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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7970 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Oct 2011 : 09:20:47
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This scroll concerns mage sigils, as cast by wizard mark or arcane mark spells. By which I mean runes and symbols unique to each mage, used in much the same manner as a personal signature or seal, usually to indicate identity or ownership of their properties. They can be written in any fashion, but are most often inscribed magically since this is a somewhat permanent medium and it is inherently impossible to falsely duplicate another mage's sigil due to Mystra's Curse (as described in 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures) ... plus, of course, other magics can then be locked within them. A mage typically designs his sigil at level one and retains it for life, although rules exist to allow this sigil to be embellished or redesigned at various subsequent levels. One of my players thinks of mage sigils as being equivalent to encrypted magical barcodes issued by the Goddess of Magic.
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[/Ayrik] |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7970 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2011 : 09:21:39
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At the moment I seek any description (or better yet, an image) of the sigil used by Maligor, deceased Zulkir of Transmutation, the villain of Jean Rabe's novel Red Magic.
I've found scant few images of him: Red Wizard by Fred Fields, Maligor the Red Spellfire card, and this Maligor the Red Wizard (1992) TSR Forgotten Realms Promo/Trading Card. The last image bears a symbol in the lower righthand corner (as do the few other cards I've seen from this set); on Maligor's card it is a silvered profile of a plumed knight's visor set upon a pearly white field ... this seems a very unlikely personal symbol for an evil Red Wizard who plots to overthrow Szass Tam and actively beseeches power from Kossuth and Myrkul.
This image, Dreams of the Red Wizards by Clyde Caldwell, might be Maligor but is probably some other Red Wizard.
I welcome any suggestions for designing Maligor's sigil myself, if needed. I was thinking of somehow incorporating his crescent-winged staff and/or his flaming (crystal?) ball/skull. I believe the mark on his forehead (best seen in my first image link) is a stylized symbol of Myrkul or Cyric. It's literally been twenty years since I read Red Magic, and I can't recall many specifics about the novel except that I found it disappointing; I no longer have a copy to reference. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 07 Oct 2011 09:49:37 |
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Marc
Senior Scribe
657 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2011 : 11:48:46
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| He is in Villains Lorebook. One symbol on his forehead is Myrkul's, the other could be his sigil. I think that's Szass on the cover of Dreams of the Red Wizards. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 07 Oct 2011 : 13:27:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
I've found scant few images of him: Red Wizard by Fred Fields, Maligor the Red Spellfire card, and this Maligor the Red Wizard (1992) TSR Forgotten Realms Promo/Trading Card. The last image bears a symbol in the lower righthand corner (as do the few other cards I've seen from this set); on Maligor's card it is a silvered profile of a plumed knight's visor set upon a pearly white field ... this seems a very unlikely personal symbol for an evil Red Wizard who plots to overthrow Szass Tam and actively beseeches power from Kossuth and Myrkul.
Pretty sure the knight's helm icon was used on all NPCs in the Trading Card sets... I won't swear to that, though, because I had and got rid of those cards back in the 90s. |
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Mage sigils
