Hoekun Yamun, better known as Yamun Khahan was a major villain in the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Forgotten Realms. He is the great Khahan of the Grand Army of the Tuigan (a people similar to the ancient Mongols) from the eastern continent of Kara-Tur. Yamun tried to conquer the continent of Faerun before being eventually killed by King Azoun IV in a duel.
He is the main antagonist of the Horde storyline of the tabletop game and of The Empires trilogy of novels.
Appearance[]
The Khahan is tall and stocky, distinctively Tuigan in appearance. His skin is lined and weather beaten, making him look older than the 40 winters he actually is. Yamun's legs are bowed from years of horse riding. His hair is red-brown and worn in the traditional Tuigan style. Two prominent scars mark his face, one across the bridge of his nose and the other on his upper lip.
Personality[]
| “ | Why, why, why. You ask too many questions. Which snake is better, the one in your talons or the one in the grass? | „ |
| ~ Yamun Khahan to Koja |
Yamun is egotistical, self-confident, determined, cunning and charismatic. All traits that helped him rise to power and unify the many Tuigan tribes into a powerful horde. Seemingly thuggish and uneducated to more civilized individuals, he possessed an impressive intelligence, showed in the organization of his army and in his tactical skills. The foreign diplomat Koja was surprised by the Khahan's wit and intuition.
Yamun's ambitions were simple, he wanted to conquer all the lands on Toril. He believed he was chosen by the god Teylas to lead the Tuigan to domination of the world and he proclaimed himself to be the Illustrious Emperor Of All Peoples.
Despite his arrogance and lust for blood and power, Yamun is also an affable man. He is quite benevolent to his warriors, who are greatly loyal to him, is respectful to his guests in his tent, and eventually came to consider Koja a friend and "anda" (blood brother) after the latter helped thwart an assassination from the Khahan's step-mother Eke Bayalun.
History[]
As a young man, Yamun challenged his father for the leadership of the Hoekun tribe and killed him in a fight. Bayalun, the second wife of Yamun's father and a sorceress, swore vengeance against her step-son and waited for the right opportunity to eliminate him and become ruler of the tribe herself. Yamun is aware of Bayalun's hatred for him but he kept her around because of her useful skills with magic.
Yamun spent several years conquering and unifying the many tribes of the Tuigan in the Horselands, eventually earning the title of Great Khahan. But Yamun had an even greater ambition: To conquer both the continents of Kara-Tur and western Faerun and become the Illustrious Emperor of All Peoples.
Horselords[]
Koja, a young Khazari priest from the nation of Furo, is sent by the ruling prince on a diplomatic mission to Yamun's encampment to persuade the Khahan from invading Furo. Koja meets Yamun Khahan while his Tuigan Horde finishes to subjugate Semphar. Impressed by Koja's erudition and diplomatic skills, Yamun takes a liking for the priest and hires him as his personal scribe to write about his campaign of conquests and the ways of the Tuigan people.
One stormy night, Koja sees Yamun being struck by multiple lighting bolts sent by his patron deity Teylas as a test of being worthy to be the god's chosen. Yamun survives the test almost unscathed.
Bayalun conspires with a minister from the jade empire of Shou Long to assassinate Yamun Khahan before he could invade Shou Long. She manipulates Chanar Ong Kho, one of Yamun's trusted generals, to help her usurp the Khahan. Bayalun sends a shapeshifting fox spirit to attack Yamun with a poisoned arrow while he is distracted during a battle. The Fox spirit is quickly killed before it could escape, and Koja finds himself advising the other Khans on how to heal Yamun from the poison, while finding out about Bayalun's conspiracy.
Yamun recovers partly thanks to his thoughness and thanks to Koja's help. A genuinely grateful Yaman makes Koja his blood brother. For her treachery, Bayalun is exiled to a magic dead zone where her spells will never work again.
Koja also helps breaking the great Dragon Wall of Shou Long by contacting the ancient spirit of the dragon imprisoned inside the wall and offering to free him.
Dragon Wall[]
Yamun's excursion into the Shou Empire was obstructed by a highly capable general named Batu Min Ho. He assembled two very large armies at the summer capital of Tsingtao and sent one to face the Tuigan in direct battle. This was the army led by the more incompetent nobles and less-experienced troops, who expected the Tuigan to flee the battle at the mere sight of their finery.
Ho led his more experienced, professional army onto ships, sailing around the Wak'an Peninsula and up the River Shengti all the way to Yenching, almost a thousand miles inland, but now in the rear of the Tuigan advance. Ho's army disembarked at Yenching and marched behind the Tuigan, who faced the nobles' army at Shihfang. The Tuigan were victorious at Shihfang and defeated the Shou nobles (an outcome neither Ho nor the Emperor were going to spend much time crying about), pushing them back into Shou'kuan to withstand siege.
Ho arrived in the Tuigan rear and they were poised to destroy the outnumbered Tuigan, but Yamun offered negotiations: the Tuigan would simply withdraw from Shou Lung with no need for further battle. Impressed by Ho's tactics, Yamun recruited him to his cause (Ho was disillusioned with Shou Long's aristocracy after his wife and children were murdered by political rivals whilst under the Emperor's protection).
Crusade[]
Yamun Khahan makes a deal with the Red Wizards of Thay to help the Grand Army of the Tuigan defeat the Berserkers of Rashemen and reach the western lands of Faerun. A Rashemmi witch goes to the kingdom of Cormyr to warn King Azoun IV Obarskyr of the coming of the Tuigan.
Azoun and his daughter Alusair, the Steel Princess, organize a great and diverse army consisting of Cormyr's Purple Dragon knights, the Dwarves of the Earthfast mountains, mercenaries from Sembia and the Centaurs from the forest of Lethyr. Even Zhentil Keep, the home of the dreaded Zhentarim, decided to help Azoun against the Tuigan by sending a small legion of Orcs led by General Vrakk.
This ragtag army of misfits led several tough battles against the horde, but both armies succeeded in taking a decisive advantage. It is only thanks to an ingenious stratagem that the coalition succeeds in isolating Yamun Khahan from his warriors. Rather than surrender and give up his dream of becoming emperor of all peoples, Yamun challenges King Azoun in person to a duel to the death. After a fierce fight, Azoun manages to kill the great Khahan. The Tuigan horde capitulates soon afterwards.
Azoun hires Koja to be part of the court of Cormyr and to write a book about everything he knows about Tuigan culture.
Yamun's son Hubadai, kept the Tuigan people united through peaceful wisdom rather than strength of arm to avoid the same mistakes of his father.
Powers & Abilities[]
Yamun was a level 17 Fighter skilled in mounted combat and martial arts.
Compared to most villains in the setting, Yamun is just a very strong human warrior with no special abilities besides his strategic cunning and great charisma.
External links[]
- Yamun Khahan on the Forgotten Realms wiki