Memnon ( efreeti ) The Great Pasha Memnon was a noble efreeti lord who founded the country of Memnonnar and fought a great war against the djinni Calim . His spirit was trapped for millennia in the Calim Desert , where it still warred against Calim , being the legendary cause of the desert ' s very existence . Description . Memnon ' s appearance was not recorded in history , though many desert travelers described his manifestations as Memnon ' s Crackle . When Memnon ' s consciousness was present in the desert ground , several things were noticeable . First , there was rapid rise in temperature . In response , the ground would calcify and " crackle " . Memnon ' s crackle was extremely dangerous , as desert travelers could find themselves in a situation much like quick sand , as formerly hardened ground became loose sand . It would take a number of days for the ground to harden back to its usual barren flatness . At times , Memnon could gather enough power to shape the sands into an image of his old self , a mournful face within a 70 - foot - wide ( 21 meters ) sand dune . At other times , he would manifest as a 50 - foot - tall ( 15 meters ) column of blazing hot sand and flame . Personality . Despite being the archenemy of Calim , the two genies had much in common in their personalities . Both were superb strategists , yet both moved slowly in matters of war , desiring the grandest of plans to come into fruition and not settling for simple battles . Abilities . While imprisoned beneath the Calim Desert , Memnon still had great power , though he could never use it to reach the Calimemnon Crystal or his eternal opponent in the air . Besides his ability to turn the hardened ground to sand , Memnon could create advanced illusions and walls of stone or fire , produce and affect flames , and generate a killing cloud . His magic resistance was also great . His most damaging power , however , was his ability to cause earthquakes , though this power caused damage to himself . History . Founding of Memnonnar . One thousand years to the day of the Great Arrival of Calim , around - 6800 DR , Memnon , using powerful " gate " magic , entered Faerûn with his retinue of followers and forces — which included the race of harsaff s — through the Great Brass Gate . They landed north of the River Agis in land that would later become Tethyr . Initially , Memnon ' s people laid low and hid in the northern forests from Calim ' s scouts . Slowly , over the next 400 years , his people built the country of Memnonnar with its capital , Memnon , at the mouth of the River Agis . The First Era of Skyfire . War was inevitable between the two genies , and the Era of Skyfire began in - 6500 DR . This epic war lasted hundreds of years , yet only involved 22 major battles . These battles devastated the lands once held by elves and dwarves and laid ruin to nearly every one of Memnonnar ' s cities . The Night of Binding . It was the elves who at last put an end to the destruction . Using elven high magic , on the night of Ches 4 in - 6100 DR , during the Battle of the Teshyllal Fields , Pharos the High Mage trapped Memnon , Calim , and hundreds of other genies in the Calimemnon Crystal , while Memnon and Calim ' s consciousnesses were tortured by being able to roam free in the ground and in the air , respectively , without being able to make contact with each other or their bodies . From their continued warring in their disembodied states , the Calim Desert was created . The Second Era of Skyfire . After the Spellplague ended the effects of the Weave , the Calimemnon Crystal shattered , and Memnon and Calim were freed once again for a time . The Second Era of Skyfire was the result .