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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Nov 2008 : 18:25:57
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Look at that, I’m actually on time for once. Monday Musing (an explanation is available here), away!
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2008 : 18:26:39
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The Golden Hills, home of the gods of the Forgotten Folk, were greatly rocked in the wake of the death of Mystra. So massive was the devastation wrought upon that divine realm that Garl nearly faltered in preserving his fellow deities, and it took the added might of Corellon, who embraced the Golden Hills and folded them into his ancient realm of Arvandor, to turn back the destruction that threatened the home of the gnome divinities.
Garl Glittergold himself was little affected by the Spellplague and its aftermath, and remains a staunch champion, parent and friend to gnomes across Toril. He is saddened by the steady decline of his people, but more so by their avoidance of larger, more populous folk. The gnomes have lost many homelands in recent decades, from the destruction of Blingdenstone to the sinking of Lantan, and rarely gather in great numbers save among other allied races.
The wily, affable Baervan Wildwanderer has remained mostly unchanged these past years. He encourages travel and deeds of bravery, and impels his worshippers to embrace the wild and forested places outside their burrows or underground cities.
Baravar Cloakshadow remains a constant trickster, tweaking the noses of other, less jovial deities. He enjoys a continual game with his friend Brandobaris of the halfling pantheon, who constantly works to overcome the wards and traps of the Lord in Disguise, while Baravar lays blind alleys and false rewards out for the Irrepressible Scamp, luring him with polished rocks and other worthless trinkets. Such encounters are slightly rarer than previous years, as Baravar works to solidify the disguises of his mortal followers and hide them from those who would assault them, but when Brandobaris and Baravar do meet at the end of one of the Cloakshadow’s trap-mazes, they enjoy one another’s friendship for a while, sharing a meal, a smoke, and tales of their (mis)adventures since last they met. At other times, he will lead the Master of Stealth to rob another deity—usually a goblinoid power—of some token of power, weakening their efforts to hunt gnomes.
The gnome guardian Gaerdal Ironhand was greatly saddened by the deaths of his friends Helm and Gorm Gulthyn in quick succession. He grew to see his position through fatalistic eyes, and his dour mood was rewarded in kind when the waves of blue fire tore across the sky of the Golden Hills. As the azure flames lapped at his flesh, the Shield of the Golden Hills fulfilled his name and his duty, striking back with his mighty Hammersong and holding the fires at bay for a time. They eventually consumed him, but the vigilance of the Stern allowed Garl the time necessary to call upon his ally Corellon and save his people. The followers of Gaerdal have since turned to other deities, primarily those of Celestia (Torm, Ilmater and Bahamut) in addition to the other gods of the Forgotten Folk.
The moment that the Golden Hills merged into the plane of Arvandor, Segojan Earthcaller fell silent, answering neither the prayers of his worshipers nor the calls of the other gnome gods. Callurdran Smoothhands, too, grew quiet at that moment. No mortal, nor any of the gods, seems to know their fate. In truth, the pair of deities yet live, wandering tunnels they have sealed against entry beneath the Golden Hills. Here they defend the departed souls of their faithful worshippers, and the wandering spirits of gnomes who have not yet found their rest. They called on Flandal Steelskin to collapse his great caverns above them, burying the two gods that they might protect the Seven Golden Hills—and all Arvandor—from the depredations of a hungrier and suddenly more-active Urdlen.
Flandal himself sacrificed his divinity in this act, but is called on gnomes as a sort of saint, interceding with Garl Glitterhand (and Gond, when necessary) for skill in forging and smithing, or for acts of physicall prowess. The Great Steelsmith has asked Garl not to look into his heart or mind to learn the events of sudden, destructive moments after Mystra’s death, when he sealed his two compatriots within immortal, at thus far, the Watchful Protector has obeyed that request, though he yet longs to learn what could have claimed the godhood of no less than three of their number.
The beast-thing Urdlen is still feared by gnomes across Toril, but it no longer stalks the Golden Hills, driven out of Arvandor by the combined might of Garl’s allies and the Seldarine. Some believe it walks the outer reaches of that dominion, waiting to catch one of the weaker gods alone. Other believe it manifests solely in Faerûn proper, waiting beneath the earth for wandering children or wayward travelers. All agree, though, that the Crawler Below is no less fearsome to gnomes than any threat, real or imagined. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2008 : 23:26:19
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I've always been fascinated by Urdlen. And this time is no exception.
I wonder though, did it make any appreciable gains when Garl's power first faltered? |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 10 Nov 2008 23:27:10 |
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Garen Thal
Master of Realmslore
USA
1105 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2008 : 23:35:22
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I wonder though, did it make any appreciable gains when Garl's power first faltered?
Of a sort. There's a reason that it's taken no fewer than three deities to keep him out of the Golden Hills.
Basically, though, Urdlen has transitioned from a quasi-member of the pantheon to a howling wolf at their door; crudely speaking, it is less Laduguer now than Kezef, and has gained a freedom (of movement and location) that it did not enjoy when the Golden Hills was its own realm. |
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GRYPHON
Senior Scribe
USA
527 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 09:17:37
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| Nice work... |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2008 : 16:18:38
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I've always been fascinated by Urdlen. And this time is no exception.
Yeah, who isn't? It's scary. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2008 : 23:12:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I've always been fascinated by Urdlen. And this time is no exception.
Yeah, who isn't? It's scary.
And let's face it... We all want to visit the Worm Realm one day. Right?  |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 13 Nov 2008 : 14:07:30
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Only in the name of science. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 15 Nov 2008 : 16:03:23
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quote:
The Heterodyne Boys
For Science!
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There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2008 : 18:54:57
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I've always been fascinated by Urdlen. And this time is no exception.
The main reason (well, one of them) I still want to get a copy of Demihuman Deities is to read what it has to say about Urdlen. For some reason I just plain like the Crawler Below. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2008 : 22:36:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Ardashir
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
I've always been fascinated by Urdlen. And this time is no exception.
The main reason (well, one of them) I still want to get a copy of Demihuman Deities is to read what it has to say about Urdlen. For some reason I just plain like the Crawler Below.
There's also a little info in the 2e PLANESCAPE supplement, On Hallowed Ground. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
Edited by - The Sage on 20 Nov 2008 22:38:31 |
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Monday Musing 11/10- Gnome Pantheon
