Glaur

This article is about the fortress on Laerakond. For the musical instrument, see Glaur (instrument).

The Dominions of Nehu, as of 1479 DR.
Glaur
Geography
Aliases	Dominions of Nehu
Type	Large fortress
Region	Gontal, Laerakond
History
Ruler	Nehushta in −31,000 DR

Glaur, known to its inhabitants as the Dominions of Nehu, was an ancient fortress built by the primordial Nehushta during the Dawn War. It was located in northern Gontal, in the center of the Glaur Barrens.

Description

Before its destruction, Glaur was a metallic, many-walled building of strange appearance and impossible size. Its largest spire reached the clouds, while its lower chamber was in the Underdark, near Abeir's core.

After its destruction during the Spellplague, Glaur became a strange plagueland composed of the following features:

Brindol's Cut

Named for the leader of the surviving genasi of Glaur, Brindol, this miles-long fissure divided Glaur's ruins into two separate regions. The sheer canyon walls that composed the fissure opened onto many tunnels and corridors that were once buried basements of the fortress, most of them reaching way down to the Underdark. The southwestern portion of Brindol's Cut was the territory of the Dominion of the Burned faction. The Birthing Furnace, a powerful artifact crafted by Nehushta, was located somewhere in this area.

Glittering Wall

The Glittering Wall was what remained of the original walls that surrounded Glaur. With the appearance of a many-faceted mirror several hundred feet high and nearly a mile thick, the Glittering Wall was one of the few features of Glaur that survived both the War of Fang and Talon and the Spellplague nearly intact. Some believed that inside its many chambers were located hidden primordial artifacts and a living remnant of Nehushta herself.

Hob's Cut

A smaller fissure that extended out of the fortress core to the southeast of the Glaur Barrens. Like the larger Brindol's Cut, the fissure provided access to several corridors and tunnels. Thousands of tiny firefly-like insects lived in one of those chambers, and usually swarmed at night on anything nearby to feed on it. Survivors of those attacks were sometimes infected by a strange pestilence known as glow fever.

Quicksilver Lake

A lake made of a silvery substance. Though it wasn't poisonous, some quality of the water made sentient creatures fall into a deep depression they couldn't recover from, until finally they gave up on life. Some believed the lake was made up of the tears Nehushta wept when she was killed by the traitorous dragons.

Rusted Sands

The Rusted Sands were a desert area made of rusted, blood-colored iron. Those who explored this area and were able to leave its borders believed the area had a sentient force that drew things to the center of the Rusted Sands and never released them again.

Storm Spire

This milk-white spire, nearly a thousand feet wide at its base, reached the sky but its absolute height remained forever obscured by a lightning-lit thundercloud that never dissipated. The Storm Spire was one of the few portions of the original fortress that survived the Spellplague. Composed of white opaque crystal capable of magical self-repair, the spire drew a supernatural storm and channeled the electricity into the earth, radiating the area out and down for several miles. The Storm Spire was somehow related to the creation and the propagation of the anaxims, and people called the surrounding area the "Dominion of the Mindless".

Sapphire Vortex

The Sapphire Vortex was a deadly plagueland dominated by a fiery blue vortex that spun ceaselessly in the sky. The territory under the vortex was known as the Dominion of Bone. The Spellplague was particularly strong in this area, and spellscars produced by the vortex were more powerful than those earned in other plaguelands.

History

Before the separation of Abeir-Toril, the fortress of Glaur was erected by Nehushta to serve as a central front during the Dawn War. After the primordials were defeated and Ao split Abeir-Toril into the twin worlds of Abeir and Toril, Glaur was transported to the world of Abeir. Nehushta isolated herself in her fortress until the War of Fang and Talon, when she was killed by traitorous dragons. However, both dragons and humanoids avoided the abandoned fortress out of fear for thousands of years after the war.

In 1385 DR, under the pretense of opening new trade routes, Prince Nathur Hethkantan led an ill-fated expedition to the fortress in order to search for any remains or lost treasures of Nehushta, in hopes of being able to revive her or, if it proved impossible to revive a primordial, at least to have a holy object to properly revere her. However, the Spellplague happened shortly after and when the blue fires reached the world of Abeir and made contact with Glaur, the fortress exploded in a cataclysm as potent as the Tearfall, that rocked the continent of Laerakond and sent it to the world of Toril and created the Glaur Barrens.

The ruins of Glaur became a strange plagueland that was inhabited by the survivors of the cataclysm, including a plaguechanged prince Nathur, who became the ruler of the area below the Sapphire Vortex. In time, the land became known as the Dominions of Nehu by its inhabitants.

In 1469 DR, an invasion of anaxims destroyed a genasi community who lived in the ruins. A firesoul genasi named Brindol unified the few genasi who survived the anaxim invasion, and under his leadership they were able to conquer a small section of the ruins known as the Dominion of the Burned.

As of 1479 DR, only a few individuals in all Laerakond knew anything significant about the history or geography of Glaur. Among them was the notorious Gontese guide and explorer, Larrana Vestel.

Inhabitants

As of 1479 DR, the ruins of Glaur were inhabited mostly by the anaxims. A community of a few firesoul genasi lived in the Dominion of the Burned, while Prince Nathur and his undead servants lived in the area known as the Dominion of Bone.