| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Thelonius |
Posted - 03 Aug 2011 : 19:48:44
I'm actually reading Gauntlgrym and I've seen references to something called "Dread Rings" I don't know what are they and what is it's purpose, though I think It has to be with achieving godhood. As I read novels with no order maybe this is explained in some source I haven't seen. I also used the forums search tool but found nothing, besides the godhood reference by ESB in a 4E thread. Could someone give a quick explanation of what they are? |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Barastir |
Posted - 11 Jul 2013 : 13:12:20
The story implies that Malar was already a god, he was visiting Jergal when the trio of Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul were fighting for dominance over Jergal's power. When he discovered they were contesting for such power, he tried to halt the competition so he could participate for part of the prize. They tricked him and divided Jergal's portfolios among themselves, following a suggestion of Jergal himself. |
| Mirtek |
Posted - 10 Jul 2013 : 20:43:41
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Malar, on the other hand, had always been a god - he fought in the 'godwar' against the Seldarine, which definitely predated the Eladrin's arrival on Toril.
Hence why I said "story". According to the link from before, Malar got the beast portfolio since he was last in the contest with the Dark Three. *shrug*
Actually that isn't what the Dark Three story says. It says that he was still left with only beast as he didn't win any additional part during the contest. So he left with nothing more and was still the deity he already was before entering the contest |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 10 Jul 2013 : 16:21:14
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Malar, on the other hand, had always been a god - he fought in the 'godwar' against the Seldarine, which definitely predated the Eladrin's arrival on Toril.
Hence why I said "story". According to the link from before, Malar got the beast portfolio since he was last in the contest with the Dark Three. *shrug* |
| Markustay |
Posted - 10 Jul 2013 : 14:27:18
It may have not been an immediate thing - they may have been destroying 'lost gods' for some time, before they acquired enough power for their own ascension (when they finally challenged Jergal). It could have even taken a bit of time after they defeated Jergal - they may have just been demigods (Exarchs) for awhile, until they became well known.
Pin-pointing the exact date for them might be like trying to give an exact date of 'the fall of the Roman Empire'. Some of their followers may have even worshiped them (thought they were a true god) before they attained actual godhood. It gets a bit hazy where those three are concerned.
Malar, on the other hand, had always been a god - he fought in the 'godwar' against the Seldarine, which definitely predated the Eladrin's arrival on Toril. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 22:00:36
On the ascension of Bane, recommend you read this thread.
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8431
Chief amongst these entries is this from "Lands of Intrigue, Tethyr" pg 27
"Rumors flew fast and furious during the year of Hostile Hails (-88 DR) about the blasphemous activities of Alaric, one of Clan Fyrson's young nobles, and his cohorts, blamed for piracty, theft, fraud, and the worship of dark gods such as Bane and Myrkul."
Also this info
- - fact: the Dark Three destroyed Borem in the Year of Boiling Moats (-359 DR);
- - fact: the Dark Three defeated Haask and Hargut in the Year of Craven Words (-350 DR);
So, Bane and Myrkul's ascension was somewhere between -350 DR and -88 DR. We may have gotten narrowed more at one point... not sure. One thing I'd always wondered was whether Mellifleur's ascension was an unintentional consequence of Jergal's handing down of power or whether it came later when Bane was instilling a Banelich (i.e. it would tickle me if Mellifleur attained divinity via magical ritual PRIOR to Karsus and Karsus knew about it).
|
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 21:54:31
Okay, the GHotR narrows it down further:
quote:
106 DR Year of the Adamantine Spiral
Crusaders of Myrkul from the Castle of Al’hanar attack and (temporarily) destroy the Everlasting Wyrm, the dracolich that had been guarding the prison of the demon lord Eltab [–75, 202]. While plundering the dracolich’s hoard, the followers of Myrkul discover the demon and, in exchange for ninety-nine years of service to the Church of Myrkul, agree to release Eltab from his binding. With Eltab’s aid, the followers of Myrkul seize control of the city of Shandaular in the Council Hills and establish the theocracy of Eltabranar, encompassing most of the Eastern Shaar.
Bane, Bhaal, Myrkul, and Malar all ascended at the same time (or so the story goes), so I'd assume they'd all be gods in DR 106. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 21:28:33
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Re-reading this page, it struck me - why do we need to 'wonder' at anything at all? 
Bane gives Szass Tam the means to become practically an Overgod... and then Bane gets complete control of him (whats a 1000 years to a god?)
So we have to assume - because of Ao's rules - that deities can't do certain things on the Prime Material (like the Dread Rings), so if Bane wants that power, all he has to do is trick some mortal into doing the ritual and obtaining it, and then he gets the mortal in the end (and thus, control over all that power). Its seems pretty straight forward to me. The only questionable thing about the whole bargain is the time frame, because a 1000 years is a long time, but that could have been due to Szass Tam's bargaining power (he knows what Bane gets in the end - absolute power - but he wants to have a thousand years worth of room to wriggle out of the agreement).
Ummm, Bane's only been a deity roughly between one thousand and two thousand years (I want to say something more like 1600'ish). In that time he's been killed several times. I think he'd think twice about a thousand year timeframe.
Hell, Bane may not have given a damn about the 1000 year payment in the end.... he gets a country that's being tyrannically forced to worship him. Tam's just a bonus. |
| Mirtek |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 21:06:33
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
quote:
Originally posted by Mirtek
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
Bane is older than 1,000 years. Referances of the dark three are before 0DR and we can assume Bane gained divinity before 0DR.
Sure? I am sure I read a reference of his church being founded and rising to prominence somwhere 6xx or 7xx DR
So he should be around 700 years as a deity and likely less than 100 years as a mortal before that
Granted, it's not always the most accurate of sources, but...
Bane's Ascension
Well, it only says that it was after -339 DR. The same page also mentions the bit about "the church of Bane began to gain power at around 800 DR" I knew I had read.
So that narrows it down to between -339 DR and 800 DR.
Did the greater deity Bane really watch his church being insignificant for over 1,000 years before finally rising to power?
So I would say his ascension was closer to 800 DR than to -339 DR |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 20:49:07
quote:
Originally posted by Mirtek
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
Bane is older than 1,000 years. Referances of the dark three are before 0DR and we can assume Bane gained divinity before 0DR.
Sure? I am sure I read a reference of his church being founded and rising to prominence somwhere 6xx or 7xx DR
So he should be around 700 years as a deity and likely less than 100 years as a mortal before that
Granted, it's not always the most accurate of sources, but...
Bane's Ascension |
| Mirtek |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 20:37:37
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Bane
Bane is older than 1,000 years. Referances of the dark three are before 0DR and we can assume Bane gained divinity before 0DR.
Sure? I am sure I read a reference of his church being founded and rising to prominence somwhere 6xx or 7xx DR
So he should be around 700 years as a deity and likely less than 100 years as a mortal before that |
| Lord Bane |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 19:36:22
Bane is older than 1,000 years. Referances of the dark three are before 0DR and we can assume Bane gained divinity before 0DR. |
| Mirtek |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 19:23:42
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Re-reading this page, it struck me - why do we need to 'wonder' at anything at all?
Bane gives Szass Tam the means to become practically an Overgod... and then Bane gets complete control of him (whats a 1000 years to a god?)
So we have to assume - because of Ao's rules - that deities can't do certain things on the Prime Material (like the Dread Rings), so if Bane wants that power, all he has to do is trick some mortal into doing the ritual and obtaining it, and then he gets the mortal in the end (and thus, control over all that power). Its seems pretty straight forward to me. The only questionable thing about the whole bargain is the time frame, because a 1000 years is a long time, but that could have been due to Szass Tam's bargaining power (he knows what Bane gets in the end - absolute power - but he wants to have a thousand years worth of room to wriggle out of the agreement).
The issue with that is that if Tam's ritual succeed there won't be a Bane anymore. Maybe Tam would recreate Bane as his personal slave when he recreated creation, but that still means that there is no way that Bane could enforce this bargain once Tam receives the power he believes the ritual will grant him.
So either Bane doesn't know anything about Tam's plan or Bane knows that it won't achieve what Tam believes it will achieve.
And in any case 1,000 years is a very long time for such a young deity as Bane. For Shar a millenium might mean nothing as she has seen them pass by and stood the test of time since before there even was time. But Bane is less than 1,000 years old. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 16:04:07
Re-reading this page, it struck me - why do we need to 'wonder' at anything at all?
Bane gives Szass Tam the means to become practically an Overgod... and then Bane gets complete control of him (whats a 1000 years to a god?)
So we have to assume - because of Ao's rules - that deities can't do certain things on the Prime Material (like the Dread Rings), so if Bane wants that power, all he has to do is trick some mortal into doing the ritual and obtaining it, and then he gets the mortal in the end (and thus, control over all that power). Its seems pretty straight forward to me. The only questionable thing about the whole bargain is the time frame, because a 1000 years is a long time, but that could have been due to Szass Tam's bargaining power (he knows what Bane gets in the end - absolute power - but he wants to have a thousand years worth of room to wriggle out of the agreement). |
| Dennis |
Posted - 09 Jul 2013 : 15:32:25
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
A question to all scribes: (Whether you’ve read the trilogy or not, feel free to share your answer.)
After sealing their agreement, Szass Tam smiled at the thought that even a god could be tricked to agree to a disastrously bad bargain.* What do you think made Bane agree to such bargain? Was it simply because he had other more urgent matters to attend to and wanted to be “set free” immediately from Tam’s temporary binding? Did he really believe Szass Tam’s worth as his future servant?
*To those who haven’t read the series yet, Szass Tam asked Bane to teach him how to work magic under the current condition of the Weave, raise the dead that were hardly indistinguishable with soil that ordinary necromancers couldn’t detect, and grant him more power to seize complete control of Thay. In exchange, after a thousand years, Bane could claim his soul.
Who knows, maybe Bane was planning on using some time portal to hurl Tam 1000 years into the future so he'd be available, but not able to impact him much.
Hah! That’s cheating! Besides, 1,000 years is a long time, and Ao and Mystra still regulate time travel and may, when they deem necessary, restrict Bane.
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Maybe he saw Tam becoming a powerful tyrant as a means to his own ends.
Quite feasible.
Perhaps the question should be: What’s stopping Bane from saying, “Sorry, Szass, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t be waiting for centuries more. I’m taking you now”? |
| Dennis |
Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 04:47:49
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
@Dennis: Szass Tam - in his epic arrogance - may have thought he 'tricked Bane', but the simple fact is gods are privy to information mortals are not, and can see an infinite number of possibilities and outcomes from their actions. Some gods react in a knee-jerk fashion in certain circumstances, because of their nature (based on their portfolio), but Bane strikes me as the type that plans CENTURIES in advance, and doesn't make mistakes - he makes opportunities. Iyachtu Xvim didn't happen 'by mistake'. 
Mayhap. But even gods, despite their nigh omniscience, sometime miscalculated. And I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility that Bane had, in his bargain with Szass Tam.
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
A question to all scribes: [Whether you’ve read the trilogy or not, feel free to share your answer.]
After sealing their agreement, Szass Tam smiled at the thought that even a god could be tricked to agree to a disastrously bad bargain*. What do you think made Bane agree to such bargain? Was it simply because he had other more urgent matters to attend to and wanted to be “set free” immediately from Tam’s temporary binding? Did he really believe Szass Tam’s worth as his future servant?
[*To those who haven’t read the series yet, Szass Tam asked Bane to teach him how to work magic under the current condition of the Weave, raise the dead that were hardly indistinguishable with soil that ordinary necromancers couldn’t detect, and grant him more power to seize complete control of Thay. In exchange, after a thousand years, Bane could claim his soul.]
Who knows, maybe Bane was planning on using some time portal to hurl Tam 1000 years into the future so he'd be available, but not able to impact him much. Maybe he saw Tam becoming a powerful tyrant as a means to his own ends.
If Mystra, or whoever holds the portfolio of Time, allows him. As I understand, even the gods are not always given the freedom to utilize time travel. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 02:08:51
Actually, the "softcoded" story elements within computer games can be rewritten with great ease and speed, as endless series of fan-mods can attest, typically only the "hardcoded" stuff (like the graphics engine) are difficult to alter. Reworking the plot, setting, and characters within a computer game is usually quite easy. Some games are awful kludges of bad programming, quirky and difficult to alter since they're barely able to function in the first place; Neverwinter doesn't seem to be one of these. The greatest challenge faced by most coders is their inability to produce quality graphic and audio content; artists are often hired for this purpose ... but writing story is just as easy as typing in a forum and some nerds are surprisingly proficient and passionate D&D writers.
I suppose a difficulty might arise from WotC not being a software company; they probably have to hire the codework through some other (Hasbro?) company and so don't have the advantages of ready access and oversight they'd enjoy if the project was done entirely in-house. |
| Azuth |
Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 01:48:13
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Do we know that Szassy was behind the construction of that oddball Dread Ring? If it's not explicitly stated, you could spin it that it was a separate faction -- maybe he even got the idea from them, or maybe he gave them the idea to see what it could do...
It's very clear (to me) that Tam was behind the Dread Ring based on the story in Bob Salvatore's latest book, Neverwinter. (I don't consider that a spoiler at all since it's not anything more than a plot device.) If others have a different opinion, I'd be interested in them. I don't think it's fair to cast a wide net on all of the developers for 4E, but I wouldn't be shocked of Bob Salvatore had to write this into his books given their foundation for the Neverwinter online game. Unlike books, computer games are not easily or quickly recoded. While I found Gauntylgrym a great read, I found Neverwinter drifting into much darker territory and a radical pivot from previous Drizzt novels.
Azuth |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 01:02:56
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
A question to all scribes: [Whether you’ve read the trilogy or not, feel free to share your answer.]
After sealing their agreement, Szass Tam smiled at the thought that even a god could be tricked to agree to a disastrously bad bargain*. What do you think made Bane agree to such bargain? Was it simply because he had other more urgent matters to attend to and wanted to be “set free” immediately from Tam’s temporary binding? Did he really believe Szass Tam’s worth as his future servant?
[*To those who haven’t read the series yet, Szass Tam asked Bane to teach him how to work magic under the current condition of the Weave, raise the dead that were hardly indistinguishable with soil that ordinary necromancers couldn’t detect, and grant him more power to seize complete control of Thay. In exchange, after a thousand years, Bane could claim his soul.]
Who knows, maybe Bane was planning on using some time portal to hurl Tam 1000 years into the future so he'd be available, but not able to impact him much. Maybe he saw Tam becoming a powerful tyrant as a means to his own ends. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Oct 2011 : 00:57:25
quote:
Originally posted by Marc
Thayan circle magic comes from the Imaskari, and their from the Le Shay.
Not necessarily. Some of the original red wizards came from Halruaa and Halruaa does have a tradition of circle magic as well. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 22:57:32
I was going to do the quotey-thing, but that's too much work, soooo....
Tracing the Dread Rings back to the Le'Shay was a good call - I mentioned Fey crossroads earlier myself - and Fey sites (and just about anything 'fairy') are known for obfuscation. Could it be that all of these types of phenomena, in order to tap into these other-planer energies, actually exist between the planes, in some sort of ethereal space only discernible by very powerful magic?
Anything with the word 'rings' in it *rings* {grin} of fairy & circle magic; circle magic is small-scale version of collective magic (magic inherent in a species that can be tapped-into by its members). Collective magic was practiced heavily by the Elves of the past (note how they raise mythals, and cast other high-Magic rituals), and we pretty much know where the Elves came from (or at the very least, got their magical traditions from).
Also, we must remember that the Thayan Plateau was once a Centaur homeland in the Realms, and Centaurs are one of the most knowledgeable (after elfkind) fey races around - I would think their ancient ancestral lands would be loaded with 'places of power'. IIRC, even the Dark (Ilythiir) Elves established a foothold there in times past (and dark Elves rarely do anything without good reason, despite their chaotic nature). It wouldn't make much sense for them to have an outpost so far north and east - away from anything important back then - unless there was something there they could use.
@Dennis: Szass Tam - in his epic arrogance - may have thought he 'tricked Bane', but the simple fact is gods are privy to information mortals are not, and can see an infinite number of possibilities and outcomes from their actions. Some gods react in a knee-jerk fashion in certain circumstances, because of their nature (based on their portfolio), but Bane strikes me as the type that plans CENTURIES in advance, and doesn't make mistakes - he makes opportunities. Iyachtu Xvim didn't happen 'by mistake'. |
| Laeknir |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 17:05:35
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
The Dread Rings are Richard Lee Byers's inventions for The Haunted Lands Trilogy, and were "borrowed" by RAS, unbeknownst to Richard, for his Neverwinter series.
Thanks. It's a new, post-spellplague thing, then.
|
| Dennis |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 16:48:33
The Dread Rings are Richard Lee Byers's inventions for The Haunted Lands Trilogy, and were "borrowed" by RAS, unbeknownst to Richard, for his Neverwinter series. |
| Laeknir |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 16:33:50
Question: these "dread rings" have only appeared in the Haunted Lands trilogy? From reading this thread, I see there's one placed near Neverwinter (I guess it's shown in the new supplement). But the first time, and only other time we have heard of these "dread rings" is from the Haunted Lands trilogy, right?
I'm asking because I don't recall ever hearing of them before, even as some mysterious unexplained thing.
|
| Dennis |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 14:39:00
While it sounds likely and a good topic for discussion among erudite scribes, I doubt WotC would allow such change. Remember, there were a lot of people who were very disappointed [and I'm putting that lightly] with the deaths of a few gods, most specially Mystra. To kill the overgod and all gods to introduce a supposedly "older," hibernating pantheon would be...well, I guess you can see the picture pretty clearly. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 12:49:30
Bane was bribed with one thousand years of unchallenged tyranny over an entire nation, perhaps even several nations or the entire world if Szass proves to be a sufficiently motivated and capable agent.
Alas, Bane's monopoly is established in a nation which has suffered massive decimation of the population; and of those who remain, the living are far outnumbered by the mindless undead. Pretty slim pickin's for a god who likes to pwn stuff.
And then there's the little matter of Bane, all his followers, and even his divine portfolios completely ceasing to exist if the Dread Ring ritual is successful ... Bane might perhaps continue to exist, though entirely remade and subjugated to Szass's designs (which would be absolutely intolerable for a god of tyranny, no?) ... or he might just as easily not exist at all. Not the sort of gamble any sane once-mortal god would accept, I think, especially since he kinda wants to be master of the world himself, so why would he spend his power on his own self-destruction? Since Bane is sane and has traditionally dealt with absolutes (the strong dominate the weak, no exceptions) instead being an unpredictably quirky and opportunistic gambler (like Mask), I can only conclude Bane has no knowledge of the ritual or instead has certain knowledge that the ritual won't work.
Further, I think it's reasonable to assume that other gods of equal or greater stature (including Mystra and Shar) would have the same knowledge or lack of knowledge as Bane in such matters of worldly import. Then again, certain deities have historically been notoriously oblivious when it comes to forecasting painful RSE happenings, so maybe this assumption isn't valid.
While on the topic of gods ... if the Dread Ring ritual is truly threatening to the cosmos (or even to just the Realms) then why wouldn't Ao decree some sort of interference? I doubt such a lofty overgod, who can create or destroy gods and worlds as he chooses, would exert his power in such subtle ways as to risk all of existence upon something as tenuous as the pitiful band of unlikely heroes who just barely thwarted Szass's initial attempt.
Nobody's considered the possibility that Szass could just be turning on a machine which creates/resurrects the Ancient Dread Ring God? The ritual could be designed to weed out incompetents and prepare the soul of the one grasping fool who manages to casts it so that it is readied as a vessel for the reborn deity. A reborn deity who has instant access to power, land, and a circle of Dread Ring fortress-temples. An ancient (and presumably unpopular) deity obliterated from the world and from history as much as possible, remaining only indirectly within the descriptions of the Dread Ring Ritual that were found and rewritten by Fastrin. Such records would describe the ritual in a way which attracts men like Szass Tam, not in a way which warns them of the truth. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 12:34:39
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
Bane didn't seem explicitly aware of the details in Szass's plot. Of course, he might've just deliberately chosen to not mention the Dread Rings, or he might be divinely forbidden from doing so until it interferes with his portfolios. But it seems to me that if Bane knew the purpose of the Dread Rings then he would not have reached an accomodation to give Szass Tam more power and knowledge. Unless he also knew that they will fail to operate the way Szass believes.
Or that in the end, he would do all in his power to make sure the Dread Rings don’t accomplish their intended purpose, which is contrary to his portfolios and very existence. He may think Szass Tam would fail. But most likely, having known Szass Tam’s capabilities, he also considers the possibility of success. I don’t think he’d leave everything to chance, so he would, one way or another, directly or indirectly interfere. Ultimately, he’d have Szass Tam’s soul. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 12:19:10
Bane didn't seem explicitly aware of the details in Szass's plot. Of course, he might've just deliberately chosen to not mention the Dread Rings, or he might be divinely forbidden from doing so until it interferes with his portfolios. But it seems to me that if Bane knew the purpose of the Dread Rings then he would not have reached an accomodation to give Szass Tam more power and knowledge. Unless he also knew that they will fail to operate the way Szass believes. |
| Dennis |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 12:17:54
A question to all scribes: [Whether you’ve read the trilogy or not, feel free to share your answer.]
After sealing their agreement, Szass Tam smiled at the thought that even a god could be tricked to agree to a disastrously bad bargain*. What do you think made Bane agree to such bargain? Was it simply because he had other more urgent matters to attend to and wanted to be “set free” immediately from Tam’s temporary binding? Did he really believe Szass Tam’s worth as his future servant?
[*To those who haven’t read the series yet, Szass Tam asked Bane to teach him how to work magic under the current condition of the Weave, raise the dead that were hardly indistinguishable with soil that ordinary necromancers couldn’t detect, and grant him more power to seize complete control of Thay. In exchange, after a thousand years, Bane could claim his soul.] |
| Dennis |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 12:04:28
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
I would say that, even if Szass's enemies (accurately) guess that the Dread Rings are a massive magical construct, they would likely believe the scope of the magic is constrained to the perimeter defined around Thay. In short, the world can see that Szass is busy doing something really big and probably evil (as usual), but they just don't have enough data to assume it's anything more than some sort of Thay-encompassing feng shui.
Likely, given that even the Aglarondan Council to whom Aoth and Co. reported Szass’s schemes did not believe it. However, someone of curious mind [Telamont, Larloch, The Simbul, etc.] might be so inclined to investigate and send spies or perform the most powerful divination to know more about the Dread Rings’ purpose. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 12 Oct 2011 : 11:37:46
Possible. I think we might be misdirecting our own assumptions; it's not as if a magical construct like the Dread Rings would necessarily be the sort of thing you could easily detect with a tricorder. It's also possible that the Dread Rings are designed (or were augmented by Szass Tam) to include wards which obscure them or their functions from being divined.
The purpose of the Dread Rings and the principles of their operation seem to be indecipherable to every person in the Realms except of course Szass Tam, people like Malark in whom he confides, and perhaps some or all of the gods; even ye olde Chosen don't know (and thus, evidently cannot easily determine) any real details, they can at best only speculate that the Dread Rings are some sort of nasty invention of immense power designed by Szass to serve his nefarious lichy purposes. I would say that, even if Szass's enemies (accurately) guess that the Dread Rings are a massive magical construct, they would likely believe the scope of the magic is constrained to the perimeter defined around Thay. In short, the world can see that Szass is busy doing something really big and probably evil (as usual), but they just don't have enough data to assume it's anything more than some sort of Thay-encompassing feng shui.
Even Szass may not fully comprehend the true workings of his Dread Rings; he could be following a blueprint to build this complex machine, and even know how to customize or operate it to some extent, yet not have the proper (godlike) knowledge of how the fundamental cosmic-engineering complexities behind it actually function ... particularly since (I think) this construct involves as much "faith magic" as arcane magic. An analogy might be a blacksmith trying to build a modern car from blueprints; even if he's a "renaissance man" sort of genius, a mechanic, a machinist, even if he could modify the fuel mix or the engine a little to drive faster or whatnot, he's still going to be barely able to even construct the onboard electronics, microcontrollers, and software, let alone attempt to improve their design.
Besides, as I hinted in an above post: the Dread Rings already unmake the entire cosmos, so what's the point of making them even bigger and better? I can respect Szass's efforts to introduce some fault-tolerant redundancies (in case one of his pesky enemies bust up a few Dread Ring fortresses), but even that has limits of diminishing returns since each Dread Ring represents a massive investment in time and resources to construct. Perhaps the Dread Rings have been constructed before, somewhere, and either did not operate or only had partial effect (like, only managing to sink their continent) due to a design flaw, one identified and corrected by Szass in his own design. |
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