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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe
Germany
198 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Apr 2024 : 21:32:59
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Hello I created maps of Abeir and Shyr for my game and wanted to share it with you.
Basically I rotated the axis of the Toril map a bit (so Abeirs Anchorom vanished under the polar cap), changed the coastlines and broke continents apart)
If you login on deviantart and download the Shyr map you will be able to read the smaller script (city names etc.) as well.
I used a lot of sources (This forum, SCAG, the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon,places from 5e adventures, the 3rd edition Ashardolon Adventures, homebrew stuff) to put it together but much is also simply made up by me, so nothing official.
The World of Abeir
A Primordial World
In many ways Abeir is a more primal world than Toril. You will find forests of gigantic trees, titanic mountainranges, rivers of molten lava and similar elemental wonders more often than on Toril. The
elements are also more chaotic. Flying Earthmotes (wandering and stationary) are more common on Abeir and you can find elements that exhibit paradoxical abilities, for example ice that burns and riverbeds filled with crystals that flow like water.
Jungles, Deserts and other landscapes are not always bound to natural climate zones due to the magics of the Dawn Titans and their draconic successors.
Creatures of reptilian or draconic nature often fill ecological niches of mammals. Draconic hybrids are often the creations of Dawn Titans.
Mammals on the other hand are often of bigger size, like gigantic forest-elephants and mammoths, sabertooth cats and dire animals.
Rulers of humanoid realms may claim lands as part of their realm, but often their rule extends only slightly beyond the realm's city walls and the rural population often clings close to these cities. Cities are often larger than on Toril, and often sport heavy fortifications against dragons, giants and rampant primordial titans.
Primordial Spires, like Nightfang Spire, Elderspire and Soaring Mount Vore on Shyr, are famous primordial bastions that often draw adventurers in search of dawn titan magic to their doom. But the bodies of dead dawn titans themselves often became curious dungeons in time.
The Shadowfell
The Shadowfell was closer to Abeir than to Toril before the Spellplague / Blue Breath of Change, allowing the undead Eminenz of Araunt to rise and made necromancy an easy to cast form of sorcery. Hauntings were more common than on Toril and often corporal and spectral undead arose without being summoned by rituals. The wizardly lich was due to the rituals involved quite rare on Abeir. 'Elemental Liches' are more common than the regular type though, although many sages argue, that the ritual to create an elemental lich is actually transforms the caster into the form of an elemental being akin to 'a nascent primordial titan' (Similar to the ancient god kings of Thessalante).
The Feywild
When the Spellplague hit Abeir, it shattered the ancient magical wards the abeiran dragons had put up against the Feywild in their attempt to save their realms from elven magic, like the one that destroyed the dragon realms of Toril.
Over night the Feywild returned to the world of Abeir. Fey creatures from half-forgotten fairytales and myths 'invaded' the realms and lives of Abeir. Beings like dryads, satyrs and nymphs become common in the wild forests, powerful Faespires rose into the air and on Shyr, Caleantas, an elven realm, split the Albril river in two as it took it's original place in the world from which it was rescued into the Feywild by it's archfey ruler Calean.
For over hundred of years the inhabitants of Abeir now worried if the fey would strike at them, as many thought that the Blue Breath of Change was a first attack or at least a side effect of the fey's return to Abeir. Espescially the dragons wonder if the elves and other fey creatures would take revenge. But so far only a few elves and gnomes took to the wider world beyond their faespires. In Baiyzantis, a faespire rose close to the city's walls and it elves allied themselves with the genasi citizens of Baiyzantis, creating a new naval and magical power on the coast of the New Sea.
The most dangerous and actual fey invader is Maghar - The King of Redcaps, an evil archfey, who gleefully explores the new hunting grounds of easy prey for his people, as the inhabitants of Abeir have next to no experience in dealing with or combating the fey.
The Weave - New Magic
Before the Breath of Blue Change Abeir's magic was powered by the primal energies of the world. Although those energies still reside, Abeir is now enfolded within Mystras Weave like the rest of Realmspace. Most magic users of Abeir used to be sorcerers, warlocks, druids, eldritch knights, and rangers. The few true mages often specialized in Necromancy or summoning elementals or demons. Bards were almost only found among abeiran elves and halflings. Spellbinders (artificers) were also common especially among dwarves. True Wizards on Shyr today are still mostly found in Deepwater and Ashenvale, around Helix and the Plateau of the Wizard's Isles (where they are called 'halruaan mages') and the Imaskari Vale.
The Skies Above
Differnt Skies
Above the returned continent of Laerakond the sky isn't blue but sports a silvery steelgrey hue. When a storm approaches it's clouds turn to dark green and coppery hues. Lightning is also of a vivid green color here. Steelsky doesn't obscure the lights of sun, moons or stars. Before the Sundering the Steelsky was due to 'arambar', the residual energy of the dead Dawn Titan Arambar. As Arambar returned from the dead during the Second Sundering, the arambar in the sky is now gone, but the Dawn Titan keeps the Steelsky in place as a show of dominance. The Steelsky is permanent only above Laerakond, but can, for a few days mostly, 'invade' other continent's skies as well.
Also before the Sunderering, the perception of the sky above a large part of Shyr was distorted by the 'Veil of Phoenike'. Like Arambar, Phoenike was a dead Dawn Titan of the air and vestiges of her power drifted above the clouds and created multiple images of the sun, the moon or other celestial bodies in the sky. This fact was only known to a few learned or well traveled persons. Since the Sundering the Elemental Goddess Akadi has absorbed these remnants of power and Shyr's sky shows only one sun like everywhere else, although Abeir now actually has three moons.
Realmspace
After the Second Sundering Abeir and Toril now share Realmspace, it's sun and all it's planets and constellations but since the end of the Sundering, Abeir sports three new moons.
Bright silver-white Dorma, also called Nightlight, is the primary and largest moon of Abeir and thought to be the child of Abeir's former single moon. The Green or Feymoon, is Abeir's second largest and closest moon. It is believed to be habitable and covered with forests and green seas. At certain times a watery torrent, called 'Tidebridge', rises from Thessalante's Abyss into the sky, actually connecting Abeir and the moon's seas. Many people believe it to be connected to the returned Feywild. The third moon, shines with a pale, sickly greenish light and is called Witchmoon. It is the smallest and most distant. It is also called Dark Moon or Hecate and has a reputation of being connected to darker magics and the Shadowfell .
The comet which is known as K'thontek in Realmspace is often called Nibiru or Dragonmoon on Abeir and is sacred to many dragons.
Although Abeir and Toril share the same sun, Abeir spins in the opposite direction around it's axis compared to Toril, meaning the sun here rises in the west. The idea that the other planets of Realmspace could be inhabited is new to the inhabitants of Abeir as it's former location in a pocketdimension excluded it from using or being visited by spelljamming vessels.
https://www.deviantart.com/therealmidir/art/Abeir-v-0-5-1044386899
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Edited by - Lirdolin on 28 Apr 2024 13:32:51
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe
Germany
198 Posts |
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe
Germany
198 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2024 : 13:35:18
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History
The Dawnwar
The Dawn Titans wage war against the Gods over the right to rule Toril. The Primordials loose, but the Overgod Ao creates a twin of the world, Abeir, for them, which he places in a pocket dimension.
The Reign of the Dawn Titans
While the Gods of Toril resided in their planar homes on the Astral Plane after the Dawnwar, making room for the first civilisations, Abeir's Dawn Titans created realms for themselves on Abeir. The dominant servant civilisation of this age were the dwarven and giant people.
First Faespires begin to appear in the forests of Abeir.
War of Fang and Talon
When their dragon steeds noticed that their primordial masters had tired of war, they turned on them initiating the War of Fang and Talon. First the dragons fought the Dawn Titans until most of them were either dead or fell asleep within the depths of the earth. The first realms of the giants and dwarves are also shattered.
During these conflicts magics changed the coastlines of continents and shifted the axis of the planet, covering the continent (the twin of Toril's Anchorome) north of present day Laerakond in ice.
Then the victorious dragons turned on each other, using Dawn Titan magic, until they also were tired of war.
These later major dragon wars of this epoch were called the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wyrmstrife. #E
Dragon Realms
In the aftermath of the War of Fang and Talon, the great dragon Gorloun declares himself ruler of the first Dragon Realm, lording over the lesser humanoid species. Many other dragons follow his example.
The dwarves in their mostly underground realms, already in suspicion by the dragons for their loyalty to the dawn titans, try to remain independent of the new draconic lords. The dragons destroy most dwarven kingdoms by sending magical plagues into the underground cities, driving the inhabitants to the surface were they became easy prey for enslavement.
Batrachi and Sarukh realms develop in southern Shyr, but these slowly degenerate into lesser tribal races like saurians, gungs and bullywugs and yuan'ti.
Two thirds of the shyran continent (the central heart of it) dragons rule over humans, dwarves, halflings, and a few dragonborn. The east of Shyr is called the "Lands of the Rising Dragons" because young dragons come here seeking to make a name for themselves. #E
The Separation of the Feywild and the Feypurge
Through visions of several Great Dragons, the dragons of Abeir learn of the fate of Toril's dragon realms. Because the Fae known as elves of Toril helped the people subjugated by the dragons, the dragons of Abeir perform a great ritual to ward Abeir of from the Feywild. Fey races like the elves and gnomes mostly vanish from the world over time, because many dragons try to purge them from their realms. Only the red great dragon Ashardalon is arrogant enough to actually shield elves within his realm and offers them protection, making some of them his direct servants.
-10000 DR Arrival of the Sea People
Thessalante: Like on Toril, many human people migrated from other worlds into the realms of Abeir, the most significant maybe being the 'Children of the Seagod' or 'Sea People', survivors of a continent, that was sunk by the gods of their world. The seapeople, lead by powerful magic-users, quickly colonize the savage continent south of Laerakond, naming it Thessalante.
-8000 DR
The druid Dydd battles the red dragon Ashardalon
-3000 DR Thessalian Expansion
Thessalante/Shyr: the vassal nation of Tanith is founded on Shyr by the Thessalians.
-1116 DR
One of the Thessalar, the 5 wizard-kings of Thessalante, is revealed to be a powerful lich in league with demonic forces, when the other 4 Thessalar discover his creation of the Thessalmonsters. The lich Thessalar flees Abeir for another world. Although no one knows this at the time, this event marks the start of the slow moral decline of Thessalantes ruling class and the Empire as a whole.
- 335 DR Fall of Thessalante
Thessalante: The five current Thessalar of Thessalante, perform a ritual to turn themselves into godlike Dawn Titans. They partly succeed, but at the cost of their continent and it's Empire. The remains of Thessalante become known as Kannath in time.
Shyr: In the aftermath of Thessalante's destruction, it's vassal colony Tanith declares itself the the Tanithian Empire or the Realm of Tanith (which later shortens to 'The Realm').
172 DR Toril/Shyr: following the Dawn Cataclysm, the splitting of Tyche, and the banishment of Moander from the realms the gods Azuth and Selune send manifestations to the world of Abeir. Their initial goal is to find out if Tyche is still active in Abeir, hoping to 'heal' the torilian aspect of the goddess of destiny back into one divine being. Although they discover that Tyche is still whole and unblemished from Moander in Abeir, there appears to be no way to fuse Tymora and Beshaba back into Toril's Tyche. But the two gods sense that the Forgotten One's powers stirs in Abeir and decide to stay to thwart his schemes.
The Goddess Shar also sends a manifestation to Abeir to thwart Selune's work there and unleash the 'Winds of Darkness' on Abeir.
Shyr: Azuth names his current abeiran manifestation 'Myrrdin Loremaster' while Selune's becomes known as 'Mother Amthra Lightbringer'. Shar's Manifestation calls itself the 'Darkling'
460 DR Shyr: Myrrdin sires two Children: Vangor and Kareena. Amthra has a daughter called Dorma.
466 DR Shyr: Dorma, Amthras child, is taken by the Darkling, who possessed the body of Amthra's husband, turning him into a boogeyman-like scarecrow.
490 DR Shyr: Vangor and Kareena become corrupted by the Forgotten One. In a battle to decide who is the Chosen of the Forgotten One, Vangor overpowers and imprisons his sister Kareena. He renames himself Venger - the Lord of Vengence and becomes a nascent Demonlord.
492 DR Shyr: Venger sends a flight of Dragons to destroy Helix but is thwarted by his father Myrrdin Loremaster, who banishes the dragons. Venger spitefully nicknames his father the 'Dungeonmaster'
492 DR Shyr: The Demonlord Syrith disrupts the holy celebration of Starfall at the city of Torad and slays the city's guardian solar within the Temple of Light. As Demon Queen Syrith she takes control of Torad and rules it through a line of Puppet-Kings. The last priest of the Temple of Light speaks a prophecy, that Queen Syriths reign will end if the Child of a Stargazer enters the Temple of Light and bathes in the light of the next Starfall coming 1000 years in the future.
503 DR Awakening of the Despot
Shyr: The meddlings and fights of the Loremaster and Venger awaken the powerful primordial Karshimis of the Burning Ice. The almost god-like Dawn Titan quickly conquers the dragonrealms surrounding it's place of awaking. He transforms an inner sea into his county-sized Citadel of Burning Ice and after conquering a large part of the continent, he becomes known as 'The Despot of Shyr'.
Shyr: The Dragon Purge. Karshimis spares only those young dragons, that submit to his rule and serve as mounts in his armies again. Some of the more powerful dragons that escape do so by fleeing to the north and east of Shyr.
- YYY
Abeir-Toril: Moander kidnaps a tribe of Saurians from their homeland and transports them to Toril.
The Blue Breath of Change
Abeir-Toril: Laerakond and parts of Shyr are replaced with people and lands from Toril.
The land of Cenobia is pushed into the Shadowfell by Toril's nation of Halruaa.
Abeir: Reemergences of the Feywild. The dragon wards that cut Abeir of from the Feywild are shattered by the Blue Breath of Change. Evermeet and other fae realms reconnect to Abeir. To the people of Abeir fey creatures from half-forgotten myths literally invade their world. People tend to ascribe many unexplainable things, like the Fairy Pools of the Swordlands in Laerakond, to the fey.
Shyr: Karshimis' Citadel of Burning Ice is consumed by blue flames and melts, becoming the New Sea in the process. Only it's central spire remains, apparently the prison of Karshimis of the Burning Ice - Despot of Shyr. The New Sea drowns several vassal realms, like Taurica a realm of Minotaurs, surrounding the former citadel. The Despot's realm, the Dominion of Karshimis collapses.
The orcish generals of the Grey and the Green Legions make war to decide who shall rule in the absence of Karshimis. The Grey Legion under General Oroz and his new patron god Bane wins and the Orozman Dominion is born.
1482 DR The Second Sundering begins
Abeir (especially Shyr): Manifestations and Chosen of the Gods appear in Abeir and Dawn Titans awaken or return from death. (Arambar, Erek-Hus and Rorn in Laerakond)
1484 DR Earth /Abeir: At the behest of Loremaster, the Witchlight Carnival transports 6 teenagers from Earth to the realms of Abeir. Loremaster appears in his gnomish guise and gives powerful magical items to them.
Venger in the guise of Myrrdin tricks Loremaster's Heroes to free the dragons Myrrdin Loremaster banished a thousand years ago, but the heroes undo the damage they have done.
Venger makes a pact with Lolth, who opens a portal to the Demonweb Pits in the Underdark below the city of Dormugand. The Six Heroes defeat her.
Venger creates Demodragon, a fiendish dragon, to attack Tardos Keep and to gain possesion of it's treasure: the 'Dragonbane'-herb (sprouted here after the Blue Breath of Change). Demodragon is destroyed by the herb's power.
Shyr/Torad: The Starfall Prophecy comes to pass, as Kozar the Child of a Stargazer absorbs the mystical powers of Starfall within the Temple of Light and turns into a new solar. He banishes Queen Syrith and ends her reign of terror over the city. St.Kozar becomes Torad's local saint-solar.
The Darkling finally has reaped enough souls of victims to perform the rite to call the Winds of Darkness to Abeir, but is defeated by Amthra and the Six Heroes.
Herak the Chosen of the god Herakles kills the minor Dawn Titan xyxy
Shyr: The Elemental Goddess Akadi sends an aspect of herself to Abeir, absorbing the 'Veil of Phoenike' and thereby ending the the illusion that the sky above the Realm sports three moons and four suns.
Maztica, Halruaa and Untheric people return to Toril, while the people of New Arrabar and Deepwater remain in Abeir.
The Nation of Cenobia returns from the Shadowfell to retake it's place on Abeir.
The Abolethic Sovereignity and their city of Xxiphu are pulled back to Abeir. Ao punishes the 'Eldest', primordial of the Aboleths, for it's bid for power via the Choir of Madness, sending it into a catatonic state and crippling the Sovereignity's multiversal network into virtual non-existence.
Lord Ao reminds the Dawn Titans and Estelar Gods of their responsibilities as stewards for the mortal beings of Abeir and the world itself. He orders them to leave for their homeplanes the Astral Plane and the Elemental Chaos. The defiant Dawn Titan Rorn is stripped of his starform and thereby much of his power by Ao. Ao places the burning star he took from Rorn into Rorn's land sized vault below Fimbrul as a tiny sun, creating a habitable place of life.
1489 DR The Sundering Ends
The Six Heroes are transported via a gate to Toril's Sword Coast by Loremaster.
As the Sundering is complete Ao removes the world of Abeir from it's pocket dimension and places it on Toril's orbit around the sun, but on the opposite side of the sun, preventing future dimensional alignments.
Abeir gains it's own three moons: the larger, bright white moon Dorma, the dark green Feymoon, and the lighter green Witchmoon.
The new Weave of Mystra envelops Abeir and changes the way magic works on the planet.
1492 DR Present Day
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Lirdolin
Learned Scribe
Germany
198 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2024 : 13:39:35
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Species of Shyr
Humans
While humans are probably the most numerous species on all the continents of Abeir, there are also large regions where they are not the predominant one. Although different ethnic lines are still visible within the species, the long tradition of keeping human slaves among the primordials and later their draconic and sometimes humanoid successors have often intermingled the human bloodlines in many places.
Thrael
Humans of Thrael stock are found in Abeirs north and east and are similar in physical appearance to the Illuskans of Toril. Northern Thrael tend to have blond or red hair while eastern Thrael tend to have ravenblack hair.
Dulae
The Dulae of Shyr's southern realms are quite similar to Toril's Chondathans in appearance.
Thua'Dydd (Dydd's People)
The Thua'Dydd are originally faux humans who were created from forest animals by the druid Dydd and later intermingeled with other humans. Some families still sport features reminding of certain animals, like fox-red hair and a slightly foxlike face. They are mostly found in the realm of Ashenvale.
Shifters?
Amul
Amul are quite possible related to Toril's Mulan people.
In most of south-eastern Shyr these humans are considered a lesser people, without special strengths or blessings like the grey orcs, dragonborn, dwarves or the genasi, who are also often more numerous here.
Imaskari
A secret vassal realm of the Imaskari is located within the valleys of the Axe of Erek-Hus and is connected to the Skyglave within the Plains of Purple Dust on Toril via a gate.
Thessalians
The humans of the Realm are a diverse group in appearance, that sprang from the intermingling of the original Thessalians and their slaves, the ancestors of the Thrael and Dulae (both names mean 'servant' in their native tongues). On Shyr the Thessalian Empire had conquered the mid- and north-western coasts of the continent naming them the colony of Tanith. The Thessalians or Seapeople were the nobilty of the ancient Thessalian Empire (on the continent of Kannath) and consisted of five bloodlines:
Alaran (pearly-white skin, light blond or white hair, silvery blood)
Cymrael (extremly tall, light skin, red hair)
Ibral (white to bronze skin, black hair)
Atlar (silver skin, midnight black hair, were able to breath water, blue colored blood)
Jobral (black skin, black or metallic hued hair, while they appear similar to Toril's Turami, there seems to be no relation.)
After the Fall of the Thessalian Empire the Atlar of Shyr largly moved into the sea and there merged with the merfolk, while some Jobral moved to the south to found a kingdom of their own, the other bloodlines intermingled among each other and their slaves, creating the diverse appearance of today's Thessalians.
Arekbhali- – The Daughters of Arek
Also known as Dark or Jobrali Amazons, the Arekbhali are a matriachal society of almost pure Jobral blood. Many have the tall and lean built of the ancient Jobral while others have an almost dwarven statue. The Arekbhali shattered a dwarven kingdom when they settled the region and kept many obsidian dwarves as slaves. Therefore some scholars suggest that these 'stunted' Arekbhali are are the result of breeding with the dwarves and their knowledge of forging excellent steel weapons is another inheritance of that union. Steel armor and weapons are reserved for women only.
Arekbhali families are polygamous, for a female is allowed to possess several husbands.
All property is owned by the women and even a household's men are subject to this. The matriarch of a family has the right to arrange marriages for her family's male children and kill the men unable to father children, fight as auxiliaries within the realm's army or be of other use.
Arekbhali Slavers are feared all over the continent as they hunt, buy and sell people from all species.
fat queen
Amazons - The Daughters of Herakles
The rider warriors of the Plains of Blue Fire probably rightfully claim to be blood descendants of the god Herakles, although it was his sister Athena who saw to it, that the original tribes changed from a patriarchal to a matriarchal society. The female warriors are excellent riders, great archers and masters of the falcata swords. They are almost a head taller than most other humans including their men. In battle they were bronze armor, shields that bear a lions head and helmets that resemble stylized owlheads. The amazon people have mostly brown and red hair, which they often wear long or in braids, although light blond and black hair are not uncommon either. Their eyes have a slight almond shape, they often live up to 150 years and the men grow no beards which leads some scholars to suspect that there also might be some elven blood in the veins of the amazons.
Although amazons often favor their own gender when it comes to love, almost a third of the amazon people are males. But it is no wonder that other people often think that amazon tribes consist of females only, for the amazon men tend to be small androgynous, almost girlishly pretty, beings compared to their fiercely beautiful women. Growing up, they even develop small feminine breasts and nurse the tribes newborn. Amazon men have a reputation of being quite vain, favoring soft long dresses and jewelry. Amazon families usually consist of two females, a male and their children. Amazon woman tend to be very protective of their men and have them stay at home, tending to the children and the livestock, cook and keep the family tents in order.
Vistani and Rhenee people
Two quite similar people wander the roads and rivers of Shyr. While the Rhennee (#G) claim to hail from the land of Rhop(an) beyond the Axe of Erek-Hus, the Vistani (#R ) make no such claims.
Dwarves
Abeiran dwarves have no language of their own and speak the primordial tongue in their own realms. Elsewhere they often adopt the language of the local predominant species.
Mountain Dwarves
Mountain dwarves are mostly pale of skin, and sport blond or reddish hair or metallic hues of gold, silver and copper.
One of the most powerful remaining realms of mountain dwarves in Shyr is located below the mountain range known as Albenzinnen. The dwarven clans here consider themselves to follow the pure and original dwarven culture. They are ruled by a queen and follow the teachings of the sinister cult of the dawn titan Percheta, who is considered the ruler of love, fertility and darkness by the dwarves. She is often depicted as a stilized, faceless and very pregnant dwarven woman (think Venus of Willendorf). The dwarves of the Albenzinnen are rightfully considered arrogant, greedy and selfish by their neighbors.
The mountain dwarves of the ice covered high north live in small cavern cities and have turned to the worship of the human gods Tyr, Thor and Reya. While they sometimes appear to be a little bit archaic, the are considered master smiths of weapons and artifacts and honorable warriors among the neighboring human Thrael.
Valley or Hill Dwarves
These dwarves are similar in appearance to mountain dwarves but their surface dwelling lifestyle has often given them light brown skin. Many dwarves of Ashenvale and the Great Nehir Vale are originally exiles from the realms of Perchramag or Gramalgur, who fled the oppressive rulers. Some of them still revere primordials, but some have adopted the believes of their human neighbors.
Southern Dwarves
In southern Shyr, dwarves are often found toiling as slaves for orcs, dragonborn and other people. Because they were slaves to dragons, humans and orcs for thousands of years, the dwarves of the realm are a mixture of many dwarven cultures, so their skin can have any color from pale to obsidian and their hair and eye colors sport a wide diversity.
Obsidian Dwarves
Found along the southern coast of Shyr, obsidian dwarves are obsidian black of skin and sport metallic hued hair of many colors, like metallic black, silver-white, steel grey or copper red. Their eyes are often black, but some sport the color of gemstones, which is considered lucky among the dwarves. The once powerful obsidian dwarf kingdom of Opragan was conquered by the Arekbhali amazones and many of it's descendants still toil in present day Arekbhal as slaves. Most Obsidian dwarves today live in tribes of varying cultural levels. While some might be considered forest dwelling barbarians other aspire to recapture the greatness of lost Opragan's cave cities.
Dominion or Bronze Dwarves
Once considered the most warlike dwarves of Shyr, they were known as bronze dwarves because of the bronze-colored skin and bronze armor. Their hair ist mostly of a shining black and their eyes have the color of dark gemsstones. After being conquered by the forces of the Orozmane Dominion the male and female bronze dwarves were kept apart by the victors, with the males serving as warriors within the 'Enslaved Legion' and the females as courtesans, entertainers and servants at the noble courts. This separation led to a culture of romantic 'male bonding' between senior dwarven warriors and their apprentice 'shieldbearers'. Successful dwarven warriors are rewarded by being allowed to procreate and add new members to the legion.
Dark or Demon Dwarves
Although they consider themselves the epitome of the mountain dwarf culture, the dark dwarves of Gramalgur within the Drachensteine mountainrange worship the demonlord Albraxaz, Lord of Black Mithral, as their god of magic, metal-crafting and of tyranny (although the dwarves consider it rightful rule). Recently they also turned to the dark goddess Moander beside Albraxas. Their skin is pale and their hair and eyes are almost uniformly black. After their primordial patron was slain by Albraxas they drove the elves from the nearby forest, as they wanted the timber and later enslaved humans from the Nehir Vale to work their mines. The dwarves of Gramalgur all sport some sign of corruption, be it a physical deformation or a psychical one in form of madness. These later dwarves are often considered the blessed chosen of their gods and often rise to positions of power.
Demon dwarves are communities of dwarves in the deeper reaches of the Nardark who are beholden to the demonlord Venger, who gifted them with magic talents. Their pale skin has a reddish sheen and for dwarves they lock gaunt. The most striking difference between them and regular dwarves probably is their utter lack of hair.
Deep- oder Sea Dwarves
There are rumors of sickly pale dwarves with soft glowing transparent hair who live in the ocean's deepest trenches. Legend has it that they were tricked into worship of the Kraken and the elder evil took them to his realm. Stories claim that if they rise to fast to the surface, they billow up and explode.
Elves
Abeiran Elves
Before the Blue Breath of Change elves were almost extinct on Abeir, only in the shyran realms of Ashenvale, the Great Nehir Vale, the Green Isles and the High North, small communities survived into the present day. Native abeiran elves have pale, often freckled skin and hair of red hues, copper being the most prominent. Abeiran elves are all genderfluid Blessed of Corellon (see Mordenkaine's tome of Foes pg 44), although most decide which gender they prefer most of the time. This ability (which they consider a gift by their creator Corellon) and the protection of the dragon Ashardalon during the Feypurge (who wanted to demonstrate his power by not killing the 'dangerous elves' in his realm) and the goddess Reya (who just liked elves) enabled their survival. Elves mostly worshiped the goddesses Abeir and Reya before the return of the Seldarine during the Blue Breath of Change. Both are still popular among the native elves of Abeir. Most of their spellcasters are druids, eldritch knights and sorcerers, but with the return of the Feywild and the elven gods fey-pact warlocks, priests and wizards are on the rise.
Forest elves: The elves living in the forests of Shyr's northern regions are quite similar to wood and wild elves on Toril. They favor green clothes, to camouflage in the woods.
City elves: Although called city elves they are actually more of a wandering people similar to Vistani and Rhennee, working as entertainers and sly merchants between cities. They use the rules for high elves although no one on Abeir would label them in this way. They tend to dress taste- and colorful. Sometimes 'Elventowns' or 'Elfstreets' formed in larger human cities, were the elves are considered an exotic people or untrustworthy degenerates and scum, depending on the humans goodwill or racism. City elves, although quite famous for their spicy food, their bards and dancers, often find employ among the shady elements of human society. 'Red Harlot' for instance is a widely known term for elven courtesans for their habit of clothing all in red to advertise their profession.
(more species will follow) |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2443 Posts |
Posted - 28 Apr 2024 : 19:43:10
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| As a big fan of Abeir, I'm glad you decided to share your version of it with us. Your adaptation of Abeir seems interesting and I'm going to definitely steal some of your ideas for my home Realms. Though there are things I wouldn't have done (I don't like the idea of gods wandering on Abeir before the Blue Breath of Change, for instance; or magic on Abeir depending on Mystra's Weave, eww, no, keep that thing away from Abeir, please). But I'm interested to see more, definitely. Keep up the good work. |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
Edited by - Zeromaru X on 28 Apr 2024 19:44:17 |
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Abeir after 2nd Sundering
