Yder Tanthul

Prince Yder Tanthul was one of the twelve Princes of Shade and the right hand of his older brother Prince Rivalen Tanthul. While he served the High Prince and empire of Netheril as its general, he devoted himself to Shar the Lady of Loss before all others. Yder also remained a respected and feared warrior in his own right.

"Shar cares nothing for ancient names or aristocratic blood. She values ability above all else, and man like you...let us just say that when the Mistress of the Night reigns over Toril, nobles will bow to you."

- Yder, sharing the virtues of Shar to his adversary Kleef Kenric.

Description
Yder had gleaming blue-grey eyes the color of steel. His protruding fangs became visisble when he smiled.

He had a notably deep voice that would resonate in the minds of others.

Personality
The prince had a cunning mind for tactics and was wholly dedicated to any mission he undertook. He was not one to be influenced by flattery.

Possessions
Yder's personal sigil is a stylized silver greatsword on a gray field. The pommel of this sword is a replica of the symbol of Shar: a black disk with a deep purple border.

Abilities
Using the power bestowed upon him from Shar, Yder could enter into the dreams of others. During these psychic intrusions he could communicate with his victim or spy upon their recent memories.

Activities
Upon the return of Thultanthar to the Realms, Yder served as a divine champion dedicated to Shar and commanded the Night Guards of the Hall of Shadows.

By the late 15 century DR, Yder had become a general of the armies of thereturned empire of Netheril. He also performed duties as the chief templar in Rivalen's Dome of Night.

Relationships
"Do not follow your brother's path, I warn you. I won't tolerate it again."

- Telamont Tanthul, to Yder.

Unlike his elder brother, Rivalen, Yder has no quarrel with his father's hand, Hadrhune. He would simply like the will of his deity guide the Shadovar rather than Hadrhune's.

Yder was briefly served by Ajloon, his short-lived second-in-command of the Night Guard. Despite his subordinate's shortcomings, the Prince of Shade respected Aldjoon did his best to impart his wisdon and guidance onto him.

During his final years Yder's relationship with his father Telamont Tanthul began to fracture. The repeated failures endured by the Netheril empire along with the deaths of Yder's brother Rivalen took its toll on father and son. Yder resented the fact Telamont did not truly dedicate himself to the worship of Shar.

History
Like the rest of his brothers, Yder was born in Netheril some time before Karsus's Folly. He trained as a soldier among the Shadovar army and reached the rank of captain before joining Shar's service as Rivalen's right hand man. After Karsus's Folly in the, Yder spent much of his life on the Plane of Shadow where he was transformed into a Shade like his brothers and others of his kin.

When the Princes of Shade returned to Toril on Nightal 30 in the, Yder appeared with his brothers Brennus and Makorak to a tribe of Bedine people at the Shoal of Thirst in Anauroch. The trio sought to win over the allegiance of the nomadic tribespeople, but were taken for malevolent djinn and otherwise avoided.

One mission Yder undertook was the infiltration of Shadowdale in the, during which he managed to possess Lord Mourngrym Amcathra using a shadow simulacrum. This allowed the Army of Darkhope to take control of the Dale with little resistance.

15 Century
"Even if you are right, the Cycle of Night has been stopped. Now you must serve Shar, if you wish her hep in the War."

- Yder, to Telamont in 1486 DR.

Yder played an important role in the invasion of Cormyr during the late 15 century DR, but was unsuccessful in claiming its capital of Suzail. During the events of the Second Sundering, Telamont Tanthul refocused his efforts on the identification and apprehension of the various chosen of the gods.

While in Cormyr in the, Yder was tasked by his father Telamont to hunt down two of these chosen: Joelle Emmeline the Heartwarder of Sune, and Malik el Sami, Cyric's resurrected Seraph of Lies. The pair were in possession of a powerful artifact desired by Shar, the Eye of Gruumsh. Yder's soldiers drove them out of the beleagured city of Marsember and into the company of two other chosen fleeing the city, the Helmite champion Kleef Kenric, and the noble-born devotee of Siamorphe Arietta Seasilver.

Yder slew Arietta's father Farnig and captured her mother Elira aboard the family's ship at sea. This bold maneuver drew the four chosen out from hiding and forced them to commit to a path that Yder could easily follow. The Shadovar general penetrated the mind of the guardsman Kenric, granting him insight during the pursuit across the lands of Turmish in the Vilhon Reach and eventually the Chondalwood.

Having disappointed High Prince Tanthul by letting the chosen flee Cormyr, Yder was forced to relinquish the Night Guard back to Thultanthar. Fearing his father would take his frustration out on the Hall of Shadows, Yder rebuked his Telamont's order and directed Ajloon to lead the Night Guard in protection of the temple by any means necessary.

Yder and his remaining Night Guard finally confronted the four chosen at Sadrach's Spire in the Underchasm. Despite the prince's best efforts, they were unable to retrieve the Eye of Gruumsh and Yder was struck down by Kenric, who gained renewed power as his god Helm returned to the Realms.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land
 * Novels
 * Return of the Archwizards (The Summoning, The Siege) • The Sentinel