into wars between the city states.
- -236 DR Year of Unfriendly Ports: The tribes in Gundavar are united under Rajah B’hesti I, and the Kingdom of Gundavar is founded.
- -229 DR Year of the Myrmidon Maid: A formal alliance between Gundavar, Durpar, and Veldorn is established.
- -162 DR Year of Boneblight: Tribesmen in western Gundavar revolt against the rajah and found the Kingdom of Estagund.
- -148 DR Year of the Black Marble: The god-kings’ final battle. An alliance of summoned creatures (almost all of them demons from the Abyss that were summoned by Narfell during the Great Conflagration) is defeated, and they are sent back to their home planes.
- -135 DR Year of Old Beginnings: Refounding of the former Raumathan city of Kensten (present-day Bezantur [1369]) by Mulhorand on the coast of the Wizards’ Reach.
- C.-100 DR to 250 DR: Humans Settle the Wizards’ Reach: Jhaamdathan settlements dot Altumbel’s islands, and Chessentans colonise a broad stretch of coastline from Delthuntle to Laothkund.
- The vast majority of colonists are by wizards from Chessenta, particularly Cimbar and Mordulkin, seeking to escape the harsh taxes of the absent god king Gilgeam from his palace in Unthalass, and the constant warring of the cities of Chessenta.
- -45 DR Year of the Raging Brook: The god-kings of Mulhorand desire Rashemen as a new province. They send a massive army through the Gorge of Gauros, but are soon turned back by berserkers and nature spirits summoned by the witches.
- 3 DR Year of the Faded Flower: Rise of Aleaxtis in Serôs. The sahuagin emerge from a century of war with the merrow of the Alamber to claim more than half of the sea as their own.
- 75 DR Year of Clinging Death: Plague wracks southern Faerûn, devastating Chessenta, the Vilhon Reach, and the Shaar.
- 108 DR Year of the Flood: First Great Flood of the River Alamber, devastating Unthalass [–2087, 731].
- The god Ramman attempts to join the Untheric pantheon from Chessenta. Assuran and Ramman do battle, and in a 6 month long conflict the two gods bring violent storms to the Inner Sea. This conflict causes the Great Flood of the River Alamber as well as drowns the city Adanu on the shore of the Bay of Chessenta and creates the Adder Swamp.


Fourth Chessentan Empire (108 DR to 700 DR)
At the beginning of this age the god Ramman attempted to join the Untheric pantheon from Chessenta. Assuran and Ramman do battle, and in a 6 month long conflict the two gods brought violent storms to the Inner Sea. This conflict caused the Great Flood of the River Alamber as well as drowned the city Adanu on the shore of the Bay of Chessenta and created the Adder Swamp
At this time the original gods of Chessenta are all gone, left behind are various deities from the Faerûnian pantheon such as Azuth, Bane, Myrkul, Bhaal, Lathander, and Hoar.
The Turami people now make up a significant proportion of the population of Chessenta, and in the Mulan backlash against the Babylonian gods they have rejected their ancient culture in favour of the simpler ways of the Turami.
Pottery, stonework, and woodwork are popular in this society, as are the skills of warfare and athletics (a throwback to ancient Chessentan sports sponsored by Gilgeam).
Rashemi people began to move from the Wizard’s Reach to Chessenta towards the end of the third empire seeking to escape the rule of Eltab in Rashemen. They bring with them the mercenary tradition (from the Raumathar society) and further reinforce skill at arms and athletics.
Chessenta in this age strongly resembles modern Chessenta with warring city states battling one another over perceived slights, a desire to expand their reach or just amass wealth. Much of which was down to the Dark Three; Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul, who manipulated the rulers of the city states to further their own power.
During this time period (from 600 DR onwards) the merchants of Amn begin arriving to explore new lands and new trading opportunities. Several merchant houses of Amn send lesser scions of to establish their own houses in the faraway land and they bring with them more gods from Faerûn.
House Karanok was created out of the foundering remains of the Lurraxol, Alibakkar, and Thonok families in Chessenta. House Jedea was similarly born of the merging of the Gheldieg and Jashire families in Chessenta.
It is during this age the merchant middle classes really come into power in Chessenta and their competitions with one another contribute greatly to the intercity rivalry that exists today. The reason for the ascendancy of the merchant houses lies in the constant warfare of the city states as backed by Bane and the other dark gods.
This never ending struggle severely depleted the existing nobles of old Chessenta and left many settlements without a ruling line. By the time Tchazzar appeared around 700 DR in Chessenta on his war of conquest, several merchant houses were also in the process of uniting Chessenta under their banner using hired mercenaries. As they did so they evicted the worshippers of the dark gods Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul from their lands and exiled them across the Inner Sea.

- 127 DR Year of the Defiant Stone: Durpar, Var, and Veldorn establish formal trade relations with Mulhorand.
- 128 DR Year of the Addled Arcanist: The Raurinese wizard Hilather (Halaster) [–2488, 132], after millennia trapped in temporal stasis, begins to explore Faerûn. He is hired by the Imperial Court of Shoon to develop a more secure means of binding fiends to the will of their summoners.
He establishes himself in an abandoned tower (previously belonging to Uldoon) in the remote emirate of Torsil, which lies along the Sword Coast (Western Heartlands) between the Cloud Peaks and Candlekeep near present day Beregost.
In the catacombs beneath this tower he located a planar breach between the Material Plane and the Abyss and drawing on genie lore developed by Calishite sorcerers and the process for creating a mirror of life trapping he devised a process to summon beings and permanently bind them into physical objects.
- 163 DR Year of the Screeching Vole: Altumbel is “founded” by the Untherite empire, but is inhabited only by itinerant pirates and the odd hermit or two looking to escape from more populated domains.
- Altumbel is settled by exiles from Chessenta many of whom turn to piracy, preying upon their previous homeland.
- 202 DR Year of the Fanged Gauntlet: The War of Claws: Prompted by the demon lord Eltab [106, 922], Arkaiuns from the realm of Eltabranar invade Mulhorand and Unther and continues to raid cities and towns in both realms for the next two years.
- 204 DR Year of the Avarice: End of the War of Claws as Eltabranar is defeated by the forces of Mulhorand led by an incarnation of Anhur wielding the legendary blade Hadryllis. The demon lord Eltab is defeated and imprisoned in a demoncyst beneath what is now Thaymount in present-day Thay.
- 205 DR Year of the Greengrass: By this time Unther and Mulhorand have reclaimed all territory lost to Eltabranar and exterminate almost the entire population of Eltabranar. A dying shaman prophesises that their empires shall soon crumble.
- 211 DR Year of Spoiled Splendours: The four tribes of Arkaiun barbarians of Eltabranar flee the Council Hills region ahead of invading Untheric and Mulhorandi armies and migrate south-west. They roam the grasslands along the southern coast of Faerûn, eventually settling along the coast of the Bay of Dancing Dolphins.
- 249 DR Year of the Crystal Casket: The cabal of wizards in Unther calling themselves “The Black Flame” is no more after its members are destroyed by rivals or lost in travels to other planes. They leave behind many powerful spells that later form much of the arsenal of the Red Wizards [922] of Thay.
- 317 DR Year of the Riven Shield: A trade dispute sparks the first Mulhorandi–Durpari Coin War.
- 400 DR Year of the Blue Shield: Escalant is founded on the Wizards’ Reach by Chessentans.
- 457 DR Year of the Unfurled Flag: Priests of Bane launch an attack upon the “king” of Chessenta in the capital of Luthcheq. Disguised as wizards and backed by necromancers of Myrkul, the nobles of Cimbar and Mordulkin are the primary suspects because of their heavy arcane influences.
- 462 DR Year of the Empty Helm: Luthcheq rashly attacks the city of Mordulkin with the army of Chessenta. Although severely damaged, the city of Mordulkin survives the siege. During the battle the king of Chessenta is slain and the demoralised armies are dispersed by the wizards of Mordulkin, many are killed on both sides.
- The entire ruling family of Chessenta are slaughtered in their beds in the capital of Luthcheq. The wizards of Mordulkin are suspected but in truth priests of Bhaal assassinated them and then torched the palace to cover up the evidence.
- The cities of Chessenta begin to ally themselves with various settlements and power groups in Chessenta, each hoping to claim the throne of Chessenta.
- 482 DR Year of the Blighted Vine: The northern cities of Delthuntle and Laothkund declare their independence from Unther.
- Cities of the Wizards’ Reach begin to declare their independence from Chessenta and the greater Untheric Empire. While now independent they are still closely allied with the city of Mordulkin.
- 504 DR Year of the Eclipsed Heart: Unther begins a campaign to retake the Wizards’ Reach cities, fighting the League of Samathar. The cities of Teth and Nethra declare their independence and join the League of Samathar.
- 600 DR Year of Fire and Frost: Modern ships sail the surface of Serôs from many ports, allowing safer sea travel at last. Numerous powers in Faerûn establish major trade lanes across the sea, though the majority of sea traffic remains within sight of land.
- 625 DR Year of the Torrents: The city of Escalant secedes from Unther, joining the League of Samathar.
- 629 DR Year of the Empty Hearth: Beginning in this year, lesser scions from the great merchant houses of Amn begin arriving in foreign lands to establish themselves and new trading dynasties. These immigrants are welcomed into the middle class of Chessenta as they bring much needed wealth to the war torn communities. Within 50 years the merchant classes are the true powers behind many rulers, providing coin for power and influence.
- 643 DR Year of the Nesting Harpy: The Mulhorandi wizard Nezram the Transmuter leaves his tower by the shores of Lake Azulduth to explore other worlds using a portal of the Sarrukh he located in the depths of Azulduth. Wards alert the owners of the portal, the Sarrukh [699]
- 654 DR Year of the Coveted Briars: Many druid enclaves, both human and elf, are established this year throughout Cormanthyr and Faerûn at large.
- Battle of the Haunted Plains: After their defeat here, more than 80 percent of all merrow in Serôs flee or are driven south, behind the Sharksbane Wall [–8000, 656]. The remainder survives within the Hmur Plateau or among the ruins on the Haunted Plains.
- 656 DR Year of Peaceful Seas: End of the Ninth Serôs War: Due to merrow invading their territory and adding to their enemies’ populations, sahuagin send massive raiding parties storming over the Sharksbane Wall [654, 1369]. All this serves as retribution for the other races invading Aleaxtis, and that continues the Ninth War for another year. [660]
- 677 DR Year of Resonant Silence: Gilgeam of Unther sends a naval armada to crush the rebellious Wizards’ Reach. The Untheric fleet suffers terrible losses in a great storm and turns back without landing.
- 678 DR Year of the Poignant Poniard: Lord Councillor Kharis Maerdrym and his hunting party, which includes several humans of note, mysteriously disappear off the coast of Delthuntle during a Grand Hunt of a near-legendary greater quelzarn. Agents of Unther are suspected in the attack (as are some of Lord Maerdrym’s usual political foes).
- 679 DR Year of the Scarlet Sash: Unther recognises the League of Samathar. Unther never recovers from the long, costly campaign to retain the Wizards’ Reach, and the Second Untheric Empire ends.
- End of the Second Untheric Empire
- 680 DR Year of the Long March: Chondath mercenary forces begin the long march home after ensuring the collapse of the second Untheric Empire.
- 681 DR Year of the Zombie Lords: Nezram’s tower is destroyed by the green dragon Chathuulandroth. Nezram’s children are scattered or slain.
- 699 DR: The Sarrukh of Okoth secretly return to Faerûn having been alerted to the use of their portal in the depths of Azulduth by Nezram [643].
- 707 DR: Nezras battles (inconclusively) Sarrukh that inhabit his great uncle Nezram’s abandoned tower in Mulhorand.
- 713 DR Year of the Firedrake: Awakened after centuries of slumber, the great wyrm Tchazzar discovers the hand of his great enemy Alasklerbanbastos at work in the realm of Chessenta. Posing as a human war leader from Cimbar he sets out to unite Chessenta under his banner and create a new realm for himself with an army of elite mercenaries..
- The land of Chessenta quickly becomes polarised behind the factions of Alasklerbanbastos and the churches of the Dark Gods, and Tchazzar and his mercenary army. Each city state declares itself for a particular side although only contributes minimal numbers to the war effort.
- 714 DR Year of Doom: Beating back the armies of Alasklerbanbastos to the borders of modern day Threskel, Tchazzar exiles the churches of the Dark Gods from the shores of Chessenta. The churches of Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, and Loviatar flee across the Sea of Fallen Stars to the shores of what will become Sembia. A small cell of Banite worshippers manage to secrete themselves in the city of Mourktar, hidden by the power of the Black Lords Cloak.
- On the cusp of victory, Tchazzar’s army fragments when the League of Samathar begins attacking the cities of Chessenta behind him. Tchazzar returns to begin the centuries long process of uniting each city state of Chessenta. Alasklerbanbastos retreats into hiding in the Riders to the Sky Mountains.
- 725 DR Year of the Shorn Beard: Errendil Tarrik’s body burns from within by the demonic power of Eltab just as Errendil/Eltab finished summoning his lieutenant the dread balor Ndulu to organise and lead the demonic armies against Impiltur. Eltab’s consciousness returns to his physical form trapped deep beneath the Thaymount.
- 731 DR Year of Visions: The Second Great Flood of the River Alamber devastates Unthalass [108, 1358].
- In Unther, Gilgeam claims the mountain stronghold of the slain brown dragon Vulpomyscan and renames it the Citadel of Black Ash [1359].


Fifth Chessentan Empire (700 DR to 1129 DR
Sometime around 700 DR a great war leader named Tchazzar arose in Chessenta in the city of Cimbar. As general he was a tactical genius as well as being unbeatable in personal combat, and he massacred armies arrayed against him that were many times his number. Slowly but inexorably he gradually united the warring cities of Chessenta behind his flag and placed the blame of Chessenta’s wars squarely on the shoulders of the dark gods whose faithful were exiled from Chessenta and travelled north.
By 1018 DR Tchazzar ascends to godhood and as happened so many times in Chessenta’s history his interest in Chessenta wanes and petty squabbles begin to resurface among the city states, barely 200 years after his ascension and Chessenta fell apart.




New version of timeline up to the point of Tchazzar which is essentially the modern realm of Tchazzar. I went a bit more homebrew than i normally do with things like this but only because i have so little to work with (most notably linking the Dark Three to the fall of Jhaamdath, and Alasklerbanbastos to Bane).

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Edited by - Gary Dallison on 15 Apr 2014 15:24:46

Gary Dallison
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Posted - 26 Mar 2014 :  09:52:51  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I just found in a polyhedron article about Sebek that he was a deity of ancient Unther.

Whereas Powers and Pantheons has him listed in the Mulhorandi pantheon with some worshippers in remote parts of Unther.

Furthermore Powers and Pantheons lists an alias in Unther as Sebekar and a 4e update to Chessenta listed a deity called Sebekar that was an archfey and says the following

quote:
the offspring of a forbidden union between the ancient Mulhorandi manifestation of Set and a bestial archfey of the Feywild known as Mornach


Also in the history of Chessenta i have a note from their early history after -1771 DR in which they make a name for themselves as warriors in several campaigns against Jhaamdath and the fey of the Methwood.

Just as supposition the Methwood probably encompassed much more of Chessenta and Unther in ancient history and the people of Unther and Chessenta (probably led by a few of their Babylonian and Sumerian gods) persecuted the fey that used to live here.

Sebek would be a primordial type creature left over from those fey that survived by hiding in the wetlands that no one wanted (the adder swamp) and managed to gather enough worshippers to become a god and spread his influence to Unther and Mulhorand (as well as Chessenta where he began)

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 26 Mar 2014 :  14:22:45  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Okay found some lore references without dates that i havent covered

The first two are conflicts with Jhaamdath and the fey of the Methwood (although i think the Methwood may well have been part of the same forest as Syorpiir, Thearnytaar, and Eiellur way back when)

Now looking at dates i have 1504 DR to 1069 as the eastern provinces of Jhaamdath come under the sway of Unther. So given that i am treating Unther and Chessenta as separate empires then the Chessentan war with Jhaamdath occurs in this period.

And it nicely closes with the date that i think things start to go wrong for Chessenta when Gilgeam takes charge in 1069 DR.

As for the war with the fey, this could happen at any time but i would imagine that when the Babylonians arrive in Chessenta they start clearing the forest and immediately come into conflict with the fey (and probably elves and halflings and humans that already live here).

There is over 200 years since the founding of Chessenta and the war with Jhaamdath so that seems like plenty of time to cut their way through the forest and then find Jhaamdathi cities on the other side.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 26 Mar 2014 :  14:53:35  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Next is a war with Unther.

I've encountered many references which allude to Unther invading Chessenta to bring the wayward cities under control.

There is even a reference to Chessenta invading Unther.

Unfortunately no dates but most of them seem to centre around Tchazzar's reign.

It looks like as Tchazzar is uniting the various cities of Chessenta behind its banner, Unther decides to invade.

Tchazzar annihilates the Untheric army and delivers them a serious blow (maybe even gets an annual tribute from Unther).


So its just the reason for Unther's invasion.

I'm thinking that since i have Gilgeam in charge of Chessent from -1069 DR to -734 DR then he moves to Unther. Gilgeam probably still considers Chessenta to be a part of his empire.

Indeed there is a reference to Gilgeam taxing adventurers that plumb the ruins of Narfell and Raumathar even though Unther settled Aglarond in -1250 ish DR and nothing is mentioned of the northern shores of the Alamber sea except that Chessenta, Mulhorand, and Jhaamdath settle stretches of Altumbel and the wizards reach.

The reference below i think is erroneous

quote:
482 DR Year of the Blighted Vine: The northern cities of Delthuntle and Laothkund declare their independence from Unther.


The two cities were actually stated as being settled by Chessentans. So when they declared independence it was actually independence from Chessenta, it;s just that Gilgeam still considered Chessenta to be a part of Unther.


So i reckon up until sometime between 108 Dr and 700 DR the Chessentan cities are kind of united still as a nation. The dark gods (particularly Bane) begin arriving in the area and start causing strife and rebellion.

We have plenty of wars between each individual city but as a whole the nation of Chessenta still exists and still keeps paying the taxes to Gilgeam to keep him sweet because Unther is still very powerful (even though in reality Chessenta operates entirely independently of Unther and Gilgeam never bothers to visit or order it to do anything other than pay him taxes).

Over time the taxes of Gilgeam become more and more extreme and the nation of Chessenta more and more divided and factionalised.

I think starting with the wizards reach in 482, the nation of Chessenta begins to fall apart as rulers of individual cities begin to carve up the nation between themselves until by 700 DR the entire nation has fallen apart completely and they stop paying tax.

Unther invades (starting with Mourktar and Threskel, then marching through to Chessenta) and has some success in occupying the eastern cities of the area. Of course conquering Chessenta is difficult because they wont stop fighting each other and other for more than a few week, it is constant war and it is a long way from Unther.

Bane's church helped organise the uprising in Mourktar which throws off Untheric occupation, this weakens Untheric occupation of Chessenta (because they can't move the troops through Threskel any more). And so a few decades later Tchazzar finds it quite easy to unite Chessenta, beat back the Untheric forces and attempt a mock invasion as a show of force and deal Unther a bloody nose (probably occupy Messemprar for a year or two and get Gilgeam to hand over some tribute as penance)

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 26 Mar 2014 :  15:13:14  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And in case anyone notices, the reference to the ancient capital of Chessenta being in the Adder swamp i took from the reference to an ancient Untheric ruin in the adder swamp that drowned during the height of the second age.

I linked this to Ramman who is stated as having joined the Untheric pantheon at the height of the second age.


Also the snake bite mention for Anu is in reference to a legend for the Adder River where the king of Unther was said to have been bitten by a snake.


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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 27 Mar 2014 :  12:42:40  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Found a reference in the Fields of Oriam that is interesting

quote:
Fields of Oriam: Few human settlements exist within this rolling, grassland savannah south of the Bay of Chessenta. The soil here is too dry and acidic to support human agriculture, but it’s the ever-present threat posed by the indigenous cockatrices that discourages most Chessentan homesteaders from settling in the region. Here ancient Untheric ruins lay scattered among the tall grasses and scattered pine barrens. The most legendary of these ruins is the Lost Temple of Ptah, rumoured to house holy tablets containing unimaginable power and wisdom.


Now in a 4e writeup for Chessenta (from Dragon or Dungeon i believe)
this area now contains the Maw of the God Swallower (that name sounds so perverted).

So maybe the sphere known as Entropy was originally housed in this temple.

Of course there are a few problems with this theory.

1 - Ptah supposedly never came with the gods to Faerun (even though he made the ship and was probably needed to fly it).

2 - How did Entropy get into the temple in the first place.


I have seen a few theories on here linking Entropy to the Imaskari and Pandorym. They arent bad theories, Entropy is sighted as being unstoppable, even by the gods, and with a name of God Swallower it has an obvious anti deific angle. The Imaskari were also anti gods and one of the few major powers in this region before Mulhorand and Unther arrived.

So assuming Unther or Mulhorand didnt make it i have this.

Imaskari did indeed create Entropy (or found it however you want to play it). It was discovered by the Mulan gods when they destroyed Imaskar. Ptah actually did come with the Mulan to Faerun but recognising the power and danger of this tiny molecule of pure destruction he took it with him aboard his ship and left for outer space.

Unfortunately Entropy cannot be contained and it consumes all it touches. It broke the containment Ptah placed around it and his ship crashed in the fields of Oriam a short while after he left.

The wreckage of his ship with all its knowledge and technology was found later and dubbed the Temple of Ptah.

Gilgeam found Entropy within the wreckage and used it to kill off many of the Babylonian pantheon.


Now given the description of Entropy in 2nd and 3rd edition it certainly underwent a huge jump in size to 4th edition so thats why i have started it off as a single molecule. As it is fed more and more power it grows bigger and bigger.

So when Gilgeam finds it, it's pea sized (after consuming Ptah), later he feeds it Anshara and it is the size of a large pearl. Afte consuming Anu it is probably the size of a football and keeps growing over the millennia until its size in 1370

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 27 Mar 2014 :  12:49:42  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I know if you look hard enough you will find the answers you seek even if they do not exist but i keep finding references to an ancient empire of Chessenta even though technically one shouldnt have existed because it was part of Unther

quote:
Ulgar the Undying was made vampire during the height of the Chessentan Empire nearly 2,000 years ago. After preying upon that empire for over two centuries, he was trapped. Although he could not be destroyed (at least as far as the Chessentans knew)

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 27 Mar 2014 :  19:41:20  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
As far as culture and society goes I'm thinking Chessenta is one of celebrating excellence.

So respect, power, and wealth are earned by being the best. It generally doesn't matter what one is best at, just so long as in your area of expertise you are the best.

So people strive to be the best orator, the best bard, the best wrestler, the best fencer, the best warrior, the best wood worker etc.

Inevitably this means that most people, especially the mediocre people, end up trying to be the best at drinking or brawling or killing and so most of Chessenta live short lives.

I think particular focuses for Chessentans will be on traditional craftsmanship skills from the Turami influence. Then wrestling and personal combat from the Mulan and Rashemi influences. Bardic skills I'm not sure about but possibly from the Rashemi people (they have norse links with the Rus).

So everywhere you go people are in competition to be the best. Nearby villages, towns, cities hold competitions for the various skills on a regular (annual at least) basis to prove who is the best.

This competition even extends to warfare, so settlements are always trying to prove who is the best. Not in the same way as the Vilhon Reach (with mock battles), but with actual fighting and killing. And that's why Chessentan mercenaries are the best.

The emphasis on being the best does extend to magic, someone can be a very skilled magic user and be the best abjurer or evoker etc. However this doesn't extend to religion. Due to the millennia of religious abandonment by various gods, the people of Chessenta do not view religion as a skill. Instead pursuing religion is seen as relying on another (the god itself) to perform whatever you are trying to accomplish.

That doesn't mean Chessentans are not religious, they recognise that gods can make the difference between failure and success, amateurism and mastery. But a good Chessentan should not devote himself solely to a god, the god should be a tool to enhance one's skills.

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Brian R. James
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Posted - 27 Mar 2014 :  20:09:29  Show Profile  Visit Brian R. James's Homepage Send Brian R. James a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Keep up the good work dazzlerdal. I enjoy seeing all this Chessentan lore collected in one place.

Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 27 Mar 2014 :  20:59:35  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well I searched every book I own and I think I found every reference to Chessenta and there is only about 20 references in total (outside of the old empires and 4e backdrop article.

Everything else I think i'll have to make up myself.

Only other references are Tashala of the seven skulls from Chessenta (although she is recent and probably doesn't impact the history or character of the nation).

And there is a patriarch of Gond in Chessenta (can't remember his name though) so that's another god to add to the religions.

It looks like Chessenta is a mix of Faerun and Old Empires pantheons (which as of 1358 is just Mulhorand) so it seems this is a special place where you can have two deities with the same portfolio (according to F&A) I guess whichever god (such as the overlap between Anhur and Tempus) gets more than 50% of the worship wins, or whoever eliminates the other church from the area wins.

Once Anhur is gone from Chessenta then it's a Faerunian pantheon only (Sebek and Tiamat don't count because they don't have any competing gods and Tiamat is already in both pantheons)

Would be nice if anyone else had any other ideas or contributions though. Gets lonely sometimes.

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

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Posted - 28 Mar 2014 :  01:36:31  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Found a reference in the Fields of Oriam that is interesting

quote:
Fields of Oriam: Few human settlements exist within this rolling, grassland savannah south of the Bay of Chessenta. The soil here is too dry and acidic to support human agriculture, but it’s the ever-present threat posed by the indigenous cockatrices that discourages most Chessentan homesteaders from settling in the region. Here ancient Untheric ruins lay scattered among the tall grasses and scattered pine barrens. The most legendary of these ruins is the Lost Temple of Ptah, rumoured to house holy tablets containing unimaginable power and wisdom.


Now in a 4e writeup for Chessenta (from Dragon or Dungeon i believe)
this area now contains the Maw of the God Swallower (that name sounds so perverted).

So maybe the sphere known as Entropy was originally housed in this temple.

Of course there are a few problems with this theory.

1 - Ptah supposedly never came with the gods to Faerun (even though he made the ship and was probably needed to fly it).

2 - How did Entropy get into the temple in the first place.


I have seen a few theories on here linking Entropy to the Imaskari and Pandorym. They arent bad theories, Entropy is sighted as being unstoppable, even by the gods, and with a name of God Swallower it has an obvious anti deific angle. The Imaskari were also anti gods and one of the few major powers in this region before Mulhorand and Unther arrived.

So assuming Unther or Mulhorand didnt make it i have this.

Imaskari did indeed create Entropy (or found it however you want to play it). It was discovered by the Mulan gods when they destroyed Imaskar. Ptah actually did come with the Mulan to Faerun but recognising the power and danger of this tiny molecule of pure destruction he took it with him aboard his ship and left for outer space.

Unfortunately Entropy cannot be contained and it consumes all it touches. It broke the containment Ptah placed around it and his ship crashed in the fields of Oriam a short while after he left.

The wreckage of his ship with all its knowledge and technology was found later and dubbed the Temple of Ptah.

Gilgeam found Entropy within the wreckage and used it to kill off many of the Babylonian pantheon.


Now given the description of Entropy in 2nd and 3rd edition it certainly underwent a huge jump in size to 4th edition so thats why i have started it off as a single molecule. As it is fed more and more power it grows bigger and bigger.

So when Gilgeam finds it, it's pea sized (after consuming Ptah), later he feeds it Anshara and it is the size of a large pearl. Afte consuming Anu it is probably the size of a football and keeps growing over the millennia until its size in 1370



An easier answer for the lost temple of Ptah is that it was accessed as a portal to the astral plane from that location in Faerun. Ptah wasn't a "Torilian" deity, but he was a deity of the Astral, watching over the dead gods.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 28 Mar 2014 :  08:27:58  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Ooh, portal to the astral plane. I like it. That explains why it's hidden, because its probably invisible like most portals.

And if you were an imaskari artificer of immense power and wanted to bind some super powerful cosmic entity into an artefact to destroy the gods and to do so you had to split his mind and soul into separate pieces. Where better to hide the other half than in the astral plane in the graveyard of the gods.

Of course it also affords us other explanations for Entropy's existence (a definitive origin isnt always good so its nice to have multiple explanations.

What if Entropy is the concentrated by product of the deaths of all those gods. Gives a clue as to why it can destroy gods so easily and again explains why it would be found in the graveyard of the gods.

So Gilgeam must have discovered this portal (probably by accident), returned to Toril with Entropy and named it the Lost Temple of Ptah.


Of course it begs the question who created the portal originally. We have Batoi halflings, Turami humans, fey, or elves. Doesnt really matter who i suppose, just that it was an ancient portal to the astral plane and the graveyard of the gods.


Awesome idea Sleyvas, cheers.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 28 Mar 2014 :  08:42:25  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I came up with a festival for Chessenta while reading a book last night.


The Quarterly Argyl Games: This competitive event is held on a 3 monthly basis in every settlement in Chessenta; from tiny hamlet's to sprawling cities. Representatives of every craft, skill, and interest attend the games to compete with others in their field and earn glory and respect as the best in their area.

The origins of this event are believed to be attributed to the first General of Chessenta; Argyl, who wanted to inspire his troops to greater glory and so created the games to allow them to win glory outside of the battlefield.

This belief is wrong, perpetuated by lazy scribes and historians who base their research upon the mad writings of an early Chessentan historian.

The origin of the games actually lies with the god Gilgeam. The names is a corruption of an ancient event held by the Babylonian God known as Gilgeam's Quarter. During his direct rule of Chessenta from around -1069 DR to -734 DR, Gilgeam desired the adoration of his people and so roamed the lands of Chessenta challenging the strongest and the best to martial competitions (especially wrestling).

The event gained the ironic name of Gilgeam's Quarter because he gave none. Gilgeam felt that his mercy was shown best by allowing the defeated combatants to perish between his titanic fists.
Following Gilgeam's abandonment of Chessenta the event continued with people staging annual arena combat between the best fighters in the area and the most dangerous monster they could capture, which was always named Gilgeam. Eventually it became less popular as the monstrous population dwindled during the Third Chessentan Empire.

It experienced a revival during the Fifth Chessentan Empire once Tchazzar arrived in Chessenta as he saw the need for competition to inspire people to achieve greatness, but by that time it had dwindled to quarterly village wrestling matches and so Tchazzar commisioned a prominent historian (with a significant drink problem) to find the origins of the tradition and so the Quarterly Argyl Games was born complete with a fictitious name and history; in order that the historian might save his neck after spending Tchazzar's funding on drinking himself unconscious for 2 whole years.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 28 Mar 2014 :  10:07:22  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Added a few dates to the first empire of Chessenta.

I don't know why but i suddenly decided that Akanu could be land of Anu, Adanu could be place of Anu and it kind of ties back to the ruler of the Babylonian pantheon; Anu. This can then be corrupted over time to Akana as in Akanamere, Akanal, Akanapeaks.

Chessenta is of course history's name for the empire but i think Akanu is probably going to be the correct name.


Also put in a note about the Batoi halflings and where they went since i noted that Aglarond (according to the Spellbound sourcebook) has a population of halflings originally from Chessenta, it doesnt give dates so why not make them very ancient migrants.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 28 Mar 2014 :  11:30:00  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Added in a reference to Ulgar in the history. Since he is reported to be over 2000 years old that puts him in the period when i have Gilgeam coming to rule Chessenta (after eliminating Anu and other gods).

I linked him to Entropy and made him like a Vampire Lord but without any weaknesses at all since it stated he could not be killed by those in Chessenta at the time (and since Chessenta was part of Unther that meant the god kings themselves couldnt kill him which makes him very hard to kill).

So i figure if he is a part of Entropy somehow then he is some kind of invincible life draining abomination.

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

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Posted - 29 Mar 2014 :  00:58:45  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Ooh, portal to the astral plane. I like it. That explains why it's hidden, because its probably invisible like most portals.

And if you were an imaskari artificer of immense power and wanted to bind some super powerful cosmic entity into an artefact to destroy the gods and to do so you had to split his mind and soul into separate pieces. Where better to hide the other half than in the astral plane in the graveyard of the gods.

Of course it also affords us other explanations for Entropy's existence (a definitive origin isnt always good so its nice to have multiple explanations.

What if Entropy is the concentrated by product of the deaths of all those gods. Gives a clue as to why it can destroy gods so easily and again explains why it would be found in the graveyard of the gods.

So Gilgeam must have discovered this portal (probably by accident), returned to Toril with Entropy and named it the Lost Temple of Ptah.


Of course it begs the question who created the portal originally. We have Batoi halflings, Turami humans, fey, or elves. Doesnt really matter who i suppose, just that it was an ancient portal to the astral plane and the graveyard of the gods.


Awesome idea Sleyvas, cheers.



Actually, I was just pointing out that if there's a lost temple of Ptah, it could easily be because it was a hidden portal to the Astral. When it comes to Entropy, I'm favored of the somewhat canon answers we've been getting. That he was a powerful primordial. That he was entrapped in his current form by Ao as a threat to the gods (possibly via the Imaskari... who may have been akin to a chosen people of Ao). That it's the body of Pandorym (whose mind was split into a crystalline prison by the Imaskari). Pandorym's body "does not truly exist as a body in the multiverse but is a conduit to the incomprehensible reality of its home" and "Like a sphere of annihilation, Pandorym’s non body destroys everything it touches, aside from deities.".

Those two sentences are very interesting, especially when noting Entropy's name. It makes for some possible interesting twists that could be done. He's noted as the "godswallower"... not the god-killer. His body is a conduit to "elsewhere". I wonder if it doesn't break things down to base "elements". Perhaps the reason it can't break down deities is that aren't composed of elements, but rather they are composed of "thought" and "morality" and "belief". However, it can still swallow deities and dump them into the "incomprehensible reality of its home"... and maybe this place twists the unanchored divine energy of a deity (now separated from its faithful). Hell, maybe the swallowed divine beings begin to merge and/or fall apart... possibly becoming twisted versions of their original selves. Then the question becomes, is there some way to escape? Have any "swallowed" divine beings been regurgitated?

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 29 Mar 2014 :  08:30:55  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well whatever entropy is (I like the idea of things possibly escaping entropy) if you wanted to make sure no one ever reunite entropy and pandorym or if u just wanted rid of entropy cos its so dangerous, then you would open a gate beneath it and chuck it to the astral plane because lets face it the astral plane is boring there is nothing in it and most just use it as a means to get to other planes.

Then by pure coincidence these turami humans or the elves or halflings created a portal to the astral plane because they wanted to visit their dead god.

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

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Posted - 29 Mar 2014 :  15:48:10  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Well whatever entropy is (I like the idea of things possibly escaping entropy) if you wanted to make sure no one ever reunite entropy and pandorym or if u just wanted rid of entropy cos its so dangerous, then you would open a gate beneath it and chuck it to the astral plane because lets face it the astral plane is boring there is nothing in it and most just use it as a means to get to other planes.

Then by pure coincidence these turami humans or the elves or halflings created a portal to the astral plane because they wanted to visit their dead god.




Perhaps a good question is CAN a being like Entropy even goto the astral.... and if he did, what devastation could he cause by "conduiting" the bodies of dead gods to wherever he is a conduit to.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 30 Mar 2014 :  21:17:44  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Just a few thoughts on developing my idea for society in Chessenta.

Now this ideal of society extends only to the most ancient ethnicities of Chessenta, so the Mulan, Turami, and Rashemi.

The Amnian are a more recent arrival in Chessenta and they do not hold true to this lifestyle and in fact they take advantage of it.



Life and Society

Life in Chessenta is all about excellence. To live without excelling oneself, mastering a technique, or becoming famous (at least in the place where you live) for your contribution to life, is a life wasted.

Everyone in Chessenta seeks to be the best at something, be it the best pie maker in Cimbar, or the best horseshoe make in Rodanar. As long as you do one thing better than anyone else that you know then everything else pales into unimportance.

The highest compliment one can pay a Chessentan is to recommend his work to another. To do so is a promise that this particular item of work will be better than anything else available and elevates that craftsman to a position of importance to everyone recommend.

Conversely the worst insult one can pay a Chessentan is to describe his craft/skill/work as anything less than excellent. This insult can be mitigated by providing constructive criticism about how to improve said work for if you are debasing a mans life's work then you must surely be a more skilled and knowledgeable man than he. Describing an item as good will surely result in ejection from the shop; even with constructive advice, and anything less is likely to result in a brawl and even death.

Of course to be excellent at something does not guarantee a rich and long life and in fact riches are no measure of a man's success in life (except to the rich). Even the greatest sword maker in Chessenta may die a penniless pauper because he values his work too highly to complete a sale.

The influx of Amnian merchants in the last two centuries have taken advantage of this societal tradition as all good merchants would. They make poorer crafted items and sell them cheaper, but they pay those Chessentans of less scrupulous morals to laud their work up and down the streets and so they personally ensure the most skilled Chessentans die a pauper's death as all true masters do.

Magic: Magic in Chessenta is rich and well respected (except in Luthcheq). The empire of Akanul when it first came to the shores of Chessenta discovered many ruins beneath the forest as they hacked and burned it down. These ruins contained the magics of the empire of Aearee-Quor; one of the creator races, which they stole from the other creator races and improved upon.
Thus from the beginning magic in Chessenta was influenced by the creator races who penned the Nether Scrolls. Chessentan wizards using this ancient magic quickly came to surpass those of Unther and Mulhorand and took on a distinctive flavour, focusing on magic of the winds. The power to summon powerful elementals of air, the power to move and shape the land with the force of wind. The power of lightning, and sound capable of shattering rock and melting flesh.
Also from the later researches of Aearee-Quor they learned dark magic that was influenced by the demon lord Pazrael, and the goddess Shar. Thus a number of shadow weave users are prevalent in Chessenta and have been long before history knew of the shadow weave.
Both Cimbar and Mordulkin have strong wizardly traditions; Cimbar because of its historical use as a repository of magical knowledge for the Empire of Chessenta, and Mordulkin because of it’s strong ties to the Wizards’ Reach.
Luthcheq is definitely anti magic for a number of historic reasons. Firstly the royal line of Chessenta was eliminated by Bhaal worshippers posing as wizards from Mordulkin. Secondly historical rivalry between Luthcheq and the wizardly settlement of Mordulkin, and lastly the rulers originate from merchant houses that emigrated from Amn that also has a distinct mistrust of wizards due to the abuses of the Shoon Imperium and its successor states.

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Edited by - Gary Dallison on 15 Apr 2014 15:28:43
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

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Posted - 30 Mar 2014 :  23:47:05  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Interesting idea, but if their society was so into "perfectionism" as you state, then whenever people end up buying shoddy gear from someone, the person who recommended them may suffer repercussions in some form or another societally. In such a society, the laws about selling shoddy gear may also be a bit.... dangerous.... In terms of selling arms and armor made on the cheap, the repercussions may involve loss of life or limb. In terms of someone selling meat pies with questionable meat, it may involve being put into the stocks and letting people dump their old food on them (or the contents of their chamberpot which was filled overmuch due to the diarrhea brought on by consuming such foods).

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 31 Mar 2014 :  08:47:23  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Interesting point so lets see if i can address it.

Law and Order

Chessenta although not regarded as a true nation for a several centuries (at least until the return of Tchazzar in 1374), has a remarkably unified code of laws.

Every settlement has a very similar legal system that is loosely based on the Code of Enlil set down many centuries ago which was revised extensively by Tchazzar when he first became sceptanar.

Causing death, destruction, injury, and loss of property are all regarded as illegal unless allowed by the laws under specific circumstances.

Most of the punishments for these crimes involve a like for like settlement. So a murderer earns himself the death penalty. Those destroying another's property are likely to end up with their own possessions destroyed or repossessed by the injured party, etc, etc.

When it comes to reputation and skill at craft the laws become much more complicated because a man's reputation is one of the most important possessions he has, and ruining that reputation can have dire consequences.

The first law in this area is that of false representation. Claiming that one's goods are of higher quality than the reality is a serious crime but it is one that is difficult to prove. In order to be guilty of this crime one must be seen or heard to make such a claim in witness of at least 5 other people of good character. Punishment involves a term of servitude to the claimant for a period determined by the severity of the consequences (poor armour resulting in death can result in a servitude of several decades).
Of course many Amnians making lesser quality items dodge this law by never making any specific claims of quality themselves ("this blade will more than meet your needs" is one example), and instead pay wandering rogues to make claims for them. If a link is ever proved between the Amnian crafter and the rogue then the law can be applied in full but typically neither the rogue nor the Amnians stay in one area for very long.

The second law in trade regulation is that of trial by combat. Anyone not satisfied by their purchase has a right to a competitive trial of skill in order to prove the quality of one's purchase. In the eastern settlements of Chessenta this is taken literally as a trial by combat and so duels for a man's honour and reputation are common place (although such competition is only up to first blood so deaths are rare). In the western settlements the competition is usually relating to the skill or craft being questioned.
The attacking party has the right to call upon their own champion to display the skill involved (although such champions usually command a high price). The defendant must compete himself. It is not an uncommon sight to see two potters feverishly working in the town square competing to see who can make the best bowl. Of course the final decision rests with the local sheriff and such people can be bribed to skew the decision).
The looser must pay restitutions to the winner (usually a multiple of the item being called into question) and typically endures a day in the stocks. However the damage to his reputation is far worse than any punishment that can be doled out.

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

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Posted - 01 Apr 2014 :  00:14:13  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
liking these ideas.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 01 Apr 2014 :  09:46:28  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Also as a complete off topic i had a thought about the nearby Blade Kingdoms that sit between Chessenta and the Vilhon Reach.

What if some psionicists of Jhaamdath survived (only a few) and settled around the Akanamere. These evolve into a society of soulblades.

So everyone has a wild talent enabling them to manifest blades as if from nowhere. Those that develop this talent are able to throw these blades, cut through stone and steel with equal ease.

I even wonder if for instance a blacksmith could not manifest a hammer to temper his steel, a carpenter manifest a saw to cut wood. In fact the possibilities are almost endless; manifested pens, replacement limbs, manifested armour, i wonder if you could even manifest an imitation of a horse for instance.


It's much better idea than laser turrets that i have heard about the real blade kingdoms (but then it's my idea so i would think that).


Now back to Chessenta

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 07 Apr 2014 :  09:50:23  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Adanu: The original capital of the ancient Chessentan Empire of Akanu located in the centre of the Adder Swamp. This settlement was filled with ziggurats and was a giant religious congregation where the people lived to worship their Babylonian gods. Great temples were erected in the names, giant ziggurats where the god kings of Chessenta dwelled and where many treasures remain buried in the swamp (although a few have been plundered over the years by Sebek.
The architecture of these largely sunken ruins is varied as the style of building varied during the ages of the empire of Akanu. The first empire build large ziggurats that dominated the land during the age of Anu. When Gilgeam came to power he favoured large open arenas and so the later temples became sunken ziggurats in enormous bowlike depressions that were the central focus of the arenas. Later during the age of Ramman who favoured open air temples he began building tall fluted columns with decorative lightning bolts streaking up and down the pillars atop the ziggurats of Adanu and topped them with flattened triangular roofs with metal peaks so as to catch the lightning from the skies.
When Tchazzar came to rule Chessenta he discovered some of the sunken ruins of ancient Akanu and copied the most visible architecture which were the fluted columns of Ramman’s reign.
Now Adanu is filled with gold and artefacts of ancient Akanu and guarded by the long drowned and decayed worshippers of the Babylonian gods that were swamped when Hoar took his vengeance on Ramman for exiling him from Unther.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 07 Apr 2014 :  09:53:16  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Just a brief detail on the sunken city in the Adder Swamp which i am making the capital of ancient Chessenta.

I tried to come up with a reason for the romanesque architecture of modern Chessenta by having it based on one of the architectural styles of ancient Chessenta that Tchazzar copied for his building projects.

I figure the columned structures could be related to Ramman's rule of Chessenta because being a god of thunder and lightning he could use columns and metal topped roofs to encourage lightning strikes.

That way i dont have to invalidate any existing lore while making it distinctive and not just robbed from a real world society.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 15 Apr 2014 :  10:10:04  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Right then, looking for a few more bits of inspiration to flesh out Chessenta.

I have found a few hooks that could be developed into something, maybe expand on the origin of orcs in the south.

So first is Threskel that considers itself independent of Chessenta. The question is why? I realise this probably comes down to the fact that Mourktar seceded from Unther first (before Chessenta) and Mourktar is of largely Untheric customs and descent. However there is also a passage in the writeup of Mordulkin that states the rulers of Mordulkin (House Jedea) maintain good relations with the Wizards' Reach and avoid conflicts to unite Chessenta. So i wonder if there couldnt be a historical event that caused the rift. The writeup for Mordulkin also states that the conflict between Mordulkin and Luthcheq precedes the arrival of the Karanoks.

Next is the Akanapeaks which are home to a large tribe of orcs that dwell in old dwarven settlements built over 3000 years ago (before -1650 DR). I'm thinking that this could allude to the grey orcs being brought back as slaves in -1069 DR and some escape into the hills and destroy the dwarven holds without anyone in Chessenta even knowing the dwarves lived there.

Next is pirates. Pirates are mentioned in the writeup an awful lot. In fact probably more than any other regional writeup. And as one of the oldest nations on the sea of fallen stars it is possible that they started the pirate tradition in this area. Jhaamdath is another contender but the Vilhon Reach section of coast was previously a large stretch of land (probably with a river running through it) and so Jhaamdath had a relatively small stretch of coastline with which to establish itself as a naval power.
Piracy could have been started by disaffected populace tired of being under the rule of the god kings.

Next is Drakelight. Why is it called drakelight? Could we link this to the greater quelzarm (ie a dragon of the deep) which maybe used to inhabit the Bay of Chessenta but was driven out by the god kings long ago. Created by ancient mages of Chessenta to search for the beast and try to reduce its attacks on shipping in the Bay of Chessenta.

I'm wondering if Luthcheq wasnt made capital of Chessenta after 108 DR when the previous capital of Adanu was drowned in the battle between Ramman and Assuran/Hoar. Of course the empire of Chessenta begins to fracture during this time, probably Mordulkin with the aid of the Wizards' Reach and Mourktar with the aid of Banite forces broke away first and that created the long lasting enmity between Luthcheq and Mordulkin. Then when Cimbar; a vast magic repository created by the god kings, was made the capital by Tchazzar that cemented the people's hatred of all things magic (they retained the hatred of elves and fey from the traditions of the ancient Chessentan empire - Akanu)

Next is the Riders to the Sky. Legends speak of large pteranodon like creatures that the Untheri warriors used to ride into battle. Also there are the ruins of an Aarakocra civilisation that was hunted to extinction by the Chessentans for sport. I'm wondering if this could not be the remains of one of the aeries of the Aeree. Crashed here millennia ago and when the Chessentans settled this land they slaughtered them and took what treasure and magic they could find. Might give the modern Chessentans something of a focus on wind based magics for extra flavour. Also the cities of Chessenta are said to have many artefacts stored in their basements from ancient Unther (which i take to be Akanu) so maybe a few of these artefacts are Aeree.

Temple of the Splendour of the Splendours is interesting, an underground temple in the Chessentan countryside that once housed a sentient gem that contained the stored intellects of several powerful mages. Perhaps these mages were Chessentan mages. I'm not sure on the history of Savras but maybe we can tie it to this gem.

And finally regarding the orcs of Chessenta. I have read in various sources about when the Red Wizards stole a horde of mountain orcs from the Spine of the World that the covenant were trying to stop. Now it is never really stated what happened to this horde but random passages from books like Prayers of the Faithful detailed at least one petty kingdom that was destroyed by a horde of orcs in the southern lands. Now i assume this is the Vilhon Reach/Chessenta region. The passages stated that multiple gates opened up across southern lands depositing huge numbers of orcs.
I wonder if this was not a ploy of the red wizards of Thay to weaken the armies of Mulhorand by denying them access to Chessentan mercenaries (who would now be too busy fighting orcs hordes in their homeland).
So with grey orcs undoubtedly living in Chessenta and mountain orcs possibly being deposited there it makes the Chessenta/Vilhon Reach orc a grey/mountain orc hybrid that probably also exists in the Moonsea region.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 15 Apr 2014 :  10:57:54  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And as luck would have it Gray Richardson has already done some of my work for me with Pyrrhocax-Shara being the Aearee enclave in the Riders to the Sky Mountains, hidden from Faerun for 30,000 years by ancient magic.

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Gary Dallison
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Posted - 15 Apr 2014 :  15:34:31  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And here is some ideas on the religious aspect of Chessenta.

Religion
Religion in Chessenta has its place, usually at the bottom of society, as an after thought in case a person’s skill and abilities fail him. People in Chessenta respect excellence, mastery of any craft; be it warfare or wood carving is something to be admired. Religion is seen as relying on others to perform tasks that you should be mastering yourself.
Those priests that display excellence in their chosen field, be it healing, oration, or the art of prediction will earn respect. Regular priests will only be sought out as an insurance policy just in case.
Because of this there are many gods and they are rich from the contributions of the mediocre and the paranoid, but they do not hold any great place in society and adherence to tenets of the faith is not common among the laity.
The reason for this lack of commitment to religion is rooted deep in the past of ancient Chessenta. As a part of the Gilgeam’s Empire, Chessenta was largely ignored by the god king and in fact suffered greatly under his excessive tax regime. Due to this neglect and later interferences by other gods the people of Chessenta do not have as much respect for deities as people of other nations.
They have simply seen too much death, neglect, and evil performed in the name of gods in order to take them seriously.
Chessenta is a mix of deities and pantheons. They venerate anyone they happen to have heard of from mercenaries, travelling merchants, or migrants. Gods of the Faerûnian, Mulhorandi, and Untheric pantheon have been and are worshipped in Chessenta.

Anhur: A relatively recent addition to the gods of Chessenta but an ancient deity of Mulhorand. Anhur was brought to Chessenta by Mulhorandi mercenaries used in the many wars Chessenta wages against itself and others.
Arriving during the same time as the Turami brought Tempus to the shores of Chessenta the two gods have been vying for Chessenta for centuries.
Anhur holds sway in the plains of Threskel and eastern Chessenta while Tempus holds sway in the west of Chessenta.
Currently Tempus is in ascendance in Chessenta, but with the war in Unther and Mulhorand looking to conquer all the lands up to Chessenta’s borders, Anhur’s domain could suddenly expand rapidly with an influx of extra worshippers.
Assuran/Hoar: Assuran is known as Hoar to the rest of Faerûn, except for the old empires of Chessenta, Mulhorand, and Unther. An ancient Sumerian deity of Unther, Assuran was driven from that land when the Babylonian god of storms and warfare; Ramman; abandoned Chessenta and attempted to enter the Untheric pantheon. In a 6 month long battle that saw storms across the Inner Sea; flooded Unthalass, much of Unther, and Adanu the ancient capital of Chessenta, creating the Adder Swamp. Assuran was ultimately defeated and left the Untheric pantheon in disgrace.
Hoar as he became known went to Chessenta which was now free of its Babylonian gods, and became a deity of Vengeance, Poetic Justice, and Retribution. From there he spread to the rest of Faerûn, waiting for his chance to exact his revenge on Ramman.
This chance came during the Time of Troubles, and Hoar seized it by slaying Ramman.
Entropy: Entropy is not a true god and grants no spells to his worshippers; although other gods are granting spells to his worshippers and thereby securing extra followers for themselves.
Entropy is an ancient primordial that some theorise was created with the destruction of the first god in Faerûn. This tiny molecule sized creation formed in the Astral Plane out of the decaying corpses of the bodies of the dead gods.
Others claim he is a by-product of the creation of the super powered Imaskari artefact/primordial known as Pandorym. When the Imaskari bound the primordial Pandorym they had to split his being into two parts in order to contain his power. The bulk of his essence was contained in the artefact Pandorym, and the rest, a tiny molecule of antitheses (the opposite of everything) was left free floating. The Imaskari quickly realised the danger of this all consuming every growing molecule and so exiled it to the Astral Plane where it could not move and had nothing to feed on.
Whatever the origins of Entropy he drifted in the Astral Plane among the corpses of dead gods for millennia until sometime after -1069 DR when Gilgeam discovered a portal to the Astral Plane that lead to the god’s graveyard. Here he was burned by a brief contact with Entropy causing the only scar that never healed on his perfect body, and he immediately recognised its potential as a weapon.
Using devices plundered from Imaskar long ago he found he could propel it in any direction he wanted and so brought it to Faerûn where he used it to destroy a number of gods as part of his takeover of the Babylonian pantheon.
With each deific meal, Entropy swelled in size until it began to alarm even Gilgeam, and so he abandoned it in the wilds of Chessenta and fled to his new empire of Unther.
Entropy continued to grow in size as it consumes all matter and energy coming into contact with it. In 1374 it is larger than a man and is owned by the Karanoks, stored in one of their dungeons. It appears to have reached a critical mass and has begun to form child orbs that bud off from the original, each one capable of consuming everything it touches.
No one knows what will happen should Entropy continue to grow in size, or even worse what would happen if it were to consume Pandorym, or if a child orb were to crash into the parent, and thankfully no one wants to try and find out.
Sebek: An ancient and fey deity that inhabited the land of Chessenta long before the Babylonian people arrived and settled these lands. This crocodile god although not particularly benevolent, was not always evil and was happy to while away the millennia in his swamplands protecting the crocodiles and other creatures of the swamp.
When the Akanu empire came they destroyed the land that was Chessenta and cut down the forests and this dried out much of the wetlands.
Sebek became angry and vengeful and began working against the gods of Akanu. When Gilgeam and the Babylonian pantheon left for Unther he found they had created a new land for him in the shape of the Adder Swamp and different people lived in the land, some of whom worshipped him as a god.
As a deity Sebek spread his evil from Chessenta and into Unther, even Mulhorand, plaguing the Mulan people that destroyed his homelands, scraping out a living among the swamps and wetlands that no one wants.




Now i would like to do more with Savras but i just dont know enough about the god to make a start. The Splendour of the Splendours makes me think that Savras was possibly a mage of Chessenta, or maybe Jhaamdath who came to Chessenta after the tsunami (-255 DR) but that all depends on when Savras ascended to godhood. I have read that he ascended during the Dawn Cataclysm but that means anywhere between before the Fall of Netheril to the Fall of Myth Drannor (Please no one start on the dawn cataclysm). So if anyone has a more precise date for Azuth and Savras' battle and Savras' ascension to godhood then i would be most appreciative.

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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 15 Apr 2014 :  15:35:05  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And i redid the timeline on the first page and added a bit about magic in the life and society writeup

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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 17 Apr 2014 :  09:19:22  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Read up a bit on Savras now. Looks like as far as canon goes he was a mage from Halruaa.

However, Halrua didnt exist until after the fall of Netheril, and Savras was listed as a demigod when Azuth challenged him for his power during the dawn cataclysm.

Doesnt leave much time for Savras to be born, become a mage of incredible power and then a demigod.

Sounds to me like there might have been two Savras'. A theory also noted here in Candlekeep linking the original Savras to Jhaamdath.

As a deity of divination its not impossible that the previous deity called Savras was part of the Jhaamdathi pantheon and foresaw the dawn cataclysm and his own destruction during it. And in a Mystra-esque kind of way he relinquished his power to a mage in Halruaa who took the name Savras (or maybe by pure luck was also called Savras) and so Savras the demipower then battled and lost to Azuth.

So if the above is at all possible that means the original Savras could have travelled to Chessenta and created the Splendour of the Splendours and used it to imprison all his rivals (because almost all gods have been physical beings at some point in their existence before they ascended to godhood).

Savras could even have been an ancient Turami mage that was evicted from the lands of Chessenta when the Mulan arrived, he then moved over to Jhaamdath and then came back to Chessenta after the fall of Jhaamdath.

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 17 Apr 2014 :  12:49:34  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
From Powers and Pantheons:

"Savras was a long-ago god of the South who was worshipped in Halruaa, Durpar, Estagund, Dambrath and Var the Golden, with small pockets in Calimshan, Tethyr, and Amn."

I don't know that anywhere its quoted that he was a mage from Halruaa (not saying it doesn't, just saying I'm not aware of such). Where did you get this information?

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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