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The Crystal Spire, formerly known as the Bone Castle,[1] was the joint divine realm of Kelemvor and Jergal.[3][5] It was located in the City of the Dead in the Oinos layer of Hades according to the Great Wheel cosmology,[1][2][6] and in the City of Judgment in the Fugue Plane according to the World Tree and World Axis cosmologies.[3][4][5][7]

Description[]

The spire was made of glimmering transparent rock.[4]

Cosmography[]

In the World Tree and World Axis cosmologies, the tower stood at the center of the City of Judgment, around which stood the Wall of the Faithless.[5] From the Spire, Kelemvor judged the dead who had not been claimed by any deity. Those who were judged by Kelemvor as the False were sentenced to spend eternity in the city, suffering the appropriate punishment in accordance with their crimes. The Faithless were sentenced to be plastered into the Wall for eternity until they were absorbed into the Wall itself.[5][8]

In the Great Wheel cosmology, the City of Judgment and the City of the Dead were distinct locations. The City of Judgment stood in the Fugue Plane and was the location where the dead waited to be claimed by their deities, while the City of the Dead in Oinos was the location of both the Crystal Spire and the Wall of the Faithless.[6][8]

History[]

The realm was originally known as the Bone Castle and was the divine realm the Netherese deity of the dead, Jergal,[9] who ruled the domain from the Bone Throne. According to legend he was challenged by three powerful mortals and relinquished his divine portfolio to them. The Bone Castle was taken over by Myrkul.[10][11] It was located in the middle of a realm of the dead known as the City of Strife.[12] During the Time of Troubles, the realm was taken over by Cyric, who had assumed Myrkul's original portfolio[13] and took over the entire city as his realm.[14] When Cyric read from the Cyrinishad in the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, he lost control of his realm and was driven away by Kelemvor, who took control of the realm and assumed much of Cyric's portfolio.[12][15]

Kelemvor's first act upon seizing control of the realm was to change it into a gleaming tower of crystal, as a symbol of fairness and transparency. He renamed it the Crystal Tower,[1][2] later also changing the surrounding city's name to City of the Dead.[6][8]

Appendix[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Colin McComb (October 1996). On Hallowed Ground. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 169. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Richard Baker, James Wyatt (March 2004). Player's Guide to Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 152–153. ISBN 0-7869-3134-5.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 259. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  7. Eric L. Boyd, Erik Mona (May 2002). Faiths and Pantheons. Edited by Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 33–35. ISBN 0-7869-2759-3.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Steve Kenson, et al. (November 2015). Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-6580-9.
  9. slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 40. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
  10. Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 37. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  11. Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 13. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), pp. 24–26. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.
  13. Julia Martin, Eric L. Boyd (March 1996). Faiths & Avatars. (TSR, Inc.), p. 124. ISBN 978-0786903849.
  14. Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 46. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
  15. Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), pp. 113–114. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.

Connections[]

The Gray Waste of Hades
Layers and their Realms
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