Mulhorand

Mulhorand (muhl-HOH-rand ) was one of the Old Empires in eastern Faerûn. The Mulhorandi were brought to Toril from Earth by the Imaskar Empire looking for some manpower. After countless praises, Ao contacted Ptah who led a part of the Mulhorandi pantheon to Toril. Ironically, their rival in the millennia to come was another human tribe captured by the Imaskari at the same time, which founded the empire of Unther.

Mulhorand was destroyed by the Spellplague and the empire of High Imaskar came to comprise its former territories. After the Chosen of the Mulhorandi gods appeared around the time of the First Sundering, however, they and the wizard Nezram rallied the Mulan to overthrow the Imaskari once more, driving them into the Plains of Purple Dust.

People and culture
The populace of Mulhorand is primarily composed of humans of three primary ethnic factions: the Mulan, the Turami, and slaves from Thay known as Tethens. Other races proved hesitant to follow the Mulhorandi pantheon upon the nation's founding, and were exiled at that time; the non human population remains low as a result. Mulhorand utilizes a caste system with three social classes:


 * Nobility :Members of Mulhorand's nobility take up positions in the nation's government, often as priests, wizards, or bureaucrats. These individuals shave their heads and paint a series of one to three blue circles on their foreheads to indicate social standing and education.


 * Middle Class :Mulhorand's middle class is composed of landowners and craftsmen. Members of this social class are often wealthy, and are considered for marriages by members of the nobility as a result.


 * Slaves :The majority of people in Mulhorand fall into this category. Slaves are owned by the different clergies of the nation, and are guaranteed humane treatment by law. Despite this the life of these individuals is a hard one, though less so than typically experienced by slaves in other nations.

Society
The people of Mulhorand are arrogant individuals that consider themselves better than any rival nation. Law is paramount to the nation's citizens, and change is avoided whenever possible. The government is run by the clergies devoted to the deities of the Mulhorandi pantheon, with the church of Horus-Re being foremost in power. However, despite the peaceful existence these priests seek to create, the different priesthoods are plagued by infighting, bickering, and struggles. These conflicts occur both within their individual orders and against those of other faiths.

Customs
As a theocratic nation, clergy of the Mulhorandi deities are treated with great respect and honor. Priests expect special treatment from the community, and hold authority in all matters; public prayers are performed daily. The peoples of Mulhorand also spend time planning and constructing personal tombs, preparing for their deaths and their continued life thereafter.

Language
Peoples native to Mulhorand speak Mulhorandi, a language that remains largely true to the tongue spoken by the Mulan peoples upon their arrival to Faerûn. In its written form, it is composed of complex pictographs used to communicate ideas and concepts.

Geography
Mulhorand is located in an arid region stretching between the River of the Dawn in the north to the Lake of Salt in the south. The nation's western border is marked by the River of Swords, and it possesses no established border to the east. Its deserts, mountains, fields, and other geological features fall into four distinct divisions:

Menesankh
This region of flat plains, also called the Plain of Life, extends south from the city of Skuld to the River of Swords. The area is heavily irrigated and features occasional marshes.

Asanibis
Also known as the Great Vale, this region lies between the Dragonsword Mountains and the Menesankh, and includes the majority of Mulhorand's farmlands.

Furitep
The mountainous regions of Mulhorand, including the Sunrise Mountains and the Dragonsword Mountains, compose the Furitep.

Taranoth
This region is composed of high plains that lie between the cities of Skuld and Sultim.

Bodies of Water
The Alamber Sea borders Mulhorand on the west. This sea harbors both pirates and sahuagin within its area. The sahuagin raids pose a constant problem for Sultim.

Deserts
The Plains of Purple Dust are located in eastern Mulhorand. The faintly magical sands of this area are home to purple worms, nomads, and other hostile creatures. Connections to the Underdark are also common in this region. Raurin, the Dust Desert, is a wasteland hiding numerous ruins and forgotten magic. This region is also home to dragons and efreet.

Mountains
The Dragonsword Mountains are in central Mulhorand are considered impassable due to a large monster population and because the Mulhorandi simply don't climb mountains.

Plains
The Cliffs of Leaping Horses is a region of plains considered to be the horse land of Mulhorand.

Rivers
The River of the Dawn is Mulhorand's northernmost river and serves as a boundary between the nations of Mulhorand and Thay. The River Rauthenflow has swift waters and can be found in northern Mulhorand. The River of Shadows is named after the city of Skuld, which lies near the river's delta. The water from the River of Spears is used to irrigate the farmlands of the Great Vale. The River of Swords serves as the border between the nations of Mulhorand and Unther.

Cities
Skuld is the capital of Mulhorand. Skuld is also recognized as the oldest continually inhabited city in Faerûn. Gheldaneth is a port city that houses Mulhorand's Great University and the Wizard College. Sultim is Mulhorand's largest port, and the center of the worship of Anhur. Neldorild is relatively new and constantly growing. Its community serves as a retreat for both the wealthy and retired. Mishtan is a town ruled by the church of Osiris. It serves as the home of the Mulhorandi that work to expand the nearby Land of the Dead.

Navy and seafaring
Mulhorandi vessels are named after sea creatures or sea-related myths.

Arrival, slavery and freedom
In response to a plague that killed much of its people, the Imaskar Empire captured over one hundred thousand humans through the use of two portals opened to another world. These portals were then closed and all connections between the two worlds were sealed; the captured Mulan peoples were enslaved by the Imaskari.

The Imaskari barrier inhibited contact between the Mulan and their deities. However, Ao intervened and allowed mortal manifestations of these deities to bypass the barrier and enter Toril directly. The deities battled the Imaskari, eventually defeating them in the year -2488 DR. The divine manifestations founded the nation of Mulhorand in -2135 DR, as well as the rival nation of Unther in -2087 DR.

In -1967 DR, war broke out between Mulhorand and Unther. The conflict ended in -1961 DR when the ruling deities agreed upon the River of Swords as a common border between their two nations.

The Orcgate War
In the year -1081 DR the Theurgist Adept Thayd opened a portal to a world populated by gray orcs. Thayd was executed shortly after for inciting rebellion, and the portal remained forgotten until discovered by the orcs. In the year -1076 DR, the humanoids invaded Mulhorand and Unther, beginning what later became known as the Orcgate Wars.

The invading orcs possessed the ability to summon the avatars of their deities. The divine manifestations of the Mulhorandi and Untheric pantheons faced those of the orc pantheon in what later became known as the Battle of the Gods, a clash that resulted in the death of the Mulhorandi deity Re at the hands of Gruumsh in -1071 DR. The conflict continued until the Mulhorandi and Untheric pantheons allied to defeat the invading force in -1069 DR.

Decline and recovery
In the wake of the Orcgate Wars, Mulhorand began a prolonged decline in power. Its daughter states broke free and formed the nations of Murghôm, Semphar, and Thay. This decline continued until the Time of Troubles, at which time the Imaskari barrier was dissolved by Ao. The divine manifestations that had ruled for centuries rejoined their primary essences; Mulhorand was ruled by a true mortal king for the first time in its history. After a brief upheaval, the nation stabilized under the rule of the clergy.

Invasion of Unther
1371 DR - 1379 DR

In response to the death of Unther's manifest deity Gilgeam the Tyrant, the pharaoh Horustep III allowed the clerics of Anhur to cross the River of Swords and invade their long time rival nation. Assisted by a mercenary company, the Gold Swords, Mulhorand invaded Unther in 1371 DR. Although the initial invasion met with great success, fighting fell down to low-level skirmishes for years until 1379 DR, when the Mulhorandi launch one final wave of conquest, swallowing the weakened empire.

The Spellplague
No more than six years after the conquest of Unther, Mulhorand was destroyed by the Spellplague in 1385 DR. Many of the Mulan people were killed during the alteration of the landscape, and the few survivors fled to other lands such as Chessenta. The Mulhorandi pantheon vanished without a trace.

Mulhorand soon became completely devoid of civilization, and the Deep Imaskari wizard Ususi Manaallin has since founded the empire of High Imaskar on its former territories, with immigrants from Deep Imaskar comprising its citizenry.

However, in the run up to the Second Sundering, when the gods of Faerûn began to pick Chosen to enact their will, several mortal descendants of the old Mulhorandi gods found themselves possessed by their divine ancestors and immediately began a war against the Imaskari. With the help of Nezram the World-Walker, the returned deities and their Mulan servants won out, driving the Imaskari east into the desert.

Notable inhabitants

 * Brathes
 * Horustep III
 * Mardikan
 * Rezim