Fistandantilus
Following the Cataclysm, the hill dwarves and men from the regions around Xak Tsaroth fled southward, seeking refuge in the kingdom of the mountain dwarves. This kingdom, known as Thorbardin, could not support the hundreds of thousands of refugees, so it closed the gates against them. Disorganized and without leadership, the refugees proved no match against the organized and motivated forces of Thorbardin.
Then came Fistandantilus.
Fistandantilus was a black robe wizard during the age that preceded the Cataclysm, the mysterious “arcane advisor” of the Kingpriest. Magic at that time was despised as an “impure” profession. Wizards great and small became outcasts. Yet Fistandantilus foresaw a time when wizards would again be important. He knew not when, but he swore, when the time came, he would be there.
He could foresee the terrible fate awaiting the Kingpriest of Istar , whose hubris would bring civilization to its knees. He abandoned his “master,” using his magic to escape the Cataclysm, and traveled forward into the future, seeking a particular relic of great power among the nations of dwarves in the Kharolis Mountains. Fistandantilus organized the hill dwarves and poverty-stricken human tribes in the region into a disciplined and motivated army, and he launched an assault on the kingdom of the mountain dwarves, hoping to draw their attention away from his real objective. While the armies struggled against one another, he searched and eventually found his prize. Soon he began the rituals necessary to unlock its power; he started weaving a spell of vast scope and complexity.
Yet before he could complete the spell, something happened— some twist of fate unknown to history— unleashing a great blast of magical energy which destroyed the armies and apparently Fistandantilus himself. His magical fortress was blasted by the furious magical maelstrom until only the shattered and glazed form of a giant skull remained—Skullcap. Deep beneath Skullcap, legend has it, the spiritual remains of Fistandantilus still lurk, along with the key to finding the path to the gates of Thorbardin.
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