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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Feb 2015 : 08:08:36
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What Are a The Xraunrarr Up To?
1. Selecting the tastiest of human breeding stock in Cormyr to feast on.
2. Building massive replicas of the Royal Court and Palace somewhere in the Underdark, or perhaps in a great hollowed out mountain in the Thunder Peaks. The Xraunrarr wait for their mind-controlled slaves to dream each night, then they roam the halls of the two great buildings, watching and listening as the sleeping slave minds relive the day to form memories, while the events play out for the beholders to see, thanks to a great magic that links the dreamers with gemstones that move about and emit light and sound.
3. Collecting more slaves and slave gems. Perhaps the Xraun display their gems on their person, or in their personal lairs, and the gems are unique, so any other Xraun knows by sight which humans of Cormyr are under the sway of one of their number. The gems might even be a form of currency between them. Perhaps consuming a slave and their linked slave gem brings a Xraun great pleasure, as the meal satisfies both the alien mind and the belly of the aberration.
4. By day the lesser Xraun and their thralls update the two great buildings, adding or subtracting chairs, tapestries, statues, etc., to match the latest projected dream images. Maybe the floating gems leave illusory echoes so the builders know what to change. This is why Cormyr exports courtly knockoffs and replicas to rich Sembians wishing to ape the latest style, not knowing some of the caravans through the Thunder Peaks will never see Sembia at all and instead be diverted to the Underdark.
5. Holding debates over how to influence the spread of certain kinds of magic in Cormyr. Likewise how to influence the decisions made at the regular Council of Mages gatherings. Are their Crown mages or free mages that ought to be covertly slain or expelled from Cormyr? Which mages pose a threat to the secrecy of the Xraun and how should they be dealt with?
6. Figuring out how best to stay hidden from beings capable of enslaving beholders, like Manshoon.
7. Keeping Sembia and Netheril from giving Cormyr too many headaches.
8. Watching, watching, watching. Always watching for threats to their secrecy and to the verdant land of human cattle they have been cultivating for centuries. Also for the great betrayer, and seeing to the quick slaying of any who would aid it in its reformation.
9. Minding the faux lairs, and selecting the best of adventurer stock from those mortals who make it to the mountain lairs to turn into servants, while eating the rest. Managing the flow of rumors and directing the actions of newly made servants.
10. Debating which Shield Barons to subvert, and which to leave alone. Also whom to inspire to become a Shield Baron.
11. Beginning work on a full sized replica of Suzail.
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Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 20 Feb 2015 : 08:54:17
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That'd be Dragon #406, and the Eye On The Realms article therein: Xraunrarr Will a Triumph.
They are a cool bunch of beholders, and their existence calls into question so much about Cormyr, because you have to put a "Did the Xraun influence this?" in front of everything you know.
http://archive.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dun/201112eotr |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 20 Feb 2015 08:57:34 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 20 Feb 2015 : 09:24:25
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Oh my god. Dragon 406, i love it. Hope you dont mind some conjecture but.
1 - i thought there were only 3 hives in Faerun. One in Anauria. One in the Grey Peaks, and One in the Lake of Steam. Now we have another in Eastern Shaar or beyond. Excellent stuff.
2 - Drow beneath south-western Cormyr? I'd like to know who they are.
3 - They arrived in Cormyr as the drow were working on extending their lands to the surface that means it was around -2600 DR.
4 - They killed off elder sleeping dragons. That possibly means they allowed Thauglor to become overlord of Cormyr by killing off the competition, which gives us a date for his rule between -2600 DR and -205 DR
5 - Uldeeth was destroyed somewhere north of Hullack forest. The ancient and powerful magic used to destroy him was consumed and he now exists as some kind of weird undead horde of eyes. So where is Uldeeth's lair. The Marsh of Tun, the Stonelands, somewhere in the Stonelands that is connected to the Haunting Halls of Evenstar - i recall Ed saying the Haunted Halls and Whispers Crypt are just a tiny portion of a vast tunnel network with near mythal levels of warding and magic in them, almost all of it undiscovered.
6 - The conclave chooses which rulers to support, this implies that Esparin, Arabel, even Magrath the Minotaur were all actions involving the beholders of Xraunrarr, maybe the actions of Arabel and Magrath the Minotaur were the result of a beholder that disagreed with the status quo of supporting the Obaskyrs
7 - They want to keep trade open and thus prevent warfare with other nations. Does this mean the Xraunrarr were responsible for Tilverton, interceding against Zhentil Keep in the Dalelands, etc.
8 - And what about the nobles that they keep fighting each other so as to have them leave the royals alone. Did they expose House Bleth and Cormaeril. What actions did they take during the Devil Dragon War.
Again hope you dont mind the thread hijack but this is interesting stuff. This is definitely going into my alternate. I wonder if Uldreeth and his eye stalks arent influenced by the lichlings in that random adventure loosely based in Cormyr. I also wonder if they cant burrow inside people or take a ride on a victim to control him directly, and so Uldreeth might be working against the Xraunrarr. |
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Edited by - Gary Dallison on 20 Feb 2015 09:28:22 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 20 Feb 2015 : 16:17:32
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Scroll down to the third to last post on the page at this link: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15988&whichpage=8
...for some starter answers to a few of your questions.
Normally I would wrap such a link around the text in this here post, but that's a pain to do on the iPad mini I am using.
And again: your replies are not hijacks of any sort. I appreciate your posting here and hope you'll do more of it. :) |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 21 Feb 2015 : 06:44:01
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You should write about Cormyr every day. Here's some ideas:
1. Write ten NPC names. Not sure how? Simple: pick a few names out of a Cormyr novel or sourcebook, write them down, then mix and match the first and last names. Also try warping a name. Cut the name short, change the vowels and consonants around. Don't think it'll work? Then check out the names in the War Wizards thread at the top of this sub-forum. It works.
2. Blatant theft: take a small piece of something about Cormyr and rewrite it. Give it a different theme or write from the POV of a Zhentarim agent or a dragon or a Sembian. Just one paragraph a day, OK? Do this and I won't haunt you in your dreams.
3. Have a favorite author? Write a scene set in Cormyr, in that author's style. Whenever I read Neil Gaiman--and particularly when I listen to audiobooks he narrates--I end up hearing his voice in my head when I am trying to write NPCs or create interesting locations set in Cormyr. Not that that's a bad thing.
4. Have a favorite scene or place or group of characters from a novel? Put your favorites in Cormyr. I don't mean plonk it down completely, unless you want to do a bit of cross-world travel writing (which is totally cool by me). I mean change the names a bit, imagine the place and or the characters slowly warping to fit in Cormyr, and ignore the stuff you can't make fit. Remember: nobody else needs to see what you're writing. Jeeves and Wooster, meet King Azoun.
5. Pick a short NPC entry in the back of Volo's Guide to Cormyr, and make it at least twice as big. Not sure how? Then read the big NPC entries.
6. Pick one NPC name you made up (see #1 above) and write at least four sentences about that NPC. Don't get mad at me when you find you can't stop writing at just four sentences. Do one a day for ten days, then make up ten more names, then flesh these out a day at a time. You'll have an army of NPCs in no time.
7. Stuck with writer's block? Try allotting yourself only twenty minutes to write about Cormyr. When the clock starts, put pen to paper and keep scribbling until the buzzer sounds. Deadlines are great for helping writers find their motivation.
8. Kill your darlings. Pick an established character from Cormyr and take him or her (or it) out. Or pick one of your NPCs and have them bite the bullet. Works great for castles and cities too. Marsember, we hardly knew ye.
9. Write two line encounters. Yep, just two sentences. Not into writing encounters? Try writing two line descriptions of people, places, things or dramatic moments. Good Two line ghost stories scare the crap out of me.
10. Don't be a perfectionist. If you try to be perfect with every writing attempt, you will get exactly nowhere. If you can manage to be consistently mediocre, then you are doing great.
Edit: spelling. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 21 Feb 2015 06:45:38 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2015 : 06:03:43
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My Dream List Of Authors, Alive Or Dead, To Write Stories About Cormyr:
1. Neil Gaiman.
2. Stephen King. Just imagine what King could do with a Deepspawn.
3. P.G. Wodehouse. A bumbling Wodehousian War Wizard would be hilarious.
4. Barbara Kingsolver.
5. Anne Rice. I would love to see her write Manshoon the vampire. I wonder how she would tame Queen Fee? Likewise Azoun IV?
6. Jhumpa Lahiri. Her stories, when read aloud on shows like Selected Shorts, are mesmerizing. Just imagine what she could do with Cormyr.
7. Lawrence Schoonover. His story "The Spider King" hooked me for life. Just think how awesome a story about feuding nobles written by him would be.
8. Steve Martin. He's more than just a comedian. Dude can write.
9. W. Somerset Maugham. THIS guy could do one hell of a description of a bunch of outlanders, from the point of view of a Cormyrean forced to sit with them at a table.
10. Karen Traviss. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 22 Feb 2015 06:12:46 |
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Rymac
Learned Scribe
USA
315 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2015 : 06:17:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
My Dream List Of Authors, Alive Or Dead, To Write Stories About Cormyr:
1. Neil Gaiman.
2. Stephen King. Just imagine what King could do with a Deepspawn.
3. P.G. Wodehouse. A bumbling Wodehousian War Wizard would be hilarious.
4. Barbara Kingsolver.
5. Anne Rice. I would love to see her write Manshoon the vampire. I wonder how she would tame Queen Fee? Likewise Azoun IV?
6. Jhumpa Lahiri. Her stories, when read aloud on shows like Selected Shorts, are mesmerizing. Just imagine what she could do with Cormyr.
7. Lawrence Scoonover.
8. Steve Martin.
9. W. Somerset Maugham.
10. Karen Traviss.
I love this topic Jeremy, whether for Cormyr, or the larger Realms in general.
Mine would be:
1. J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Robert E. Howard
3. Frank Herbert
4. George R.R. Martin
5. Neil Gaiman
6. Fritz Leiber
7. Jim Butcher
8. Patrick Rothfuss
9. Steven King
10. H.P. Lovecraft
My bonus, if allowed, would be Philip K. Dick.
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2015 : 06:39:56
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It is fun, isn't it? :)
Ok, so I am familiar with everyone on your list except for Patrick Rothfuss.
Who's he? |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Rymac
Learned Scribe
USA
315 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2015 : 06:50:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
It is fun, isn't it? :)
Ok, so I am familiar with everyone on your list except for Patrick Rothfuss.
Who's he?
He's working on the third book in the Kingkiller Chronicle at the moment.
The Kingkiller Chronciles:
The Name of the Wind (April 2007)
The Wise Man's Fear (March 2011)
The Doors of Stone (In Progress)
Added to edit:
I realize that listing a few books doesn't really say much. However, his interview at TWiT is really informative about why he writes, how he wanted to avoid being a starving artist by having a career outside of writing, and so on.
Link: http://twit.tv/show/triangulation/99
I would add Terry Pratchett somewhere in my list as well.
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Edited by - Rymac on 22 Feb 2015 07:07:13 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2015 : 06:56:47
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Thanks, Rymac.
I added "The Name of the Wind" to my To -Read shelf on Goodreads.com. I see that Steven Schend is reading this book too, so I will keep an eye out for his book review once he finishes reading.
Edit: Howard and Tolkien are tied for the #11 spot on my list. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 22 Feb 2015 06:58:15 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2015 : 15:22:35
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| I've heard only good things about The Name of the Wind, but while it is on my shelf, it's one I've not gotten to, yet. |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2015 : 05:59:32
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Main Characters
1. A beholder ought to be a main character. In fact, there ought to be several short stories featuring beholders as main characters. One story featuring an ancient eye tyrant once enslaved by Manshoon, that's seeking revenge. Another featuring a member of the Xraunrarr,as it goes about the daily business of eating Cormyreans and staying hidden.
2. Children. Cormyr is an interesting place. It would be all the more interesting when viewed through the eyes of a child.
3. Queen Fee. A day in the life would be pretty awesome. One story set during Azoun IV's reign, another set during the time of the Steel Regent. I love the hints Ed left in his last series of novels about the things a far-thinking Queen Fee did to guide Cormyr, even past her death.
4. A sleeping dragon. Imagine the consciousness of a sleeping dragon. It drifts to and fro in Cormyr, born aloft by magic and nourished by the Weave, the eye of a great mind observing events unfold and drawn to Art unleashed. What the dragon dreams, it remembers, and the story ends when the beast awakens.
5. Laspeera. Like Queen Fee above, two tales: one during her younger days around the time of her description in Volo's Guide to Cormyr, and one when she was older, wiser and a necessary pillar supporting the Throne.
6. Volo. A short story depicting his visit to Cormyr, as part of his "research" to pen a guidebook to the Forest Kingdom.
7. Phelndur Doraunk, War Wizard extraordinaire. ;)
8. A room, chamber or hallway in the Royal Palace or the Royal Court.
9. Thauglor. From a time before the elves came to the dragon's demesne. Something to do with dealing with other dragons and playing the long game that all long-lived dragons play.
10. A Tressym. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 23 Feb 2015 06:02:02 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2015 : 07:22:04
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Random link: http://jrobertking.com/2010/02/ed-greenwood—day-1/
...to The Twelve Days of Ed Greenwood, by J. Robert King, the later having edited Crown of Fire and other of Ed's Realms novels. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2015 : 07:32:13
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Two Line Encounter Ideas
1. Run a player character through with a sword. Then have the NPC (Purple Dragon, highknight, noble, whatever) who did it claim it was to save the PC's life.
2. Shaking ground and thundering hoofs are all the warning the PCs get before a ride of spectral Purple Dragons descends on them. Today is the anniversary of a battle where all the Dragons died.
3. At the end of each tenday while the PCs are in town, a war wizard approaches them, demanding payment or the return of goods for something the PCs already took care of. The Crown Mage never remembers prior interactions and is prone to violence if he or she does not get what is asked for.
4. In the midst of a thunderstorm, while the PCs are resting between adventures at their favorite inn, a screaming bolt of lightening hammers the joint, splitting support timbers, shaking the place to its foundations and giving everyone a rude shock. No sooner do the PCs react then the faces of the staff and certain of the patrons begin to melt off, sprout tiny legs and crawl away on the floor. [1]
5. Orcs or hobgoblins or ogres or a little of each run full speed towards the PCs from out of nowhere as the characters are traveling overland somewhere on the edge of Cormyr's border. The humanoids keep right on running past the PCs, even if they attack, and one round later a huge, sickly dragon with a broken wing, stump for a tail and green ooze bubbling out of its mouth come madly bounding along after them.
6. Somewhere in an abandoned upland noble estate there hangs a grand painting of immense size that depicts a variety of creatures found all over the Realms, that has a reputation for eating magic cast in its vicinity. The only warning the PCs receive before the painting begins spitting out trolls, nagas, beholderkin and imps is the smell of ozone tinged with cinnamon in the air.
7. While resting between adventures at an in or tavern with rooms, a hand attached to a forearm emerges from out of a bag of holding belonging to one of the PCs, feeling about and grabbing whatever is in reach. If the hand is grabbed, harmed or given an object, it withdraws and the PCs will hear a shout of pain or surprise as appropriate from across the the next room over, where another group of adventurers await their companion's effort to find what they need in his bag of holding, which is a twin of the PC's bag and sometimes behaves strangely when in close proximity to its duplicate.
8. While exploring a dungeon or castle ruin in the Stonelands, the PCs encounter the mangled corpse of an adventurer amongst a mass of mouldering remains. The dead adventurer's gear is an exact match to one of the PCs, except for a fine ring of silver with three empty gem mounts, and on its person is a letter or journal or torn spellbooks page repurposed, on which frantic writing in the hand of that PC proclaims that he or she is the last survivor, all the others are dead, so there is but one choice left: use the ring.
9. The PCs awaken from a night's rest in their favorite room at their favorite inn, but no breakfast is delivered to their room as normal. When they open the door to their room, they discover the serving lad, the tray he carries and its contents are all turned to stone, as are the occupants beyond the open doorway in the room across the hall.
10. While the PCs are exploring the lands around Tyrluk, the face of a mountainside falls away in a great crashing avalanche of stone. When the dust clears, the PCs are witness to the interior of the mountain and the many levels tunnels carved into it.
[1] Such critters are called jaod. More on them here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16553#385146 |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2015 : 06:39:04
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Random Ideas:
1. Joke plots and novel titles based on established novels:
The Plot: The Spellplague causes realities to collide. The Enterprise-E crash lands in Cormyr. Elminster finally meets his match in the form of Captain Picard. The two world weary souls fall madly in love.
Working title: Elminster Engaged.
2. Daunthers, aka the Purple Dragon graveyard:
The place is full of dead Dragons, so does that mean there is a military hierarchy amongst the ghosts? And do spectral squabbles over who outranks who breakout?
3. More how to write Realms names:
Give the NPC just one name. Example: Randelio. Voruld.
Make the NPC "of somewhere". This helps when you have a great first name but can't think of a last name to go with it. This is also why good name writing requires good maps, like the Free one I have linked to in just about every thread I have started in this sub forum. Example: Orthos of Greatgaunt.
Map link: www.wizards.com/files/365_Backdrop_Cormyr.pdf
Nicknames. Just one name plus a nick is enough. Example: Semphra the Silent.
If you want to show off, do first, nick and of somewhere. Example: Malamper "Twice Drowned" of Swampgate.
4. A novel series called "Legacies."
The first novel features the Crown mage Glathra Barcantle as the main character. The legacy character is the Crown mage Laspeera. The story jumps back and forth in time, as Glathra uncovers a danger threatening to destroy Laspeera's legacy, and do great harm to the Forest Kingdom.
The idea behind the series is to further bridge the century gap between the pre- and post-Spellplague Realms, by giving old readers some closure on their favorite Cormyrean characters, while rooting new readers firmly in modern day Cormyr by giving them a sense of Cormyr's history over the last one hundred and ten years.
5. A question for Ed about romance novels set in Cormyr:
If you (Ed) were given the task of writing a romance novel set in Cormyr, with steamy sex scenes and passion-filled prose, what location springs to mind as a good place to set such a tale, and in what ways would you go about the writing differently than when you write a standard Cormyr novel? Also, which NPCs living in Cormyr spring to mind as the perfect character choices for the book?
(I posed this question to Ed here: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19841&whichpage=10#465702.)
6. Another question for Ed: (spoiler warning for The Herald)
Have other Chosen besides Elminster ever locked down horribly powerful creatures, such as we saw at the end of The Herald? If yes, by any chance do the imprisoned reside in, under or over Cormyr?
7. Ed question:
Regarding breastfeeding practices in modern day Cormyr, do the practices differ substantially based on one's social class?
8. A "Realms of" type book, but all the stories are set in Cormyr, at least one story is by Jeff Grubb, and the stories move up and down the timeline.
9. Ed question:
To the extent that wood is used in making war wizard wands, do the Crown Mages keep and tend to groves of trees for use in wand making?
10. Two line encounter:
Wherever the PC's go they are followed by one or more spectral cats. The felines appear only at night or in areas of extended darkness, always keep a moderate to long distance away, and stare at the PCs.
Edit: added map link. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 26 Feb 2015 20:17:04 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 07:49:17
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Campaign Ideas and How To Use Cormyr Resources
1. Cormyr as background.
This is one of my favorite ways to run a campaign. You elect to set the game in Cormyr, then take whatever adventures you want to run and plop them right into Cormyr. I have had a TON of success doing this. Why? The place is surrounded by mountains, swamps, semi arid desert weirdness and a massive body of water, plus it has three major cities, two forests and an inland lake. It's almost too easy to start a game there.
2. Hang a campaign arc on a Cormyr novel.
Another fun way to do things. This idea relies on the DM having read and enjoyed a novel set in Cormyr, where that novel covered some major epic stuff. For example, in "Death of the Dragon" the land of Cormyr is brought within a hair's breadth of defeat and Azoun IV pays the ultimate price to slay the Devil Dragon. That's one hell of a backdrop to throw the players into. Every character in the novel is a potential NPC, and the events serve as cliffhanger encounters for the DM to run. REMEMBER: History can be changed too. This campaign idea does not work if the DM railroads the PCs.
3. Borrowing people and places from a novel.
To the well read DM goes the spoils. Books like "Elminster Must Die", "Bury Elminster Deep" and Elminster Enraged feature an enormous cast of characters and lively places. Steal them and use them! Use the Haunted Wing of the Royal Palace, use the arrogant Crown Mage Glathra Barcantle, use nighthelms and Idool's Veil, unleash Lady Dark Armor and send the PCs to the noble's prison/Castle Irlingstar.
4. Borrow novel events.
Yearly celebrations in Cormyr, like the Open Feast held in the Royal Palace, serve as the background to a few chapters of action in the novel "Elminster Must a Die". You get a description of the event, a location, a cast of NPCs, dialogue, examples of how trouble can get started and the opportunity to throw the PCs right into the mix. Royals are not allowed at the feast and the attendees turn into boisterous idiots ere long. The Festival of Handras is another good example of a Cormyr specific event the DM can utilize.
5. Reimagining Cormyr.
I have wondered what Cormyr would be like if it fell under the sway of Bane. I have also wondered what would happen if all the Royals were slain. What if Sembia invaded and grabbed up some land? For the DM with some spare time to work out the details, flipping Cormyr on its head may prove a great campaign experience.
6. What's true about Cormyr is what's presented at the gaming table:
This means the DM has the freedom to change things up from what's in the sourcebooks and novels. But for this to work the DM needs to...
7. ...be consistent!
Good players remember what YOU as the DM says, not what some sourcebook says. The more consistent you are, the sooner your players will see the Cormyr as it exists in your campaign. They will look to you as the authority, not published Realmslore.
8. Players first, Cormyr a distant second.
Put your players first, always. Don't let the setting overshadow the PCs.
9. Borrow fan generated content (i.e., shameless plug) for your Cormyr campaign.
Current Clack for Cormyr: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19513
War Wizards: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16511
NPCs of Cormyr: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16553
Unique Sites and Sights: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16550
Adventuring Parties: http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19406
10. Take a trip out of Cormyr.
Once the PCs are familiar with Cormyr as you've presented it, it's time for a change of pace. Fortunately for you, Cormyr is riddled with portals (what the old timers reading this would call gates) that can take the PCs just about anywhere in the wider Realms. Why? Because this gives the DM the chance to juxtapose one part of the Realms with another, and it's always good to change things up for a little while. I suggest a stop in Waterdeep, the ruins of a Myth Drannor, the Underdark and/or Neverwinter and the Savage North. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 08:38:20
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Well i want to do a proper war with the Devil Dragon now.
I want to plan out major events, long lasting repurcussions, and basically reimagine the cormyr shaking event into what it should have been.
I'm fine with the devil dragon, she has a good history, although i find it a bit isolated (i.e she has no links to the current setting she was just inserted into history in a good way and then suddenly awoken).
I'm fine with Grodd, with a bit of tweaking as to its background (Hlundadim) there is plenty of justification for a previously unknown city of goblins on Cormyr's borders.
I dont like the Ghazneths because of their plot armour, although i must admit i dont know that much about them (its just that deus ex machina does not fit well in an RPG - fine for novel, not for RPGs). And how exactly does an elf trapped in the form of a dragon suddenly get power enough to defeat Vangerdahast's (and all the other Mage Royals) magic so they can kill sleeping dragons and corrupt whatever the Ghazneths were before.
I also would love to clean up the confusion around the Sword Heralds and the Lords Who Sleep.
Then what i need is a more refined goal for the devil dragon. Killing the royal family is fine as a goal, and i'm happy for Azoun to die, it is a suitably fitting end. But beyond murder and revenge what does the dragon want to achieve, is she happy for it to be a suicide mission, did she want to rule Cormyr or destroy it, could Thauglor be involved somehow, what would the Xraunrar's reaction be.
Any ideas you care to share on any of the above Jeremy?
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 09:15:01
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| This sounds pretty fun. OK...let me think about it. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 09:19:17
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| Dazz, do you own the adventure "Into the Dragon's Lair"? |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 11:26:50
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I have a few ideas regarding the origin of the demiplane and the goblins of grodd.
The Stonelands were once the home of the Empire of Hlundadim. The empire that destroyed Anauria in 111 DR and invaded Cormyr in 198 DR.
Now Hlundadim was a contemporary of Netheril and the Survivor States for a time and managed to occupy land that was owned by both. How did an empire of goblins survive in the shadow of such magic strong nations without being wiped out. Nobody ever found the capital city either, shouldnt be hard to notice with a flying enclave.
Given that Grodd is a demiplane i propose that the Empire of Hlundadim survived by existing in large city sized demiplanes that were connected to Toril and each other using gates.
When the Karsus debacle happened these demiplanes slowly drifted out of alignment with Toril and many began to lose their connections to Toril and each other (until they became mostly separated). Then the ToT happens and gradually brings the connections back.
Hlundadim himself (my own personal thought is that he was a sarrukh of isstossefifil) must have created the demiplanes and the gates linking the demiplanes to Toril. When the connections were severed the gates sporadically stopped working until they ceased functioning altogether. When the connections were restored somewhat these gates opened at random to places in Cormyr by linking to already existing gates to other demiplanes (ones created by the Storm Heralds and Khelben and other people over the centuries).
Whatever spell was the wizards of cormyr cast, it must have gone a bit wonky and transported Lorelei and the elves to some nearby demiplanes.
That way we have an explanation for how the goblins could move about so freely using gates that in all honesty no one person should be able to create, why they existed in isolation for so long without anyone knowing about it and then suddenly appeared, and an origin for the goblins and the demiplane.
And the theory that the goblins are related to the ones living in Cormyr is still true because Hlundadim invaded Cormyr in 198 DR.
Plus i dont see how anyone could know Lorelei was actually opening the gates herself or if it was just a coincidence other than walking up to her and asking her (i can imagine how that situation would pan out).
Still no idea who Lorelei is, why she was known as the elf dragon, what her goal was, or what the wish was the Vangerdahast cast.
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 11:33:57
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Anyway that's just background. What i really want to work on is a well defined war between the devil dragon and Cormyr.
How many troops were involved. What were the troop movements. What were the major battles. What were the objectives of each, etc, etc. Personally i'm not too interested in the canon events (other than as an inspiration).
Grodd appears to have 10,000 troops at its disposal. Cormyr has 12,000 purple dragons, 12 warships (with presumably 50 marines on each ship plus sailors), an unknown number of war wizards, and probably another 12,000 in local militia.
So the odds are stacked firmly against Grodd right from the start. I'm presuming Grodd used the random gates to its advantage to strike at the heart of Cormyr behind enemy lines, thus bypassing the large purple dragon units that were probably rushing to the borders to protect from the invasion they assumed was coming from outside Cormyr.
What is Lorelei's motivation, to draw Azoun out and kill him, and use her Ghazneth's to assassinate members of the royal family? She can't destroy Cormyr in one go with a smaller and inferior force.
What did Sembia and the Zhentarim do during this time. I can't imagine them invading, but at the same time i can't imagine them standing by. Sponsorship of mercenaries seems like the logical thing to do, that way you can deny you were involved if they get beaten, and if they are successful you step in to secure the settlement to keep it safe from mercs and bandits.
Also i believe the Zhentarim were prevented (by Khelben) from expanding west of the Thunderpeaks, so the only target for them is Tilverton (depending upon the map you consult). |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 19:55:22
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Wow, good questions and a great summary of events. I need to learn more about Hlundadim, and I've always liked the Goblin Marches/wished they received more love from 3E onward.
Ghazneths you'll want to leave alone, because they're just as you described: unkillable.
For the record I had my players go on a hunt in Anourach for a Sphere of Annihilation to combat the Ghazneths, and they had fun with it (from levels 5 to 10 at the time), but I wouldn't ask an inexperienced DM to try something like this.
I think the Devil Dragon's ultimate goal was vengeance. That, and to wipe out the humans in Cormyr and return the Wolf Woods to the elves. If she'd succeeded, I could see her turning her attention to Sembia next.
Your Grodd theorizing is great, and it's right in line with my own at-home modifications to "Into the Dragon's Lair." I too wanted a better explanation than was given in that adventure for how Grodd came to be.
That adventure is one of my favorites. I've gotten a lot of miles out of it. And that's cool, considering the rocky path the adventure took to publication (one designer started it, then midway through another finished it).
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Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 26 Feb 2015 19:56:26 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2015 : 20:48:08
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Well there isn't a whole lot on Hlundadim to read about. They appeared at the end of Netheril, an empire of goblinoids that seemingly managed to avoid the ire of the most powerful nation on the face of Faerun.
They were organised by a single mysterious being known as Hlundadim whose identity was never revealed.
Hlundadim himself seemed to pop up periodically most importantly he was around just before the empire collapsed (thanks to the expanding anauroch desert) whereupon he vanished never to be seen (although there are rumours in the stonelands that he has returned).
The story was quite reminiscent of the Terraseer that I couldn't help but think Hlundadim was a sarrukh.
I have never run Grodd personally, but I have written plenty of adventures set in underground cities of normally dangerous creatures so I've gotten plenty of inspiration out of it.
I always find the why as important as the how and when. It helps make a story/adventure more credible if you have everything worked out consistently.
I think a good place to start might be trying to locate portals across Cormyr to work out where the grodd goblins might appear (Suzail and Eveningstar are likely locations). As soon as the first legion appears I reckon the purple dragons will mobilise to destroy it then they will move to reinforce the borders to prevent anymore getting in.
Then more appear inside Cormyr and the purple dragons get recalled and the fight starts.
I really don't like the sound of the ghazneths, because nothing should be unkillable (especially when the general herself - a dragon - is killable by Azoun). I like the idea of ancient traitors being used against the nation, but not unkillable, and I cant think of a credible way to bring several centuries old corpses back to life so I might have to leave them. Which is a shame, I usually try and work in all the canon stuff some how (even if its only a nod).
I take it there is no more info as to why Lorelei is an elf dragon. Does she possess all the powers of a dragon, is she in fact a dragon no, or is she an elf, or something inbetween. (if shes a dragon then at over 1000 years old she is extremely powerful, especially with her magic using powers as well).
Thankfully the finale is easy. Lorelei wants revenge and Azoun probably knows that so the minute he takes to the field she will be there to fight him. No further justification is needed. |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 27 Feb 2015 : 08:53:27
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Idea Subtraction:
In other words, if you are worried about something, then subtract the worry and consider what is left.
1. My Cormyr campaign idea won't work.
Assume that it will, then ask yourself how.
2. There is too much lore about Cormyr, spread over too many sources, to use it effectively.
Ask yourself: what role Cormyr needs to play in your campaign? What does it need to do for you? Write this down.
Then read about Cormyr later in your free time to sharpen your ideas.
Only use material that meets your campaign needs, and ignore the rest.
3. I have never roleplayed a King or a Mage a Royal or a noble or a massive, ancient black dragon. It will be too hard.
Imagine that you are the expert at roleplaying. What would you sound like and how would the encounter go? Then do that.
Then read a Cormyr novel with characters you want to use in your campaign, in your free time. If the dialogue fits what you imagined, then borrow it. If not, find other books with similar characters and try out their dialogue. In the meantime, stick with what YOU imagined.
4. It's too hard to think of an entire campaign plot. How will I make it all fit?
Find a cheap adventure to run, and pick a spot in Cormyr to run it. Promise yourself you won't worry about the big picture until you've succeeded at running that first adventure.
5. The Player Characters are not going to follow my plot.
See #4 above. Run an adventure. Don't worry about the big, overarching plot yet.
6. I don't want to use Cormyr (or the Realms) because some of my players know more about it then I do.
No, they don't.
What is "true" about Cormyr and the wider Realms for any given campaign is what is established at the gaming table, in a campaign presented to a group of players by the DM.
To know more about Cormyr, you have to play D&D.
7. How can I expect my ideas to fit in Cormyr if I don't know anything about it?
Assume you already know everything. Now get started on that dungeon/monster encounter/cool NPC/adventure idea/campaign you want to run.
Don't start reading about Cormyr until you've already put your ideas down. At first, only look for things that will help make your ideas happen. Ignore stuff that gets in the way of your ideas (especially if you are pressed for time).
8. Ugh...the NPC (or encounter, or dungeon room, or adventure, etc.) I just wrote is terrible! I can't use this in my campaign.
Do you know what all great DMs have in common with great writers? They write shitty first drafts. Then they throw it in a drawer and forget about it while they go read/do something else. Then they come back to it, reread it, and pick the parts they can use while tossing the rest.
So commit to writing the material you need, then go read a Volo's Guide (Volo's Guide to Cormyr should be first on your list, but any Volo's Guide will do), eat some food, pet the cat or dog, take a nap, then go back to what you wrote and rewrite it.
9. Holy crap! The stuff in Volo's Guide is awesome! I could never write that.
You're not supposed to. You're only supposed to write material that propels your campaign along and keeps you and your players entertained and having fun.
The material in the Volo's Guides exists to spark your imagination. Take from them what you need for your campaign and ignore the rest.
10. With all of the material on Cormyr that's out there, why should I write anything? All the work has been done for me.
A wise man (not me) once said, "We owe it to each other to tell stories."
If you are the DM, you are the storyteller. If all you do is read straight out of the books, you're telling someone else's story, not yours.
There has to be a little bit of you in every story you tell. If not, your players may lose interest. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 09 Mar 2015 05:33:25 |
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Cormyr: Flexing My Idea Muscle
