Shadovar

Note: The Shadovar race may only be selected by spending a Greater Award!

Please be sure to refer to the Shadovar Roleplay tips for helpful information on roleplaying a Shadovar pc. Please note that the Shadowfell is a 5e concept and not canon in the Arelith Au. 

Introduction

“The shades are here, and they mean business. Their appearance has greatly troubled the councils of the wise and learned, and hardly a city in Faerûn does not hear rumors about these mysterious strangers. Who are these enigmatic beings? They are nothing less than a piece of living history, torn from Faerûn’s forgotten past…” Lords of Darkness, Pg. 78

The Shadovar are the remnant of a dead civilization; the people of the last of the flying cities of Netheril, Thultanthar, colloquially known as Shade. The city survived by passing into the shadow plane; most of its people remained with the city and returned to Faerûn in the year 1372 DR. While their pale visages, rife with veins and gray mottled patches, do hint at the trials of adapting to the shadow plane, they tend to carry themselves with the pride of old Netheril.

The High Prince, the overlord of Thultanthar, demands the Shadovar keep a very strict and regimented society that mirrors a twisted appearance of traditional Netheril culture. As a result, the Shadovar have a very antiquated and anachronistic culture which appears almost alien in modern times. Finely-made, dark robes and obsidian-set ornaments are often matched to sophisticated staffs and lucid, erudite speech.

Further setting them aside from other human races, they also learnt to infuse their bodies with the energies of the Plane of Shadow... which aside from granting them great longevity also gave them considerable power. With the permission of the High Prince and his twelve sons, many among the Shadovar took up the study of the Realm in which they dwelt.

The denizens of the realms largely do not know what to make of the City of Shade or its inhabitants. A majority treat them with suspicion if encountered, but very little dare challenge or question their return to the civilized world. However, many scholars and sages watch the mysterious floating city above the Anauroch desert with anxious anticipation at whatever plans the returned city has in store for Faerûn.

History

“Finally, the fourth floating city of High Netheril, known as Shade, survived the fall of Netheril by vanishing into the Plane of Shadow. Shade reappeared in 1372 DR, after generations of warfare with the malaugrym in the shadow-plane.” - Races of Faerûn, Pg. 108 - Human, Netherese

Over 1,700 years ago, the Empire of Netheril was annihilated by a cataclysmic tragedy, named “Karsus’ Folly” - an event in which only the most learned sages and loremasters describe as the pivotal event that caused the cataclysmic downfall of the Netheril Empire. This apocalyptic crisis happened when Karsus the arcanist dared to merge with Mystryl, the Netherese deity of magic. The immediate aftermath of this doomed attempt caused Mystryl’s grasp on the Weave to erupt and fluctuate, severing and causing a sudden end to all magic. The Netherese floating cities plummeted to the ground, and Karsus’ last moments were spent realizing that he had brought about the end of his civilization.

This event was born from a desperate attempt to save the Netherese people from the Phaerimm menace, and ended up wiping out a majority of the Netheril population. The Enclave of Shade, Thultanthar, was able to escape this fate by shifting their city into the Plane of Shadow before the destruction.

Here, in the shadowy reaches of Shar’s domain, the people of Thultanthar were able to experiment and practice their arcane spells utilizing their new domain. In time, this enclave’s ruling class of nobility learned how to infuse with the dark energy of their new found homeland to become the Shades. Many of the lower common population, too, merged with the plane of shadow to become what are known today as the Shadovar.

In 1372 DR, the City of Shade abruptly returned to the material plane of Faerûn. First appearing above the Dire Wood, the enclave would float directly above the Anauroch, where it has remained since except for a few brief ventures into neighboring lands. Basing their home over the Shoal of Thirst, the Shadovar have lost no time in establishing the Empire of Shadows. They make it clear that they consider the entire expanse of the great desert to be their rightful territory, and aggressively defend this territory from any would-be invaders.

So far, the new masters of the Anauroch have not decided to take action against other humans living beneath them as they see them as below their efforts. Instead they appear to have a range of reactions from aloof curiosity to disdain. While many eyes keep watch towards the deserts of the Anauroch, viewing this appearance as a new potential threat, the enigma of the Shadovars agenda remains a great mystery.

What the Shadovar Commoner Knows of Their History

The average Shadovar knows that their home, the Shade Enclave, contains a vast quantity of hard information about the Netherese Empire. Except, this data is accurate only up until the time which preceded the catastrophe that destroyed it. Due to the journey the city took just before the destruction, the Shadovar of Thultanthar were cut off from the rest of Faerûn. What little they do know during this time is provided by way of divination spells cast by Shar’s clergy.

Based on the City of Shade’s libraries and record halls, the history of the Netherese reaches far back into the mists of time, over five millennia before the present day. The official history of the Netherese would describe their beginning not as a mighty empire but at first little more than a cluster of fishing villages that hugged the banks of the Narrow Sea in what is now the eastern central portion of Anauroch. What is now sand, used to be a verdant land with abundant water and fertile soil capable of supporting vast civilization These fishing villages united often to defend against attack from neighboring tribes of marauding humans. The union of these villages sparked a young kingdom both energetic and aggressive, though barely civilized. It was during this period, which the Shadovar calls The First Age, that the Netherese first made contact with the Elves, from whom they first learned about magic.

The people of Shade believe that their ancestors had a strong, natural affinity for arcane magic. Their accounts note that after their first contact with the elves, the Netherese took to magical study with an uncommon enthusiasm and quickness. Soon, arcane magic was considered an essential part of their lives and their early people dedicated themselves to mastering the art of magic. After reaching the ‘age of ascension’ at 13 years old, each Shadovar was tutored in basic spellcraft. By the age of majority, 18, each were able to cast a range of cantrips. Those who showed talent for the arcane were often placed in special academies to enhance or increase their magical proficiency. Here, Shadovar would learn to cast 1st circle magic and higher circle spells.

The most talented of this group would go on to become ‘arcanists’, a Netheril term of wizards and sorcerers. These arcanists always rose to great heights of political and social power regardless of the path they chose. Most of these talented souls dedicated their lives to continuing magical research, seeking to expand their society’s understanding of the Art. Because of this, the arcanists became the second most important and respected class of citizen, just below nobility and surpassing clergy. Historically, Netherese royalty were the most powerful arcanists in the empire.

The success of the Netherese empire, however, was not solely due to the arcanists efforts, but also to the discovery of powerful artifacts called the Nether Scrolls. These scrolls were unearthed in the ruins of old and long-forgotten civilization and provided a wealth of knowledge including new arcane spells, and advanced spellcraft techniques that would advance Netheril’s magical advancement beyond all other human civilizations at the time by thousands of years.

As ancient, millenia-old secrets of the past were rediscovered from these Scrolls, nearly every citizen benefited from the unearthed knowledge and prospered. The most useful of these secrets unearthed would be the key to Netheril’s empire: the Mythallar.

The Mythallar provided incredible arcane power to the Netherese people who utilized it to create wondrous items and architectural marvels that had not been seen by humans before in Faerûn. After the invention of the Mythallar, arcanists and craftsmen worked in harmony to create breathtaking buildings and civic improvements. They even went as far as to levitate buildings, balance them in impossible ways, or creating unusual dwellings that delighted the population or impressed other races.

Artists designed massive public sculptures and arcanists made these dreams reality with beautiful imagery that floated in lazy circuits above the city streets to be enjoyed by all at different intervals of the day. Finally, they also learned to shear off the very summit of a mountain and suspend it upside down. Each enclave would be equipped with a Mythallar inside a mirrored crystalline structure designed to reflect the power of the device back onto itself in such a way that it allowed the overturned mountain top to float in midair. This effect created the basis for the floating enclaves that the Netheril Empire was widely known for even in modern day Faerûn.

Soon the Netherese would move onto these enclaves and construct even more grand marvels of architecture and art in secluded enclaves. These monolithic examples of pure arcane skill and knowledge were massive undertakings. In Netheril’s Golden Age, the empire boasted a total of thirteen flying cities.

In the centuries that followed this technological advancement, the Empire grew and thrived. Magical research and investigation continued among the arcanists until they began to design spells of powerful arcane might that has never been seen since the destruction of Netheril. These floating cities would be used to explore the world, locate more raw materials for its many industries, acquire more territory and trade with other races so that its population would all have food and space required to survive.

Due to their arcane might and the power of the Mythallars, any hostile enemies were wiped out with precision to ensure Netheril remained in a state of peace and prosperity. Often, this would also mean conquering ‘lesser races’ or other non-Netheril human civilizations. The outcome of these conquests typically resulted in the taking of slaves for the laboring of the Empire’s massive feat.

Unknown to the Netherese of this time period, their greatest enemies were not the lesser races that roamed the lands to raid it. Netheril’s greatest enemy remained undetected until it was far too late to reasonably battle them.

It would be a renegade arcanist, one who disagreed with the ideology of Netheril’s slaving practices, that would be the one to discover this lurking menace. Deep within the caves and caverns of Faerûn lived a subterranean race of creatures that called themselves the Phaerimm. The fateful meeting of this renegade arcanist and the Phaeriim would spell the beginning of the end for the Empire.

The Phaerimm would befriend the renegade arcanist in the guise of a peaceful and friendly human. In doing so, the Phaerimm tricked the arcanist into revealing vital secret information to the Netherese Empire, such as the existence and uses of the Mythallar. Unfortunately, what the arcanist didn't know is that the Phaerimm sought the eradication of all other beings on Faerûn.

These evil creatures begin planning the complete destruction of the Netheril Empire utilizing the knowledge given to them by the arcanist. First they started with crippling raids that would target outposts, caravans, and outlying settlements. At these points, the Phaerimm would steal important, magical knowledge and a number of Netheril created wondrous items. These attacks would leave none alive, so that no witnesses could speak of who or what carried them out.

The Phaerimm would use their stolen knowledge to advance their own study and understanding of the Art to turn against the Netherese. Eventually, they successfully captured a Mythallar from a caravan outpost, and from there the true war began.

Using the stolen Mythallar, the Phaerimm were able to create their own version of an arcane device to access the Weave directly. Even at the height of its power, the Phaerimm began to lay waste to Netheril with massive Lifedrain spells that would destroy their crops and fertile lands. The process was, however, long, and the Netherese were powerless to do anything but watch as their beloved land slowly became the useless deserts of the Anauroch.

Efforts were made to attempt to repel or even slow these spells, but by the time Netheril deduced that there was an intelligent enemy behind these happenings, vast sections of the empire had already been destroyed. At this point, they prepared to defend themselves against the looming Phaerimm threat.

Immense arcane duels of massive proportions exploded across the land, only adding to the destruction already caused to their soil. Despite these desperate efforts, neither side was able to gain any advantage and the war waged out of control.

At this point in their historical texts, the Shadovar’s records become vague and contradictory. While Netheril prided itself on its vast libraries and accurate accounts of its cultural and societal progress, the prolonged war against the Phaerimm made it difficult to maintain these meticulous records and many were lost among the destruction of buildings or communities.

The City of Shade possesses many accounts of the war’s most important battles, and many mundane records from this era. However, there was by no means a complete record of all events that transpired during this war-torn time. The Shadovar do not actually know what exactly was the true reason that caused the cataclysm that destroyed Netheril. Most Shadovar actually blame the Phaerimm and believe that they launched a final assault which devastated the empire utilizing an unknown kind of arcane power.

All that common Shadovar know for certain is that if the City of Shade had not been shifted into the Plane of Shadow, and remained there, their ancestors would also have perished in the disaster.

Summary provided by 3rd Edition Lords of Darkness, Pg. 79 - 81

What the Shadovar Nobility Know

The High Prince, the ruling noble of the Shade Enclave, his sons and certain members of Shar’s clergy know more about the fall of Netheril than their common populace.

They know that the truth was much more complicated than just a blow by the Phaerimm. They know that the Empire was destroyed via the actions of one of their own. During the city’s time in the Plane of Shadow, cut off from the rest of Faerûn, the clerics of Shar were able to cast divination spells to find out what happened. Shar provided them with information that enabled them to discern the truth about what actually happened to Netheril, or, at least, that Shar would allow them to know. These divine findings explained that the most potent and skilled arcanists of the empire, Karsus, attempted to end the war with a final act.

When the nature of the Lifedrain spells became known, Karsus began to devise his own plan to save the Netheril people. Without any doubts, it was the mightiest magic ever wielded by a mortal in Faerûn history, and allowed Karsus to temporarily merge with the essence of any deity. This allowed him to temporarily become one and gain access to divine power. His plan was to then use this divine magic to end the Phaerimm threat forever.

However, something went wrong and lost control of his spell. The resulting arcane backlash nearly destroyed the Weave. He was killed by the arcane energy and the damage to the Weave sent the other enclaves plummeting to the ground, killing everyone on them. All of the other enclave’s Mythallars exploded, and only the High Prince’s city, within the Plane of Shadow, was spared of this fate.

The High prince, and other Shadovar who are aware of these facts, are content to allow their subjects to believe the Phaerimm caused the empire’s downfall.

Shadovar Religion

During their time within the Shadow plane, and their dependency on the Lady of Loss’s divine realm, Shars worship became the state faith of Thultanthar. For it was her seers that foresaw the destruction of Netheril, and it was her divine magic that helped ferry the city of shade to her realm. And it is within Her realm with which the Shadovar continue to survive and to exist.

From a young age, all Shadovar are taught and believe that they owe their loyalty to the Nightsinger as they believe she was the one who protected them from the cataclysm that destroyed the Netheril empire. Without her help and blessing to transition to the Shadow Plane, their people would not exist today. This is a generational truth that each Shadovar knows. And it is difficult to shake.

The regimented society that the Shadovar keep demand loyalty to their supreme dark goddess. The consequences for disrespecting the Lady of Loss or her worship is extremely steep and often results in death.

This loyalty is so deep that even the few who do not worship her directly, still pay homage or hold a deep respect for Her as a savior. Furthermore, almost all Shadovar solely use the shadow-weave as a result of their environment and upbringing.

Please note that all Shadovar start out worshiping Shar. A character can switch deities, at the normal penalty, to another Deity granting access to the shadow weave if they wish.

Shadovar Hierarchy

“Centuries of Survival on the Plane of Shadow taught the Shadovars that survival is accomplished only when every member of the society understands his or her role and works for the betterment of the city as a whole. Thus, Shadovar society is strictly hierarchical, but it is also a meritocracy. Everyone is expected to work for the security and survival of the community, to the best of each person’s capacity.” - Lords of Darkness, Pg. 84

While the Shadovar make no secrets about their connection to the Netherse empire of Faerûn’s history, or what they know about their own, the Shadovar remain elusive when it comes to the end goals of their nobility. Often, Shadovar will redirect questions, or respond to direct questions about their past with replies that are at best vague, and at worst misleading.

In truth, this is because the average Shadovar Commoner knows very little of what their High prince’s goals actually are, and they seek to obtain this information for themselves. Because the Shade nobility are so secretive, knowledge of their existence is more akin to that of a secret society and not widely known.

The City of Shade is made up strictly of a controlled hierarchy controlled by the High Prince. Sometimes referred to as ‘The Most High’, he sits atop the hierarchy pyramid. Beneath him are his sons, The Twelve Princes of Shade, who serve as his generals and council. Below them are the Determinists and the Arcanists (The Shadovar term for wizards and sorcerers). Underneath the Arcanists is the Shade’s military and at the base are the four levels of commoners that consists of humans who did not become Shades.

In descending order, there are the commoners, the craftsmen, the merchants, and the servants. Underneath all of these ranks are the lowest class, the slaves. Slaves are considered Shadovar criminals or taken humanoids found in the shadow plane. The following is a little more information on each class.

The Determinists

Like bees in a beehive, every Shadovar has a role to play in society that they are expected to adhere to. The Determinists Guild is who decides where each citizen, at the age of 13, decides where they will be placed and what role they will play. This is administered by Prince Lamorak’s circle of Determinists. Their tests measure the aptitude of a Shadovar. When complete, the Shadovar will be placed into training for their role until they reach the age of 18 as previously discussed. Occasionally, a Shadovar may exhibit dramatic improvement in their skills or aptitude over a time. If this happens, the Determinists may administer a second round of testing and sometimes alter the Shadovar’s original designation. However, changes like this are rare due to the accuracy and sophistication of Prince Lamorak’s methods of assessment.

The Arcanists

Below the royal family and the Determinists, are the wizards and sorcerers of Thultanthar. Keeping the Netherese tradition, Shadovar call them Arcanists. This cast is the metaphorical arcane backbone of the city. They are responsible for learning, training the talented in the secrets of the Art, and provide support for various missions commanded by the twelve princes. While this cast is considered upper class, only a small percentage of them have achieved the Shade transformation. Those who have achieved the Shade transformation are more powerful and hold high positions of authority among the arcanists organizations.

The Military

Shadovar who minimally demonstrate magical aptitude are often placed among the city’s military. Each Shadovar begins as a low ranking soldier, but often use opportunity and intelligence to earn promotions into the ranks of officers. Hostile and dangerous creatures live within the Plane of Shadow, and the city of Shade were not immune to attacks from the hostile environment of their new home. The military is responsible for bearing the brunt of these long offensive attacks, as well as any other threats to the city. A small percentage of this cast, also, have earned the Shade transformation. Three main generals make up the leadership of this cast named Shelkar, Vadebryth, and Tyrrollus. Expeditionary divisions and scouts are included among these rankings.

Commoners

Shadovar who show no aptitude for spells higher than a cantrop are assigned to the common ranks of society. The bulk population of the City of Shade make up this class. Those within this class know that their ability to work hard largely determines the city’s survival and future. Because of this the average Shadovar commoner is very loyal to their princes and to their city. In the rare event a citizen commits crimes that may undermine the city's safety or security, they are often put to death. These rare occurrences are often discovered by paid informants who work for the city’s nobility.

Crafter

Crafters typically work on the city’s maintenance involving a number of trades such as carpentry, leatherworking, masonry, paving, and other similar trades. Most crafters have managed to learn one or two arcane spells to help ease their labors. These spells typically consist of low level cantrips such as mending, open/close, prestidigitation, and mage hand. All crafters are only human. Crafters are treated reasonably by their superiors and they make enough to live comfortably, though not luxuriously.

Merchants

While the city of shade does maintain an economy, merchants are considered very low on the proverbial totem pole. The merchant class is skilled at obtaining goods and raw materials from places the city has visited within their dark realm, and they make them available to the Thultanthar’s citizenry. Unfortunately, prices are strictly controlled due to the regimented society the High Prince keeps. Because supply and demand and distribution of currency is closely watched, no one can really earn large profits outside of their station from this line of work.

Servants

People who show zero aptitude for magic, religion, crafts, or any other form of usefulness are classed as personal servants. People of this class are regulated to domestic roles such as maids, servants, messengers, street cleaners, valets, and more. While many may hope of obtaining a better life, this is nigh impossible to obtain.

Slaves

The lowest rung of Shadovar society are the slaves. Some slaves are Shadovar who exhibit absolutely not useful talents or skills of any kind, and others are citizens who were convicted of non-capital crimes. A majority of this class are humanoid people captured by the Shadovar on slaving expeditions, or bought from slave traders in the shadow plane. Slaves are useful for nothing but basic labor. How the slave is treated is left up to the individual slave owner. Sometimes this means slaves may be treated as favored pets, while others may treat the slave with merciless and cruel brutality. If a slave becomes rebellious, or tries to escape, the Shadovar have no issue simply slaying the rebellious slave and replacing them later.

Shadovar Culture

The High Prince has taken great pains to preserve what he believes are the best elements of Netherese society while merging them with the necessary characteristics needed to survive in the hostile plane of shadow. The resulting outcome of these efforts has morphed the City of Shade’s society into a realm bound by formality and regimentation, in which even the most mundane aspects of daily life are bound by some level of ritual in execution. In this way, order is maintained and so is the cultural continuity of the Netheril empire. In this way, the High prince is viewed as the living embodiment of all Shadovar customs, beliefs and values.

The Shadovar’s culture as a result is very discrete, and mirrors a twisted reflection of what Netheril once was. The Shadovar dress in clothing that would be considered antiques to other residents of Faerûn. This clothing seems archaic, as courtly attire, and may even appear alien or outlandish. They favor dark colors such as; burgundy, charcoal gray, gold, dark green, midnight blue, and black.

Upperclass Shadovar wear a great deal of jewelry and gems that are often woven into their ensembles. The Shadovar are also fond of gilt, gold thread, and cloth-of-gold accents. Commoners wear much more simple garb that befits their trades, and slaves are only allowed serviceable clothing that is marginally better than simple homespun.

Similar to their Netheril ancestors, when the age of ascension is achieved at 13 years, every citizen is tutored in basic spell craft and then subject to a battery of tests to discover the student’s aptitude for the arcane and how they can best serve the City.

By the age of majority (18 years old), each Shadovar then leaves to start the job that he or she was trained for. Unless the Shadovar displays new found power or talent, they work in this designated career until the day he or she passes away.

Those Shadovar who do manage to prove themselves as either important or loyal may be transformed into shades. This is one of the few great honors that a Shadovar may receive in their lifetime. Only a small percentage of Shadovar are transformed. Commoners and low-ranking military officers are never chosen for transformation, but all seek to obtain it.

The Plane of Shadow

“It is the toxic plane of darkness and power. It is the hidden place that hates the light. It is the frontier of worlds unknown.” - Manual of the Planes 3rd Edition, Pg. 59

The Plane of Shadow, sometimes called Shadow, was the homeland of the Shadovar people for thousands of years. This plane is a dark, twisted transitive plane that mirrors the Prime Material Plane.

As a transitive plane, the shadow plane contains many shadow links that can be used to portal between the plane of shadow and the prime material plane. The plane of Shadow itself can be accessed by utilizing shadow doors or other magical spells that enable the caster to enter the plane itself.

The plane of shadow itself is home to a variety of foul fauna and flora that are twisted reflections of the prime material. Many of the Shadovar Merchant class have learned how to turn these various resources into goods that allow the citizenry of Thultanthur to thrive in this hostile plane.

Furthermore, as the divine realm of Shar, magic within this realm does not work as it does in the prime material. Within this realm, all enchantment, illusion, and necromancy spells are more powerful than they are normally. Spells that utilize the shadow-weave, are also stronger in the plane of shadow. On the other hand, evocation spells and transmutation spells are either impeded or are less effective when cast within the plane of shadow.

The Twelve Princes of Shade and The High Prince

The Shades, the ruling nobility of Faerûn, remain a mystery to even the many commoners of the City of Shade. The true extent of the Shades’ powers and motivations remain concealed. And while the titles of each ruling noble are known, the common Shadovar will not be aware of the following knowledge.

The High prince was known as High prince Telamont Tanthul and is one of the most powerful mages on Faerûn. He was known once, thousands of years ago, as Lord Shadow in the Netheril Empire. He is one of the few remaining citizens of Netheril who survived the destruction of the empire and because of this, his authority and power is absolute. Having ruled for as long as all Shadovar can remember, all live, die, and bow to his sole command. Only his sons and trusted associates of the city truly know that he is as old as the city itself and has ruled since it was first built by his hand. Each of his sons are known as the Princes of Shade, and like their father, are powerful shade arcanists. Just like Shadovar society, these twelve archwizards are locked in a fierce, regimented competition for power.

Shadovar Roleplay and Tips

It is important to note that the Shadovar who venture to Arelith’s shores have the authority to leave the City of Shade and do what they want, something that is typically not allowed in the High Prince’s strictly regimented society. This would mean they are given the authority via a few options that players may decide on their own such as leading an expedition, being a type of upper class (but not shade nobility, or perhaps among the military. Whatever the reason, any Shadovar who leaves the City of Shade has a specific and good reason by which they are given power or authority to do so. Something else to note is that given the Shadovar have such few numbers, all Shadovar are valued and they also seldom travel alone.

It should also be clarified that no Shadovar player character on the shores of Arelith is a shade or has undergone the Shade transformation. While a Shadovar Character does have a body that has been infused with the shadow planes essence in order to survive, this is by no means the same as undergoing a Shade transformation. Humans of the city of Shade are not allowed this blessing unless they are nobility or otherwise given it by a Prince of Shade. Keep in mind that because of this, upper class and nobility are not synonymous socially and culturally among the Shadovar. So a character may be ‘upper class’, but that does not mean they are of noble birth, just above other commoner Shadovar in terms of wealth, arcane prowess, power, or rank for various reasons.

It also needs to be clarified that anything that happened after 1372 in 3rd edition books regarding Thultanthar such as the Thayvian civil war, Sembia being a Shadovar client state, or the Shadovar wiping out a whole village in Coymyr has not happened in Arelith AU. Please consider anything not clarified on this page as ‘not having happened’ unless future events or clarifications are made. What the world of Toril knows of the City of Shade is their mysterious appearance, and that they helped kill some Phaerimm. Most regard the Shadovar with an air of distrust not because of their origins but because they are so different and alien.

For players interacting with the Shadovar, unless learned in game, intimate information to Shadovar society is not readily known and is closely guarded. Similar to Deep Imaskar, Shadovar are very secretive and selective about what information they will allow outsiders to know if the information does not include their Netheril ancestry or history. Most of the Shadovar populace believe that a renegade arcanist telling the secrets, hierarchy, culture, and ways of their empire to a random ‘trustworthy looking human’ that was actually a Phaerimm is the very reason that the Netheril Empire fell. Thus, sharing anything regarding their arcane knowledge, hierarchy, customs, beliefs, or anything like that is considered extremely taboo and may even warrant death, stripping of titles, or enslavement.

No Shadovar is gullible enough, or willing, to risk becoming the next ‘renegade arcanist’ made example. Nor do they want to be responsible for the potential destruction of their beloved home. Please keep aware of this fact when roleplaying your Shadovar character.

As stated in the Shadovar Religion section, please keep in mind that the Shadovar are deeply loyal to Sharran worship. While your character does not need to worship her, you should keep in mind that your character will likely still hold a respect for her worship. It would be very, extremely, rare for a Shadovar to not hold some sort of reverence for her in some way or another.

Notes

+ Please do not use the Forgotten Realms Wiki for reference as it is full of 4th and 5th edition information.

+ The Shadowfell is a 4th/5th edition concept and does not exist in the Arelith Au. It is only called the Plane of Shadow in 3e and 3.5e

+ In Arelith Au, the Shadovar have not committed any acts of war against other nations like Cormyr. As if stands, they’ve only just mysteriously reappeared and helped a few elves fight off a Phaerimm attack in Evereska. The world has not largely found out about their tyrannical and very sharran ways to its fullest extent just yet.

List of Sourcebooks for further reading

+ Players Guide to Faerûn

+ Races of Faerûn

+ Lost Empires of Faerûn

+ 3.5e Anauroch: The Empire of Shade

+ 3e Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting

+ 3e Lords of Darkness

+ Silver Marshes

+ Return of the Archwizards - Novel series

Creating a New Character on Arelith

Prerequisites

• Requires Greater Award
• Requires Non-good Alignment
• Base Race: Human
• Restricted: Cannot be Druid or Wild Mage

ECL

• ECL: +1

Abilities

• +2 INT
• Special Abilities

• Innate Shadow Magic
  • Arcane spells are automatically cast via the Shadow Weave. Note that the existing Shadow Mage path is still required to gain free access to the Shadow Dancer class as a Shadow Wizard or Shadow Sorcerer.
    • Shadow Weave Magic CL and DC of Arcane Illusion, Enchantment and Necromancy spells increase by 2; CL and DC of Arcane Evocation spells decrease by 6; DC of Arcane Transmutation spells decrease by 6. Cannot cast Arcane spells unless the character worships Shar or another deity with access to the Shadow Weave.
• Can cast Shadow Conjuration and Greater Shadow Conjuration (at level 16+) via the Innate Ability token.

Notes

• Bonus Language: Loross
• Starting City: Cordor, Sencliff, Skal, or Andunor as Outcast
• Starting Deity: All Shadovar start out worshipping Shar. A character can switch deities, at the normal penalty, to another Deity granting access to the Shadow Weave if they wish.