Aremag (pronounced: /ɑːˈrɛmɑːg/ a-RE-mag[4]) was a dragon turtle who lived in the Bay of Chult from at least the mid–14th[5] to the late 15th centuries DR. His activities in the bay were well known by the locals of Port Nyanzaru.[6][2]
Description[]
Thanks to the fight with the Narwhal,[7] Aremag had a blind, milky left eye and was missing a piece of its shell.[2] He had a particularly grouchy personality.[5]
Personality[]
Aremag thought highly of himself, and expected deference from any sailors he encountered.[3] When forced into combat with his patrons, he would often avoid direct combat, and rather knock his enemies into the water or capsize their vessels for them to be devoured by reef sharks.[8]
Activities[]
Aremag considered a region of the Sea of Swords north of Chult his territory. The trade routes from Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep to Chult passed right through it.[5] Unlike other dragon turtles around Chult who simply enjoyed destroying every vessel they encountered,[5] Aremag demanded tribute from any ship he found entering or exiting the Bay of Chult,[5][6] and this could be in the form of treasure, often tossed overboard into the Bay, or in the lives of sailors, as many as ten put out in a boat.[7][1] This led to the practice of ships carrying payment for the dragon turtle whenever they planned to pass through the southern Sea of Swords, usually in the form of treasure although pirates were known to capture captives to offer him.[3] Aremag would then take up the amassed loot and store it in his lair, the location of which was unknown.[1]
History[]
In the Year of the Helm, 1362 DR, the Refuge Bay Trading Company made a deal with Aremag to pay a monthly toll for permission to pass. However, after some months, Aremag reneged and threatened the Narwhal under Captain Bawr for another toll; under protest, she agreed to pay treasure and ten men of the watch who'd failed to spot Aremag, plus Artus Cimber for being in the way. His guardian spirit, Skuld, defeated the monstrous Bawr and threw her into the sea, to be the first of the sacrifices. Artus then threw a magical bomb—a gunstone given by Skuld—that damaged Aremag's shell, then ordered ballista to shoot the dragon turtle. Eight struck, and one blinded his left eye. Aremag breathed scalding steam over the ship, and sank back into the sea.[7] The dragon turtle's injuries did not diminish him in the slightest, and if anything made him more ornery. For more than a century, he would continue demanding payment from passing ships, and did not suffer to negotiate.[3]
Rumors & Legends[]
In the late 14th century, some believed that the harbormaster of Port Nyanzaru had made an agreement with Aremag, paying a monthly tribute for the beast to keep all other sea monsters out of the Bay.[9][10]
Appendix[]
Background[]
Aremag is likely named for Gamera, a turtle-like gigantic monster or kaiju of a series of Japanese movies.
Appearances[]
Adventures
Novels & Short Stories
Video Games
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 James Wyatt (October 2021). Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Edited by Judy Bauer, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 113. ISBN 978-0-7869-6729-2.
- ↑ Benoit de Bernardy (2018). A Lesson in Love (DDAL07-11) (PDF). D&D Adventurers League: Tomb of Annihilation (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 James Lowder, Jean Rabe (1993). The Jungles of Chult. (TSR, Inc), p. 9. ISBN 1-5607-6605-0.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 James Lowder (November 1992). The Ring of Winter. (TSR, Inc), chap. 4, pp. 64–73. ISBN 978-1560763307.
- ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- ↑ James Lowder, Jean Rabe (1993). The Jungles of Chult. (TSR, Inc), p. 27. ISBN 1-5607-6605-0.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 104. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.