Eminence of Araunt

The Eminence of Araunt is a relatively new power in Toril. Brought to the world on the planeshifted continent of Returned Abeir, The Eminence views itself as the de facto ruler of all undead across Toril. Through a series of rituals The Eminence connects undead-only portals to the catacombs and crypts of the world, raises the interred and declares them principalities of Araunt.

Organization
Founded some 500 years before 1479 DR, the Eminence of Araunt got its start in an Eskorn tomb where the bone naga, Lod, scribed the Codex of Araunt onto stone tablets. The Codex predicted the slow expansion of the "kingdom" over the centuries, but failed to predict the devastation wrought by the Spellplague. Almost the entirety of Araunt's holdings were severed from the rest of Abeir and brought to Toril on the continent of Returned Abeir.

This included the organization's headquarters in the catacombs of Nornglast in Eskorn. The region has long had a reputation for being haunted, and the Eminence uses these stories to cover its activities. While the organization is primarily made up the undead, it does employ a limited number of living allies, which it uses as spies and traders to procure the exotic components required for the Eminence's rituals. Most of Araunt's “citizens” are specters and ghosts, called up by the Eminence's rituals. Both direhelms and doomsepts are undead ghasts formed of several spirits that are created to defend the Eminence's principalities.

Araunt is hostile to all other cults and kingdoms of the undead, including Thay. Skirmishes have already been fought between the two major undead powers, with a full war brewing in the catacombs of the world. Vampires, liches and other strong-willed undead will sometimes ally with Araunt, but rarely stay with the organizations for any length of time.