Semkhrun was an ancient city and outpost of the First Mulhorand Empire in the plains of southern Semphar.[1][2]
History[]
In −1124 DR,[3][4] the then-god-king of Mulhorand had a prophetic dream. This led to him and a grew of priests releasing a muzzled donkey on the sunbaked plains of Semphar, and followed it until it died of starvation. This location, according to the god-king's dream, was where Semkhrun was to be built. And his will made it so.[1]
The most famous resident of Semkhrun was the Oracle of Fahzakhum, and the city became widely known as The Oracle City. Nothing is remembered now regarding the Oracle's nature, but it was famous in its day for its accuracy. The wealthy and the driven came from faraway lands,[1] such as Kara-Tur and Netheril,[2] to receive its divinations. A priesthood quickly developed, calling itself the Masters of the Oracle. They became proud and greedy, and demanded gold offerings of those who sought to question the Oracle.[1][2]
To justify these extortionist offerings, the Masters of the Oracle used their wealth to erect huge monuments throughout the city.[1][2] Including palaces, obelisks, and burial pyramids made to imitate those in Skuld.[2] These elaborate tombs would house the high priests of the sect along with fabulous treasures.[5]
The city was destroyed by a later ruler of Mulhorand when the Masters of the Oracle attempted to get a puppet named to be the next god-king. The palaces of the city were razed by the western forces of Mulhorand, the priests were executed and their would-be puppet was drowned in the Gbor Nor. The name of the city was then removed from all monuments,[5] maps, and scrolls, leaving only a few records that still bore it.[2] The Oracle itself disappeared, and the city was forgotten.[5][2]
All that remained of the city circa 1360 DR, when its ruins had been rediscovered by adventurers, was a few crumbling obelisks on the surface and many subterranean chambers. It grew to become a major adventuring site despite its many traps.[5]
Appendix[]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume II”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 100. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 67. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 37. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 61. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 David Cook (August 1990). “Volume II”. In Steve Winter ed. The Horde (TSR, Inc.), p. 101. ISBN 0-88038-868-4.