Page 116 - Serpent Kingdoms

REALMS

Sar’Rukoth is the ancient steading of Clan Sar’Ruuss, the Nezram’s fate is not recorded, but an ancient warding spell
most powerful of the surviving great clans of ancient Okoth. alerted the scattered sarrukh clans to the use of their long-
The stronghold now serves as the capitol of New Okoth and the forgotten portal and prompted at least one group to return
seat of power for Pil’it’ith, its albino sarrukh ruler. secretly to Faerûn in the Year of the Rampaging Raaserpents
The surrounding ruins house several dozen Okothian (699 DR) to investigate.
sarrukh, plus several hundred wereserpents, werecrocodiles, In the centuries that followed, increasing numbers of
and emissaries of the Church of Set who attend them. Most Okothian sarrukh returned to their ancient homeland in hopes
Okothian artifacts recovered by the sarrukh are brought back of evading the vengeful armies of the khaastas. Amidst the
here for analysis and, should any prove useful, replication. ruins of their former empire, the Okothians hoped to recover
Vaults of Record: The Vaults of Record are ancient Okothian their long-buried weapons and hide long enough to rebuild
ruins on the outskirts of Buldamar, a desolate village far from their strength.
civilization. Discovered in the early days of Mulhorand and The latter wish came to naught when the fi rst khaasta raid-
Unther, the vaults were plundered of their treasures, which ing party passed through the portal in the Year of the Gate
were used to build the magical might of Mulan’s twin empires. (1341 DR). Although the sarrukh managed to close the ancient
Today they lie empty, though they still draw a steady stream of portal and destroy the raiders before they could alert their fel-
adventurers hoping to turn up long-lost treasures. lows, the disappearance of this group drew additional bands of
khaastas to Faerûn in subsequent years.
Regional History During the Time of Troubles (1358 DR), the Okothians
secretly approached the divine minions of Set with a brazenly
During fi rst era of the Days of Thunder (more than 35,000 treacherous offer: In exchange for assisting Set in binding their
years ago), the sarrukh ruled over all Faerûn, centering their god Sseth into eternal slumber, the Mulhorandi Lord of Evil
power in three major empires. The fi rst and easternmost of would grant the sarrukh spells and aid them in their ancient
these was Okoth, founded circa –35,000 DR along the forested battle with the khaastas. Set accepted their proposal and created
shores of Azulduth, which was then the largest freshwater lake the fi rst wereserpents to mark the agreement. He also convinced
in Faerûn. Like their kin in Isstosseffi fi l and Mhairshaulk, the his sometimes-ally Sebek to send a host of werecrocodiles up the
Okothians created many races in their own image, including River of Swords to serve in the Okothians’ army.
lizardfolk and others long since vanished. Today, the Okothian sarrukh and the khaastas have reached a
Okoth crumbled after less than a millennium, when a devas- détente of sorts. The khaastas continue to dispatch raiding bands
tating civil war forced its feuding great clans to fl ee across the to Faerûn, but the Okothian sarrukh continue to hold them off,
planes. The races they had created were left behind to fi nd their thanks to their newfound patron and an army of lesser allies.
own homelands and survive as best they could. Frustrated by their inability to take Okoth, the khaastas have
During their plane-walking, the Okothian sarrukh expe- recently begun appearing elsewhere in Faerûn, hoping to learn
rienced alternating periods of growth and decline. Several more about the world of their ancient enemies and discover
millennia ago, in the Barrens of Doom and Despair, they other sarrukh enclaves and ruins.
chanced upon a reptilian race known as the khaastas, which
they incorrectly assumed to be descended from their own liz- Plots and Rumors
ardfolk creations. An ill-considered attempt to enslave these
creatures resulted in a war between the two races that raged Though many of its treasures have been plundered, the ancient
for centuries. When the tide turned in favor of the khaastas, realm of Okoth still holds many secrets.
the Okothian sarrukh fl ed across the planes with their foes at Legacies of Nezram: Nezras, grand-nephew of Nezram
their heels. the Transmuter, arrived in Myth Drannor in the Year of the
In the Year of the Nesting Harpy (643 DR), Nezram the Tainted Troll (683 DR) to study at the Six Tyryl Towers. Explor-
Transmuter, author of the famed spell tome boastfully entitled ers of the ruined City of Beauty have recently recovered some
Unique Mageries, left his tower on the western shore of Lake letters that Nezras wrote to his elven wife, a fellow student
Azulduth to explore the outer planes. Nearly forty years later, named Raejiisa Sicafei, whom he married in the Year of the
most of his Mulan descendants were scattered or slain when a Unshriven (686 DR). Penned in the Year of Portents Perilous
young green dragon named Chaathuuladroth tore apart Nez- (707 DR) during a visit Nezras made to Mulhorand, the letters
ram’s Tower in the Year of the Zombie Lords (681 DR). The discuss reports of powerful serpentfolk haunting his grand-
victorious dragon fl ew off to the lonely, mountainous regions to uncle’s ruined tower and give an accounting of his inconclusive
the west with most of Nezram’s treasures. spell battle with one of them. These letters are among the few
Unbeknownst to anyone else, Nezram had spent a great sources of fi rsthand information about the sarrukh that exist in
deal of time studying the ancient legacies of Okoth and Faerûn today. Baylox, noted sage of Okothian lore, has learned
knew of the sarrukh. When he discovered an ancient portal of their existence and is now seeking a party of adventurers to
in the depths of Azulduth, he passed through it in hopes of recover them for him.
discovering what had become of these once-mighty creatures.

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