#imaskari

The Thayans do not possess a monopoly on demonology and evil magic. Thay was once a province of the Mulhorandi empire, which was an ancient and decadent culture that has only recently begun to reclaim some parts of its former glory. Followers of the Mulhorandi gods Set and Sebek are guilty of atrocities that would make a Red Wizard turn pale. 

The Mulhorandi themselves were once subjects of the Imaskari Empire, an extraplanar race ruled by powerful wizard-kings.

With a history so rich and dark, it is little wonder that many forgotten portals lie hidden in the deserts and mountains of Mulhrond.

One such portal is in Raurin, a region frequently called the Dust Desert. It was here that, ages ago, the Mulhorandi waged their war against their Imaskari masters. The land was permanently scarred by their conflict, and it is now nearly uninhabitable. 

Among those few who brave the perils of the Dust Desert are the worshipers of Set, who maintain a temple in the region. The secluded, inhospitable geography provides the perfect refuge for the depraved worship of their ophidian god.

Unknown to the worshippers of Set, hidden perhaps even from the yellow eyes of the serpent-god himself, a long-forgotten portal to an Outer Plane is buried beneath the sands in a nearby ruin. Occasionally, the desert winds shift and expose the worn stones of this ruin, sometimes allowing the angular top of the portal's structure to be seen in the light of day. This is only a momentary phenomenon, however, because the desert sands shift quickly, as though guided by some unseen hand, burying the ruins and all those unfortunate enough to be standing near them.

Should someone reach the portal through the constantly shifting sand, they discover that it will not open readily. The portal is keyed to allow only divine spellcasters who have chosen the Evil or Darkness domain. The spellcaster in question must cast a spell from either domain at the portal, which then absorbs the spell's power. Once activated, the portal remains active for 1 round. When active, its surface seems like a rippling sheet of darkness, giving no indication of what may await on the other side.

The Outer Plane that the portal connects to is a lonely, dry place that seems to resemble the Dust Desert -- except the sun remains at perpetual twilight, and an unforgiving cold grips the landscape. In this grey, dry land no native creatures live. Characters who pass through the portal find that they can breathe normally, but they are hard-pressed to find anything to eat or drink. Characters passing through this portal have a final, terrible surprise in store for them. The portal on the Outer Plane is malfunctioning, and the characters cannot return to their original destination. Malfunctioning portals are described in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

Human, Halruaan

During the fall of the ancient empire of Netheril, most of the land’s inhabitants fled west from the spells of the phaerimm,  settling the North. But some of Netheril’s folk, led by the archwizard Raumark, fled far to the south by means of great flying ships. Raumark’s followers settled the sheltered basin of Halruaa, intermingling with the small population of native Tashalans in the region. There they founded the wizard-ruled realm of Halruaa, determined not to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. Traces of Netherese culture are strong in Halruaa, including the Draconic alphabet once employed by speakers of Netherese and Loross. 

The Halruaan tongue is simply a modern dialect of ancient Netherese. However, worship of the Netherese pantheon has gradually evolved into the veneration of deities such as Mystra and Azuth, to a much lesser extent Savras, and, recently, Velsharoon.

Early in Halruaa’s history, a small band of dissidents who venerated Leira, goddess of illusions, migrated westward to the distant island of Nimbral. Although the two realms share a love of magic and the Halruaan tongue, interactions between the two peoples are few and far between.

The church of Leira was the state religion of Nimbral before the Time of Troubles, but the current state of religious worship in the Land of the Flying Hunt is unknown.

Human, Imaskari

The Imaskari are the legendary inhabitants of the lands now swallowed by the Raurin Desert and the Plains of the Purple Dust. Vilified by the Mulan, the artificers of Imaskar were mighty wizards who built great portals to other worlds in order to carry off thousands of slaves from distant planes. Little is known of the Imaskari, except what the Mulan chose to preserve of their ancient masters. At one point the Imaskari Empire held sway from the Endless Wastes to the Golden Water and from the Alamber Sea to the very frontiers of Kara-Tur.

Ruins of tremendous antiquity in the Plains of Purple Dust may be the remains of Imaskari cities. 

The Imaskari spoke Roushoum, a precursor of such varied tongues as Durpari, the Rauric family (Chessentan, Mulhorani, and Untheric), Raumvira, and the various Tuigan dialects. 

The Imaskari alphabet has wholly fallen out of use, and is only found inscribed on a few ancient artifacts and the walls of Imaskari ruins.

Human, Lantanna

The Lantanna inhabit the isles of Lantan, Suj, and Orlil off the northwest coast of the Chultan peninsula. Known for their large green eyes, copper hair, and parchment-colored skin, the Lantanna are rarely encountered outside their native isles except aboard merchant ships. They trade along the shores of the Trackless Sea as far north as Neverwinter, the Shining Sea as far east as Lapaliiya, and the Great Sea as far east as Halruaa. The homeland of most Lantanna is the nation of Lantan, named for the largest island it claims.

Speakers of Lantanese, the Lantanna employ the Draconic alphabet used by most cultures descended from Netheril. As the Lantanna are not believed to be in any way descended from ancient Netheril, some scholars suspect that early Halruaan or Nimbrali traders introduced this alphabet to the Lantanna. 

The state religion of Lantan is the faith of Gond, and many believe that the Lantanna introduced the Wondermaker into the Faerûnian pantheon.

Human, Maztican

Maztica is a far-off land that lies west of Faerûn, beyond even fabled Evermeet. Tethyrian explorers from Amn discovered Maztica just over a decade ago, and Maztican immigrants are now found in very small numbers in Amn, Baldur’s Gate, and Waterdeep. Faerûnians lump all inhabitants of Maztica into one group, but in truth there are seven known human ethnicities in that land: the Azuposi, the Dog People, the Green Folk, the Metahel, the Nahopaca, the Nexalans, and the Payits.

The Nexalans are the only group to have journeyed east to Faerûn, so all Faerûn-dwelling Mazticans are speakers of Nexalan, the language of the nations of Pezelac, Huacli, Kultaka, and Nexal. The Nexalan tongue is written using the Draconic alphabet. Nexalans are relatively tall, with long, lean physiques and beardless, angular faces. Nexalans are generally reddish bronze of hue.

Human, Nar

Descended from the survivors of Narfell’s cataclysmic destruction, the Nars consist of twenty or more nomadic tribes that inhabit the dry grasslands east of the Giantspire Mountains and north of the Rawlinswood. Further details of their history may be found in the descriptions of the Damarans and the Rashemi.

Nars are short and stocky, with darkly tanned skin tones and straight, raven black hair, usually worn to the shoulders. They are some of the finest horsemen in Faerûn, and famed breeders of the legendary Nar heavy horse. 

Although they once spoke Narfelli, a forgotten tongue strongly influenced by Abyssal, the Nars now speak the Damaran tongue common to lands near the Easting Reach as well as a smattering of Common.