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Dantrag
Learned Scribe
USA
141 Posts |
 Posted - 29 May 2009 : 06:44:53
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I have a question/complaint about the Avatar Trilogy...Why go through the trouble of the last two books ..., and Cyric doesn't die. Do people still worship Bane or the other gods Cyric Murdered? Does Lord Ao rule over other realms and sets of gods? Does Mask get the title of intrigue back and is Avner actually his "Seraph of Theives"? And the last one, what was Cyric's plan at the very last page of the book?
Thanks for the Help
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" The truth comes out only in bold and underlined" |
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Drizztsmanchild
Learned Scribe
USA
228 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2009 : 09:21:49
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I can answer some of your questions but beware there are SPOILERS so if you don't want to know then don't read further
1. As far as I know Bane has returned killing his son in the process, I'm sure someone somewhere still worships Myrkul and Bhaal(Though Cyric only murdered Bhaal, Bane was destroyed by Torm and Myrkul was slain by Midnight in the sky over Waterdeep).
2. Mask never reclaimed intrigue and in 4e turned out to be an aspect of Shar, Avner whereabouts and history is unknown in 4e but did become Mask's "Seraph of theives"
3.Ao presumably still presides over the Cosmos(No info stating otherwise has presented itself)
4. IMO the last page was simply saying that Cyric was still insane but not crazy, There hasn't been a follow-up novel stating anything knew or maybe in his lunacy he actually foresaw his murder of Mystra and the havoc it would cause. |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2009 : 10:47:22
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Ah. Bane. Not sure in which context you're asking the question. A lot depends on the FR year you're looking at.
As Drizztsmanchild already mentioned, Bane came back, through his son. I am not sure if it was ever planned like that, but Bane was too good a villain to keep dead. He's a bit like the Duracell Bunny of the Gods (keeps going, and going, and going, and going...) or the Rolex of the Gods (Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'...) - you get the point.
After the demise of Bane, Myrkul, Bhaal, and Leira, the attitudes of their worshippers varied.
Bhaal - most of the Bhaal worshippers transferred their allegiance to Cyric, based on the general notion that
Bhaal was the God of Murder, Cyric murdered Bhaal, and therefore Cyric must be better at it than Bhaal. Some (mostly the rural ones) kept working with Bhaal.
Myrkul - God of the Dead. Myrkul talked the talk, and walked the walk, and died. Move on to the next God of the Dead. Dispassionate lot, these Myrkulists.
Leira - her worshippers did not really care - they figured that Leira was dead, or she was not, and she had become Cyric (a trickery if ever there was one), or she was pretending to be dead (a neat trick, too).
Bane - This one had the most hangers-on. The Banite faith was pretty fragmented to begin with - there was the Zhentil Keep branches (one pro-Zhentarim under Fzoul, one non-Zhentarim, under various, but aligned with the High Imperceptor in Mulmaster), the Mulmaster branch, Kabbalath Thaur in Mourktar, the Cult of the Risen in the Moonshaes. Some branches switched to Cyric, some stuck with Bane, and a couple transferred to the Baneson. In 1361 DR, Cyric ordered the Banedeath, wherein the Cyricists tried to eradicate the Banites (at least in the Moonsea area). Worship was a bit fluid - Fzoul Chembryl stuck with Bane, then transferred (reluctantly) to Cyric, then to Iyachtu Xvim the Baneson, and then to Bane again.
Ao - The extent and nature of Ao was never detailed ((s)he/it never fitted the D&D cosmology). It's not impossible that he also has/had a say in other worlds, but as far as TSR and WotC's published worlds are concerned (Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Mystara, Birthright, Dark Sun, Eberron, Lankhmar, or any of the "one-offs", published in individual accessories, or mentioned in the Planescape and Spelljammer lines), he played no role beyond his "Overgodship" of the Forgotten Realms. Dragonlance had a comparable entity (Chaos), but none of the other published worlds did. Planescape mentions other beings of "Overgod" status, but does not go into too much detail - probably because, as I said, Ao did not fit in the 1st and 2nd edition cosmology.
Can't help you on the last questions, since I never got to read The Trial of Cyric the Mad. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36782 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2009 : 15:16:42
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| And further complicating things... Myrkul is still around, though he's no longer a deity and is happy about that. And we have no info on Bane's return -- so it could have been something he planned (which I personally doubt), something that happened accidently (more likely, to me), or it could all be a hoax by Xvim, claiming Dad's name for himself to gain more followers (I think this the most likely scenario). |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2009 : 15:28:23
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I don't think it's really any surprise that Myrkul "enjoys" his current state. Being somewhat removed from under Ao's divine thumb would certainly have its advantages... especially for a former deity who still likes to meddle in mortal affairs -- fear and terror can still be powerful "weapons of influence" in his arsenal, just as his unpredictability still would be. As it is... I do like the idea of Myrkul in this state. If I had followed the path of the ToT in my campaign, 'tis likely this version of Myrkul would indeed be a part of my FR.
As for Bane, the FRCS and F&P [and a few tidbits in Cloak & Dagger] references are the only sources we have on this. They gave us small notes saying that on this one particular night [Midwinter night of 1372 DR], all worshippers of Iyachtu Xvim had a dream where they saw him split apart and Bane emerge from within. That's it. |
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Time of Troubles
