ForgingtheRealmsArchive|1/21/2014

TheRhauligans
ByEdGreenwood

HowandwhereandwhendidtheForgottenRealmsstart?What'sattheheartofEdGreenwood'screation,andhow
doestheGrandMasteroftheRealmsusehisownworldwhenherunsD&Dadventuresfortheplayersinhis
campaign?"ForgingtheForgottenRealms"isaweeklyfeaturewhereinEdanswersallthosequestionsandmore.

neofthemostcolorfulcharactersinCormyrinthemidtolate1300sDRwasGlarasteerRhauligan,secretlya
Highknightoftherealmbutpubliclya"makerandpurveyorof[sometimeshesubstitutedthephrase"traderin"]
turrettopsandcrenellations."Thiswasneitherafictitiousprofessionnoranoverblowntitleforsomethingthat
hadbeendoneforyearswithoutmuchfanfare,butratherrepresentsanexampleofthesortofinnovationthathas
madefortunesintheRealmsandkeptplacessuchasAmnandWaterdeepeconomicpowerhousesforlongperiods,
becausetheyhadtheatmosphere(welcomingoratleasttolerantattitude),infrastructure(warehouses,workshops,
andmeansofswiftandaffordablebulkshipping),andcapital(investorsenough)tosupportandencouragesuch
innovationinanongoingmanner.

GlarasteerachievedCormyreannotorietybecauseofhisdebonairmannerandoutlandishbehavior,buthisfamilyhad
alreadyfoundfameacrosswiderFaern.Likesomany,they"camefromnowhereandwentbackthere,"asfaras
popularregardwasconcernedbutatleastthey"arrived."Howtheydidthatmakestheminterestingindeed.

EarlyDays

TheRhauligansareoldCormyreanstock.TheysettledintheForestKingdomwhentheObarskyrswerenewlycome
totheDragonThrone,andCormyritself,asahumankingdom,wasyoung.Theybeganpoor,butastheyearspassed,
theybecamesolidlysuccessfulruralcrofters,producingandsellingmixedcropsandhaybeyondwhattheyneededto
subsist,andeventuallyraisinglivestockforslaughter.

OriginallytheyfarmedintheverdantgrasslandsnorthofSuzail,butalmostallsmallholdersweregraduallyforcedout
ofthatareabythenobility,whowantedcountrymansionsclosetothecityandfarmsthatcouldrushthefreshest
producetohungrySuzailandtoitsport,andsomakethebestcoin.

Usuallythis"forcingout"wasneitherhostilenorviolent.Rather,anoblewouldmakeacommonercrofteranofferso
richheorshejustcouldn'trefuseit.DisplacedcrofterseitherusedthefantasticwealthtostartanewlifeinSuzail,or
misspentitandendeduppoorandlaboringonsomeoneelse'sfarmortheymovedeastandcarvedanewsteading
outofwilderlands,eitheraroundtheHullackForestorsouthoftheVastSwamp,inasteadystreamthatexpanded
settledCormyrstepbystepuntilitranintoSembiatotheeast.

TheRhauligansweredisplacedcrofters,andtheywoundupwestofHultailwithinsightoftheWyvernwater,where
theyspentgenerationsrearingsheep,oxen,andcattle.Duringthattime,theybecamegooddrywallbuilders,asall
ranchersdidwholackedthetimetoestablishhedgerows,butasHultailstartedtoexpand,someRhauligansbecame
housebuilders.

TheRhauliganFrame,andFame

In1343DR,ontheirbythenextensivefarmsouthwestofHultail,BrenderRhauligan(thefatherofGlarasteer)andhis
youngerbrotherGarlyninventedwhatwastotransformthefamily'slivesandfortunes:theRhauliganFrame.

Theycraftedaheavydutytemporaryconstructionframeworkofstouttimbersthatcouldbereadilydisassembled,
moved,andreassembledonsite.Itincorporateditsownwinchesandlegseightlegsthatcouldbelengthenedby
addingsections.Onceplacedonasuitablefoundation,theRhauliganframecouldbeusedasarisingbysections
"multiplecraneandwinchandworker"platformtoswiftlybuildatowerarounditwithoutneedfortall,dangerous
laddersandscaffolds.Guywirescouldhelpstabilizeit,andinthetowerbeingbuiltaroundit,gapscouldbeleftinthe
wallstonestoaccommodatethosewires.Gapswerelaterfilledin,ormoreoftenrefittedintowindows,doorsonto
externalbalconies,orfiringports.

"Rhauligan's"(asthefirmwasknowntoall,thoughitwasformallyknownasRhauliganFabricationsthatis,the
familiesofBrenderandGarlyn,overadozensonsanddaughtersinall)broughttheirframetoaclient,erecteditand
raiseditasconstructionwenton.Theyusedittoliftprefabricatedcrenellationsorconicalweathertopsintoplace
whenthetowerwascomplete,thendismantledtheframefromwithin,replacingitwithinternalstairsorelevators,
sectionbysection,astheydescended.Thefirmprovidedthetops(orstonekitsofdressedandfittedblockssecured
withineasilydisassembledwoodenliftframes,forplainstonemerlons),constructingthemtoorder.

TheRhauliganframe,sooncopiedbyrulerswhohadwealthenoughtoconstructtheirown,consistedofaninner
circularplatformonaquartetoflegs,linkedtoan"outerring"platformonadifferentquarteroflegs.Internaltoeach
legwincheswereworkedinoffsettingpairstoraisetheinnerplatformonesectionhigherthantheouterring,thennew
legsectionswereputinplaceunderthatinnerplatform,onepairandthenthenext,whiletheouterplatformkeptthe
wholeassemblystable.Thentheouterringwasraisedinthesamemanner,pairafterpair,andsoon.Theinnerring
couldbefittedwithRhauliganprovidedcranes,"flatbar"(horizontalbeam)outriggerwinches,andalargepulleythat
couldraiseandlowerlongchainsthroughaninternaltrapdoororwell,alltoliftworkersandbulkmaterials(andlet
themdownagain)swiftlytotheheightthetowerbuildinghadreached.

Sinceitgreatlysimplifiedandspedupthebuildingofinternalandexternalscaffolding,andminimizedtopplingand
collapseaccidents,towerscouldgoupmuchfaster.TheRhauliganframebecametherageamongcastlebuilders
(thereareevenfortificationsinChessentaandeasternTethyrwherewhatlooklike"castlewalls"arereallyrowsof
towersbuilt,usingtheRhauliganFrame,soclosetogetherthattheytoucheachother).TheRhauliganswerekeptso
busythattheyfranklydidn'tcarehowmanyworkersleftthemtobecomecompetitorsafterlearninghowitallworked.

Glarasteerwastheexception.Thisflamboyantwildsheepofthefamilypreferredtheskullduggeryandderringdoof
beinganundercoveragentofCormyrtojustbuildingandgettingrich.HisyoungerbrotherFlastarlalsowentina
differentdirection,startingasidelinebusinesserectingwarehousesandsmallcottagesbytheuseofmuchsmaller
frames.Thistypeofframeallowedtheerectionofaweatherroofoverbuildingsitesandmadeevensimplestructures
goupfaster,sincetheroofwasbuiltfirst,thenthewalls(andsupportpillars,orelse!)wereerectedtomeetit.

TheHeight,andaSwiftFade

AllofthismeanttheRhauliganfamilywasverywealthyindeedbytheadventoftheSpellplague.Theywerealso
scatteredalloverthemorecivilizedlandsofFaern(justaboutanywherethathadrulers,nobles,orawealthy
merchantclasswhowantedtoerecttowersandcouldaffordtodoso),andsohadstartedbranchesofthefamilyin
Cormyr,Sembia,Amn,Tethyr,Tharsult,Chessenta,theVilhon,andtheTashalar.

AsthetumultbroughtonbytheSpellplaguedeepened,theirserviceswereevenmoreindemand,andthey
themselvesbecameregardedasstrategicassets,tobecontrolledoreliminated,sotheycouldn'tbehiredbyrivals.
Asaresult,manyoftheRhauliganswentintohiding,changedtheirnames,andleftthefamilybusinessbehind.After
all,theyhadwealthenoughthattheycoulddabbleinalmostanythingatall,orevennothing,passingtheirdaysin
idleness.

ManyformerRhauligansbecamesages,wrotebooks,composedmusic,orwentintocheesemakingorotherfoodstuff
production(sincemanyandfrequentfoodshortageswereapartoftheSpellplaguechaos).Afewretreatedbackto
thefamilyfarm,butweresoonhuntedbyrulerswantingfortifiedtowersbuilt,andthenwerepressedintonearslavery
untiltheydiedofoverworkorinaccidentsorescaped.

ThefatesoftheflamboyantGlarasteerandthemuchtraveledFlastarlaren'tknown,buttothisday,"aproper
Rhauliganwarehouse"isstillauseful,sturdyassetmanymerchantsholdinhighregard.

SeveraloftheRhauligansbecameHarpersandwerespieduponbyfoesofThoseWhoHarp.Onepersistentspy,
JerthMahastur,wasinthehireoftheambitiousThroamlynfamilyofSembia,andfromhisrecordsweknowthatsome
oftheRhauliganswhoabandonedtheirsurnamebecameBeldegrars,Canthens,Daerdrovers,Sarnsarlyns,and
Telrosts.

AccordingtoElminster,almostallthesefamiliestelltheirchildrenoftheirpastandtakeprideinhavingforever
changedthewaymosttowersandwarehousesintheRealmsarebuilt.

"Andso,"headds,"theyshould.WeallchangeFaern,inwayslargeandsmallbutfewofuscanpointtoadramatic
andlastingchangethatboreourname,lasts,andisstillremembered.Andsomeofthosefewmadedarkchanges,
whichleavesthegoodsortalltherarer."

AbouttheAuthor

EdGreenwoodisthemanwhounleashedtheForgottenRealmssettingonanunsuspectingworld.Heworksin
libraries,andhewritesfantasy,sciencefiction,horror,mystery,andromancestories(sometimesallinthesame
novel),butheishappiestwhenchurningoutRealmslore,Realmslore,andmoreRealmslore.Hestillhasafewrooms
inhishouseinwhichhehasspacelefttopileuppapers.

19952014WizardsoftheCoastLLC,asubsidiaryofHasbro,Inc.AllRightsReserved.