"Into Darkness: The Birth of The Shadovar"

by Vanya Dae'ia

Due to thin planar boundaries local to the island, many of Arelith's inhabitants have heard stories about, or even encountered, the Shadovar. Their stern and often reclusive nature serves to shroud them in mystery, yet their relative proximity to The Prime Material Plane begs the question of who the Shadovar truly are. To understand their nature, one must look into their past.

Part I: The Ascent of Netheril

Stories of Netheril are many, and focused mainly around the empire's mastery of magic. Rightly so, the early history of Netheril follows a steady rise in power, beginning with the introduction of arcane knowledge by the Earlanni Elves of The High Forest. While all Netherese were taught the basics of magic, the next true boon to Netheril's power was the discovery of The Nether Scrolls, in the ruins of the fallen Sun Elf empire of Aryvandaar.

In years to come, the arcanist Ioulaum was born, and, with the help of Netheril's abundance of magical knowledge, used the spell "Proctiv's Move Mountain" to create Xinlenal, the first of Netheril's iconic floating cities. Soon to follow was the creation of many other floating cities, including Thultanthar - translated "Shade" - which would become the home of the beings we now know as Shadovar.

Part II: The Phaerimm

As the Netherese empire continued their ascent to the skies and their internal proliferation of arcane knowledge, their constant use of the weave created a magical residue which proved harmful to the Phaerimm, a race of subterranean dwelling magical beasts bent on the destruction of Faerun. In retaliation for this perceived attack, the Phaerimm used their powers to drain the life from Netheril's lands, transforming it into the desert of Anauroch. It was this destruction which led the wizard Karsus to use his masterpiece spell \"Karsus's Avatar\".

Part III: Karsus's Folly and The Transit of Thultanthar

Perhaps the most widely known and discussed event among students of Netherese history is Karsus's Folly, in which Karsus used his Avatar spell to steal the power of Mystryl in the hopes of using it to destroy the Phaerimm. The ensuing conflict between Karsus and Mystryl caused a disruption in The Weave which deprived the floating cities of their power and sent them crashing to the ground. Shortly before Karsus's attempt, Lord Shadow, High Mage of Thultanthar and former student of Karsus, shifted his city into The Plane of Shadow, protecting it from the destruction. Weeks later, Shadow returned Thultanthar to The Prime Material Plane, and, with no knowledge of Karsus's attempt, assumed that the cities were brought down by the Phaerimm. It was at this point that Shadow began to plot his revenge on the Phaerimm, but, knowing that a single city was no match for their combined power, retreated to The Plane of Shadow and vowed to one day return and rebuild the Netherese empire.

Part IV: The Birth of The Shadovar

Under the leadership of Telamont Tanthul the Most High, Thultanthar has remained in The Plane of Shadow for more than a millenium. Over the years, each new generation of its inhabitants became more attuned to the plane, gradually becoming shades, themselves. While Netheril's essence has been preserved in one of its last cities, the effects of constant war and the influence of the plane itself have created, and arguably necessitated, a culture of slavery and brutal justice.

Circumstance surrounding these Netherese, turned Shadovar, has created a race of victims, refugees, and yet fortunate survivors of the greatest calamity of their age. Distrusted for their secrecy, and often viewed as malefactors for their perceived moral ambiguity, the Shadovar are generally avoided by natives of The Prime during travels through The Plane of Shadow.

Whether the Shadovar will succeed in returning to The Prime and reclaiming their lost empire is unknown. In the meantime, their tragic history remains a testament to the dangers of hubris when paired with the power of The Weave.