The Secret of Oenkmar
by RobinIn the Gazetteer 10 adventure “Requiem for the Orcs” there is within the great temple (room 35 page 38) a great Entropic Creature; a Nightwing. The adventure also explains the contra effects when the creature is released. Some things seem to contradict and need additions to explain the Shadow Elves Raising Aengmor later (all additions/changes in Red)
Atzanteotl placed it there just before the magma started to melt underneath the Rock of Oenkmar, causing the pumice Rock of Oenkmar, now impervious of heat, created in a volcano, sank into earth, even through the sinkhole…. Deep into the Magma chamber floated on the Magma, trapping the humanoids on it. This was the end of the Humanoids golden era, the end of the age of Oenkmar. (original text; before the orcs arrival in 1190 BC) . He instructed the humanoid high priests to leave it chained, for great havoc would otherwise befall the city. In fact, the Nightwing is a living portal to the Sphere (Original text; Plane) of Entropy from which the temple drains power needed to make the Rock of Oenkmar impervious to the continuous heat of the Magma and thus sustain the city over the magma. Anything the Nightwing swallows ends up in the Pocket Plane of Atzanteotl under influence of the Sphere of Entropy.
if freed it ignores anybody, immediately enters the astral Plane, It pops back outside the pyramid spreading death and destruction in Oenkmar, eventually returning to the Plane of Entropy (leaving his portal to Atzanteotl’s realm open and thus drawing intense cold in the magma), after which the bottom of Oenkmar solidifies ( by the intense cold) and the city is eventually immobilized.(if this would have been a bad thing I am not sure, but the Oenkmarian political power would have become influential again anbd spread far.)
If destroyed, the city starts sinking at the rate of 1 yard/turn, causing many to die horribly.
It depends on you DM if either of these happen if you follow the timeline of the Almanacs, it will not, as the Shadow (Dark) Elves raise Aengmor later...
To enable the Shadow (dark) elves from raising Aengmor, they need to keep the Nightwing alive, and as being followers of Atzanteotl, they surely would be informed. First when the rock becomes stuck in the old shaft, and Aengmor is stabilized, then the Nightwing is released while remaining under control of the current High Priest. In the war with the humanoids, some Humanoid heroes finally defeat the monster. The portal it had active to transport sacrificed victims to Atzanteotl’s realm could not be closed (there was nobody with a close gate spell) thus drawing intense cold in the area keeping the ceiling from the Magma chamber from melting. Overall temperatures in Lower Gnollistan (new Aengmor) are stabilized between 4 and 24 Celsius in the new caves of the Shadow (dark) elves.
Combining all the Aengmor -Oenkmar canon and Fanon information I come to the following Timeline for the afffected Region
Oenkmar-Aengmor
A brief history
2000 BC: Elves settle in North Grondheim.
1750 BC: The region around Grondheim/Anur lake has become the fairy/even nation of Aengmor
1722 BC: King Loark invades Norwold
1710 BC: Though losing terrain on the Ethengar side of the Anur/Grondheim Lake due King Loark's attacks, the Elven nation Aengmor now encompasses all of future Glantri and mountains west of Grondheim Lake, as king Atziann forces all elves and humans to join the realm
1709 BC: King Loark settles along Grondheim Lake
1700 BC: Aengmor taken over by Loark, Elves enslaved King Atziann tries to activate the recently discovered old Blackmoor RCC collider thinking it is a weapon to destroy humanoids The Machine causes a immense explosion thus starting the shaping of the Broken Lands. Atziann escapes to the Hollow World. A small ice age starts due dust of the explosion.
1550 BC: The volcano on the Plateaux of Gnollistan ceased its activity, and seemingly died. The large "cork” that closed the crater falls down in the now empty magma chamber, and will later become the "Rock of Oenkmar" resting on the floor of the small upper magma chamber of the dead volcano.
1500 BC: Broken lands continue to geologically shaping themselves. Grey orcs rule
1468 BC: Atruatzin and his follower refugees from the Hollow World Azcans find a resting place after years of travelling underground within the underground chamber of future Gnollistan. Here they build a temple to the old gods on the huge rock of Pumice (volcanic Floating stone, a fallen “cork” stop in the surface inactive crater, as this is the only flat and sturdy surface to build upon. A small temple and several structures were erected... They name it Mictlan, after the legendary land of the dead.
1420 BC: While following the guidance of the Immortal Atzanteotl, wandering underground, the Shadow Elves stumbled upon a very deep cavern below the Broken Lands (Lower Gnollistan). Here they found a temple (Mictlan), built in a strange and unfamiliar style and the centre of a community of barbaric humans, the Azcan. The elves drove the humans out after prolonged battling, and occupied the area. Those Elves who had been seduced by Atzanteotl declare that the temple is sacred to him, and he has given them victory over their enemies, and a place to call home. Most elves are still uneasy about this alien immortal, but they are weary, and so they settle and changed the central religion of the humans of the Old Gods, into their new God; Atzanteotl, and around. Over the former Mictlan temple they erected a much larger pyramid temple and built a great city, which they named Aengmor using the name of their former nation, Aengmor.
Around 1400BC: A group of Schattenalfen were driven out of Aengmor (by the will of their patron). They retraced earlier expedition’s path to the Hollow world and became the Schattenalfen.
1352 BC: The Shadow Elves finished the construction of Aengmor city. The Elves could not rebuild their nation however, as the region was not fully settled from the earlier happenings, and ravaged by many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
1290 BC: A mere 62 years later, the inflow of water from Lake Grondheim renewed the inflow of magma caused by the build up of pressure from below. Clogs in the flow directed most pressure to the larger magma chambers in the North East. With this, magma surrounded the Rock of Oenkmar, lifting it up back to the cavern’s vault into the crater of the volcano. The city was then thrust upward, allowing Aengmor's temple, the city's highest structure, to fill the bottom of the shaft exactly. Lower South Gnollistan is mostly filled by Magma. Aengmor/Oenkmar was “locked” in its current position, with only the Temple surfacing within the crater. Nearby Shadowelf structures are either crushed in the disaster by pressing it against the ceiling, or are buried between the Floating Rock of Oenkmar and the Ceiling. Many elves died from toxic fumes or the overwhelming heat, but a fair number escaped through the use of magic. The survivors moved on to even deeper places, abandoning the city of Aengmor forever. Several sources claim that Atzanteotl caused this to happen, to further increase the power and input of humanoids on the world. With the Elves gone, the input of the humanoids on the region greatly enhanced.
1290-1269 BC: The higher magma chambers began flowing back down. In this process the magma underneath Oenkmar Rock started to solidify and crystallize into fine sand-like particles, which do not adhere to one another. The Rock of Oenkmar was still stuck in the shaft of the volcano it was originally the "cork" of. The small upper magma chamber was fully filled with this crystallized sand. This "sand” was later traded and was the prime source for the dwarves who invented glass.
1190 BC: Descendants of the Great Horde resurface in the Broken Lands. The Tribes meet again and discover the Rock of Oenkmar within the crater, the city of Oenkmar on it, and a knife they mistake for one of their legendary artifacts. End of the Quest for a Blue Knife, a truce is proclaimed.
1050 BC: Nithian priests visit the Shamans of Oenkmar. Atzanteotl is increasingly offended. Nithians and Humanoids create new structures next to Aengmor/Oenkmar.
1000 BC: Oenkmar Empire; Broken Lands overpopulated. Most of the Known World was dominated by the humanoid city of Oenkmar, which directly or indirectly controlled a large empire from Atruaghin lands to Ethengar, from Glantri to the modern Five Shires. It’s quite probable that the documented attacks of the ogres and the Gnolls against ancient Sind, of the Gnolls against Traladara and of the hobgoblins against the Ethengarians were all sponsored by Oenkmar.
501 BC: Atzanteotl places a Nightwing in the basement of the temple and starts creating a special gate to relay powers through the creature on Oenkmar. He instructed the humanoid high priest to leave it chained, for great havoc would otherwise befall the city.
500 BC: With the geological changes in the broken lands, magma started to melt the crystalline sand underneath the Rock of Oenkmar, causing with the sinking of crystalline sand, the Rock of Oenkmar followed down, but instead like before settling on the ground of the smaller upper magma chamber, it slid into the now widened shaft leading down. The Rock of Oenkmar, impervious of heat, created in a volcano, sank into earth, even through the sinkhole…. Deep into the Magma chamber floated on the Magma, trapping the humanoids on it. This was the end of the Humanoids golden era, the end of the age of Oenkmar.
The arrival of the elves of Alfheim and the creation of the Canolbarth forest, together with the defeat of the red orcs and the raising of the Atruaghin plateau, were instrumental in limiting the remaining political power of the Empire of Oenkmar. The Fall of Oenkmar however would bring more humanoid invasions. Humanoid activities remain high in all the Known World in the following centuries.
At the same time two new magma chambers are created, lowering the level of magma in the Great Chamber. As thus stopping any volcanic activity from this chamber. Aengmor/Oenkmar will thus reside within the magma chamber until it is fully filled again.
1005 AC: Magic altering attack on Canolbarth prepared
1006 AC summer: Meteor impact
1006 AC autumn: Magic altering attack on Canolbarth started
1006-1012 AC+: Canolbarth sickens and alters, Alfheim taken over by Shadow Elves
1012 AC, 15 Vatermont: As the Dwarves discovered an ancient Humanoid City with the name Oenkmar in1012AC; they proudly started a war with the Humanoids for all the treasures buried within this lava-floating island city. However, halfway the battle the Shadowelves learned of their exploits, and decided that Oenkmar must be Aengmor, their ancient city lost sooo long ago by them. This Rediscovery of Aengmor by the Shadow Elves, ignited a holy war. Already battle-beaten, the Dwarves could not resist another army attacking from behind and had to retreat....
1012AC, 16 Ambyrmont: Re-conquering Aengmor, Disillusioned Shadow Elves retreat back to the underworld, others (often the rebellious young) venture to Aengmor where more freedom is under the guidance of a new Immortal Atzanteotl.
1013 AC: Many Shadow Elven wars in the Lower and even Upper Broken Lands to drive humanoids away.
The first Shadow Elves start changing physically into Dark Elves,(accompanying A lich and later a red Dragon named Synn in their evil exploits). All others Aengmorian followers of Atzanteotl follow later.
1013 AC: Atzanteotl gets new followers amongst disillusioned SE
1014 AC: Shadowelves used their ground altering magic they closed of several side passages of the great Magma chamber below, but also a major down flow channel. As thus the great chamber slowly filled, carefully they guided Aengmor to beneath its original location, while it was pushed upwards with the rising Magma in Lower South Gnollistan. In this process many caves below were altered, locked out from the magma, or were wholly or partially filled with magma. And the Gnollistan Plateaux was again on the Rise. They held city up within the shaft, but not totally up (as the Shadow Elves are vulnerable to the sun, due genetic alteration or the wasting disease of the past.
Lower Gnollistan was radically altered, first it was filled with magma again, when this hardened, the Dark Elves removed much of it to free the cave again, reopened the waterways, and thus making the area fertile. With the residue of magma chemicals the Funghi almost exploded within the region, making it very fertile. Several towns were created and Lower Gnollistan became the new nation of New Aengmor. The Southwest corner filled with magically summoned rock, held within the shaft the Rock of Oenkmar with upon it Aengmor. The old tunnels were restored or re-opened and Aengmor became a fact.
While doing so, the Shadow Elves of Aengmor religiously diverted to the Immortal Atzanteotl, an evil entity. At first the Shadowelves evicted all humanoids from the city, then from the lower caves, and then even from the surface.
1121 AC: New Dark Elves immortal Lolth appears, Atzanteotl retreats himself slowly from the scene, no longer interested in euither the Elves nor Humanoids, too many failures after one another.
1200 AC: Evil Shadow Elves now called Dark Elves, or Drow; Located in Underground in Eastern Broken Lands, Followers of
Atzanteotl and the New (former Shadow Elf) Immortal Lolth, Darker skin, lighter Hair, Love for Spiders, and Evil to Neutral at best, Neutral to Chaotic. Have normal Elf Wizards and Elf Clerics with mostly Lolth’s spells. They no longer have Shamans; these have become full fledged clerics.
Something completely different, but drawn from all this information.
My personal opinion on Atzanteotl; He is a fool. He does nothing to prevent his mighty Oenkmar Empire of Humanoids (1000BC) to falter and disintegrate, but actually ignites this downfall, He discards the early and later Shadow Elves due their low reproduction rate, actually he stopped several times with his projects when all goes as he intended, not being able to see the ability to further improve his power. Why he still sees potential in the Schatten alfen in the Hollow World remains a mystery to me, as these have the same low birthrate.
One important issue with the Hollow World, the spell of preservation and differences in reproduction (remained stable under the spell of preservation) is that any war, the death of Schattenalven would be of much, much greater impact than those of the humans. Maybe this is tghe sole reason the number of battles between the elves and Azcans (both under the same immortal)remains low. each human death is replaced in two decades at most, each elven death can't be replaced until 200 years or more are passed, and another 100 until it becomes an adult able to fight.