Candlekeep Forum
Candlekeep Forum
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Active Polls | Members | Private Messages | Search | FAQ
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

 All Forums
 Forgotten Realms Journals
 Running the Realms
 Warforged: Creations of Lantan or Netheril?
 New Topic  New Poll New Poll
 Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  

Misanthrope
Acolyte

USA
3 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  00:11:41  Show Profile Send Misanthrope a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
I've always found it interesting how almost every race has a place in the realms except, unfortunately, the Warforged of Eberron. Part of that is that the Warforged's creation is important to their story and tied to the lore of Eberron: it's not hard to pick up the Thri-Kreen of Dark Sun and drop them into the Shaar because they're ultimately just a natural population of bugfolk, and in any world where elementals and humans coexist, it's not a large jump to say that Genasi might, either. But Warforged are anecdotally probably the most popular race that nevertheless aren't assumed to be available at all tables by default, and I'm doing a little lore writing to change that, trying to fit them into the major D&D settings in an innocuous way, starting with 5e's "default" of the Forgotten Realms.

For me, the most important parts of the Warforged backstory is that they are constructed, in large quantities, for a purpose that usually involves combat. A single wizard in a tower could arguably "make" a warforged as a personal servant, but that's not enough to qualify as a "race" in narrative or gameplay terms, in my view; the creature must be populous enough that at least someone (not necessary a regular schlub) could take a look at them and figure out a reasonable expectation of their abilities based on what he knows about others of his kind.

Arguably, for different definitions of the term, Lantan and Netheril are the most "advanced" civilizations of Faerun, contested only by the Shou Lung who haven't really got much lore since 2e. Both are known to produce intelligent constructs in large quantities; Nimblewrights and Tomb Tappers, respectively. Both such constructs are used for martial purposes.

I've been considering two potential backstories for a Faerunian warforged population, each with two sub-stories, and I was wondering which you guys feel fit the setting better?

1a) Warforged were built by the gnomes and humans of Lantan during the island's disappearance during the Spellplague. When most of Lantan was shifted into the world of Abeir, the Lantanese people were forced into a hostile world with new creatures and could not rely on the sea to provide a natural border for them. Warforged legions were quickly constructed, using risky, barely understood magics found on the new world that imbued them with full sentience as opposed to standard protective golems. When Lantan was returned to Toril, the many legions of Warforged who were created to garrison the territory of Lantan found themselves without a job; as the Lantanese people were not warlike and suddenly had no use for their standing army, they granted these warforged leave and full citizenship. Much like the Dragonborn, the Warforged treat the lands of Faerun as new to them and explore it with a sense of wonder; though many still have stuck around in Lantan or nearby settlements to work as guards and mercenaries, sticking to the only job they have had in their short life.

1b) The warforged were a prototype created by Lantan shortly before the spellplague, perhaps even tapping into the latent magics that would soon upend the world. When Lantan disappeared, the Warforged did not: instead sinking to the bottom of the sea where the islands of Lantan were previously. Without a need to breathe or eat, the Warforged created small communities on the sea floor near the former island, using debris, shipwrecks and metals they could acquire from underwater mines. With a small population and a hostile environment, as they were not designed for underwater survival, the warforged took the better part of a century to get around to building their first city... only for Lantan to come back and physically push them out. The warforged emerged from the sea to greet their traumatized creators, and began to assist them in rebuilding their lost home and reintegrating into Faerun.

2a) The warforged were created in the waning years of the Netherese war against the Phaerimm, based off the same designs and magics that led to the creation of the Thaalud. The creation of Warforged was predicated on the high level magic and mythallars of Netheril. The warforged were an army created to fight the next stage in the war against the Phaerimm; when the Thaalud dug deep to root them out, the Warforged would meet the aberrations at the surface to kill them, their unique "living construct" physiology allowing them to receive magical boons and healing from their Netherese commanders but making them resistant to the Phaerimm's life-draining spells. Many warforged were locked away in tombs and garrisons in what would later become Anauroch; however, Karsus' folly caused the empire to crumble in an instant. For thousands of years the warforged laid waiting, dormant in the sands of the desert... and only in recent years have they awakened to find a world where the war they were created to fight had already ended.

2b) The thaalud of Netheril dug deep in the pursuit of their Phaerimm foes, but were also programmed with a lust for magic by their long-dead creators. One such group of thaalud managed to encounter something deep in the underdark which changed them; shrinking them and changing their forms to something more resembling humans in appearance, merging their metallic and stony bodies with living components. Over time more and more thaalud encountered this mysterious force; be it an ancient curse, the work of a god or some other magical power, the thaalud who came across this force stayed until their population swelled. No longer compelled to search for magic or phaerimm, these new creatures, "warforged", hearkening back to their original mission, found themselves with free will for the first time in their life. Organizing together and using their natural strength to fight off raiding parties of drow and duergar, these warforged have slowly begun migrating up to the surface through portals to the underdark, and are ready to explore a new world with fresh, newly-granted eyes.

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  03:14:50  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I went for a third option, myself. I went for smaller numbers, though -- I didn't want to import an entire race, but I wanted warforged to be an option.

I actually created three versions of warforged; the first version, the livegolems, are the closest to Eber-whatsit's warforged, and were the most suitable for use as PCs.

I used the ancient Raumathar-Narfell conflict for their origin -- because it is canon, involved lots of magic, and it did include constructs. For me, going from standard constructs to free-willed intelligent constructs is not too much of an extrapolation, particularly with a magical society at war.

You can click here to see what I came up with: Living Constructs of the Realms, part 1: Livegolems

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
Go to Top of Page

BadCatMan
Senior Scribe

Australia
401 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  05:37:33  Show Profile Send BadCatMan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Basal golems are living constructs mass-produced using mana-powered "bloodforges", appearing in the old Realms-set Blood & Magic RTS computer game. They can be used to build structures, be transformed into other creatures, to generate mana through meditation, and to fight for the Five Kingdoms of the Utter East.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Basal_golem
So warforged don't need to be added to the Realms, they already exist there. :D

BadCatMan, B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.
Scientific technical editor
Head DM of the Realms of Adventure play-by-post community
Administrator of the Forgotten Realms Wiki
Go to Top of Page

Brimstone
Great Reader

USA
3285 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  06:02:15  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
You can also use Undermountain. Trobriand created a batch. A couple or more escaped and there you go. Trobriand's Warforged.

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep
Go to Top of Page

Brimstone
Great Reader

USA
3285 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  06:06:39  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I personally like the Raumathar-Narfell conflict for their origin like Wooly pointed out...

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep
Go to Top of Page

Ayrik
Great Reader

Canada
7966 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  08:23:11  Show Profile Send Ayrik a Private Message  Reply with Quote
What's the lifespan for warforged?
What's the age of the eldest ones? Or at least, when are they first mentioned in Realmslore? (They were introduced in 3E, of course, back when the Iron Man movies were popular.)

AD&D only had golems, many variants of golems, some designed for the sorts of specific tasks and purposes which warforged fulfill. Not sure why they'd still use golems when warforged would be a better option.

Spelljammer and Planescape also used golems when warforged would be clearly preferable. Which implies that warforged simply weren't an available option.

Van Richten's Guide to the Created describes half-living flesh golems, similar to Frankenstein's monster, infused with malign and hateful spirits of Ravenloft's demiplane. Which, again, seems like an inferior choice vs living warforged.

Realmslore also had Alias (and her "sisters"), living automatons which required the powers of wizards and a lich and a deity to create - along with a sacrificial soul and much incidental evil. Which seems like a whole lot of effort to create a few people from scratch, not a very practical goal in a world where artificial people already exist.

[/Ayrik]
Go to Top of Page

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  08:35:02  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
there's also nimblewrights

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
Go to Top of Page

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  13:39:40  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

What's the lifespan for warforged?
What's the age of the eldest ones? Or at least, when are they first mentioned in Realmslore? (They were introduced in 3E, of course, back when the Iron Man movies were popular.)



In Eberron, I think the warforged had only been around for 100 years -- maybe not even that long; that's when the Last War started. This is all if I remember correctly, of course.

Warforged were introduced in the Eberron Campaign Setting, which came out in 2004. The first Iron Man movie came out in 2008.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
Go to Top of Page

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  13:52:30  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

I personally like the Raumathar-Narfell conflict for their origin like Wooly pointed out...



To me, that's the closest thing the Realms has to Eberron's Last War. My thinking is that you're only going to have one-offs unless there's a reason for multiple ones -- like a war. And as I said, it's a canon conflict that involved constructs, so it's already just one step away from what we need.

On the flip side, though, I like to keep my settings separate, so the way I did my variant warforged kept the numbers small -- possibly as many as 15 active livegolems, for example, in the entire setting. Even adding in the other variants I came up with would still keep the overall number below 50 -- closer to 35, maybe 40.

I'm not as keen on a Lantanna origin for something like warforged, because the Lantanna already have their clockworks and nimblewrights -- and warforged are neither of those things.

For creating them in a modern era, I'd go for either Thay or Shade: they're both aggressive enough to think this is a good idea, and would have the magic to try it -- though having the resources to create an entire new race is an issue, and another reason to keep their numbers small. Thay has more resources and magic at their disposal, but they favor undead, which are a lot easier to do. And either group would have plenty of opposition to trying this on a large scale.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
Go to Top of Page

Misanthrope
Acolyte

USA
3 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  19:57:13  Show Profile Send Misanthrope a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik

What's the lifespan for warforged?
What's the age of the eldest ones? Or at least, when are they first mentioned in Realmslore? (They were introduced in 3E, of course, back when the Iron Man movies were popular.)

AD&D only had golems, many variants of golems, some designed for the sorts of specific tasks and purposes which warforged fulfill. Not sure why they'd still use golems when warforged would be a better option.

Spelljammer and Planescape also used golems when warforged would be clearly preferable. Which implies that warforged simply weren't an available option.

Van Richten's Guide to the Created describes half-living flesh golems, similar to Frankenstein's monster, infused with malign and hateful spirits of Ravenloft's demiplane. Which, again, seems like an inferior choice vs living warforged.

Realmslore also had Alias (and her "sisters"), living automatons which required the powers of wizards and a lich and a deity to create - along with a sacrificial soul and much incidental evil. Which seems like a whole lot of effort to create a few people from scratch, not a very practical goal in a world where artificial people already exist.



In Eberron, where the warforged originate, the maximum age of warforged is actually an in-universe question. For the most part, the oldest warforged are around 30 years, and the creator of the setting, Keith Baker, points out that they are immune to abilities that would prematurely age other races; warforged seemingly aren't immortal, they straight up are incapable of aging. That being said, deep in the jungles of Xen'drik (a kind of "lost continent" full of high magic ruins) there are some ancient warforged that predate the traditional narrative of warforged being recent, 30-year-old inventions, indicating that the people who made the warforged may have gotten the design elsewhere.

Unlike Realmslore, where Ed and WotC try to have an answer for almost everything, Eberron as a setting deliberately leaves mysteries open to the DM with the idea that there are holes in the canon and bits of lore to support different interpretations so different DMs can customize "their" version of the setting. That's also why, despite being in publication for close to two decades, the timeline of Eberron refuses to progress in subsequent published books, because Eberron is supposed to be a "jumping off point" for DMs to customize the world.

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

I personally like the Raumathar-Narfell conflict for their origin like Wooly pointed out...



To me, that's the closest thing the Realms has to Eberron's Last War. My thinking is that you're only going to have one-offs unless there's a reason for multiple ones -- like a war. And as I said, it's a canon conflict that involved constructs, so it's already just one step away from what we need.

On the flip side, though, I like to keep my settings separate, so the way I did my variant warforged kept the numbers small -- possibly as many as 15 active livegolems, for example, in the entire setting. Even adding in the other variants I came up with would still keep the overall number below 50 -- closer to 35, maybe 40.

I'm not as keen on a Lantanna origin for something like warforged, because the Lantanna already have their clockworks and nimblewrights -- and warforged are neither of those things.

For creating them in a modern era, I'd go for either Thay or Shade: they're both aggressive enough to think this is a good idea, and would have the magic to try it -- though having the resources to create an entire new race is an issue, and another reason to keep their numbers small. Thay has more resources and magic at their disposal, but they favor undead, which are a lot easier to do. And either group would have plenty of opposition to trying this on a large scale.



The reason you gravitated to Raumathar-Narfell is the reason I went to Netheril-Phaerimm, personally, with the added benefit of the thaalud being made in relatively large numbers. As interesting as the Raumathar propensity to create golems is, I'm not sure the lore supports the existence of a kind of Raumviran industrial base that could pump out golems/warforged en masse: I get the impression Raumathar was sparsely populated, as opposed to Netheril, which was highly urbanized and basically had magical industry already.

In terms of population, though, I both agree and disagree with you. I think that warforged should exist in small numbers in FR, but I think like, 15 is a bit too small. I think the "sweet spot" for me is to have enough to either make up a sizeable minority in a country or region (1% of the population) or enough to populate an entire small city-state: a population in the thousands at max, compared to the millions (billions?) of common races like humans. Again, when I think about adding a "race" into the world, it should be one with some degree of history and, if not stereotypes, then heuristics. A traveler looking at a warforged or some other weird race like a buomman or a wemic shouldn't be totally baffled on what the creature is; they just need to pass a moderately high DC intelligence check of some kind to know a bit about that person, which they heard in an adventurer's tavern or read in a book.

All that being said, while the Basal Golems of Blood and Magic seem dubiously canon, they also do seem absolutely perfect for introducing warforged into the realms and I think I may go with that the next time I sit down at a FR table.

Edited by - Misanthrope on 17 Nov 2019 20:01:33
Go to Top of Page

Dalor Darden
Great Reader

USA
4211 Posts

Posted - 17 Nov 2019 :  23:44:09  Show Profile Send Dalor Darden a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I never liked the Warforged; but if I had a player that really wanted to play one in the Forgotten Realms I would likely favor a Thayan Origin.

Thayans wanting a powerful army would have started making them, but stopped once they realized that they were autonomous thinkers...especially once the good aligned ones started to rebel against their creators causing a brief strife in Thay before most of the Warforged fled Thay and their slavery there.

The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me!
Go to Top of Page

Ayrik
Great Reader

Canada
7966 Posts

Posted - 18 Nov 2019 :  01:47:36  Show Profile Send Ayrik a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I would lean towards post-ToT creation of the first warforged. So originally Lantan and Gond.
Or maybe Halruaa, if that's your thing.

Thay seems more like an early adopter than like an innovator in technomagical constructs - and you can bet that Red Wizards would never create autonomous magically-resistant minions without building in some sort of Red Override to assert and maintain complete control.

But I still think it's doubtful ancient Netheril ever had warforged. No mentions in historical Realmslore, no legends, no "holy grail" wizard projects, no surviving examples, not even any dead (or undead) examples. Not even something the Shades (re)introduced to the Realms.
Unless perhaps Jingleshod was some sort of prototype?

[/Ayrik]
Go to Top of Page

Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
Moderator

USA
36779 Posts

Posted - 18 Nov 2019 :  04:02:32  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Misanthrope


The reason you gravitated to Raumathar-Narfell is the reason I went to Netheril-Phaerimm, personally, with the added benefit of the thaalud being made in relatively large numbers. As interesting as the Raumathar propensity to create golems is, I'm not sure the lore supports the existence of a kind of Raumviran industrial base that could pump out golems/warforged en masse: I get the impression Raumathar was sparsely populated, as opposed to Netheril, which was highly urbanized and basically had magical industry already.


I don't know if I'd say Netheril had a magical industry... They made a lot of stuff with magic, yes -- but they focused more on one-offs and quasimagic stuff. Mass production really wasn't their thing, especially since each enclave was more or less autonomous.

quote:
Originally posted by Misanthrope

In terms of population, though, I both agree and disagree with you. I think that warforged should exist in small numbers in FR, but I think like, 15 is a bit too small. I think the "sweet spot" for me is to have enough to either make up a sizeable minority in a country or region (1% of the population) or enough to populate an entire small city-state: a population in the thousands at max, compared to the millions (billions?) of common races like humans. Again, when I think about adding a "race" into the world, it should be one with some degree of history and, if not stereotypes, then heuristics. A traveler looking at a warforged or some other weird race like a buomman or a wemic shouldn't be totally baffled on what the creature is; they just need to pass a moderately high DC intelligence check of some kind to know a bit about that person, which they heard in an adventurer's tavern or read in a book.




My thing is that while I'm happy to import stuff on a very small scale, I prefer to keep things in the settings they're designed for. My personal Realms has the Realmsified warforged I've created, a 40k Space Marine (without the tech), a dude that anyone from Krynn would call a draconian... But those are all either small numbers, or just one-offs. I prefer to have only races from Realms material present in the Realms -- I don't even like most of the races from the various WotC splatbooks, like the Races of series. Except for individuals, I keep the races of a setting limited to what the setting was built to hold.

I love warforged -- but they're an Eberron race. They're designed for that setting. Without some similar backstory in place, I just don't see them working in another setting.

That's why I kept their numbers very small -- because the Realms has not had a continent-wide conflict to make warforged viable, and because the magical mass-production of anything simply isn't a Realms thing.

Candlekeep Forums Moderator

Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com
-- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct

I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!
Go to Top of Page

TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
948 Posts

Posted - 18 Nov 2019 :  19:41:29  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I think Lantan/Gond is the best choice, followed by Raumathar/Narfell or Imaskar (they've just been reactivated by something). All involved artificers of some sort. I wouldn't see Netheril as a good fit. I'm also not keen on Halruaa or Thay, but I think they are both better choices than Netheril.
Go to Top of Page

Gary Dallison
Great Reader

United Kingdom
6350 Posts

Posted - 18 Nov 2019 :  19:46:47  Show Profile Send Gary Dallison a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Netheril has magical intelligent constructs if you look in the Faith's and pantheons blurb about azuth.

But given that netheril was not a United nation it would likely just be a few war forged created by a single archmage and his secret died with him (or was stolen and secreted away by those hoarding the knowledge of netheril).

Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions Candlekeep Archive
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 1
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 2
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 3
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 4
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 5
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 6
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 7
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 8
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 9

Alternate Realms Site
Go to Top of Page

Galuf the Dwarf
Senior Scribe

USA
485 Posts

Posted - 19 Nov 2019 :  02:53:00  Show Profile Send Galuf the Dwarf a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Didn't Grand History of the Realms establish that Warforged were created by the Imaskari empire?

Galuf's Baldur's Gate NPC stats: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8823
Galuf's 3.5 Ed. Cleric Domains: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14036
Galuf's Homebrew 4th Edition Races: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13787
Galuf's Homebrew Specialty Priest PrCs: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14353
Galuf's Forgotten Realms Heralds and Allies thread: forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8766
Go to Top of Page

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 20 Nov 2019 :  01:43:45  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

I personally like the Raumathar-Narfell conflict for their origin like Wooly pointed out...



To me, that's the closest thing the Realms has to Eberron's Last War. My thinking is that you're only going to have one-offs unless there's a reason for multiple ones -- like a war. And as I said, it's a canon conflict that involved constructs, so it's already just one step away from what we need.

On the flip side, though, I like to keep my settings separate, so the way I did my variant warforged kept the numbers small -- possibly as many as 15 active livegolems, for example, in the entire setting. Even adding in the other variants I came up with would still keep the overall number below 50 -- closer to 35, maybe 40.

I'm not as keen on a Lantanna origin for something like warforged, because the Lantanna already have their clockworks and nimblewrights -- and warforged are neither of those things.

For creating them in a modern era, I'd go for either Thay or Shade: they're both aggressive enough to think this is a good idea, and would have the magic to try it -- though having the resources to create an entire new race is an issue, and another reason to keep their numbers small. Thay has more resources and magic at their disposal, but they favor undead, which are a lot easier to do. And either group would have plenty of opposition to trying this on a large scale.



Just to note regarding the Raumathar thing... Raumathar is ALSO noted as being a place with essentially living spells (another thing linked to the war that included warforged). From Unapproachable East.
Ring of Gray Flames: Three days’ ride east of Mulptan, hard on the borders of the Endless Waste, stands this ancient Raumathari ruin. Five broken towers stand in a ring, each crowned by a flickering gray flame. Strange and perilous magic taints the landscape surrounding them, including magical constructs that seem to be spells given life, longevity, and dire purpose.

So, spells given life. They're called spell wards because that's the name the people in Rashemen chose, but its evident that other than possibly "type" they are the same thing as living spells. This was before Eberron came around as well. To note they are constructs by type instead of oozes (which is what they are in Eberron), and it might be interesting if some warforged were "infused" with a "spell ward"/"living spell". They may also be intelligent, unlike the "ooze" that's a living spell. Thus, perhaps its the spell itself that's giving some warforged their "life", and thus some warforged might have some special spellcasting ability.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Edited by - sleyvas on 20 Nov 2019 02:04:07
Go to Top of Page

Misanthrope
Acolyte

USA
3 Posts

Posted - 20 Nov 2019 :  04:30:14  Show Profile Send Misanthrope a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Didn't Grand History of the Realms establish that Warforged were created by the Imaskari empire?



From a quick glance apparently Realms fans hate that book because it uses a lot of unfitting art; apparently there's art of a Warforged being repaired and they use it as a stand-in for a dragon being tortured... despite not establishing that image is a warforged or that the dragon was polymorphed into one or something similar like a golem.
Go to Top of Page

Wrigley
Senior Scribe

Czech Republic
605 Posts

Posted - 20 Nov 2019 :  12:32:21  Show Profile  Visit Wrigley's Homepage Send Wrigley a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Misanthrope

quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Didn't Grand History of the Realms establish that Warforged were created by the Imaskari empire?



From a quick glance apparently Realms fans hate that book because it uses a lot of unfitting art; apparently there's art of a Warforged being repaired and they use it as a stand-in for a dragon being tortured... despite not establishing that image is a warforged or that the dragon was polymorphed into one or something similar like a golem.


I wouldn't say it is hated for few errors. For me this book is a great tome of knowledge that I use almost constantly in my research of lore.
Also I remember that creators of this book even apologized for those mistaken arts saying that was found only after printing.

For the warforged themselves I would go the same way as Wooly - raumathari constructs animated by souls of fallen/crippled heroes. This make most sense to me as they had both resources and reasons to create a army of them and also there is a good reason for them to be left to themselves as Raumathar fell in one swoop by Kossuth even timing is good as it was under 1000 years ago. If they found a way to create new warforged by themselves that is a ideal timeframe for establishing themselves as a new race. If they still need soul of mortal for that they have Rashemen next door with plenty of proud worriors that are muled by Thay undead army.

Imaskari were hunted by Mulan slaves and their gods, Netheries were too fragmented to make such army, Lantan is to small and out of reach and also do not need army like that. They surely made some unique constructs of their own but not army of the same design.
Go to Top of Page

sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 20 Nov 2019 :  19:24:53  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Misanthrope

quote:
Originally posted by Galuf the Dwarf

Didn't Grand History of the Realms establish that Warforged were created by the Imaskari empire?



From a quick glance apparently Realms fans hate that book because it uses a lot of unfitting art; apparently there's art of a Warforged being repaired and they use it as a stand-in for a dragon being tortured... despite not establishing that image is a warforged or that the dragon was polymorphed into one or something similar like a golem.



That must be a really quick glance, considering how many people absolutely love that work.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
Go to Top of Page

TomCosta
Forgotten Realms Designer

USA
948 Posts

Posted - 20 Nov 2019 :  19:30:01  Show Profile Send TomCosta a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Fair comment on the art, but (while I'm obviously biased), not on the content. We had to use recycled art for Grand History of the Realms and some of the art got placed in the wrong location (not sure how that wasn't caught), ergo some issues with the art. The content is solid though, from the original compiled timelines by Brian James to the lineages by George Krashos and all the other original content by Ed, Eric Boyd, and a little from me.
Go to Top of Page

Bakra
Senior Scribe

628 Posts

Posted - 21 Nov 2019 :  21:56:07  Show Profile Send Bakra a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

I personally like the Raumathar-Narfell conflict for their origin like Wooly pointed out...



Me too, I used it for my warforged background.

I hope Candlekeep continues to be the friendly forum of fellow Realms-lovers that it has always been, as we all go through this together. If you don’t want to move to the “new” Realms, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with either you or the “old” Realms. Goodness knows Candlekeep, and the hearts of its scribes, are both big enough to accommodate both. If we want them to be.
(Strikes dramatic pose, raises sword to gleam in the sunset, and hopes breeches won’t fall down.)
Enough for now. The Realms lives! I have spoken! Ale and light wines half price, served by a smiling Storm Silverhand fetchingly clad in thigh-high boots and naught else! Ahem . .
So saith Ed. <snip>
love to all,
THO
Go to Top of Page

Brimstone
Great Reader

USA
3285 Posts

Posted - 22 Nov 2019 :  03:27:47  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
A Grand History is a MUST have in any Realms Library....

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep
Go to Top of Page

Dalor Darden
Great Reader

USA
4211 Posts

Posted - 23 Nov 2019 :  02:36:21  Show Profile Send Dalor Darden a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone

A Grand History is a MUST have in any Realms Library....



Probably my second most prized FR product after the Old Grey Box.

The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me!
Go to Top of Page

Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire

USA
15724 Posts

Posted - 25 Nov 2019 :  00:09:19  Show Profile Send Markustay a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Agree

quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta

Fair comment on the art, but (while I'm obviously biased), not on the content. We had to use recycled art for Grand History of the Realms and some of the art got placed in the wrong location (not sure how that wasn't caught), ergo some issues with the art. The content is solid though, from the original compiled timelines by Brian James to the lineages by George Krashos and all the other original content by Ed, Eric Boyd, and a little from me.


A very nice, oblique way of saying, "people were asleep at the wheel". It is an excellent source, but there are a couple of other minor continuity problems as well. This is the point where Ed would do 'Jazz Hands' and say "Its magic!" LOL

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone

Go to Top of Page

George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

Australia
6641 Posts

Posted - 25 Nov 2019 :  10:00:24  Show Profile Send George Krashos a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Yes, GHotR has more than a few errors that weren't picked up in the edits. One day. Still damn proud of it though.

-- George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
Go to Top of Page
  Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
 New Topic  New Poll New Poll
 Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Jump To:
Candlekeep Forum © 1999-2024 Candlekeep.com Go To Top Of Page
Snitz Forums 2000