Dekanter (pronounced: /dɛˈkɑːntɛr/ de-KANT-er[5]), formally the Mines of Dekanter, were ruins found beneath the Graypeak Mountains in the Savage Frontier.[1][4]
Description[]
Dekanter was once a mine of Netheril. It has since fallen into ruin. The legacy of Netheril remains within the ruins as the dangerous side effects of powerful spellcasting.[4][7]
Dekanter's main chamber was built as an enormous amphitheater built to giant-sized scale. The center of the bowl-shaped cavern was about 0.5 mi (0.8 km) wide, surrounded by five receding levels each at least 20 ft (6.1 m) high and just as much wide. Human-sized stairs crisscrossed the tiers all the way up to their uppermost level.[6]
Side chambers in the mines were marked by Dethek inscriptions, and decorated with grand paintings depicting scenes from the oldest epic stories of the Realms.[8] The tunnels that interconnected these chambers were difficult to navigate and nearly impossible to map out, as every rainfall caused some of them to close down or collapse, while others became open.[9]
Geography[]
Dekanter was located west of Anauroch and to the south of Weathercote Wood in the eastern foothills of the Graypeak Mountains. The crumbling ruins were surrounded by low hills.[1][4][10][7][5] As of the mid–14th century DR, the Dawn Pass Trail passed through the Graypeaks near the entrance of the mines.[11] As of the 15th century DR, it lay on the western border of the reborn Empire of Netheril.[12]
Flora & Fauna[]
The ruins of Dekanter was home to beholders[13], gargoyles[4], gnolls[14] and goblins.[4]
History[]
In −2758 DR, Dekanter, a Netherese miner, discovered a massive deposit of gold, iron, mercury, platinum and silver. Netheril quickly established the mines of Dekanter, named after its discoverer.[2] Dekanter was an incredibly successful mine, triggering the beginning of the Silver Age of Netheril. It provided Netheril with a significant amount of their mineral resources.[15][16]
By −1658 DR[3], all the minerals were extracted and it became a sort of laboratory for Netherese mages. Since the mine was able to isolate the potentially negative effects of a spell, it was used as a testing ground for new spells. It was also used as a storage facility for magical items.[4] It was abandoned with the fall of Netheril.[4]
Adventurers exploring the mines.
For centuries war was waged within Dekanter between different factions of goblinoid communities. The severity of these conflicts ebbed and flowed throughout the years.[17][18]
During the Era of Upheaval, beginning in the Year of Maidens, 1361 DR, the war within Dekanter spilled out beyond the mines into the surrounding mountains. Around this time they were were also used as a site for the Zhentarim to conduct their slave trade. Within ten years, the war had become out of control, spilling out into the surrounding mountains[17] and sending hundreds of goblin refugees to nearby human settlements.[19]
In the Year of the Banner, 1368 DR, a group of travelers ventured into Dekanter and recovered one of the fabled Nether Scrolls from the clutches of the mysterious cult leader that took over as ruler of the ruins' goblin population.[20][21][18]
The lure of lost Netherese magic meant that the mines remained a draw for adventurers well into the late 15th century DR despite the many dangers.[12]
Rumors & Legends[]
It was rumored that Dekanter was the location of an entrance into a vast subterranean land beneath Faerûn.[22]
Inhabitants[]
Dekanter was home to a particularly nasty and sinister beholder who was an agent for the Zhentarim. It guarded the Dawn Pass, with the aid of its gnoll minions, for the Zhentarim, allowing only Zhent caravans to use the pass to cross through the Greypeak Mountains.[23]
The mind flayer known as the Beast Lord was known to have its lair in the ruins of Dekanter.[24] Within its lair, the Beast Lord created twisted monsters, such as bulettes, stegocentipedes, peryton, beholders,[25] and mongrelmen.[26] One of his most famous creations were the Dekanter goblins.[27][28] To aid the illithid in his war in the North, the Beast Lord had an army of 500 goblins and 50 gargoyles.[29]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 40. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 43. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Peter Lee, Rodney Thompson, Andrew Veen (2016). Tyrants of the Underdark Rulebook. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 19. ISBN 978-1-9408-2585-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 169. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 105–106. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 240–241. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 50. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 47. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ Lynn Abbey (September 2000). Map page in the The Nether Scroll novel. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
- ↑ Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), p. 40. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.
- ↑ Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), p. 44. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 7. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ slade, Jim Butler (October 1996). “The Winds of Netheril”. In Jim Butler ed. Netheril: Empire of Magic (TSR, Inc.), p. 107. ISBN 0-7869-0437-2.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 52–53. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 302. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 54. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 271. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ Lynn Abbey (September 2000). The Nether Scroll. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 279–280. ISBN 0-7869-1566-8.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb (August 1987). “Cyclopedia of the Realms”. In Karen S. Martin ed. Forgotten Realms Campaign Set (TSR, Inc.), p. 57. ISBN 0-88038-472-7.
- ↑ Kevin Melka, John Terra (March 1995). “Campaign Book”. In Julia Martin ed. Ruins of Zhentil Keep (TSR, Inc.), p. 43. ISBN 0-7869-0109-8.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 8. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier. (TSR, Inc), p. 44. ISBN 0-88038-593-6.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), A Grand Tour of the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 97. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. Edited by Duane Maxwell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 53. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.
- ↑ Reynolds, Forbeck, Jacobs, Boyd (March 2003). Races of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 134. ISBN 0-7869-2875-1.
- ↑ slade, et al. (April 1996). “The Wilderness”. In James Butler ed. The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier (TSR, Inc.), p. 63. ISBN 0-7869-0391-0.