The Paradox of Power

Shadow Sea, the only place in all of Anauroch with a freshwater supply, and also the only place suitable for human habitation.

Since returning to Faerûn, this had always been where the City of Shade docked and stationed itself.

Nourished by freshwater and shaped by magic, the severely desertified land around it had grown vast stretches of lush green pasture and low shrub forests. Barbarian herder slaves who had been captured were grazing livestock there, and in some places, large farms had even been reclaimed.

Given enough time, they might truly have been able to establish a fairly sizable nation centered around this place.

After all, Anauroch was simply too vast, equivalent to the combined area of Calimshan and Tethyr.

As long as they could solve the severe desertification problem, even a small patch of land could support millions of people. Otherwise, it would not have given rise to two powerful magical civilizations in succession.

But unfortunately, Telamont's ambitions had come to a complete end with the conclusion of the Shadow War.

Now, this place had completely become territory under Dark Prince Grea's control, while the City of Shade had become nothing more than a tool to restrain and deter Zhentil Keep from expanding.

Standing at the edge of the enormous oasis centered around the Shadow Sea, Raymond bent down, grabbed a handful of yellow drifting sand, and let it slip through his fingers. With a soft laugh, he said, "No matter how glorious a civilization is, one day it will decline. No matter how powerful an empire is, one day it will be destroyed. Without historical records, who would know that this barren wasteland had once been home to the Isstosseffifil Empire founded by the Creator Race—the Sarrukh—and the Netherese civilization that laid the foundation for Faerûn's modern magical