The Great Pasha Memnon was a noble efreeti lord who founded the country of Memnonnar and fought a great war against the djinni Calim. His spirit was trapped for millennia in the Calim Desert, where it still warred against Calim, being the legendary cause of the desert's very existence.[2]
Description
Memnon's appearance was not recorded in history, though many desert travelers described his manifestations as Memnon's Crackle.
When Memnon's consciousness was present in the desert ground, several things were noticeable. First, there was rapid rise in temperature. In response, the ground would calcify and "crackle". Memnon's crackle was extremely dangerous, as desert travelers could find themselves in a situation much like quick sand, as formerly hardened ground became loose sand. It would take a number of days for the ground to harden back to its usual barren flatness.[3]
At times, Memnon could gather enough power to shape the sands into an image of his old self, a mournful face within a 70-foot-wide (21 meters) sand dune. At other times, he would manifest as a 50-foot-tall (15 meters) column of blazing hot sand and flame.[3]
Personality
Despite being the archenemy of Calim, the two genies had much in common in their personalities. Both were superb strategists, yet both moved slowly in matters of war, desiring the grandest of plans to come into fruition and not settling for simple battles.[1]
Abilities
While imprisoned beneath the Calim Desert, Memnon still had great power, though he could never use it to reach the Calimemnon Crystal or his eternal opponent in the air. Besides his ability to turn the hardened ground to sand, Memnon could create advanced illusions and walls of stone or fire, produce and affect flames, and generate a killing cloud. His magic resistance was also great. His most damaging power, however, was his ability to cause earthquakes, though this power caused damage to himself.[3]
History
Founding of Memnonnar
One thousand years to the day of the Great Arrival of Calim, around -6800 DR, Memnon, using powerful gate magic, entered Faerûn with his retinue of followers and forces[1]—which included the race of harsaffs[4]—through the Great Brass Gate.[5] They landed north of the River Agis in land that would later become Tethyr. Initially, Memnon's people laid low and hid in the northern forests from Calim's scouts. Slowly, over the next 400 years, his people built the country of Memnonnar with its capital, Memnon, at the mouth of the River Agis.[1]
The First Era of Skyfire
War was inevitable between the two genies, and the Era of Skyfire began in -6500 DR.[1][note 1] This epic war lasted hundreds of years, yet only involved 22 major battles. These battles devastated the lands once held by elves and dwarves and laid ruin to nearly every one of Memnonnar's cities.[1]
The Night of Binding
It was the elves who at last put an end to the destruction. Using elven high magic, on the night of Ches 4[6] in -6100 DR, during the Battle of the Teshyllal Fields, Pharos the High Mage trapped Memnon, Calim, and hundreds of other genies in the Calimemnon Crystal, while Memnon and Calim's consciousnesses were tortured by being able to roam free in the ground and in the air, respectively, without being able to make contact with each other or their bodies. From their continued warring in their disembodied states, the Calim Desert was created.[1]
The Second Era of Skyfire
After the Spellplague ended the effects of the Weave, the Calimemnon Crystal shattered, and Memnon and Calim were freed once again for a time. The Second Era of Skyfire was the result.[7]
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Appendix
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 12–13. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 263. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 77–78. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Andrew Finch, Gwendolyn Kestrel, Chris Perkins (August 2004). Monster Manual III. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 83. ISBN 0-7869-3430-1.
- ↑ Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 119. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 79. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.