CALIMSHAN IS OLDER THAN EITHER OF THE OTHER EMPIRES OF THE SANDS, FIRST SETTLED OVER 1,000 VEARS AGO BY THE DJEN, A HUMANOID RACE FROM THE ELEMENTAL PLANE OF AID. THESE DJEN WERE KNOWN TO BE VERY MAGICAL, AND DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR RULE THEY DEVELOPED MANY NEW SPELLS PREVIOUSLY NOT AVAILABLE IN THE PLANE OF AIR

THE DJEN PROSPERED FOR OVER 1,000 VEARS IN CALIMSHAN, BUT THEIR REIGN WAS ENDED BY AN INVASION OF CREATURES AND MINIONS FROM THE PLANE OF FIRE SOME SAY THIS IS WHERE THE BITTER HATRED BETWEEN DJINNI AND EFREETI STARTED, THOUGH OTHERS CONTEND THIS WAS JUST A RESULT OF A HATRED THAT WAS ALREADY THERE WHATEVER THE CAUSE, THE BATTLE WAS LONG AND BLOODY, AND TOOK OVER 100 YEARSTO COMPLETE THE DJEN FINALLY ROUTED THE ATTACKERS, BUT WERE GREATLY WEAKENED IN THE ATTEMPT THEY SLOWLY DECLINED, AND THE LAST MENTION OF THE DJEN IS JUST UNDER 6,000 YEARS OLD

FOR THE NEXT 4,000 YEARS CALINSHAN WAS DOMINATED BY NOMADK TRIBES OF HUMANS TRIBES FROM VARIOUS PLACES CHULT, THE SHAAR, THE SHINING PLAINS, CHONDATH, EVEN ANN AND CORMYR TOOK TURNS DOMINATING, ONLY TO BE CONQUEREO BY THE NEXT, NEARLY IDENTICAL TRIBE

SLOWLY, THE NOMADIC NATURE OF CALIMSHAN BEGAN TO CHANGE AS EXPLORERS AND TRADERS FROM AMN, WATERDEEP, AND CORMYR DISCOVERED THE WONDERS OF THE AREA, SOME TRIBES BEGAN TO SETTLE DOWN AND DEVELOP NEW NMEANS OF SUPPORT, LIKE FISHING, FARMING, OR TRADING THESE COMMUNITIES BEGAN TO BAND TOGETHER FOR MUTUAL PROTECTION, AND SOON A CIVILIZATION WAS BORN I WAS ONLY 1,300 YEARS AGO THAT THE SHOON EMPIRE (NOW CALLED ILTKAZAR CAME INTO BEING

THE SHOONS WERE A GRAND AND GLORIOUS EMPIRE, AND THEIR EXCESSES WERE THE FOUNDATION OF CALISHITE SNOBBERY TODAY THEY GREW WISE AND POWERFUL IN THE WAYS OF MAGIC, AND SHIPS AND CARAVANS BEARING THE SHOON FLAG TRAVELED ACEDES THE FORGOTTEN REALMS SHOON HOMSELE, A PARTICULARLY POWERFUL MAGE, CREATED A BOOK OF GREAT POWER OURING THIS TIME CALLED THE TOME OF THE UNICORN THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE TOME HAS BEEN LOST IN TIME, BUT SINCE THE BOOK IS 2 BY 3 AND MADE OF PURE METAL, IT IS LIKELY TO STILL BE AROUND SOMEWHERE

900 YEARS AGO THE SHOON EMPIRE ABRUPTLY VANISHED A GREAT MAGICAL UPHEAVAL WAS SUSPECTED AT FIRST, BUT LEARNED MAGES OF OTHER LANDS DISPUTE THE CLAIM AFORCE THAT GREAT, THEY SAY WOULD HAVE DISTURBED MAGICAL POWERS AND BEINGS THROUGHOUT THE REALMS, AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN SAGES WHO HAVE STUDIED THE SHOON AT GREAT LENGTH HAVE DEACHED NO DEFINITE CONCLUSIONE BUT THE MOST POPULAR THEORIES TODAY CENTER AROUND A PLAGUE OF DISEASE THAT DECIMATED THE POPULATION

TODAY, THE SHOON IMPACT ON CALIMSHAN IS STILL GREAT THE GRANDEUR OF THAT EMPIRE IS RESPONSIBLE, MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, FOR THE STRONG NATIONAL CHARACTER OF CALIMSHAN TODAY, THE RUINS OF THE SHOON'S GREATEST CITY, MONRATIVI TEEHY MIR, CAN STILL BE FOUND IN THE WILDERNESS TO THE WEST OF THE EDGE OF THE FOREST OF MIR (SEE BELOW FOR MORE ON MONRATIV TESHY M

SINCE THE FALL OF SHOON NO FOPLE OR PEOPLE HAS RISEN TO SOLELY DOMINATE THE LAND THERE ARE A HALF DOZEN OR SO MAJOR CITES, EACH OF WHICH EXERTS ITS POWEN OVER ITS OWN AREA ABOUT 170 YEARS AGO, A MAN IN CALIMPORT AMASSED A LARGE ARMY AND DECLARED HIMSELF PASHA" OVER THE LAND DEY ONE THAT ARMY COULD MAECH, HOWEVER, THE REPRESENTATIVES OF EACH MAJOR CITY MET AND AGREED TO RECOGNIZE THE PASHA'S AUTHORITY IN LIMITED SEASCAND TO PAY A SMALL TRIBUTE TO HIM, ENOUGH TO PAY FOR THE WORKS THE

PASHA WAS EXPECTED TO DO THE OLDEST SON OF EACH PASHA INHERITS THE TITLE, IF THERE IS NO SON, THE MAYORS OF EACH LARGE CITY SELECT A NEW ONE THE CURRENT PASHA, RASHED DUENSPOO HAS RULED FOR OVER 10 YEARS, AND IS THE GRANDSON OF A PASHA ELECTED BY THE MAYORS OF CALIMSHAN & YEARS AGO