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Kilamandaros
Acolyte
United Kingdom
20 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Nov 2023 : 21:36:11
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Greetings!
After 18 months and lots and lots of coffee, Mulhorand is finally here!
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/458929/Mulhorand-Campaign-Guide
As a special thank you to some of the communities that have helped me along the way (including this one) I have launched the book at a reduced initial price and am limiting marketing to these groups initially. After this weekend it will return to full price and begin marketing to the wider D&D community.
A huge thank you to those who have helped make this project a reality and pushed me to keep going along the way; of course Ed Greenwood, for taking the time from his busy schedule to provide content for the book and provide guidance on Realms lore. George Krashos for the sense check on Realms history and guidance on names and dates! Sean Schnell for the incredible map (and soon to be released Fantasy Grounds version)!
Now to ponder on what the next project might be...
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"It is you, after all, which has brought us to the dream. Nothing is real. Yet." |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2023 : 18:02:24
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| color me intrigued... cool, I have enough account credits to buy this to look at. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader
Colombia
2443 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2023 : 20:02:08
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| Stuff like this is what encourages me to finish my Tymanther guide. Thanks for sharing! |
Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world... |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11696 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2023 : 17:00:54
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Hey, I got it the other day and have only scratched the surface so far. But, I'm hurriedly skimming it right now. I wanted to make some notes back to you... maybe not thoroughly thought out... but things that are "I liked this" or "You might try this to improve" or "you might want to pursue this topic". Please take into account that again, I am skimming, and my goal isn't to seriously critique you, but to give you a high level overview of what I see for this up front (because honestly... most people that will download this are already aware of the place from Old Empires... so the point would be to advance the region somehow if you want people to really enjoy it, not just re-represent old material in a new way... and not saying that that's what you did, just that's what I would see as a goal for anyone trying to put forth a campaign guide on a region that's already been covered).
First, the map
Looking at this... the region called Rauthgor "The Rainbow Falls" was originally presented as a river valley with steep cliffs to either side that then opens to the sea. In looking at this map, it would appear that the valley has either been submerged OR left behind in Abeir. I don't see this as bad... but I see it as an opportunity to do something with this area. For instance ... are there some cities buried here under water? Have some sahuagin moved into the region? What about other aquatic races perhaps moving in, and would those races trade with the surrounding surface world.
Missing the city of Phannaskull that became Skalnaedyr in 4e (granted that's part of Murghom... but it would likely be on the map). That being said, the differences between 2e, 3e, and 4e maps are so variant that I could see this as being "just off the edge". Your northerly river of Rauthenflow also has a pretty significant southerly turn as it gets near the edge of the map. This is again understandable, but it might also be explained that in the last hundred years that the river DID in fact move what with the literal world changing... just something to put in your back pocket where there might be cities that literally dried up and had their population move because of the river changing course.
Sidenote: unrelated to your work.. I had noted at one point that the "sword mountains" in 2e became the "Dragonsword Mountains" in 3e. It occurs to me that if we're going to retcon the name, might it not be interesting to retcon it just a little bit more... and make it that the faerunian map makers just "got it wrong because they made an assumption". What do I mean? What is the Dragonsword Mountains were meant to be the Dragons Word Mountains or DragonsWord Mountains. Maybe these mountains were created by magic by a dragon using some epic magic. Maybe they were a border demarcation agreed upon by dragons that "anyone that crosses this line will get eaten, by my word".
On to the campaign guide.
I assume that Ed wrote that introduction, and I love that he goes into the concepts of how they stored water, buried food in jugs, used flat stones outside to cook and dry clothes, the discussion of tea drinking, etc..
I see Ed also mentions a "Seeking Shadow" that is a smoke like entity that bites and draws blood and bodily fluids from its victims, but also leaves some kind of mental imagery/dreams in the minds of those bitten. Not sure if he does something with this later, but offhand will say I like this. The natural inclination is to tie it to vampires, but I'd recommend not. WAAAYYYY back when, Ed produced some paperwork for a GenCon convention that discussed Thay and its origins. In it it mentions that Thayd was involved with the creation of Thay, and it mentions him as having to be this being that possesses bodies and burns them out. It didn't exactly match with what followed in Spellbound. George Krashos has also followed up on Thay's origins with a paper of his own (available on DM's Guild, called Tyrants in Scarlet) which seeks to also uncover some lore, which I also recommend. Anyway, some of us have mentioned that the original description of what Thayd had become.... it sounds a lot like a suel lich. Which given the whole Mulan gods fighting the Imaskari millenia ago and creation of the plains of purple dust... I very much could buy the idea that several Imaskari mages of power became these "Seeking Shadows". They might be different than the Suel Liches, but perhaps in some ways similar as well. This very much could be turned into something of interest, and I would personally put Thayd as having become one of these, and that during the time when he rose against Mulhorand and Unther he was riding another individual's body... such that his death didn't destroy him (or perhaps even several of his fellows who may also be "Seeking Shadows"). It might even be interesting to link these beings with the Shadow Stone created by Madryoch that was tied to Shar's shadow weave and/or the Malaugrym.
On these "Seeking Shadows" as well, I would note that there's also ANOTHER entity that sounds like this in this region. In Threskel, the largest temple of Bane in the world "The Black Lord's Cloak" includes a "cloak formerly worn by Bane that became a sentient monster that periodically animates and sucks people dry of blood". I would submit that it might be interesting to have that Bane, possibly with the help of Myrkul while he was mortal... noting there are hints that Myrkul had links to Murghom and was possibly a prince of such.... possibly somehow entrapped the spirit of one of these beings into a wearable form. That might mean that they stuck it into a cloak... or it might mean that this cloak is actually a more "solid" bit of smokiness that is in effect the body of a Seeking Shadow".
On some other hints by Ed, for the Lost Eyes of Tassala also mentioned by Ed as sapphires with black inclusions that look like pupils and the size of a man's hand.... I'd say take this a bit literally and make them the petrified eyes of a dragon.
On the "buried ship near Delgora holding great treasures".... my first thoughts are that the Mulan gods came on two different ships. I've always posited that the "Ship of the Gods" island held one of these. The "Old Empires" mentioned the "Galley of the Gods" that went missing in 1357 that was one of these two ships. Presumably the Galley of the Gods is capable of spelljamming even though the second edition entry didn't reveal such. Also, while "a buried ship near Delgora" makes someone instantly think.. beneath the ocean... that may not be the beast idea. It might be worthwhile to develop a whole storyline where there's a cavern in the underdark NEAR Delgora. Perhaps this ship has been hidden there and used by the people (whoever they are) for spelljamming (and thus not necessarily influencing the surrounding region). This buried city being a former holding of say the Sarrukh or Batrachi could be a decent twist, but it could just as easily be held by other underdark races currently. Perhaps entry into this underdark city requires some "token" to allow phased passage through stone blocking some entryway into the underdark, and thus why noone has found this city.
Well... had hoped to get further along here.. but life gets in the way. Will try to return to this later. Got to go to the store.
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Mulhorand Campaign Guide
