Imaskar
| Imaskar |
|---|
In the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms, on the continent of Faerûn, Imaskar is a fictional empire.
Description
Imaskar was the first overpowering human empire, predating even Netheril. It was responsible for the creation of the oldest empires still in existence, the ancient empires of Mulhorand, Unther and Chessenta. They were the first astronomers and the first to give names to the planets. Their artificer-kings held tremendous power and respect, leading forays into other planes to bring back otherworldly slaves for use in building the cities of Imaskar (one such plane was Earth's). Later, Southern elves and the Shou (at least, people from Kara-Tur) helped them to improve their knowledge and expand their power, further strengthening the empire.
The empire was destroyed in -2488 DR by a cataclysmic uprising among their Mulan and Untheric slaves assisted by the incarnate gods of the slaves themselves. By this time it is suggested that the slaves in Imaskar numbered in the tens of millions. The war that followed was brief but catastrophic, and the destructive battles between the Imaskari artificer-kings and the slave's vengeful gods destroyed most of the empire, whilst the freed slaves looted and burned the once proud cities. The event led to the creation of the Raurin Desert.
Everyone thought Imaskari to be long dead, but a group led by the wizard-lord Ilphemon actually survived the cataclysm by descending into the Underdark and creating a hidden city called Deep Imaskar. The city was constructed to be magically self-sufficient and was concealed by a great magical seal. In -634 DR a cabal of necromancers overthrew the descendants of Ilphemon, ending his line of hereditary kings, and in -511 DR the necromancers were themselves overthrown by a champion named Chaschara. She established a non-hereditary system of government by three officeholders that continued to the present day.
The Deep Imaskari dabbled with expanding their territory into the elemental planes, but an invasion from the elemental plane of Air in 799 DR led them to give that up and seal the portals there. For the next five hundred years the Imaskari chose to live in isolation, but recently they have decided to break the seal on their underground city and began sending adventurous individuals to explore the outside world. The location of Deep Imaskar remains a closely held secret, however, and is magically erased from the minds of the adventurers that leave it.[1][2]
Official material
Specific prestige classes
- Imaskari Vengeance Taker (image)
References
- ↑ Cordell, Bruce R., Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel, and Jeff Quick. Underdark. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.
- ↑ "Deep Imaskari". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2006-11-12.