Rivalen Tanthul

Nightseer Rivalen Tanthul was the second-eldest of the twelve Princes of Shade as well as the High Priest and champion of Shar, the Goddess of Loss and Night. In his service to his goddess, Rivalen accumulated tremendous divine power that eventually dwarfed that of his father, the Most High Telamont Tanthul, and nearly destroyed an entire realm in Faerûn in her name.

"I'll be the last living thing on this planet, Brennus, screaming into the void as everything dies."

- Rivalen Tanthul, 1484 DR.

Description
He was an imposing figure, with broad shoulders that narrowed to a slender waist. Rivalen wore armor with a helmet adorned with curved horns. He had a rather square head, with yellow eyes that shimmered like gold.

Personality
Rivalen was a individual that nearly always remained collected and in control of himself, despite constant conflicts arising between those he held dear, his ambitions, and the two people to whom he dedicated his life's work: Shar and the Most High.

While Rivalen believed that annihilation and destruction were inevitabilities of existence—and were in fact part of Shar's will—for a time he did all in his power for a time to delay those inevitabilities. He hoped to help achieve his father's dream of a restored empire of Netheril in Faerûn for at least some time, before Shar's Cycle of Night claimed Toril and its people. Later on, Rivalen turned to nihilism and came to believe all his life's work was ultimately meaningless.

Abilities
Rivalen was both an accomplished arcanist as well as on of Shar's Nightseers, the overpriests of her church. This made him what the Netheril call a theurge, spellcasters that blended the magic of the Art and the Power.

In his service to his goddess, Rivalen developed a ritual that allowed human servants to transform themself into shadar-kai, a transformation he declared was a miracle bestowed upon them by Shar.

After receiving a portion of Mask's divinity, Rivalen ascended to near-divine status and wielded powers akin to that of an exarch.

Possessions
Prince Rivalen's personal sigil was the holy symbol of Shar, set above a pair of deep purple ram's horns, set on a field of dark grey.

He was an avid collector of historical coins, believing each one served as a reminder of the momentous occasions he had witnessed in his centuries-long life. His collection spanned eras across Faerûn's history and beyond, and included one coin from a planet alien to Toril itself.

Rivalen was also an appreciator of fine art. For a time he owned the sculpture titled The Descent of the Shadow Army, carved by the famous stone giant artist Aris, before offering it as a gift to Myrmeen Lhal of Arabel.

Activities
While Rivalen's father Telamont was the secular ruler of the Shadovar people, Prince Rivalen server as their leader in faith. He led the flying city's Sharran clergy from the magnificent Hall of Shadow, located near the Palace Most High.

Family
"I will capture Tilverton and destroy the Alliance army or I will die trying.

Die if you must, but death does not excuse failure."

- Rivalen Tanthul and his father Telamont's response.

For much of his life, Rivalen was truly afraid of his father Telamont, more so than any terrible beast or foe he faced in battle.

While his favorite of his siblings was his elder brother Escanor, Rivalen was perhaps closest with his younger brother Brennus, despite their clear differences in personality. Together they embarked on a number of ventures across the Realms, working closely alongside and supporting one another in the face of death, until they had a tumultuous falling out.

Rivalen was also well-served by his brother Yder, who acted as his right hand within the Thultanthan church of Shar. As one of the Lady's divine champions, Yder shared Rivalen's zealous drive to spread her faith across all of Faerûn.

Rivals
In Thultanthar, Rivalen found a rival for his father's approval in Hadrhune, the Most High's chief advisor. Rivalen resented the non-Tanthulan shade and worked to secretly worked undermine his efforts in efforts in Thultanthar. After Hadrhune's death, Rivalen was in the perfect position to become his father's favored advisor and best aid him in the reconstruction of the second Netherese empire.

Within Shar's church, Rivalen had another rival for the favor of the other power to whom he dedicated his life. Kesson Rel emerged as the head of a Sharran sect whose goals were diametrically opposed to those Rivalen received from the Lady of Loss.

History
In the, Rivalen killed his mother Alashar by command of Shar. I doing so he fulfilled his "Own Secret" that he shared with the goddess, a requirement for all new members of the Sharran clergy.

The Return
Sometime during their time in the Shadowfell, Prince Rivalen's powers of divination aided his father in his quest to return Thultanthar to Faerûn, until his younger brother Melegaunt and his pupil Galaeron opened the way for them in the. Rivalen and Escanor were the first two of the remaining princes to step foot on Faerûn, an immediately set to work against Mystra's chosen Elminster, unsure just how much a threat he would pose to their plans. Ultimately their use of shadow magic trapped the old sage in the Nine Hells, a tragedy they maintained was entirely accidental.

After Melegaunt's pupil Galaeron—who held secrets secrets vital to the Shadovar people—had a falling out with the Most High Telamont Tanthul, the young elf stole a number of valuable items from Thultanthar and fled the flying city to Cormyr. In Mirtul of 1372 DR, Rivalen appeared before Cormyr's regent Alusair Obarskyr to negotiate the release of Galaeron and the return of the Shadovar's goods. In the end, Galaeron was held overnight within the Citadel of Arabel. Rivalen and his Shadovar attempted to "free" Galaeron and return him to the Most High in Thultanthar in the middle of the night, but were outmaneuvered by Alusair Obarskyr and several of his men were executed.

After Rivalen's failure, the Most High offered him a chance at redemption by leading the Shadovar forces at the invasion of Tilverton.

Shortly after, Rivalen fought Galaeron Nihmedu and Vangerdahast at the battle of Tilverton.

Time in Sembia
In the, Rivalen and Brennus undertook two quests to help bring back to Faerûn a new empire of Netheril: the raising of the crashed enclave of Sakkors, and the subjugation of one of the terrestrial realms that neighbored Thultanthar.

With the aid of the erratic Sharran priestess Elyril Hraven and her aunt Mirabeta Selkirk, Rivalen and Brennus orchestrated the Sembian Civil War and the eventual subjugation of Sembia as a vassal state to Thultanthar and the restored Empire of Netheril. Together they assassinate the merchant nation's Overmaster, and installed an interim ruler whom they could manipulate, and forced a conflict between cities of Ordulin and Saerb. Rivalen then ingrated himself to the new Hulorn of Selgaunt Thamalon Uskevren II, and set the divided realm against itself at a decisive battle, that saw the Shadovar emerge as the saviors of Sembia. Thamalon II was then installed as the new Overmaster of Sembia and transformed into a shade himself, ensuring Netheril's control over the nation for decades to follow.

To ensure that the Princes' success with Sakkors and Sembia were not all for naught, Rivalen accompanied the two chosen of Mask, Erevis Cale and Drasek Riven, on their quest to kill Kesson Rel, Rivelen's chief rival within the Sharran church. Rivalen sought to claim the divinity for himself, but was thwarted by Brennus, who was informed that it was in fact Rivalen who slayed their mother to many centuries before.

Serving Netheril
In 1484 DR Vasen and Erevis Cale stripped Rivalen, Riven and Mephistopheles of their divinity before Rivalen could finish the Cycle of Night so that Shar could annihilate the world. Mask subsequently reincarnated in Riven and the Cycle of Night was finally stopped. Rivalen died along with Brennus when Sakkors fell upon Ordulin while his brother held him down, avenging his mother Alashar.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege) • Mistress of the Night • The Twilight War (Shadowbred, Shadowstorm, Shadowrealm) • The Godborn