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Baptor
Seeker

USA
93 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  04:53:34  Show Profile  Visit Baptor's Homepage Send Baptor a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
So in case you didn't know, the player's companion to WOTC's newest adventure, Princes of Apocalypse, is available for free download.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/elementalevil_playerscompanion

Tucked inside was a piece of new Realmslore that I found very interesting.

"Most air and fire genasi in the Realms are
descendants of the djinn and efreet who once ruled
Calimshan. When those rulers were overthrown, their
planetouched children were scattered. Over thousands
of years, the bloodlines of those genasi have spread
into other lands. Though far from common, air and fire
genasi are more likely to be found in the western regions
of Faerűn, along the coast from Calimshan north up to
the Sword Coast, and into the Western Heartlands to
the east. Some remain in their ancient homeland."

Now you might read that and say, "So what? Yeah, that's the history of Calimshan." And it is. But it's what this burb doesn't say that interests me.

No mention is made of what happened to Calimshan in 4e. None. What. So. Ever.

Yeah, efreet and djinn ruled and fought over Calimshan thousands of years ago. Humans overthrew them and their half-breed offspring scattered into Faerun. But in 4e the efreet and djinn escaped their prison beneath the sands, overthrew the humans and enslaved them, and created a new nation made up of gensai.

Is that mentioned? Nope!

Now maybe it was omitted for space, but my hope is that isn't the case. I think if Gensai were still ruling and reigning in 5e Calimshan, we'd have been told. From what it seems, WOTC is trying to quietly sweep the unpopular bits of 4e under the rug. Not a retcon, we know that, but simply glossing over it.

At the very least, it seems that they are returning the parts of the Realms back to what they were meant to be. And I am happy.

PS. Al Quaddim is also mentioned. Enjoy!

Jesus said, "I am the Ressurection and the Life. Anyone who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and those who live and believe in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Baltas
Senior Scribe

Poland
955 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  09:15:28  Show Profile Send Baltas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Very interesting, especialy that Zakhara is mentioned. So some light shinning at the end of the road?
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  09:32:57  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Underwhelming is how i would describe it.

If i did want to run a 5e campaign set in Calimshan then all i have to go on is that genasi are more likely to be found in Calimshan Tethyr, Amn and the Western Heartlands.

We have gone from 3 sourcebooks on the region in 2e and 3e, to a single page (or maybe 2 i never read the campaign setting) in 4e, and now a single paragraph in 5e.

What am i supposed to do as a DM with a single paragraph.

I realise that this sounds like a rant but it is not, i am attempting to make a serious point that even the most skilled of DMs can only do so much with a single paragraph.

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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe

Ireland
705 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  10:53:31  Show Profile Send Shadowsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well the PHB and DMG mentions other places such as Dark Sun and Dragonlance but I wouldn't hold my breath for those settings to appear in print. It seems the route they wish to go is make most of their content based around those god awful AP's and release these little paragraphs that show you how to update the old stuff.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien

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Swordsage
Learned Scribe

149 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  11:08:31  Show Profile  Visit Swordsage's Homepage Send Swordsage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Underwhelming is how i would describe it.



That disappointment is understandable given that it stems from the stark realisation that as yet, there is no 5E Forgotten Realms. The placeholder adventures that are being shoehorned into the Realms for the Organised Play devotees are a superficial excuse for Forgotten Realms products that pay lip service to the setting and nothing more. I wish they'd resurrected Greyhawk once again for such dross.

The Swordsage
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  11:12:51  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well it might just be me, but i use the Forgotten Realms as my setting of choice because it has plenty of detail and i dont have to come up with everything myself (although lately i am enjoying doing just that).

If the official setting has no detail about it then why use that setting at all. Why not use a homebrew world or just stick with the previous iteration of the setting (the one pre nuke).



I have a vague recollection of when i was little playing DnD using grey soft back adventures that had no defined world in which they were set, it was just a standalone adventure in a standalone setting. I particularly remember one in which you were taking part in a jousting competition and began sneaking around the castle stealing things and fighting guards.

They were fine while i was 8 and had trouble imagining the real world around me. As i got older and my horizons broadened, those single setting adventures became rather small and inadequate, i wanted my adventures to have a lasting impact for good or bad, i wanted a real imaginary world with which to interact with. I picked up the Forgotten Realms Revised Campaign Setting and the Shadowdale adventure had me hooked. If i started a bar brawl then the constabulary would have me arrested, i could talk to people that had real imaginary lives to go about with, while i was messing around in the tavern the drow were kidnapping people, and there was a reason why they were there that stretched back millennia (although i didnt know it at the time).

Why are we stepping back 20 years in development to single setting adventure set in nowhere's ville.


Sounds like i am ranting again, but the original point remains. There is not enough material here to create a setting with.

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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader

USA
3131 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  12:51:11  Show Profile Send Artemas Entreri a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Any news about Zakhara is a win for me! Nice find!

Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  14:39:22  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Good find! I still hold that the "lack of material" isn't a problem. As evidence, I bring forth the Adventurer's League Player's Guide.. The last page links any prospective DM to the previous edition pdfs. If you want to run Calimshan (or Waterdeep, or whatever) in more depth, the resources are there to purchase, download, read, and go.
The thing is, current products have everything you need to run the adventure. It's also stated that you can drop the adventure into your own world if you want. Adding more Realms-specific lore to an adventure could be daunting to a new DM trying to run the adventure in his home brew world. If you want more depth, the resources are provided. You can flavor Calimshan after whichever era appeals to you if you want to go into depth on it.

Back on the original topic, I wonder how (if Baptor is right and Calimshan is back to it's pre-4E society,) that came about. I'm not well read on 4E lore. Were there any plot hooks in the 4E material that might have been drawn on to bring about this overthrow of power? Were there any pieces in place to make this happen, or is this something likely pulled out of the blue?

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  15:00:04  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It does seem somewhat contradictory to query how Calimshan is restored to its original society immediately after saying the lack of material isnt a problem.

Who is in charge in Calimshan?

What form of government does the country have?

What major cities exist and how far away are they?

What geographical features still exist?

Who lives in Calimshan (apart from genasi)?

These are pretty basic questions that may well be encountered in a typical session. Referring to old editions isnt going to work because for example old El Pesarkhal would be around 180 by now and very very dead.

I dont mean to be argumentative but i just can't understand how people are happy with what is being supplied. If people like a single paragraph describing a region and pay for that then they will continue to be supplied with books that contain a single paragraph of lore in the entire document.

If i've gone to far let me know and i'll delete this.

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  15:10:26  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

It does seem somewhat contradictory to query how Calimshan is restored to its original society immediately after saying the lack of material isnt a problem.

Who is in charge in Calimshan?

What form of government does the country have?

What major cities exist and how far away are they?

What geographical features still exist?

Who lives in Calimshan (apart from genasi)?

These are pretty basic questions that may well be encountered in a typical session. Referring to old editions isnt going to work because for example old El Pesarkhal would be around 180 by now and very very dead.

I dont mean to be argumentative but i just can't understand how people are happy with what is being supplied. If people like a single paragraph describing a region and pay for that then they will continue to be supplied with books that contain a single paragraph of lore in the entire document.

If i've gone to far let me know and i'll delete this.


No, you raise a good question.

Who's in charge? Whoever the DM wants. If I'm reading a 2E source and I find an NPC I really like, but they're dead after the time jump, I give them a new name and copy/paste into the the new time frame.

What form of government? Whatever I want. If I want to tweak the way government works, but have it similar to something I've read about, I do it my way. If I want to bring Democracy to the fuzzie wuzzies, I do so.

What major cities? Probably hasn't changed much. Some might have risen or fallen in population, others might have disappered altogether. I read the prior lore, decide what I want to do with my Realms, and go from there.

Same for geological features. If something is in the way for how I want to run my campaign, it gets deleted. If I need something added, it gets put in. If I like the geography the way it was, boom. The older source books are merely starting points, places to get my creative juices churning. It's my home brew Realms, it doesn't have to be "canon." It needs to be fun for me and my players.
When official play enters a region, they add the details needed for the adventure, and we have "canon," details, but it doesn't have to impact my home setting.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  15:28:15  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Which again begs the point i made earlier, if you have to do absolutely all the ground work, why bother using the realms at all. The whole point of a campaign setting is that you have an existing sandbox foundation that you can use to place your campaign in.

If all that foundation now requires a considerable amount of work to make it usable then it will be less useful to the inexperienced DM's who do not yet have the skill to craft an immersive experience from scratch.

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  15:38:00  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Which again begs the point i made earlier, if you have to do absolutely all the ground work, why bother using the realms at all. The whole point of a campaign setting is that you have an existing sandbox foundation that you can use to place your campaign in.

If all that foundation now requires a considerable amount of work to make it usable then it will be less useful to the inexperienced DM's who do not yet have the skill to craft an immersive experience from scratch.



But you're not doing all the ground work. You're reading what came before and deciding if you want to bring it forward to your current timeline. You'd be doing the same thing with a "current" campaign setting. Reading what existed/s and deciding if you wanted it in your game, maybe tweaking things a bit, but still deciding if you wanted it in your game.



- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader

USA
2717 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  15:47:38  Show Profile Send Jeremy Grenemyer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
That's part of the job, dazzlerdal. Even for new DMs.

A good campaign setting does not do all the work for the DM. It should strike a balance in terms of details, so DMs have the space they need to see their vision of the Realms come to life.

And it should pose questions to the DM, so he or she can fill in those details. Like how Calimshan came to be as it is today.

It's a little early in the life of the 5E Realms. Give it time.

Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver).
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  15:55:40  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Well i guess what works for one person doesnt work for the other.

If i was just going to use the 2e/3e stuff anyway, i might as well use it in the 2e/3e timeline for which it was written where the details all fit and i dont have to mess around converting and editing.

If the whole premise of 4e and 5e was to make a world new and free from the trappings of detail of the old world, it seems counterproductive to then require people refer to and convert details of the old world in order to make the new one come alive.

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  16:11:13  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It's not required. All the details you need specific to your adventure are in the adventure module. The Murder in Baldur's Gate module provided details on how the city government worked because it was relevant to the adventure. If you are running an adventure where that kind of detail isn't likely to be relevant, don't add that burden on yourself. If you're not running an adventure module, but instead running an adventure from scratch, you're already doing your own thing.

I'm still curious as to whether 4E had any plot hooks for a new government in Calimshan that might hint at what might be done if they decide to return that region to more of it's 3E roots, but if it's not relevant to a current adventure, then it's not going to be there. If I, as DM, decide to send my PC's right now to that region, I'm going off the beaten path. I'll have to make my own decisions. There's material available to help me flush it out, but ultimately it's my job to fill in the details.
Now, if an adventure comes out for Calimshan and it doesn't fill in the pertinent details, then I'll get my ire up. But most people I know don't need the history of a nation to make a (for example) Genasi character work for them. There are exceptions. If I allow a PC that wants their character concept to be a former advisor to the head ruler of Calimshan, I might want to make some specific decisions. But if the adventure is in the Moonsea, I don't need every detail worked out.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  16:30:31  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I guess thats why it doesnt work for me then.

I try never to send the players anywhere. If they want to go somewhere and do something then its up to them (although i occasionally try subtle manipulations).

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  16:45:57  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal

I guess thats why it doesnt work for me then.

I try never to send the players anywhere. If they want to go somewhere and do something then its up to them (although i occasionally try subtle manipulations).




It might be possible. I honestly don't know many people who do a purely open sandbox anymore (though I would love to play in one myself, but that's another story for another time.) As a DM, I've tried that approach with many different combinations of players, and no matter how open I try to leave things, they don't like not having a specific goal in mind. Most of the people I meet at my FLGS want what I'd label as "light railroading" (like almost any of the adventures published in the past couple of years do.)
Now, if I had an entire party of PC's that wanted to just wander around adventuring, not just following the next relevant plot point, I'd have a blast. But those people in my experience are a minority group.


Back to topic, the FR Wiki has this about the post-Spellplague Calimshan. It mentions the that the last stronghold of human dominance is a place called Almraiven. It was a centre of magical research at one point. Perhaps some long-lost secret was discovered in a forgotten library and the free peoples of the region rose up and re-imprisoned Memnon and Calim?
Or could those elemental beings have a part to play in the new Princes of the Apocalypse story? It seems like something they could have a hand in, or at least a finger in the pie.


- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe

Ireland
705 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  17:41:48  Show Profile Send Shadowsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'm sorry but the point of campaigns settings is to have a place that is ready to go right out of the box. We are talking about what you can change, we are talking about a living world that is already established.

4e FR was counterproductive because you were having to fill in a lot more gaps then you should have. Going that route again will end in failure. If I'm going to be the one doing their job then they need to be sending me a cheque every month.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien

*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*.
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  18:08:38  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Airspur the Genasi capital wasn't mentioned at all. Interestingly a genasi's mortal parent (for those that have them) need not be human allowing for an interesting twists.
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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  18:27:29  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
A quick Googling brought up this on Airspur. Seems it's been nuked in the Spellplague era. Unless it's been rebuilt, it would make sense not to mention it if it no longer exists in the current timeline.
The article is somewhat confusing to me, though. It says it was largely destroyed, but at the same time, the city comes from Abeir, meaning it's a 4E addition?
I guess it would make sense that any displaced Genasi would seek a new home/kingdom, but how it was gone about is kinda... muddled to me.



- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader

USA
2717 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  19:32:16  Show Profile Send Jeremy Grenemyer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul

I'm sorry but the point of campaigns settings is to have a place that is ready to go right out of the box.

By that logic the Grey Box was a total failure.

Of course it wasn't a failure, but back then people didn't have the luxury of decades of accumulated Realmslore to draw on like they do now.

Dungeon Masters, not Dungeon Lackeys.

Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver).
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader

USA
3131 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  19:35:48  Show Profile Send Artemas Entreri a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul

I'm sorry but the point of campaigns settings is to have a place that is ready to go right out of the box.



I'd have to disagree. It's nice to have a campaign MOSTLY setup for you, but the DM should have enough wiggle room to make it his own. Heck, with enough creativity and planning you can run the same campaign multiple times without getting bored.

Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way. -Steve Martin

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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe

Ireland
705 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  20:27:51  Show Profile Send Shadowsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer

quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul

I'm sorry but the point of campaigns settings is to have a place that is ready to go right out of the box.

By that logic the Grey Box was a total failure.

Of course it wasn't a failure, but back then people didn't have the luxury of decades of accumulated Realmslore to draw on like they do now.

Dungeon Masters, not Dungeon Lackeys.



I own the Grey box so you aren't really comparing like for like. I find the Grey box more ready to run than the 4th edition FRCG.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien

*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*.
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe

Ireland
705 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  20:33:38  Show Profile Send Shadowsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Artemas Entreri

quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul

I'm sorry but the point of campaigns settings is to have a place that is ready to go right out of the box.



I'd have to disagree. It's nice to have a campaign MOSTLY setup for you, but the DM should have enough wiggle room to make it his own. Heck, with enough creativity and planning you can run the same campaign multiple times without getting bored.



I've never known a campaign setting that didn't allow wiggle room. I'm really not sure where you are trying to go here. A campaign setting is there for you to basically start up right away instead of creating your own from scratch.

I want to pay Wizards to do most of the work for me, not me doing most of it. If I'm going to do most of the work then I will save myself the money and come up with my own.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien

*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*.
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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  21:10:05  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
But they have done most of the work already. It's been done in tons of game copies throughout the years. You have history, geography, climates, cultures, cities, governments, etc spread out through all the products that are available on their pdf store. The work is done for you, you just have to go get it if you don't already own it, just like you would with a Boxed or Bound Campaign Setting.
The relatively minor changes that take place (who's in charge, is this city now/still a ghost town, how much of the Great Rift was actually filled in, are there any pockets of Spellplague lands left,) aren't things you need to run a world unless you're going to be adventuring in that specific region and care about canon.Those details are about the things that have already been filled in. Those specific answers aren't building a world, they are answering questions about a world that's already fleshed out. They are questions for people who want to know about the official history of the world, they aren't needed for play and enjoyment. You know where most of the rivers, roads, oceans, mountains, cities, and cultures are. The work is done for you if you want to play and have fun.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe

Ireland
705 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  22:02:47  Show Profile Send Shadowsoul a Private Message  Reply with Quote
When you have a product like the 3rd edition FRCG and then you get that cap that was the 4th edition one, you don't want the next edition to be a repeat of the whole "we left it simple so you can make it your own" BS. I can make it my own with a thick tome if I wanted to.

I pay for a campaign setting because I want it thick with information that I don't have to work much on.

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien

*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*.
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Razz
Senior Scribe

USA
749 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  23:10:01  Show Profile Send Razz a Private Message  Reply with Quote
What I do not understand is this:

"In contrast, water and earth genasi have no common
history. Individuals have difficulty tracing their own
lineage, and bloodlines occasionally skip a generation
or two. Many earth genasi originated in the North and
spread out from there. Water genasi come from coastal
areas, the largest concentration of them hailing from the
regions surrounding the Sea of Fallen Stars."

Why are they ignoring the fact that it is well known there are 4 main genies, one of each element, and that clearly anyone who asks the right people about earth and water genasi is that they descend from dao and marids.

Why not just say they descend from Marids and Dao? I am puzzled by making it a "mystery" when it truly isn't.
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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 11 Mar 2015 :  23:46:49  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Razz

What I do not understand is this:

"In contrast, water and earth genasi have no common
history. Individuals have difficulty tracing their own
lineage, and bloodlines occasionally skip a generation
or two. Many earth genasi originated in the North and
spread out from there. Water genasi come from coastal
areas, the largest concentration of them hailing from the
regions surrounding the Sea of Fallen Stars."

Why are they ignoring the fact that it is well known there are 4 main genies, one of each element, and that clearly anyone who asks the right people about earth and water genasi is that they descend from dao and marids.

Why not just say they descend from Marids and Dao? I am puzzled by making it a "mystery" when it truly isn't.


Back up a paragraph.

"Most air and fire genasi in the Realms are
descendants of the djinn and efreet who once ruled
Calimshan. When those rulers were overthrown, their planetouched children were scattered. Over thousands
of years, the bloodlines of those genasi have spread
into other lands. Though far from common, air and fire
genasi are more likely to be found in the western regions
of Faerűn, along the coast from Calimshan north up to
the Sword Coast, and into the Western Heartlands to
the east. Some remain in their ancient homeland."

The air and fire genasi trace their lineage back to those that ruled Calimshan. While it is obvious that water and earth genasi are descended from dao and marids, there's not a record of dao and marids ruling in the regions specified like there is in Calimshan. Fire and air genasi likely hail from a specific group of djinn and efreet, but we don't know what specific group of dao and marids gave parentage to the earth and water genasi.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Baptor
Seeker

USA
93 Posts

Posted - 12 Mar 2015 :  00:32:08  Show Profile  Visit Baptor's Homepage Send Baptor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Delwa

Good find! I still hold that the "lack of material" isn't a problem. As evidence, I bring forth the Adventurer's League Player's Guide.. The last page links any prospective DM to the previous edition pdfs. If you want to run Calimshan (or Waterdeep, or whatever) in more depth, the resources are there to purchase, download, read, and go.
The thing is, current products have everything you need to run the adventure. It's also stated that you can drop the adventure into your own world if you want. Adding more Realms-specific lore to an adventure could be daunting to a new DM trying to run the adventure in his home brew world. If you want more depth, the resources are provided. You can flavor Calimshan after whichever era appeals to you if you want to go into depth on it.

Back on the original topic, I wonder how (if Baptor is right and Calimshan is back to it's pre-4E society,) that came about. I'm not well read on 4E lore. Were there any plot hooks in the 4E material that might have been drawn on to bring about this overthrow of power? Were there any pieces in place to make this happen, or is this something likely pulled out of the blue?



As to the first part, I agree. :)

Funny thing is, I actually liked how the 4e Realms book was structured. I liked how it gave me as a DM just enough to go on and left the rest to me. I rejected it though, because of the changes it wrought on the Realms. TO give a relevant example, I loved Calimport as a city of dark intrigue, not a depopulated slave city run by genies. Sad panda. :(

While I had a certain appreciation for the intricately detailed 3.5 Realms, it overwhelmed me at times and I really prefer a book of lite lore (more like OGB) than the stuff in 2nd and 3rd editions.

The reason I posted the blurb wasn't to say, "Here is 5e Realms sword sharpened and raring to go!" but to say, "Here they are starting to release up-to-date Realmslore, and I like the direction they are going so far." Clearly we have a long way to go yet! But we can see already they are keeping to the revision of the Realms they hinted at back in 2012 of a return to "Ed's Realms" and the "core truths of the Realms." That makes me a bit more hopeful than I was about it.

As far as how in the world did Calimshan get out of that hot mess, your guess is as good as mine, but the idea posted earlier about a magical experiment to re-imprison the genies is a likely solution. From what we've seen in the Sundering novels, they aren't fixing things with subtle plots but with broad strokes of, "these guys opened a portal and it drained the water off of Lurien and now everything's fine again OK?*"

*That has not happened. Yet. :)

Jesus said, "I am the Ressurection and the Life. Anyone who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and those who live and believe in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 12 Mar 2015 :  01:23:34  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Baptor


As to the first part, I agree. :)

Funny thing is, I actually liked how the 4e Realms book was structured. I liked how it gave me as a DM just enough to go on and left the rest to me. I rejected it though, because of the changes it wrought on the Realms. TO give a relevant example, I loved Calimport as a city of dark intrigue, not a depopulated slave city run by genies. Sad panda. :(

While I had a certain appreciation for the intricately detailed 3.5 Realms, it overwhelmed me at times and I really prefer a book of lite lore (more like OGB) than the stuff in 2nd and 3rd editions.

The reason I posted the blurb wasn't to say, "Here is 5e Realms sword sharpened and raring to go!" but to say, "Here they are starting to release up-to-date Realmslore, and I like the direction they are going so far." Clearly we have a long way to go yet! But we can see already they are keeping to the revision of the Realms they hinted at back in 2012 of a return to "Ed's Realms" and the "core truths of the Realms." That makes me a bit more hopeful than I was about it.

As far as how in the world did Calimshan get out of that hot mess, your guess is as good as mine, but the idea posted earlier about a magical experiment to re-imprison the genies is a likely solution. From what we've seen in the Sundering novels, they aren't fixing things with subtle plots but with broad strokes of, "these guys opened a portal and it drained the water off of Lurien and now everything's fine again OK?*"

*That has not happened. Yet. :)


How the book was structured, yes, I can agree with that. I didn't begin running the Realms until quite some time after buying my 3e Setting. Lots of time to read and digest all that info. If I were buying the book to run a game quickly, I'd prefer the 4e format.

I do like the tidbits of lore we have gotten in this. I honestly was skeptical about buying the adventure, as the story didn't interest me. This pdf has made me reconsider, just for the potential lore in the volume.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader

USA
2717 Posts

Posted - 12 Mar 2015 :  02:47:40  Show Profile Send Jeremy Grenemyer a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Baptor

The reason I posted the blurb wasn't to say, "Here is 5e Realms sword sharpened and raring to go!" but to say, "Here they are starting to release up-to-date Realmslore, and I like the direction they are going so far."
This thread is very much appreciated by yours truly.

Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver).
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