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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Mar 2016 : 08:04:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
There is a (sort-of) precedent for this sort of thing where Zakhara is concerned - they also have a population of surface-dwelling, coastal Dark Elves that trade with others (Akota, I think was the place's name). In the Land of Fate (as with the Eastern Realms), groups of people are taken at face value, and judged by their individual actions, rather then by race.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the whole 'dark elves out of Akota' thing just a common fan concept because hardly anything was written about it?
I vaguely remember something to do with the link being made because they raided caravans in the area. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
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Edited by - hashimashadoo on 09 Mar 2016 08:09:58 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2016 : 12:15:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Considering the appearance of a yak(wo)man female in Waterdeep as an ambassador(?) in one of the Double-Diamond novels, I would go with #2.
Somehow, a group found a way to break the bound with the mountains, are considered heretics, and have been 'behaving themselves' (which would explain why the mamluks have not attacked... YET).
I would even go out on a limb and say that perhaps the yakwoman was the Coral princes herself, in disguise, and she is quite taken with human culture and customs.
Thanks Markus for the low-down on the Double Diamond book's use of a yikaria I haven't read any of those at all.
So, rolling mainly with #2 (yikaria heretics), that begs some followup questions.
1. Why on earth does the Faceless/Forgotten God have any appeal to mortals (the Al-Qadim term would be ins)?
There's precious little description in AQ of what the Faceless/Forgotten God's "portfolio" would be (if one even regards it truly as a deity), beyond "tutelary deity of the yak-folk / World Pillar Mountains." Therefore, I'm going to have to make some inferences to get a motive for mortals to worship the Faceless/Forgotten God beyond "we're crazy cultists!" After all, this is a deity (?) that is thirsty for human sacrifices, at least as practiced by the yikaria heterodoxy.
According to Roof of the World, many pilgrims come seeking intercession with the Forgotten God at the Shrine of the Jade Monolith. So at least roughly around 1389 DR the shrine (and Lipo around it) had a regular stream of pilgrims (I took the roughly current FR date and subtracted 100 for the Spellplague time jump).
The whole idea of "facelessness" suggests abnegation, loss of self/identity, and a rejection of the Eastern value of "saving face" (honor/prestige). So it might be easy to think of the Facless/Forgotten God's faith as one of monasticism and self-denial. But what spin on monasticism does the Faceless/Forgotten God offer that other deities/faiths like Ilmater or AQ mysticism doesn't offer?
Maybe a worshipper "goes to the Faceless God" when they want to start over, leave behind a troubled past, completely reinvent themselves, right down to a new name? Like a mystery cult, his initiates would undergo a ritualistic death where they sever ties with their former life and give up their old names. So who would want to do something like that? To borrow some pop culture, I'm thinking of a character like Arya Stark from Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire. It could attract people deeply in debt, repenting criminals, nobles in exile, last survivors of a family/tribe, etc.
I've also been playing with the idea of equating the Faceless/Forgotten God with Ysdar, the fiend/evil deity whose face drives anyone looking at it mad, who's mentioned in Faces of Deception. This will help ground the Cult of the Faceles/Forgotten God into the mythos of the Five Kingdoms as well.
2. If it's a "pilgrimage site," how do the yikaria justify to humans that they have a standing navy (in Roof of the World)?
According to the Roof of the World article, the yikarian navy is small but powerful, including 2 galeasses and 3 dhouras based in Lipo. Though 12 new keels were under construction at the Lipo shipyards. Interestingly, the article claims the main purpose of the navy is to patrol against smugglers & ferry young yikaria to secret landings (my assumption is to either infiltrate or to capture slaves...). It doesn't come out and say it, but with Lipo's proximity to the anti-slavery Utaqans, I'm guessing "patrolling against smugglers" at least in part equates to fighting Utaqan slave liberators.
Moreover, the navy is explicitly called out as part of the Lotus Emperor's forces. So even if the yikaria of Lipo / the Shrine of the Jade Monolith are seen as heretics, they still have an important part to play militarily/politically for the Emperor. He still needs to dock his ships there...unless I come up with some magic gate linking to the Lake of the Emerald Eye in the mountains...
So the heretics are ostracized, but they're not hunted down or persecuted openly.
Perhaps that's the theme of the Coral Princess. As long as she doesn't do anything to displease the Lotus Emperor, she's permitted her heretical indulgence. And as long as the fleets of the yikaria keep to secret landings and maybe some concealment magic while at sea, then the Five Kingdoms and Zakharan Cities of the North don't have a strong incentive to attack. So maybe she's artfully maintaining a sort of two-sided détente.
They're "merchant vessels" not "naval vessels" would be what she tells neighboring kings and caliphs. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 09 Mar 2016 12:17:47 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2016 : 12:56:11
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The entire 'good/neutral yakmen' thing put a bit of a monkey-wrench into my original musings for them in the UE thread/project. I was connecting them to a time period when 'beastmen' ruled much of the south and east (breeding projects done by the ancient Rakshasa masters of Zakhara¹). I had it where there were Yakmen on the Zakhara side of the WP Mts., 'Catmen' on the eastern side (we have lots of evidence of these existing in KT lore), and 'Goatmen' in the Malatra (SE), who all vie for control of the mountains, which is the region their former masters fled after the Dgen drove them from Zakhara.² It was all very complex and connected to a bunch of stray bits of lore (for example, when the Rakshasa were driven into those mountains, they displaced the indigenous dwarves... right around the time canon says the dwarves came from that area). There is one truly ancient (non-human) temple to 'beast gods' in the vicinity as well.
And this all tied together with my proto-cosmology, which involved Baast and the Pharonic pantheon (long before most of them even came to Toril), and a minor blending of that lore (Egyptian mythos) with Hindu/Indian mythos (because at least some of the Hindu pantheon exists in the Malatra region in canon).
The 'good yakmen' thing proposed by the article is probably an offshoot of that one mention of the Yakwoman in the DD novel, because they needed to explain why such a being would even be allowed in Waterdeep (if they are ALL as evil as we were lead to believe). Thus, we have a situation with the Yakmen like we have with Dark Elves and orcs (etc., etc.) in Faerūn - they are that regions 'boogymen'. Hated and killed on sight, because most of them are truly evil. That goes completely against other Zakhara lore (they are a very cosmopolitan culture), but its the only way it all works. Yakfolk are forced to deal diplomatically with the north and east, because the Zakharans are having nothing to do with them. Of course, that then causes us to go back to "why aren't the Mamluks attacking them?" One could suppose that someone in power is being 'paid off' (directly or indirectly - if some person in charge is making a hefty profit from trade in the region, they may just be turning a 'blind eye'). As for the rest of Zakhara - they wouldn't even believe such a place existed (it would be akin to telling Faerūnians about 'good orcs').
Its a bit of a 'stinky piece' of lore, but so are lots of other things, and there are ways to make it fit. 
quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
There is a (sort-of) precedent for this sort of thing where Zakhara is concerned - they also have a population of surface-dwelling, coastal Dark Elves that trade with others (Akota, I think was the place's name). In the Land of Fate (as with the Eastern Realms), groups of people are taken at face value, and judged by their individual actions, rather then by race.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the whole 'dark elves out of Akota' thing just a common fan concept because hardly anything was written about it?
I vaguely remember something to do with the link being made because they raided caravans in the area.
Akota was never directly connected to the dark Elves canonically AFAIK, but there are at least two references to that region being under dark elf control/influence, and then we see on one of the maps an arrow pointing off the western edge saying 'Akota' (OFFICIAL maps - it appears on many fan-made ones. Sadly, Zakhara itself never made it into the Fonstad Atlas, which I consider 'my bible'). Thus, we have one named settlement off the edge of the map in what is canonically a dark-elf region, which is where all that supposition comes from. You could theorize all sorts of rationales for why a non-Drow settlement would be in such an area, but I prefer to stick with 'the simplest solution is usually the correct one'.
And these days, isn't the line now completely blurred between fanon and canon in The Realms?
¹That is PURE homebrew on my part - I needed to extend the history of Zakhara as far back as Faerūn's, and also connect it to other Realms lore in the process.
²And if one were to use other stray bits of lore, and some other bits of my 'fanon' from the Hordelands region, then one could assume the Gnolls are the FR variant. However, I was toying with the idea of them being bred as a 'weapon' to be used against the others, either by the Imaskari, or an earlier group. |
"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 14 Mar 2016 12:14:34 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2016 : 21:35:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
The entire 'good/neutral yakmen' thing put a bit of a monkey-wrench into my original musings for them in the UE thread/project...
The 'good yakmen' thing proposed by the article is probably an offshoot of that one mention of the Yakwoman in the DD novel, because they needed to explain why such a being would even be allowed in Waterdeep (if they are ALL as evil as we were lead to believe). Thus, we have a situation with the Yakmen like we have with Dark Elves and orcs (etc., etc.) in Faerūn - they are that regions 'boogymen'. Hated and killed on sight, because most of them are truly evil. That goes completely against other Zakhara lore (they are a very cosmopolitan culture), but its the only way it all works. Yakfolk are forced to deal diplomatically with the north and east, because the Zakharans are having nothing to do with them. Of course, that then causes us to go back to "why aren't the Mamluks attacking them?" One could suppose that someone in power is being 'paid off' (directly or indirectly - if some person in charge is making a hefty profit from trade in the region, they may just be turning a 'blind eye'). As for the rest of Zakhara - they wouldn't even believe such a place existed (it would be akin to telling Faerūnians about 'good orcs').
Aren't the DD books non-canon? Or is it ambiguous?
Wolfgang Baur's article was from Nov. 1997, so I'm not sure how that compares to the publication date of the DD book you're thinking of. However, he definitely doesn't make any claims to yak-folk at Lipo/the Shrine being neutral or good, or anything besides a monolithically evil society, really. They're just *there* by the sea/lowlands receiving pilgrims & trade. Which is what I've been endeavoring to explain.
I think your comparison to rakshasa is apropos, because the AD&D language describes yikaria as being able to use magic jar, an ability that was only given to ghosts and shadow fiends AFAICT. So the idea that they are humanoids just like orcs and trolls seems less probable. Magic jar suggests they are something more than strictly mortal...maybe more like material spirits cloaked in flesh (like rakshasa being "native outsiders" in 3e parlance).
That doesn't mean that there aren't individual yikaria who're alignment outliers, but because of their seemingly supernatural nature, I'd be more hesitant to go there on a mass scale than I would for drow, orcs, etc. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 09 Mar 2016 21:37:56 |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 10 Mar 2016 : 06:49:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
Hey, I also really liked the Utter East thread, and I downloaded it, but I couldn't post it, due to not being able to find it for a long time. I finally found it though:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1LbBfk4cGeEVll5YXhuSGlUZWM/view?pref=2&pli=1
Holy flying monkeys! 553 pages?!? Thanks Baltas, you're the man
Reading through some of this, and you guys had some great ideas. I was thinking along the same lines with the Imaskari invasion halted through the use of the bloodforges. And I totally was thinking of them originally as requiring blood sacrifice.
Interestingly, there were suggestions in the old thread that the "Hall of Wonders" (from the Blood & Magic game) had some connection to either Gond or, more culturally suitable, Tvashtri.
What about the Forgotten/Faceless God instead? Yikaria can use any magic items regardless of class/race limitations, so it wouldn't be totally out of character, especially with the blood sacrifice requirement. This nicely ties together the whole yikaria heresy by helping explain the presence of a lowland/coastal yikaria town & shrine. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 10 Mar 2016 07:35:42 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2016 : 12:38:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
However, he definitely doesn't make any claims to yak-folk at Lipo/the Shrine being neutral or good, or anything besides a monolithically evil society, really. They're just *there* by the sea/lowlands receiving pilgrims & trade. Which is what I've been endeavoring to explain.
Its more of a 'grey area'. One in which we real world humans have no experience (AFAIK). 'Evil' is part of a moral compass based on the standards set by a particular society. Much of human history is filled with exploration and discovery of 'primitive' peoples, whom the explorers felt were 'doing evil'. Thank goodness the kindly British Empire taught them the 'right way to do things' {biting sarcasm}. I say we have NO experience with the FR/fantasy variant of this because we have not encountered non-humans RW. Do the Yakfolk consider themselves 'evil'? Wouldn't they consider humans 'evil' for not "knowing their proper place"?
All that {philosophy) aside, a Yakfolk person who simply 'behaved themself' in polite company would be considered 'good'. Thus, in FR, neutral behavior = 'a perception of good'. The D&D alignment system can't handle anything but B&W, so I'd suggest just tossing it out most of the time for these types of situations.
So what I am saying is that an evil (by human standards) Yakfolk that behaves themselves in human company and treats with humans in power would be considered 'good' in a world where everything is judged either 'kill on sight' of 'DON'T kill on sight'. They could be wholly evil, but not 'stupid (chaotic) evil'. Thats what I really meant by 'good' Yakfolk, not the D&D alignment 'Good'. People trade and deal with other regions of this nature, like Thay, Zhentil Keep, Luskan, Dambrath, etc., but they are not considered 'good', but rather, 'behaved'. The Yakwoman who was the ambassador may have been one of the evilest people in all Faerūn (as most politicians are  ), but outwardly she appeared to be a nice, respectable lady, and thats all that would matter.
The D&D alignment system never really meshed well with FR. For instance, who do you think has killed more 'evil' wizards? Szass Tam, or Elminster? My money would be on Tam. In the long run, he may have done more good for Faerūn then the Old Mage. Elminster, for his part, has toppled more 'legitimate regimes' then Tam, which, by Medieval standards, is VERY evil (even though FR doesn't have the whole 'divine right' thing, they still have royalty and nobility). FR is '50,000 Shades of Grey' (in more ways then one).  |
"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 14 Mar 2016 12:39:56 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2016 : 22:51:16
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I've been steadily hammering away at my adventure, and I've been tackling descriptions of various areas in the Utter East. Currently, I've working on an area Markus dubbed as The Barbarian Marches, which you can see in at the lower left in red in his map: http://candlekeep.com/images/sitegfx/mt_uttereast7.jpg
So far I've established the following details, using a mix of inference from what's already written (little, e.g. Wolfgang's article in Dragon), Markus' map, and my own creativity based on reading Faces of Deception and familiarity with Al-Qadim and The Hordelands, and some reading on the Forgotten Realms Wiki...
- It was once a yikaria province known as "Sun's Eye" which was destroyed by vengeful dao breaking free from the yikaria. The dao's vengeance was greatest on those provinces governed by blood mage yikaria (like the Coral Princess and Cloud Wizard) who enforced the pacts, but the damage to "Sun's Eye" was particularly ruinous because the Lotus Emperor didn't send support to the Coral Princess...an object lesson of how he disapproved of the heresy that she leads (which wishes to share faith of the Faceless God with humankind). Thus, yikaria ruins litter the landscape. Only the Shrine of the Jade Monolith by the coast withstood the ruin due to the Coral Princess' personal power.
- Steppes centaurs are the main "humanoid" inhabitants...at least during fall and winter. Steppes centaurs spend the fall and winter in these lands hunting musk oxen and deer, gathering roots and berries, and giving birth to foals. When spring comes, most return to high elevations in the Wu Pi Te Shao, Konig Peaks, and mountains of the Haunted Lands just outside the yikarias reach. When the Ffolk and Northmen conquered the Five Kingdoms, they erroneously believed the centaurs to be mounted tribespeople, and thus the name Barbarian Marches stuck. (a little historical-fantasy twist there ;) )
- It's a wild land with no rulers and plentiful wildlife. Herds of markhor, musk oxen, blackbuck deer, elk, and wild horses roam the woodlands and grasslands. Flocks of flamingos, kingfishers, night herons, pheasants, and ringdoves team in the wetlands by day, while lone osprey, blood hawks, and owls hunt by night. Mangroves, mulberry trees, tamarisk, and reeds grow in the wetlands in abundance.
- There are a considerable number of monsters that stalk the region. Dire wolves pose a threat to infrequent travelers journeying from Utaqa overland to the Five Kingdoms, or vice versa. Wyverns (and rarely Rocs) descend from the mountains to hunt the abundant herds in the Marches. Gorgons from a minotaur kingdom crushed under the heel of the yikaria still roam the landscape, leaving shattered "statues" in their wake. A clan of Ogres worship a tusked Cyclops known as Great One-Eye, who was driven mad after once being possessed by a yikaria. Rarely, the Yikaria themselves or one of their Marrashi scouts patrol the area, searching amidst the ruins, bearing slaves sent as tribute to the Lotus Emperor, or bearing messages to the Coral Princess.
- The Shrine of the Jade Monolith serves 2 functions. First, it receives desperate pilgrims from human lands come to "abandon their names and be reborn"; these pilgrims include those guilty of great crimes, last survivors of eradicated noble houses, and anyone attempting to separate from the weight of the past. They are "renamed" in a ritual that gives them a completely new identity, though the price for this "rebirth" is to serve as spies for the Coral Princess. Second, it serves as a sort of naval base for the yikaria's ships...carved into the sea cliffs below the Shrine is a massive magic gate which connects to the Lake of the Emerald Eye high in the World Pillar Mountains where the yikaria's fleet makes berth. By painting a sequence of Yikari sigils in blood, the gate opens, allowing the yikarias naval vessels to pass into the Great Sea to raid for slaves.
- Looking at the layout on the map, I suspect the northern part of the Marches is fairly dry as it falls within the rain shadow of the Konig Peaks, whereas the southern part likely receives strong thunderstorms with mountains/hills to the north, east, and south, and an open bay to the west.
- Lastly, I've been thinking blink dogs might exist in the Marches. The blink dog was originally designed to resemble an African wild dog or a dingo, but I don't know if they've ever been given a "land of origin" in the Forgotten Realms. Might make a nice touch to give the Marches a bit more character.
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Edited by - Quickleaf on 10 Jun 2016 22:53:13 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jun 2016 : 01:57:27
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I caught a tidbit in the 3e Shining South book that got me thinking:
Many assume that the Shining Lands mark the end of the civilized world, since all that
lies beyond the bay is the Utter Easta collection of lands known
to most of Faerūn only through legends too fantastic to be believed.
What sorts of legends or fairy tales are told of this place? And, even more interestingly, how are those echoes (or not) of actual aspects of the culture?
The old Utter East thread on the WotC forums that @Baltas shared was full of ideas about this, sooo many ideas. I've made it through about 120 pages out of 500 so far.
Some of the legends I've been able to pin down include:
- Valleys filled with gems (perhaps exaggeration of the wondrous treasures created by an "artificer triad faith")
- Bodiless wizards (Ambuchar from FRA1-3)
- Islands that sink and rise again (dragon turtles?)
- Gods who live as men (devas or other celestials that originated a Devic culture? a reference to the Faceless God of the yikaria who walks the mountains?
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Kessalin
Acolyte
USA
28 Posts |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2016 : 07:23:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Kessalin
For the "islands that sink and rise again" legend, dragon turtles are likely too small and too active.
These, however, should do nicely: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Zaratan
Yeah, I used zartani back in my old Al-Qadim games.
I'm thinking in terms of 5e (the edition I'm writing this adventure for), so optimizing page count is a consideration I have to make. Dragon turtle is a close enough fit as a Zartan with maybe a sidebar explaining how the ecology of zartani is different...maybe give its shell a damage threshold (20) like a galley...and have it appear to be an island initially unless a character succeeds a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check. That should be enough to differentiate it. |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2016 : 07:45:41
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So, I started working on encounter tables for my adventure in the Utter East, and thought I'd share!
Regions I'm writing up encounter tables for include the Great Sea (including the Golden Water), the Five Kingdoms (during a time of war), the Barbarian Marches, the Haunted Lands, the Jungle of Monsters (Sempadan), and the World Pillar Mountains. Possibly the adventure will need an encounter table for the City of Jewels / Sevenfold Mazework of the dao on the Plane of Earth, but that's another matter.
Here's an example of my writeup for the Great Sea:
Great Sea Encounter Table
2d10 Encounter
2 Dragon turtle
3 Marid
4 Sea elves of Nemilar
5 Sea hag cult
6 Hypnotizing waters
7 Shrieking eels
8 Marine life
9 Small ships
10 Merchants of the Shining South
11 Vessels of the Utter East
12 Merchants of Zakhara
13 Pirates of the Corsair Domains
14 Sharks of Slulushtup
15 Sahuagin
16 Naval mines
17 Storm
18 Shipwreck
19 Dread Yikaria Fleet
20 Roc
Dragon Turtle
A dragon turtle named Ulthaunel, so large she initially appears as a small rocky island, floats idly before demanding tribute for safe passage. A DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) realizes the island is actually a dragon turtle. Ulthaunels favored tribute includes foodstuffs, precious metals and gemstones, and enchanting bardic song. Age has deprived Ulthaunel of her memory, however, and she is easily led astray with stories and enchantments; the dragon turtle has disadvantage on Wisdom (Insight) checks and saving throws against enchantment magic.
Ancient dragon turtles like Ulthaunel that grow to massive island-size are known to Zakharans as zartani. Living through periods of dormancy during which they sleep for decades, when zartani awaken they dive below in search of food. Thus, they gave birth to legends of islands rising and sinking from the sea. The shell of a zartan has the damage threshold of a galley, ignoring all attacks dealing less than 20 damage.
Dread Yikaria Fleet
The dread yak-folk fleet, including a galeass and two dhouras, sails on a fell wind, raiding for slaves, ferrying young yikaria to infiltrate distant ports, and patrolling the seas between Utaqa and the Five Kingdoms for threats. NPC crew members seeing the fleet may fall into despair. See Chapter 9 for details.
Hypnotizing Waters
Whether a hypnotic coppery sheen from minerals reflecting off the sun or bioluminescent phytoplankton illuminating the waters at night, the effect is soporific on the crew who grow lazy about rowing or manning the sails, causing the vessel to move at half speed for 1d4 hours unless theyre snapped out of it. PCs and named NPCs must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be affected as if by hypnotic pattern for one minute.
Marid
?
Marine life
A variety of marine life like dolphins, giant sea horses, humpback whales, manta rays, octopi, schools of tropical fish, squid, and sea turtles are encountered in abundance.
Merchants of the Shining South
Merchants of the Shining South aboard a boom. Roll 1d6 to determine which kingdom they hail from.
1 Dambrath. Standoffish human merchants (with a few druids among them) trading horses, silver, pearls, woodcrafts, and fruits.
2 Delzimmer. Enterprising dwarven merchants trading arms, armor, and metalwork.
3 Durpar. Elitist human merchants of the Datharathi chaka (house) trading precious minerals and plangent crystals which can be fashioned via magic into prosthetics. Hobgoblin mercenaries stand watch over their goods.
4 Estagun. Human merchants following the Adama, a divinely inspired moral code of honesty and fair trade. They deal in nearly any conceivable bulk good. However, if cheated, they send kenku agents to lead the dishonest party to ruin.
5 Halruaa. Mages and artificers trading wine, electrum, spell components, potions, and mechanical trinkets.
6 Smugglers. Disguised as merchants from another kingdom, these smugglers raid the sunken ruins of Var the Drowned and Luiren, and buy stolen plunder from corsairs, selling their goods in Orvyltar, Tharkar (in Parsanic), and Utaqa.
Merchants of Zakhara
Merchants of Zakhara aboard a dhow. Roll 1d6 to determine which city-state they hail from.
1 Hafayah. Brooding black-gardbed merchants trading clothing, rice, agates, and other semiprecious stones.
2 Liham. Bold merchants adorned with red sashes, theyre accompanied by mamluks (slave warriors) to protect the coffee they deal in.
3 Muluk. Proud and showy merchants in ornate purple robes trading horses, indigo dye, textiles, and fine clothing.
4 Qadib. Cosmopolitation merchants bedecked in saffron hues trading books, spell scrolls, arcane foci, uther dye, and textiles.
5 Umara. Shrewd merchants wearing blue nomads robes trading carpets, tapestries, goats, goat cheese, and blue dye.
6 Utaqa. Blunt merchants clad in white turbans and sashes, they trade in bulk goods like grain and salt, but make their true wealth brokering deals for smugglers, mercenary companies, and fleeing slaves.
Naval Mines
1d6 naval mines crude explosives in wood boxes sealed with putty are placed to thwart pirates and smugglers. Spotting the mines is easy (DC 10) during the day but difficult (DC 15) at night. Navigating around them requires a DC 13 Dexterity check at the helm, otherwise a mine detonates, dealing 24 (7d6) fire damage to all creatures and objects within 10 feet.
Pirates of the Corsair Domains
Pirates of the Corsair Domains, either raiding independently, colluding with Prince ## of Tharkar, or willing to work for the right price. They include 2d6 x 10 bandits led by a bandit captain aboard a dhow.
Roc
A roc hunts for whales or ships bearing animals, far afield from its nest either in the Curna Mountains of Estagund or the World Pillar Mountains. On the open ocean there is nowhere to hide, but a DC 15 Wisdom (water vehicles or navigation tools) check might find a safe cove in which to seek shelter from the roc.
Sahuagin
2d8 sahuagin led by a sahuagin priestess riding a hunter shark. ?
Sea Elves of Nemilar
A lone battered sea elf named Daganel Ithrios seeks sanctuary aboard the PCs vessel; in truth, he is a sahuagin malenti, a mutant sahuagin born to appear indistinguishable from a sea elf, with retractable claws and teeth. A group of 1d10+10 sea elven scouts led by a sea elven veteran named Illyra Maensenar soon surround the ship, demanding Daganel be turned over into her custody, claiming he is a malenti.
A character inspecting Daganels jaw or hands realizes the truth with a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check, and a character spilling blood in Daganels presence can trick him into briefly revealing his true nature as blood frenzy momentarily overtakes him. Should Daganels true identity be discovered, he claims he has turned his back on his wicked kin (he hasnt) and that if the PCs spare him, hell tell them of the other malenti traveling in Illyras group (there isnt one, he plans on pointing the finger to inspire paranoia).
If Daganel is not turned over, the sea elves attempt to slow the ship down by affixing detritus to its rudder, then attack while the crew attempts to remove the detritus. If he is turned over, the sea elves depart peacefully. If the sea elves are already allied with the PCs and take Daganel into custody, Illyra appoints half her scouts to accompany the PCs voyage until they reach their destination.
Sea Hag Cult
A sea hag and 2d4 ugly cultists of the Faceless God have infiltrated the ship! The hag is a fervent worshipper of the Faceless God whom she adores, and targets the most charismatic and beautiful humanoids aboard the ship to burn their faces with acid while they sleep.
Potent Acid. Melee or Ranged Improvised Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (2d6) acid damage and the target suffers hideous scarring which can be healed with magical regeneration or greater restoration. Denizens of the Utter East will be disfavorably inclined toward the scarred one who they will superstitiously associate with Ysdar.
Sharks of Slulushtup
2d6 reef sharks circle any boats, interferring with fishing and attacking anyone in the water. If the sharks come across anyone harvesting or damaging coral reef (a common practice among boaters along the coast), they fly into a frenzy. A PC who calms frenzied sharks will discover one of their number has Intelligence 10 and can speak Common (thanks to an awaken spell). This shark reports they serve Slulushtup and will offer to bring Slulushtup to the PCs if they agree not to hurt him.
Slulushtup is a giant octopus which itself was awakened by a sea elf druid named Dilishae Lheilos, and developed the spellcasting abilities of a 9th-level druid (including the ability to cast awaken). Any crew aboard with the PCs will be terrified of the giant octopus and seek to kill it, as they report that such a creature has terrorized coastal cities for years. Slulushtup can be convinced to quit attacking settlements in exchange for 12 agate gems for further castings of the awaken spell so that it might create more awakened sea creatures. Depending on how the PCs handle the situation, this could lead to gaining unlikely allies or to a large force of awakened giant octopi and sharks laying waste to fishing and shipping lanes.
Shipwreck
Roll a d4 twice to determine the nature of the shipwreck. There is a 25% chance of salvageable cargo, a 25% chance of surviving crew, a 25% chance of aquatic creatures of the DMs choosing, and a 25% chance of 2d6 aquatic ghouls known as lacedons by mariners.
d4 Nature of the shipwreck
1 Small ship (fishing, pearl-diving, coral-harvesting)
2 Roll on Merchants of the Shining South.
3 Roll on Merchants of Zakhara.
4 Roll on Vessels of the Utter East.
Shrieking Eels
2d4 giant eels as aquatic giant poisonous snakes lurk near a shoal, sand bar, or shallow reef hazardous to ships without a shallow draft. Their shrieking causes common NPC crew and animals to become frightened.
Small Ships
A fleet of small fishing ships, pearl diving ships, and coral harvesting ships ply their trades.
Storm
A storm wracks a 50-mile-radius area of the Great Sea for 2d6 hours. Refer to the DMG pg. 110 for details on weather.
Vessels of the Utter East
Seamen of the Utter East aboard a boom. Roll 1d4 to determine which city-state they hail from.
1 Doegan. ?
2 Konigheim. 1d2 slave trading galleys manned by bandits bound for slave markets of Konigheim.
3 Parsanic. 1d2 booms manned by merchants dealing in ginger, spices, and occasionally poison.
4 Ulgarth. 1d3 booms manned by naval officers protecting the shipping lanes.
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Edited by - Quickleaf on 16 Jun 2016 01:53:53 |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2016 : 13:21:51
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Blimey, blasts from the past here! I was one of the big contributors/speculators on that old thread. Lots of ideas and lore there, but apart from a few cases, I'm afraid it didn't go anywhere.
I saved the "Utter East Campaign + MAP!!!" thread before the boards were junked. Fourteen html files and folders,  .
This year, I started a limited project to get the canon and licensed lore up on the Forgotten Realms Wiki. That's official lore only, none of our homebrew and speculation, of course, but it looks good and might hang together rather well. I have an overview and background of the Utter East, and I detailed the Harvest of Horrors campaign from the ''Blood & Magic'' game. I'm currently on other projects, but I'll get back to it when the mood strikes me and the time is good.
Can anyone remind me: what book does this map come from? |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2016 : 17:31:09
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Haha, yes I recognize your name from going through the archive of that thread that Baltas shared.
There are a couple maps of the Utter East that I know of. Markus worked on two versions, it seems like, inferring information from a small black and white map in Faces of Deception by Troy Denning, as well as from the Blood & Magic video game, and a bunch of other resources. Specifically, Ulgarth was mapped in FR16 The Shining South.
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2016 : 21:27:21
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Two concrete questions about the Great Sea random encounter table:
1) What would be a typical marine vessel of Doegan? They've got a big river, sea access, and a necromantic tradition (that's not necessarily evil), so I was thinking...funerary barge maybe?
2) I have "Marid" as a potential very rare encounter, though I've been thinking of what to write up for an interesting marid entry... Any ideas? Or do you think it's better swapped out for another entry? For example, the 3.5e Shining South had the following creatures listed on the Great Sea table with 2-3% chance of being encountered:
kapoacinth (Gargoyle) possible
kuo-toa strictly Underdark-dwellers in 5e
locathah patrol Not in the 5eMM
merfolk patrol Conceptually too similar to sea elves
merrow possible
sea cat Not in the 5eMM
squid incorporated into the "marine life" entry
tojanida Not in the MM
triton Conceptually similar to sea elves
water naga Not in the 5e MM
wereshark Not in the 5e MM |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 16 Jun 2016 03:55:29 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jun 2016 : 18:18:19
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Blimey, blasts from the past here! I was one of the big contributors/speculators on that old thread. Lots of ideas and lore there, but apart from a few cases, I'm afraid it didn't go anywhere.
I saved the "Utter East Campaign + MAP!!!" thread before the boards were junked. Fourteen html files and folders, .
This year, I started a limited project to get the canon and licensed lore up on the Forgotten Realms Wiki. That's official lore only, none of our homebrew and speculation, of course, but it looks good and might hang together rather well. I have an overview and background of the Utter East, and I detailed the Harvest of Horrors campaign from the ''Blood & Magic'' game. I'm currently on other projects, but I'll get back to it when the mood strikes me and the time is good.
Can anyone remind me: what book does this map come from?
I just wanted to say thanks to you and to Markus for the terrific research and brainstorming you did over the course of the Utter East thread I stumbled upon your summary of Peter Archer's "Darkly, Through A Glass Of Ale" short story in Realms Of Mystery (1998), and there's so many interesting bits there.
Some Konigheimers with a literal third eye?
Some Doeganers with gills?
A temporary armed truce keeping the Five Kingdoms checked in a tense stalemate while each side tries to leverage the other behind the scenes of a trade pact nobody wants?
Awesome stuff.
In my adventure, I'm setting up a state of active armed conflict between the Five Kingdoms that is in a "temporary ceasefire" phase, with the war-torn stretch of eastern Doegan (roughly a crescent stretching between Parsanic, Edenvale, Konigheim, and Doegan having become a sort of no-man's land "governed" by a rakshasa warlord. Some sardonically dub it "the fifth kingdom."
The PCs can take on a diplomatic role attempting to get all parties to sign a peace treaty, they can ride through as adventurers trying to stay neutral as they pursue their quests, they can side with one of the monarchs against the others to restore peace by the sword, or they can even play the kingdoms against one another for their own ends. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jun 2016 : 05:58:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
The entire 'good/neutral yakmen' thing put a bit of a monkey-wrench into my original musings for them in the UE thread/project. I was connecting them to a time period when 'beastmen' ruled much of the south and east (breeding projects done by the ancient Rakshasa masters of Zakhara¹). I had it where there were Yakmen on the Zakhara side of the WP Mts., 'Catmen' on the eastern side (we have lots of evidence of these existing in KT lore), and 'Goatmen' in the Malatra (SE), who all vie for control of the mountains, which is the region their former masters fled after the Dgen drove them from Zakhara.² It was all very complex and connected to a bunch of stray bits of lore (for example, when the Rakshasa were driven into those mountains, they displaced the indigenous dwarves... right around the time canon says the dwarves came from that area). There is one truly ancient (non-human) temple to 'beast gods' in the vicinity as well.
And this all tied together with my proto-cosmology, which involved Baast and the Pharonic pantheon (long before most of them even came to Toril), and a minor blending of that lore (Egyptian mythos) with Hindu/Indian mythos (because at least some of the Hindu pantheon exists in the Malatra region in canon).
The 'good yakmen' thing proposed by the article is probably an offshoot of that one mention of the Yakwoman in the DD novel, because they needed to explain why such a being would even be allowed in Waterdeep (if they are ALL as evil as we were lead to believe). Thus, we have a situation with the Yakmen like we have with Dark Elves and orcs (etc., etc.) in Faerūn - they are that regions 'boogymen'. Hated and killed on sight, because most of them are truly evil. That goes completely against other Zakhara lore (they are a very cosmopolitan culture), but its the only way it all works. Yakfolk are forced to deal diplomatically with the north and east, because the Zakharans are having nothing to do with them. Of course, that then causes us to go back to "why aren't the Mamluks attacking them?" One could suppose that someone in power is being 'paid off' (directly or indirectly - if some person in charge is making a hefty profit from trade in the region, they may just be turning a 'blind eye'). As for the rest of Zakhara - they wouldn't even believe such a place existed (it would be akin to telling Faerūnians about 'good orcs').
Its a bit of a 'stinky piece' of lore, but so are lots of other things, and there are ways to make it fit.
quote:
Originally posted by hashimashadoo
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
There is a (sort-of) precedent for this sort of thing where Zakhara is concerned - they also have a population of surface-dwelling, coastal Dark Elves that trade with others (Akota, I think was the place's name). In the Land of Fate (as with the Eastern Realms), groups of people are taken at face value, and judged by their individual actions, rather then by race.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the whole 'dark elves out of Akota' thing just a common fan concept because hardly anything was written about it?
I vaguely remember something to do with the link being made because they raided caravans in the area.
Akota was never directly connected to the dark Elves canonically AFAIK, but there are at least two references to that region being under dark elf control/influence, and then we see on one of the maps an arrow pointing off the western edge saying 'Akota' (OFFICIAL maps - it appears on many fan-made ones. Sadly, Zakhara itself never made it into the Fonstad Atlas, which I consider 'my bible'). Thus, we have one named settlement off the edge of the map in what is canonically a dark-elf region, which is where all that supposition comes from. You could theorize all sorts of rationales for why a non-Drow settlement would be in such an area, but I prefer to stick with 'the simplest solution is usually the correct one'.
And these days, isn't the line now completely blurred between fanon and canon in The Realms?
¹That is PURE homebrew on my part - I needed to extend the history of Zakhara as far back as Faerūn's, and also connect it to other Realms lore in the process.
²And if one were to use other stray bits of lore, and some other bits of my 'fanon' from the Hordelands region, then one could assume the Gnolls are the FR variant. However, I was toying with the idea of them being bred as a 'weapon' to be used against the others, either by the Imaskari, or an earlier group.
I gotta say, this concept of the hordelands / Zakhara / Shaar / Unapproachable East area being filled with "mammalian" beast people is something I've also highly favored. I've wanted to sit down and make a list of what "breeds" might have been in the areas. I also suspect that these "breeds" had conflicts with the Sarrukh in the area. From what I've seen of the area, I've thought of the following fitting:
Taurics: Centaurs, hybsil, wemics, bariaur, lamia, (as well as tauric wolfmen, boarmen,
Beastly Humanoids: gnolls, minotaurs, quaggoths, foxwomen, yak folk, cat folk & tabaxi (variations depending on location), rakshasa, Shatjan (reindeer headed folk in the hordelands), goatfolk (ibixians), kenku, harpies,
shapeshifters: hengeyokai, lythari,
intelligent beasts: giant eagles, giant owls, worgs, winter wolves, |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2016 : 23:58:16
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I haven't gone overboard with that idea, but "beast-people" is something the South Asian & Near Eastern mythologies (which inspired the region) lend themselves to.
One fun thing I've done with harpies is that I have the native Mar of the Five Kingdoms treat the harpies as sort of...intercessor or tutelary spirits...not everyone shares that view (esp. not the more pragmatically minded militaries) but before the current war broke out harpies never really bothered anyone, content to eat what offerings were left for them and singing enchanting song in exchange. Sure, every now and then a harpy might eat the family dog or a lone traveler at night, but mostly they were seen as "able to be tamed" and "not a real threat."
Now that wartime has interrupted that practice, the harpies break out their claws. Large flocks of them hide among the lowland's giant birdlife, descending to tear cattle down to the bone in feeding frenzy. Higher up in the Yehimal Mountains, harpies devour the spirits of the dead left on funerary platforms. This function makes them taboo to interact with or kill.
Long story short, there are a lot of harpies flocking around the Utter East. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 19 Jun 2016 23:59:17 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2016 : 21:29:57
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I'm featuring the yikaria (yakfolk) as the main adversaries of my adventure, driven to find their Faceless God reincarnated in a human body.
I always found the yikaria to be fantastic villains who seemed like they should get more play beyond the Al-Qadim setting, given their skin-melding ability making them master of infiltration and the way the World Pillar Mountains border the Utter East / Shining South / Kara-Tur.
Seeking the Faceless God gives them a reason to descend into the lowlands beyond simple conquest (which is a fine villainous motive, though a bit lacking in depth), and it speaks to the Indian (and to lesser extent Tibetan) cultures that are clearly an influence for parts of the Utter East.
I'm tying Ysdar, King of the Forgotten Ones mentioned in Faces of Deception to the Faceless God, thanks to several connections I made:
(1) The Faceless God was often referred to as the Forgotten God in Al-Qadim books. And Ysdar being the King of the Forgotten Ones? That's too synchronistic not to use it.
(2) There's a quote in that novel about "Ysdars face was so ugly anyone looking upon it went mad." (paraphrasing) I think that fits really well with the way the Faceless God is depicted as an almost Cthulu-esque horror. The hideousness is not just physical ugliness, but something that literally drives men mad, like staring into the void.
(3) Cross-referencing several sources, I think a fair reconciliation of Blood & Magic and Faces of Deception is that the mage-rulers of the Five Kingdoms weakened the prison of Ysdar by using bloodforges - ancient magic items capable of creating armies of golems at a cost lower than mustering a human army. In reading over Wolfgang Baur's Roof of the World (Dragon #241), he explicitly calls out the Faceless God as practicing blood magic and having been cursed for his wickedness. That ties in perfectly with the idea of an imprisoned "Ysdar."
(3.5) Tartyron was the name of the imprisoned one in Blood & Magic. He was a fallen "Lord of Order" who was described as the "Lord of Chaos", his appearance was that of a human in fiendish horned armor. He sort of looks like the classic death knight. I've managed to reconcile this with the concept of the Faceless God reincarnating in mortal guise in past times. In fact, his past "husks" don't rest in their graves and may have led the "antediluvian undead" in attacking the Five Kingdoms (which presaged the Scouring of the Utter East). It's conceivable that Tartyron is one of his "surviving" husks and actually a death knight.
(4) The Mar claim Ysdar still roams the wilderness, according to Faces of Deception. That matches the AQ description of the Faceless God as traversing the World Pillar Mountains. It also establishes his unique niche in the 5e cosmology as neither a quasi-deity (demi-gods/titans/vestiges that don't grant spells) nor quite a lesser deity (which generally live in the Outer Planes).
(5) The hardest part to reconcile are the frequent references to devil (in the baatezu D&D sense) in Faces of Deception and to demons (in the tanar'ri D&D sense) in the Double Diamond sage. The Faceless God is known for having subdued the dao genies and having dominion over the earth nothing in his profile speaks to being allied with fiends or devil-summoning... except for an association Wolfgang Baur drew with the marrashi ( http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Marrashi ) winged bestial fiends who seemed to serve an almost mercenary role scouting yikaria lands in exchange for...I'm assuming...freedom to spread pestilence & take treasure. There's even a reference in the Dragon #241 article about one of the yikaria elders supposedly creating the marrashi! So, given that the Faceless God has fiendish servants in the marrashi, it's possible he can summon other fiends that are baatezu or tanar'ri. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 26 Jun 2016 23:08:09 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jun 2016 : 20:16:40
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Finally finished a conversion of the Basal Golem (from Blood & Magic) that I like...this version was adapted to fit the story of the Utter East with mage-lords waging war on each other in the past using the basal golems as their shock troops. The major change I made was that they don't polymorph into other creatures, but instead objects useful in siege warfare narratively it makes sense given that sieges were historically bloody affairs and it also makes more sense as something that a D&D construct would do. Apparently in the game, you invested mana into basal golems, so I interpreted that as functioning like a ring of spell storing...
...which actually makes it more like a variant of the Shield Guardian (MM pg. 271) now that I look at it.
[SIZE=4]Basal Golem[/SIZE]
Large construct, unaligned
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 95 (10d10+40)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
19 (+4) 9 (-1) 18 (+4) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 2 (-4)
Damage Immunities poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons that arent adamantine
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands the language of its creator but cant speak
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Antimagic Vulnerability. Exposure to an antimagic field reduces the golems speed to 15 feet and deals 5 force damage to the golem at the start of each of its turn within the field. A dispelling effect cast on the golem suppresses its Attuned Master trait for 10 minutes and deals 1d6 force damage per level of spell slot used.
Attuned Master. The basal golem will only obey a creature attuned to it like a magic item. Once attuned, the creature treats the basal golem as a ring of spell storing (DMG pg. 192). Retrieving a spell from the basal golem stuns it until the start of its next turn.
Magic Resistance. The golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The golems weapon attacks are magical.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The golem makes two slam attacks.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) bludgeoning damage.
Object Polymorphing. If commanded by its Attuned Master, the basal golem beigins a transformation into a Large object (e.g. ballista, ram, or portcullis). This transformation requires 10 minutes, and during this chrysalis the golem is encased in a dark red resin granting it AC 18 and resistance to all damage. Multiple basal golems within 5 feet of each other may polymorph together if so commanded, two creating a Huge object (e.g. trebuchet), and three creating a Gargantuan object (e.g. siege tower). Once polymorphed, the basal golem ceases to exist and becomes that object permanently. |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jun 2016 : 08:13:51
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Sounds good. :)
In the game, the Basal Golem can also meditate (really!) in the form of an obelisk to generate mana, which it periodically transmits to the bloodforge, or you click it to transmit what it has earlier. That's a temporary form it takes when it sits idle, and it can come out of it.
It can also transform into a "turret" actually a little fortified tower you can link with others to form a wall. That's permanent, and is closest to your cool siege weapons idea.
I've always felt the Warforged would be a good basis for the Basal Golem. In fact, I have a pet theory the Eberron setting was loosely inspired by the Utter East, with five kingdoms going to war with golems mass-produced from forges and undead. |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jun 2016 : 15:46:07
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| So, just wondering, what did these basal golems look like? Just wondering if they were made from the same crystal that was described later as related to artificial intellect or whatever that the Imaskari trapped in the area (i.e. the part that's hinted at as being the other part of Entropy). |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 05:44:34
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
So, just wondering, what did these basal golems look like? Just wondering if they were made from the same crystal that was described later as related to artificial intellect or whatever that the Imaskari trapped in the area (i.e. the part that's hinted at as being the other part of Entropy).
Bright blue pebbly-skinned golems: http://i.imgur.com/CE2V0b4.png
If you look over the 5e golem stats, they all have a trait called Immutable Form which makes them immune to polymorphing. I see basal golems a bit like...proto-golems...a phase that golems normally pass through when being imbued with an elemental spirit.
Here's my write-up for them:
Most golems are created thru a laborious process requiring a manual of golems (see the DMG pg. 180). However, not so for basal golems, which are created thru the might of a bloodforge* channeling spirits of the dead instead of elemental spirits. Basal golems emerge from a bloodforge as 9 to 10 foot tall hulks with muted features, bright blue skin the texture of studded marble, and pearlescent eyes that only rarely show a fleeting hint of intelligence as if remembering a memory or a dream. Imbued with eldritch energies not yet sealed, a basal golem is incomplete and still possesses a mutable nature. They were used extensively during the Bloodforge Wars in the Utter East. |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 05:52:03
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Sounds good. :)
In the game, the Basal Golem can also meditate (really!) in the form of an obelisk to generate mana, which it periodically transmits to the bloodforge, or you click it to transmit what it has earlier. That's a temporary form it takes when it sits idle, and it can come out of it.
It can also transform into a "turret" actually a little fortified tower you can link with others to form a wall. That's permanent, and is closest to your cool siege weapons idea.
That bit about generating mana was tricky to interpret, but the 5e Shield Guardian already has a spell storing ability, so that's what led me to treat Basal Golems like a ring of spell storing. http://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/monsters-foes/monsters-alphabetical/monsters-s/shield-guardian
And those turrets was exactly what I was trying to model. In my version, you could have two of them merge together and become a Huge tower.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
I've always felt the Warforged would be a good basis for the Basal Golem. In fact, I have a pet theory the Eberron setting was loosely inspired by the Utter East, with five kingdoms going to war with golems mass-produced from forges and undead.
Huh, well when you put it like that it! :) Then again "Five Kingdoms" is also used by author Brandon Mull and seems to have some cultural resonance, so it may just be synchronicity. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 26 Jun 2016 05:54:18 |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 06:45:35
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Quick lore / map question. In Markus Taylor's map of the Utter East ( http://candlekeep.com/images/sitegfx/mt_uttereast7.jpg ) there's a range of mountains called the Grendel Mountains in southern Doegan. Were these something you guys invented in the old UE thread on the WotC forums? Or were they from a canon source?
After reading over a lot of that old UE thread (which was terrific), I wasn't sure about the name "Grendel" being used, since that's clearly a callback to the monster that faced Beowulf in Anglo-Saxon myth.
Then again, the whole UE is a bit of a melting pot, so it may have been the official name of the mountains somewhere (maybe Blood & Magic?). |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 07:42:02
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Here's my current introduction for the Gazetteer of the Utter East in my adventure...
The Utter East is a land of extremes, of stark inequality alongside diverse and cosmopolitan cultures, of darkest magic lurking beneath gilded minarets, and of brutal warfare behind a facade of civility. It spans from Ulgarth in the north, thru the Five Kingdoms and the Barbarian Marches, and ends at the Haunted Lands. Many consider these lands to be the birthplace of civilization in Toril. Old traditions, and old feuds, run thick as blood here. A persons face, their personal honor and prestige, is of utmost important to the denizens of the Utter East, even more important than the strict truth. Thus, many fanciful tales are spun of cities made of gold, fleets of sambuks filling the sea, blood magic raising the dead, and wyvern-riders soaring across azure skies.
Warfare has plagued these lands as long as histories trace back. The Mar natives tell of an epic battle waged between rakshasas and devas that created the many small mountain ranges stretching across the Utter East like fingers of an outstretched hand. According to their legends, these mortal enemies fought to a standstill, leaving devastation in their wake. The rakshasas who sought to control man did not want to see the human kingdoms ruined, and the devas lamented the harm they had caused. Thus, they retreated from the world, though some traditions believe they still fight disguised among mortals, using human kings as pawns in their schemes, awaiting the day their war will begin anew.
The conquests of invading Northeners and the resulting Bloodforge Wars and Scouring of the Utter East (see Chapter 2) lend credence to this belief. During the Spellplague, much of The Golden Water became unnavigable due to the sinking of Var and Luiren and opening of portals to the Plane of Water deep in the ocean. The resulting floods coincided with a southern press by Tuigan hordes that conquered the weakened kingdom of Thommar (just north of Ulgarth), and established themselves in the Stoney Waste, where they hover above Ulgarth and the Five Kingdoms like vultures. However, the Five Kingdoms tear themselves apart well enough on their own, embroiled in an intractable war. |
Edited by - Quickleaf on 26 Jun 2016 07:44:35 |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 10:17:12
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That sounds pretty cool!
Most of the locations of Markustay's map are homebrew. Anything not on the old novel map and the Blood & Magic game map is homebrew. Mark even neglected one of the rivers, so the geography and borders are weird.
Speaking of which, which novel or other does this map actually come from? It's not in my copies of Faces of Deception or Realms of Mystery, so I'm really confused.
You can find pictures of the basal golems online. The ones I originally screenshotted and uploaded to an image site have been lost when my account died, but other people have ripped them off and used them on other sites. :) The blue colour is just the team colour for the game. Blue and red are most common, with yellow, pink and green and others also possible.
I can probably now fit in a return to the Utter East in my Forgotten Realms Wiki work. Do you have a request for something from Blood & Magic? |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
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Quickleaf
Seeker
99 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 12:01:52
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quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
That sounds pretty cool!
Most of the locations of Markustay's map are homebrew. Anything not on the old novel map and the Blood & Magic game map is homebrew. Mark even neglected one of the rivers, so the geography and borders are weird.
Thanks! I'm taking artistic license because of my adventure's premise, but I'm really value the wealth of ideas and research you guys did, so I'm cross-checking my ideas constantly against the PDF collection of the old UE thread.
Which river is missing? He's even got the River Xon on there from FR16 The Shining South, just unmarked.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Speaking of which, which novel or other does this map actually come from? It's not in my copies of Faces of Deception or Realms of Mystery, so I'm really confused.
Huh. That's odd. Well that image is definitely roughly paperback size...probably trade paperback.
Base image: 0.94 inches x 1.63 inches
mass market paperback 4.331 inches (110 mm) x 7.008 inches (178 mm)
trade paperback 5.315 inches (135 mm) x 8.504 inches (216 mm)
Base image (width scaled up to 4.331 inches): 4.331 inches x 7.5 inches
Base image (width scaled up to 5.315 inches): 5.315 inches x 9.2 inches
I have the Amazon Kindle Reader version of Faces of Deception and there's no map there. Are you saying you have the physical copy and it also lacks a map?
Actually, to quote you :) from the old thread it seems it is from Faces of Deception:
Thanks! I'll see your pirate and raise you some map references:
The map is an ugly thing, all stretched and squashed, and I don't trust it much. If you look at
the map from Faces Of Deception:
http://www.candlekeep.com/downloads/uttereast.jpg
tilt your head 45 degrees left, stretch every thing about twice as wide, crop it between
Parsanic and north Konighem, and paint it a drab black, it seems to fit.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
You can find pictures of the basal golems online. The ones I originally screenshotted and uploaded to an image site have been lost when my account died, but other people have ripped them off and used them on other sites. :) The blue colour is just the team colour for the game. Blue and red are most common, with yellow, pink and green and others also possible.
Ah, it's the team color. Gotcha. I think I'll describe them as grey and if I do an art order for them, I'll take inspiration from the 3e eidolon with its rune-carved body.
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
I can probably now fit in a return to the Utter East in my Forgotten Realms Wiki work. Do you have a request for something from Blood & Magic?
Well, someone has been doing work on the Utter East on the Wiki, maybe it was you? http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Utter_East
You did a lot back in that old thread for example, you even included the Sun Tzu style exit-game quotes from Blood & Wine!
Hmm...I've been wondering if there was anything you deduced about Tartyron from the images and lore in Blood & Wine?
The challenge for me is making an intelligible cohesive whole out of the lore scattered across multiple sources. For example, take Doegan.
In Doegan there seems to be a necromancy tradition in Blood & Magic, and the king and his daughter are referred to as the last of the old line.
Then in Realms of Mystery we learn that some Doeganers have gills, their kingdom acts as a tense buffer state between Parsanic, Edenvale, and Konigheim, that Konigheim isn't the nicest of neighbors and the slavers of Konigheim threaten Doeganers. We also learn that the ruler of Doegan is known as the "mageking" who wants to unify the Five Kingdoms. Presumably this is after the events of Blood & Magic, but it's interesting that there's a "mageking" in power. Is this "mageking" different from the necromancy tradition of the old kings? Presumably so, but it's all rather muddled.
Then in Faces of Deception soldiers from Edenvale are allowed to escort Atreus through Doegan to the coast, and there seems to be a copacetic relationship between Doegan and Edenvale.
So for me the challenge is answering:
- Why do some Doeganers have gills? Is it from a sea-dwelling ancestor? A curse?
- How do I reconcile the last of the necromancer kings with the mageking?
- What is the political status of Doegan lying between the other kingdoms? Is it different according to which neighbor we're talking about? Does Doegan's mageking/queen still have pretensions for unifying the Five Kingdoms, and if so why?
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Edited by - Quickleaf on 26 Jun 2016 12:06:34 |
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BadCatMan
Senior Scribe
Australia
401 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2016 : 14:35:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
Which river is missing? He's even got the River Xon on there from FR16 The Shining South, just unmarked.
Hmm, no, all four rivers and mountain ranges are there. I must be misremembering, or else the compressed geography had confused me. Never mind.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
Huh. That's odd. Well that image is definitely roughly paperback size...probably trade paperback.
I have the Amazon Kindle Reader version of Faces of Deception and there's no map there. Are you saying you have the physical copy and it also lacks a map?
Actually, to quote you :) from the old thread it seems it is from Faces of Deception:
No! Don't quote me! I can't remember, but that was before I got my own copy of Faces of Deception. I was assuming it was from the novel. But looking at my own physical copy now, there's no map.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
Ah, it's the team color. Gotcha. I think I'll describe them as grey and if I do an art order for them, I'll take inspiration from the 3e eidolon with its rune-carved body.
In game, they seem to wear a kind of blue-grey tunic and belt, with their bodies coloured in team colours.
quote:
Originally posted by Quickleaf
Well, someone has been doing work on the Utter East on the Wiki, maybe it was you?
That was me, I mentioned it a couple of posts ago. I covered some general, sourcebooks-only lore and the Harvest of Horror campaign and part of the Legendary campaign from the Blood & Magic game: Vanesci Hamlet, Kingdom of Nix, and Phantom Pass.
quote:
Originally posted by QuickleafHmm...I've been wondering if there was anything you deduced about Tartyron from the images and lore in Blood & Wine?
No more than I had back in the old thread, I'm afraid. Looking at my notes and game text again, I think it's most likely that the lords of the Circle of Order (the Lady of Tides, the Lord of Lands, the Lord of Flame, and Tartyron) are not gods but long-lived/immortal rulers of an early Utter East nation (the Realms of Tides, Lands, and Fire, respectively). They have an obvious elemental theme, and I supposed Tartyron was once Lord of Winds, fallen and bound under the earth.
quote:
Originally posted by QuickleafThe challenge for me is making an intelligible cohesive whole out of the lore scattered across multiple sources. For example, take Doegan.
There's a good few centuries between the supposed 648657 DR date of B&M game from The Grand History of the Realms, and the 1368 DR date of Faces of Deception and Realm of Mystery, and the weird 1377 DR date of the Double Diamond Triangle Saga. I don't think the proliferation of mutations in the latter two was ever explained, but we made plenty of guesses, and you can make up what you like. I still haven't read the whole DDTS, but I heard it featured the fishy king of Doegan heavily near the end, so there may be something in that.
Blood & Magic offers two alternative campaigns for each region. For Doegan, there's one in which Rathgar the Raider and the Northmen barbarians maintain their grip on power, another in which Aelric the Avenger restores the old necromantic rule. It's impossible to say whether one happened or the other, or if it was both, and if so, in which order. I do know that the next three kings of Doegan in the later Legendary Campaign are the slothful Patric Fulgirth, the crafty mage Gim Blacktongue, and the competent and decent Hariah Highkin (yet still conquered by the jerk behind the Legendary Campaign), all randomly generated. So, either way, the old line still fell at some point. In any case, after the Bloodforge Wars, Plague of Fiends, and Scouring of the Utter East, almost nothing could have remained, so a new kingdom must risen, eventually leading to the fishy state of affairs in Doegan. :) |
BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki |
Edited by - BadCatMan on 26 Jun 2016 14:39:43 |
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Netbook of the Utter East with Markus Taylor
