Nether
This Mage Is Dangerous
Contents
- 1Biodata
- 2History
- 2.1Founding and the First King
- 2.2Elven Protection and Early Development
- 2.3The Nether Scrolls and Arcane Education
- 3Government and Society
- 3.1Distribution of Power
- 3.2Class and Social Customs
- 4Geography and Settlements
- 5Magic and Technology
- 5.1Arcanists
- 5.2The Nether Scrolls
- 5.3Borne’s Innovations
- 6Military and Foreign Relations
- 7Major Story Events
- 8Names and Future Legacy
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Netheril, also called Nether 1 113 |
| Alias(es) | Kingdom of the Underworld; later commonly called the Nether Empire, despite its city-state structure 152 332 |
| Type | Human-founded kingdom with a noble council, autonomous city-states, and slavery 92 152 283 |
| Location | Northwestern Faerûn, near the sea and the High Ice Glacier, east of the High Forest 11 |
| Capital | Seventon 126 |
| Founder | Great Nether, also called Nether the Elder 1 332 |
| Founded | Faerûn Calendar Year 3859, through an alliance of seven fishing villages resisting Orc raids 1 92 |
| Leadership | King Fergus Nether during the main narrative; actual authority rests chiefly with Concinnio and the noble leadership. Third Prince Vicks is later named royal heir 113 188 200 |
| Principal magical institution | Giles Academy 20 104 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1 1 |
History
Founding and the First King
Netheril began as seven fishing villages united against Orc bandits. Great Nether established the nation and renamed it “Netheril,” meaning “the land of Nether.” His increasingly oppressive taxation and decadence provoked unrest, and a poisoned dagger ended his reign in Faerûn Calendar Year 3827 1 92.
The founding villages supplied the surnames of the Seven Great Houses: Giles, Vanwick, Kieran, Gustav, Morien, Nasif, and Jarnik. Most later noble families descended from branches of these houses 104.
Elven Protection and Early Development
Eaerlann and Illefarn helped Netheril survive its early Orc wars. Tarsel taught the humans Elven writing, magic, and methods of fighting Orc armies. After he disappeared, Elves who continued his work inherited the title of Guardian 92 139.
Netherese scavengers followed the Elven civil wars, recovering equipment and magical remnants for sale or study. This trade helped create the fortunes of the earliest nobles. Netheril eventually severed trade with the Elves to avoid being drawn into their conflicts, while some war-weary Elves settled within its borders 206 245.
The Nether Scrolls and Arcane Education
Seven explorers discovered one hundred golden scrolls in the ruins of Aryvandaar. Later called the Discoverers, they recovered the foundation of Netheril’s independent magical civilization 5 92.
Before Giles Academy, magical instruction depended on private apprenticeships and was monopolized by the upper classes. After becoming a Legend, Concinnio compelled the leadership to establish the academy and used the Nether Scrolls to organize a native magical system. The institution subsequently supplied hundreds of spellcasters to the military each year 20.
Government and Society
Distribution of Power
| Institution | Authority and limitations |
|---|---|
| Monarchy | Successive kings lost authority after the first king’s death. The crown retains privileges and symbolic standing but possesses little military or appointment power 126 152. |
| Noble council | Governs through the leading families, with Concinnio heading the central decision-making institution 113 152. |
| City lords | Exercise extensive local autonomy. Habridge and Zenith maintain their own legal systems, provided these do not contradict national law 113 126. |
| Military | Operates separately from civil government and holds substantial authority. Noble titles require military merit, and strict rules restrict relatives from manipulating service records 113 221. |
“Nether” is also a title inherited by each reigning monarch. Fergus is the personal name of the king in power during Borne’s early career 152.
Class and Social Customs
- Noble dominance: Approximately ninety percent of professionals belong to the nobility, reflecting its control over extraordinary power 173.
- Competitive upbringing: Noble children are expected to resolve rivalries themselves; failure against peers is treated as evidence of inadequate ability or judgment 120.
- Spellcaster prestige: Conducting business personally is considered beneath respectable spellcasters. Agents provide both social distance and protection from commercial liabilities 96 113.
- Slavery: Rock gnomes are enslaved and used in major projects, including development of the underground Black Road 283 294.
- Elven prestige: Elven culture remains fashionable among the upper classes, and partnerships with Elves carry considerable status 334.
Geography and Settlements
| Location | Significance |
|---|---|
| Seventon | Royal capital and seat of Concinnio. Its concentration of powerful professionals makes it one of Netheril’s safest locations, despite the False God invasion 126 200. |
| Habridge City | Strategic city at an exit of the Black Road. It falls during the aberration offensive after its lord is assassinated 126 200. |
| Zenith City | Another major Black Road city, with substantial political autonomy and access to Underdark trade 126 200. |
| Pabu City | Elven-controlled city nominally under Netheril. Its position on the western route makes its allegiance strategically important 246 248. |
| Enorok City | New settlement on the Standing Stone Plains, intended to link defensive positions and relieve pressure from the Goblin Disaster 281 283. |
| Black Road | Underground route connecting important settlements; both a commercial asset and a potential invasion route for Underdark creatures 92 200 281. |
Magic and Technology
Arcanists
Arcanists distinguish Netheril’s magical tradition from ordinary spellcasting. Rather than relying on a fixed daily allotment of spell slots, their arcana draw on mana and largely circumvent those restrictions. High Arcanists remain exceptionally scarce and politically influential during the nation’s early development 59 180 206.
- The Nether Scrolls can help produce initial-stage Arcanists, although independent spell creation offers stronger advancement 19 52.
- Fewer than one percent of Giles Academy’s spellcasters become Arcanists 96.
- Early magical classification uses three broad categories: Creation, Psychic, and Transmutation 37.
The Nether Scrolls
- Reading hazards: Forced knowledge transmission can cause madness, fatal injury, or permanent loss of spellcasting ability 104.
- Distributed custody: Scrolls are held separately by institutions and individuals, including the royal family and temples 104.
- Restricted access: Permission rewards service and potential; High Arcanists normally receive the right to read one page annually 203.
- Missing volumes: Two scrolls disappeared after being sent to the High Forest for Elven examination, leaving ninety-eight and straining relations 53.
Borne’s Innovations
| Innovation | Effect |
|---|---|
| Mass-produced spell potions | Provide rapidly deployable attacks against enemy leaders; Concinnio orders the academy and Court Mages to support production 149 150. |
| Magical construction | Enables rapid construction of sturdy five- and six-story buildings, sold or rented through the Lehman Trading Company 142. |
| War Mage training | Combines weapons, armor, destructive spells, and practical combat exercises 288. |
| Spatial transportation | Phase Doors connect Seventon and Enorok; a later stabilized Spirit Realm Passage can remain usable for over a year 324 329. |
Military and Foreign Relations
- Giles Academy service: More than half of graduating students enter the legions as junior captains or accompanying mages. Enrollment contracts require at least five years of service 25.
- Elven relations: Former protectors remain overwhelmingly stronger than Netheril. Later diplomatic efforts seek influence over its cities and leadership, particularly through Pabu City 247 248 256.
- Gnome dispute: Elven demands to free enslaved gnomes receive outward agreement but are evaded by assigning many captives to underground work 294.
- Sorcerer families: Netheril conquers and absorbs the Kingdom of Sarlaviel of Alabaster Tower, contributing to the rise of its sorcerer bloodline houses 280.
- Divine protection: Amaunator, Jergal, and Mystra have temples within Netheril, but the leadership does not assume they will intervene during a crisis 281.
Major Story Events
| Event | Consequences |
|---|---|
| False God invasion | Yuan-ti and corrupted creatures attack Seventon as part of a summoning ritual. Count Ioulaum’s destruction of the altar helps end the wider aberration war 170 173 188. |
| Royal succession crisis | Fergus falls seriously ill, prompting competition among the princes. Vicks, the third prince, is eventually named heir 188 200. |
| Borne’s council appointment | Borne becomes Netheril’s youngest councilor and receives a lifetime noble title for saving Seventon 199 200. |
| Goblin Disaster | Suspected otherworldly divine involvement raises the stakes of the invasion. Borne proposes a fortified settlement on the Standing Stone Plains to coordinate previously fragmented defenses 280 281. |
| Enorok’s establishment | Recruitment includes barbarians, refugees, and spellcasters, while Gordon represents Borne in negotiations over the new city 283. |
Names and Future Legacy
- In Netherese noble usage, Nether means “underworld,” giving rise to Kingdom of the Underworld. The first king was a shaman ruler honored as the Elder of the Underworld 332.
- Borne remembers Netheril’s future as a dominant arcane civilization whose Floating Cities overshadow Faerûn for thousands of years. These are anticipated developments, not the nation’s present condition 9.
- Its later legacy includes intelligent magical items, coveted ruins, and council institutions imitated by other organizations and city-states 148 167.