Thelgaar Ironhand was the king of Oman, on Oman's Isle in the center of the Moonshae Isles, as of the mid–14th century DR. He was the last king of Oman, and by the end of his reign, he was known as the mightiest of the Northlander kings.[1][2][3] His insignia was a red dragon on a black field.[4]
Description[]
He was a massive man. He had a great black beard that came to be streaked with gray in the last decade of his life.[5][6]
Personality[]
Thelgaar had a magnetic character and carried himself as befitted a powerful ruler. He was a man of few words, often acknowledging his guests with little more than an imperious nod or hand gesture that would have seemed disrespectful from a man of lesser status.[5] He did not deign to talk over the voices of others, instead waiting for them to be silent in his presence.[4] His voice was loud and booming when he spoke.[5]
He was not easily impressed with good food, yet he enjoyed lots of it.[5]
Possessions[]
Thelgaar wielded an enchanted greatsword called Ironhand's Reckoning.[7]
He kept a number of servants and slaves, many of them women from far off lands.[5]
History[]
He was born in the village of Trondhelm on Oman's Isle,[7] and assumed the throne at Iron Keep around the turn of the 14th century DR, when he was still quite young. On the basis of his personal strength, he managed the enormous feat of uniting the lords of Oman under his banner to form a strong and united nation.[8]
The greatest threat to his unification of the bickering lords of Oman were the raiding giants of the Grampalt Highlands. He was known to personally lead his soldiers against these giants.[9]
In the mid–1330s DR,[6] Thelgaar hosted Elminster and King Grunnarch of Norland at his Iron Keep.[5] He subsequently accompanied the pair of them on a voyage to Garhelm, where they arrived to find pirates attacking the city while the local warriors were out at sea. The berserkers of Oman and Norland made short work of the buccaneers.[10]
After nearly five decades in power, Thelgaar had cemented himself as the most powerful ruler of the most powerful Northman kingdom in the Moonshaes.[8] No organized resistance remained on Oman's Isle to threaten him or his people, and so his attention had turned to driving back the firbolgs who menaced his subjects on Gwynneth.[11] By this time, he had come to believe that his people's future lay in peace and trade rather than war and raiding.[4]
In the Year of the Saddle, 1345 DR, Thelgarr agreed to a peace treaty with the Ffolk High King Reginald Carrathal without the consent of the other Northmen kings.[12][13] In Mirtul of that year,[14] several Northlander kings—including Grunnarch the Red of Norland and Raag Hammerstaad of Norheim—brought their hosts of longships to Thelgaar Ironhand's Iron Keep on Oman's Isle, expecting to prepare an attack on the southern Moonshae Isles.[1] In the first council of northern Kings and Captains, Thelgaar announced his intention of making long lasting peace with the Ffolk and start a prosperous trading relationship. Most of the warriors that were present did not agree and decided to continue with the plan of raiding and pillaging the cities of Caer Corwell and Caer Callidyrr and the rest of the Ffolk lands. The same night, Thelgar was slain by Kazgoroth, who took the identity and appearance of the king and joined the alliance of raiders planning to attack the Ffolk.[4] Thanks to Ironhand's status and his own persuasive magic, Kazgoroth took charge of the preparations, and steered the Northlanders into a plan not just to raid but to annihilate Corwell and its people, thus beginning the Darkwalker War.[15]
While the armies of Kings Grunnarch and Hammerstaad sailed to attack Corwell from the east, Kazgoroth led the fleet of Thelgaar Ironhand south through the Strait of the Leviathan toward Caer Corwell. En route, the fleet was attacked by the Leviathan, but this was according to Kazgoroth's plan. With his evil power amplifying the Northlanders' bloodlust, the Leviathan was slain despite serious casualties.[16] After repairs, the fleet arrived at Caer Corwell, where "Thelgaar Ironhand" stood dramatically at the very head of the fleet as it tried and failed to breach the harbor.[17] Kazgoroth's ruse would not be exposed until the final moments of the Battle of Caer Corwell, when he faced defeat while dueling the prince of Corwell, Tristan Kendrick. The reveal that their king was actually a massive, reptilian monster shattered the Northlanders' morale.[18]
The real Thelgaar Ironhand was buried in a cairn on Oman's Isle within the Old Stone Wood.[7] He came to be remembered as a folk hero among the Northlanders of the Moonshaes, and eventually, among the Ffolk as well.[7][3]
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Thelgaar Ironhand is stated to be alive in the Cyclopedia of the Realms, set 1357 DR. This appears to be because the Darkwalker on Moonshae novel (in which he dies) and the Moonshae sourcebook (in which he is alive) were both initially assumed to also take place in this year, but were subsequently determined to be set in 1345 DR.
Appearances[]
Novels & Short Stories
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Douglas Niles (May 1987). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-88038-451-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Douglas Niles (May 1987). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (TSR, Inc.), p. ??. ISBN 0-88038-451-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jason Tondro et al. (2025-11-11). Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 177. ISBN 0786969954.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 5. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Douglas Niles (November 1987). Moonshae. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 49. ISBN 0-88038-494-8.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Douglas Niles (November 1987). Moonshae. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 35. ISBN 0-88038-494-8.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Shawn Merwin (November 2011). “Backdrop: Moonshae Isles”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #196 (Wizards of the Coast) (196)., p. 11. Archived from the original on 2015-11-03.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Douglas Niles (November 1987). Moonshae. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 48. ISBN 0-88038-494-8.
- ↑ Shawn Merwin (November 2011). “Backdrop: Moonshae Isles”. In Steve Winter ed. Dungeon #196 (Wizards of the Coast) (196)., p. 17. Archived from the original on 2015-11-03.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (November 1987). Moonshae. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 52. ISBN 0-88038-494-8.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (November 1987). Moonshae. Edited by Mike Breault. (TSR, Inc.), p. 50. ISBN 0-88038-494-8.
- ↑ {{Cite digital book/Darkwalker on Moonshae||6}
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Karen Wynn Fonstad (August 1990). The Forgotten Realms Atlas. (TSR, Inc), p. 30. ISBN 978-0880388573.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 7. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 10. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 16. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.
- ↑ Douglas Niles (May 2011). Darkwalker on Moonshae. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 21. ISBN 978-0-7869-5958-7.