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 my review of the Sundering *spoilers*
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  04:36:32  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
This is my review of the Sundering as a whole with special emphasis on the Herald as a capstone.

Spoilers.



This series should have been called the Shadovar War, because that is what the series is about, if the Spellplague was a nuclear war, this was the realms WWII, with a catacismic background that never left said background.

What this series wasn't about was the Sunder, the closest any novel felt to being about the Sundering and wider realms was The Reaver. Everything else was about Shade and Shar.

This isn't a bad thing, the story of the Shadovar War is a great story
, one of the best, but to call it the Sundering series when the actual physical Sundering is thrust into the background almost as foot note, and when we are left not knowing what effect any of this has had on the wider realms is not known.


What's going on in Calimport, no clue, is Mulhorand back as we were lead to believe, not a clue, what happened to Akanul, don't know, Imaskar, aside from it being overly rainy no clue and so on.

They could have removed all references to Sundering and the novels would barely be effected.

Still the Shadovar War is interesting and each of the individual novels were great tales in thier own right.

I will say I did not like the destruction of Shades and Netheril, amoung coolist of realms cities. I alway did not like the Most Highs depictions in the Herald, he seemed disconnected from the values he previously held. I do believe Delcastle was better written, Rune is my favorite Ed character, great to see so many sisters back, I like the Most High's daughters and grandson.

I will admit the combined ruins of Myth Drannor and Shade would make for cool dungeon, but the cost was too high.

Previous novels establish some cool characters in the city which are now gone and important events like Telamont and Brennor rescueing the citizens of Sakkors are now utterly meaningless, because they dead from a falling city anyways. I also have no idea what happened to Brennors humoculi.

I did love Laroch who for me stole every scene he was in and came away with more depth then almost anyother character in the story.

I'm tired more thoughts tommorrow.

Diffan
Great Reader

USA
4430 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  05:20:53  Show Profile Send Diffan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So Myth Drannor is now in ruins again....

.....*sigh*
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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  06:50:57  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Diffan

So Myth Drannor is now in ruins again....

.....*sigh*


Ditto. Oh well... Shade might have to rebuild a actual city on the ground in my home campaign. I know some people didn't like them, but I thought they were cool (though a little over used.)

Calling the whole thing the Shadovar War I can definitely agree with from a mortal standpoint. The Sundering itself was happening in the background. That much they have said from the beginning. I think we didn't really realize how far in the background they meant.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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ksu_bond
Learned Scribe

New Zealand
214 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  09:25:12  Show Profile Send ksu_bond a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'll admit I wasn't a huge fan of the Shadovar, well the way that they ended up being used anyway...had they remained more of an enigma that worked behind the scenes they would have been an excellent "boogie-man" ... but hey the one thing that Shar and her worshipers are well-known for is operating in the open **sigh**
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  10:08:41  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Myth Drannor in ruins and Netheril destroyed -again-?

What happened to 'dropping the sledgehammer'?

Myth Drannor could have been kept, while making the outer, huge areas around it dangerous ruins, so to have both the cool dungeons and the plot hooks that the city offered.

Shade is a cool conept, all it needed was its presence diminished and power toned down IMO, not to be blasted into oblivion. EDIT: Has it been obliterated, like with it and its people mostly gone and few refugees remaining, or have the Shadovar managed to save themselves, with possibility to rebuild?

Also, I guess Qilue isn't among the featured sisters.

Meh...

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 31 May 2014 10:15:40
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Jergals Spare Scythe
Acolyte

USA
23 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  10:10:25  Show Profile Send Jergals Spare Scythe a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Delwa

quote:
Originally posted by Diffan

So Myth Drannor is now in ruins again....

.....*sigh*


Ditto. Oh well... Shade might have to rebuild a actual city on the ground in my home campaign. I know some people didn't like them, but I thought they were cool (though a little over used.)

Calling the whole thing the Shadovar War I can definitely agree with from a mortal standpoint. The Sundering itself was happening in the background. That much they have said from the beginning. I think we didn't really realize how far in the background they meant.




I like that, the formerly high-flying shades laid low and forced to live on the ground like low-ranking arcanists. Shade was due to be taken down a peg or six, IMO.

I myself was hoping Selunnarra might return to counterbalance Shade, which could have kicked off an intrigue-laden cold-war. Will probably do that in my 2nd ed. game when pc's get to the Year of Wild Magic.

"Seek to bring order to the chaos of life, for in death there is finality and a fixedness of state. Be ready for death for it is at hand and uncompromising."

Excerpt from Jergal's Dogma, Faiths and Pantheons, page 99
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hobbitfan
Learned Scribe

USA
164 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  13:20:30  Show Profile Send hobbitfan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Speaking just for myself...I think there was a disconnect between how WOTC presented the Sundering on the website and on youtube, etc. (i.e. hype) and the actual event as the fans saw in the novels and adventures.

Maybe that's why I'm disappointed...not becuase it was badly written but because I got a mistaken impression of what this was going to be about and the scale of it.
I honestly don't know how much of that impression was me and how much WOTC PR.
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Lilianviaten
Senior Scribe

489 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  18:10:14  Show Profile Send Lilianviaten a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I was furious with the ending. Telamont is an extremely accomplished mage with all kinds of combat experience. Plus, he had just absorbed the power from every magical device in his throne room. Then Elminster comes along and pimp slaps him.

I was fine with Telamont being killed. He's awesome, and the Shadovar characters were a lot of fun to read about (especially from Kemp and de Bie). But they had their time to shine; now we must make way for new villains to develop and new empires to rise.

The way he was killed was preposterous, though. What should have been an epic spell duel was reduced to Telamont looking like a chump. He couldn't even get off 1 counter spell or effect Elminster in the slightest way. Elminster just beat him down and bullied him, without even exerting much effort.

Now I thought Larloch was being made into the main villain, because Larloch had already embarrassed Telamont and all of Shade's other mages at once (when he stopped them from draining the mythal and nearly killed them all with his crippling psionic power).

But after that incredible showing by Larloch, and his near draining of the mythal, BY HIMSELF, the Srinshee blasts Larloch ONE TIME and lays him low. Larloch is hurled a great distance away, and he's screaming from the agony of her spell.

Finally, Mirt the Moneylender spends hours talking to Manshoon, and easily distracts him until reinforcements show up. So with Cormyr vulnerable, and the Chosen distracted elsewhere, Manshoon is still completely incapable of winning.

And might I add, shouldn't Cormyr have been a wasteland??? All the previous Sundering books made it clear that Cormyr was losing the war to Shade. In "The Reaver", Cormyr has all but fallen. Then the Shadovar inexplicably allow Cormyr to recover, while they suddenly go after Myth Drannor. They could have dealt the deathblow to Cormyr, and then gone after Myth Drannor anyway. Was there some reasoning presented for this that I have overlooked?

In the final analysis, we have Larloch, Telamont, and Manshoon in the same novel. That should have been an epic, once in a lifetime experience. Instead, all 3 archmages are neutered by Mary Sue's, and they don't even put up a hint of resistance.

I've never been critical of Mystra's Chosen (or the Harpers) to the extent that many readers are, because I've always felt that plenty of evil archmages and power hungry organizations exist to balance them out. Now I've seen that I was wrong. Apparently, even the greatest sources of evil in the Realms can be casually smacked down by Mystra's Power Rangers. And to make things worse, Elminster is determined by the end of the novel to be more proactive than ever in hunting down evil.
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  19:45:21  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Lilianviaten


I was fine with Telamont being killed. He's awesome, and the Shadovar characters were a lot of fun to read about (especially from Kemp and de Bie). But they had their time to shine; now we must make way for new villains to develop and new empires to rise.





I don't get this, tbh. Why do they have to DISAPPEAR in order to leave space for 'new' (I assume that the Zhents are going to take the Shadovar's place) villains? Why couldn't Shade be forced to take serious losses and retreat, leaving room for other power groups to rise. Having various factions is a cool thing, makes up for more storytelling possibilities and it can even offer tools to authors and campaigns (say the protagonists seeking a convenient alliance with a faction to stop another one). So why should elements of the setting be removed like this?

They said that no longer the rug would have been pulled from the players' feet, and that they would have built instead of smashing. This makes it sound like those were all lies and PR.

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.

Edited by - Irennan on 31 May 2014 19:50:50
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  20:07:18  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Actual the cities of Shade and Sakkors are destroyed, but Netheril had a whole bunch of ground cities of thier own, plus Sembia, so the Shades are not extint, but they are likely to be alot less overt now and they're also likely to tell Shar where to stick it from now on.

I wouldn't be surprised if many Shades convert to Mask now, after all Shar lead them all to a brutal defeat.

I also agree that the hype was misdirected.

I still have absolutely no clue what happened to most of Faerun, which while the Sundering maybe done, it doesn't feel done, which is frustrating because there are a huge amount of unanswered questions.

Great novels, I don't want people to think I hate the novels, one of the best series, if not the best series the realms have had, but I can't get rid of this disappointed feeling, because I really wanted to know about the Sundering and now I have to wait till the 5e FRCG to find out what really happened.

Just one novel that took a more continent wide Faerun perpective, more personal stories would have been nice.

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Delwa
Master of Realmslore

USA
1268 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  20:19:15  Show Profile  Visit Delwa's Homepage Send Delwa a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gyor

Actual the cities of Shade and Sakkors are destroyed, but Netheril had a whole bunch of ground cities of thier own, plus Sembia, so the Shades are not extint, but they are likely to be alot less overt now and they're also likely to tell Shar where to stick it from now on.


That's a relief. I was a little worried for a second there. Myth Drannor... I can work with depending on how it's done. As long as the area isn't so desolate the Elve's can't rebuild an adjacent "New Myth Drannor," I should be good.

- Delwa Aunglor
I am off to slay yon refrigerator and spoil it's horde. Go for the cheese, Boo!

"The Realms change; seldom at the speed desired of those who strive, but far too quickly for those who resist." - The Simbul, taken from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Conspectus
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  20:31:00  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan

quote:
Originally posted by Lilianviaten


I was fine with Telamont being killed. He's awesome, and the Shadovar characters were a lot of fun to read about (especially from Kemp and de Bie). But they had their time to shine; now we must make way for new villains to develop and new empires to rise.




I don't get this, tbh. Why do they have to DISAPPEAR in order to leave space for 'new' (I assume that the Zhents are going to take the Shadovar's place) villains? Why couldn't Shade be forced to take serious losses and retreat, leaving room for other power groups to rise. Having various factions is a cool thing, makes up for more storytelling possibilities and it can
even offer tools to authors and campaigns (say the protagonists seeking a convenient alliance with a faction to stop another one). So why
should elements of the setting be removed like this?

They said that no longer the rug would have been pulled from the players' feet, and that they would have built instead of smashing. This

makes it sound like those were all lies and PR.



While it sucks the city of Shade was destroyed for those who loved it, it is not the end of the Shadovar. They have control of a bunch of Shadovar and Sembian cities. They also have territory in the Shadowfell, like the awesome city of Gloomwrought (which would make an awesome new capital for the Shadovar btw).

Its the equivalant to Ottawa and Calagary being destroyed, Canada would servive with
cities like Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Halifax, Yellowknife, Regina, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Windsor, Thunderbay, Laval, Richmond Hill, Newmarket ect...



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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  20:40:11  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gyor

quote:
Originally posted by Irennan

quote:
Originally posted by Lilianviaten


I was fine with Telamont being killed. He's awesome, and the Shadovar characters were a lot of fun to read about (especially from Kemp and de Bie). But they had their time to shine; now we must make way for new villains to develop and new empires to rise.




I don't get this, tbh. Why do they have to DISAPPEAR in order to leave space for 'new' (I assume that the Zhents are going to take the Shadovar's place) villains? Why couldn't Shade be forced to take serious losses and retreat, leaving room for other power groups to rise. Having various factions is a cool thing, makes up for more storytelling possibilities and it can
even offer tools to authors and campaigns (say the protagonists seeking a convenient alliance with a faction to stop another one). So why
should elements of the setting be removed like this?

They said that no longer the rug would have been pulled from the players' feet, and that they would have built instead of smashing. This

makes it sound like those were all lies and PR.



While it sucks the city of Shade was destroyed for those who loved it, it is not the end of the Shadovar. They have control of a bunch of Shadovar and Sembian cities. They also have territory in the Shadowfell, like the awesome city of Gloomwrought (which would make an awesome new capital for the Shadovar btw).




That's more reasonable, but destroying Shade still is overkill IMO. I get that they wanted to tone the Shadovar down -and righfully so- but seriously, along with 'once again ruined' Myth Drannor such a drastic measure kinda defeats all that they have said about building instead of taking away.

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  21:03:45  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I agree, but I think the real goal was to create a mega dungeon, to recreate the experience of exploring the Ruins of Myth Drannor in the old days, with bonus Netherese ruins filled with Shadow Magic and horrors.
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Mapolq
Senior Scribe

Brazil
466 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  21:24:34  Show Profile Send Mapolq a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I was firmly in the camp of letting Myth Drannor be the new Phlan of FR, magnified (civilised peoples fighting to clear a monter-infested ruin). But I'm okay with big freaking dungeon too, as long as the elves who were returned don't all die, and same for the Netherese, as much as I didn't like their preponderance in 3e.

Also, I didn't read the novels, but I wasn't expecting them to say things like what happened in Calimport (well, some of them as the story demanded, sure, but not all). They promised these would be personal and localised stories. You can't fill a book like that with geopolitical banter and in-depth analyses of geography and trade all the time. So as I've been saying for a year or more... I'm still waiting for the 5e FRCS.

Never sleep under the jackfruit tree.

Tales of Moonsea - A Neverwinter Nights 2 Persistent World. Check out our website at http://www.talesofmoonsea.com and our video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am304WqOAAo&feature=youtu.be, as well as our thread here at Candlekeep: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12955

My campaign thread: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16447
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Irennan
Great Reader

Italy
3802 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  21:29:53  Show Profile Send Irennan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gyor

I agree, but I think the real goal was to create a mega dungeon, to recreate the experience of exploring the Ruins of Myth Drannor in the old days, with bonus Netherese ruins filled with Shadow Magic and horrors.



I know, but -as many people proposed- Myth Drannor could have been kept, while making the outer, huge areas around it dangerous ruins, so to have both the cool dungeons and the plot hooks that the city offered.

Idk, this was a pretty big let down to me...

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
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BenN
Senior Scribe

Japan
382 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  23:05:42  Show Profile Send BenN a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So with Myth Drannor ruined again, what happened to the inhabitants? All dead? If not, hiding in the forest, or fled somewhere? Presumably not Evermeet, like last time.......

Did Isevele & Phlar survive?
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  23:34:26  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Most dead, survivors feld to Solmborne or something. Mostly childern and elders survived. The former Coronal survived (former because Myth Drannor did not.
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  23:35:51  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
@Irennan I agree, but it is what it is.
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BenN
Senior Scribe

Japan
382 Posts

Posted - 31 May 2014 :  23:48:43  Show Profile Send BenN a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gyor

Most dead, survivors feld to Solmborne or something. Mostly childern and elders survived. The former Coronal survived (former because Myth Drannor did not.


Semberhome?

Also, so much for 'the Return', huh. Didn't exactly work out well for the elves....
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Mapolq
Senior Scribe

Brazil
466 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  00:56:14  Show Profile Send Mapolq a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Granted, it would be monotonous if they just kept winning forever too.

Also, re: spell battles. I can't say anything about The Herald, Ed's novels never really drew me that much (as opposed to his worldbuilding, and yes, I do realise the two are connected). But I never saw a battle between archmages being anything like a spell duel. It is more like rock, paper, scissors. An archmage will never attack another unless they are very reasonably sure they can take their enemy out quickly, or if they are cornered and have no other option. A straight-out, final battle between Elminster and Telamont has two most probable outcomes:

1- Elminster lifts a finger, Telamont is dead.

2- Telamont lifts a finger, Elminster is dead.

There are other possibilities, but they would be rare. At least that's how I see archmages.

Never sleep under the jackfruit tree.

Tales of Moonsea - A Neverwinter Nights 2 Persistent World. Check out our website at http://www.talesofmoonsea.com and our video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am304WqOAAo&feature=youtu.be, as well as our thread here at Candlekeep: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12955

My campaign thread: http://www.forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16447

Edited by - Mapolq on 01 Jun 2014 01:10:29
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  01:23:33  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It was doomed to failure because the Elves never learn (accept Evermeet which in 4e clued in and faked its death).

Most of your enemies are either bigger then you and tougher (chromatic dragons), or breed faster, humans, orcs, gobliniods, Gnolls, etc...

So either go where its hard to reach you and then fake your death like Evermeet, or b the drow way, boost your fertility and use great numbers of fast breeding replaceable proxies (in the drows case gobliniod slaves and other riffraff).

Plan C, Clone Spells and Resurrection Continigiency spells in case of death. If it worked for Manshoon, it could work for you too.

Oh and try learning from history Myth Drannor, you get your arse kicked by hoards figure out how to fight hoards huge size.

I will say that the Herald did feel like it had a morale to it, Arrogance will ruin you, even those who are great and poweful, humility is a virtue.
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1842 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  01:27:34  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Don't have time to make an in depth response to everything but...

1. Despite what was said in the novel...I don't think Telamont will truly be dead. At his level of expertise there are too many methods of continuing one's existence. Now, what I would personally like to see it Larloch forcing him into lichdom and adding him to his collection. But that's just me.

2. Myth Drannor didn't have to be so completely demolished. I would have preferred Shade crashed on its outskirts but within a still functional (though damaged) mythal.

3. As to not getting enough of the actual Sundering in the novels. I agree and disagree. Personally, with all of the time WotC had to prepare for this, I would have preferred each author been allowed to write a trilogy on their respective areas. I think that would have allowed for better stories and a greater 'release' of information regarding the actual Sundering. But that's a moot point now.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  03:08:12  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It was doomed to failure because the Elves never learn (accept Evermeet which in 4e clued in and faked its death).

Most of your enemies are either bigger then you and tougher (chromatic dragons), or breed faster, humans, orcs, gobliniods, Gnolls, etc...

So either go where its hard to reach you and then fake your death like Evermeet, or b the drow way, boost your fertility and use great numbers of fast breeding replaceable proxies (in the drows case gobliniod slaves and other riffraff).

Plan C, Clone Spells and Resurrection Continigiency spells in case of death. If it worked for Manshoon, it could work for you too.

Oh and try learning from history Myth Drannor, you get your arse kicked by hoards figure out how to fight hoards huge size.

I will say that the Herald did feel like it had a morale to it, Arrogance will ruin you, even those who are great and poweful, humility is a virtue.
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sfdragon
Great Reader

2285 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  03:26:22  Show Profile Send sfdragon a Private Message  Reply with Quote
so is it worth buying the herald....


why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power


My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  03:31:41  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Has anyone else figured out who Mirt is the Chosen of?

It was staring me in the face the whole time. Why did Mirt all of a sudden become Pimp Daddy Mirt!?!

He opens a bunch of Brothels, becoming the Denise Hof/Heidi Fliess of the Faerun, surrounded by Coin Lasses.

Instead of fighting Manshoon with sword and stake, he uses booze to get him wasted, or at least distracted.

Who is the Goddess of brothels, hedonists, and lust?

Sharess!

The Festhall Madam, the Succubus of Sensation, the Tawny Tempertess, the Lustful Misteress, the Patroness of Festhalls!

Mirts the perfect choice for Sharess.

Mirts is cunning, experienced in the ways of brothels, can fight, experienced in general, street smart, likes to party, has connections to major movers and shakers, and while he makes alot of sense, he's not nearly as obvious as say Sharess' hotter female Chosen.

Makes sense doesn't.

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Blueblade
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USA
804 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  03:37:48  Show Profile  Visit Blueblade's Homepage Send Blueblade a Private Message  Reply with Quote
SPOILERS BELOW!!!

Hmmm. I find the comment about "Mary Sues" curious. I've been reading Realmslore carefully over the years and had long ago formed the impression that the Srinshee was WAY up there in power, probably outstripping Larloch - - and that's what we saw.
That Manshoon has been steadily drifting away from power-hunger and throwing his weight around (and violently rejecting Mystra's plans for him when they seemed to aim him in that direction, in the Sage of Shadowdale trilogy) - - and that's what we saw more of; him deciding that this wasn't a fight he really wanted a part of. Why would he want to attack or conquer Cormyr? A land full of War Wizards?
That some of the ruling family of Shade may individually be at the godlike level (and in Paul Kemp's novel, we saw their fates), but that Thultanthan society arrogantly overestimates their own magical might versus the world they have returned to - - and specifically, that Telamont has been propped up by Shar and never bothered to study the Weave as it now is, in detail. Ed has consistently said that Telamont is overconfident, and what we saw here is that Elminster, using the Weave, was able to out-anticipate Telamont and trap him. That came as no surprise to me; for the last five years of real-time reading (of many writers) I have been thinking, "This Telamont is heading for a real fall."
And again, that's what we saw.
So nothing here struck me as Mary Sue-ish. "Mary Sues" are characters that can never fail or be beaten (and Ed has shown us Elminster beaten over and over again in the Sage of Shadowdale trilogy), and that effortlessly beat characters they shouldn't be able to defeat. Any reader who thought that those who got beaten in The Herald "shouldn't" have been able to be defeated just wasn't paying attention to the situations described in the novel in which they were bested, and to all the past hints and statements that have established those characters in our minds.
Me, I knew back when I finished Ed's "Tears So White" short story some years ago that a big onstage part was coming for Larloch, and that he was going to end up slamming into the Srinshee at some point - - and that he was going to lose that confrontation.
And being as Larloch, the Srinshee, Mirt, Manshoon, Elminster, and (the name at least of) Telamont Tanthul are all Ed's characters, how is it that some are Mary Sues and some are not? I just don't get this point of view, at all. Ed has created almost all of this, and I don't see him playing favorites among his characters. (I do see WIZARDS playing favorites in contracting Ed to write Elminster novel after Elminster novel, just as Salvatore is contracted to write Drizzt novel after Drizzt novel, but that's a different thing. And to those who say, well, they signed those contracts so they've gone along with it, of COURSE they have. The alternative is to stop writing in the Realms and watch other writers pen stories of "their" characters; what choice would YOU make?)
I was pleased to see that Ed didn't mind destroying and killing so much of what he created and built up (Myth Drannor, Candlekeep, and so many characters; Dove, for instance). That's not playing Mary Sues; having everybody miraculously escape alive would be.
And I like the new Netherese we see surviving at the end.
BB

Edited by - Blueblade on 01 Jun 2014 03:39:35
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  03:39:48  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yes, I can't promise weather it will be your cup of tea, but I enjoyed it, I read the whole thing in a single day.

Don't get me wrong, I had a few criticisms, but its still a fun read filled with action.

Honestly I got over the destruction of Shade and Myth Drannor, there are other cool Elven and Shadovar cities, and the weird mix of the the two city ruins will make for a cool dungeon, and the elves may come back to resettle part of it, Ed left that open as a possiblity.

H
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sfdragon
Great Reader

2285 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  03:56:40  Show Profile Send sfdragon a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gyor

Has anyone else figured out who Mirt is the Chosen of?

It was staring me in the face the whole time. Why did Mirt all of a sudden become Pimp Daddy Mirt!?!

He opens a bunch of Brothels, becoming the Denise Hof/Heidi Fliess of the Faerun, surrounded by Coin Lasses.

Instead of fighting Manshoon with sword and stake, he uses booze to get him wasted, or at least distracted.

Who is the Goddess of brothels, hedonists, and lust?

Sharess!

The Festhall Madam, the Succubus of Sensation, the Tawny Tempertess, the Lustful Misteress, the Patroness of Festhalls!

Mirts the perfect choice for Sharess.

Mirts is cunning, experienced in the ways of brothels, can fight, experienced in general, street smart, likes to party, has connections to major movers and shakers, and while he makes alot of sense, he's not nearly as obvious as say Sharess' hotter female Chosen.

Makes sense doesn't.



seems like he just likes to have a good time,

Lliira might work as well

why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power


My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore

1842 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  10:04:24  Show Profile Send The Arcanamach a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It may not make sense, but I see Mirt as a Chosen of Tymora more than Sharess or Lliira. Tymora has a flip-side to Luck and that is Skill (this is just a personal observation). I don't see her being a goddess of blind luck but as a goddess of skill supported by luck (again just a personal observation).

Mirt is nothing if not both skilled and unbelievably lucky.

I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one.
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Gyor
Master of Realmslore

1621 Posts

Posted - 01 Jun 2014 :  12:37:04  Show Profile Send Gyor a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I concidered both Lliira and Waunkeen.

But the Brothels were too prominent, I think if it was Lliira it would have just bee Taverns, Brothels are specific to Sharess. For the same reason I discounted Waunkeen.

It could have been Sune, who has coin lass worshippers as well, but take a look at Mirt, do you really see Mirt as the Chosen of the Goddess of beauty?

Where as Sharess regularly hits on Ilmater out of curosity.


If it was Tymora there would have been a focus on gambling and gaming
establishments.

I concidered Mask, especially with Rivelan merged in and his love of coin lasses, but not enough focus on crime, and Mask is still technically evil, in theory anyways, this new Mask well have to see.

Evil also precludes demon lords and devils, Shar and Lovitar.

Spreading prostutition makes Sharess stronger, which means she can do more good.

Mirt is a smart choice who can get results on that front, but also fight evil and its plans, and help strike at Sharess' Foes.

Plus Mirt is kinky, remember that Mirt pulled a Woody Allen.
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