Mulan

The Mulan believe in order and discipline and are strongly

resistant to change, the legacy of millennia of undying rule by

the god-kings of Unther and Mulhorand. They haughtily believe

that they are either the chosen of the gods (in Mulhorand,

Unther, and Chessenta) or above the gods (in Thay) and hold

their culture above all others. Unlike most other human cultures,

the Mulan believe they dwell in an earthly paradise, where

stability and security shall reign for all eternity. The afterlife is

merely a mirror of the mortal realm. In Thay, such beliefs have

been twisted to regard undeath as the mirror of life, while in

Unther the centuries-long tyranny of Gilgeam made a horror of

both this world and the next. Mulan are indoctrinated from a

young age to revere their cultural traditions, to respect the law,

and to honor the servants of the gods (or the Red Wizards, in

the case of Thay).

Although not drawn to adventuring, Mulan seen outside their

traditional homelands are usually adventurers of one sort or

another. Some have fled enslavement or been driven into exile

due to differences with the local authorities, whether they be

mercenary lords in Chessenta, cultists of Tiamat in the remnants

of Unther, bureaucratic priests in Mulhorand, or autocratic

Red Wizards in Thay. Others are sent abroad as agents of

one of the Mulan realms, serving as representatives of a Thayan

enclave, tracking down relics plundered from a Mulhorandi

tomb, fighting in a Chessentan mercenary company, or spying

on those who have designs on Unther’s carcass.

Mulan typically make good fighters, whether trained in the

mercenary armies of Chessenta, the church armies of Unther

and Mulhorand, or the wizard-led armies of Thay. The road to

power in Mulhorand and, until recently, Unther lies in the

various priesthoods. As a result, many Mulan in those realms

are clerics of one of the Mulhorandi gods, Hoar, or Tiamat.

Chessenta has its fair share of clerics as well, many of whom

serve various Faerûnian deities, but only the churches of Kossuth

and several evil Faerûnian deities are strong in wizard dominated

Thay.

In Mulhorand, good-aligned deities with strong martial traditions

employ many paladins in their service. Wizards and

clerics are well established in Chessenta, Mulhorand, Thay, and

Unther, although their efforts are much restricted in Mulhorand

by the bureaucracy of priests. Bardcraft, brought back by

Chessentan mercenaries from western Faerûn, is held in high

esteem in Chessenta but is otherwise almost unknown in lands

dominated by the Mulan. Monks are found in large numbers

only in Mulhorand, where most orders are integrated into the

church of Thoth. Rogues are common in the teeming cities of

Mulhorand and Unther, where priests are more corrupt than

pious. Mulan are almost never barbarians or druids, as they have

always lived in cultures established by the god-kings and their

clerics. Likewise, Mulan rarely find their calling as rangers, for

the Mulan dwell in long-settled lands with few forests or other

areas of wilderness.

Despite the fragmentation of the Old Empires of Mulhorand

and Unther, the Mulan have changed little despite the passage

of centuries. Strict class divisions segregate Mulan society into

the nobility (including all clerics and arcane spellcasters), the

commoners (farmers, merchants, and skilled craftsmen), and

slaves (everyone else). Although upward and downward mobility

is possible in Mulan society, primarily by joining the clergy or

studying the Art, the Mulan discriminate against most other

human ethnic groups and races and preserve strictly defined

class roles.

Despite the centuries-long presence of the god-kings, the

Mulan are not particularly reverent, nor are they overly interested

in commerce. The Mulan aspire to power, preferably

backed by magic, and engage in endless intrigues to accumulate

personal power no matter what the cost to the ideals to which

they nominally ascribe.

Mulan place great stock in education, and all members of the

nobility and middle class receive some amount of instruction as

a child. Many youths are apprenticed to a powerful wizard

(Thay) or join the church of one of the god-kings (Mulhorand

and Unther) at a young age and are raised apart from their families.

As adults, the Mulan are expected to serve their role in

society and not make waves. Death is a lifelong obsession for

most Mulan, who spend their entire lives preparing themselves

for the afterlife. The Mulhorandi epitomize this obsession, planning

every detail of their journey into the afterlife.

Outside Mulan-dominated lands, Mulan keep to themselves,

forming isolated enclaves apart from the local society. Thayan

enclaves are simply the latest such example of the Mulan holding

themselves apart from and above other races and human

ethnic groups when dwelling in foreign lands. Of necessity, some

cross-pollination of cultures does occur through trade contact

with neighbors, but expatriate Mulan prefer to limit such contacts

whenever possible. Mulan from the Old Empires almost

never venerate deities other than their homeland’s pantheon,

and most Thayans can hardly be bothered with any gods. Few

Mulan see the point of any languages other than the local

dialect of the Common tongue.

Depending on their homeland, Mulan speak one of the various

tongues of the Rauric language family—all derived, at least in

part, from the slave argot of ancient Imaskar. The language of

Unther is Untheric, while the language of Mulhorand, Murghôm, Semphar, and Thay is Mulhorandi. Untheric

employs Dethek runes for its alphabet, suggesting a strong tie

between the gold dwarves of the Great Rift and the early inhabitants

of Unther. Mulhorandi is rendered in the Celestial alphabet,

first introduced by a manifestation of Thoth.

In Chessenta and the Wizards’ Reach, Chessentan, a tongue

closely related to Untheric with strong Chondathan

and Shaaran influences, has largely supplanted

Untheric. The folk of Chessenta have long

used the Thorass alphabet in addition to

Dethek runes, and Chessentan is almost

exclusively written using Thorass characters.

Both Thay and the cult of Set render

Mulhorandi in the Infernal alphabet, consciously

repudiating the rule of the current god-kings.

Common is less frequently spoken in Mulan dominated

lands than elsewhere in Faerûn, but it

still widely known nonetheless. Mulan who learn

second tongues often choose one of the other

Rauric languages mentioned above, Aglarondan (among the

cities of the Wizards’ Reach), Chondathan (Chessenta), Durpari

(southern Mulhorand), Rashemi (Thay and the Wizards’

Reach), Shaaran (southern Unther), Shou (Semphar), and

Turmic (Chessenta and Mulhorand).

Spells and Spellcasting

The Mulan have strong traditions in both arcane and divine

spellcasting, the former a legacy of ancient Imaskar and the

latter the result of the millennia-long residence of the god-kings

among them. These two spellcasting traditions have long been at

odds with one another, manifested most clearly in the separation

of Thay from Mulhorand.

In Thay, nearly all arcane spellcasters aspire to join the ranks

of the Red Wizards, where specialization in a school of magic is

taken to an extreme not seen elsewhere in Faerûn. Of those spellcasters

who are of lower rank, wizards outnumber sorcerers, and

bards are almost unknown. In Mulhorand and Unther, where the

practice of arcane magic is much restricted, most spellcasters are

clerics of one of the many Mulhorandi god-kings. Paladins are

found in greater numbers than in other cultures, but rangers and

druids are all but unknown. In Chessenta, bards outnumber other

practitioners of the Art, and clerics of both the Faerûnian and

Mulhorandi pantheons are common as well.

Spellcasting Traditions: Mulan favor spells that ensure personal

defense and enable one to learn a deity’s will. Combat spells,

particularly those of an elemental nature, are also common. In

Thay, arcane spells of elemental fire are much preferred. In Mulhorand,

Murghôm, and Unther, spells that safeguard tombs of

the dead or inflict curses upon the living are much favored. Commonly

known examples include augury, bestow curse, commune,

fireball, glyph of warding, and symbol.

With their history of god-kings and powerful magic, Mulan

spellcasters cast spells somewhat differently than their counterparts

elsewhere on Faerûn.

Unique Spells: Although Mulan spellcasters have created

large numbers of spells, both arcane and divine, various cultural

influences have combined to ensure that few are widely known.

The priesthood of Thoth has long striven to keep arcane Mulhorandi

secrets hidden from the outside world. Infighting

between individuals as well as the various schools of

magic in Thay has kept most Red Wizard spells

from becoming widely known, even among their

fellows. In Unther, the now-dead god Gilgeam kept

very tight wraps on all new spells, seeing them as a

threat to his continued rule.

Mulan Magic Items

The Mulan have traditionally discouraged

the creation of arcane magic items, in large part

for the same reason that the study of the Art has been discouraged—

to preserve the power of the priests. While such cultural

discouragement of magic item creation continues to hold true in

Mulhorand and, to a lesser extent, Unther and Chessenta, it has

been wholeheartedly rejected by Thayan Mulan. As indicated by

the burgeoning number of Thayan enclaves scattered across

Faerûn, the Red Wizards are responsible for a large fraction of

the widely known types of magic items in use in Faerûn today.

The Red Wizards have created many unique magic items as well,

but they jealously hold such secrets for themselves.

Various magical staffs are quite common as well, as the

quarterstaff is the original symbol of authority in the lands of

the god-kings. Khopeshes, scimitars, and swords are commonly

crafted with brilliant energy, ghost touch, holy, throwing,

thundering, wounding, and unholy special abilities. Whips are

often given the wounding special ability. Quarterstaffs typically

receive disruption and holy special abilities. Armor is typically

crafted with cooling, fire resistance, or lightning resistance special

abilities.

Common Magic Items: Incense of meditation, necklaces of

prayer beads, oil of timelessness, phylacteries of faithfulness,

scarabs of protection, rods of rulership, staffs of healing, and

vestments of faith. The numerous priests in Mulan lands produce

enough of these items that they may be purchased at a

10% discount in any large city in Mulhorand or Unther (due

to the Thayan rejection of religion, this discount does not apply

in Thay).

Iconic Magic Items: Among the more powerful magic items in

many a Mulan spellcaster’s arsenal is the ankh of ascension, which makes all her spells function better.

The Mulan are the last major human ethnic group to venerate

a pantheon of deities other than the dominant Faerûnian pantheon.

Until the Time of Troubles, the Mulan of Mulhorand,

Murghôm, and Semphar venerated the Mulhorandi pantheon,

while Unther, Threskel, and parts of Chessenta venerated the

Untheric pantheon. Following the deaths of Gilgeam and Ramman during the Avatar Crisis, the Untheric pantheon effectively

vanished, its last members (Tiamat and Assuran) absorbed

into the Faerûnian pantheon. The Mulhorandi pantheon finally

awoke to its own dire position. Today, the Mulan of Mulhorand,

Murghôm, Semphar, and Unther venerate the Mulhorandi pantheon,

while those who dwell in Chessenta, the Wizards’ Reach,

and Thay largely venerate the Faerûnian pantheon.

Assuran

Main Article: Assuran Assuran, the Lord of Three Thunders, is known as Hoar in

other lands. He is a deity of justice and vengeance, venerated by

Mulan of Unther and Chessenta, although his cult is strongest

in the cities of Akanax and Mourktar. Hoar’s church has

declined in influence in Unther as Anhur’s has grown, but it

remains strong in Chessenta where Hoar, in his guise as Assuran,

is venerated as a god of storms and regarded as one of the celestial

patrons of the country.

Horus-Re

Main Article: Horus-Re Horus-Re, the Lord of the Sun, is worshiped primarily by Mulhorandi who govern and administer. Although his faith is

strongest in Mulhorand, his church has attracted an increasing

number of adherents from the ranks of the fallen Untheric god

Gilgeam who have renounced their formerly wicked ways. Clerics

of Horus-Re rule vast estates in the name of their deity, and

control an immense amount of wealth and power in Mulhorand.

Other Gods

Women in Mulhorand and Unther have long worshiped Isis, the

Bountiful Lady, known as Ishtar in Unther. She has a very

strong following among good-aligned arcane spellcasters.

Before his death the Untheric god Gilgeam blamed Tiamat

for all Unther’s ills, driving many Untherites who opposed his

harsh rule into her embrace. The Dragon Queen earned her

moniker as Nemesis of the Gods when she slew the Supreme

Ruler of Unther during the Time of Troubles, an act of liberation

that has earned her church large numbers of adherents,

even among nonevil Mulan. In neighboring Chessenta, Tiamat

has many followers as well, for there she is known as Tchazzar,

the red dragon Father of Chessenta. In time, her church is likely

to contract when Tiamat’s true nature is finally revealed.

The Mulan view members of other human ethnic groups with

disdain. The Turami minorities of Mulhorand, Unther, Threskel,

and Chessenta are generally tolerated, (except in Unther, where

they are almost universally despised), but they are always considered

members of the lower class. North of the Wizards’

Reach, the Rashemi form the bulk of the lower class of Thay.

The Red Wizards nominally restrict their ranks to Mulan wizards

and sorcerers, but many look the other way if they find a

Rashemi spellcaster skilled in the Art and willing to pretend to

be a Mulan, although powerful Rashemi wizards can dispense

with the charade.

The Mulan get along with the gold dwarves of the Great Rift,

thanks to centuries of trade, and are inclined to view all the

Stout Folk in similar light, although arctic dwarves and wild

dwarves might prove an exception. Rock gnomes are largely

unknown, so the Mulan view them as little dwarves. Halflings

are similarly rare, as the largest nearby concentration of the hin

lies in far-off Luiren, and are generally treated much like

dwarves as well. Elves and half-elves are almost unknown to the

Mulan and the subject of great superstition, stemming in large

part from the frustrations Unther’s armies experienced long ago

while attempting to subjugate the Yuirwood. In Mulhorand and

Unther, the Fair Folk are seen as wizards by the bureaucracy of

priests, and thus are regarded with the same combination of fear

and loathing as Red Wizards of Thay.

The Mulan despise half-orcs, a legacy of the Orcgate Wars

handed down for centuries. Western Chessenta is a notable

exception, particularly in the city of Airspur, where half-orcs

are tolerated. Of the nonhuman civilized races, planetouched,

particularly aasimar, are the only race looked up to by the

Mulan. After millennia of intimate involvement with the godkings,

aasimar of Mulan descent are seen as descendants of the

gods and thus worthy of great respect. Tieflings engender fear

rather than reverence, for they are seen as the spawn of Set

and Sebek. Genasai are scarce, although fire genasi of Mulan

descent are treated as full-blooded Mulan in Thay and welcomed

into the School of Evocation.

Mulan favor simple, unadorned clothing, such as white tunics,

black headdresses, belts, and sandals. In colder climes, more colorful

garments may be worn, but the fashion is for clothing to

remain plain, a tradition originally begun so as not to challenge

the majesty of the god-kings. Tattoos are the most common

form of adornment, often depicting stylized representations of

various beasts and monsters, cryptic runes, and abstract designs.

Arms and Armor

In ages past, Mulan employed bronze weapons, typically

khopeshes or scimitars, and many relics fashioned of bronze are

still in use today as ceremonial attire or because they bear powerful

magic. Modern-day Mulan favor steel swords, introduced

after the gold dwarves passed on the secret of forging steel, and

composite bows, which were used to great effect during the Orcgate

Wars. Most other weapons employed in western Faerûn,

with the exception of longspears and other polearms, are

employed to varying degrees by the Mulan as well. Quarterstaffs

are favored in Mulhorand, particularly by clerics, and whips are

the weapon of choice of many Red Wizards. The armor of choice

of most Mulan is scale mail, although they have adopted chainmail

and breastplates in recent centuries. Heavy armor is almost

unknown, possessed only by the greatest warriors.

Common Items: Scale mail, banded mail, scimitar, khopesh,

light mace, heavy mace, shortspear, composite longbow.

Animals and Pets

In lands ruled by the god-kings, the Mulan revere felines as

divine agents, reflecting the lingering influence of the Cult of

Bast centuries after that minor Mulhorandi goddess evolved into

Sharess. Horses are highly prized in greater Mulhorand, particularly

in Murghôm and Semphar. Perhaps because of its large population

of centaurs, Thay is not particularly known for its horses.

Instead, black unicorns form the heart of Thayan cavalry

squadrons. In Thay, arcane spellcasters of Mulan descent employ

imps, quasits, shocker lizards, stirges, tiny snakes, and toads as

familiars. Members of the Order of the Magi in Mulhorand

prefer animals associated with their patron deity, particularly

hawks and ibises.