@Thrawn589 I’ve got Manshoon questions
1. One book says a Manshoon was Halaster’s student who died in the Spellplauge but in another he escaped Halaster’s experiments?2. The Manshoon in Darkhold: Secrets of the Zhentarim is not the one from Dragon Heist but has the metal arm?
Follow up question,
Does the Manshoon clone that travels around murdering nobles for their wealth have any known identities or any lore beyond what is in Darkhold: Secrets of the Zhentarim?— GreySider (@oGreySidero) August 18, 2021
I’ll tag my buddy and co-lead @justicearman on this since he’s the Manshoon expert. In Darkhold, Manshoon in the art is wearing a metallic gauntlet of sorts. That clone did not have his arm amputated like the clone in Waterdeep. I’ll let Justice answer your follow up Q’s best. However, what ever you decide is best for Manshoon at your table is what your worlds canon should be! Interpret the text as you best see fit, that’s the best part of D&D!
— Anthony Joyce-Rivera (@Thrawn589) August 18, 2021
I think that’s solves the arm issue very neatly, now I just gotta figure out the rest of these Manshoon Mysteries! Thank you! Happy to help!
— Anthony Joyce-Rivera (@Thrawn589) August 18, 2021
Hey GreySider. I’m a big fan of Manshoon, so I’m happy to answer these for you!
1. The most recent allusion to Manshoon and Halaster is Dungeon of the Mad Mage. Halaster has taken Manshoon’s arm and enchanted it on the 9th level, so I’d assume he escaped. Given the one-armed…Manshoon in WDH, I'd wager those two are one and the same. There was also another Manshoon mentioned in the lore who was destroyed in the Spellplague, but those aren't mutually exclusive. Mighty mages across Faerun have run into multiple Manshoon clones throughout their tenures.
— Justice Ramin Arman (@justicearman) August 18, 2021
2. I’m actually not sure that the Darkhold Manshoon has a metal arm. In our artwork, he does have a metal gauntlet, but I don’t know of any official source that references his arm status. Like Anthony says, I’d treat it as a gauntlet for now. For your last Manshoon, there's not a great deal of lore. That's all Ed gave us. 🙂 He's basically living the time of his life.
I hope that helps!
— Justice Ramin Arman (@justicearman) August 18, 2021