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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 09:02:56
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Sparked by the "the Movers and Shakers of Faerun... all the same?" thread I've begun to think about how a Realms based story might progress if the main character was a dwarf.
The idea I'm having is that the main character is a Runecaster. Their twin is also a Runecaster and the story begins with the twin setting off to explore the fallen kingdoms of Shanatar to search for the lost Runes of Power. Naturally, the main story begins when the main character can no longer detect the location of their twin. Either they are dead or no longer on the Material Plane (Thunder twin feat FRCS).
What are the Runes of Power? Each of the eight sub-kingdoms of Shanatar identified itself with one of the children of Moradin. My idea is that maybe each of these sub-kingdoms had a rune sacred to the former power it revered.
As far as I can tell the following formed the constituent kingdoms of Shanatar:
Alatorin - founded by Taark Shanat, chief deities were Moradin and Berronar
The sub-kingdoms were:
Barakuir - Clan Duergar, deity was Laduguer
Ultoksamrin - deity was Dumathoin
Holorarar
Drakkalor
Korolnor
Sondarr
Torglor
Xothearin
The other six deities were Clangeddin, Vergadain, Abbathor, Sharindlar, Diinkarazan and Diirinka.
My questions are:
Can the deities be matched to the sub-kingdoms?
I'm tempted to ascribe Abbathor to Drakkalor since that kingdom's ruler disputed Ultoksamrin's claim to the Wyrmskull Throne as well.
Am I correct in assuming that these are the eight sub-kingdoms of Shanatar?
As regards the Runes of Power this is merely a writing device I've used to set up a story that involves the runecaster twins. You're welcome to discount it, provide another reason, etc. 
Sourcebooks consulted:
Races of Faerun
Dwarves Deep
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
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Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2066 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 11:27:02
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Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark details all eight kingdoms and notes which ones were associated with which deities.
--Eric |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 12:24:48
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The following information is taken from the 2nd Ed. Adventure The Wyrmskull Throne:
Barakuir - deity was Laduguer
Ultoksamrin - deity was Dumathoin
Holorarar - merged after it's fall with Barakuir
Drakkalor - diety was Abbathor
Korolnor - deity was Diinkarazan
Sondarr - deity was Vergadain
Torglor - deity was Diirinka
Xothearin - deity was Sharindlar
As the information is taken from the discriptions of the differnet scepters linked to the Wyrmskull Throne and one other sceoter is mentioned the conclusion is close at hand that another sub-kingdom existed:
Iltkazar - deity was Clangeddin Silverbeard |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 12 Aug 2006 12:34:06 |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2006 : 17:30:19
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there is some info on the eight sub-kingdoms of Deep Shanatar also in the Underdark sourcebook. Following helpful information derives from its pages:
Holorarar is the "forgotten" sub-kingdom of deep Shantar and was formed after the Fall of Barakuir (appr. -7000 DC) to keep the number of sub-kingdoms at eight. They used the same Scepter as Barakuir but I found no info as to whether they chared the same patron deity or not.
The subkingdom of Barakuir was the original home of Clan Duergar. After its fall the captive dwarves were enslaved by the mind flayers who overran the kingdom and bred into the psionic subrace known as the duergar.
Iltkazar is another sub-kingdom, actually the last surviving kingdom of Deep Shanatar. It is also called the Mithral Kingdom, has a population of 7506 (mostly shield dwarves) and is ruled by King Mith Barak the Clanless, who spends 75 out of every 100 years sitting still as a solid mithral statue on his throne. During this time the Regency Council of Iltkazar rules the city. It's probably the best defended city in the whole Underdark.
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 12 Aug 2006 17:35:53 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2006 : 01:16:22
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| As was already said, Drizzt's Guide and Wyrmskull Throne are probably your best bets for lore on Shanatar's kingdoms. Underdark (3e) is pretty much just a reprint of Drizzt's Guide, but if you can't find the two 2e books is passable. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Kiaransalyn
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
762 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2006 : 07:57:51
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Thank you for all your help here.
I have DDGttU but didn't check it yesterday. |
Death is Life
Love is Hate
Revenge is Forgiveness
Ken: You from the States?
Jimmy: Yeah. But don't hold it against me.
Ken: I'll try not to... Just try not to say anything too loud or crass. |
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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2006 : 17:31:22
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Good luck with your campaign idea. 'Bout time the dwarves get some respect.
And a side note: since Diinkarazan and Diirinka were once dwarven deities, has anyone ever figured out just where the derro came from or how they came into existence? |
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 14 Aug 2006 : 19:10:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Ardashir
Good luck with your campaign idea. 'Bout time the dwarves get some respect.
And a side note: since Diinkarazan and Diirinka were once dwarven deities, has anyone ever figured out just where the derro came from or how they came into existence?
I can’t remember which brother is which so basically this:
These two twin brothers were the most "magical" of Moradin’s children...
one day they were wandering around in the Outlands and came into the Illescrine (sp?) the super-mindflayer god’s cavern...They decided to steal some of the Illithid-god’s power but got caught...
The one brother basically abandoned the other to the illithid god and used the stolen power/lore and created the “magic using” dwarves, the derro. As the surviving brother was more evil than the duergar god he was banished from the dwarven pantheon too...
The brother caught by the illithid-god faced a horrible fate and was left totally insane and trapped in the Abyss, only 1 day a year does he escape into the Prime to go on a bloodthirsty rampage...usually against the derro
Now, you must remember this, until 3rd Ed. dwarves were “arcanely” non-magical and the derro were insane due to their evil god and the idea a dwarf twisted to use arcane magic would go insane. 3rd Ed. actually screws up that idea in the first place
And to confuse things more there is another derro “origin” story from Greyhawk involving the Suel...which is why some canon says the derro are de-evolved humans or human-dwarf hybrids..
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Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
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Shanatar's sub-kingdoms
