Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions

[dazzlerdal]

Wondering how a sage from an insular place like Unther knows about Myth Unnohyr in Calimshan.

Vulmikka of Unther, known as “The Dark Sister” is one of only two sages that knows anything about Myth Unnohyr.

Myth Unnohyr is a mythal city of Keltormir (a nation of elves fell during the Crown Wars), while Unther did not even exist back then and has almost no connection to the outside world.


My first thoughts are that the elves of Unther that I just created (Enyllstaar) and Keltormir had some portal connection somehow. I'm kind of thinking that Enyllstaar is a nation filled with half drow, half wild elves. It was an ally of Illythiir, but not a willing one (it initially sided with Illythiir but was horrified when the forest burning and demon and devil influences became apparent).

Illythiir created a portal network as its armies travelled north and east towards the Vyshaan Empire, so that it could resupply its forces and reinforce the occupation of its conquered territories (Maybe call it the Path of Burning Leaves).

Rather than have the portal network lead right back to Illythiir however, it had the terminus end in Enyllstaar so that should anyone compromise the portal network they would not be able to reach the Illythiir homeland through it.

So the ruins of Myth Unnohyr (in the north of the forest of Mir, where a major battle of the crown wars took place (page 13 of GHOTR) was the site of one of these portals and Vulmikka discovered it.

The question still remains who is Vulmikka. With a title like "The Dark Sister" I'm tempted to make her a follower of TiaMa'at who is known as "The Dark Lady", maybe a dragon type creature.


And I added more information to Nissel, including one of the Grey Chimera Inns and the owner of the Sea Hag (her name is a clue to her origin that I may expand upon later).

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/nissel-red-haven/

 

[dazzlerdal]

Got a beginning of a page about Raurin

So far just working in some lore from Encyclopedia Magica and from Elminster's Ecologies with the Desert of Desolation module.

I'm pretty much decided that Martek is actually evil but his legend has been confused and he is actually somebody very ancient that has an interest in Imaskar and its artefacts (as a clue - Solon)

https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/raurin/

 

[dazzlerdal]

Mostly finished the story of Raurin, broken it up into distinct ages.

Imaskar
Raurin Empire
Imaskari Successor States
Desert

Got the Imaskaroloth as the big bad. Madryoch the Ebon Flame, aka Martek, aka Ambuchar Devayam, aka Tan Chin as the secret big bad manipulating everything.

The Sandvoyagers Guild are secretly run by the Amethyst Sodality which are a group originally set up by surviving Imaskari Artificers that wanted to recover the magics of Imaskar and restore it but their descendants are mostly concerned with trade (picture a non evil Knights of the Shield). The common folk whispering about a Secret Imaskari Empire are really referring to the Amethyst Sodality who have a monopoly on trade passing through former Imaskari Lands.



Madryoch escaped from his imprisonment and possessed Tan Chin. Tan Chin failed in his attempt to become emperor and fled to Raurin. Called Amadryk (pronounced Madrek, now known as Martek to myths and legends) he attempted to get hold of as much Imaskari magic as possible and empower himself with a huge ritual. It backfired and he became a demilich tied to the 5 star gems.

Madryoch wants to be alive again. he has seeded Raurin with clues and hints so that adventurers can retrieve his phylacteries and bring them to Solon where he intends to destroy them using the Shadow Stone (big orb that drains all magic when activated - but allows people keyed to it to keep casting using it's own Weave). Once the phylacteries are gone he can restore himself to life and rule all.


https://alternaterealmsblog.wordpress.com/raurin/

 

[dazzlerdal]

Okay so the Imaskaroloth is drawn to the Stars of Mo-Pelar. It knows they bind it to Raurin and can sense them when they are above ground or outside concentrations of magic. It can't destroy them (can only drain non permanent magic) but it can keep them and hopefully find a means of destroying it later.

The Stars of Mo-Pelar are currently housed in highly magical buildings; the dome of Kahnathaeg (Carthag), the Tomb of Amun-Re, the Crypt of Badr Al Mosak, the Tower of Set (beneath the Oasis of the WHite Palm) (the 5th lies with Madryoch in Solon).

When anyone recovers one of the stars of Mo-Pelar, the Imaskaroloth immediately begins chasing them. The party needs to recover all five of them in the hopes of destroying the Imaskaroloth. Once they recover the 4th in the Tomb of Amun-Re, the Imaskaroloth traps them inside (its a mile wide and just sits around it like a massive whirlwind of destruction). Once the party decides to face the music and take on the Imaskaroloth anyway they will be whisked away by Madryoch to Solon (teleporting anyone touching one of the Stars of Mo-Pelar into prison cells inside Solon).

At least that's the kind of adventure I'm kind of planning to join the Desert of Desolation modules and the adventure module in Solon.

Also detailed more of the locations in Raurin to try and link the places to existing lore such as the Gates of Shul, the Hinjaz, the Tomb of Amun-Re, the Tower of Set, the city of Carthag.

 

[dazzlerdal]

I think I'm mostly done with Raurin for the time being. The skeleton is there for me to build on for the history of Mulhorand and Durpar and Imaskari successors.

Onto Chessenta or Mulhorand next

 

[dazzlerdal]

Found a lovely bit of lore in the Westgate dynasties about King Ashtukzu I of the Mulan Dynasty.

He was meant to conquer Westgate for Unther in -27 DR, but instead crowned himself King of Westgate.

He deposed the reigning King Ryndarth II "the Masque King" as a doppelganger. Well I checked Ed Greenwood Presents and the tradition of masquerades around the Sea of Fallen Stars originally comes from Chessenta which in -27 DR was Unther controlled (and I'm calling Akanu). So now the Masque King was originally from Akanu and fled a few years back after he was connected to a series of high profile disappearances and outed as a doppelganger. He possessed a very distinguished mask and that was now owned by King Ryndarth. Gil-Geamesq and his court hear about this and put two and two together and realised King Rhyndarth II was actually the same doppelganger.

So they send Ass-Tukzu to reveal him as a doppelganger (King Ryndarth II was last of his dynasty) and secure Westgate with a mercenary force.

Unfortunately Ass-Tukzu crowns himself king Ashtukzu of the Mulan Dynasty. That annoys Gil-Geamesq to no end. He now mistrusts the whole House of Ass (of which the godking Ass-Uraqn known in normal FR as Assuran, was the founder) and so he begins making plans to remove Ass-Uraqn from Unther and his position of power as head of the armies.

That's why Ram-Manu comes from Akanu to Unther, and how he manages to subvert all the major temples in a short space of time with precision timing, he had the help and support of GIl-Geamesq and his priests and the armies of Unther.

Assuran flees to Akanu and becomes Hoar overtime while Ramman is now the lord of battles and the three thunders and leader of Unther's armies.

This pattern of Gil-Geamesq becoming suspicious of godkings and putting in plans to remove them is something I intend to repeat over the course of Unther's history.

 

[Lwaxy]

Tagging for updates. Had no time to check it out yet but it does sound very interesting.

 

[dazzlerdal]

Well the next page im working on is Messemprar. Trying to detail it as it was during the riots at the moment.
The bulk of work i have done is in Unther at the moment with a page on Raurin as well as that was the proto mulan nation for a century or so.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions then by all means voice them (even if they are negative, all feedback is wanted).
Otherwise i hope you find it useful and interesting. As a general rule everything i write should be fully compatible with existing realmslore (although it might twist it slightly).

 

[Lwaxy]

I should have time next week to go over it all. Twisting is always good.

 

[dazzlerdal]

Given the Wandering Wyrm a name; Meiandringous.

I'm gonna do a wyrms of the north style writeup (which I will probably do for all important npcs).

I figure she was once one of the dragon overlords of the shining south in the days after the Illythiir cleared the forests with fire and before the Imaskari arrived. THe Imaskari captured her and experimented on her making her a living disease reservoir (and as a byproduct making her immortal).

After the fall of Imaskari she escaped across the Sea of Fallen Stars and lives in the caves and in a large bay around a very aptly named island in the Pirate Isles. I figure the priests of Assuran on the Dragonisle have been there a long long time and named the island. The cult of the dragon know of her presence and are trying to woo her. Everyone else is ignorant of her as she spends most time asleep under the water.

TiaMa'at returned to Unther 1305 DR and set about trying to wake Meindringous. 1317 DR the wyrm awakens and spreads a bunch of different plagues. THe one in Chessenta and Unther has a chance to turn people and creatures affected into dragonlike monsters. Most infected die and the monsters it makes flee into the wild or are captured by the cult of tiamat (or the cult of the dragon in Chessenta).

There have been a number of other plagues in the sea of fallen stars that I can blame on this dragon. 74DR in the Vilhon Reach is one that I spotted there are others in Cormyr and the Dalelands.

At least that's my idea for now.