Lost Empires - The Netherese | Forgotten Realms Lore

[@cerebeluke]

OMG I've been wanting another Netheril video for so long! You are a legend, man, thanks for all the lore and for your 30 Day World Challenge (I'm also planning my world based on your challenge and you are the reason I could manage to create my world map).

[@Lightman0359]

I actually ran Fall of Netheril way back in the 2.5e days. That one was fun, going back in time to help Karsus complete his Avatar spell. It required the players to find a Tarrasque and remove its pituitary gland without dying or it coming back to life, and get a gold dragon's gizzard. Both tasks had a brute force and sneaky way to complete it [depending on party level and composition].

[@andrewbeauman]

Imagine Iolum flipping that mountain and dumping all those animals off it. LOL

[@FakeSnakeSteak]

Liked the different format. :) There's so much fantastic stuff in the Realms and you present it in such a unique and interesting way. Thank you! Looking forward to your next video.

[@ttprophet]

In my campaign, Elminster Aumar has a talking picture book named after you. The PH is silent. Netherese lore and the BlackDesert/Cormanthor region is my favorite part of D&D universe!

[@ohmpoingpoing]

Hey man, your videos are getting better and better. Cheers!!!

[@_evillevi]

Netheril Is really interesting, it's mind-blowing to think of a world so ancient yet so powerful.

[@nobody5616]

Best video you've made so far my guy. Comprehensive, and enjoyable

[@reidharris6465]

Please do more Netheril! I’m running icewind dale and I need as much info on Netheril as I can get. I’m gonna put in a whole obelisks conspiracy theory that replaces the black cabin quest. Should be fun

[@allstatejake]

Loved this vid! Netheril is a super interesting time in the Realms and the fight between the Realms and the Netherese is super cool, I built my Bladesinger as a war orphan of Myth Drannor after it was destroyed by Thultanthar. Keep up these vids and I'll be rabbit holing the Forgotten Realms Wiki forever!

[@shadowcat6lives639]

I don't think having your adventures go back in time to make 11th and 12th level spells is a pipe dream. In fact, it's a great idea and something I have thought about doing for a while too!

[@samtheactualkenku6205]

If I recall, the black obelisks were explained in Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

[@Draenal]

"The most notable and powerful power associated with the obelisks was the ability to alter time and reality. An individual could merely reverse the age of every nearby being by a decade's time, or even go so far as to transport an entire world thousands of years in the past within their timeline." -- Forgotten Realms wiki

[@samtheactualkenku6205]

@@Draenal 3 things: 1- I didn't know that and that's cool 2- I was being specific to 5e and with hindsight, should have mentioned that since I know very little lore outside of what's in 5e 3- I figured the Chardylon was pretty much end game coolness to fight

[@biteso2333]

!!, thank you! I’ve always liked Netherese lore, I think it’s going to become more and more relevant moving on! Also nice for helping developer the backstory of my Elf Cleric of Mystryl from the time of the Netherese!

[@Daves-not-here]

I love the idea that we may be getting taken back to the time of Netheril. I hope they go with that idea as like an end to 5e. With the aftermath of our world having its time reversed ushering in 6e. Which I would hope would also bring back magic and magic items as a common place thing.

[@SeerSnively]

I love your videos, and I was just thinking about the Netherese and how I wanted to know more about them. A topic that 'confuses' me is DEATH. What can I bring back to full life, as if they never died? What amount of the person remains if I just dig up some month old corpse and animate it? If I conjure undead, who are those guys, and where did they come from?

[@markcampbell4080]

I love this content, the novel The Realm of Shadows has a bunch of short stories set during the time of Netheril.

[@dmcooltools8579]

I’ll be sure to add this info to my Frostmaiden campaign. Great work!!!

[@christopherredman5937]

We just got done with Rime of the Frostmaiden. And now we are in the past 4 years before the fall of the empire. Our first session here was lastnight where we realized just where in time we are its exciting amd terrifying

[@floridachomps2885]

I loved the idea of a Netheril empire that was at the pinnacle of magic and power and suddenly fell. The trilogy is available somewhere on audible/kindle. In order the novels are - Swordplay, Dangerous Games & Mortal Consequences by Clayton Emery.

[@WarBoner-up9wk]

By the way, I gotta comment on the format you use. I like seeing your face cut in with images. That's definitely a win!

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks! Trying out a new teleprompter I bought. So maybe I'll try this out more :)

[@WarBoner-up9wk]

Please do! Not to say they aren't great, but I feel like the other lore channels could take a page and show more face like your doing.

[@EpicDwarfStench]

Great idea for a warlock patron.

[@copeseticme]

Woohoo! New lore! Awesome. Thank you!

[@ShineyCrow]

What about the floating city of Thultanthar, commonly known as Shade though ?! :V

[@sasivasebas]

also the Shades and the real Shadar-kai.

[@orestesbastos]

They went to Shadowfell before Karsu's Folley and got spared since their magic was fueled by the shadow weave but were influenced by the plane in each generation coming back as the Shadovar, if I remember it correctly Elminster Aumar brought it down upon Myth Drannor destroying both cities. Myth Drannor is a cool city to talk about too since it was built, destroyed, rebuilt, and conquered many times and even became a lair for Phaerim (the mortal enemies of the Netherese) for a while.

[@sasivasebas]

In the novel series of Paul S Kemp The Twilight War there is a lot of the Shadovar Empire, Sembia and more.

[@lord6617]

iirc, in the lore the city of shade always had a "backup plan" to travel to the plane of shadow as a last ditch plan, and they triggered it before the weave completely failed.

[@orestesbastos]

@@lord6617 It's kinda weird how they were the only ones to have that kind of backup plan considering they were all very powerful and intelligent mages, could've gone for other less harmful planes too no? Or maybe they went there specifically because of the shadow weave?

[@Natsirt666]

Yeah, a Prestige Level Campaign based around Netheril, 10th+ Level Spells, and Time Jumps would be amazing. I would expect Prestige Classes to be released with this setting though to account for the ability to cast said 10th+ Level Spells.

[@elliot2118]

Jorphdan vid....Jorphdan lore vid....Jorphdan lore vid on the netherese... *insert Jim McMahon meme here*

[@johncmousley]

Netherese using the obelisks to come back? I would love that also unlocking level 11/12 spells would be immense

[@orestesbastos]

There is some information on one of the obelisks on the ending of Rime of the Frostmaiden, it's not the Netherese coming back by themselves, but it's close...

[@tylermiller1699]

2 years later, and I'm sending my party to the capital floating city.

[@PolyhedralParadice]

There will be a reset, or a branching off. A grand adventure where you travel back in time through the use of the obliskis somehow and prevent Cruster from creating/using the spell preventing the destruction of Nithril. Maybe at that point there is a 3rd sundering where Toril is again split. Maybe there will be books released for the current timeline and material released for the high magic Nithrilese setting.

[@myrojyn]

In my Homebrew campaign my players got sent back in time to the age of arcanum where spells cost mana instead of spell slots

[@stevenle9960]

Imagining the Netherese like the Time lords. using time travel to retroactively bring themselves to the present

[@jnau8196]

"In around −30,000 DR, the Nether Scrolls[14] or, as they were then known, the Golden Skins of the World Serpent,[1] were created in Oreme[14] by the sarrukh. They sought to gather all magical knowledge from their vast empire's borders into one location, in order to consolidate their arcane power. This effort spawned its own secret society, the Ba'etith, and lasted thousands of years after the fall of the empires of the Creator Races. Their creation included magic from the batrachi and aearee, but did not include that of the fey or humans."

[@brionharpring8422]

Can "What's the deal with Vecna?" be your new catch phrase?

[@Jorphdan]

Ha maybe!

[@brionharpring8422]

Additionally, I cannot describe in words how useful your videos have been to my campaign (which is 3 years and 19 levels in)

[@brentt6714]

Every time I DM, I borrow from established settings. I'm currently running Pathfinder game set in the early days of humanity; human tribes are regularly assaulted by orcs and have yet to band together. I originally planned to have the earliest wizards in a commune learning from an Indian Yogi-like character referred to as "Old Man Netheril." I'm going to adapt a bit more lore from this video though, as the fledgling wizard commune will have an elf co-leader who's more like an American hippie sage from the 60's. So while the basics of magic will have first been brought to humans from elves, the human- Old Man Netheril-- will actually diverge from those teachings to gain a truer understanding of the nature of magic, and ultimately end up writing the Nether Scrolls.

[@danielknapp159]

Well, that sounds amazing. I hope this obelisk and time jump stuff is true. Perhaps we will stop that guy from casting that 12th level spell.

[@asmeriaedys9109]

I'm running the Icewind Dale module and really interest in tales of Netheril:)It's a proper epitome to describe human history, about what factors makes a civilization rise, and what mistakes make a civilization fall. *** spoil alert *** I recently think that Auril, as a deity, become as weak as CR10 just because her winter spell is a little unreasonable according to earlier setting of gods, then, a quite wild idea comes to me...How about an incomplete fragment of Karsus' Avatar spell to temporary remove Auril's divine power and make her defeatable？There is a living red dragon heart, a scroll of Tarrasque sommoning, a mythallar, large numbers of chardalyn crystal and whole floating city can be use as magic circle in the module anyway...lol

[@tagabundok1]

While we're at talking about expanding timelines and access to weird places let's bump the level cap to 30 and get into truly world changing magic.

[@ashwinmurali8391]

I'd be thrilled to craft higher level spells. If 5e went back to the time of the Netherese and set a campaign there, where the primary adventure was to avoid the disasters and fall of the ancient city before it happens again that would be amazing. I can see the crafting of a 13th level spell to stop Karsus's Avatar from going off successfully. And Karsus being one of the villains of this campaign. Thanks for the lore videos, they're great. Keep it up.

[@Jorphdan]

Just up cast Counterspell to 12th level 😂😂

[@elf-lordsfriarofthemeadowl2039]

That can be done as it already has been. In 2e the module "How the Mighty Are Fallen" you party goes back in time to then, fighting Phaerimm and even the Tarrasque.

[@piens51]

@@elf-lordsfriarofthemeadowl2039 I was suprised how well that book fit with time travel ending in frost maden. Only needed some light modification in mehanics and story to make it fit my campagn. It was great for me as I made the mistake of leting them Kill the Winter maden before the city on her island... Players where geting visibly bored in the caves of hunger and when asked they said that this seemed like pading since they allready restored the day light. I asked if they would like a magic empire adventures (beyond just this city in ice) with these characters and they said yes. Them knowing that the cave was no longer just a filler restored their intrest and time travel twist made all but one of their jaes drop. (we all knew he had read the book extensively)

[@yanaleigh]

I really think your onto something because they have added time and gravity wizards. I don't know if you've read the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount yet but they literally added chronomancy spells and chrono wizards. Because I don't know a lot about D&D history I thought that was the first time they were in the game, but since they existed in the time period you're talking about it really gives weight to your theory. Additionally, the addition of gravity controlling spells/wizards also plays into the whole floating city thing.

[@elf-lordsfriarofthemeadowl2039]

Although Dunamancy is inspired by Chronomancy it is not at all directly correlated to the Forgotten realms. Chronomancy was introduced during 2e, I believe. However I find as game design, after reading the 4 2e spell compendiums, that Chronomancy is gamebreaking and difficult to imagine and therefore difficult to put into rules.

[@ryanblunt5541]

Great video!

[@Jorphdan]

Thanks!

[@MatthewShermanmatt-creates]

i think you are spot on. How about this... that's going to be the avenue by which they rerelease Spelljammer

[@braulioservodedeus]

Would I play a Netherese campaing? Hell yes!

[@jamesgirden1627]

The PH is loud AF

[@Jorphdan]

oops!

[@seanpinkey2188]

If you don't know NOW YOU KNOW

[@Jorphdan]

and knowing is half the battle!

[@jamesgirden1627]

@@Jorphdan not literally, as always an awesome video. Your videos on spelljammer inspired me to order the novels.

[@Jorphdan]

James Girden... you're line was "G.I. Jooooeeeee" :P

[@dogeater2446]

There is the Time spell sphere that not many know about. Yes is does exist but not for everyone.

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

And Karsus Folly led to the Netherese Accords which created an international oversight body to govern and control all magic users.

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

NGL, I wouldn't mind a little more on the Netherese Empire. It'd be specifically nice if they went into some of the sketchy relationships between the Nether Scrolls and the Aryvandaar empire, but I don't think that's gonna happen here. Pray you don't end up in one of my games, I am all about introducing more conspiracy theories and uncertainty into Forgotten Realms lore.

[@O4C209]

Well my group is finishing Waterdeep Dragon Heist and taking the same PCs to Icewind Dale. I thought I needed to be prepared for either them going on an alien space trip or storming Neverwinter to fight Neverember for the crown (ends up one of the PCs is the rightful heir ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), but now I also need to look out for a massive time jump. I am freaked out and excited.

[@VengefulJarl]

You really want your mind blown. Check out George Krashos lore dump on Sages of the Forgotten Realms concerning Jergal's origin.

[@AdroitErudite]

Did making magic items stop aging wizards after a certain point in history? I know that it merely takes just downtime and gold mechanically nowadays, but could the destruction of the weave and the new Mystra have made making magic items easier with now the stipulation that artifacts would simply fail like 10th level magic? And that being said, are the quasi-magical items and permanent magic items artefact level? I remember that Haste used to age the caster instead of making them tired, so maybe there is no direct answer for this. Interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Excellent video!

[@Jorphdan]

Aging wizards was a AD&D thing. Later removed with 4th and 5th edition. WotC realized people don't like losing XP or Vitality when crafting magic items.

[@grinskopf34122]

Wasn't it the spell Proctive's Move Mountain, which created the flying encalves?

[@Jorphdan]

later on yes, but the first time it was done that spell hadn't been invented yet.

[@grinskopf34122]

@@Jorphdan I see, thx for the info! Keep up the great work, always a pleasure to watch your vids :)

[@quincybriley4113]

Not every enclave crashed. Thultanthar aka the shade enclave, used their shadow magic to jump their city into the plane of shadows

[@KRG30001]

Should have huge implications in BG3

[@charchuk7456]

11:00 Put your hands on your hips...

[@amygensler542]

Loved it but had to stop at “if you played rime of the Frost maiden” Literally running that campaign right now with I assume some homebrew stuff. Inside a glacier that seems to have no ending and a love for the undead.

[@johnnyscifi]

I thought the Shadovar were the only inheritors of the Netherese....

[@steveaustin4013]

What’s the deal with vecna? Said by everyone at some point

[@andrewsowl8696]

Is it just me... Or do I see a conection between the almost magic items and the drow magic items?

[@FrqYgr]

I preferred when you just showed pictures the entire time.

[@Jorphdan]

gotcha! I was pressed for time this week so to get it out on time I had to film a bit. If people prefer the other way I'll stick with that, but this was kinda made out of necessity. :)

[@Burnsez]

You’re the best

[@cameronpearce5943]

Karsus's story is a very sad one. He was just a 300 year old child prodigy who was forced to try and save his country and people after Iolum f*cked off to become a brain. I and my main wizard PC are very opinionated when it comes to Netheril

[@recuperationinfantile1499]

In dragonball Z Cell did the same thing with a mountain to build his arena.

[@TheDontbeEvil]

i like your older video better because no face time. Facetime puts me off watching lore videoes.

[@nomad2659]

Heavy inspiration for Critical Role for sure

[@osirisgem]

I actually use that in my everyday life only altered and often said when I have been misrepresented or something I said is taken out of context with a " Bitch, the PH is silent." just imagine the voice as much much gayer.

[@discotuti6692]

This feels like a Vsauce video lol, great video though!!

[@Jorphdan]

I do like me some Vsauce :)

[@pce0]

nice

[@WarBoner-up9wk]

8:25 is that a picture of James Spader? That's all I can see hahaha

[@seanpinkey2188]

WHHAAAAAT??? Part 3?????

[@elwoodbrown7005]

I love your stuff. Great stories and cool images. Unfortunately, I don't enjoy the "news broadcaster" full face style of oration. I'll be back when for the older style videos return.

[@City_boi57]

Can I buy all mixed 🤣

[@X.davidWilliams]

Huzzah!

[@bkdan262]

I believe that you're onto something: the coming of the Netheril empire coming back into 5E, specifically time magic. The echo knight will be launching point Dan

[@aliince9372]

... I want to like the video, but it has 420 likes :(

[@hergafliga]

Why facecam? This is why I cant watch any other DnD youtubers I hate being stared at for ten minutes straight

[@Jorphdan]

Lol. Well I was pressed for time and if I could record my face that was less editing. Good to know i have a great face for radio. 😂

[@hergafliga]

@@Jorphdan No! lol you good man its 100% my own anxiety

[@informedconsumer5293]

U so hawt