Princes of Shade

The Princes of Shade were the rulers of the City of Shade and the greater empire of returned Netheril. This inner circle was led by the Lord of Shadow, High Prince Telamont Tanthul, and twelve of his sons. While they were born as Netherese noble citizens, before the first fall of the empire, they spent most of their millennia-long lives in the Shadowfell and became shades who ruled over the Shadovar.

High Prince

 * Telamont Tanthul

The High Prince, who was known in his mortal life as the Lord of Shadow spent much of his years in the Plane of Shadow preserving what he considered the finest elements of Netherese society. The Shadovar viewed him as the embodiment of ancient Netheril's customs and values. During his reign he was aided by his right hand, the shadow wizard Hadrhune. He maintained his longevity over the centuries of exile by means of powerful magic, such as the wish spell, but met his end at the hands of Elminster Aumar in 1487 DR.

The Twelve Princes
While the sons were fiercely competitive with one another they remained united in their goal of re-establishing the glory of the Netheril empire and never acted against one another, at least in public view.


 * Rivalen Tanthul

Just as his father was the supreme ruler of the Shadovar, Telamont's eldest son was their spiritual lead. He was the High Priest of Shar within the City of Shade. Two years after their return to Netheril, Rivalen and his brother Brennus masterminded the takeover of Sembia, before ascending as an exarch of Shar after absorbing a portion of her divine son's power. Over a century later. While trying to complete the Cycle of Night in 1484 DR, Rivalen was stripped of his divine power by Erevis Cale, the Chosen of Mask, and died alongside Brennus when the enclave of Sakkors crashed into Ordulin.


 * Clariburnus Tanthul

The young captain of the Netherese military was a fierce warrior and skilled commander. Despite his martial prowess, his rapid promotion among the ranks of the military could be attributed to his high birth, a fact that was a subject of gossip among the nobility of the City of Shade.


 * Mattick and Vattick Tanthul

The twin sons of Telamont, of whom Mattick was two minutes the senior, were exactly alike in their physical appearance and completely inseparable from one another. They spent their time as scholars, divided between the Academy of alchemy and assisting their younger brother Brennus with hunting down ruins of ancient Netheril. They both idolized Hadrhune and sided with Brennus in the rivalry between their father's right hand and eldest brother Rivalen.


 * Yder Tanthul

Serving as the right hand of Prince Rivalen, Yder was a masterful warrior, dedicated to the Mistress of the Night. He led the temple guards of the Hall of Shadow in the City of Shade.


 * Lamorak Tanthul

As overseer of the Deteminists' Guild, Lamorak led the administration of tests that would determine how the Shadovar could best serve within the City of Shade and returned Netheril. He was also charged with the crucial responsibility of deciding which of the Shadovar were deserving enough to be transformed into shades.


 * Dethud Tanthul

Wise and reserved in his demeanor, Dethud served as advisor to his father and brothers of Shade. He was a peacemaker when disagreements arose, remaining neutral on all matters military or political. Although he rarely shared his personal opinions, Dethud agreed with Melegaunt's subtle approach of manipulation. He had two daughters, Lelavdra and Manarlume.


 * Aglarel Tanthul

Detached from the political issues that were prevalent within the City of Shade, Aglarel was only concerned with the safety of his father, the High Prince. He served as the commander of the elite bodyguards of The High. His loyalties lay with his father first and foremost, which bordered on an unhealthy obsession.


 * Escanor Tanthul

The eldest of the Princes.


 * Malath Tanthul

Malath perished when he and ten of his brothers battled five Chosen of Mystra at the mythallar of the City of Shade.


 * Brennus Tanthul

The youngest of the princes, Brennus was a prodigy among the brilliant arcanists of the family and even the City of Shade. Favored by his father, he had a strong appreciation for the history of the people of the Shadovar, ancient Netheril and spent much of his time seeking out ruins of the empire's ancient enclaves. He was convinced these sites held the secret needed to return glory to the reformed Shade Empire. Brennus died when the enclave of Sakkors crashed into the Sembian city of Ordulin, along with his eldest brother Rivalen, whom was being held down by Brennus, finally taking revenge for his mother Alashar.


 * Melegaunt Tanthul

Also known as the Thirteenth Prince, Melegaunt traveled to Faerûn prior to the return of the Shade Enclave, and was killed just before its arrival. Although an accomplished diviner, this younger prince of Netheril was seen as having little ability in the arcane arts compared to his other Shadow Weave-wielding brothers, a fact that was ordered to be kept secret by his father Telamont. He was however, extremely charming, cunning and adept at exploiting and manipulating others due to his uncanny talent for demonstrating insincere empathy. He believed the more good-aligned people of Faerûn had the innate weakness of believing what they wanted over what was truly real, a dynamic the empire could use to manipulate and take control of the Heartlands.


 * Other princes

An unnamed Prince of Shade was slain by Cvaal Daoran of Phlan in the Shadowbane War of 1383 DR.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * The Summoning • The Siege • The Sorcerer • Shadowbred • Shadowrealm • The Godborn • The Sentinel • The Herald