quote:

---

Originally posted by Arik

His intent with this ritual was to basically become a god and destroy/reformat the entire world in his own arrogant and ambiguously "improved" image ... but the sudden arrival of 4E beat him to it.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dennis

quote:

---

Originally posted by Arik

Who said his ritual failed?

---

The zulkirs and Aoth and Co. destroyed one of the Dread Rings. But Tam's diadem and staff should have rectified the loss. Malark used them as he tried to cast the Unmaking in a worldlet, a Chaos realm, that Tam created. However, Aoth, Barreris, and Mirror managed to kill the trecherous spy, and Barreris cast a spell that shattered both the diadem and the staff.

Here's what Tam said after Malark's death in Unholy:

quote:

---

"The Unmaking will never happen now," Szass Tam said. Aoth risked a glance skyward and saw that, in fact, the churn­ing vileness was gone. "We're all tired, in some cases wounded, our magic largely exhausted. And perhaps we've had our fill of revenge, killing the man who, at one time or another, betrayed each and every one of us. So I propose we go our separate ways. I promise you and your legions safe passage out of Thay."

---

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firestorm

The Diadem and Scepter would not have rectified the loss of the dread ring. They were merely tools which allowed him to control the pocket universe he created.

---

quote:

---

Attuned as he was to the gigantic instrument he'd created, he'd felt it when one of the Dread Rings broke. Now that he was on the roof, at the very hub and linchpin of the dark circle, he could tell with certainty that, as he'd guessed, it was the fortress in Lapendrar that had surrendered its essential nature. Impossible as it seemed, his enemies must have prevailed against Malark, Tsagoth, and all the castle's other defenders. Now the symbol Szass Tam had defined on the face of Thay was warping, collaps­ing like a spiderweb with a critical anchoring strand severed.

The terrible irony was that Szass Tam had elaborated on the pattern in Fastrin's book and had built more Dread Rings than its ancient author suggested. He'd judged that in an endeavor like the Unmaking, one couldn't have too much power. But now, the loss of one perhaps unnecessary castle threatened to render all the others useless.
At first, no matter how he strained, he couldn't think of a thing in the world to do about it. Finally he closed his eyes. Centered himself and fought for calm. He was Szass Tam, and he didn't panic. He wouldn't panic now.

When he felt ready, he considered the problem anew with all the cold objectivity he could muster. And saw something he hadn't realized before.

The sigil the Dread Rings defined could never exist again—not in the conventional, three-dimensional world. But there were many more dimensions than that, even if people couldn't ordinar­ily perceive them. Were it otherwise, the mortal plane and all the higher and lower worlds wouldn't be able to coexist.

He dropped his staff to clatter on the roof and summoned a different one, fashioned of clear crystal, into his hand. Once, it had belonged to Yaphyll, the greatest seer he'd ever known; he'd found it sealed in a secret vault in the Tower of Vision after the zulkirs had abandoned Bezantur. It was the best tool he possessed for what he had in mind, which was no guarantee that it was powerful enough.

He brandished the glittering staff and recited words of power, and an image of the realm's plains, plateaus, and mountains, the rivers, lakes, and seashore appeared floating in the air before him. Black dots designated the Dread Rings and the Citadel.

He spoke again, and the map shifted, although no one else would have seen it alter. That was because Szass Tam now viewed it in four dimensions, in a manner foreign to normal human perception.

And the experience was all but intolerable, like looking directly at the sun. As a necromancer, Szass Tam was used to contemplat­ing the bizarre, the hideous, and the paradoxical, but even so, this view spiked pain through his eyes and deep into his head.

He forced himself to keep peering anyway, until he had the information to make his calculations. Which revealed that four dimensions were not enough.

So he called for five and let out an involuntary groan. Five were much worse than four, exponentially worse, perhaps. And five weren't sufficient, either.

So it was on to six, and then seven. Whimpering, shudder­ing, and jerking uncontrollably, he wondered if the mere act of observation could kill a man, even if the fellow was already dead. Given what he was suffering, he suspected it could, but even so, he refused to relent. He'd always known he was risking his exis­tence by undertaking the Great Work, and if he perished now, so be it.

Eight dimensions. Then nine. And nine were enough. When he took the proper two-dimensional cross section of that curved and infinitely complex space, the surviving Dread Rings and his present location fell into the proper positions relative to one another.

He raised all his personal power and likewise tapped the reservoirs of mystic energy that were the Rings themselves. He wielded the magic like a scalpel, first cutting the tainted bonds that linked the healthy Rings to the ruined one. Then he destroyed the remaining ties.
The Dread Rings immediately threatened to fall out of har­mony, to lose their fundamental relationship with one another. Szass Tam locked them in temporary correspondence through sheer force of will. Next, using his power as if it were an etcher's diamond-tipped stylus, he inscribed new paths between them, connections that ran through nine dimensions and the empty places between the worlds.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Heartless_Hidetsugu

Since this is a thread on Dread Rings, I have something of a derp question. If I recall the plan in Unholy correctly, the Rings were a means of killing the gods. In Undead Tam was forced to bargain with Bane. My question is: Could Tam possibly direct the Rings only at those gods who may interfere with his goals, such as Bane or any others?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dennis

All the gods would most likely interfere except Shar. It was never mentioned that he Ritual was also meant to destroy the gods, just the world. [...]

---

quote:

---

[Bareris:] "The original book contains instructions for destroying everything. All life. The land, sea, and sky. The gods themselves." (Unholy, p. 29)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dennis

All the gods would most likely interfere except Shar. It was never mentioned that he Ritual was also meant to destroy the gods, just the world. [...]

---

This, good sir, is not correct at all. As I mentioned earlier, many scribes here in this hall think of Tam's plans in terms much too tame.
As the most esteemed R. L. Byers wrote:

quote:

---

[Bareris:] "The original book contains instructions for destroying everything. All life. The land, sea, and sky. The gods themselves." (Unholy, p. 29)

---

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dennis
It was Bareris who said it, or to be more accurate, it was Fastrin who first said it. Never did Szass Tam mention it. What Szass Tam himself said is that he would destroy the world and remake it according to his liking. He had already made some revisions of Fastrin's notes, like the number of Dread Rings he needed, that it's possible that such part of the Ritual's intended purpose he also modified. If he'd perform the Ritual with a manifest goal of destroying all the gods, even Bane would renege on his promise---Bane would no doubt take him instead of giving him five centuries more.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan

Ah, but it doesn't matter who said or wrote anything. The ritual itself was meant to destroy everything, even the gods themselves. If it were realy able to do that is another question, even the zulkirs doubted that but conceded it would be bad enough. And they admitted even if it would work the way intended, the gods could not be trust be wise enough to intervene (p. 48-49).

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan

So, did Szass Tam think it would even destroy the gods? I think, yes, given the talk he had with Malark and later Aoth.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Suru

What bothers me is Thay is pretty much on the other side of the continent compared to the sword coast. The dread ring in Neverwinter also makes no sense because Thay has bad relations with the Shadovar, which is basically between Thay and Neverwinter. Its very existance portrays that Thay is now a global empire, which isn't supported by any novel or campaign guide that I've seen set after the spell plague. Also geographically speaking its very close and would pose a threat to Waterdeep and Silverymoon, both of which are ignoring it. Its especially close to Waterdeep as its described as being south of Neverwinter, and the Mountains are to the North. (So its most likely a few days travel South East of Neverwinter).

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ayunken-vanzan

Szass speaking of destroying the world is another way of saying "to destroy everything without execption".

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I don't know whether or not he meant to, but it certainly would have been a side-effect.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I've not read the books, but given the limited data I have, I have to agree with Ayunken-vanzan. Even if destroying the gods was not Szassy's goal, destroying the planet would have accomplished it. Because all of the gods would have then been without their followers, and without followers, they have no power. It would not have been immediate, but that would have been the end result.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Sage

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I've not read the books, but given the limited data I have, I have to agree with Ayunken-vanzan. Even if destroying the gods was not Szassy's goal, destroying the planet would have accomplished it. Because all of the gods would have then been without their followers, and without followers, they have no power. It would not have been immediate, but that would have been the end result.

---

I'd be very careful with that assumption... especially given what Ed has said about gods and their followers before.

Besides, Toril isn't the only world to hold worshippers of Realms gods. Followers elsewhere in Realmspace and beyond would likely maintain some level of faith-power for the gods.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

It's not the only world, no, but it's certainly where the bulk of the worship comes from for the bulk of the deities of the Realms.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dennis


So in Gauntlgrym Szass Tam used a primordial as sacrifice to power a Dread Ring, (in the same way Vhostym used a deva to activate his Weave Tap)?

---