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 The gods were no longer silent...
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Gelcur
Senior Scribe

502 Posts

Posted - 07 Jun 2019 :  17:13:42  Show Profile  Visit Gelcur's Homepage Send Gelcur a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
So I'm trying to brush up on my lore and I was going through the 5E Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and stumbled on this phrase:

1489 DR, page 18
quote:
The gods were no longer silent but quiet, and in many
places new priesthoods arose to interpret the gods' now
subtle signs.


I have not read any of the newer novels, was actually about to pick up Ed's Death Masks hoping to get a feeling for 5E FR.

Did the gods maybe fall silent when the 2nd Sundering began ~1482-1484DR?

The party come to a town befallen by hysteria

Rogue: So what's in the general store?
DM: What are you looking for?
Rogue: Whatevers in the store.
DM: Like what?
Rogue: Everything.
DM: There is a lot of stuff.
Rogue: Is there a cart outside?
DM: (rolls) Yes.
Rogue: We'll take it all, we may need it for the greater good.

BrennonGoldeye
Learned Scribe

105 Posts

Posted - 07 Jun 2019 :  21:49:02  Show Profile Send BrennonGoldeye a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gelcur

So I'm trying to brush up on my lore and I was going through the 5E Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide and stumbled on this phrase:

1489 DR, page 18
quote:
The gods were no longer silent but quiet, and in many
places new priesthoods arose to interpret the gods' now
subtle signs.


I have not read any of the newer novels, was actually about to pick up Ed's Death Masks hoping to get a feeling for 5E FR.

Did the gods maybe fall silent when the 2nd Sundering began ~1482-1484DR?



I believe this would be WotC's way of trying to remove the Gods from active service. Makes sense they would use the Retconning to do it.

Sam

Sam
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6351 Posts

Posted - 07 Jun 2019 :  22:30:29  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It's a shame they chose to make the gods act according to Ed's original vision, but kept the bad imitation of the setting they had forced to evolve

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Edited by - Gary Dallison on 07 Jun 2019 22:39:46
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Zeromaru X
Great Reader

Colombia
2442 Posts

Posted - 07 Jun 2019 :  22:40:07  Show Profile Send Zeromaru X a Private Message  Reply with Quote
According to the SCAG (page 18) prayers to the gods went unanswered for a whole year (1488). The novels that cover that year are Timeless and Spellstorm (and Boundless, I guess), that I haven't read yet, but it seems they don't cover this theme in any significant way. The next novel, Death Mask, happens in 1491, two years after the gods broke their "silent".

But what Brennon said, this was WotC way of removing the gods from their meddling in the published modules.

Instead of seeking change, you prefer a void, merciless abyss of a world...

Edited by - Zeromaru X on 07 Jun 2019 22:42:04
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Mannimark
Acolyte

USA
3 Posts

Posted - 30 Aug 2021 :  22:49:23  Show Profile Send Mannimark a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I have a theory on this. In the last novel, it is mentioned that Mystra warned Elminster that he needed to prevent some sort of calamity where society turned against magic users. It doesn't seem terribly feasible given how dependent the world is on mages and magic.

But...

When Cyric and Shar murdered Mystra and caused the Spellplague a huge tidal wave smashed into the peaceful technological nation of Lantan and killed off a substantial portion of the populace. Other parts of Lantan were thrown over into Abeir, where we can assume a bunch of douche dragons immediately tried to enslave them. Then, afterward, some of the islands came back to Faerun.

If *I* was a scientifically minded person and a bunch of childish gods I didn't care about had a scuffle which drowned my family and threw me into another world where I had to fight for my life and got to see, very brutally, what a world ruled by powerful magical tyrants looked like...I might come to the conclusion when I got back that maybe mages and gods were holding the world back.

And unfortunately for mages and gods, the Lantanese can do it. Unlike all the bumpkin peasants who can't get by without magic, much less purge all the important people (who have magic) from the world. We already see firearms appearing in modules like Dragon Heist.

I think the bitter, grieving, psychologically traumatized people of Lantan aren't going to take the god tantrum that drowned their country as quietly as everyone assumes. Mages cannot effectively combat printing presses which churn out political cartoons villifying arcanists as spoiled overseers whose knowledge of magic affords them an easy life while everyone else has to farm in the dirt.

Just saying...
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PattPlays
Senior Scribe

469 Posts

Posted - 31 Aug 2021 :  02:41:47  Show Profile  Visit PattPlays's Homepage Send PattPlays a Private Message  Reply with Quote
From when I was researching this time period (just a couple years earlier) I was under the impression that for the entirety of the arc of the chosen of the gods occurring the gods weren't speaking to any faithful. Not for a single year- but for years and years and years. Even when the gods returned in 1487DR they still did not speak to their faithful for two whole years, speaking solely through their chosen.
I have never heard of it having been merely the one year of silence. Much of a significant portion of that era involved gods that never sent any direct messages or signs to anyone except their singular Chosen. I remember specifically being shocked that post second sundering, they still said nothing for ages.

:The world's greatest OOTA fan/critic: :"Powder kegs within powder kegs!": :Meta-Dimensional Cheese: :Why is the Wand of Orcus just back?: :We still don't know the nature of Souls and the Positive Energy Plane: :PC on profile, Aldritch Elpyptrat Maxinfield: :Helljumpers, Bungie.net: :Rock Hard Gladiator, RIP Fluidanim, Long Live Pluto: :IRC lives:


https://thisisstorytelling.wordpress.com

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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11690 Posts

Posted - 31 Aug 2021 :  16:00:07  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Mannimark, that is an intriguing concept. While I have some other things I'm doing with gondsmen that involves them meshing tech and magic in other parts of the world while on Abeir, I can definitely see this take as well for others.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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TheIriaeban
Master of Realmslore

USA
1289 Posts

Posted - 01 Sep 2021 :  15:41:10  Show Profile Send TheIriaeban a Private Message  Reply with Quote
For an in game affect, I am thinking that the gods stopped talking directly to their followers (via dreams and manifestations) and instead limited it to the priests in their churches. For that year of silence, the gods didn't even speak with their priests and everything went through their Chosen. Of course, they still granted spells to their priests to show that they still existed.

Also, being quiet doesn't mean being mute. They very likely still speak to individuals to "call them into service" as new priests. Especially for the gods that just came back like Eldath and Mystra. They are going to want a functional church ASAP.

"Iriaebor is a fine city. So what if you can have violence between merchant groups break out at any moment. Not every city can offer dinner AND a show."

My FR writeups - http://www.mediafire.com/folder/um3liz6tqsf5n/Documents
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PattPlays
Senior Scribe

469 Posts

Posted - 02 Sep 2021 :  03:25:05  Show Profile  Visit PattPlays's Homepage Send PattPlays a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by TheIriaeban

Of course, they still granted spells to their priests to show that they still existed.


How simple of a miracle is it for the faerunian pantheon to instill a spellcaster with a spell during the spellplague up to the winter of 1487DR? Due to the often overlooked state of almost all magic users being.. effectively sorcerers wielding the raw chaos magic of creation while wearing different clothes. I suppose the divine element of the spellplague is more of a debated topic.

:The world's greatest OOTA fan/critic: :"Powder kegs within powder kegs!": :Meta-Dimensional Cheese: :Why is the Wand of Orcus just back?: :We still don't know the nature of Souls and the Positive Energy Plane: :PC on profile, Aldritch Elpyptrat Maxinfield: :Helljumpers, Bungie.net: :Rock Hard Gladiator, RIP Fluidanim, Long Live Pluto: :IRC lives:


https://thisisstorytelling.wordpress.com

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