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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Nov 2009 : 11:53:33
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Have you ever changed a country, a city, or any other geographical area of Toril to suit your GM-ing purposes, spicing things up? For example during my adventures in the Shining South I decided that the Arkaiun civilization survived in small numbers near the East Wall. They evolved into magic-resilient, Conanesque people. In addition I dried up the area north of Nathagal, all the way up to Shaarmid, alike to the changes after the Spell-plague. Except the area is controlled and sacred to the yuan-ti greater mummies, and populated by elven slaves. Write your changes and ideas. The more the merrier.
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z455t |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2009 : 13:24:11
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Oh yeah, plenty! Some examples:
* Telflamm - I basically substited Lankhmar (which was published as a city setting by TSR/WotC in 1st and 2nd edition) for Telflamm. I thought the situation, and the overall theme of Telflamm being under the thumb of a thieves' guild.
* Waterdeep and old Phalorm - I re-arranged some mountains, put Barovia (Castle Ravenloft!) on the pass leading from Waterdeep to Loudwater, developed Daggerford, using some self-generated information as well as bits an pieces from existing sources (I used a bigger castle from another setting for Castle Daggerford) and generally plugged in a lot of "generic villages" in the area to allow for the use of a great many Dungeon magazine generic adventures.
* Tunlands - geography changed to be able to insert a part of another setting (Laelith, from the French RPG magazine Casus Belli). The Tunlands are basically a high plateau, with a very deep lake in the middle, and a caravan city on the southern end of the lake, sitting astride the road from High Horn to the south. It's basically a three-way skirmish area between Laelith, Cormyr, and Darkhold.
* Anauroch - threw out the Bedine, and transformed the whole desert into a big chaos waste (a mix of Warhammer Chaos Wastes, overlaps with some of the nastier outer planes, and some non-euclidian spaces, along the lines of the Direwood), where spatial parameters are random, at best. The Zhents' efforts to create a caravan route took so much time because they needed to seek a stable route between the pockets of chaotic terrain.
Those are the major changes, really. |
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Sian
Senior Scribe
Denmark
596 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2009 : 21:25:30
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| i once imported Uldra (feylike creatures found in Frostburn) to Icewind Dales, generally shuffleing the deck a lot around there in terms of who's in power and the like (also imported the Uldra godess having her working (and slowly but safely succesing) in waking up Ulutium and together with him putting a big dent in Auril's powerrating, draining her to Demigodess) |
what happened to the queen? she's much more hysterical than usual
She's a women, it happens once a month |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31701 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2009 : 23:34:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Thauramarth
* Waterdeep and old Phalorm - I re-arranged some mountains, put Barovia (Castle Ravenloft!) on the pass leading from Waterdeep to Loudwater ...
Curious. I don't believe I've ever heard of anyone successfully transposing Barovia into the Realms. I wouldn't mind hearing more, Thauramarth.
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 08:31:05
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Thauramarth
* Waterdeep and old Phalorm - I re-arranged some mountains, put Barovia (Castle Ravenloft!) on the pass leading from Waterdeep to Loudwater ...
Curious. I don't believe I've ever heard of anyone successfully transposing Barovia into the Realms. I wouldn't mind hearing more, Thauramarth.
Ah, with pleasure. (One thing though: the Northern Journey Campaign included some tips to integrate Castle Ravenloft in the Greyvale).
OK, first off: geography. This was part of my re-arranging the area of Old Phalorm. I upgrade the Forlorn Hills (east of Ardeep Forest) to full mountain range status. I kept the Sword "Hills" north of the Delimbiyr, and assumed they are actually higher than they probably are in canon - in the FR Interactive Atlas, they are drawn as mountains anyway. One of the southernmost peaks of the "Forlorn Mountains" becomes Mount Baratok, one of the peaks north of the Delimbiyr becomes Mount Ghakis. The valley of Barovia sits in between. The Delimbiyr Route substitutes for the Old Svalich Road, with Lake Vallaki sitting between the Forlorn "Mountains" and the Delimbiyr Route / Old Svalich Road. Castle Ravenloft and the Village of Barovia sit at the eastern end of the valley. I had to move Julkoun about 30-40 upstream along the Delimbiyr to put some distance between the Village of Barovia and Castle Ravenloft and the nearest town. I placed some additional settlements drawn and/or merged from other sources (Dungeon Mag, etc.) in the Valley of Barovia. (I have a .bmp map of the "redone" Old Phalorm lands, but it's largely based on the map in the FR Interactive Atlas).
People. The Vistani are an important part of Ravenloft lore, so I transposed them into the Realms, substituing them for the Gur. I created some ties with Selūne (maintaining some of the lore of the Gur) and Shar (for the Bad Vistani).
Integration in the history of the Realms. This was a bit tricky, but I worked off the following premiss (I did intend to change the names of the protagonists, because the Barovian names did not sound very Realmsian, but I never got around to it). I started from the Ravenloft timeline that was established by the good old Kargatane website, and lifted the "events" that would lead to Strahd becoming the vampire. The basic elements are: around 400 years ago, after a long war, a war weary nobleman overcomes that last of the Terg, a bandit army, and takes over the stronghold of the bandit leader. He invites his family to join him, and the rest, everybody who's been in the hobby for a while knows. So I made choices.
1) The von Zaroviches are/were a noble family of Phalorm / Kingdom of Man /Illefarn.
2) I needed a time of strife and war in the north, preferably one that was fought against human (or at least humanoid) opponents. I picked the aftermath of the fall of Ascalhorn and its transformation into Hellgate Keep (which was also the time when Nimoar took over proto-Waterdeep). And this led to the following changes / clarifications to the timeline:
882 DR. Demons stream forth from Hellgate Keep. The Realm of Eaerlann falls. The elven realm of Eaerlann falls to the horde of monsters and demons out of Hellgate Keep, which later becomes known as the Terg, led by the priest Melengar and his warlord Dorian.
(Note: Melengar was an NPC features in a web-published series of adventures, back in the days of 2nd Edition; I conveniently turned him into a priest of Moander and hooked him up with Hellgate Keep).
889 DR. The Terg (was: the Tethyrian Bull Elk Tribe) set Nimoar's Hold afire, but Nimoar's forces defeat them and drive them off. The Hold is rebuilt by year's end.
(Further integrating the Terg in the FR timeline. Besides, a Tethyirna barbarian tribe around this time just never made sense to me.)
900 DR. The Cult of the Howling Moon, worshippers of Selūne driven out of Nimoar's Hold, and allied with the survivors of the Fallen Kingdom, manage to ambush the priest Melengar, leader of the Terg. The Rod of Ruin is broken and kills most of the cultists. Strahd von Zarovich, descendant of the Royal House of Phalorm, launches a final offensive against the Terg. Both sides suffer casualties, and deprived of the magical support of the Cult of the Howling Moon, Strahd makes a pact with the fiend Inajira on the eve of battle, and defeats Dorian. He reclaims the castle, and renames it Castle Ravenloft.
(Note: I picked the date because it's 18 years after the start of the Terg wars, and Ravenloft canon is pretty explicit that strahd had been fighting wars for close to 20 years. Also it's around 450 years before the timeframe of my campaign, which more or less corresponds to the Ravenloft timeframe. I picked the Cult of the Howling Moon, because the PC priest in my campaign was a servant of Selūne.)
903 DR. Strahd von Zarovich completes the restoration of Castle Ravenloft and invites his family to join him. His youngest brother Sergei joins.
904 DR. Most High Priest Kir of the Church of Selūne dies suddenly, likely while creating the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Sergei and Tatyana's wedding. Strahd makes pact with Death, becoming a vampire. Between Strahd and assassins sent by Leo Dilisnya, all the guests are killed.
(Note: I made Kir a priest of Selūne, to further develop the role of the Priesthood of Selūne in the area, and set up a connection with the PC Priest, by making the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind an artifact of Selūne).
928 DR. Sturm von Zarovich, The Lord of Calandor attempts to have himself crowned King of Delimbiyran, the Kingdom of Man, but fails due to a lack of support from surrounding human settlements and the active opposition of the now-independent Secomber.
(Notes: It's well-estasblished canon that Strahd's older brother Sturm was not in Castle Ravenloft, but was "administering the ancestral holds." So, I was thinking, if the von Zaroviches are old Phalorm nobility, why not make them the Dukes of Calandor; and in this particular case, the fact that the Duke's brother is a murderous vampire probably did not help him when trying to win hearts and minds.)
947 DR (pure canon) The Realm of Calandor is ravaged by the battle between the silver dragon Teskulladar "Manytalons" and the white dragon Cortulorrulagalargath. In his death throes, the great white wyrm falls from the sky onto the remnants of Delimbiyran, destroying them utterly and slaying the Duke of Calandor and his retinue who have taken shelter there whilst out hunting. Tyndal, his son-in-law, is proclaimed Duke by the people and he re-locates the ducal seat to the site of the old Barony of the Steeping Falls, partly to secure the benefits associated with trade passing through the area, and partly to commemorate the feat of his youth. Construction of Castle Daggerford on the ruined remnants of Morlin Castle begins immediately.
(Notes: So, I now have the Dukes of Daggerford being related to Strahd von Zarovich, while losing the actual name, as they are related through one of Strahd's nieces. This sets them up very nicely for From the Shadows and Roots of Evil. For good measure, I re-affirmed the link with the cult of Selūne by replacing the temple of Lathander in Daggerford by a temple of Selūne.) |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 09:34:27
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Hm, there's quite a lot as i am not all that enthusiastic about the idea of canon in a roleplaying setting, so some notes.
I also took some elements of Lankhmar (mostly loose ideas from the books as the only product from the TSR line I own is the Newhon book, but I put it in Westgate.
Cormyr is more like Karameikos in the Known World. I had been DM'ing in the Realms for years when the Volo guide came out and the limited information that I had about Cormyr didn't conflict to much. Darkhold became the Black Eagle barony. The Five Shires got put into the Sunset Mountains and Sunset Vale. The gnomes of Trielta got quite a bit changed (I think I posted something about that once).
The people of the Western Hearlands has a culture that is very different from the official one (I cant remember whether I di a write-up on that).
Evermeet became a bi-plane to Faerie with gates all over Faerun. I prefer elves in the legendary form to the Tolkien version.
The Underdark became more a jungle than a desert to increase the logic of the amounts of threats.
Thay more classic Weird-tales Wizards (Think Ashton-Smith) and Moorcock. The Ancient Empires more decadent and exotic. Clear Howard inspiration.
Some other changes:
Real-world likenesses severely reduced.
Uthgards are gone.
Less magic and more dark-ages feel.
Netheril more mysterious and hidden.
Floating Islands left from the days of Netheril.
The Planes different.
Drow? Evil mysterious nightmares of the deep Underdark. Little of the Realms-lore tied to them. Simply put: I dont like drow.
No Lords Alliance.
Most of the Realmsshaking events and historic development ignored.
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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2009 : 15:46:44
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Great replies.  I like the possibility of PC's visiting Lankhmar, I know the city from the Swords series. Talflamm is suitable, for the Shining South adventures maybe Var the Golden, as a center of trade, and it has the grain fields. It's warmer there for the mists and the marshes. You could even run the story about Iussek of the Jug (Ilmater), the Crinti torturers and the ghouls.
Also prefer darker, Weird-Tales inspired fantasy. |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2009 : 18:31:54
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I like the Arkaiun idea and agree with Netheril being hidden.
My world has grown into a hybrid of Toril, Golarion and others, outside of the Heartlands a lot of it is changed. The feel of the world is not medieval, something like if the Roman Empire never fell, the golden age, a mixture of Renaissance's age of ''discovery'' and 18th century's age of ''enlightenment''.
Less dragons, no orcs (different appearance), albino drow more numerous, and monstrous realms, different planes, real-world analogies taken out or modified, gods are not behing everything ...
I'll try post post some more examples, as short as possible, may be a long list though. |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2009 : 22:11:11
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* Sword Coast and Varisia (from Golarion) are merged, beginning with Korvosa south of the Lizard Marsh. Kaer Maga and the Cinderlands start with the Sword Hills. Lands of the Linnorm Kings are north of Luskan. Auseriel is there, less damaged, and an island of smarter fomorians called Ysbaddaden, coterminous with another plane.
* Anauroch is 1/3 of its canon size, there's almost no sandy desert, it's an unnatural, twisted and bleak place. The City of Shade returned a century earlier, yet no one has learned of their presence.
* Reghed, there's a place called the Lunar Court, it's a collective of frost fey, seasonal, they built great glacial structures to balance the unnatural ice ages.
* Sunrise Mountains, inhabitated by xaOs dwarves (like in Warhammer), once a Delzoun colony (aka Colgu), their resilience enabled them to survive the effects of planar breach that started from the pole all the way to Narfell.
* Narfell survived thanks to the planar breach, populated by tieflings, warlocks and daemonic sorcerers, cities are built in daemoncysts. The Demonlands spread way into Damara, Impiltur (crusader countries), and there is an enchanted wall there like in Westeros, but not against winter. Also imported Eldeen Reaches druids (Gatekeepers) from Eberron into the Great Dale against these planar breaches.
* Vaasa, added clan Tharashk (Eberron), they're dragonblooded orcs that can smell a rare type of bloodstone originating from Asgorath, valuable to the Cult of the Dragon. Orcs are more like sranc of Earwa. And I'm considering using the warlock knights, different backstory, they discovered a part of the armor of Khal (altered, nonevil Talos, kinda like Marvel's Celestials).
* Vast, in the mountains, the hobgoblin realm of Haeekkrukha survived and is now like Darguun (after Dargrath the warlord) of Eberron.
* Sossal, settled by a group of Raumathari runaways, they are allomancers, feruchemists etc. (like in Sanderson's novels), they created maugs (Fiend Folio).
* Rashemen, their magic similar to furycrafting in Butcher's novels. More than tripled in size. Less united, particularly the northern lands are inspired by Irrisen of Golarion and Whitethrone.
* Aglarond, ruled by Simbarchs, talented with fey sorcery.
* Altumbel, they are luxurious tradesmen, slavemasters, moneylenders, and sometimes mediators for Thayans, Phoenician-inspired society, rumored to sacrifice their children to the fiends for material success. Originally Jhaamdathan survivors, facing extinction from famine they made deals with arcanaloths. Have colonies along Alamber and Vilhon. Also, the house Sivis (taken from Eberron), information dealers, are responsible for ''refinement'' and spread of Chondathan and Thorras (secretly daemon-influenced, as certain words carry malicious resonances when used and influence reality).
* Thay, moved towards southeast, parts Mulhorand and Murghom on the official map.
* Unther is an anarchic country, run by philosophical and planar organizations.
* Mulhorand was founded by the rilmani, still controlled by their agents, Imaskari survivor state, nothing Egyptian.
* Chessenta, geographically altered into many penninsulas and islands, connected with Vilhon. One city called Aixthenu based on Plato's ideal city. Made Karanoks allied with the Doomguard. Extended into the Shaar. South and west are mostly marshes, shallow sea, atols and lakes. The Shoal Turfs are inhabitated by goblinoid (merrow, ogre magi and blues), maenad/nereid/Bas Lag's vodyanoi and batrachi (sivs, changelings, boggards) cultures. These realms extend all the way to far end of the Shining Sea.
* Chondath (renamed Laerdhron), after the fall of Jhaamdath, sun-elven house Lyran of Lyrandrar/Nikerymath conquered the land. Imperialist elves, inspired by medieval Venice (trade, councils, nobles, conspiracies, national security) and Melniboné (attitude, drugged slaves, Imrryr, dreamchairs, ancestral worship - immortalized heroes). A branch of house Lyran, Lyrandar (taken from Eberron, not tied with dragons but gods and other mystical forces), magically grow ships for their mercentile navy. There are also Thuranni with their shadowy networks of spies and informers.
* Nimpeth, moved more west, changed into city that is a mixture of GRRM's Braavos and Lynch's Camorr.
* Sespech, nothing canon. The land is called the Five Shires (Mystara), but there's also Lurien, and Tolkien's Buckland in there. Clan Khalaf (taken from Eberron's Ghallanda) are blessed inkeepers of Alarlee (Cyrrollalee).
* Arnrock, added a city of Pyrepool (founded by former halfling, pech, phoera and asura slaves of dao), coterminous with the Fiery Core of Scyrnel (elemental plane).
* Westgate, added another noble house, the Orien Priakos (taken from Eberron), their transports are blessed by wind, carrying the mark of Valkul (Valkur and Shaundakul merged).
* Western Heartlands, changed a few Talfiric tribes, inspired by Eberron's Phiarlan, shadowy illusionists, diviners and information gatherers, displaying historical shows for public entertainment that sometimes become real.
* Amn, Kalistocracy of Druma (from Golarion), they're an organization of nobles and heretics of Comerike (Waukeen), rivaling the Coucil of Six and others.
* Erlkazar, added a house that bears the Mark of Healing (from Eberron), vampiric house Thael (Castlemourn setting) redeems itself in service to Austia (somewhat like Sarenrae of Golarion).
* Arnaden, replaced by Andoran (Golarion)
* Tethyr is the southernmost realm, Calimshan is moved. The middle-eastern elements are reduced. Influenced by Golarion's Taldor, particularly southern, human-centric lands. Also GRRM's maesters are based in Zazesspur.
* Tharsult, inspired by Sicily and its blend of numerous historical cultures (in the end conquered by Illuskans/Ulfen) and Golarion's Absalom (renamed Sarf).
* Lantan, placed house Cannith of Eberron, renamed into the Nith Clockwork Emporium, they made first golmoids, they bear the mark of a homebrew god of invention and clockworks.
* Moonshaes, added Vancian feyfairs and the Ska people of Lyonesse. Increased size, particularly Norland and Oman's.
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2009 : 22:13:46
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Other parts of Toril
* Halruaa, introduced some elements of Glantri (Mystara), like the Radiance, but with different origins. And Carmendine illumians (not as a separate race, humans). Moved a bit north-east.
* Dambrath (renamed Rawh), no Crinti, completely covered by jungle, moved south then west. Beside the grugach, other notable inhabitants are the adu'ja (a plant race), tasloi, volodni, phanatons, and shifters (divided into Black Blood cults, guardinal philosophical paths etc.).
* Lurien (renamed Nok Lu), misty, ethereal realm, where matter is less stable, random demiplane manifest areas, inhabitated by spiritfolk-halflings, tweens, will'o'wisps, nathri, Nimbral-ese arcanist enclaves (I don't use the isle) and ethergaunt slavers.
* The Shining Lands, controlled by the Brotherhood of the Scarlet Sign (Greyhawk), godless slavers and racists who believe to descend from Imaskari, but are wrong, Veldorn is the result of their eugenics. They funded Thay's independence, but failed to gain control after.
* The Shaar, broken into parts by large bodies of water, some other areas are defiled and similar to the environment of Athas. Dromite settlements. Added a gold-dwarven clan of Kundarak (house from Eberron) in Kholtar and Aurum (Eberron, but formed of gold elves, dwarves and Aurumachs of Mulhorand). South of the Border Kingdoms is Cheliax (from Golarion), now an empire only in name. It's based on diabolism, but Asmodeus is replaced by Gargauth.
* Chult, moved SW, almost forming a landbridge to Katashaka (aka Squamata, continent inspired by Lustria-Warhammer).
* Hordelands, smaller, no Semphar, the Realm of the Mammoth Lords (Golarion) is in the north, historical analogues toned down, also added the Scylvendi culture from Bakker's novels and the ruins of Carcosa in the Quoya desert.
* Raurin has some Demon Wastes (Eberron) material, rakshasa maharajas burried under the sands by the Imaskari, cut out of the reincarnation cycles. Also due to their rituals, the areas are planar in nature, meaning that belief has a greater effect on reality. Made an underground city of xephs (EPH) atop the burried Imaskar city (now populated by kaorti in sort of a stasis).
* Eastern Realms, not much used, smaller continent, consists of Riedra (except the quori are spirits-fey) and Adar from Eberron, and some Tsurannuani elements from Feist's novels. In addition the dwarves of Mournra from Castlemourn are in Yehimal, and Aaqa (Greyhawk vaati) in the south. Some oriental races like nezumi/skaven/cranium rats, vanaras, adityas, asuras, garudas etc.
* Empires of the Sands, changed completely, whole new (sub)continent, starts with Lapaliiya, the westernmost realm (approximately where Thindol would be officially), then follows Calimshan, Katapesh (Golarion), Jalmeray isle (Golarion), ends with Qadira (Golarion) southeast of Raurin. Greater genasi population (Calimshan, Azulduth), with alchemy being more important (Calimshan). Finally the city of mercenaries (GRRM's the Unsullied, except there's necromancy involved), Utaqa is on the border to Zakhara. Additionally some Al-Qadim elements are incorporated (holy slayers, elementalists etc.).
* Zakhara (renamed Hhubola), (half)undead continent, including the local population, plants, animals. Very shortly it consists of Geb (Golarion), the Pit of Ghouls, exiled Shoonite necromancers, Sahu, Aerenal (Eberron), the Necromantis (thri-kreen mummies), Fremen inspired dhampirs that collect blood, Dustmen (Planescape) city atop the Well of Souls, Doomguard of Salt (Planescape) cells dedicated to correct their entropic experiment, surviving ancient lands of Nog and Kadar, half-dead corsairs of Lhazaar (Eberron) and Vol, bonesingers of Finder, Ebon Triad cults (Greyhawk, but using different gods), parts of CAS's Zothique (Naat, the Torturers, Xylac ...), the Tomb Kings (Warhammer)/Book of the Dead theme, undead Mulhorand with anubites, the river of blood, ak-chazar rakshasas of Ra (dead pantheon from an earlier era), and a bleak sumerian ''afterworld'' (serving to Nergal, Thasaidon ...).
* other continents, there is a place called Hytil (Anchorome), with an alien, spacefaring race of psychometabolists based on ectoplasm. Southern Katashaka, arctic regions, are somewhat like ancient Xendrik (Eberron) with giant realms, coterminous with the elemental planes.
damn this took time  |
Edited by - Quale on 19 Nov 2009 22:16:02 |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 15:47:06
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| Now this is interesting. It is the sort of thing I hope to see more of in the future at Candlekeep. If you have some elaborations on the information Quale, would you care to post them? |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 21 Nov 2009 : 16:23:03
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yea
I was trying not to post a wall of text. Most parts I can elaborate, a few are just theories what would the place be when the PCs arrive. |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3286 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 02:14:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
The Underdark became more a jungle than a desert to increase the logic of the amounts of threats.
I like this...
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
Drow? Evil mysterious nightmares of the deep Underdark. Little of the Realms-lore tied to them. Simply put: I dont like drow.
I agree. I am burned out on TSR/WOTC Drow.
I will use Paizo's (Golarion) Drow or Ed's Nilfghar in my Realms. |
"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 |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 22 Nov 2009 : 04:12:41
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I've made innumerable small changes in various campaigns, few of which survive from game to game. In my current campaign (set on the Damara/Impiltur border, and focusing on political tension between the two nations) I've altered the makeup of the Impilturan and Damaran ruling classes, making both far more feudal and regimented (drawing heavily on George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series). The changes to Damara are more specific to my own campaign, but the changes to Impiltur are (I think) more interesting and might be of benefit to other campaigns.
The Knights of Imphras/Order of the Shrike now serve the Council of Regents, also known as the Circle of Paladins and the Paladin-Princes of Imphras II. The Council is made up of 12 paladins of various gods (fully two-thirds serve either Tyr, Torm, Illmater, or all three; with the other third owning paladins of Mystra, Helm, Sune, and The Red Knight) whose primary duty is (officially) advising Queen Sambryl, but who in truth, rule Impiltur. The Council is headed by the Lord Steward (who has ultimate command of the Sword of Impiltur, the Order of the Shrike, and has the tiebreaking vote in all council matters) an hereditary position held by the Count of Lyrabar, currently a staunchly conservative Tyran Paladin-Priest who believes that the Council's duty is to preserve Impiltur against the day that a King once again sits the throne, and resists any risk-taking with all the considerable power @ his disposal. He heads a faction of the Council known as The King's Men, comprised of all of the Tyran, Tormite, and Triadic Knights of the council. Opposing him is the more adventurous and forward-thinking Knights of Sarshel, led by the charismatic Mordecai Whitestar (Pal5/Sorc6/ElK13) a Paladin of Mystra (and scion of the immensely wealthy Whitestar family which trades in spices, Sossrim carvings, hardwoods, textiles, luxury goods, and magical and alchemical apparatus all over the sea of Fallen Stars) who has command of the Wand of Impiltur, though ultimate command rests with the Queen. Mordecai has wooed the Sunite, Red Knight, and 3 of the Illmateri Lords to his cause, with the Helmite Paladin (Sir Elthel Hammerbright) being a crucial swing vote.
The Lord Steward is painfully Myopic in matters of foreign policy, but incredibly astute in matters of internal politics, including finances and military concerns. Publically, Mordecai preaches that, King or no King, Impiltur can no longer ignore the outside world, and needs staunch allies, beginning with Damara.
In truth, Mordecai is a senior Moonstar agent, and is collaborating with Khelben to marry the boy-king of Impiltur to King Gareth's young daughter in the hope of forging one large, prosperous, militarily powerful state to oppose the Zhents (and to a lesser extent, Thay and the Shadowmasters of Telflamm). Since (due to the deal Khel has struck with Fzoul) Khelben knows that Fzoul can't expand Zhent influence westward, he wants to check any designs he may have on the Sea of Fallen Stars.
The Impilturan army is another political morass altogether, and one I'll tackle separately, since I've already dumped enough words for one Saturday night. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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92dragon5fire
Acolyte
3 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2009 : 21:34:29
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| that sounds like a very interesting wold you have created Quale. do you happen to have a map showing all of the map changes you did to your realms |
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
Posted - 11 Dec 2009 : 10:41:43
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I've resurrected and shifted about some elements of Crown War era elven civilisation (Eaerlann, Siluvanede and Sharrven, namely), especially around the High Forest, they tend to be a bit more capricious and warlike (as well as a healthy dolop of Tolkienian grace).
I've also made the goblin kingdoms of the Rauvin Mountains and the orc kingdoms around Dark Arrow Keep more prominent.
Sundabar is a twin city; High Sundabar being the colossal fortress-city on the surface, and Deep Sundabar being the grand dwarven city beneath, with the Everfire braught up into it's basement.
Silverymoon and Everlund are twin cities, after a fashion. Everlund is a bit smaller and grottier, but more cosmopolitan than it might be cannonically construed, and Silverymoon's 'holy garden-city of nature and magic' side is played up a whole lot more. Everlund is run by a chaotic senate of old noble houses and merchant princes, Silverymoon by semi-secret conclaves of wizards and elven elders headed by Lady Alustriel (sp?), who now claims to hold the last spark of Mystra's power (4e).
I don't think I've made any physical changes to the map (not yet, at least) but I've fiddled some of the names; swapped the Ice Spires and Ice Mountains, because I liked the name Spires and there are already loads of X Mountains in the north. I've added a few peaks, such as Auril's Crown and the Shivering Spire 'cause I thought they sounded cool (as yet nothing planned for them).
I've also conpressed alot of the Underdark of the region, especially drow cities, basically pulling stuff from as far as the sword coast and western heartlands closer to the Nether Mountains.
Beyond the north, where I always seem to play, I've completely stripped out the Endless Wastes, Yaimmunahar and the area east of Thay in general. The map itself is broadly the same (a hat tipped in Markustay's direction is in order) but the content is almost entirely homebrew. The Faerunian pantheon is pretty much absent, replaced by a number of corporeal demigods of varying novelty. These demigods rules a number of exotic city states scattered about the area, and when not busily finding new and interesting ways to screw each other they have issues with some as yet undefined civilisation replacing Shou Lung and that eastern bit (I'm thinking some weird and wonderful monotheistic thing). The Quoya Desert has swallowed up the Horse Plains and, along with the Hagga Shan and Kora Shan mountains has turned into a Mordor-esque hellscape.
The Yehimal Range (more hat tipping at Markus) has recieved a vaguely Mount Olympus makeover; climbing it's talled peak finds you floating about in the Astral and within 'easy' reach of the godly domains.
Anyway, starting to escape the remit of this scroll. Enough of my blather! :) |
Cedric! The Cleric Generic and Master of Disguise!
ALL HAIL LORD KARSUS!!!
Vast Realmslore Archive: Get in here and download everything! http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/archfr/rl
2e Realms book PDFs; grab em! - http://poleandrope.blogspot.com/2010/07/working-around-purge.html |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2009 : 15:04:38
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quote:
Originally posted by 92dragon5fire
that sounds like a very interesting wold you have created Quale. do you happen to have a map showing all of the map changes you did to your realms
I tried to make it a few times, but I don't have the time or will, and would need to get some less complicated mapping tutorials. We don't use miniatures or most of D&D rules, it's very loosened up.
Also the world changes everytime I see that some idea would fit better, constantly improving, think that FR has the best ''skeleton'' of all fantasy worlds. |
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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jun 2010 : 15:09:18
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| Changing the Realms has become a popular theme lately, like the one thread where Oerik is Anchorome. I'm resurrecting this thread, post more ideas please. |
z455t |
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BlackAce
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
358 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2010 : 07:24:19
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The only major change i've ever made was to tack Westeros from a Song of Ice and Fire onto Faerun in a slightly shrunken form. With a little geographic tinkering it drops in nicely as the eastern shores of the Great Ice Sea which I extended to the south to the Firepeaks that new coastland corresponds to Northern Westeros as far south as Blazewater Bay.
Ironman's Bay is now Ironman's Lake and it sits just east of the Sentinel Spire with the Tumblestone Mountains abutting the Godswatch Mountains. You can literally ride over the Peaks and on to Highgarden. Dorn lies to the east of the Rauvinwatch Mountains with Ulgarth to the Southwest. |
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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jun 2010 : 11:59:51
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That is interesting, especially the Dornishmen there, the Dothraki would be in the Endless Waste? and the Wildlings in the Ama Basin? I don't know what about the Wall, the Dragonwall?
The other idea that came to me looking at the 4th edition map, what if the big hole in the Shaar is the Shadow Rift from Ravenloft, think of the possibilities ?  |
z455t |
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2010 : 07:51:45
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| Maybe that's how we got the Zhent Headless Horseman. |
z455t |
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Changing countries
