Page 127 - Serpent Kingdoms

REALMS

part of the trail is wholly unsecured and guarded by yuan-ti of Procalith: The ruins of Procalith, founded in the Year of
the Se’Sehen tribe. Distant Thunder (16 DR), lie at the foot of the Delphin Moun-
Crypt of Anthilar: Anthilar, the legendary Archmage of tains, overlooking the Dolphingulf. In its heyday, Procalith was
Untisczer, escaped the destruction of his city by the Shoon ruled by a succession of kings, many of whom were installed by
Imperium in the Year of Wasteful Pride (285 DR) and fl ed to the Shoon Imperium or the Tashalar’s ruling oligarchs. It was
a secret lair in the mountains west of the Tashan Gap. There destroyed by a sorcery-driven storm during the Rage of Wizards
he became a lich, working in secret to control the merchants in the Year of the Sword’s Oath (1142 DR).
of Tashluta. Some explorers come to the ruins in search of the Seer
In the Year of the Laughing Dead (1056 DR), Anthilar of Procalith (see page 28), a mysterious sage-diviner with a
suddenly reappeared in the streets of Tashluta and unmasked nigh-encyclopedic knowledge of Mhairshaulk, Serpentes, and
the leading oligarch as a yuan-ti abomination in disguise. The the history and magic of the serpentfolk. Treasure seekers
resultant spell battle killed the abomination and incapacitated are lured by tales of the Rod of Auglad, a unique Netherese
the lich, although his phylactery was never found. Before the lich scepter thought to have been hidden in the city by Nasana
could reawaken, his body was encased in a massively armored Melnuthquel, who was Magister from 293 DR to 297 DR, and
metal “lich’s coffi n” and shipped north for study by the senior also Auglad’s lover. Whether or not the Rod exists, Procalith’s
priests of the Skullspire in Tulmon. But the coffi n never reached ruins still contain a fair amount of treasure, as well as a large
the Myrkulyte Conclave of Doom. Instead, it passed through number of outlaws who have claimed portions of the ruins for
many hands before coming to rest in the hoard of Tostyn their own.
Alaerthmaugh, a young adult male mercury dragon lairing in Tashluta (Metropolis, 51,522): The City of Slithering Vines
the depths of Everlake, in the heart of the Evermoors. There it lies in the center of the Tashtan Coast, right in the middle of
lies to this day, still unopened. the Tashalar Basin. Built on the inner slopes of a fl ooded cal-
Today, many adventurers search for the legendary Crypt of dera that serves as the city’s harbor, Tashluta is a natural port,
Anthilar, hoping to retrieve the spellskins of Mhairshaulk it re- a wealthy mercantile city, and the capitol of the Tashalar. The
portedly contains. Few, if any, have ever returned. Some believe Stormwall, a thin, curving island, protects the harbor from the
that Anthilar can manifest as a ghost from afar, and that he storms of the Shining Sea. Stormwall Keep runs the length of
returns periodically to ensure that his lair remains inviolate. the island’s ridge, protecting the harbor against pirate raids and
House of Night’s Embrace: This fortifi ed temple-palace naval assaults. The depths of Tashluta’s harbor are unplumbed,
towers over the rest of Tashluta from its position on the west- and the fl ooded lava tubes of the ancient volcano stretch all the
ern ridge of the city’s caldera. The House of Night’s Embrace way down into the Serpent Deeps (see above).
is currently the Lady of Poison’s preeminent temple in Faerûn. Tashluta’s skyline is dominated by sprawling edifi ces along
Led by Lady Doom Thalaera Indlerith (CE female Tashlutan the ridges of the ancient caldera. To the west lies the temple of
human cleric 12 of Talona/Divine Disciple 10 of Talona), the Talona known as House of Night’s Embrace, and to the east lies
House is defended by an army of black-masked guards assisted the House of the All-Seeing Orb, a temple to Savras. Along the
by gargoyles and golems. In its secretive depths, the Priestesses southern ridgeline stand the mansions of Tashluta’s mercantile
of the Lady’s Night make poison, potions that spread disease, elite, and below these are the smaller homes of Tashluta’s middle
and antidotes to both, which they sell at high prices. and lower classes. In general, proximity to the harbor is regarded
Agents of the Night’s Embrace tour wealthy houses, noble as a mark of low status.
country seats, and royal courts throughout Faerûn, posing The capitol of the Tashalar is the common port for visitors
as purveyors of fi ne wines and perfumes. Their true calling, to the Chultan Peninsula because only here do the locals learn
however, is an open secret. Many of the priestesses employed many foreign tongues. Tashlutans enjoy playing jokes—usually
in this duty dabble in local politics (and love lives) for their involving incredibly spicy food—on foreigners. Because the
own entertainment. populace is ever fearful of encroachment by the yuan-ti, snakes
House of the All-Seeing Orb: Since Savras’s release from of any sort and most other reptiles are immediately killed.
the Scepter of Savras, this ancient edifi ce on the eastern ridge
of Tashluta’s caldera has regained the preeminence it once Regional History
held among the temples of the All-Seeing One. This sprawling
complex is administered by the Farseer (LN male Tashlutan Tashluta and the Tashalar were fi rst settled by Lapal fi eld hands
human cleric 8 of Savras/diviner 10/mystic theurge 10), argu- from Lapaliiya and Calishite merchants in the Year of Plentiful
ably the most powerful diviner in Faerûn after Zalathorm, Wine (583 DR). The Tashalar quickly grew to rival its easterly
the Wizard-King of Halruaa. Home to more than a thousand neighbor in wealth, thanks to its lucrative vineyards and olive
scholars, the temple houses the College of Divination, the Ce- groves, although both realms coexisted peacefully.
lestial Observatory, and the Library of Ultimate Truth. Many In the Year of Clutching Dusk (–375 DR), rat-laden Cal-
of the scrying devices used in Faerûn and quite a few of the ishite trading ships spread the Empire Plague throughout the
newer arcane divination spells were constructed or researched ports of the Shining Sea, wiping out more than half of the
at this temple. Tashalar’s population. Thus, when Sseth founded the Serpentes

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