Old Kingdoms (Forgotten Realms)

The Old Kingdoms of Faerûn is a fictional region of kingdoms in the Forgotten Realms setting. Located in the East Faerûn region, the Old Kingdoms lie on the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars. They were once powerful nations, but over the centuries the region has succumbed to internal warring, which has weakened the countries.

Chessenta
Chessenta is a country of individual city-states, modelled after Ancient Greece. Apart from the most affluent city of Cimbar, an important town is Luthcheq. Its approximately 3,400,000 inhabitants are mostly humans, with halfling, dwarven, half-orc, and lizardfolk enclaves.

Mulhorand
Mulhorand is a country modeled after Ancient Egypt. Actually, Mulhorandi are Egyptians but, contrary to their Earth counterpart, their specific civilization never faded away and they are still building pyramids and being governed by pharaohs. They were brought to Toril by the evil Imaskaris looking for some manpower. After countless praises, Lord Ao contacted Ptah who led a part of the Egyptian pantheon (actually, avatars of themselves) from Earth to Toril.

Ironically, their traditional enemy is another tribe of Mulhorandi who had been captured by Imaskaris at the same time, the kingdom of Unther, whose people come from ancient Mesopotamia (hence of Babylonian or Sumerian origin).

Mulhorandi are esclavagists.

Murghôm
Murghôm, inhabited by the Murghômi, is an eastern kingdom of Faerûn. It is theoretically a subject territory of Mulhorand. Its second largest city is Phannaskul and another major town is the heavily militarized Port Ghaast. It may be related to real-world Palestine/Canaan, however certain details in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting sourcebook suggest that the area is likely inspired by Cossack culture. Like the Cossacks, the leaders of the Murghômi are called ataman, and the people are known for their skill with horses. Their position beside the Hordelands, which draws on the history of the Mongol Empire, also suggests the Cossacks, as does the organization of the Murghômi state as a series of “semiautonomous communities” that “gather into collective government only in times of war.” However, the Second-Edition sourcebook The Hordelands mentions a powerful “Bey of Murghôm,” suggesting Turkish culture.

There is no mention of Beys in the Third-Edition materials. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting describes the Murghômi as speakers of Mulhorandi and believers in the Mulhorandi Pantheon, and describes Murghôm as a “daughter state.” The Player’s Guide to Faerûn adds that the Murghômi are ethnically Mulani, as are the Mulhorandi. The Third-Edition materials seem to suggest a mixture of Egyptian and Cossack culture that may not have a real-world equivalent.

Richard Baker, Forgotten Realms author and game designer, explained the Murghômi in a discussion on the Wizards Community, the official message board of Wizards of the Coast:

"“They sort of remind me of the Turanians from Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age."

"“If you want a real-world parallel…well, Cossacks aren’t bad. Maybe the relationship is something like this: Murghom is to Mulhorand as Cossack is to Russia (not Turkey). Mulhorand is the imperial state that keeps trying to exert more control over its free-spirited and wild frontiersmen. But the Earth history analogy really shouldn’t be taken too far. It’s a fantastic world, and there should be many things in Faerûn that don’t have easy Earth analogues.”"

Semphar
Semphar is the mightiest nation of the Endless Wastes, deserves this name as it is far from Faerûn, even more than Thay. Theorically a part of the empire of Mulhorand, it is modeled after Persian Peninsula. Its capital is Dhaztanar, while its second largest town is Phelzel.

Unther
Unther, like its long-standing enemy, Mulhorand, was once a great empire, but now seems to be in decline. The country is a magocracy and is ruled by the Northern Wizards from the capital of Messemprar, formerly named Unthalass. It has around 4,300,000 inhabitants, consisting of mainly humans but also smaller numbers of dwarves and halflings.

Unther resembles the Mesopotamian civilization.

Official material

 * Lost Empires of Faerûn
 * Brief descriptions, by Ed Greenwood
 * The Alabaster Staff: A History of Unther (Unther, Mulhorand)
 * More Old Empires and Sembia! (Chessanta, Mulhorand)
 * Murghôm
 * The Horde (zip)
 * Greenwood, Ed; Rynolds, Sean K.; & Williams, Heinsoo (2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3rd ed.). Renton: Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
 * Discussion with Richard Baker on the Wizards Community, March 27, 2006:

Portals

 * Mulhorand
 * Slavery Portal
 * The Greenhouse Portal
 * Lantanese Portal
 * Mulhorandi Portal
 * The Farsea Marsh Portal
 * The Imperial Portal
 * Murghôm
 * The Pirate Escape Portal

Personalities

 * Chessanta
 * Kestus Aentius
 * The Bard of Adder Swamp
 * Mulhorand
 * Ramas Fezim-Ret
 * Unther
 * Character Profile: Massedar

Specific prestige classes

 * Mulhorand
 * Eye of Horus-Re
 * Glorious Servitor (image)

Mulhorand