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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5692 Posts |
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Besshalar
Learned Scribe
Finland
166 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 13:42:57
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I loved this bit the belkagen are an extremely interesting concept and I would love to learn more about them .
The Hro'nyewachu was also delightfully unearthly and had a fey feel to "her". I really enjoyed how we got an insiders peek at the fall of Winterkeep and into the schemes of "Kasaroth". I got the feeling that Arantar may have actually misunderstood Kasaroths plead of mercy, that Kasaroth might himself have seen the error of his ways and actually wanted death.... OR Arantar might have understood him perfectly but was so furious at Kasaroth that he actually denied him death and cursed him to remain in those mortal husks. Anyway can't wait to find out what happens next. |
The large print giveth , and the small print taketh away.
-Tom Waits |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 16:33:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Besshalar
I loved this bit the belkagen are an extremely interesting concept and I would love to learn more about them .
The Belkagen was inspired very much by the "Arcane Hierophant" out of RACES OF THE WILD. I did emphasize the "wild" elements more than the arcane, but if you read closely enough, the arcane bits are there too. And I did try to give them a history and culture to make them unique to the Realms.
Also, Lendri and the Vil Adanrath warriors had a bit of inspiration out of the "Wildrunner" in RACES OF THE WILD. In fact, in two key fights of FROSTFELL, Lendri uses Primal Scream (though I didn't call it that).
And Gyaidun is a "Ruathar" right out of RACES OF THE WILD.
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Edited by - Mark S. on 07 Dec 2006 16:34:03 |
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hammer of Moradin
Senior Scribe
USA
758 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 17:23:19
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The Hro'nyewachu scenes were another great section. I don't know how you keep doing it Mark, but without overloading us with information, you keep setting the right mood for each scene. I keep looking for detailed descriptions to set the tone and mood, but then I realize you already did with some of the descriptors used throughout the verbal exchanges. Great job.
Loved the beating hart(pun intended, but was the heart of the hart intended to represent the whole?). I always wonder how we will get the heart (sorry! ) of the story in each WoTC book. Usually we do have the dream, or the extra-planar character or trip to tell us what we need to know. Just the spirituality of this one makes for an interesting variation. It also sets up for a good history lesson in Realms' lore, which you know we all love around here. |
"Hurling himself upon his enemies, he terrified them with slaughter!"
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium
Candlekeep proverb: If a thing is said often enough, fools aplenty will believe it to be true. |
Edited by - hammer of Moradin on 07 Dec 2006 17:25:57 |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 18:28:24
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quote:
Originally posted by hammer of Moradin
The Hro'nyewachu scenes were another great section.
Thanks very much, sir! Those scenes were definitely the ones I most enjoyed writing.
quote:
Originally posted by hammer of MoradinLoved the beating hart(pun intended, but was the heart of the hart intended to represent the whole?).
Yes and no. Not to be too heavy-handed about it, but as a Catholic, eating the living flesh (the sacred heart) and drinking the blood was very much in my mind as I crafted those scenes. You'll also notice that Amira had to go through the sacred pool (a sort of baptism), and she had to walk through the split carcass of the sacrifice, which is right out of the book of Genesis.
Also, while I was writing FROSTFELL, I read a really good book on the werewolf called The Beast Within by Douglas Adams. It delved into the whole history of shapeshifters and the early shamanic rites associated with them. That also came into play in those scenes and in crafting the culture and history of the Vil Adanrath.
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Edited by - Mark S. on 07 Dec 2006 18:33:52 |
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Besshalar
Learned Scribe
Finland
166 Posts |
Posted - 07 Dec 2006 : 18:45:37
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| Is that THE Douglas "how to travel the universe with less than thirty altairian dollars a day" Adams ? If so I need to find this book. And actually even if it isn't it sounds interesting enough to be worth a read. |
The large print giveth , and the small print taketh away.
-Tom Waits |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jan 2007 : 18:43:18
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I agree. The oracle scene was really well done. I found it quite weird and disturbing in some ways. The red cavern, the heart and the blood were very atmospheric.
The journey to the cavern was also quite tense with being grabbed under the water.
Good how the "ash" cloak was explained as being from the winter colours of Raumathar.
This whole section of history was great and a valuable section to the book. |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 03:08:45
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Now that I'm back into the book, I'm definately on a roll with it. As was already pointed out, I picked up thigns here and there that hinted at PrCs from various products, and I wanted to say that Mark did a great job of hinting at them without clubbing anyone over the head with them. As someone that loves the Realms and does a lot of adapting new D&D material to "Realmsian" feel, I have to say its good to see someone with a subtle touch and a eye for throwing in some Realmsian influence into the background as well.
The pacing continues to be perfect in this. Again, just enough new information to make us fee like things are moving forward and getting resolved, and just enough new information to keep the mystery going and building toward the end of the book.
Good to see some information on Narfell and Raumathar in here, and just enough to keep the empires a mystery, but to give some details for the book.
The oracle scene was very atmospheric, and on top of that, it reminded me of some of the older material on Lythari. According to Elves of Evermeet, Lythari might be closer to the Fey powers than to the elven powers themselves, and the comments about an ancient power (I would imagine the fey to be a pretty old force in the universe) fit in with this very well. I could be off base, the the oracle definately seemed to be some kind of powerful, primal fey creature.
Definately interested to find out about exactly the circumstances of the exile that earned Gyaidun both a "deserved exile" and "honored status" at the same time.
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2007 : 01:13:50
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| I have to agree that the oracle scenes where wonderful, and hit the right balance between being awe-inspiring and frightening. This is definitely one of those books that is different in a good way, and I'm enjoying the focus on tribal cultures. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2007 : 01:15:31
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| Yeah, I have to say that Mark did an excellent job of making the book feel like a Realms book while still introducing cultures with something "new" to them, as far as the setting goes. Not too bad for his first Realms novel. |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 25 Apr 2007 : 01:18:48
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Yeah, I have to say that Mark did an excellent job of making the book feel like a Realms book while still introducing cultures with something "new" to them, as far as the setting goes. Not too bad for his first Realms novel.
Agreed, on both counts. And it's actually piqued my interest in real world tribal cultures. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2007 : 09:59:55
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This I read last night. What a wonderful scene... I can only second what my fellow scribes already said - wonderful especially in the lore.
I hope the book keeps up my by now high expectations.... ;)
However, I do have two questions.
1. What exactly is the Hro'nyewachu? God or demon? An aspect of them?
2. Did you have a free hand in creating the history and cultrure of the lythari or where you bound by certain thing already given (aside from what the lythari actually are)? Did you place them in the geographical area of the Waste or was that already provided by some canon lore?
Thanks in adwance for your answers.
Ergdusch |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 11 Oct 2007 10:05:14 |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 11 Oct 2007 : 18:00:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
1. What exactly is the Hro'nyewachu? God or demon? An aspect of them?
I purposefully left that vague and undefined so that readers and gamers could draw their own conclusions. However...
In my own mind, she is a very powerful fey worshiped by the Vil Adanrath (and she isn't the only one).
quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
2. Did you have a free hand in creating the history and cultrure of the lythari or where you bound by certain thing already given (aside from what the lythari actually are)?
Well, I knew that Elaine Cunningham had used lythari in her book Silver Shadows, but I approached it like this: The Vil Adanrath probably share a common origin with the lythari in the west of Faerun, just as the Apache share a common (if distant) origin with the Abenaki. But because they are separated by thousands of years and thousands of miles, their culture and language have developed along different lines. So as long as I didn't do anything to outright contradict what Ms. Cunningham had established, the editors gave me pretty free reign. I did try to to establish some links with other aspects of Faerunian lore in the area though.
quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
Did you place them in the geographical area of the Waste or was that already provided by some canon lore?
That was me. I begged to set the book in the Waste because I had just finished reading a really great book about Siberia and the northeast Asian cultures of that part of the world, called The Shaman's Coat. Great book! So I really wanted to do a story with that kind of cultural outlook.
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2007 : 16:58:42
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Thansk for the detailed answers Mark. Much appreciated. I finished the book by now and I found it to be a great read entirely, especially because it explores a race and a geographical area not touched upon too heavily in the past.
The Hro'nyewachu being a fey - very interisting. What exactly do you mean by 'she isn't the only one'. Do the Vil Adanrath worship other feys as well? |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2007 : 19:53:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
The Hro'nyewachu being a fey - very interisting. What exactly do you mean by 'she isn't the only one'. Do the Vil Adanrath worship other feys as well?
Yep.
They certainly honor and worship the deities of Faerun as well. But I dropped a few hints here and there in the novel that the Vil Adanrath are not native to Faerun (during the funeral, part of the benediction is "his exile is ended"). They are actually from another world, and they were not the only ones to come through to Faerun. Other beings come through as well, some of which were very powerful fey, Hro'nyewachu being one. Their relationship with these beings as "worship" is more in keeping with a pagan, animistic idea of worship. That is, they honor these beings and have a rather give-and-take agreemen with them (sacrifice being part of it), but they do not necessarily recognize these beings as Ultimate Deity.
But again, this was all as I understood them. I hinted at all this in the novel, but I didn't want to spell it all out in print. That way, readers and gamers and other authors could still use the characters to their own purposes without having to jump through a series of hoops I'd set up. If my understanding works for your enjoyment and use of FR, great! If not, pitch it and go with whatever you like best.
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2007 : 10:06:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Mark S.
quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
The Hro'nyewachu being a fey - very interisting. What exactly do you mean by 'she isn't the only one'. Do the Vil Adanrath worship other feys as well?
Yep.
They certainly honor and worship the deities of Faerun as well. But I dropped a few hints here and there in the novel that the Vil Adanrath are not native to Faerun (during the funeral, part of the benediction is "his exile is ended"). They are actually from another world, and they were not the only ones to come through to Faerun. Other beings come through as well, some of which were very powerful fey, Hro'nyewachu being one. Their relationship with these beings as "worship" is more in keeping with a pagan, animistic idea of worship. That is, they honor these beings and have a rather give-and-take agreemen with them (sacrifice being part of it), but they do not necessarily recognize these beings as Ultimate Deity.
But again, this was all as I understood them. I hinted at all this in the novel, but I didn't want to spell it all out in print. That way, readers and gamers and other authors could still use the characters to their own purposes without having to jump through a series of hoops I'd set up. If my understanding works for your enjoyment and use of FR, great! If not, pitch it and go with whatever you like best.
Many thanks again! Your shared understanding of these things is of great help to fully gransp the background, history and feel of the Vil Adanrath as you intended it to be. I still have a final questions regarding the Hro'nyewachu though:
Does her name have a meaning?
Ergdusch
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Mark S.
Forgotten Realms Author
60 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2007 : 23:49:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Ergdusch
I still have a final questions regarding the Hro'nyewachu though:
Does her name have a meaning?
"Heart of the Mother." It's more of a title than a personal name.
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2011 : 18:09:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Lord Rad
I agree. The oracle scene was really well done. I found it quite weird and disturbing in some ways. The red cavern, the heart and the blood were very atmospheric.
It reminds me of S. Hawke's characters.
I'm not much of a werewolf fan, but their "history," from what I've glimpsed of it, is a bit interesting. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Frostfell - Chapters 14 - 20 (Hro'nyewachu)
