Forgotten Realms Wiki
Forgotten Realms Wiki
(Adding categories)
Tag: categoryselect
m (Added an "Appendix" section.)
Tag: Source edit
 
(14 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{otheruses4|Tilverton post 1372 DR|The town of Tilverton pre 1372|Tilverton}}
+
{{otheruses4|Tilverton post-1372 DR|The town of Tilverton pre-1372|Tilverton}}
 
{{Location
 
{{Location
| title =
+
| image = Tilverton Scar.png
| image =
+
| caption = The Black Crater in 1372 DR.
| caption =
+
| name = Tilverton Scar
| name = Tilverton Scar
+
| alt spelling =
| aliases =
+
| aliases = The Black Crater
| size =
+
| type = Magical disaster, ruin, [[plagueland]]
  +
| region = [[Tilver's Gap]], [[Cormyr]], [[interior Faerûn]]
| area =
 
| population =
+
| size =
| races =
+
| elevation =
| religions =
+
| depth =
| imports =
+
| capital =
| exports =
+
| largest city =
  +
| georefs = <ref name="FRCG-p107"/>
| alignment =
 
| inhabitants =
+
| demonym =
| source =
+
| population =
| page =
+
| races =
 
| languages =
  +
| religion =
 
| alignment =
  +
| socrefs =
  +
| imports =
  +
| exports =
  +
| currency =
  +
| comrefs =
  +
| government =
  +
| rulertype =
  +
| ruler =
  +
| head of state =
  +
| leader1 =
  +
| head of government =
  +
| leader2 =
  +
| executive =
  +
| legislature =
  +
| judiciary =
  +
| allegiances =
  +
| govrefs =
  +
| established =
  +
| start event =
  +
| start date =
  +
| event1 = Created by the destruction of [[Tilverton]].
  +
| date1 = [[1372 DR]]
  +
| event2 = Transformed into a plagueland by the [[Spellplague]]
  +
| date2 = [[1385 DR]]
  +
| event3 =
  +
| date3 =
  +
| event4 =
  +
| date4 =
  +
| disestablished =
  +
| end event =
  +
| end date =
  +
| predecessor =
  +
| successor =
  +
| population1 =
  +
| popyear1 =
  +
| population2 =
  +
| popyear2 =
  +
| population3 =
  +
| popyear3 =
  +
| population4 =
  +
| popyear4 =
  +
| population5 =
  +
| popyear5 =
  +
| poptable =
  +
| ruler1 =
  +
| ruleryear1 =
  +
| ruler2 =
  +
| ruleryear2 =
  +
| ruler3 =
  +
| ruleryear3 =
  +
| ruler4 =
  +
| ruleryear4 =
  +
| ruler5 =
  +
| ruleryear5 =
  +
| rulertable =
  +
| histrefs = <ref name="FRCG-p107"/>
  +
| usethe =
  +
| useon =
  +
| inhabitants =
  +
| locations =
  +
| organizations =
  +
| settlements =
  +
| roads =
  +
| mountains =
  +
| bodies of water =
  +
| forests =
  +
| events =
  +
| food and drink =
  +
| items =
 
}}
 
}}
   
The '''Tilverton Scar''' is all that is left after the town of [[Tilverton]] was attacked by the forces of [[Thultanthar]] on [[Mirtul]] 27 [[1372 DR]]. As of [[1479 DR]], the '''Tilverton Scar''' is the only known area of [[plagueland]] in [[Cormyr]].<ref name="FRCG-p107">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|107}}</ref>
+
The '''Tilverton Scar''', initially known as the '''Black Crater''',<ref name="Dgn88-p15-19"/> was a crater, [[plagueland]], and ongoing magical disaster in northern [[Cormyr]]. It was all that was left of [[Tilverton]] after it was attacked by the forces of [[Thultanthar]] in [[1372 DR]].<ref name="FRCG-p107">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|107}}</ref>
   
  +
==Geography==
==Surrounding Land==
 
  +
The Scar was a {{SI|1|mi}} wide crater that encompassed the entire former site of Tilverton, including the outlying sprawl beyond the walls.<ref name="The Siege-ch16"/> It was initially born of a rift to the [[Plane of Shadow]] that subsumed the city and surrounding terrain, and then filled the hollow with disturbing, unnatural shadows that resembled a shifting black fog. Anyone who entered it was permanently and irrevocably lost, with [[divination]] magic unable to determine anything about their fate. The Weave was heavily damaged in the area, so magical spells cast within {{SI|5|mi}} of the crater had a chance of malfunctioning, with more powerful and complex spells increasingly certain to fail.<ref name="Dgn88-p15-19"/>
A number of homes, most of them belonging to hardy herders and horse ranchers who refuse to be scared away, can be found around the former city's site.<ref name="TGP-P49">{{Cite book/The Glass Prison|49}}</ref>
 
   
  +
After the [[Spellplague]] it became an active plagueland pocket with a unique combination of raw [[Weave]] and shadow energies, with an endlessly rising and collapsing spiral of shadows and blue fire.<ref name="FRCG-p107"/>
==History==
 
===Destruction of Tilverton===
 
On Mirtul 27 [[1372 DR]], Tilverton was destroyed <ref name="PGtF-P170">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|170}}</ref> when it was attacked by the forces of [[Thultanthar]]. All that was left of the town was a dark, concave space filled with shadows and flitting regions of deeper darkness.<ref name="The Siege">{{Cite book/The Siege}}</ref>
 
Though Tilverton is now destroyed and desolate, the city's walls rise high above the flat plain on which it once stood.<ref name="TGP-P49"/>
 
   
  +
===Flora & Fauna===
By [[1479 DR]], Tilverton had changed from shadows to a “spiral of darkness and blue fire”.
 
  +
The former site of Tilverton were known to be haunted by [[deathshrieker]]s, vengeful spirits born of destruction and suffering.<ref name="mm3-p33">{{Cite book/Monster Manual III|33}}</ref>
   
==References==
+
==Trade==
  +
The [[Moonsea Ride]] was blockaded many miles from the crater, with a wide bypass starting {{SI|5|mi}} east of the Purple Dragons camp that looped north to meet the [[North Ride]] and eventually met up with the other end far to the south-west, marked out by stone cairns and enforced by the [[Purple Dragons]] garrison to ensure nobody saw into or intruded near the Black Crater.<ref name="Dgn88-p15-19"/>
{{refs}}
 
   
  +
==Defenses==
===Further reading===
 
  +
Immediately after its creation in 1372 DR, the Black Crater was guarded and monitored by a detachment of 50 Purple Dragons commanded by Captain [[Miri Dunman]] and 20 veteran [[War Wizards]]. They set up an outpost on a ridge {{SI|3|mi}} north-east of the crater that let them oversee the ruins, Moonsea Ride, and surrounding landscape. The base was supported by a direct ''[[portal]]'' connection to [[Suzail]] in the [[Royal Court]].<ref name="Dgn88-p15-19"/>
* {{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide|107}}
 
   
  +
The posting was extremely stressful, even without the presence of enemies. The soldiers and their Captain weren't sure of the nature of the Crater or the dangers it posed, and had direct orders to kill anyone who approached it. It was assumed that any who entered the pit were lost forever to a malevolent force, and killing them before they got there was a mercy.<ref name="Dgn88-p15-19"/>
{{geo-stub}}
 
   
  +
By [[1479 DR]], a small keep had been erected within a few hundred yards of the plagueland's edge. The curious could use this keep to examine the site with some safety.<ref name="FRCG-p107"/>
   
 
==History==
  +
On [[Mirtul 27]] of [[1372 DR]], Tilverton was attacked by the forces of [[Thultanthar]] and fiercely contested by Cormyr, with the city's population evacuated ahead of the battle. The city was destroyed by the clashing magics unleashed by Royal Magician [[Vangerdahast]] and [[Rivalen Tanthul]] that caused the town and the ground beneath it to be devoured by a mass of [[shadowstuff]] flowing from a ''portal'' to the Plane of Shadow. The lower city and surrounding area was most affected, with the [[Tilverton/Old Town|Old Town]] atop the Knoll remaining intact for some time.<ref name="PGtF-p168-170">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|168-170}}</ref><ref name="The Siege-ch16">{{Cite book/The Siege/Paperback 2001|?|16}}</ref>
  +
  +
The knight Sir [[Ajandor Surehand]] and his squire [[Kevin (squire)|Kevin]] arrived on [[Kythorn 11]], answering the initial call to war. They began hunting down the [[shadow]]s lurking in the ruins and sighted a strange amalgamation called [[King Shadow]], a huge flying mass of shadows. Kevin struck out into the Old Town alone, ultimately freeing a number of prisoners who had been captured and kept by the shadows in [[Tilver's Palace]], but also being captured himself. Together, he and Sir Ajandor destroyed King Shadow, freeing the ruins from its terrible presence.<ref name="RoS.KS-p?">{{Cite book/Realms of Shadow/King Shadow|?}}</ref><ref name="Destruction" group="note">''The Siege'' implies the complete destruction of the city and surrounding area, matching the description provided by ''The Door from Everywhere''. However, ''King Shadow'' between the two presents the city as ruined but intact. This article attempts to reconcile these descriptions by having the city be gradually destroyed over time.</ref>
  +
  +
Within a few months, all that remained of Tilverton was a crater filled with unnaturally strong and animate shadows.<ref name="GHotR-p153">{{Cite book/The Grand History of the Realms|153}}</ref><ref name="FRCG-p107"/> The site became known as the Black Crater, and Cormyr immediately established a strong [[Purple Dragons]] and [[War Wizards]] presence on a nearby ridgeline and began work on fortifications, under the local command of Captain [[Miri Dunman]]. The area immediately around it was considered off-limits to everyone, and the Moonsea Ride was blocked off and rerouted around the site. The presence of [[orc]] raiders at the nearby [[Stonelands Ruins (Netherese)|Netherese ruins]] was noted in the midyear, leading to the discovery of a great ''portal'' network connected to the ruins of [[Blister]].<ref name="Dgn88-p15-19">{{Cite dungeon/88/The Door from Everywhere|15-19}}</ref>
  +
  +
By [[Greengrass]] of [[1373 DR]], survivors had returned and built a new settlement a few miles away, naming it New Tilverton. Unfortunately, by [[Marpenoth]] some unknown creature had begun stalking and killing the locals, leaving their remains on the road to the former city.<ref name="GHotR-p154">{{Cite book/The Grand History of the Realms|154}}</ref><ref name="PGtF-p171">{{Cite book/Player's Guide to Faerûn|171}}</ref>
  +
  +
After the [[Wailing Years]], the Scar changed from a mere pit of living shadows to an endlessly collapsing spiral of darkness and blue flame, becoming the only active [[plagueland]] in Cormyr. People who got too close were sometimes marked with a [[spellscar]] or a wasting disease. Those who were changed by the Scar subsequently dreamt of a monstrous [[plaguechanged]] creature of earth and shadow at the bottom of the pit, trapped and sustained by the disaster swirling around it.<ref name="FRCG-p107"/> Legends called the being the [[Shadow Shredder]], and claimed that the Shadovar avoided the area because of it.<ref name="FRPG-p89">{{Cite book/Forgotten Realms Player's Guide|89}}</ref>
  +
  +
==Appendix==
  +
===Notes===
  +
{{Notes}}
  +
===References===
 
{{refs}}
 
[[de:Tilverton Scar]]
 
[[de:Tilverton Scar]]
[[Category:Locations in Cormyr]]
 
 
[[Category:Ruins]]
 
[[Category:Ruins]]
  +
[[Category:Ruined settlements]]
  +
[[Category:Plaguelands]]
  +
[[Category:Craters]]
  +
[[Category:Locations in Tilver's Gap]]
 
[[Category:Locations in Cormyr]]
  +
[[Category:Locations in the Eastern Heartlands]]
  +
[[Category:Locations in Interior Faerûn]]
  +
[[Category:Locations in Faerûn]]
  +
[[Category:Locations on Toril]]
  +
[[Category:Locations]]

Latest revision as of 17:21, 6 March 2024


The Tilverton Scar, initially known as the Black Crater,[2] was a crater, plagueland, and ongoing magical disaster in northern Cormyr. It was all that was left of Tilverton after it was attacked by the forces of Thultanthar in 1372 DR.[1]

Geography[]

The Scar was a 1 mi (1,600 m) wide crater that encompassed the entire former site of Tilverton, including the outlying sprawl beyond the walls.[3] It was initially born of a rift to the Plane of Shadow that subsumed the city and surrounding terrain, and then filled the hollow with disturbing, unnatural shadows that resembled a shifting black fog. Anyone who entered it was permanently and irrevocably lost, with divination magic unable to determine anything about their fate. The Weave was heavily damaged in the area, so magical spells cast within 5 mi (8,000 m) of the crater had a chance of malfunctioning, with more powerful and complex spells increasingly certain to fail.[2]

After the Spellplague it became an active plagueland pocket with a unique combination of raw Weave and shadow energies, with an endlessly rising and collapsing spiral of shadows and blue fire.[1]

Flora & Fauna[]

The former site of Tilverton were known to be haunted by deathshriekers, vengeful spirits born of destruction and suffering.[4]

Trade[]

The Moonsea Ride was blockaded many miles from the crater, with a wide bypass starting 5 mi (8,000 m) east of the Purple Dragons camp that looped north to meet the North Ride and eventually met up with the other end far to the south-west, marked out by stone cairns and enforced by the Purple Dragons garrison to ensure nobody saw into or intruded near the Black Crater.[2]

Defenses[]

Immediately after its creation in 1372 DR, the Black Crater was guarded and monitored by a detachment of 50 Purple Dragons commanded by Captain Miri Dunman and 20 veteran War Wizards. They set up an outpost on a ridge 3 mi (4,800 m) north-east of the crater that let them oversee the ruins, Moonsea Ride, and surrounding landscape. The base was supported by a direct portal connection to Suzail in the Royal Court.[2]

The posting was extremely stressful, even without the presence of enemies. The soldiers and their Captain weren't sure of the nature of the Crater or the dangers it posed, and had direct orders to kill anyone who approached it. It was assumed that any who entered the pit were lost forever to a malevolent force, and killing them before they got there was a mercy.[2]

By 1479 DR, a small keep had been erected within a few hundred yards of the plagueland's edge. The curious could use this keep to examine the site with some safety.[1]

History[]

On Mirtul 27 of 1372 DR, Tilverton was attacked by the forces of Thultanthar and fiercely contested by Cormyr, with the city's population evacuated ahead of the battle. The city was destroyed by the clashing magics unleashed by Royal Magician Vangerdahast and Rivalen Tanthul that caused the town and the ground beneath it to be devoured by a mass of shadowstuff flowing from a portal to the Plane of Shadow. The lower city and surrounding area was most affected, with the Old Town atop the Knoll remaining intact for some time.[5][3]

The knight Sir Ajandor Surehand and his squire Kevin arrived on Kythorn 11, answering the initial call to war. They began hunting down the shadows lurking in the ruins and sighted a strange amalgamation called King Shadow, a huge flying mass of shadows. Kevin struck out into the Old Town alone, ultimately freeing a number of prisoners who had been captured and kept by the shadows in Tilver's Palace, but also being captured himself. Together, he and Sir Ajandor destroyed King Shadow, freeing the ruins from its terrible presence.[6][note 1]

Within a few months, all that remained of Tilverton was a crater filled with unnaturally strong and animate shadows.[7][1] The site became known as the Black Crater, and Cormyr immediately established a strong Purple Dragons and War Wizards presence on a nearby ridgeline and began work on fortifications, under the local command of Captain Miri Dunman. The area immediately around it was considered off-limits to everyone, and the Moonsea Ride was blocked off and rerouted around the site. The presence of orc raiders at the nearby Netherese ruins was noted in the midyear, leading to the discovery of a great portal network connected to the ruins of Blister.[2]

By Greengrass of 1373 DR, survivors had returned and built a new settlement a few miles away, naming it New Tilverton. Unfortunately, by Marpenoth some unknown creature had begun stalking and killing the locals, leaving their remains on the road to the former city.[8][9]

After the Wailing Years, the Scar changed from a mere pit of living shadows to an endlessly collapsing spiral of darkness and blue flame, becoming the only active plagueland in Cormyr. People who got too close were sometimes marked with a spellscar or a wasting disease. Those who were changed by the Scar subsequently dreamt of a monstrous plaguechanged creature of earth and shadow at the bottom of the pit, trapped and sustained by the disaster swirling around it.[1] Legends called the being the Shadow Shredder, and claimed that the Shadovar avoided the area because of it.[10]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. The Siege implies the complete destruction of the city and surrounding area, matching the description provided by The Door from Everywhere. However, King Shadow between the two presents the city as ruined but intact. This article attempts to reconcile these descriptions by having the city be gradually destroyed over time.

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. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 107. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Roger E. Moore (September 2001). “The Door from Everywhere”. Dungeon #88 (Wizards of the Coast) (88)., pp. 15–19.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Troy Denning (November 2001). The Siege. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16, p. ?. ISBN 978-0-7869-2678-7.
  4. Andrew Finch, Gwendolyn Kestrel, Chris Perkins (August 2004). Monster Manual III. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 33. ISBN 0-7869-3430-1.
  5. Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 168–170. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  6. Richard Lee Byers (March 2002). Realms of Shadow ("King Shadow"). (Wizards of the Coast), p. ?. ISBN 0-7869-2716-X.
  7. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 153. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  8. Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 154. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
  9. Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 171. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  10. Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 89. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.