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Pardan
Acolyte
31 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Jan 2006 : 23:59:26
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Basically, I just want to know how widely the various types of lycanthropes and their respective behaviour are known in the Realms. How many people know, for example, that werebears are usually good?
Just a small question from an over-curious guy ;)
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Do not knock on Death's door - ring the bell twice and run away.
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4686 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 00:22:15
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I do not believe alignment is well understood in the realms at all, as alignment is a design tool. As for good vs. evil lycanthropes most people would not tend to know the difference. Most would tend not to trust any shapeshifter at all, because of the ability to shapeshift. Strager often means danger, so strage behavior would translate as danger. The Realms are not the same as real world in many ways so it is hard to know for sure individual reactions to a werebear as oposed to a werewolf. There is a very high litercy rate, however there are not large pubication of things to read (a 25,000 print of a book, appears to be a large offer that major cities might be able to generate) that are acurate or educational. Many reprints are of legends, misinformation, and intentional false histories put out by a noble family (or others) to claim better linage/history then is fact. Ed has also indicated that fiction is more often printed then any type of history. Fiction would include the less likely, things like the good werewolf and the bad werebear.
I do not believe there is any official Realms wide answer posible to your question. In areas where werebears interact peacefully with other good peoples there would not tend to be much of a record, everyone knows it. A few events might be written about but if travelling too far from there, others would consider true facts as fiction.
Besides a werebear killed my good dire wolf *wink* or at least non evil dire wolf. Those bears can be very mean at times. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
Edited by - Kentinal on 06 Jan 2006 03:20:26 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36781 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 00:54:58
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| I would imagine that most lycanthropes are lumped into the same category as infected werewolves: ravening beasts that need to be slain for the good of all. Only someone with a bit more education, or an adventurer, would know there's multiple types of lycanthropes, and that some are benevolent rather than malevolent. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 01:18:08
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| I remember reading, I think in demihumans of the Realms, about how if a lythari changes into a wolf form in front of anyone that doesn't know about lythari (i.e. 99.99999999999% of Faerun), that those that see the change will imediately react badly, assuming that the lythari is an evil lycanthrope. I would imagine that that goes for most lycanthropes as well. Heck, even though Kelemvor was a LN werepanther, given how the curse played out I wouldn't have wanted to be around when he transformed. |
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 11:41:11
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Yeap!
I think that the only two places where the lycanthropes will have a (temporary) good welcome (until someone discover that they "are" lycanthropes) will be between the shapechanger barbarians of Ruathym and Rashemen. 
Chosen of Moradin |
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Adam_Garou
Acolyte
USA
30 Posts |
Posted - 06 Jan 2006 : 20:55:18
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Probably their only other chance for a warm reception would be (possibly) by a knowledgeable ranger. Back in 1e, rangers could actually gain werebears and weretigers as "followers", so there's a chance that a ranger or a druid might have interacted with an isolated community of werebears and know that they're not necessarily evil, slavering monsters.
Possibly not, though.  |
"If we do happen to make contact (with the enemy), I expect nothing less than gratuitous violence from the lot of you."
--Sgt. Harry Wells, DOG SOLDIERS-- |
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warlockco
Master of Realmslore
USA
1695 Posts |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2006 : 06:35:50
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I was just about to point that out. I'd say most of Selune's clergy know about the varieties of lycanthropes, and many of them have interacted with them (since many good lycanthropes worship Selune, or become her priests). It seems like something that would appear in the dogma, as well as the clergy's version of everyone gathering around the campfire to tell stories (perhaps not a good analogy, but the best I can do right now).
Also 2e rangers can get were bears, boars, and tigers as followers (if you use the Complete Book of Rangers), so I'd say rangers have a good chance to know as well.
CoM, you bring up a good point about Ruathym and Rashemen, I hadn't thought of that before.
Finally, I think part of the lythari's problem is that they're turning into a wolf, which evokes all of the "bad werewolf" reactions. If they could turn into other animals, they might fare better.
A question of my own: in 2e, when a nature lycanthrope changes form, does their strength change to 19 like that of an infected one? |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 12 Dec 2014 : 06:28:18
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I found this quote while scrummaging through some old scrolls...
" Heck, even though Kelemvor was a LN werepanther, given how the curse played out I wouldn't have wanted to be around when he transformed."
Where can I read more about Kelemvor before his ascension? |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 12 Dec 2014 : 06:44:07
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| The Avatar trilogy of novels (Time of Troubles) featured the mortal Kelemvor as one of the protagonists. He's also mentioned in the adventures based on the novels. |
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Thauramarth
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
729 Posts |
Posted - 12 Dec 2014 : 09:22:38
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quote:
Originally posted by xaeyruudh
The Avatar trilogy of novels (Time of Troubles) featured the mortal Kelemvor as one of the protagonists. He's also mentioned in the adventures based on the novels.
There is also a more in-depth writeup of Kelemvor in the old FR7 - Hall of Heroes. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11701 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2014 : 00:30:47
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| just a note how people would assume seeing a person transform into a wolf in front of them that they're evil ravening bestial lyncanthropes. Why wouldn't they maybe assume they're simply a druid or a wizard performing a polymorph? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2014 : 01:36:08
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If it was me, the details would matter less than the fact that there are suddenly fangs in front of me. Is there another threat that this manbeast might be trying to confront? If yes, stay out of his way. In this case there's a few moments to evaluate the situation. If there's no other threat, then the fangs are the threat, and if I have a family or care about my own skin and that of my neighbors there needs to be a way of eliminating the threat.
So druids and wizards had best be recognized by the town and have a history of helping us or at least not harming anyone, or there's going to be a pitchforks and torches hunt.
With spellcasters who use shapechanging magic, I suspect there would always be a dark question in everyone else's minds. Is he a man who takes beast shapes, or a beast who takes a man's shape? Is he in control of himself at all times? If he ever loses control, he can't be trusted and needs to either leave-and-never-return or else be put to death for the safety of the community.
From that angle, I don't think the average commoner would believe that some lycanthropes are good. It's just not a safe thing to believe. The solution? Probably the same way Drizzt eventually won cautious acceptance from some humans... be seen doing helpful things from a distance, but vanish when they come hunting for you. Over time, establishing a good track record ends the pitchfork hunts, and you're accepted as a minimal threat. Some will still lobby for your execution, and the rest will still be wary whenever you're around, but you might eventually be able to make a purchase from the village store without being attacked in fear.
Just my 2 cents.
Edit: the context matters. In the streets of Suzail I might assume it's a wizard. I was thinking of an isolated village, above. If there's an army guarding the city gates, I'm still not cool with a guy turning into a wolf/bear/tiger in front of me, but I might not freak completely out. Out in the sticks, on the other hand, trust is foolish. |
Edited by - xaeyruudh on 13 Dec 2014 01:42:14 |
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Lycanthropes...
