Taklakot was a once-mighty nation located in the Mountains of Morn. It was mostly-destroyed by the God Kai, and later fell under a curse, causing people who spent time in the land insane.
History[]
Taklakot was part of the ancient kingdom of Fernmost.[1]
Taklakot was a nation in the Mountains of Morn. It was visited by Shasarak, who brought them the Sun-stone, which gave the nation great prosperity. A temple worshiping the power of the Sun was created to harness the power of the Sun-stone, which was used to power advanced machinery and grow crops. This power brought great wealth to Taklakot; however, in time, this power drove the Taklakotians to become greedy, decadent and corrupt. Additionally, the power was stolen from the God Kai, who one day, in anger, wiped out the entire country with a column of fire,[2] creating what is now known as Desolation Valley. This event is known as the Great Blast.[3] The city of Gyanima is the only city left from the civilization as it was protected from the blast by the mountains; today, the city is known as the Forbidden City.[4][5]
However, Kai was not the only deity who looked upon Taklakot. The greed of the Taklakotians, combined with their destruction, opened a link to an ancient Evil, whose touch cursed the land of Taklakot.[note 1] This curse drives all mortals in Taklakot mad.[2]
For causing the Great Blast, Shasarak punished the Taklakotians even further. Using the Song of the Dead, he summoned Deathgaunts to for the first time on Magnamund, who ensnared the spirits of the dead Taklakotians into the Neverness. This transformed them into Deathgaunts themselves, bonded to Shasarak, to become part of his spectral army.[3]
Centuries later, Taklakot remains a nation that is almost dead. Gyanima has been reduced to a city of anarchy, where gangs thrive and hunt slaves for entertainment. It has been led by the House of the Mad Kings of Gyanima.[6][7] The latest king is served by the Wizard of Taklakot, Hakaba.[8] Some parts of Taklakot are left in better shape: An different unnamed city, surrounded by a forest, escaped much destruction, but the trees mutated in strange ways. This may have become Shasarak's second lair after the Mountains of Morn.[1]
In the gamebooks[]
Taklakot may be visited by Grand Master, Blazer and Grey Star should the player choose to investigate Shasarak's lair in The Dusk of Eternal Night. Grey Star will transport the trio to Shasarak's lair using a Temeris Potion, where they encounter and fight Hakaba and his henchmen. In the lair, one path from the chamber with a Shianti Power Cube leads directly into Desolation Valley[2] but Grand Master is forced to retreat due to the radiation.
Design[]
In The Magnamund Companion, page 14, Taklakot is spelt "Taklokot".[9]
Notes[]
- ↑ This may be Agarash the Damned. It is implied that Shasarak opened a Gate of Doom by experimenting with Sun-stone Shards, where an explosion where the fabric of the Material Plane had been weakened could open such a gate; the wrath of the God Kai may have weakened it in similar fashion, allowing Agarash to curse Taklakot, and giving Shasarak the inspiration to try and contact Agarash again in similar fashion.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Dusk of Eternal Night: §331
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Dusk of Eternal Night: §205
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Dusk of Eternal Night: §218
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §38
- ↑ The Forbidden City: §111
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §197
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §278
- ↑ The Dusk of Eternal Night: §83
- ↑ Dever, Joe [1986] (2015-10-31). The Magnamund Companion, Internet Edition, Project Aon, p. 14.