#shadovar

[unforgettable-realms]

Meet the Tanthuls - one very goth shadovar family from the fallen Netherese city of Thultanthar

[boredguitarfish]

Imagine simping on the Shadovar magic… but gosh with the way act 2 of Baldur’s Gate presenting the influence of the shadow weave just keeps me imagining the glory that could have been the city of shades, as grim as what it might be. Sometimes I just can’t stop myself from hating on Elminster for destroying Thultanthar, the last flying enclave of Netherease, returned after thousands years of banishment…so much could have been learned….

[princefleabitten]

I think it was part of a strategy to get Drizzt to talk. Quick wanted to see if Drizzt is the Chosen of Lolth so they talked a lot about religion. Since Drizzt doesn’t think/ want to be anyone’s chosen (and doesn’t really believe in the existence of gods that way) it wasn’t really fruitful. Quick wanted to collect chosen to gain more inside of the gods and The sundering.

(I think it was just the introduction for the later plots)

Very random Drizzt question. You have read The Last Threshold (I adore those comics you draw for the books, btw). The wikipedia plot synopsis (forgive me, I am FAR behind and have a short attention span, I need to cheat to get the lore) describes Drizzt's time in Quick's manor as a "guest/prisoner." I am curious how accurate that is. Was he a "guest" in the same way Johnathan Harker was Dracula's guest? Did he actually have a semi-nice time aside from having to see his friends' petrified bodies every day? Was he like, free-range during the day and then ushered into a cage at nighttime?

Drizzt time in Quicks mansion was wild (I swear like genre change wild. But I liked it, it was interesting, I was just like woah what’s happening🫠)

Effron and Drizzt were separated from the group during a fight in the mansion. At first he was held for a while in a small magical prison together with effron (they bonded there and talked about her life stories) They didn’t get food and they didn’t have guards or something so they didn’t know what would happen. Then Drizzt was kept in a dungeon chained to a wall for months. Here he was fed spoiled food and Quick beat him. He could hear them torturing Effron from the other room. Then after months Quick bid Drizzt to a private quarter where he can live from now on with is warm and comfortable and has good food.

The deal here was that Drizzt didn’t know that Entreri, Dahlia and Afa were petrified but he knew that Effron was tortured if he didn’t obey. That’s why he couldn’t do anything. In this time Drizzt pondered about that he now kinda likes Quick and described his Stockholm syndrome in his diary text. So the range was from the most terrible time to an ok-ish time.

I think it was kinda reversed Johnathan Harker when I think about it 😂 the creepy I’m kept in a strangers house part is at the end of his stay

(Thank you for liking my sketches btw💕)

[eliteseven]

Did Serena ever tell Shadowheart that she'd fought Sharrans before? I could see her not wanting to bring it up to avoid causing intra-party drama but I could also see it slipping out because she's a bad liar so Shadowheart might catch on that her opinions of Shar are based on personal experience. Also what were her experiences going up against the Netherese? Ooooh, is this actually why she cut Shadowheart so much slack? She knew instantly that this girl was NOT at all a normal Sharran? Aaaaaaaagh I have so many questions now lol.

Well, I admittedly only learned about the Sharrans and Thultanthar later, when I was trying to expand the depth of Serena’s backstory. Apparently, the Harpers and Cormyr took issue with Shadovar presence for some time! So I think it would be fair to assume that killing Netherese/Sharrans was Serena’s bread and butter, while serving in Cormyr’s military.

Let me begin with a disclaimer that I am humbly still learning!! So if I get something wrong, please do let me know and I’ll try to adjust Serena’s life accordingly! 😊

In my eyes, it solidifies Serena’s outlook on Shar and better explains why she resents it so. She’s lost friends and comrades to Shar’s evil long before she ever met Shadowheart.

Serena wasn’t ever really meant to survive. Joining the military was her only choice; her mother’s house no longer had any influence or power. (Her mother was NOT keen on sending her baby girl to war!)

And Cormyr was recruiting just about anyone to help, swamped as they were on two fronts, right? So it backs my idea that she was meant to be cannon-fodder. It would take her years of survival to reach the rank of a purple dragon knight. But she had time. And Althaea, to keep her from dying 🥹

I read that war wizards were a massive force (in strength, not numbers) in Cormyr’s military and worked closely with the purple dragons. So closely, that officers and knights were often given rings that could summon the war wizards at any given time to face any magical threats (assuming there are plenty of those, when Netheril strikes). So it could be a fair assumption to say Serena was paired with a war wizard, and while she provided physical protection, they were the magical forces. It gives Serena experience in battle leadership, and a deeper understanding of mages, and a healthy respect for magic.

I think, by the time she meets Shadowheart, she’s seen her fair share of Sharrans. Killed so many, watched her allies get killed by them in turn…. And here is Shadowheart. The worst Sharran ever™️ Serena is determined to dislike her, but she’s sweet to animals, she heals wounds, she’s got a cute laugh- rare as it is-, she’s fucking gorgeous and Serena doesn’t know what to make of her. She is the worst Sharran ever, and Tav can’t stop thinking about her. Poor girl is in love.

Shadowheart often mocks Serena’s chivalry and sense of nobility early on in their relationship. It’s much richer when we look at it through the lens of Shadowheart realizing the woman before her is a purple dragon knight, decorated for her efficient and effective eradication of Sharran presence in Cormyr.

It would also make visiting that Sharran temple traumatizing for Serena, I think. So many reminders of war….of bloodshed….

The first time she writes Althaea about being fond of a Sharran, Althaea probably spits whatever she’s drinking onto the letter in shock 💀

[maestrojax]

My personal favorite jarlaxle moment.

Jarlaxle was already grinning, seeing the door sentries edging over to the curious pit, unable to resist the urge to peek in. The mercenary tossed the cube toward the door where Draygo Quick had exited, and turned back to the guards on the balcony.

“ ‘With abacus, by architect, by carpenter, and mason,’ ” he recited, sweeping his arm out with dramatic flourish, and at the same time tapping his House insignia to enact a spell of levitation and lift himself conveniently and prudently from the castle floor, he reiterated and elaborated his song:

With all the tools and knowledge of structural design,For shelter most beloved, for love of hearth and home To build your private castle, to whom would you consign?”

Act now, you peacock! Kimmuriel screamed in his thoughts, which only made Jarlaxle smile all the wider.

“Might I suggest that all the tools the mundane numbers and physical rules tor the truly brilliant must remain no more than province of common fools.”

“A castle, and warmth, a true abode, For when one truly seeks a home, The wise call upon the greater souls Who wile their days with a nose in a tome.”

"What foolishness is this?” the guard on the stairs demanded.

“Foolishness?” Jarlaxle echoed as if wounded. “My friend, this is no such thing.” A yelp from behind him told Jarlaxle that the door guards had reached the edge of his pit and had glanced in.

“Nay, this … this is Caer Gromph!”

Caer Gromph, the last two words of the incantation, rang with a different resonance than the playful mercenary’s chanting verse, for they spoke not to the audience, but to the magical cube Jarlaxle had tossed. Upon absorbing those command words, spoken in that manner, the magic of the cube awakened. The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, though of course the floating Jarlaxle remained unperturbed above it, and Castle Draygo began to shake as Caer Gromph’s roots reached into the floor, as the cube transformed into an adamantine tower, designed to resemble the stalagmite towers of the drow Houses of Menzoberranzan.

Up it rose, and widened, crushing and splintering the floor and substructure of Castle Draygo with its roots, blowing out the wall and prodding up under the balcony as its unyielding walls stretched, its adamantine tip piercing the ceiling of the grand room nearly thirty feet above the floor. The Shadovar guards lurched and tumbled under the thunder of the magical creation. One of the pair peeked over the lip of the portable hole and tumbled in, and the other soon followed as a yochlol-like tentacle reached up and aided him in his descent, accompanied by a shriek from the guard and a hearty “bwahaha” from the supposed handmaiden.

A thing of beauty was Caer Gromph. Lined with balconies and a circular stair running its length, top-to-bottom, and edged in faerie fire accents of purple, red, and blue, it seemed as much a work of abstract art as a fortress. But a fortress it was, complete with lines of arrow slits and a magical gate inside, and the moment the construct expanded, Bregan D’aerthe archers poured through the magical portal inside and to their protected posts. Before the many Shadovar had even pinpointed the source of the earthquake, crossbow quarrels flew forth from those arrow slits, coated with that insidious drow poison.

Imagine you are just in your castle with a kidnapped drizzt and artemis and suddenly jarlaxle summons a fucking tower in the middle of it full of bregan d'aerthe soldiers.

[criticalglitch]

He Who Was spoilers below!! (act 2)

So I am old hat. I didnt know 4th and 5th edition meta, coming from AD&D. When I ran into this Weird Elf *tm i had to do a few wiki walks to figure out what his deal was - his race was listed as "Shadar-Kai" in the examine portal and that sounded Suspiciously like "Shadovar" to me, and his placement near the shadowcursed lands led me to believe he must have had something to do with the shadowfell, similarly to the shadow-torn netherese.

So i read about the Raven Queen and her immortal elf servants, the Shadar-Kai, and I came to some interesting conclusions.

He leaves behind a piece of correspondence from a supposed Weird Elf Coworker, that begs him to return, implying he deserted from some service. Due to his perverse interest in Madeline's justice after death, it seems like this elf may have absconded from the Raven Queen's indenture and went rogue. Perhaps thats why he is He Who Was - his soul is lost to him, trapped in the raven queen's clutches, so he is no more.

Still, to do a job abandonment to a minor deity -

To go be a necromancer pervert??? which is some hot girl shit honestly.

9.5/10.

[defira85]

1 and 9 for the durgetash asks >:3c

Ask meme here! Ty lovely!

Who realised first that this strictly business relationship stopped being so strict and solely about business?

It was Enver. Kass was so deeply in denial about everything, because she needed to be the perfect daughter and she needed to be the most clever Bhaalspawn that ever was and she needed to be the one responsible for saving and resurrecting her father so that she would be loved by him and feel right about herself for once, that she essentially just stuck her fingers in her ears and hummed to ignore her feelings until it was too late. Sex was fine, but feelings? Feelings distract from father's glorious plan, can't have that. Friendship? Disgusting, illegal. Love? Never say that word again, ever.

(and then Daddy Dearest came back and she was far too terrified to say it)

9. The Steelwatch Foundry. Did they ever visit it together, what was it like? How many people died afterwards and how many of them were Banites?

I was going to say that by the time the Steelwatch Foundry got built, Kass was a lot more subdued and beaten down by years of fighting Bhaal, so there wasn't as much bloodshed, but... he also took control of her a lot more frequently, so there was probably at least a teensy bit of bloodshed. There was also that time in Flymm's Cargo when Enver was hosting a contingent of Shadovar agents and he let the Slayer run rampant. Lost a fair few Banites that night.

[alpydk]

Cabinet of Oddities (Part 27)

I cried writing the end of this chapter.

Summary: “You thought you could just take my place, while I was gone, dear sister?” Thomas descended the steps of the Bhaal temple, the footprints of blood left in his wake. The worshipper at the door had doubted who he was until they found the dagger stuck between their eyes. Orin would be no different.

Ao3 Link

Nana felt her body transform as she walked the back alleys of Baldur’s Gate, her red hair growing short, her soft jaw becoming sharp, and her green eyes turning grey and cold. Thomas, where are we going? The day was slowly turning to night and the inhabitants of the city had taken to the streets, revelling in the nighttime entertainment. She felt the weight of the metal cover being lifted and pushed aside by the soldier's arms she had not used in years, the stench of the sewers hitting her nostrils. Thomas, please, talk to me.

We’re going to reclaim my birthright.

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Astarion had seen Nana leave camp earlier in the day before he lectured Karlach on letting her go. Now he had somehow found himself in the reluctant position of leading everyone as they walked into the city at speed hoping not to lose track of her. 

Karlach followed quickly behind him. “I know you said she was stabby, but you really think she’d hurt someone?”

“She wouldn’t, but Thomas is a psychopath. It’s him I worry about.” He looked around trying to spot any sign of Nana. “There’s a very good chance that he gets to Orin and Gale and just outright kills them both for the fun of it.”

“So, we’re looking for two people now who can change themselves into anyone they want?” Her shoulders dropped in defeat.

Shadowheart was fast to step in. “Nana has only really ever used the one form with us, the human one, then there is her changeling form which I doubt she will use in public. Do we know of any others?”

The group looked amongst themselves. 

“You said she’d been you too, didn’t you?” Wyll pointed out to Astarion.

Astarion was trying to listen to them, but something kept catching his attention, a feeling like he was being watched. He turned slowly, quickly glancing at the open doorways of the taverns and streets around them. Dark red eyes beckoned him from an alley. Leon. 

“Astarion? Are you even-”

Astarion walked away from the group towards the vampire spawn who stood under the shadowed archway. “I don’t have time for you.”

“I know, but you’re looking for your friend, yes? The one who hurt Cazador?” Leon said, his voice quiet.

“What did you say?”

“The changeling. I saw her the other day turn into you. I met her in the palace before Cazador…” He still couldn’t believe the idea that their master was dead. “I knew it couldn’t be you.” 

Astarion’s lip curled at Leon’s doubt before he refocused on what mattered. “Where is she?”

“She’s in the sewers towards the north. The ruins,” he replied.

“And you saw her? You know it’s her for sure?” Astarion was desperate now, they couldn’t waste time investigating the area without anything concrete.

“She wasn’t her, but the man I saw, he had the same eyes. The ones I saw after you… after she stabbed Cazador…”

“Hey, mate. You found something?” Karlach’s voice came out behind him. He’d have to put some trust in Leon’s words.

“She’s in the sewers.”

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1486

Shadovar. Your arcane arts are nothing with an axe embedded into your skull. I savour the way your scalp is slick with blood, and it runs down mixing with the black markings under your lifeless eyes. I am blessed with this gift, and I will savour each blissful moment of butchery where I can. 

Blade, First Sword, Lionar. I’ve worked my way up, the moments of glory just another step to power. Each death is as satisfying as the last. Seeing the battlefields run red with the blood of these worthless beings. Ally or enemy. It doesn't matter who falls, the moment the light leaves their eyes gives me the same pleasure. To hear their screams as the sword plunges into their gut, the copper taste of the blood, the rattle of their lungs as their offered soul is taken by you. 

All in your name.

Bhaal.

Present Day

“You thought you could just take my place, while I was gone, dear sister?” Thomas descended the steps of the Bhaal temple, the footprints of blood left in his wake. The worshipper at the door had doubted who he was until they found the dagger stuck between their eyes. Orin would be no different.

She knelt on the stone altar, Gale whispering weak ramblings beneath her. She ran the blade lightly across his face, small beads of blood appearing on the skin. Nana shouted from within, she needed control, needed to get him out of here. Thomas shunned her aside with ease. She was merely a passenger now and it would not be long before he would be in full control as he used to be.

Orin looked up as he approached. “Is that you? The white knight himself.”

He scowled at the pet name, one he had heard too many times from Nana. Those days were gone.

“I expected you’d come as the dancer, or was it the baker? Or even under the guise of your little mistress.” she continued, her voice rising. “But no, it seems she has let you off your leash for once, just as I’m about to do what you never could.” 

He grew closer to the altar, his voice calm and steady. He was watching her movements, calculating the quickest methods to debilitate her, the most enjoyable ways to bleed her out. “Step down from there and I’ll show you exactly what I can do.”

Orin stood taking delicate steps over Gale’s body. Nana could see the way he turned his head slightly as Orin moved, a semi-conscious daze keeping him from fighting back. Gale… Don’t die, please don’t die. Orin lightly hopped from the altar and began to circle Thomas. Her form changed to his, the soldier with the grey eyes. “To believe you thought you could come here and kill me. Do you not realise it is your destiny to die here? For these walls to be stained with your blood.” She stepped closer to him, and his fingers hovered over the hilt of his knife. Her body was now the same as his, but she lacked the intimidation he carried; she lacked the same cold dead eyes of decades of unbridled slaughter.

She grew closer and his eyes narrowed, waiting for the right moment to strike. 

“You come here in the skin of that creature. A weak copy. Just a host, a parasite” She giggled at him, morphing back to her natural form. “Just like the little worm that devours her from within. Rotten to the core.” She cackled, her head lifting ever so slightly.

Thomas took the opportunity to thrust the blade forward, her neck bare and her arrogance making her an easy target. She was quick to react though, stepping back and whipping out her daggers. “The white knight bares his fangs,” she said, a vicious grin emerging. “Let's see if your mistress will let you bite.” 

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Astarion descended the steps at speed as he saw the two fighting. He used their diverted attention as a chance to get close to Gale, for once glad of the hefty supply of lockpicks he’d found on their adventure. He got through the lock with ease pulling the chains from Gale’s wrists and gave him a quick slap on the cheek trying to bring him around. “Hey, this is no time to sleep.”

Gale slowly came to his senses and Astarion saw the way his eyes focussed on him, the brief look of confusion and then acknowledgement that he was still alive. “Astarion?”

Astarion placed an arm under him to lift him. “Yeah, come on. Time to get moving.”

The sounds of the daggers clashing echoed around them as he hauled Gale’s weakened body next to him and began to pull him towards the steps. Karlach ran over grabbing Gale and taking the brunt of his weight in her arms. I hope you’re in there somewhere, Nana. 

----------------------------------------

They’re here. He’s safe. Get him out of here. Please don’t let him die here. Nana’s body moved quickly and with deadly precision. Fighting for control now would prove lethal to her and yet she found herself drawing Thomas’s attention away to Gale. Idiot creature, you’ll get us both killed!

The dagger blade sliced his arm, but Thomas did not react, thrusting forward with an attack to Orin’s midsection. Another attack to his neck missed by a small margin causing him to take a step back to reevaluate the situation. He could feel the sweat on his brow and the adrenaline coursing through his veins as each movement was taken. There. His eyes focussed on the minute overextension of Orin’s leg as she leapt forward towards him, her dagger poised at the ready.

Thomas let Orin get close to him, her body twisting under his arm. He took the opportunity to exploit her weakness. She came in closer than she estimated, his blade piercing the flesh under her breast. A turn of the blade as she fell into him. He looked down into her eyes, watching the light fade, a twisted smirk growing on his face at the knowledge of his victory. Your blood for him, dear sister.

And then a cough. His blood, Nana’s blood choked and spat through his clenched jaw. He pushed the body of Orin away and looked down. Her own dagger deeply planted in his side. He stumbled back, tearing it out. “That fucking…” He could feel his strength fading quickly as he fell forward, his mind wavering. He could see the kills in front of him, the young boy, the girl with dough under the nails, the woman with the red curls, each of them pulling at his soul, his blood dripping to the floor of the temple. Nothing but another offering to Bhaal.

------------------------------------------------

Gale saw Nana transform and fall to the ground, forcing himself on unsteady legs to run towards her grabbing her into his arms. He looked down at her clothes, seeing that the fabric had turned a deep scarlet and yelled to Shadowheart for assistance. “She needs potions, healing. Do something!” He couldn’t control the panic in his voice as he heard Nana’s breaths become slower and more strained. He put pressure on the wound, but it made little difference, his hands growing slick with the flow of her blood. 

Shadowheart whispered the spells, a quiet glow appearing over Nana’s body before fading out again into the darkness. “It’s not working.” She stared at Gale, a look of worry in her eyes. 

“A potion then! Try a bloody potion!” he shouted as he held Nana close. “Come on, stay with us,” he whispered to her, hoping that words alone would give her strength.

Karlach rooted through her pack trying to find her flasks, quickly glancing to the others as she realised, she had none. Wyll shook his head at her, confirming there was nothing any of them could do. Astarion stood frozen, watching the scene, hearing Nana’s heartbeat grow quieter in his ears.

Nana grew weaker and her eyes began to unfocus. Gale grabbed her hand, squeezing it, hoping that there was something, anything, he could do to keep her with them. He went over so many solutions in his mind, spells, potions, Mystra but nothing was sticking. “Nana, my love. We’re going to get you to a safer location. We’re going to…” She turned away from him as if watching something else in the distance. “No, no. You need to focus on me, you need to stay with me.” He turned her face towards him, the blood of his fingertips printing on her cheek. “Nana don’t die. Please, don’t die.”

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Nana found herself in control, her changeling body lying in the arms of Gale next to the Bhaal altar. She struggled to keep her gaze on him, trying to look into the brown eyes she had dreamt about so many times before. Why is he so sad? His lips moved but she could not hear the words he uttered to her. Inside she felt a deep sense of peace, her mind truly her own for the first time in five years and as she looked away from Gale, she saw the figure of Thomas in the distance, the Thomas she had known and loved in the swamp waiting for her, his hand held out inviting her to join him. 

There was no fear, no sadness as she lay dying in Gale’s arms. All that existed was confusion over how this was her end. But I was going to go to Waterdeep…

[lunoceros]

DnD commission Darya, the water genasi  Basil, the donkey Haiallar, the aarakocra bard Step-Step, the kenku Omrir, the shadovar

[enchantinglyjade]

𝔄 𝔉𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔫 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪

A Memories of Destiny Prequel

Notes: This short story is completely optional to read. This is to give insight on Eirla’s background and family, but all of the content below is explained throughout Memories of Destiny. If you like to discover a character’s secrets as you go/alongside the character then I recommend skipping this short story and going straight into the prologue, but if you want everything laid out for you before reading, then go ahead and continue forward.

-

This tale begins many years ago, triggered by the doings of Lord Shadow, also named Telamont Tanthul, a Netherese archwizard and ruler. Telamont was an experimental student, learning under the wing of the esteemed archwizard and momentary God, Karsus. He dedicated himself to interplanar study, particularly drawn to the Plane of Shadow. He was considered taboo during his time, even for his fellow Netherese, and was exiled from Netheril.

 Luckily, Karsus was kind enough to offer him a sanctuary to continue his studies. For his generosity, Telamont started on a gift that he would offer to Karsus once his efforts to travel to the Shadowfell proved successful. Telamont would create an amulet to store strands of the Shadow Weave, something he had already learned to manipulate on his own, but decided he wanted to gift to Karsus should he ever find use of it.

However, during the amulet’s development, Telamont would misplace the item while experimenting with demiplane travel and the amulet would be lost for centuries.

After escaping an assassination attempt, Telamont would then transport the Netherese enclave of Thultanthar to the Plane of Shadow just mere days before Karsus would cast his devastating spell and send Netheril to its ruin. Through Telamont’s doing, he had unintentionally saved his people from extinction, but only a handful. He then became the High Prince of Thultanthar and would assist in preserving the last of Netheril, preparing for when he would return to Faerûn and resurrect the fallen empire.

Until then, life in the Shadow Plane was dark and intense. The people who inhabited this remaining enclave came to be known as the Shadovar, growing into the shadows of the plane and able to resist the effects of the shadow curse. Some of which even transformed into Shades, a ruthless shadow known to have given up its soul for power and immortality.

Just before the change, Thultanthar housed a handful of elf slaves from Cormanthyr, who also grew adept to the shadows like their human peers. The Raevel family was amongst these enslaved elves. Over time, they would eventually gain their independence, but would live within the lowest social class of the enclave and were unusually inept with magic unlike their Netherese counterparts. That is until late 1300 DR, the Raevel family produced a daughter, Aladara Raevel, who showed much promise and dedicated her youth to arcane study and worship to Shar, in hope to master the Shadow Weave and rise above her born social class. Her studies would prove her well, rising as a powerful arcanist and gaining her the title ‘The White Shadow Mage’ due to her bright white Elven hair. She would even earn the attention of the High Prince himself.

Telamont would gather Aladara within a group of eager arcanists and send them out on missions to prove themselves worthy of being an agent of his. However, as time went on, Telamont’s body would weaken; life as a Shade demanded much from him and the collapse of the Shadow Weave would not make things easier for him. Telamont began to wonder if his gift to Karsus was still intact somewhere on Faerûn, holding any remaining bits of Shadow Weave he could use to his benefit. So, Telamont would send out this enthusiastic group of mages to retrieve the amulet for him with the promise of granting them the transformation to a shade should they return successful.

For a Shadovar, becoming a Shade was the highest appraisal one could receive, only the High Prince’s best were given such an honor. The people of the enclave were led to believe that becoming a Shade should be their utmost goal, and those that succeeded in the transformation were to be feared from the sheer power they had.

Aladara set out with high hopes, determined to prove herself to her ruler, however fights broke out immediately within her company, each mage equally as determined to achieve the same goal. So, Aladara took it upon herself to venture alone. 

During her exploration, Aladara would eventually come across the warm and beautiful Neverwinter, a Northern city she had felt oddly drawn to. She disguised herself and searched the city. After spending a lifetime as a low class citizen in the Shadowfell, Aladara felt taken aback by the city’s rich colors, bright sunshine, culture, and friendliness. Honestly, she was offended by it at first, but slowly she began to fall inspired.

After spending only mere days in the city, she began having second thoughts about returning home and more so about losing her soul to the shade transformation, something she had once aspired to do, but still her work persisted. She continued to hunt through the city, however her unusual looks and sneaky behavior quickly caught the attention of the notorious King.

Now, the King of Neverwinter had a rather unusual background than those before him. Bann Alagondar, while raised within Castle Never and amongst riches and gold, was not the ordinary, spoiled noble you might think. 

While a beautiful city, Neverwinter had endured its fair share of dark nights and unfortunate events. During the first king’s ruling, Nasher Alagondar, the magical disease known as The Wailing Death had knocked the city to its knees, leaving most of the city’s inhabitants dead within a tenday of its first reported case. The disease weakened the city enough to leave it vulnerable for Netherese infiltration where they would attempt to assassinate the King, but they would fortunately end in failure. Hardly ten years after, the city would undergo yet another disease known as the Spellplague, caused by the murder of Mystra. This would also take Nasher's life, leaving his son, Bann, to take the crown.

Bann was never the beloved, outgoing, and affable ruler his father was. Bann hardly looked forward to the day that he would sit on the throne, especially when forced upon him in such a manner, but even so, he took his role very seriously.

After witnessing the many horrors his father faced, Bann decided to rule his people from the shadows. Many hardly even knew what their king looked like. One might have guessed that the king was lazy or careless, but he was far from either. Bann possessed no arcane gifts, but felt that he and his father had failed to protect their people from magic, and that Mystra herself had as well, constantly leaving their people weakened to powerful magical attacks. After watching the weave collapse before his eyes, a plague that nearly wiped his people clean off of Toril, and a group of powerful, ancient beings attempt to assassinate his family, Bann began to look for alternative forms of protection.

Bann had no doubts that the Netherese would one day return to Neverwinter, and he was determined to be prepared this time. He began to study Netherese magic, as well as infamous Shadow Magic. He would even take risky adventures into The Chasm of Neverwinter to study the Plaguechanged Underdark residing just below the city, where he would acquire a spellscar on his leg, but also discover a particular amulet that seemed to be rusting at the bottom of the chasm’s lake. His goal was to find a meaning behind the curse and a way to use it to his advantage instead of fearing it like most.

Bann brought the amulet back to the surface, cautious of it, but finding it ultimately useless or broken. He would notice his spellscar begin to activate and react when near it, but the mark would not grant him any notable powers. Due to this, he secretly worked closely with the Order of the Blue Flame, to research and help those affected by the spellplague. It’s there that one of the members would alert the king of a suspicious new character that had been seen roaming the streets of Neverwinter.

He ordered his guards to find this woman, and when she was brought to the castle, Bann interrogated her. He learned that she was a Shadovar working with a Netherese ruler to find a lost artifact. Normally, Bann had many objections towards the Netherese, but he saw this as an opportunity rather. He decided to make a deal with her that he would help her find what she was looking for, but only if she provided insight on what the Netherese wanted with Faerûn and, once finished, never returned to Neverwinter again.

Unfortunately, Aladara had little to give on her own ruler's plans due to his secretive and deceitful nature, but she reluctantly offered her help regardless. The two began to hesitantly work together, but slowly they grew used to the other’s company. As she helped his research, she began to discover all of the secrets her rulers had hidden from their people and the powers they had kept for themselves, which only helped further her unease towards returning home and grow her trust in Bann instead.

As Bann assisted with her mission, they would eventually discover that he had accidentally found the amulet in The Chasm before she had even come to the city. Aladara finally felt that her mission was over and that she was to return back home to assimilate with her destiny. However, upon examining the amulet, she finds it filled with magic of all sorts. The amulet held its original Shadow Magic, as Telamont designed it to do, but while in The Chasm it had now been plaguechanged, making it even more potent and unpredictable than ever. She quickly decided it as dangerous in her ruler’s hands, so when the time came, she knew she couldn’t return and that she had to hide the amulet from the Netherese instead.

At this point, Bann had grown oddly attached to her and offered her residence in the castle. The two hid the amulet, all while seeking to understand the artifact's uses. Bann was exceptionally intrigued by Aladra's past and her knowledge of the Shadow Weave and would hint at the possibilities both she and the amulet could provide them with should the Netherese ever return. However, these plans would be put to halt for a time being when the two found themselves expecting their first child together.

The birth of Princess Eirlanna Alagondar was a secretive one, as was the King and Queen’s marriage, only a select few of the court members knowing of the families existence at all. But despite living in the shadows, the child was given an enriched youth. Both of her parents pushed the importance of education onto her, leaving her rather intelligent at such a young age. They would also teach her much about history and magic, though Eirlanna could not cast spells herself. Still, this left her with an insatiable curiosity and an adventurous spirit.

However, the kingdom would soon come to face its most catastrophic challenge yet.

The Netherese had done their research on Faerûn and discovered that one of its lost enclaves may reside somewhere in the northern area of the Sword Coast. A group of Shadovar warriors would come knocking on Neverwinter's door, only to find Aladara and her broken promise.

They raided the castle, looking for the amulet, but to no avail. Their leader, Herzgo Alegni, took the throne and locked the King and his daughter in the dungeons, where he would then torture the location of the amulet out of Aladara. 

Aladara was stubborn, not wanting Tanthul to get his hands on such a powerful artifact to help him succeed in rebuilding the empire, so she endured the torture for weeks and weeks before she finally cracked, only for the sake of her family’s safety. As Herzgo took the amulet, Aladara would be freed for a matter of seconds before she felt the castle start to shake and crumble.

The streets littered with ash and fallen bodies as Mount Hotenow began to erupt, filling the alleyways with molten rock like a bustling river. The young girl and her father managed to break free of their dungeon jail, but just before the very last door, a boulder of rubble came crashing towards the ground. The King thrust his daughter towards safety, but at the price of letting himself be crushed by the broken piece of castle.

Horrified, Eirlanna ran to the Throne Room to find her mother. Aladara swung an attack towards Herzgo, causing him to drop the powerful jewelry. After hearing brief stories about the artifact, Eirlanna knew that the item was very important to her mother, so she sprinted to snatch it from the enemies. Herzgo’s attention was immediately brought to the approaching girl. Her small hand reached foward, but just as the tips of her fingers made contact with the amulet’s chain, he raised his sword in the air. She barely missed his deadly swing, but instead his sword stuck against the amulet, smashing it's jewel into pieces.

As the gem cracked, centuries of raw, plaguechanged shadow magic bursted out into the air, causing an energetic explosion that killed anyone close. The magic consumed Eirlanna, painfully changing the very structure of her young DNA. The burst had torn through the backside of her forearm, leaving a deep blue scar that ran the length of her arm and hand. When the magic had cleared and she finally looked up, she found her mother dead beside her, the only living being in a mile radius being Herzgo with his sword still wedged in the gold of the amulet. Completely in a daze from the blast, Herzgo didn’t notice when the girl quickly limped past him, but would run after her before she escaped the city with the artifact.

Just at the outskirts of the city, Eirlanna would find a woman named Eula with silvered skin and pink eyes. She almost reminded Eirlanna of her mother, aside from her dark hair and much more expressive features. The woman protected her from Herzgo, and brought Eirlanna in as her own.

Unbeknownst to the child, Eula had known of Eirlanna's mother quite well. She too was of Thultanthar, but unlike Aladara, Eula was an Archmage and a master of the shadow weave. The High Prince granted her with her biggest wish of becoming a Shade, but as the ritual was taking place, the goddess of magic fell to her death, ripping all of the shadow magic from Eula’s body and leaving her with half a soul. Now a useless wizard, Eula became a thief to survive, searching for any opportunity to get back the best of her magic.

Eula immediately recognized the artifact and attempted to remove the amulet from the child’s neck in her sleep, only to find that the artifact had bound itself to her and all of its magic had been absorbed into her small form. Eula nearly abandoned the child until the young one seeked her comfort after a nightmare. It is then that the Shadovar realized just how much she can shape Eirlanna into exactly what she needed.

The two set out for Waterdeep, where Eula opened a humble potion shop named ‘The Dripping Thorn,’ and where Eirlanna would begin her training. Here, the child would take on the name Eirla Raevel, abandoning her royal birth name in order to keep hidden. However, their time here would be short lived in the City of Spelndors when a local guard spots Eirla stealing, but as he catches her arm he finds himself appalled by the sight of her spellscar. He seeks to banish them, but the two manage to escape just before being quarantined and make their way to Baldur’s Gate.

Due to Eula’s background, she is particularly sensitive to sunlight which made her seek out an effective hideout when arriving in the city, hence her discovery of The Undercellar. This would also help keep Eirla’s spellscar a secret until they discovered what activates it. Eula quickly manipulated a friendship with the owner of the Blushing Mermaid and continued doing this until coming to own the entire Undercellar tavern.

Eirla would continue to steal, but Eula would eventually run into a dilemma. When away from her tavern duties, Eula spent her time tinkering and researching Eirla’s amulet. Hungry for the return of her old shadow magic, she committed herself to discovering a way to take the magic for herself. However, because of her drainage of powers, she would have to seek the help of magical items, not easy and not cheap. She’d hire skilled rogues to search for her, but money ran rapidly short. So, when Eirla was older, her ‘mother’s’ attention shifted to the festhall within the Undercellar.

Eirla began her education on how to use her words and body to seduce until she was ready to become a full courtesan, unknowingly raising the money towards her own demise.

Knowing little else, Eirla grew used to these dynamics, but as years went on, it proved more and more difficult for her to forget about her ties to the throne. Still, she tried her best to forget her past, until one day her scar began to glow. Innately, she casts four small black orbs that danced across her bedroom floor. Naturally, she tells the news to Eula, hoping she would have insight of her own. However, the Shadovar felt threatened by this and felt no choice but to use her tactics to keep Eirla under her control. She convinced the girl that Neverwinter had been permanently destroyed, leaving no one and no throne to go back to. She told her that she alone was the reason her parents had died and that, had she not intervened, she may still have them today.

This discouraged Eirla for a long while, but it did not stop her magical powers from manifesting well beyond her constraint.

[adndmonsteraday]

Asabis, also known as laerti, were reptilian humanoids that dwelt in the desert.

Asabi was the Bedine word for this creature and meant "eater-of-parents." The Bedine also called them "The Evil Ones Below." In the Common tongue, they were called "laerti," which had its origins in Netheril, "Laerti" was the term they called themselves.

Asabis stood about 7 ft (2.1 m) tall on two legs. They had long tails. Their skin was thick and their scales were gray to brown color, and they had light green or dun undersides. They had narrow, sloping skulls. Their eyes were very large, egg-shaped, and yellow, and they had forked tongues. Their limbs projected out at sharp angles, making their movements awkward to typical humanoid observers; however, they could move as easily on four limbs as two, balancing with their long tails.

It was very difficult to tell a male and female asabi apart.

Asabis liked to hide themselves in the sand and jump out at their targets. They were quite skilled at jumping, and could jump 15​ to ​20 feet (4.6​ to ​6.1 meters). Typical asabi fighters carried scimitars and light crossbows. They never wore armor heavier than leather.

Free asabis dwelt in nomadic tribes and often allied themselves with evil creatures, sometimes adopting nonasabi into their tribes. They often served as mercenaries or slaves. They were nocturnal creatures, and as such were typically only ever encountered at night. Their body temperatures were not suited to the hot sun. If they stayed on the surface during the day, they had to bury themselves into the sand or hide in the rock crevices.

Free asabi tribes were ruled by either a war leader or a council of elders.

There were two different subraces of asabi: standard asabi and stingtail asabi, a larger and less intelligent variety. The two subraces were capable of interbreeding and stingtails always tagged along with asabi tribes.

Asabis only ate the soft tissue of their prey, leaving the rest to dry under the sun. They were omnivorous and also consumed fungi that grew in the desert caves they inhabited. A delicacy among the asabis were the taproots of oasis plants.

Asabis were found in deserts, particularly in the Anauroch. They made up seventeen percent of the population of Anauroch in 1372 DR. They were particularly common in the caverns in Azirrhat. Asabis could also be found in the desert areas of Durpar, Estagund, and Var the Golden.

Asabis were created by the sarrukh and served them in Isstosseffifil in Oreme.

Many asabis served the phaerimm as slaves beneath the Anauroch.

In the Year of the Turret, 1360 DR, asabi mercenaries allied with the Zhentarim, during their failed attempt to dominate trans-Anauroch trade. The combined Asabi and Zhentilar armies were thwarted by the Harper Lander, the sorceress Ruha, and the united Bedine tribes. That same year, nearly one thousand sleeping asabi were slaughtered by the Bedine tribes, in an assault known as the Battle of the Fissures.

With the return of Thultanthar in the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, the enslaved asabi were freed when the shadovar destroyed their phaerimm masters. Many of these asabi turned to illithids and beholders as new masters.

Source: https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Asabi

[danielfeketewrites]

DOCTOR WHO TOP 10 - War Doctor

Alright, his best episode is clearly The Day of the Doctor, but that's actually 11th Doctor's episode. War Doctor's entire era is expanded universe material trying to reconstruct something that never existed. That's at the very least intriguing. In addition to this... John Hurt might be my favourite actor of all time. So yeah, I love the War Doctor. Here are my favourite of his stories.

10. The Shadow Squad

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a fan of the War Doctor Begins range. But this series of blogposts started out around the 60th anniversary and I intend to keep it a positive celebration of my favourite stories, so here's the one story from that series I actually really liked. The Shadow Squad is exactly what a Time War story should be like, with the Temporal Eradicator travelling back in time and changing the timeline, while Time Lords try to Dalek-proof the timeline. Good stuff.

9. Decoy

This is just an Engines of War encore, but it's pretty solid and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

8. The Enigma Dimension

The final War Doctor story with John Hurt in the role... I'm going to level with you - I have no idea what it's about. Right after I listened to it, I rated it very, very highly and then promptly forgot every single thing about it. So I have to trust my younger self, one year into the past, and hope he was right. I'll have to re-listen this one...

7. The Shadow Vortex

A rare example of War Doctor getting a historical romp. And Neve McIntosh is in this! Although she's not playing Vastra.

But I'll admit it - this one is on the list because War Doctor has to get inside a Trabant, which is the funniest shit ever to me.

6. The Eternity Cage

I have a soft spot for Sontarans. And this is a really good Sontaran story. Not much else to say, really. Except maybe that I remember really liking the core concept of this one.

5. The Third Wise Man

I've said it many times already - I love Dave Rudden, I love Twelve Angels Weeping. Again, not much else to add here. The chronology of the war is a bit wobbly in this one, but it can be explained away either by Gary Russell's short story The Stranger or by Russell T Davies' short story Doctor Who and the Time War. Or both, you know. It's the Time War. Oh, and we get an explanation of what "the Nightmare Child" is, so there's that.

4. The Neverwhen

A Dalek army and a Time Lord army are stuck, caught in a fucked up timey-wimey battlefield. Excellent Time War material.

3. Only the Monstrous

Putting the whole first boxset here, as it's basically just one story anyway. Only the Monstrous is simple. Deceptively simple. Which is strange, because I usually prefer weirder, more complicated stuff in my Time War, thankyouverymuch. Only the Monstrous is just Nick Briggs writing a WWII movie... IN SPACE! But it's really engaging and emotional in all the right places. And it's kinda open about what it's trying to emulate - if the Daleks represent Nazi Germany, what about their allies, the other fascistic aliens in the story? Well, they're called Talians. Talians. For real. No one is hiding this and I love it. It's ultimately a story about how appeasement is a bad idea and you can't negotiate with fucking Nazis, which is definitely a timeless, needed message. War Doctor is antifa. Also, the Daleks have yet another extremely silly plan involving planets, and this one is genuinely excellent and very, very stupid. Only the Monstrous deserves more love.

2. Legion of the Lost

While I loved Only the Monstrous, I think I still prefer the variety of Infernal Devices... Here, in Legion of the Lost, War Doctor fights Shadovar, a Technomancer played by David Warner. I'm not sure why, but something about Legion just feels different to me. It feels somehow... special. I really love it and it's my favourite War Doctor story from Big Finish.

1. Engines of War

What else could have taken the number one spot, eh? George Mann's excellent reconstruction of a non-existent Doctor Who era, also known as Engines of War, is a really fun Doctor Who book, a spectacular Dalek story and probably the quintessential War Doctor adventure (if one isn't counting The Day of the Doctor, of course)... I love Cinder, the War Doctor is written really well here and I just enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. It also tries to forge a bridge between the 20th and the 50th anniversary specials, which I think is kinda cute.

[adenial]

ʙᴀʟᴅᴜʀ's ɢᴀᴛᴇ 𝟹 ᴠᴇʀsᴇ

ㅤㅤborn to the shadow empire of netheril in the year 1410 DR , only a handful of years before the conquest of featherdale . hailing from an elite family within the empire , older members being that of the shadovar , it was instilled in lovek from a young age to be fiercely loyal to the empire & that it's expansion was a reclimation of land that was stolen . ㅤㅤhowever , lovek was also a bastard dumped on his family , born out of wedlock with someone outside of netheril , and considered a shameful addition to the family . the treatment only grew worse when it was realized lovek had no talent for magic . ㅤㅤhe was raised and trained to be a soldier , the only thing he had to offer to his family being his body and his skills in combat . from a young age he trained as a soldier , loyalty beaten into his skull , understanding that there was no other place for him to belong . ㅤㅤhis family was rather drastic with their treatment of the young child , and their final test of his capabilities was even more so . ㅤㅤleft and abandoned in the bordering forest near the desertsmouth mountains , lovek's final task to prove his usefulness was to track down and kill a bear with nothing but his own hands . ㅤㅤfor nigh a fortnight , he hunted . growing weaker and weaker by the day , he played a game of cat and mouse with a beast he had located , until starvation would take one of them . ㅤㅤit lasted a month . lovek weak , and frail , in desperation sharpened his nails , cut for himself a knife , made weaponry of anything he could . ㅤㅤhe killed the bear as was ordered of him . with his own bare hands , after struggling with the weakened creature , he ripped it apart , and sat on the ground in silence to bask in a victory that didn't feel won . ㅤㅤin the silence , it spoke . from the very ground did the roots begin to move , twining 'round the fallen bear , rooting itself in it's wounds , patching itself together once more . ㅤㅤit would be like a god , to take this ill - earned victory and laugh in the poor child's face . the bear rose again , full of life and breath once again , appearing that it's broken form was fully healed . ㅤㅤand it spoke to him . it spoke of it's purpose , how it wept at the thought of death itself . how all things within it's reach should flourish , whether graceful or malign . ㅤㅤand lovek , most importantly , would flourish as well . ㅤㅤwith a touch of thorns , it taught a world completely unknown to lovek -- of nature , of it's balances , of how limiting such balance was . it taught him everything , it's roots moving to live within the chambers of his heart . ㅤㅤlovek did not return to his home after that day , for victory was not achieved . he had failed his final test , for the abundance of life had another way .

ㅤㅤbasically , lovek is a homebrew druid . chosen of the abundance , his entire life is dedicated to the protection of everything . evil ? good ? doesn't matter . if the abundance loves it , lovek will love it . because of this , he does have special abilities . ㅤㅤalsooo , he has been known to join new circles every once in a while , though eventually i think they grow suspicious of his ideals when thinking of balance and nature . ㅤㅤlovek is still 'viera' kinda , but he was born an elf and just developed bunny features because of his nature . is that a good enough explanation ? no ! but bunny he will stay gdi . ㅤㅤwhere is he in baldur's gate ? probaaabblyyy at the circle in act 1 , or maybe shadowfell , whatever floats y'alls boats . ㅤㅤㅤㅤspecial abilities : able to create monsters , if there are dead nearby . their bodies become filled with roots and branches and come back to life with the power of abundance , though driven insane . ㅤㅤㅤㅤcan sprout plants from under his flesh . don't ask how or why . winky face . ㅤㅤㅤㅤif he dies in combaatttt , after a day or so his body will dissapear :)) for why who knows . ㅤㅤㅤㅤhe does have wildshapes ! ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ1. turns into a borzoi ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ2. becomes a ball python ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ3. turns into a giant stag ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ4. bunny ....

[toadunderthedmscreen]

Greater Eirwen Woods

The Greater Eirwen Wood is a massive forest that spans a substantial portion of West Haven’s western border. The lands are intensely magical and fey in nature, and function as a conduit to several important extraplanar gateways – specifically those to the Shadowfell and Feywilds, as well as to the Underdark and other subplanes.

The woods were generally taken care of by a circle of twelve druidic conclaves who were a mix of people from the three middle planes, as Eirwen woods marks a place of great cultural significance and symbolises a unity between the Fey, the Mortal and the Shadovar.

This was until Blindwick was founded, and the high elves who migrated here took power into their own hands, which caused tensions to arise between the new city-state and the people who already lived here.

[katabasiiis]

concepts i am batting around

thayan caedrons (pros: EXTREMELY sexy, very on brand; cons: rip casira's beautiful hair, not sure why they'd be in baldur's gate)

neverwinter caedrons with thayan aurania (pros: probably makes the most sense; cons: neverwinter does not Compel Me)

shadovar caedrons (pros: OHOHO EHEHE, shar is a good parallel to what im thinking of doing with mephala in tes, cons: not sure how to work mihriel in as the transplant she usually is, apparently it got destroyed five years before bg3 to spite me personally)

warning i am reinstalling bg3

[mybg3notebook]

Lore: The Netherese in 1492 DR

Disclaimer Game Version: All these analyses were written up to the game version v4.1.104.3536 (Early access). As long as new content is added, and as long as I have free time for that, I will try to keep updating this information. Written in June 2021. Detail: BG3 takes place in 1492 DR.

To understand what's the context around "Netherese magic" and, let's hope, its nature, I think it's of vital importance to know a bit about Netheril and what happened in recent years.

The game does a good job in showing us what happened with their fall at Karsus' hands. I explained in the post of "Well-known Characters" a good amount of information about him. His desire for godhood was a bit more complex than just wanting to be a god, even though the game shows it as blind arrogance and ambition: so far we know, it was Mystra who commanded her priests to spread this version of Karsus' Folly, as if he only wanted power alone. 

After Karsus' folly, all the floating cities of Netheril fell to the ground, destroying their population with them. However, only three cities were saved since they were too high in the air: their fall gave enough time for Mystra to be reborn in minutes and saved them. A fourth enclave, ruled by Telamont Tanthul—also called Lord Shadow—was teleported to the Shadow Plane (now called Shadowfell) days before the catastrophe. This was possible because Shadow Lord had been experimenting with the Shadow plane energies for a while. When he returned to Faerûn to see the aftermath of Karsus' folly, he recognised the need to stay in the other plane and gather strength to rebuild Netheril. After 1700 years, he started his plan for the return of his Civilisation in 1372 DR.

This is the context in which the trilogy of The Return of the Archwizards is set. This also belongs to 4e, which is one of the concepts that have annoyed more players, since this return made the Shadovars the Big Bad Evil everywhere. Maybe WotC wants to clean this aspect in the game. Maybe not. We don't know for sure. But we may suspect that Netherese people are returning in BG3: many details ingame keep giving context about them: Gale's explanation about Karsus' Folly, Excavation of the Enclave of Nhalloth (book), The Approachable East: Vol5 (book), and then the presence of Netherese magic not only in Gale's "orb" but in the tadpoles. 

I think it's worth checking the ingame book called “Excavation of the Enclave of Nhalloth”. Nhalloth was a Netherese city floating above the Sea of Fallen Stars in Faerûn. After Karsus' folly, it sank into the sea, claiming for some underwater creatures. As a consequence of the Spellplague, the geography changed, the waters lowered, and allowed a bit of exploration. Little was found, and explorers reported odd feelings and ghosts around it.

What do we know about the Return of Netheril in 1372?

These new Netherese people started to spread their influence in Faerûn, looking for Netherese old artefacts and spying on people and places that could possibly hinder their ultimate goal of creating a new Netheril in their image. But, were these people truly Netherese? The question comes from the fact that living creatures can't stay in the Plane of Shadow (currently merged with the Plane of negative energy which transformed it into the Shadowfell) without being affected by it. So, in an attempt to be short but still provide important facts I will numerate vital details of them that may become handy in BG3:

This floating city used to be called Thultanthar, and after its return, it's more commonly referred as the City of Shade.

Somehow, the Netherese people survived, and became more united and secretive.

Over 1700 years, each generation of these netherese people become more and more attuned to the shadow plane, some of them even turning into Shades: twisted, dark, humanoid creatures with longer lifespan than humans. Lord Shadow was still the main ruler of the City of Shade because he is now a Shade.

A big percentage of their population are worshippers of Shar.

The archwizards (ruling class) in the highest ranks are called Shadovars. Not every Netherese or Shade person is a Shadovar. Despite this, most folk refer to all Netherese as Shadovar nonetheless.

Most Shadovars are followers of Shar.

Shadovars are masters of Shadow Magic. It's a common mistake to think that Shadow magic is the same as Shadow Weave magic. Shadow Magic is magic using the energies of the Plane of Shadow. This can be done using Weave or Shadow Weave. Since most shadow casters are evil-aligned, Shar tried to offer them the Shadow Weave as a means to cast their magic without using the Weave (an element of a neutral-good aligned deity). This is related to the effect of worshipping without consent: Using the Weave is always a way to worship Mystra even if the caster wants it or not. This always gives power to Mystra. Shar created the Shadow Weave as a way to divert all those evil-aligned casters into her own worshipping. More details in the post of "Mystra and her Chosen ones"

With the return of the Shadovars, they tried to corrupt the recently recovered Weave and turn it into Shadow Weave. 

In 1487DR, Lord Shadow tried to gain the power of the Mythal of Myth Drannor, but Elminster killed him and the City of Shade fell upon Myth Drannor, destroying both cities.

However, this was not the end of the Shadovar. We may have some information about how they are in 1490s DR (let's remember BG3 is during 1492 DR):

Lord Shadow may be part of the Weave now (I have no idea why Ed said this. Lord Shadow was not a Chosen of Mystra, why would he be a weaveghost now?)

Two of his daughters and a Netherese arcanist survived: The sisters Lelavdra and Manarlume and the arcanist Gwelt have been calling themselves "The Three".

The Three have been collecting Netherese and others loyal to the Shade Empire from the ruins of the Citadel of the Raven in the western Moonsea region since late 1487 DR. They had collected at least 60 low level arcanists and 20 low born Netherese within a short period of time.

Gwelt was leading the hunt for others calling their group "The Court of the Three."

Their goals were supposedly to collect other Netherese, make allies, identify foes, take command of the remaining floating Netherese cities, and find a remote location to regroup and plan their re-emergence. It is unknown how far they have come.

Why all of this may be important?

Because part of this canon material may or may not be part of the story of BG3.

It's true that Larian has already changed some very consistent canon facts, such as the spell of the Hag eye (Ethel justifies her spell as a very personal customised one) or—the most impressive change—the Ceremorphosis process: Gale explains that the normal process removes the personality of the person in the sixth day after the infection, when in Forgotten Realms canon it should happen few hours after the infection. So my expectations for them to follow all canon material are not blind. They will change canon concepts as they think suitable, which is how DnD works. Still yet, it seems reasonable to read about all this in order to have a better context of what we will see, since the canon context is undeniably there.

Personally I always saw the presence of Netherese/Shadow Magic in the tadpoles as the intervention of Shar, but I never could find a group of mortals who would do that work and have such specific knowledge. We know that, with the exception of Mystra, contact with mortals is forbidden to all gods; therefore, Shar could not be the one to have approached these Mind Flayers. Now, the presence of the Court of the Three, working alongside or co-opting The Three Dead's plan seems a more reasonable possibility for me.

So far, what we know is that 

Shadow Magic is equivalent to Netherese Magic ( EA,  Ethel's words)

Shadow Magic is magic related to the plane of Shadows. This plane was altered by Shar when she merged the negative energy plane with it, causing the Shadowfell. The Shadowfell was Shar's realm for a while.

Shar was a great loser in the last edition. She could not change the Weave into Shadow Weave and become the greatest deity of magic as she planned. So she may want to counter-attack now.

Shadovars—who tried to help Shar in turning her into the Goddess of Magic—are masters of Shadow Magic and Shadow Weave magic.

The Shadow Weave was not destroyed, it's recovering at a similar pace to the Weave. 

The tadpole can't turn the host into a mind flayer because Netherese magic (the dream person) attached to it works as a stasis process. ( EA)

The Netherese magic—aka dream person—seems to restrain the Mind Flayer transformation while having strong connotations of Bhaalspawn essence. ( EA)

These small details may suggest that maybe the Shadovar are returning, or the three dead are using Shadovar's knowledge or vice versa. The possibilities are many and it seems hard to decide which ones are more likely since EA gives little information for such estimation. 

Sources: 

2e: Sea of Fallen Stars 3e: Lost Empires of Faerûn 4e: The Return of the Archwizards, The Herald, Grand History of the Realms Article: After the Fall by Ed. Greenwood: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/after-fall

Ed Greenwood Twitter

This post was written in June 2021. → For more Gale: Analysis Series Index