Primordial

From Forgotten Realms Wiki

The primordials, or Dawn Titans, are god-like beings whose domains are the Elemental Chaos and Abeir, unlike the gods (Estelar), whose domains are the Astral Sea and Toril.

Contents 1 History 2 Elemental Lords 3 Seven Lost Gods 4 Other Known Primordials 5 Behind the Scenes 6 Sourcebooks 7 References

[edit] History

Ao created the multiverse from the raw material of the Phlogiston, and within the sphere several worlds drifted upon the Sea of Night. The worlds contained no life, but they were coveted by powerful beings known today as the primordials. The beautiful goddesses of light and dark, Selûne and Shar, formed, unbeknownst to the primordials, from the ocean of silvery liquid left over from the realm’s creation (the Astral Sea) and defended the new worlds from the primordials, naturally beings of entropy and elemental power and destruction. Thus began the ageless war between the gods and primordials, and other gods were created from the residue of the conflict or summoned from other dimensions.^[1]

During the time known as the Blue Age, a race of sea creatures was living on Toril in the planet’s single, vast ocean. The Blue Age came to an end when a primordial known as Dendar the Night Serpent swallowed the sun, giving way to the Shadow Epoch. Sarrukh myths and legends tell of great battles during this time between the primordials and the Elder Gods led by Ouroboros the World Serpent. The war turned in the gods’ favor when the primordial Ubtao the Deceiver assisted the elder gods in slaying, imprisoning, or driving away the remaining primordials.^[1]

Circa −31,000 DR, during the Days of Thunder and near the end of the batrachi civilization, the amphibious creator race known as the batrachi was waging a losing war against the titans descended from Annam All-Father. Desperate, the batrachi summoned several primordials, which released them from their imprisonment. The gods quickly attacked their ancient foes,^[1] and the Dawn Titans were defeated, slaughtered even.^[2] During the fighting, Ao himself intervened when the primordial Asgoroth the World Shaper hurled an ice moon at Toril, wanting to destroy the world because she could not claim it as her own. Ao then created a twin planet of Toril called Abeir. He granted the primordials control of the new world and the gods control of the original.^[1]

The few primordials who survived retreated to Abeir, tired of conflict. Their dragon steeds then turned on them, killing even more, and the remaining Dawn Titans retreated into the mountains of Abeir. From that point on, Abeir was ruled by dragons until recent times, when the Spellplague transferred a continent called Returned Abeir from Abeir onto Toril. Currently, the Dawn Titans from Abeir are sleeping in a frigid part of Returned Abeir’s mountains called Fimbrul.^[2]

[edit] Elemental Lords

There were a few primordials who never fought the gods and chose to remain in Toril when Abeir split away. Five such primordials are elemental lords and now rule over the Elemental Chaos (which until the Spellplague was six different elemental planes), worshiped like gods. All are true neutral in alignment except Bazim-Gorag, who is chaotic evil.^[3]

Akadi

Akadi, the Queen of the Air, is the ruler of the air element.^[3] Her domain is Sky Home.^[4]

Bazim-Gorag

Bazim-Gorag, the Lord of the Pandemonium Stone, is an ascended batrachi who is dedicated to pure chaos. His portfolio is chance, and he is invoked by gamblers and anyone who wants the impossible.^[3]

Grumbar

Grumbar, the Lord of the Earth, is the ruler of the earth element.^[3] His domain is Root Hold.^[4]

Istishia

Istishia, the Lord of Water, is the ruler of the water element. He cares not about Umberlee’s storms or Valkur’s sailors.^[3] His domain is Cresting Spires.^[4]

Kossuth

Kossuth, the Lord of Fire, is the ruler of the fire element.^[3] His domain is the Undying Pyre.^[4]

[edit] Seven Lost Gods

Main article: Seven Lost Gods

The “Seven Lost Gods” is a term used to describe various groups of powerful entities at different times. Some of these entities might have been primordials, and candidates include Dendar the Night Serpent, Kezef the Chaos Hound, and Borem of the Boiling Mud.^[3]

[edit] Other Known Primordials

Arambar

A Dawn Titan so powerful that even in death his essence changes the color of the sky over Returned Abeir from blue to a steely sheen with dark green or copper-colored clouds.

Asgoroth the World Shaper

After the batrachi summoned the imprisoned primordials to aid them in their war against the giants, she flung an ice moon at Toril, wanting to destroy the world rather than permit the gods to possess it.^[1]

Dendar the Night Serpent

A massive serpent who swallowed the sun, giving way to the Shadow Epoch,^[1] she now rests in a cave on the Fugue Plane or Gray Wastes,^[5] waiting for the day to devour the sun once more and destroy the world. It is said that she is the source of nightmares, and she gains sustenance from them.^[6]

Mual-Tar the Thunder Serpent

A massive snake-like creature held captive by magical chains but with a cult that seeks its freedom.^[7]

Telos

Telos fell to the earth during the Spellplague, landing in Vaasa, where he remains comatose in a crater. The Warlock Knights, the nobility of Vaasa’s harsh feudal system, mine material from Telos (which he quickly regenerates), using it to fuel and power their magic. They also use shardsouls, insane and suicidal automatons made of extraplanar iron carved from Telos, as soldiers.^[8]

Ubtao the Deceiver

During the Shadow Epoch, he betrayed his fellow primordials and aided the gods in killing, imprisoning, and driving them away.^[1]

[edit] Behind the Scenes

The primordials are a concept native to “core” Dungeons & Dragons. In keeping with their stated policy of using core content in campaign settings for the fourth edition of the game, Wizards of the Coast imported the godlike beings into the Realms. In order to facilitate this process, an unused concept by Ed Greenwood predating fourth edition known as the “sleeping gods” was used to retcon the primordials into the setting.^[9]

[edit] Sourcebooks

• Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.

[edit] References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p. 41–43. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p. 200. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p. 77–78. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p. 66–67. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
5. ↑ James Lowder (August 1993). Prince of Lies. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 1-56076-626-3.
6. ↑ Jeff Crook, Wil Upchurch, Eric L. Boyd (May 2005). Champions of Ruin, p. 140–144. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3692-4.
7. ↑ Wyatt, James. “Mual-Tar, the Thunder Serpent.” Dragon #370 (12 Dec. 2008). Wizards of the Coast. Accessed 28 May 2009 <http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20081212b (archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/5h6nqXyiP)>.
8. ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, p. 276–279. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
9. ↑ Richard Baker (December 12th, 2007). The one and only “Ask the Realms authors/designers thread” 3. Retrieved on January 12th, 2009.