Volkumburgh Vale was a valley nestled in the foothills of the Thunder Peaks, south of Thunder Gap.[1]
Geography
Volkumburgh was a rugged, snowy valley. Where winters came early and were liable to have blizzards or ice storms.[2] In the southern half of the valley stood Mount Drakkor Rouge, a semi-extinct and partially flooded volcano.[3]
Notable Locations
- College of Rune Magics, a school dedicated to the study and practice of rune magic.[4] It was situated south of the valley on a wide natural ledge opposite the other college.[5]
- College of Shaping Magics, a school dedicated to the study and practice of a form of arcane magic it referred to as shaping magics.[6] It was situated south of the valley on a wide natural ledge opposite the other college.[5]
- Temple of the Dragon Oracle
- Volkumburgh, a small rustic village of miners and sheep farmers nestled within the valley.[7] All major paths and trails in the valley led to this village.[8]
History
In 999 DR,[7] the villa of the Cormyrian noble Lord Volkumburgh was established within this valley.[1]
Around the 10th century DR, members of the Cult of the Dragon came to the Thunder Peaks area.[7] At Mount Drakkor Rouge they decided to set up base, as witches among the cell believed that the sulfurous vapors within the crater's lava caves would help them to divine the future — on its central rocky landmass they carved out what would later be known as the Temple of the Dragon Oracle.[9] Some time between the Year of the Molten Man, 1151 DR and the Year of the Agate Hammer, 1174 DR, an evil force overran the temple and forced the cultists to abandon it.[10]
In the mid-12th century DR,[note 1] King Proster Obarskyr ordered the College of Shaping Magics to construct a new breed of stone golems, designed to help expedite his building projects.[11] In later centuries, this information could only be found in a single obscure government document in Suzail.[1] The golem would be carved out from a cliff-face near the college by means of an enchanted carving knife.[12]
Later that same year Volkumburgh Vale was sacked in a rampage by that same golem, leading to the destruction of both of the valley's magic colleges[11] and Lord Volkumburgh's manor.[13] The magic-users who survived the golem's rampage would scatter his pieces across the valley,[11] entrusting one of its hands with Lord Volkumburgh[5] and hiding its head within a volcanic vent inside the abandoned Temple of the Dragon Oracle.[14]
Lord Volkumburgh's manor would go on to be rebuilt as the Crimson Wyrm,[13] while the rest of its remains were used to construct the small village of Volkumburgh.[15] Over the two centuries that followed the colleges' destruction, the residents of Volkumburgh would loot their ruins for valuables to either keep or sell.[5][15]
In 1358 DR,[note 2] the magic-user Amelior Amanitas set up a workshop in the village in the form of a huge tower,[15] after a man named Lychor introduced him to to the fragmented legends of the golem,[16] as well as some fragments of it,[17] which he managed to merge back together into an arm through use of potions.[11]
Appendix
Notes
- ↑ Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in The Shattered Statue that take place 200 years prior to the module itself. However, it is stated on page 3 that a "King Proster" commissioned the Awtawmatawn. The only known Proster from this period of publishing was Proster Obarskyr and page 77 of the The Grand History of the Realms dates his reign as lasting from 1122 DR – 1164 DR.
- ↑ Canon material does not provide a year for the events described in The Shattered Statue, but through extensive research this wiki has estimated a date. The explanation for this date is divided into three points:
(1) Page 16 of The Shattered Statue (February, 1988) describes the destruction of Phlan by dragons as having occurred "several years ago." Since the conflict "Dragon Run" did not exist until The Moonsea, this has to be referring to the Flight of Dragons (1356 DR), which was introduced in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set.
(2) The Savage Frontier (August, 1988), is set in 1358 DR and has Amelior Amanitas refer to its events in past tense.
(3) Page 18 of The Shattered Statue describes the Cult of the Dragon as having long had no presence in Volkumburgh Vale, but TSR Jam 1999 has the cult re-establishing themselves there in 1359 DR.
(4) In conclusion, all together this info suggests that The Shattered Statue takes place in 1358 DR.
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 3. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 6. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 16. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 12. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 11. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 14. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Bryon Wischstadt (February 1999). “Vale of the Dragon Oracle”. In Julia Martin ed. TSR Jam 1999 (TSR, Inc.), p. 2. ISBN 0-7869-1445-9.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 7. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 17. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Bryon Wischstadt, et al. (February 1999). TSR Jam 1999. Edited by John D. Rateliff, et al. (TSR, Inc.), p. 2. ISBN 0-7869-1445-9.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 2–3. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 15. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 8. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 20. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 9. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.
- ↑ Jennell Jaquays (February 1988). The Shattered Statue. Edited by Steve Perrin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 5. ISBN 0-88038-498-0.