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Jamallo Kreen
Master of Realmslore
USA
1537 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Mar 2009 : 07:27:14
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A "Search" here of "archeology" and "archaeologists" yields more than a page of earlier discussions, including the 2004 "Questions for Ed Greenwood." Elsewhere we have also discussed a question of mine regarding the "shade hunter" prestige class from Champions of Ruin, who are hunters of Netherese artifacts and enemies of the Shades (hence the class name).
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Darkheyr
Learned Scribe
264 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2009 : 14:00:14
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Wouldn't know of any canon organizations, sadly. I myself used to play a human wizard on an NWN server some time ago. Her fields of speciality were mostly Netheril, and through that some degree of interest in Delzoun and similar related realms. The server sported The Fork (the road crossing in the Silver Marches, south of Adbar), where over time a settlement began to form, including a small academy where she started teaching history and archeology among other fields, together with some other wizards. There was also an expedition or two into the Anauroch.
Entirely non-canon of course, but I figure archeology is more along those lines in the Realms. |
silm.pw - A Neverwinter Nights Persistent World |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7974 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2010 : 19:08:30
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I actually don't see a lot of "modern" archeaology being viable within the Realms. The vast majority of physical artifacts and ruins are largely ignored; they tend to attract only monsters, adventurers, and treasure/glory seekers. In short, they're not "interesting" unless they have some magic, or economic value, or special social/religious significance. Realms style archeaology is probably more loot-and-pillage Indiana Jones style than about academic research and preservation; people bust open the hidden chambers of the pyramid so they can kill the mummy and take his gold. There aren't many museums and collections of such stuff, outside of whatever trinkets are kept by eclectic weirdos like Elminster. Unlike our world, the dead of the Realms can be quite active and territorial, plus the ancients had access to all sorts of automated defenses which still work.
Though there are probably small groups dedicated to study, analysis, and preservation of ancient things. If not for the reasons above (greed), then to control or ward off "dangerous" and "forbidden" things for safety and security. I doubt their approaches would resemble our dig sites ... they have access to all manner of divinations, scrying (past, present, and future), Detect Whatever, Legend Lore, Speak With Dead, Locate Object, X-Ray Vision, dowsing, magical and psionic psychometry, etc. They can even use Wish and Time Travel or communicate with divine/extraplanar sources (or ancient guardians) who have firsthand experience of the past. There are of course local individuals (like elves, dragons, the Chosen, and liches) who may also have such firsthand experience.
Whatever "archeaology" is practiced would probably concentrate on written records, combing through them to rediscover lost magics and secrets (or references to same) ... worshippers of Denier, Helm, and Oghma seem like obvious practitioners, so of course places like Candlekeep would be prominent in this regard. Other groups would probably be mere handfuls of like-minded sagely erudites and treasure/glory seekers, not large scale organizations. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 05 Dec 2010 19:25:46 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7974 Posts |
Posted - 06 Dec 2010 : 13:28:05
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Shade has been doing a little recycling too, notably the (sunken/floating) city of Sakkors. Probably for the same reasons as the elves: they really don't have a lot of territory or anywhere else to go, and they wanted to reclaim some powerful ancient magic (a mythallar in Sakkors) they wanted to use (and wanted nobody else to find).
I can easily imagine ruins being systematically stripped and scavenged away, the most valuable (and portable) resources taken first ... magical items and lore, gold and treasure, then copper and lead and iron, then marble and precious woods, then common wood and stone, then finally (when nothing else of real value remains) the land itself. Of course there are little problems like the occupants of the ancient ruins (monsters, undead, guardians, even the original living owners), and magical and physical traps and alarms ... only fools and idiots brave adventurers normally dare to explore such places. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 06 Dec 2010 13:43:27 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 06 Dec 2010 : 17:46:01
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| Wait, aren't those one and the same? LOL, I kid. That seems to be SOP for most adventurers, but I like to see an occasional explorer who is there for professional curiosity, not treasure hunting. Maybe all he leaves with are a few notes penned from the runes on a wall, or an ancient tome that might otherwise molder away and be lost. Does anyone besides El ever PUT stuff BACK in old tombs and ruins? |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7974 Posts |
Posted - 06 Dec 2010 : 18:10:45
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There are academics and sagely experts of history; they could probably expound for hours over their preciously exhumed bits of broken pottery and useless trinkets. I recall a small number of 2E class kits - mostly scattered throughout the various Complete Handbooks - which specialize in guarding/protecting or seeking out lost lore and artifacts from ancient ruins. It stands to reason that if these professions exist then there must also be organizations dedicated to the same.
Adventurers are ideally suited for Indiana Jones inspired archeaology, whether they be motivated by their own passions or those of an employer. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Faerunian Schools of Archaeology
