Shond Tharovin was a human wizard of the mid-to-late 14th century DR who used the Living Gem to briefly rule Schamedar in Calimshan in 1367 DR. He founded the Cult of the Living Gem and fought the Living Gem War before he was turned into an immortal[6] gibbering mouther and exiled from Calimshan.[7]
Possessions[]
For a time, Shond possessed the Tome of the Unicorn,[7] from which he was able to summon the demilich form of Shoon VII.[1][8] During the Time of Troubles, he relinquished the Tome to Shoon.[8]
Shond's most significant and powerful possession, however, was the Living Gem. With it, he became powerful enough to take the city of Schamedar. He used a magical mirror to scry on enemies and attack them remotely with spells stored in the Gem. He claimed that he could reach all of Faerûn through the power of the Living Gem.[9] But Shond was driven mad by the Gem, which he believed to be alive. He called it his advisor, and claimed that he was following its desires. When he was turned into a gibbering mouther, he lost ownership of the Gem to the Cult of the Living Gem.[1]
Shond was presumed to have a lair somewhere on the southern coast of Thordentor amongst the Nelanther Isles.[5]
History[]
In the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR, Shond visited the island of Ruathym, and stole the Tome of the Unicorn from the Green Room library. The last page of the book had the demilich Shoon VII trapped within. Shond was able to summon Shoon from the book, and struck a bargain with him.[7] Shond agreed to free Shoon by bringing him seven souls, in exchange for information relating to the location of the Living Gem.[1][8]
In the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR, on the day that the Time of Troubles began, Shond had taken the Tome to the Cloud Peaks. He ambushed a caravan transporting the elf wizard Zallanora Argentresses and summoned forth Shoon. Shoon devoured the souls of the members of the caravan, but as the chaotic magic of the Time of Troubles took effect—instead of devouring Zallanora's soul, Shoon's soul switched places with hers. This left Shoon free of the Tome, in Zallanora's body—and Zallanora in the demilich body trapped in the Tome. Shond and Shoon destroyed any evidence of the caravan to cover their tracks.[2] Now that Shoon was free, he upheld his bargain with Shond and told him the location of the Living Gem.[8]
Shond spent the next decade following Shoon's cryptic directions: excavating a ruined temple to Ghaunadaur beneath the Forest of Mir, southwest of the Vorpal Tower.[7][1][8]
In Mirtul of the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR, Shond finally claimed the Living Gem from the ruins.[3] In Kythorn, he used the power of the Living Gem to oust all members of the ruling council of Schamedar and took the title of syl-vizar, caleph of Schamedar.[7] He used a magic mirror together with the Gem to remotely view and attack Artouk Fanzir, one of the ousted members of the council who had escaped Schamedar. By Flamerule, he had established the Cult of the Living Gem, and began construction on a temple named the House of the Gem.[7][9]
In Eleasis, Shond used the power of the gem to fight against a rebellion started by the nascent Seven Satraps, along the River of Ice. Thus began the Living Gem War.[9] In Eleint, an archmage named Yoond Shalshymmyr defeated Shond by sacrificing his own life and cursing the tyrant into the form of a huge and immortal[6] gibbering mouther.[4] By Marpenoth, Shond had been forced into the sewers of Schamedar by its citizens, and the Living Gem fell into the hands of the Cult of the Living Gem.[7] Shond eventually floated out of the city into the Shining Sea, crying for revenge as he went.[1]
After he was forced out of Schamedar, Shond disappeared. In Nightal of 1367, a wizard named Nardulkyn claimed that Shond had gained the ability to retake the form of a human, and that he had drifted west of Calimport. Nardulkyn claimed to have invented a spell that could track Shond, but only when he took human form. His destination was much-rumored, and locations such as Tethyr, the Nelanther Isles, or Skullport were theorized.[10]
In fact, Shond Tharovin drifted westward and washed up on the Singing Rocks, an archipelago in the Sea of Swords to Calimshan's west. He made any or all of these isles his lair by 1370 DR, an unknown but terrible threat to any sailor who might venture near those mysterious isles.[5][11]
Abilities[]
Although once a wizard of respectable power, Shond's exposure to the Living Gem had fundamentally transformed him in unknown ways and he was cursed into the form of a gibbering mouth, so it was impossible to guess what he was capable of. However, since he had no hands, he could not cast spells with somatic component, but he had no shortage of mouths with which to speak those with verbal components.[5]
As an enormous gibbering mouther, Shond could pull his mass together to cover more than 3 square miles (7.8 square kilometers) of one of the Singing Rocks or, by stretching his amorphous form along the seabed to up to 12 miles (19,000 meters), could extend across nearly all the northern isles. The chemicals exuded by his aberrant body also repelled most predators. He could also change shape back into a human thrice a day. Together, this gave him an unusual method of travel: stretching his gibbering mouther form to its furthest reach, changing into a human there, and snapping the rest of his body to this new location, and repeating this a few times to hop great distances; this allowed him to make quick and surprising escapes.[5]
In any shape or size, Shond was fully aware of all parts of his mass and could speak no matter what mouth he used. The chemicals exuded by his aberrant body repelled most predators, as he appeared poisonous to eat, which aid him whilst in the water.[5]
Activities[]
Those aware of Shond suspected he must still study arcane magic.[5]
Despite his downfall, curse, and exile, Shond was patient in plotting his cruel revenge on the Cult of the Living Gem.[5]
Relationships[]
Given his presence in the waters around the Singing Rocks and ability to speak, it's possible Shond had some contact with the kraken (or krakens) known as the Curse of Irphong and its armies. He was also likely familiar with the undead skeleton whales that guarded a certain underwater lair close to Thordentor, but not that it belonged to the Twisted Rune.[5] Should it ever resurface, he would try to obtain another powerful magical relic, Kayas the Krakenscourge, in order to manipulate the Curse of Irphong and other krakens.[11]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 38. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Steven E. Schend (August 1997). “Book Three: Erlkazar & Folk of Intrigue”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Lands of Intrigue (TSR, Inc.), p. 9. ISBN 0-7869-0697-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 20. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 22. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 89. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 111. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (1996). Volo's Guide to All Things Magical. (TSR, Inc), p. 110. ISBN 0-7869-0446-1.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Steven E. Schend (August 1997). “Book Three: Erlkazar & Folk of Intrigue”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Lands of Intrigue (TSR, Inc.), p. 10. ISBN 0-7869-0697-9.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 21. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Julia Martin, Jeff Grubb (1993). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 2nd edition (revised), Running the Realms. (TSR, Inc), p. 24. ISBN 1-5607-6617-4.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 135. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.