| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
 Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 05:42:04
|
Just in under the wire, if’n you live in California…
This installment of the Monday Musings series is going to be a different sort of tone than the last one. Rather than focusing on the fates of the gods, I’m going to discuss things mainly from a mortal point of view: what happened to the various churches after the departure of the Mulhorandi pantheon.
As always, check out the original thread for the ground rules on the Musings, and enjoy!
|
|
|
Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 05:42:36
|
During the Spellplague, nearly all of the Mulan of Mulhorand disappeared from the face of Faerûn, so that in less than a year they were reduced to a handful of pockets within that blasted land (including the city of Gheldaneth) and a few wandering bands. It is unknown whether the people of Mulhorand were transported to Abeir, returned to the world from which they originated, or became lost in the swirling maelstrom of the planes. What is known that suddenly, the gods of Mulhorand fell silent, their voices never heard on Faerûn thereafter.
Most of the remaining Mulan have since moved to the worship of other gods, the passing of generations having led most of the faithful of the lost gods to death through age or misadventure. Those few that remain and yet cling to the old ways speak of a moment when Amon-Re called his people to board the great ship Matet and travel once more to another world. They whisper prayers to their departed deities, hoping one day to fulfill their maat and join their lost people…
Anhur’s worship was largely absorbed by Tempus fairly soon after the Spellplague. Rejecting the barbaric evil of Garagos and the strategies of the Red Knight, being too aggressive and independent to fall into step of her drum.
Some followers of Anhur took to the sea following the ravaging that land, and ships yet roam the Sea of Fallen Stars with Mulan captains who speak of Valkur as a guardian of coastlines and a patron of warriors rather than a protector of sailors.
Bast yet survives in the form of the demigoddess Sharess, a combination of her former Mulhorandi divinity and the dancer Zandilar. Her worship is largely unchanged since the days before the Spellplague, though Sune has begun to nudge Sharess toward more loving and beautiful (and therefore less wanton and random) pursuits of pleasure—to minimal success.
Swiftly on decline even before the Spellplague struck, Geb was already silent for months when Mystra’s murder sent his people and fellow deities reeling. Some believe he had already departed Toril to return to his beloved Nut. Regardless of the truth of these speculations, Geb’s worship transferred to the primordial Grumbar. Those worshipers of the King of Riches Under the Earth who sought his favor solely for personal gain turned to gods of other pantheons—Callarduran Smoothhands, Dumathoin (until that deity’s disappearance) and even Luthic.
Hathor very nearly did not survive the first moments of the Spellplague. She lent a great deal of her strength to Selûne to allow that goddess’ consolidation of the Gates of the Moon (and the concurrent prevention of the moon itself from smashing into Toril itself), but thankfully Horus-Re was able to gather her to himself before the worst happened, and Hathor bid her fellow goddesses Selûne and Bast (Sharess) farewell, and granted them both the joint motherhood over whatever Mulan would be left behind after her departure.
Horus-Re
Following the ascension of Amaunator from the youthful Lathander, many Mulan turned to the returned sun god as a reincarnation of their lost Horus-Re. Calling him Amon-Re, they point to his golden, his orderly priesthood, and his dominion over rulership (through his exarch Siamorphe) as signs to the remaining Mulhorandi people that Horus-Re persists, despite his change in outlook. As Horus absorbed the essence of Ra to become Horus-Re, so too as Amaunator taken on the duties of the former head of the Mulhorandi pantheon.
Perhaps struck hardest by the Spellplague, Isis briefly flickered in and out of existence as the Weave unraveled and all magic—including good magic, over which she held sway—but the Mulhorandi people called out to her for protection. She was the first of her pantheon to disappear from Toril, following (it is assumed) the greatest part of her people to whatever realm they finally arrived in when the heavens resolved themselves.
Worship of Isis slowly shifted to Chauntea (as goddess of agriculture) and Sune (as goddess of love and marriage). Both deities adopt appearances similar to Isis’ when manifesting to Mulan worshipers, but neither has taken the Bountiful Lady’s name in Faerûn
Nephthys is a name nearly forgotten by the Mulan that once revered her. Some few Waukeenar invoke her name as a saint of providing wealth to one’s heirs, but she is otherwise lost to Faerûn, having left in the earliest moments of the Spellplague.
Osiris finally found peace at the end of the Spellplague, and departed this world for the realms of the dead rather than following his siblings and companions to whatever domain they now claim. He is listed among the fallen god-kings of the remaining
Shortly before the Spellplague, Set and Semuanya contended over the divine remains of Sebek like a river-lurker and a jackal fighting over a carcass. Some say that Set took the head, while Semuanya consumed the tail, but the end result was that the god of crocodiles was slain before the crumbling of the Weave.
It is likely that, once the Mulhorandi arrived at their new location (if they survived at all), tales of Sebek remain on their lips, though any prayers they offered would be answered by Set. No Mulan of Faerûn remain who worship Sebek, and his name is only one heard in legends.
Set had very nearly integrated into the Faerûnian pantheon when Mystra was slain and Bane refused to accept him as a servitor. While a portion of Set’s essence remained in Faerûn—only to be stamped out by the resurgent Sseth in vengeance for his masquerage—the greater measure of the Father of Jackals departed with the rest of the pantheon, to continue his ageless war against Horus-Re.
Worshipers who once held Set as their patron turned either to Sseth, Bane or Tiamat in the wake of his departure. Set’s name is still whispered among the remaining Mulan, but it is unknown who it is that answers those pleas.
With the entire structure of magic falling apart around him, Thoth departed with the rest of the Mulhorandi pantheon. His remaining followers clung to Azuth briefly, until news of that god’s death, where they turned (mostly) to the worship of Oghma.
|
 |
|
|
Darkmeer
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 07:25:06
|
I have to say, even w/o the spellplague in my own campaign, that this is some nice work that you're doing, and I hope that you continue on. This is really quite the bit of a rip in the cosmos, and you're handling it quite nicely, if I do say so myself. The best part is that I can glean some fun stuff from these, and even a plot hook for a 1360's campaign 
/d |
"These people are my family, not just friends, and if you want to get to them you gotta go through ME." |
|
|
|
The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3563 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 13:26:01
|
| Nice work Garen, keep it up! |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
|
|
|
|
GRYPHON
Senior Scribe
USA
527 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 15:04:15
|
| Nice work... |
|
|
|
Neil Bishop
Learned Scribe
Singapore
100 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 15:32:35
|
| Good job! Thanks for posting. |
Regards
NXB |
|
|
|
Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 15:44:41
|
quote:
Originally posted by Darkmeer
I have to say, even w/o the spellplague in my own campaign, that this is some nice work that you're doing, and I hope that you continue on. This is really quite the bit of a rip in the cosmos, and you're handling it quite nicely, if I do say so myself. The best part is that I can glean some fun stuff from these, and even a plot hook for a 1360's campaign
I'm pleased that you're enjoying the series so far.
I don't have any intentions of stopping, though things might slow down a little bit if paid writing projects come in (I need my D&D and Comics Fund to be replenished regularly). Hopefully, I'll continue to provide hooks and threads for DMs and players in all eras to toy with.
If not, well, at least I'm having fun with it! |
|
|
|
Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 30 Sep 2008 : 17:32:51
|
| Amazing job, Garen. Anhur lore interest me a lot! |
Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P
twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2008 : 03:28:02
|
I would have loved to have seen a resurgence of Unther with a few gods taking on Untheric names, some of which already exist in Realmslore (Anhur=Ramman, Selune=Nanna-Sin, Bahamut=Marduk), but since Unther is completely out of the picture, this is kind of off the radar.
I liked the article, but I think in a few cases I might have liked a few more "passings of the torch," which I think would have helped a bit. For example, had Horus-Re given his power willingly to Amaunator/Lathander, it might have been a good explanation for Amaunator, a sun god, getting the upper hand, and with Horus-Re being LG, it would have really pushed Amaunator into LG territory logically (absorb a NG and a LG god into a LN one, yeah, its probably going to amount to a LG one).
I know that current lore limits what can be done with Set, what with Sseth returning and all, but I did kind of wish that Set would have had a little better turn of events than to just be snubbed by Bane and deifically sneak attacked by Rip Van Yuan-Ti, but again, its probably just because I have a soft spot for Set from way back, since when I first got the Old Grey Boxed Set and imported my PCs from my homebrew way back then, one of their opponents, a cleric of Set, came over as well, and I was thrilled when I actually had a home for him a few years later.
All in all, I did enjoy this. |
|
|
|
Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2008 : 18:42:16
|
quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
I would have loved to have seen a resurgence of Unther with a few gods taking on Untheric names, some of which already exist in Realmslore (Anhur=Ramman, Selune=Nanna-Sin, Bahamut=Marduk), but since Unther is completely out of the picture, this is kind of off the radar.
This piece was very specifically about the Mulhorandi side of things. While it is true that Mulhorand extended into Unther and expanded their empire, it's also true that the Faerûnian pantheon had already made a lot of inroads there, and there was barely a decade (if that) between the time Mulhorand re-established their empire and the time the nation disappeared almost entirely off the map.
quote:
I liked the article, but I think in a few cases I might have liked a few more "passings of the torch," which I think would have helped a bit. For example, had Horus-Re given his power willingly to Amaunator/Lathander, it might have been a good explanation for Amaunator, a sun god, getting the upper hand, and with Horus-Re being LG, it would have really pushed Amaunator into LG territory logically (absorb a NG and a LG god into a LN one, yeah, its probably going to amount to a LG one).
I haven't covered exactly where I stand with Amaunator and Lathander, and I haven't decided whether there will be a musing on them (or on the Triad, both of which are topics I'm dubious about covering).
Horus-Re was extremely busy keeping his pantheon (Family) from being destroyed entirely during the Spellplague. He didn't have the time to pass his power willingly--because that would have meant his destruction, and the destruction of his people.
With all that said, though, I don't think either of the Musings up until now have really shown how I feel about mortal and divine relationships. Do divine shifts happen in response to mortal belief, or do they cause them? Or is it a complex mixture of both?quote:
I know that current lore limits what can be done with Set, what with Sseth returning and all, but I did kind of wish that Set would have had a little better turn of events than to just be snubbed by Bane and deifically sneak attacked by Rip Van Yuan-Ti, but again, its probably just because I have a soft spot for Set from way back, since when I first got the Old Grey Boxed Set and imported my PCs from my homebrew way back then, one of their opponents, a cleric of Set, came over as well, and I was thrilled when I actually had a home for him a few years later.
Honestly, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a place for Set in the 4E Realms, too; of all the deities of Mulhorand, he seemed the most capable of sticking around. Given the departure of the entire pantheon, Set is frankly more important as a continued antagonist to Horus-Re and his allies (wherever they ended up)--and a perpetual bogeyman to the Mulan--than as a member of the Faerûnian pantheon.
I'm glad you liked things overall, and I'm especially grateful for your sharing of opinions. I wouldn't do these Musings if I thought no one at all liked them, but it would be foolish in the extreme to think that everyone would agree with every call I made on them, and I like to see that people are playing with the ideas and making their own decisions with them. |
|
|
|
KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2008 : 19:20:22
|
| I'm just glad you are doing these, because it is compelling to try and see various situations from a different point of view, especially with a little more texture attached to the various changes to add some context. I'm looking forward to more of these. |
|
|
|
Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3286 Posts |
Posted - 16 Nov 2008 : 08:13:30
|
-Nice. 
BRIMSTONE  |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Monday Musings 9/29: Mulhorandi Pantheon
