The Unmaker

Summary

While the world was still fresh the first beings to rule the lands were armoured monstrosities, some of which were as tall as mountains. Indeed some believe that The Shroud is actually the fossilized remains of an elder of the species, some thousands of years old at the time of its death. The only reason anything is known of these creatures at all is in written accounts of fossils discovered before the Calamity of Haddun, but even these are only partial accounts.
While these monsters are considered to have died out long before even the elves walked the material plane, it is theorized that some may have survived. Reports from adventurers travelling deep beneath The Ogralon Salt Flats tell of a beast unlike anything previously seen on the material plane. These reports go unsubstantiated however due to the incredibly dangerous journey into the caverns below The Ogralon Salt Flats and are noted only as "interesting accounts of strange beasts" in most texts.

Spread

While the historical understanding of the timeline of the material plane makes it virtually impossible for these beasts to still exist, such a tantalizing and terrifying myth quickly wormed its way through into different cultures. Now most anyone you talk to at least knows what "The Unmaker" is.

Variations & Mutation

While the general idea of a monstrous creature slumbering deep beneath the earth, with the power to end civilization as we know it is consistent in the story, some cultures (such as the elves) give it more credence and an almost religious interpretation. Woodelf culture especially sees The Unmaker as a magical force that will eventually awaken and bring the world back to its natural state before the alterations of humanity. The call the monster Thar'da Dor'asque.

Related Locations

• The Ogralon Salt Flats
• The Shroud