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Barastir
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1600 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Oct 2013 : 13:16:15
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When checking the history of Tethyamar cited on another thread I stumbled upon the reference of the "Cloudlands of Avaeraether". However, I haven't met any other mentions to this place in Lost Empires of Faerûn. I also checked The Grand History of the Realms, and once again found nothing. Where can I find more info about this place and its inhabitants?
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"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."
The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood) |
Edited by - Barastir on 09 Oct 2013 13:17:48
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2013 : 13:56:04
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The Stonelands and Goblin Marches booklet in "Elminster's Ecologies" (pgs.23-24) has the only information on this lost realm.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2013 : 15:55:36
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| interesting, so this society supposedly existed "1500 years ago or more" in 1357. So, it existed roughly around the time after Netheril fell and above the stonelands.... and above Asram and Anauria (which it calls its earthbound neighbors, so its after the Asram enclave fell). So, it sounds like the Netherese got jealous and attacked this kingdom of Avariels, clound/storm giants, dragons, ki'rin, giant eagles, etc... |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2013 : 16:42:13
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I like the possible involvement with the Purple dragon. I have also assumed that the city (or partial city) of Grodd was part of Hlundadim, and Hlundadim rose to power mostly because of ancient buried Thaeravelian (shadow/Talfir?) artifacts.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Also how did the cloudlands survive the death of mystryl when the flying cities of the netherese did not?
I don't think they did - I think they all came down around the same time. I attribute any discrepancies to 'uncertain 3rd person', and also how 'legends' tend to get changed over time.
In my own homebrew musings I have it where The Cloudlands were a close ally of Thaeravel (which they were mostly 'above'), and after that realm fell, the Cloudlands became a semi-autonomous part of Netheril itself (because it doesn't make sense that Netheril simply ignored another 'flying kingdom' right next door to it). Some of it may have managed to stay aloft for a time - (Cloud) Giant magic is based on Rune magic, which is far older and tied to the fundamental forces of the universe (primordials), rather then the Weave and 'the gods'.
I didn't realize it had a name - Avaeraether - I have to write that one down. Great find.  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 09 Oct 2013 16:46:27 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11695 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2013 : 18:57:42
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Actually, there's an easier answer for why they didn't fall when Mystryl fell. We hear they were around 1500 years prior to the 1350's-1370's. That puts it at -120 DR possibly. Netheril fell in -339 DR. That's roughly 220 years for this kingdom to have been founded and grown. Lets face it, we think of all these empires as centuries old, but the USA is barely older than that. In fact, they may have come around afterwards and looted old Netherese Enclaves for the stones (and possibly magic) that they hauled up to these clouds to build their cities. That may have been why they built where they did. That may have also been what led to the conflict between them and Asram and Anauria. Hell, they may have been founded by former inhabitants of Netherese enclaves, since the Netherese may have had giant eagles, dragons, asperii, griffins, pegasi, sylphs etc... in their enclaves. I admit the giants and avariels would have probably been a new influx population, but the others may have had extensive involvement with the Netherese.
Also, if the Avariels had some kind of cloud kingdom hidden in the area prior to the fall of Netheril, nothing says they would have died when magic failed. They can still fly after all. Their cities may have been made of "solidified cloudstuff" or they may have been made of stone (which simply fell to the earth). The cloud and storm giants may have seen their own cities fail and the survivors were aided by the avariels. The avariels would have seen the giant's physical strength as useful in rebuilding their society. It very well could have been an alliance of convenience that grew into something more, until they pissed off the fallen Netherese. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2013 : 21:17:31
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Something else that might be of interest to the discussion is the second of two Cloud Castle entries in the 2e Encyclopedia Magica (from the same era as the Ecology). The first of the two is made using wizard magic, but the second, made by giants, doesn't really rely on magic. Giants go looking for clouds that have been spattered by the blood of giant deities, since such clouds never fully dissipate. Then they get a titan to do some work on the cloud, after which it can hold any amount of weight.
After they've done those two things, the giants can then shape and landscape the cloud much like we can snowbanks. It's sort of off to the side of magic, and it's entirely possible it could survive the Weave's downfall. At least for a little while, which is all Mystryl's fall lasted. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 00:40:33
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I'd also be careful about ascribing any great size to the "Cloudlands". 2E was something of a "bigger is better" proponent in the Realms, and most products dive deeply into the realms of hyperbole. Ed himself has said that the number of city sized enclaves in Netheril has been overstated, and I would hazard a guess that the Cloudlands were similarly a conglomeration of a few stone towers - I like sleyvas' idea that the Cloudlands were in part made from the cannibalised remnants of Netherese enclaves or archwizard towers created after Karsus' Folly - and lasted for a few centuries at most. It may indeed have been a realm made up solely of creatures who had escaped the clutches of the Netherese after the fall and banded together for security. I would imagine that the first large-ish group was probably made up of cloud and fog giants (descendants of the giants captured and enslaved after the Netherese war against the giants - GHotR, p.34?) and then a number of winged, intelligent creatures joined them (most likely all of them having been also enslaved by Netherese wizards as pets, for experimentation, etc.).
The fact that they had the means to leave the environs of Netheril proper but didn't, lairing in and above the modern-day Stonelands, to me sounds like they had a grudge against the Netherese and hung around to wage a guerrilla war against them. Elminster's Ecologies talks about the wizards wanting to conquer the Cloudlands because they represented an escape from the encroaching desert. I think this is just anti-Netheril propaganda, and that Asram and Anauria were just defending themselves. They allied together, gathered their few remaining (and very precious) skyships and launched an assault which brought this realm down. The "fallen towers of the Cloudlands creating the rock formations of the Stonelands" is more hyperbole to me.
A twist to be sure, but more interesting than another "Bad Netheril attacks another bunch of goodies" story.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Demzer
Senior Scribe
873 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 10:51:17
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I remember in one of the Ask Ed threads, Ed said that the Stonelands were high mountains once and were blasted to rugged landscape by a giants VS dragons war.
Also, but i can't remember where is the reference, we know that where Sharn and Phaerimm magic clashed the land was warped and mountains flattened and being the Stonelands/Goblin Marches at the southern end of Anauroch there could've been mighty mountains that were flattened and destroyed when the Sharn built their Wall.
GHotR (page 70) says that the Sharn won in 329 DR so there is plenty of time (ok, about 700 years) for a mountain kingdom to rise, fall and for the mountains to be flattened by the Sharn VS Phaerimm magical war. |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 11:43:31
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This scroll is, I believe, what Demzer is referring too, i.e. the history of giants, dragons (and goblins) in the Stonelands.
Just search for "Posted - 09 Feb 2005 : 00:54:49" on that page. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 10 Oct 2013 12:04:37 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 13:33:15
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
The fact that they had the means to leave the environs of Netheril proper but didn't, lairing in and above the modern-day Stonelands, to me sounds like they had a grudge against the Netherese and hung around to wage a guerrilla war against them. Elminster's Ecologies talks about the wizards wanting to conquer the Cloudlands because they represented an escape from the encroaching desert. I think this is just anti-Netheril propaganda, and that Asram and Anauria were just defending themselves. They allied together, gathered their few remaining (and very precious) skyships and launched an assault which brought this realm down. The "fallen towers of the Cloudlands creating the rock formations of the Stonelands" is more hyperbole to me.
THIS
Looking at the history, the Netherese had a habit of looking down upon anyone whom they didn't respect, which was just about everybody (with the possible sole exceptions of dwarves and elves, whom they may have envied just for the sheer length of their civilizations). This meant if they didn't get along with you, they executed a pogrom of genocide against you (or enslaved you, as they did the gnomes). In the histories - most notably the vingette from GHotR - we see that the Netherese did indeed have a long and heated history with the giants. Considering that the last remnants of Ostoria were spread across the far (Utter) north, and that the Netherese empire extended far to the north (much further then most realize - that icecap used to be the CENTER of their empire), it makes sense that giants absolutely HATED the Netherese, who slaughtered them every time they encountered them.
Lastly, one of the final vestiges of the Netherese people wound-up in Hartsvale, and apparently the humans broke the chain of giant rule there and also took over that place (although just barely - the giants are more like 'unruly neighbors' then a true part of the kingdom).
One might suppose that the whole 'living in the clouds' thing was something the Netherese did in response to a perceived 'threat from above' - they were a paranoid lot (most mages are). It could be the (cloud) giants could have always had a loose confederation of 'states' high above Faerûn, and the Netherese had basically 'moved-in on their turf'. Thus, the 'Cloud Kingdom' probably wasn't a true kingdom at all, for the majority of existence - the individual (cloud) holdings may have only banded together in response to the growing Netherese threat (who may have been picking them off one-at-a-time).
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
A twist to be sure, but more interesting than another "Bad Netheril attacks another bunch of goodies" story.
Actually, I believe the Netherse were 'just people'. Sure, the people in-power were corrupt (with maybe the sole exception of Melegaunt), but doesn't that always happen? I hear in some societies the Gov't actually shuts down while those in power continue to pay themselves! (I know... thats some far-fetched fantasy right there...  ). So what we have is a LOT of bitter people post-fall (post Mystryl-death, etc), who hated the Netherese for all that happened, so every little event in their history has been spun in such a way as to make them out to be the 'bad guy'.
Personally, I think Thaeravel was a survivor-state of Talfir, and thats where the shadow-magic came from. I think that Telemont became aware of the power in the kingdom to their south, and urged his fellow archmages to attack, simply because he wanted to steal their secrets (which is where he got his mojo from). Thus, the Netherese were actually the good guys in the original scenario... but the 'infection' of shadow-magic spread into Netheril after they absorbed the survivors of Thaeravel. Its easy for us to remember the 'Realms of Alabaster Towers' with some fondness, simply because we don't now a damn thing about it. just because Netheril destroyed something doesn't mean it was 'good'. We are probably just applying the 'white hat' trope to them (white towers must = good, right?) Personally, I think of it more as the color of death - all pasty and washed-out.
The Netherese were PEOPLE, plain and simple, and ran the full (human) gambit of emotions and alignments. In the end it was HUBRIS, not evil, that brought them down.
Cloud Kingdom:
I hadn't considered Avaeraether having come into existence until after Netheril fell - good call Sleyvas. If we combine this with my (and other) musings, then we can piece together that the Cloud giant holdings were indeed not unified during Netheril, and may have been hunted by the Netherese (because the archmages hated giants) at the height of the empire. Afterwards, they may have banded together (under the name Avaeraether) during the survivor-state period, in order to finally carry the war back to the now-weakened Netherese. Thus, the three survivor states probably received the full brunt of the giants pent-up anger, even though the groundling settlements had the least to do with the 'giant hunting'.
So we can have our cake and eat it too - the 'cloud Kingdom' was mostly a myth before Netheril fell, but they did exist (as individual holdings), and the actual kingdom of Avaeraether came into being after the fall. That would cover all discrepancies in the timeline, I'm thinking. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 10 Oct 2013 13:38:49 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 14:55:15
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Well the precursor kingdom that the netherese preyed upon must have been Ruanaroch then, they existed in the area of Anauroch some time ago (i wish i could find that thread on here now - i'm not entirely sure i spelled the name right).
I dont suppose you know the gist of the section in GHOTR that you refer to about netheril's war with giants, i can only find the two sections below detailing netheril and giants (but i copied out the text into word documents and it probably missed the sidebars.
–2103 DR: A horde of orcs from the Spine of the World, led by giants and their ogre generals, crushes the human civilization of Illusk [–3000, –425] despite aid from Netherese arcanists led by Jeriah Chronos the Chronomancer [–2207, –2095].
–1561 DR: One hundred Netherese myrmidar led by Strategor Matick make a valiant last stand against an army of giants at the Pass of Humaithira.
So how do you know how far north Netheril ventured. I know they ventured to the sword coast north and Narfell from the entries in GHOTR, i can't imagine a bit of cold weather would stop them from sending their flying enclaves out over massive glaciers but i've never found a source to confirm the spread or size of their empire, just snippets that say the sword coast in the west, narfell in the east (at least for spying), and seros in the south, but no mention of the north. |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 16:44:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
This scroll is, I believe, what Demzer is referring too, i.e. the history of giants, dragons (and goblins) in the Stonelands.
Just search for "Posted - 09 Feb 2005 : 00:54:49" on that page.
Sanishiver eh? |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2013 : 18:27:45
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I had to go looking for his question (and discovered someone MUCH more long-winded then I! No, not Sanishiver), in order to take in context, and it seems like at least part of what was ask of Ed was based on something Sanishiver did in his own home game (which caused me a bit of confusion).
The problem is, we KNOW dragons and giants lived together in 'the Cloud Kingdom', which was probably someone else taking some tiny lore-bit Ed sent to TSR back in the day, and running in the wrong direction with it. This means that what Ed says directly contradicts some written canon...
or does it?
When I finally read through Sanishiver's question carefully, I realized he was actually discussing the region between The Stormhorns and the Thunder peaks- a region now composed of a few 'lonely mountains' and badly broken terrain (somewhat similar to the stonelands, but more workable and less 'monstrous'). Ed seems to have slightly misunderstood the question as to be about the Stonelands directly - the region where all that 'garbage' got thrown from that region (which has a name of its own in the Cormyr Volo's Guide*, but I no longer have my old notes to look it up).
Thus, if we combine the two, its easy to say that that region - BETWEEN the two Cormyrian mountain ranges - was once a 'fertile paradise' (I'm picturing a bountiful valley nestled between two ranges of hills/small mountains), and was indeed part of the "lands of the dragon' (as Cormyr was once know), but on the fringes of that. If giants had made their way down from the Moonsea region and intruded into that area - an area riddled with goblin caves (goblins that may have been the ones from Grodd!) - it seems likely the territorial dragons may have over-reacted to their presence.
In the aftermath of the magical devastation (and all that rock rained down on the Stonelands), most of the dragons lie dead, and the remainder of the giants could have moved into the Stormhorns to the west (where many still reside, and may have founded the 'Cloud kingdom'), and the surviving goblins could have migrated into the 'lowlands' to the north of those same mountains - what is now The Stonelands. Why would those two groups move out of the contested area? Because the magical backlash created the first dracoliches out of the incinerated dragons, of course. The dragons remain a force to be reckoned with in the Thunderpeaks 'till this day.
And we do have evidence of just that in that region. 
Thus, the Stonelands being created by some 'flyng kingdom' (be it a giantish one or Netheril itself) remains intact, but the Stonelands were already a mess from an earlier conflagration between giants, dragons, and goblins in the Gnoll Peaks (*found it! Its on pg.184 in the Hillmarch entry  ).
Gnolls... goblins... all the same thing to us humans. Apparently the 'Gnoll Peaks' are not really peaks anymore, and barely remembered by anyone (except us few, deep-digging cartographers). No-one living recalls Gnolltopia, or Goblin-ri-la!
And why did the reigning dragons allow all those little goblins to scurry about their hills? Well, they referred to all those caves as their 'larder'. Couldn't have the giants taking over their pantries, now could they?
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 10 Oct 2013 18:34:52 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 07:46:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Dalor Darden
Sanishiver eh?
Yes.
For you I hope that's not a bad thing. 
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
When I finally read through Sanishiver's question carefully, I realized he was actually discussing the region between The Stormhorns and the Thunder peaks- a region now composed of a few 'lonely mountains' and badly broken terrain (somewhat similar to the Stonelands, but more workable and less 'monstrous').
Yep, that's what I was asking about. I asked because when I stared at a map of Cormyr it seemed to me like that gap between the ranges was out of place; it didn't belong.
Also, something (I can't remember what) in Elminster's Ecologies pushed my thinking in that direction.
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Why would those two groups move out of the contested area? Because the magical backlash created the first dracoliches out of the incinerated dragons, of course. The dragons remain a force to be reckoned with in the Thunderpeaks 'till this day.
I was going to suggest the Xraunrarr beholders had something to do with this, but they've been around only for a millennia and they opted to leave the lairs of dragons alone, preferring only to slay the goblins and hobgoblins that infested the caverns in the Thunder Peaks.
EDIT: Markus, could you clarify this? quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
The problem is, we KNOW dragons and giants lived together in 'the Cloud Kingdom'
Is there a source for this you can share with us? I thought it was giants only. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 12 Oct 2013 07:58:51 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 10:11:35
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My reference cited above gives the details of what creatures made up the 'kingdom'.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 15:38:56
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The references to the 'Cloud Kingdom' are sparse and spread throughout the Stonelands (Elminster's Ecologies) booklet, and as Krash said above, it does have a list of the creatures that made up the kingdom (which would have obviously been 'good' or 'neutral' creatures, not evil varieties of those).*
As for the dracolich - I just thought that would be an interesting bit of HOMEBREW to throw in there. The first dracoilich I encountered in the Realms was the one Shandril fought in the Thunderpeaks, which of course wasn't necessarily the canon 'first dracolich', but I wanted to tie stuff together (and it could have been some other dracolich that pre-dated Rauglothgor).
I just like the idea of taking what Ed proposed in his post - that some sort of 'magical chaos' occurred there - and marrying it to something terrible no-one foresaw... the first dracolich (something folks would have thought impossible up until that point). That doesn't mean it may have been the very first in existence - it may have just been the first created in that fashion, which could have lead Sammaster to investigate the phenomena and develop the ritual.
YMMV 
Also, the 'Gnoll Peaks' - why the name? Well, you don't think those Gnolls (and Flinds) that chased the giants down from the Tortured Lands just gave up, do you? Arriving in the region soon after the conflict was over, they found a region much to their liking. Now, I no longer have my Cormyr novels, or a Cormyr timeline handy, so I don't know if they would have been there before or after the Elves took-over Cormyr from Thauglor, but it doesn't really matter. The region was devastated by the magical backlash, and 'ruined' as far as anyone was concerned, so the gnolls would have been welcome to it (until the humans arrived much later, and carried-out a pogrom of systematically exterminating those gnolls).
*EDIT: Found the exact passage, on pg.24 -
quote:
"Most legends agree that there was once a powerful magical kingdom above the Stonelands, kept secret from those races who dwelt below it on the ground. This kingdom, which supposedly existed 1500 years ago or more, boasted a society comprised of dragons, giants, sylphs, pegasi, asperii, giant eagles, and even some winged, elflike beings whose name is no longer remembered (and who are now apparently extinct). These races coexisted in peaceful harmony among the clouds, avoiding the decadent human realms of the time, especially Asram."
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 12 Oct 2013 15:45:43 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 20:34:05
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Just taking a look at the geography of the region it does look like the desertsmouth, thunderpeaks, and stormhorn mountain ranges should have all been joined together at one point.
The problem being is that the entirety of Cormyr belonged to Thauglor (thankyou for reminding me of his name Markustay I can never remember it) at one point and then immediately changed to become an elven realm before finally the humans took over.
Furthermore the forest of Cormanthor lies right next door and that has been inhabited by elves for a very long time. Elves are in the habit of recording major events like a mountain range exploding (and it would have to be one massive explosion.
However saying that, the mountain ranges being one at one point in time makes perfect sense.
The Netheril are of land before it was known as Anauroch seems to be rather insulated from everywhere else. That I imagine is how the empire of Netheril and a nation of hobgoblins were able to flourish so well.
The orcs and giants dwelled just to the north, the gnolls, orcs, and ogres to the north east, elves to the east, dragons to the south (and who knows what slave armies Thauglor kept in his kingdom). Yet Netheril remained relatively untouched because it was surrounded by mountains on all sides with few gaps between them.
How did Netheril discover the elves of Earlann before the elves of Cormanthor, unless there was a great big mountain range between them.
So when and how did that mountain range break up. Was it the Phaerimm and the Sharn magic interacting to change the geography, im pretty sure I read in a sourcebook that mountain ranges appeared and disappeared as a result of the sharn wall's creation.
Does anyone know when the sharn wall was created?
We have snippets that state the giants of Avaeraether warred with dragons (possibly Thauglor's vassals) in the mountains and this involved great magic on the giant's part. This could also have destroyed the mountains.
What if the two events coincided bizarrely.
Tilverton is situated right in the gap between the two mountains and it has ancient elven ruins beneath it so we know elves settled the gap first and so the destruction of the mountains must have occurred before or during the elven rule of Cormyr.
Now I have a date of -354 DR as the date the sharn and Phaerimm first clash in Anauroch.
I have some lore from candlekeep about a satellite realm of Cormyr called Orva being formed around -600 DR and an influx of elves is noticed by Thauglor himself in -400 DR.
And the empire of Hlundadim was formed in -393 DR.
Thauglor loses control of the Forest kingdom in -205 DR.
And Cormyr was founded in 26 DR
So the destruction of these mountains and therefore the cloudlands might have occurred between -600 DR and 26 DR and maybe it was just attributed to the war between the sharn and phaerimm so no one took much notice (strange things must have happened all over that region for decades).
So It has been stated in several sources that during the time of Netheril and Hlundadim the stonelands were a fertile paradise, it only became barren as anauroch encroached upon it and the desert winds and life draining magic took it's toll.
The stones were also stated to have arrived later, but it doesn't say when only that it was as a result of a giant and dragon war.
So giants from the destruction of Netheril move into the stormhorn/thunderpeak/desertsmouth mountain range region (which I reckon could have all been joined together).
Sometime in -350's the cloudlands come to the attention of Thauglor who launches an all out attack. The giants release an epic spell of some kind at the same time that sharn magic is altering the geography of Anauroch.
Cue some kind of magical resonance. The an entire section of the mountain range gets teleported or thrown into the air (shredding the dragons and giants en route) and lands in the stonelands.
This weakens Thauglor's forces and stops him from exterminating the elves in his realm.
The stonelands are now filled with stone, but still quite fertile (just a bit more rocky), and the hobgoblins are free to move into the mountain ranges (along with orcs and everything else).
Elves now have a few hundred years to build Tilver's palace in Tilver's Gap which is newly formed.
Of course this could be complete bollo**s that is contradicted in a variety of sources. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2013 : 20:48:02
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Mountain ranges 'come and go' when there is magical chaos, especially in THAT particular region.
A mountain range appeared there during the ToT, and then also (briefly) reappeared there during the Spellplague (the initial 'cerulean wave' period). This can be confirmed by Brian James, who was the one who first pointed it out to me.
We could surmise that the 'new' mountains came from Abeir, or perhaps there was some sort of 'time displacement' involved (showing something either that used to be there, or something that should be there, since the very existence of Abeir altered the timeline forever). Perhaps periods of 'magical chaos' are a point at which the timeline tries to 'right itself'.
All related to The Sundering, of course. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 12 Oct 2013 20:49:37 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2013 : 11:50:30
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It's in the Tethyamar sidebar in LEoF. Eric Boyd gave the Cloudlands a name after the original reference in Elminster's Ecologies.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Cloudlands of Avaeraether
