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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 24 Sep 2019 :  21:34:30  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA




The Obsfucated Order
A heretical cult of Deneir ("Not every truth should be told"), founded by the half-mad Tethan priest St. Eavvyn of the Many Obsfucations (The Half-Haired, The Sesquipedalian Sensate, The Erudite Obscurationist), once one of the highest among the mortal councils of the God of the Written Word. The Order believes that The Metatext, those legendary words said to be hidden throughout all the numerous writings of Man, is too dangerous to ever be uncovered, as it would irrevocably lay bare all the mysteries and wonderment of Faerūn.
      In order to delay the day of its unveiling, the Order busies itself with crafting false copies of written texts, physically altering or stealing and hiding away others, burning and destroying libraries and storehouses of knowledge and, in general, keeping the lorekeepers and priests of Deneir and Oghma otherwise busy running around repairing the damage done through their activities. Their amphigoric re-writings in particular bedevil the scribes of Candlekeep and other repositories of knowledge to no end, and faithful of the Lord of All Glyphs have come to habitually curse Eavvyn and his ilk when confronted with a particularly confusing syntactic arrangement ("clear as mud" is the common turn of phrase).
      It is currently believed that the Order, no longer content with minor interpolations and intercalations, seeks to sustain a Grand Emendation, fueled by the burning sacrifice of the library of The Inner Chamber of Berdusk, that will irrevocably change every copy of Arflaur's Basic Truths (a holy scripture of the church) across the Western Heartlands into cryptic gibberish. The resultant untangling and writing of new editions would keep would-be Metatext-seekers busy for quite some time (it may also result in changes to how scribes and learned men percive the very fabric of Faerūn, but such wide-ranging changes are only theoretical at best).





Yeah, I heard "the Book of the World" was one of their works [:-D]

BTW, the earlier post gave me some ideas for surnames. It had never occurred to me to use realms or D&D specific monsters in a last name (the one I'm talking about had the last name Blackrothe). By that, it has occurred to me that someone might have a name related to griffins, unicorns, pegasi, giants, dragons, wyverns, lions/bears/wolves, etc... just not the more specifically game created creatures.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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AJA
Senior Scribe

USA
747 Posts

Posted - 27 Sep 2019 :  00:29:02  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote


Mauldra Ammarsair
A senior member of the Watchful Order (holds the office of Compiler of Enchantments). Plain, plump, dignified. Quiet and contemplative. Loudly sucks her teeth when lost in thought. Mauldra is tasked with compiling and cataloguing the names, histories, and enchantments of all known items of Art, or at least those of passable artifice. As most such creations are lost to Man or in the hands of uncooperative owners, much of the Order catalogues are filled with wild supposition and myth. Still, this is the person to talk to if you want to know the whereabouts of the legendary axe Azuredge, or the power triggered by the tenth knob of the Sunstaff of Araddym. Anyone willingly bringing her a unique item to catalogue can find her a great help in navigating the dusty depths of the Circle Shelves or in setting up an audience with another Senior Member of the Order.

Mauralynn Selfantha Enderae Moonstar
A noble of House Moonstar (widow of Uthglar / mother of Helve, Tharan and Talmeira). A noble of House Talmost by birth. A sharp-tongued, caustic old woman who finds fault with everyone (even her favorite, her daughter Talmeira, whom she scolds with one breath and spoils with the next).

Mazrah el Azrūltyr
The Searing Flame of the Lord. Medium height and rather slender build. Slightly stooped. Straight brown hair, beard neatly and closely trimmed. Priest of The Strife That Has Been and Shall Be For Ever (Cyric) and powerful factor of a Myratman trade consortium.

Merrytam "Sweet Merry" Brewnander
Bold nose, weak chin. Wavy brown hair. Has a slight persistant cough. Friendly, charismatic, opportunistic. Overseer of the Flying Fish Ferries, a thriving shore-to-shore ferry operation over the Dessarin at Zundbridge, owned and financed by the Master Mariners' Guild (who saw the rapidly increasing traffic on the Trade Way and an opportunity to profit from trade otherwise outside their sphere of influence). They charge a premium for this service, but not one so high as to convince passing traffic to wait out the long delay over the bridge which, at the height of the summer and autumn trade, can spend all day covered with passengers and carriers and packed with caravans and long trains of heavily laden packhorses and droves of cattle and oxen. The guild ferries of Flying Fish (decked out in the red-and-white scheme of the Master Mariners) then provide a quicker and easier way of getting across and of conveying merchandise to and fro. Similar operations set up on the nearby banks tend to fail ere-long, unfortunate victims of fire or other sudden catastrophe. To ward off such ill-fortunes himself, Merrytam can call on a force of some thirty trained armsmen and a rotating cadre of spellstaves and priests of Waukeen; he also maintains warm ties with the commander of the local Waterdhavian garrison, whose secondary desire to protecting the bridge itself is to ensure the efficient flow of mercantile traffic across (and now beside) it.

Mhaurin Geldaunt
Assumed the duties of Neveren envoy (ambassador) upon the death of his mentor, the career diplomat Aszundar Zel. Killed in Ches of 1370DR when the caravel he was aboard was attacked and sunk by the pirate known as the Thelark.


AJA
YAFRP
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AJA
Senior Scribe

USA
747 Posts

Posted - 27 Sep 2019 :  00:33:47  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote


The Five Ten Items Proffered At The Bazaar of the Bizarre
"If we add to this evil, the attendant glitter upon glitter, we have a perfect farrago of discordant and displeasing effects."
      "Philosophy of Furniture," The Works of Edgar Allen Poe: Miscellaneous Essays, Marginalia, Etc., Edgar Allen Poe


==================================================


The Girdle-Stone of Gledden
Performs the "create food" portion of the create food & water spell 1d4+2 times per day; provides only fired oaten cakes; you will know the daily allotment of magic is spent when the flour upon the stone turns blackened and burnt.

The Blue Quiver
Which was fashioned from the inside-out bark of the Mother of All Blueleaf and thick banded thread "of shadow and shining." Any bundle of sticks placed within will be transformed overnight into fine arrows (2d4+6) with tips as good as iron; these arrows carry no enchantment bonus but do double damage (and are considered silvered weapons) against lycanthropes of all manner.

The Turquoise Ring of Anamaster
Bandarr Anamaster was a long-ago priest of Shaundakul who roamed the North. The ring grants automatic initiative against any creature encountered from a random encounter table. In addition, any such creature that is intelligent (INT over 6) and is capable of understanding the speech of the ring wearer is subject to the effect of a friends spell.

The Mammoth-Bone Harp
Just as advertised, a massive harp carved from ancient yellowed mammoth bone; inlaid and capped with copper and turquoise; plays a lower register than most harps; when the strings are slapped, produces a deep thrum like the pounding of a drum; 3x/day thumping the harp can incite an incessant and immediate terror of hooves and stampeding beasts (akin to dragonfear); not likely to be carried into battle or stonedelve by anyone other than giant-kin, but very useful when set in place for dealing with things like riots or peasant levies; note that loxo, goliath and stone giant are immune to this effect.

Valkur's Pigments of Sea and Sky
Said to be weeping remnants of the irradiant wyrm the hero Valkur the Mighty slew on his Third Voyage to the West. Like a sending spell, but with pictures! Paint on thin air! Send your friends valuable treasure maps and rude stick figures! Lasts until the next strong breeze.

The Stonecock's Greathelm
The infamous headgear of Myrluss "the Stonecock" of Thoulgard, the bandit lord named for his seeming imperviousness in battle as if he had skin of basalt, and for the two malevolent cockatrices he kept leashed as pets, and which provided him with plenty of foul statuary for his gardens. Rounded helm with a massive visor that comes down well over the accompanying ruby-laid gorget, fashioned in the image of the dread cockatrice, complete with enamelled crimson for the eyes and the comb, curving up and to the dexter. (provides +1 AC; the gorget prevents any critical strikes or vorpal decapitations from taking effect; can enlarge the wearer (as 10th lvl mage 2x/day).

The Helm of Swords (The Wargod's Battle-Crest)
A helmet topped by a great imposing crest crafted of the seven blades seized by Haern the Black-Troll from his foes, the Northman chieftans of the Five Frozen Forts. In battle the fanned swordpoints were said to alight with blazing silver flame as in imitation of the holy symbol of Tempus (cause fear to 1d4+2 nearby opponents upon entering combat; any non-magical weapon held by the wearer gains a +1 to hit/damage opponents [even those only affected by enchanted weapons] while held and helm is worn).

Dlartaegur's Nail
It is said that a hundred years before the Dalereckoning the frost giant sorcerer-king Dlartaegur pared off his right thumbnail, gifting it to the Illuskan hero Lashkryn in return for his aid during the Orc Marches. The Nail is a blueshine dagger +1; when grasped allows the user to see normally in blinding snow or frost-glare conditions, and to walk through blizzards and snowdrifts as if unimpeded (will still leave tracks, will not clear a path for others to follow in).

Stonenmaur's White Harp
"The Silvered Sky That Brings Crimson Rain." A longbow of speed +3. Sister to Boedaur's Black Harp and The Red Harp of Shiluan. 2x/day, the bow can fire an arrow that lands with the effect of an acid fog spell.

Gaulbrūl "The Howling Horn"
Sometimes said to be one of the greatest engines of war ever crafted by the goblinoid races. 3x/day, can sound a great wail, as a banshee (slay up to 18 living creatures within a 40ft circle or a cone of 180ft). The blower must have a Constitution score over 14 to successfully wind the horn and each usage drains 1D4 HP, feeding the horrid sentience of the tortured spirit bound to it (recoverable by non-magical rest only). It is said that anyone fully drained in such a manner will rise as an undead of ravenous nature.


AJA
YAFRP

Edited by - AJA on 27 Sep 2019 00:49:02
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 27 Sep 2019 :  17:11:08  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA



The Blue Quiver
Which was fashioned from the inside-out bark of the Mother of All Blueleaf and thick banded thread "of shadow and shining." Any bundle of sticks placed within will be transformed overnight into fine arrows (2d4+6) with tips as good as iron; these arrows carry no enchantment bonus but do double damage (and are considered silvered weapons) against lycanthropes of all manner.

The Mammoth-Bone Harp
Just as advertised, a massive harp carved from ancient yellowed mammoth bone; inlaid and capped with copper and turquoise; plays a lower register than most harps; when the strings are slapped, produces a deep thrum like the pounding of a drum; 3x/day thumping the harp can incite an incessant and immediate terror of hooves and stampeding beasts (akin to dragonfear); not likely to be carried into battle or stonedelve by anyone other than giant-kin, but very useful when set in place for dealing with things like riots or peasant levies; note that loxo, goliath and stone giant are immune to this effect.

Valkur's Pigments of Sea and Sky
Said to be weeping remnants of the irradiant wyrm the hero Valkur the Mighty slew on his Third Voyage to the West. Like a sending spell, but with pictures! Paint on thin air! Send your friends valuable treasure maps and rude stick figures! Lasts until the next strong breeze.




Love the quiver, love the harp (especially that its giant sized). On the Valkir thing, I love what it does, but what more caught my eye was "Third Voyage to the West". Made up, or is there some information on him heading off towards Anchorome somewhere?

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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AJA
Senior Scribe

USA
747 Posts

Posted - 29 Sep 2019 :  00:20:53  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
On the Valkir thing, I love what it does, but what more caught my eye was "Third Voyage to the West". Made up, or is there some information on him heading off towards Anchorome somewhere?

Made up.

The way I have it, Valkur was a mortal who became a hero-deity, powered in large part from his renown and famed deeds (which every Illuskan sailor worth their salt knows, even today), that then turned to veneration and worship and ascension. He's far from the only one to take such legendary voyages (we had conversation about Tolumar Sharp-Winds earlier), but he was one of the select few to make that leap from legend to Power.

And no, I haven't sat down and hammered out just what he did on those Voyages to warrant such infamy, but for me it doesn't have to be Anchoromé as a destination. It is far from canon, but the way I prefer Faerūnian history is that the creation of Evermeet, ripping it from Faerie and the Planes and displacing it into the mortal realm irrevocably warped the western edge of Faerūn, making treks over the the hazy blue horizon of the Trackless Sea an imprecise (at best) prospect for all but the most able master mariners. Different ships sailing from the same starting point using the same wave-maps and star-points could still wind up somewhere completely different from each other, whether that is Evermeet, Maztica, Anchoromé, the Waters at the Edge of the World, or anywhere else. The stable sea-paths to Maztica have now been marked and charted by enough sailors and sea-shamans that they are fairly certain (which is why there is a steady cross-traffic these days), but even on those voyages ships are still lost or transported to somewhere else. And it was only after the goddess Umberlee was forced to open the sea-ways to Man (recounted in myth under the The Saltwrack entry on Dec 05) that such attempts were even possible for anyone other than the early elves.

(that is obviously pretty incompatible with the published Realms and the idea that Toril is a mapped globe [not to mention the core concepts of Spelljammer], but it works for me and my more abstract fantasy "Here Be Dragons" preferences)


AJA
YAFRP
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AJA
Senior Scribe

USA
747 Posts

Posted - 29 Sep 2019 :  00:25:52  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote


Roarlrabbas "Roar-Loud"
Said to have had the salt-ken, and the knowings of the invisible paths, unmapped and unbounded, that ships sail along the waves to shores near and afar, set down long before in the Dawning of Faerūn, during the Great Godsmoots that preceeded creation. Crossed the Trackless Sea and brought back Astlara Larae, daughter of the king of Serta, who had been carried off over the horizon by a giant roc to the Plains of the Ever-Living. It is said to be his greatsword that now hangs above the massive central hearth of Ripplerill, the Maernos hunting lodge in the Hazelmoors outside Silverymoon.

Rodaja and Mardaza
Veteran sword-shes, natives of Lapaliiya. Roja (her name pronounced "Roda-zah" and diminutive "Ro-sah," in the Lapal fashion) has a cadaverous face, ragged black hair, and hard, glittering yellow eyes, while Marza (her name pronounced "Mardasha" and diminutive "Mar-sah," again) is tall and slender, with keen, energetic black eyes. They rode north with the promise of steady pay from a trader who later turned up floating in the harbor (the result of a bad business deal, apparently), leaving them stranded in the city. Down on their luck, currently earning coin as bodyguards for minor merchantmen who flaunt them as ostentatiously-attired "devil-shes from the Realms Afar" (a job neither particularly enjoys). They have both taken to the City of Splendors – although they haven't been in town long enough yet to experience their first true Northern winter – and all they currently lack is better opportunity to showcase their martial skills. They have no experience with dungeon delving, but both realize that it may be their best chance to get out of their "cathlyre feathers and chainmail floss" outfits and back into proper leathers.

Roedeskant
The Magister Adjutant, The Black-Robed. Legendary mage-priest of Torm. The first magister (blackrobe) appointed under the revived Lord's Rule. Penned the masterful tome The Epithalamium of Baeron and Shilarn (of which it is said the very pages themselves weep as the tale unfolds within) and led the enchanting of The Upbraided Blade of Torm (a greatsword +2, +5 vs. Chaos, an artifact of the Tormish faith).

Roesklar
Burly mountain of a man. Back-alley brawler and professional "tankard buster" (starts tavern brawls so his compatriots can rob the pockets of unconscious participants). Proudly announces himself as "a master of the fistic proficiencies." A member of the Cudgels (the Wharf Street Watch) street gang.

Rollotharvast "Rollo" Mulndorph
Proprietor of The Savvy Seadog, a Dock Ward dry-goods-and-sundries store (Dock Street, north of Spice Street). Typical portly, cheerful, talkative Hin. Drives hard bargains for those who like to haggle. Has a wooden pegleg (never a sailor, but likes to play the part).


==================================================


Roarthoes Margaster [ Source: A 09/21/05 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]

Robilar Roaringhorn [ Source: "Elminster's Everwinking Eye: Clandestine Company," Ed Greenwood, Polyhedron Magazine #95, p.5. Name/Description given ]

The Rock [ Source: The novel Tymora's Luck. Name/Description given ]

Roldo Thongolier [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]


AJA
YAFRP

Edited by - AJA on 29 Sep 2019 00:51:54
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 29 Sep 2019 :  01:43:15  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA

quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
On the Valkir thing, I love what it does, but what more caught my eye was "Third Voyage to the West". Made up, or is there some information on him heading off towards Anchorome somewhere?

Made up.

The way I have it, Valkur was a mortal who became a hero-deity, powered in large part from his renown and famed deeds (which every Illuskan sailor worth their salt knows, even today), that then turned to veneration and worship and ascension. He's far from the only one to take such legendary voyages (we had conversation about Tolumar Sharp-Winds earlier), but he was one of the select few to make that leap from legend to Power.

And no, I haven't sat down and hammered out just what he did on those Voyages to warrant such infamy, but for me it doesn't have to be Anchoromé as a destination. It is far from canon, but the way I prefer Faerūnian history is that the creation of Evermeet, ripping it from Faerie and the Planes and displacing it into the mortal realm irrevocably warped the western edge of Faerūn, making treks over the the hazy blue horizon of the Trackless Sea an imprecise (at best) prospect for all but the most able master mariners. Different ships sailing from the same starting point using the same wave-maps and star-points could still wind up somewhere completely different from each other, whether that is Evermeet, Maztica, Anchoromé, the Waters at the Edge of the World, or anywhere else. The stable sea-paths to Maztica have now been marked and charted by enough sailors and sea-shamans that they are fairly certain (which is why there is a steady cross-traffic these days), but even on those voyages ships are still lost or transported to somewhere else. And it was only after the goddess Umberlee was forced to open the sea-ways to Man (recounted in myth under the The Saltwrack entry on Dec 05) that such attempts were even possible for anyone other than the early elves.

(that is obviously pretty incompatible with the published Realms and the idea that Toril is a mapped globe [not to mention the core concepts of Spelljammer], but it works for me and my more abstract fantasy "Here Be Dragons" preferences)





Yeah, I've liked the little hints you've done tremendously with the stuff headed towards the west, and part of me wants to sit down and try to ferret them all out and see what can be done with them as I discuss with Seethyr adding islands and what not (it could be cool to use names that you created but didn't really detail... making it a shared world in this way, etc...). As I think on the idea of Valkur heading in that direction, it occurs to me that it might be interesting if he were "raised up" by the sponsorship of the Metahel gods in return for service to them (as in he maybe gained a divine rank of 0 in his travels and service to them and returned home and translated that to a further ranking.... I know there's some story in P&P on how he gained power.. something to do with him being a legendary captain of Mintarn who challenged Umberlee and won against all odds.... maybe he went and found Eldunna's golden mango tree... and she being the goddess of rivers and springs, beauty, etc... she gave him a golden mango, which he presented to Umberlee and it enchanted her or something... maybe the challenge was to win Umberlee's love <or the love of one of her priests> and the mango achieved the result even if only temporarily).


In particular was one about a human mage who lands on Evermeet and ends up marrying a princess of Evermeet and they get exiled. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to steal that premise, but not necessarily the names (unless you were cool with me doing that), etc... Basically, give a hint that a human male mage and elven female princess were exiled from Evermeet. Being outcasts, she prayed to Fenmarel Mestarine. They joined a snow elven tribe, and their half-elven children bred with the snow elves. As a result, since elves "breed true", some of their children were snow elves, and some were of the same bloodline as the princess. Just refound the entry... its the one where we were talking about her being exiled with High Magic that also affected her children making them unable to speak with elves, etc... Anyway, the idea is that eventually Fenmarel Mestarine led the children of this bloodline south. The High Magic may have made these elves less "true" as well, especially given their human blood, such that maybe they were able to take on the height of snow elves.



Found the original entry. Its below.
Originally posted by AJA


Baglaurbaun
The Wizard Who Went West. As excerpted from Norshaelra's Things Of Light and Shadow; "Both Tethyrian and Illuskan folklore of old have a variety of characters who 'went west,' including perhaps the best known, Balduran, 'The Warrior Who Went West.'

"Baglaurbaun 'The Wizard Who Went West' is said to have come to the Evermeet of the Elves on the back of a giant eagle he carved from obsidian and enchanted himself. When the secretive elves sent killing winds against him, his eagle transformed into a giant manta ray, and they swam underwater. When the wrathful elves froze the waves and boiled the depths with steam and lava, the ray transformed into a giant bulette, and they dove under the seabed, and tunnelled through the earth until they had reached dry land. And when the sanguinary elven knights and bowmen came a-searching, the bulette transformed into a mighty oak, in whose trunk Baglaurbaun stayed hidden until the faerie host had passed by. And so came Baglaurbaun to be the first human to stride upon the sparkling sward of the legendary Elf-Land uninvited.

"Baglaurbaun soon seduced and secretly married an inquisitive elf maid who saw through his glamors, a daughter of a king of that realm, and only her fair hand upon their discovery stayed the wrath of her father and spared the life of her new husband. Instead, they were both sentenced to exile, and together went even further west, where it is said their halfbreed children grew to populate those mysterious far isles now know as Anchoromé. And Baglaurbaun's magical construct, that which the elves called Hathorlūne, was a thing of wondrous intent to them, and was granted sentience and freedom by their fey enchantments. It mated with the silver dragons of the elven realm, and from that fateful union came forth the draconic breed that men now know as steel dragons, who have taken the curiosity of the lesser races from their silvered forebears, and their innate shapechanging abilities from their dark-flanked sire."

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Edited by - sleyvas on 29 Sep 2019 02:06:39
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AJA
Senior Scribe

USA
747 Posts

Posted - 29 Sep 2019 :  04:50:45  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to steal that premise, but not necessarily the names (unless you were cool with me doing that), etc...

No, I don't mind at all, use away. And I think increased details on the interactions between Maztica/Anchoromé and Faerūn (especially throughout history/myth) can only be a good thing, specifically in regards to making Maztica more of an intertwined, organic part of Toril, and less of a jarring bolt-on.

quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Found the original entry. Its below.
Originally posted by AJA

It's funny, but just before posting the most recent "Five NPCs" entry, I changed the creature that abducted Astlara Larae (under the "Roarlrabbas" entry) from eagle to roc, because I thought a roc "sounded" (fit the legendary motif) better, and I couldn't remember why I chose an eagle to begin with, but your 'Baglaurbaun' re-post just reminded me; I think the intent was that the giant eagle and the eagle form of Baglaubaun's construct to be one and the same. (not that it matters to the topic under discussion, but thank you for reminding me all the same; I'll change it back on the final copy )


AJA
YAFRP

Edited by - AJA on 29 Sep 2019 04:54:06
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 29 Sep 2019 :  18:01:59  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA

quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to steal that premise, but not necessarily the names (unless you were cool with me doing that), etc...

No, I don't mind at all, use away. And I think increased details on the interactions between Maztica/Anchoromé and Faerūn (especially throughout history/myth) can only be a good thing, specifically in regards to making Maztica more of an intertwined, organic part of Toril, and less of a jarring bolt-on.

quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Found the original entry. Its below.
Originally posted by AJA

It's funny, but just before posting the most recent "Five NPCs" entry, I changed the creature that abducted Astlara Larae (under the "Roarlrabbas" entry) from eagle to roc, because I thought a roc "sounded" (fit the legendary motif) better, and I couldn't remember why I chose an eagle to begin with, but your 'Baglaurbaun' re-post just reminded me; I think the intent was that the giant eagle and the eagle form of Baglaubaun's construct to be one and the same. (not that it matters to the topic under discussion, but thank you for reminding me all the same; I'll change it back on the final copy )





Hmmm, so just to continue this idea... let's look at that entry and try to fit it into Anchorome that we've been discussing in other threads.

your entry
Roarlrabbas "Roar-Loud"
Said to have had the salt-ken, and the knowings of the invisible paths, unmapped and unbounded, that ships sail along the waves to shores near and afar, set down long before in the Dawning of Faerūn, during the Great Godsmoots that preceeded creation. Crossed the Trackless Sea and brought back Astlara Larae, daughter of the king of Serta, who had been carried off over the horizon by a giant roc to the Plains of the Ever-Living. It is said to be his greatsword that now hangs above the massive central hearth of Ripplerill, the Maernos hunting lodge in the Hazelmoors outside Silverymoon.


So, carried to the Plains of the Ever-Living that COULD be in Anchorome, but by the name itself... what if its instead in the Spirit Realm that is Coterminous (overlayed) to mirror the prime material? Thus, the spirits of ancestors are "ever-living", so its a place where the ancestors of the people's of Anchorome still live.

Astlara Larae, daughter of the king of Serta …. so here we could have the name of the princess that was exiled with Baglaurbaun and from your notes above, that seems the intent. OR
an alternative being that this princess was maybe seeking out an ancestor (perhaps that original princess who was exiled or Baglaurbaun her human lover), and she might not even be an elf.

So "the King of Serta"... so Evermeet had a "kingdom of Serta" if this is that original princess OR this was a Faerunian kingdom that the eagle/roc took her from.

Also, on the eagle/roc being the shapeshifting construct named Hathorlūne by the elves that fathered steel dragons.... I had not put any notes to its name previously, but Hathor … witches of Rashemen.... a land of "spirits" … and lūne… connotations of Lunar/Selune/ and witchcraft. It kind of makes me think "what if the elves somehow turned the construct into a spirit animal… similar to the Thunderbird or Phoenix or something similar.

So perhaps a different spin we could put on it would be Astlara Larae, daughter of the king of Serta was a Talfirian blooded woman. Perhaps as well, the original human mage that made it to Evermeet (Baglaurbaun) was also Talfirian blooded. Perhaps the "eagle" Hathorlūne had been called by an ancestor of Baglaurbaun (that being Astlara) because of some menace to the Talfirian people. It came and carried her to the land of the Spirit World, where she became trapped. Then comes Roarlrabbas "Roar-Loud" (her Illuskan lover) who uses his sword RippleRill to open a pathway on a river to traverse into the realm of spirits as he crosses the sea and rescues her (perhaps the sword can "slice" a pathway into the realm of spirits as a special ability, effectively opening a port). What the princess might have needed or why the Eagle/Roc/Thunderbird brought her to Anchorome and why that might have involved finding the spirit of Baglaurbaun… unsure. I'm also wondering "could the construct have turned into some powerful bird spirit of Anchorome" and that makes me think Aearee.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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AJA
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Posted - 30 Sep 2019 :  22:26:57  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
So "the King of Serta"... so Evermeet had a "kingdom of Serta" if this is that original princess OR this was a Faerunian kingdom that the eagle/roc took her from.

Sleyvas, "Serta" comes from my old notes on an old posting to the Realms-L list by Bobby Nichols relaying even older notes from Ed at a GenCon
quote:
Serta ... sunken land - halfway between Mintarn and Waterdeep

Unfortunately REALMS-L is long gone but the "Council of Far Travelers" from the later part of those notes shows up as asked about by Crazed Venturers and received by THO in Ed's 2010 Thread, so I know I wasn't imagining the whole thing. No other pertinent results for Serta itself, unfortunately. Maybe Eric or Krash or @TheEdVerse might have more?

So, not sure how that affects your calculations, but I want say again that (even if I don't jump in to make comment on your theorycrafting) I absolutely love "watching" you muse these things out.


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sleyvas
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Posted - 30 Sep 2019 :  23:36:15  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA

quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
So "the King of Serta"... so Evermeet had a "kingdom of Serta" if this is that original princess OR this was a Faerunian kingdom that the eagle/roc took her from.

Sleyvas, "Serta" comes from my old notes on an old posting to the Realms-L list by Bobby Nichols relaying even older notes from Ed at a GenCon
quote:
Serta ... sunken land - halfway between Mintarn and Waterdeep

Unfortunately REALMS-L is long gone but the "Council of Far Travelers" from the later part of those notes shows up as asked about by Crazed Venturers and received by THO in Ed's 2010 Thread, so I know I wasn't imagining the whole thing. No other pertinent results for Serta itself, unfortunately. Maybe Eric or Krash or @TheEdVerse might have more?

So, not sure how that affects your calculations, but I want say again that (even if I don't jump in to make comment on your theorycrafting) I absolutely love "watching" you muse these things out.





Actually, if that's the case, then this even more fits the theory I was proposing at the end, except the part about her being Talifirian… and instead being whatever people's lived on Serta.

A sunken land? Hmmm and near Mintarn. Makes me want to link it to Valkur and his challenge against Umberlee. Maybe she sank his homeland and he was forced to Mintarn, and in revenge he challenged her or something.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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ericlboyd
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Posted - 30 Sep 2019 :  23:45:03  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
(Edited to fix mispelling, corrected by Ed. See post below.)

The sea elf kingdom of Nindrol surrounds Toaridge-at-the-Sun's-Setting, which lies north of the Nelanthar and south of Mintarn. (See Dragon #267, page 83.)

That island has also gained attention due to the story of Taragarth "the Bloodbrand." (See Dragon #74, page 24, and FR4 - The Magister, page 60.)

The latter is a curious reference, because it discusses an Underdark link between Toaridge and the mainland, near Beregost.

That illithid city of Tellectus appears on the map in Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark and is detailed on page 121. (It appears to have been left out of Underdark.)

Depending on what Ed said exactly (i.e. was it between Mintarn and Waterdeep or between Mintarn and the Sword Coast), one idea would be that Sertra was once a larger island north of the Nelanthar that sunk, leaving only one mountain peak above the waterline, which is now known as Toaridge-at-the-Sun's-Setting. The sea elves later moved in and occupied the sunken human castles of Sertra.

It could even be that the island sunk after a great cavern beneath it collapsed. Perhaps an ancient illithid city? At least one expedition made it from Tellectus to Toaridge via still existing Underdark passages and retrieved the sword.

Not sure all of the above works from a timeline perspective, but it could be fun. Let's try it out.

When did Sertra sink? No clue, but would love to make 181 DR (Year of the Sinking Islands) work.

When was the sword left on Toaridge? It would have to be shortly after 982 DR, as we know that is the date that Tulven succeeded Rayuth. (Grand History of the Realms, page 113.)

When was the sword recovered by the illithids? According to City of Splendors: Waterdeep, page 68, Marune was born in 1226 DR. My personal notes have him studying at the Incanistaeum from 1245 DR to 1253 DR. (What???) The Shadow Thieves were driven out in 1273 DR (CoS:W, page 11), which is probably the "subsequent upheavals" mentioned in the sword's writeup. So my guess is that Marune got the sword between 1253 and 1273 DR (let's say 1260 DR for argument's sake), which means the sword got to Scornubel around 1240 DR (twenty winters previous), which means the adventurers probably raided Tellectus around 1239 DR, which coincidentally is the Year of the Bloodied Sword!

:-)

--Eric

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Edited by - ericlboyd on 01 Oct 2019 11:19:22
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sleyvas
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  00:02:47  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Oh, and btw AJA, as much as you like watching me conjecture... I have a lot of fun trying to make spin on your entries. I have a lot of similar fun with Seethyr in imagining Anchorome, as he has a pretty firm picture that's researched native American ideas.... and I only play with the ideas and fiddle them in directions. I very much am fond of "throwing it against the wall and seeing if it sticks".

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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ericlboyd
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  01:56:23  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hah, Ed confirms I'm on to something.

===

The name was "Sertra," NOT "Serta," and it was indeed a land that sunk, leaving only its highest peak to become the isle of Toaridge-at-the-Sun's-Setting...but I developed it no farther than that. In the "home" Realms campaign, there was brief interest in exploring the sunken ruins in hopes of finding treasure, but nothing ever came of it.

===

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ericlboyd
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  04:28:22  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Tweaked the history very slightly as I looked at the exact story of Taragarth. Here's an updated version of Ed's write-up, with the 3.5e stats from Magic of Faerun and lots of dates in lieu of the original vagueness.

Taragarth “the Bloodbrand”
Price (Item Level): 86,335 gp (20th)
Body Slot: — (held)
Caster Level: 9th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 20) evocation
Activation: —
Weight: 6 lb.

This bastard sword is forged of steel, fire-blackened along the length of the blade so that only the sharpened edges gleam. On the base of the blade, just ahead of the simple crossbar guard, is a rune etched into the metal. The rune is non-magical and evidently the mark of the blade’s maker, but who the maker is has been lost over time.

This legendary bastard sword is famed for the feats of Aeroth of Silverymoon, who wielded it to great effect during the Second Trollwar.
Lore: Taragarth was forged by Elfgar of Silverymoon in the early days of the North, and was given to Aeroth, Champion of Rayuth, when he led the armies of the North against the trolls of the Evermoors during the Second Trollwar (940-952 DR). The might of the trolls was broken at the Long Battle (of nine days duration) across the moors, and Taragarth was brandished aloft bloodily so often by the valiant Aeroth that it was dubbed “The Bloodbrand.”
In the Year of the Scythe (982 DR), when Aeroth was greybearded, Warlord Rayuth of Silverymoon died, and the throne passed to his son. Aeroth, grieving for his lord (and none- too-fond of the sadistic, proud, Tulven Rayuthson), took ship west from Waterdeep, sailing first to the isle of Toaridge- at-the-Sun’s-Setting, between the Nelanthar Isles and Mintarn, and later to the Moonshae Isles. There, with his wife and six sons, Aeroth founded the city of Vlan. His descendants, the nucleus of a group swelled by other disenchanted or dispossessed mainlanders, were to become the feuding merchant houses of the Moonshae Isles.
But Aeroth’s sword was not seen on his voyage, and most legends hold that he left it in Silverymoon, where it has been lost in some concealed hoard or in one of the many warren-like caverns beneath the city. A few sages know that, in truth, Aeroth hid the blade in a ruined well on the island of Toaridge so that his argumentative sons would not fight over it.
There it lay for over two centuries, until an exploration party of illithids found it in the Year of the Lone Candle (1238 DR) and carried it to the underground city of Tellectus on the mainland near what is now Beregost. There it was studied for only a short time before a band of adventurers plundered much of Tellectus and gained it in the Year of the Bloodied Sword (1239 DR).
The names of the adventurers are now lost; one was a fighter who later took service in the merchant-guards of Amn and died battling bandits on the banks of the Sulduskoon river the following year. It seems likely that he bore Taragarth, but no word of it can be found after it (presumably) fell into the hands of the bandits, until a wandering peddler offered it for sale in a market at Berdusk in the Year of Burning Steel (1246 DR). It brought 400 pieces of gold from an adventurer who recognized it, but he mistakenly told a companion what he thought the sword was, and was dead by the next morning. So was the companion, murdered in turn by the assassin Turl.
Turl carried the blade north to the city of Scornubel, using it to pay off a debt to his guildmaster Iritan. Little is known of Iritan, who evidently ruled the local thieves guild with an iron hand for more than twenty winters (1240 DR – 1260 DR), although he gradually fell under the sway of the Shadow Thieves of Waterdeep in the waning years of his reign.
In the spring of the Year of the Broken Blade (1260 DR), Iritan appeared in Waterdeep, dying of poisoned wounds, and gave the blade, plus more wealth, to the wizard Marune. Much of Marune’s wealth was lost in subsequent upheavals in the Year of the Wagon (1273 DR), and the Bloodbrand fell into the hands of an unknown someone in Waterdeep around this time.
Where it traveled then is not known, it was brought to Elminster for examination in the Year of the Bow (1354 DR) when he was visiting Westgate by a swarthy, much-scarred fighting man of Calimshan who gave his name as Vulph. The present whereabouts of Vulph and of the blade Taragarth are unknown.
Effect: Taragrath is a +3 mighty cleaving bastard sword. When unsheathed, resist elements (fire) and feather fall protect the bearer automatically. When gripped (even when sheathed), the bearer is protected by nondetection.
Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, divine power, feather fall, nondetection, resist elements.
Cost to Create: 43,000 gp (plus 335 gp for masterwork bastard sword), 3,440 XP, 86 days.

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Edited by - ericlboyd on 01 Oct 2019 11:20:31
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ericlboyd
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  04:37:19  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
And here's a "sidebar" on Sertra, incorporating Ed's write-up in Dragon #267.

Sunken Kingdoms of Sertra and Nindoll
The Kingdom of Sertra was founded on the archipelago of Sertra north of the Nelanthar Isles in the Year of the Hidden Fortress (46 DR) by Netherese and Talfirian refugees fleeing the growing might of the Shadowking of Ebenfar. The Netherese houses of Sertra formed the ruling class, while the Talfirian commoners fished the rich waters of the region.
Unbeknownst to most folk, the ruling Netherese were plotting to overthrow the Shadowking. Toward that end, they dug a deep well down an old volcanic shaft until they reached a great cavern deep beneath the sea floor. Their they experimented with powerful spells strong enough to destroy the ruler of Ebenfar.
However, before the Netherese of Sertra could complete their plans, the great cavern collapsed in a massive conflagration in the Year of the Sinking Islands (181 DR). (Some whisper the explosion was the doing of the Shadowking’s spies, who found a tunnel beneath the sea to the site of the Netherese experiments, while other believe the arrogance of the ruling wizards was enough to literally sink them. A third rumor, perhaps spread by the faithful of the Gods of Fury, suggested that Talos reignited the ancient volcano beneath Sertra in anger, as the Netherese continued to honor Kozah.) The Kingdom of Sertra sank into the Sea of Swords as the sea floor abruptly subsided, leaving only the peak of the tallest island, Toaridge, above the waves.
That island, now known as Toaridge-at-the-Sun’s-Setting, is now largely uninhabited, although it is used from time to time by seafarers seeking rest or fresh water. There is a ruined well on the upper slopes of the island’s peak, which the Netherese once used to access their spellcasting cavern, which connects in some fashion to subterranean passages that lead eastward under the Sea of Stars to the subterranean city of Tellectus, near Beregost, established by illithids from Oryndoll ere it was sacked by adventurers who seized the legendary Taragarth “the Bloodbrand.”
The ruins of Sertra now lie in shallow waters beneath the waves of the Sea of Swords. Sunken castles, overgrown with coral and linked by labyrinths of the same, are now home to the highly-skilled, green-skinned, blue-haired, frolicksome aquatic elves of Nindrol, Nidrollen elves often sport with the pirates of the Nelanthar or with the crews of passing merchant ships sailing through their realm, and they have been known to drag wrecked skiffs and dinghies up from the depths to rescue shipwrecked sailors who are about to drown.
Nindrol, fouded in the Year of the Broken Lands (191 DR), is ruled by the petite but wildly energetic Queen Vaervenshalice, who has six daughters, the Princesses Paeraeroyal—named after their dead father, King Elpaerae—who have somehow inherited or acquired magical means to come ashore for brief periods and dwell among men. (It is believed that they are using magic rings dating back to the height of Netheril.)
When bored, the Princesses slip ashore and pose as travelers on coastal roads to make sport with surface elves or men. They’re the source of the ballads “She Walked Out on the Waves” and “My Lady of the Moonlight.” It’s thought that one of them recently caught the eye of the infamous Elaith Craulnober of Waterdeep and was the reason his agents scoured certain stretches of ground just south of the City of Splendors. If the ballads can be trusted, at least one of the princesses answers to “Nanalethalee.”
Some claim that the splinter kingdom of Ondroth, founded by Nindrollen expatriates on the undersea flanks of the Dragon’s Head in Tethyr, traces its origins to the discovery of ancient Netherese artifacts amidst the ruins of Sertra and the ensuing strife among the nobles of Nindrol.

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Edited by - ericlboyd on 01 Oct 2019 20:43:08
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LordofBones
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  12:47:01  Show Profile Send LordofBones a Private Message  Reply with Quote
"SETTRA DOES NOT SERVE! SETTRA RULES!"

Oh, wait, wrong Settra.
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sleyvas
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  20:17:09  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd

And here's a "sidebar" on Sertra, incorporating Ed's write-up in Dragon #267.

Sunken Kingdoms of Sertra and Nindoll
The Kingdom of Sertra was founded on the archipelago of Sertra north of the Nelanthar Isles in the Year of the Hidden Fortress (46 DR) by Netherese and Talfirian refugees fleeing the growing might of the Shadowking of Ebenfar. The Netherese houses of Sertra formed the ruling class, while the Talfirian commoners fished the rich waters of the region.
Unbeknownst to most folk, the ruling Netherese were plotting to overthrow the Shadowking. Toward that end, they dug a deep well down an old volcanic shaft until they reached a great cavern deep beneath the sea floor. Their they experimented with powerful spells strong enough to destroy the ruler of Ebenfar.
However, before the Netherese of Sertra could complete their plans, the cavern collapsed in a great explosion in the Year of the Sinking Islands (181 DR). (Some whisper it was the doing of the Shadowking’s spies, who found a tunnel beneath the sea to the site of the Netherese experiments, while other believe the arrogance of the ruling wizards was enough to literally sink them.) The Kingdom of Sertra sank, literally, into the Sea of Swords as the sea floor abruptly subsided, leaving only the peak of the tallest island, Toaridge, above the waves.
That island, now known as Toaridge-at-the-Sun’s-Setting, is now largely uninhabited, although it is used from time to time by seafarers seeking rest or fresh water. There is a ruined well on the upper slopes of the island’s peak, which the Netherese once used to access their spellcasting cavern, which connects in some fashion to subterranean passages that lead eastward under the Sea of Stars to the subterranean city of Tellectus, near Beregost, established by illithids from Oryndoll ere it was sacked by adventurers who seized the legendary Taragarth “the Bloodbrand.”
The ruins of Sertra now lie in shallow waters beneath the waves of the Sea of Swords. Sunken castles, overgrown with coral and linked by labyrinths of the same, are now home to the highly-skilled, green-skinned, blue-haired, frolicksome aquatic elves of Nindrol, Nidrollen often sport with the pirates of the Nelanthar or with the crews of passing merchant ships sailing through their realm, and they have been known to drag wrecked skiffs and dinghies up from the depths to rescue shipwrecked sailors who are about to drown.
Nindrol, fouded in the Year of the Broken Lands (191 DR), is ruled by the petite but wildly energetic Queen Vaervenshalice, who has six daughters, the Princesses Paeraeroyal—named after their dead father, King Elpaerae—who have somehow inherited or acquired magical means to come ashore for brief periods and dwell among men. (It is believed that they are using magic rings dating back to the height of Netheril.)
When bored, the Princesses slip ashore and pose as travelers on coastal roads to make sport with surface elves or men. They’re the source of the ballads “She Walked Out on the Waves” and “My Lady of the Moonlight.” It’s thought that one of them recently caught the eye of the infamous Elaith Craulnober of Waterdeep and was the reason his agents scoured certain stretches of ground just south of the City of Splendors. If the ballads can be trusted, at least one of the princesses answers to “Nanalethalee.”
Some claim that the splinter kingdom of Ondroth, founded by Nindrollen expatriates on the undersea flanks of the Dragon’s Head in Tethyr, traces its origins to the discovery of ancient Netherese artifacts amidst the ruins of Sertra and the ensuing strife among the nobles of Nindrol.




Lol, so based on timings here.... Sertra sank, leaving castles underwater... sea elves said "hey, ready made kingdom" and moved in ten years later? I like it. There should be some undead involvement here as well. I wonder if the elves might not have somehow "enslaved" these undead, chaining their spirits towards guarding their kingdom from outsiders.... or did they just take 10 years to clear them out?

I know you're leaving the source of the collapse cryptic, and that's good until you have a good reason to develop it. Personally, I'd recommend a third rumor that the Netherese wizards had offended the god Talos because they openly stated that "he is not Kozah and we will not create a temple to him". Talos then sent his priests (as well as priests of Umberlee) to perform a ritual that caused the volcanic shaft to erupt and sink the island. It doesn't have to be true, and in fact could have been a lie created by both Talos and Umberlee (and spread by the church of Leira who were paid for the service) to increase rumors of their power.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas

Edited by - sleyvas on 01 Oct 2019 20:22:24
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ericlboyd
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Posted - 01 Oct 2019 :  20:44:02  Show Profile  Visit ericlboyd's Homepage Send ericlboyd a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I love a good heresy. (See above for additional content.)

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AJA
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Posted - 02 Oct 2019 :  00:42:39  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote

Very nice! "Potted Realmslore," as THO would call it. Funny how one little obscure reference can make everything else around it suddenly "click" and fall into place.

quote:
Originally posted by Sleyvas
Actually, if that's the case, then this even more fits the theory I was proposing at the end, except the part about her being Talifirian… and instead being whatever people's lived on Serta.

I believe Eric solved this for you as well!


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AJA
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Posted - 02 Oct 2019 :  00:46:24  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote


Called-To-The-Dawn
The Called, The Incalescent, Those of the First Light. Holy Order dedicated to Glimpsčd Lathander, and that fervent hour of dawnbreak when His Illuminant Majesty first arises to pierce the Shar-darkened firmament, and all things are Possible and Glorious. Ardent allies of the Selūnites and their war against the goddess Shar. Count a significant number of holy crusaders among their number, as well as a smattering of paladins. Order members tend to be impetuous, reckless and zealous, even moreso than most of the Morninglord's flock. Their Symbol is two stacked horizontal bands of yellow and crimson on a black field, their Motto is "Inspirited by the Dawn (my Faith become ever more Fervent and Vivid)." Grandmaster of the Order: Larrbrant Illont. Notable Members (separate entries in italics): Althnur the Severe Sword, Asgulth Downdragon, Bron the Fervorous.

Candelyn the Cleft
His mother named him for the street of his birth (Candle Lane, Dock Ward). His fellow ne'er-do-wells nicknamed him for the cleft palate that mars his upper lip. Pale, flaxen haired, blue eyed, strong-shouldered. Given to stammering when nervous. Works as (silent) muscle to various grudgecoins and debt-collectors.

Caraseldra's Charismatic Fellows
A local adventuring fellowship. Led by the (quite uncharismatic) halfling Caraseldra "Crassie" Kettlequench. Humans, two Hin, and an obvious half-(orc)breed. Disappeared into The Dungeon of the Tomb (a barrow-complex in the Trollmoors. The lid of an unknown king's casket therein was said to be shaped from the largest known moonbar stone, almost 7-foot long) sometime towards the end of 1369DR.

Cassala Thrundwick (CG HF Aris)
The "Silver Dowager" of Silverymoon. A fussy, diminutive woman whose waspish temper and sharp tongue are the stuff of legend in the courts of the Gem of the North. Among friends and confidants, however, she allows her true nature to show through (she is, as described by the Lady Alustriel, "an artist and poet at heart, mirthful and easily moved by great works of beauty. Also surprisingly – given her advancing years and less-than-impressive stature – graceful when dancing in the manner of the Fair Folk of the North"). Constantly surrounded by a purple-clad all-Hin retinue (the only folk she stands taller than). A noted art lover and collector of such, she can often be found in Waterdeep at the Maernos villa, holding court or entertaining the latest outlander sculptor or painter to come to town.

The Castellan Order
The Golden Battlements, The Pillars Before the Portals, The Faithful Doorwardens. Lathanderite holy order. Charged with defending the Spires of the Morning and all church holdings in and around the city. They also escort Lathanderite missions and caravans throughout the North. While most such guardians are lay members-of-the-faith and hired swords, the Castellans are found in leadership positions and maintain a small yet well-trained force at the Spires itself. The vast majority in the city are fighters, with a handful of paladins and rangers among those responsible for "out-wall" duties. Their symbol is the Sunrise of Lathander over crenelated battlements, their oath is "My Sword Unwavering; My Shield Unmoving." Grandmaster of the Order: Nalathaéva "Old Neversleep." Notable Members (separate entries in italics): Aslareal Syluth, Geldegund the Boar, Rounral Caskwinter, Sereven Falconhollow


==================================================


Camaroon Melshimber [ Source: "Game of Chance," Elaine Cunningham, Dragon Magazine #335, p.48. Name/Description given ]

Carina Tchazzam [ Source: Monsters of Faerūn, p.86. Name/Description given ]

Carolyas Idogyr [ Source: A 03/12/05 Posting to the Candlekeep.com Message Boards by Steven Schend. Name/Description given. See also the City of Splendors – Campaign Guide, p.73. ]

Carn Manthar [ Source: "The Eye of the Dragon," Ed Greenwood, Realms of Magic and City of Splendors: Who's Who In Waterdeep, p.20. Name/Description given ]


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AJA
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"Cowslip" Culdur
Fair freckled skin, large mop of blonde hair. Horse-faced, with a ruddy nose of truly impressive proportions. A native of Longsaddle. Worked his way up from cattle driving to bandrity to sellswording. Nominally on retainer to Waentryn's Wolves, can also often be found doing odd jobs for the Red Sashes and the squabbling merchants of Seaswealth Hall.

Crookwhistle (N GM T3/Exp3)
Once a member of the Four Footpads, a thieving fellowship of some ill repute in the city. He has since renounced his past, and is currently a practicing member of the Scriveners and Scribes Guild. He will, however, from time to time indulge in shady (but well-paying) forging jobs. Frequently found in the company of the dwarf Fael Ironbeard and the gnome Dumpledown the Red, the two other surviving member of the Footpads.

Crovyn Thalasker (LN HM F3/P7 of Red Knight)
The Old Knight of Old Wizard. With the naming of Sheiraya Blaskarn to the office of Sword of the Frozenfar, Crovyn has been appointed caretaker of the Red Knight shrine in the House of Heroes. Delights in strategy and card games of all sorts, and takes special pleasure in baiting (and beating) priests of Tymora in such endeavors. His epithet comes from his mastery of Old Wizard, his favorite cards game.

The Cult of Claw and Shadow
Founded and co-lead by two priests, Dulkarra Maerhoun of Shar and Bhelavarr "Beast-Eye" of Malar. Preach that "as the beasts of Malar hunt cloaked in Shar's Umbral Embrace, so too should the beasts of Man." Their aims and activities are otherwise largely unknown, save that they have hired out members as assassins, equipped with poisoned handheld "beast-claws" and potions that induce mindless, frothing battlerage.

The Cult of the Elder Eye (That Which Shall Endure)
"The quiet Men who sit and stare and then make splashes of color." But the splashes they make are not on a canvas of any kind, and the colors that result, such chromatic splendors, such wondrous greens and browns and reds, are subtly not to the color scale of Faerūn. Semi-psionic cult, spread throughout the Heartlands, uncommon in the North. They wish to introduce those willing into the mysteries of The Void and That Which Shall Endure ("until the Links of the Heavens are unfastened and drop apart, and all the Cosmic Gulfs are one, dissevered by Gods no longer"). They claim to be of Lost Jhaamdath, "That Which Was Before The Waves, And That Which Will Be Again." The cell in Waterdeep is led by the ur-priest Helverjak (sly, self-assured, well-educated; dark hair, thick black handlebar moustache), who spends the majority of his time fighting off infiltration attempts by faithful of Shar, Ghaunadar and Gargauth.


==================================================


Crawling Claw [ Source: A 05/01/08 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards and A 04/24/19 Twitter reply to @TheEdVerse by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]

The Cult of Gulkulath [ Source: Ruins of Undermountain: Campaign Guide, p.22-23 and "The Game Wizards: Understanding Undermountain," Ed Greenwood, Dragon Magazine #167, p.89 and "Forgotten Deities: Lesser Known Gods of the Realms," Eric L. Boyd, Polyhedron Magazine #103, p.7. Name/Description given ]

The Cult of Iltyr (The Blind But All-Seeing Eye) [ Source: A 03/13/14 Posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]

The Cult of Kambadlan [Source: Volo's Guide to Waterdeep, p.99. Name/Description given ]

Cyrelle of Dock Ward [ Source: "Volo's Guide: Demon Cults of the Realms," Ed Greenwood (Eric L. Boyd), Dragon Magazine #355, p.70. Name/Description given ]


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Edited by - AJA on 06 Oct 2019 00:33:13
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Delashra Ormserpent
Hamaeroch (Keeper of the Doors) of the House of Heroes, responsible for ritually sealing the temple every night at candledark (that time period beginning after 10PM). Her office is under the auspices of Hadarajyn of Memnon, Foremost of the Sacred Swords who guard the doors during the daylight hours. Carries the Grim Stone, soaked in the blood of a thousand fallen heroes, and places it on its' customary pedestal within the entrance hall where it rests until foredawn. Tempusan legend states that if the warding seals of the Hamaeroch are broken the Grim Stone will unleash its' contents, a horde of trapped, ravening, spectral warriors upon the intruders. Reserved, taciturn, unsociable. Aged, grey-haired, slightly stooped at the shoulders.

Delgan Durinbar (NE DM T1/F4)
Mercenary crossbowman and former veteran of the Adbar legions. Enjoys flaunting a number of dwarven treasures and relics claimed from the underdepths, including the gold and jewels braided into his beard, the mithril-filigreed gauntlets on his hands, and Suradhos, the battleaxe consecrated to Clanggedin that he wears slung at his side.

Delūne Lauthryn (N HF)
The current "Lady Lord" (matriarch) of House Kormallis. Daughter of Metheldra. Trim, rosy-cheeked, silver-haired. Grasping and greedy. After the death of Helm Kormallis in Eleasias 1371DR, she moved her entire household (servants and hire-chefs and courtiers and hearth dogs and all) from her native Elturel into the Kormallis villa.

Derglin "Turnip" (NG HM)
Street urchin, adopted by Berandla and Arvys Spellfoot. Nicknamed for the rather pointed shape of his head and for his slow, deliberate manner, which lead most to believe him dumb. A thin, delicate child, with watery blue eyes and flaxen hair. Has a clear, sweet singing voice. Aspires to be a great adventurer. Or a legendary bard, perhaps.

Deriam of the Nine Daggers
A noted warrior and arms-tutor. Deriam was the last of a band of adventurers who plundered the crypt of the undead mage known as the Kraelich ("The Undying One" in the old Moonshaen tongue) some forty winters ago, making off with several valuable items. Ever since then, their numbers have steadily dwindled as old age or the Undying One's vengeance has fallen upon them. Deriam finally met his doom in the middle of High Street in 1369DR, as the horse he was riding on transformed underneath him into the lich, who proceeded to unleash a fury of skin-flaying spells upon the stunned arms-tutor. Survived by two sons, Rundar and Tharbolt, both of whom vowed vengeance upon their father's slayer and were last seen heading towards the Korinn Archipelago, where the Kraelich is rumored to lair.


==================================================


Delgor Emmerthyl [ Source: Waterdeep News: Merchant Slays Rival In Bizarre Attack <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wdn/20060329a>. Name/Description given ]

Dessra of the Dark Desires (CE HF F2) or (CE HF F2/Sor2) [ Source: Volo's Guide to Waterdeep, p.208 and A 03/12/05 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description/Stats given ]


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AJA
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Leira Sharpshadow (CG HF Ra5)
(LEE-ra, not LAIR-ah) A tiny slip of a woman, with short coal-black hair, an incurably soft speaking voice and an inner will of iron. The first of Tcharess Brandeth's "Merry Bold Maidens." A quick learner in swordplay and the use of the longbow, but soon found that she preferred the vast expanses of northern wilderness to the endless crashing of balls and lurking about on rooftops. She now travels the North, guiding caravans and wayfarers, but can be called on by the surviving Merrybolds in times of need (they refer to her as the "Merry Mother," in reference to both her status as the surviving eldest of their group and the streaks of white beginning to show up in her hair).

Leirlaun
(LEER-Lawn) The Warrior Who Wed The Pines. According to elven legend a beautiful young lordling who warred at length with the Peoples of the Lakes (Ice Hunters of the Ice Lakes region). Was to be wed to an elf maid not of his choosing. Escaped in solitude and bathed in the waters under the shade of a ring of pine trees. Lamented his fate there under the pines, and was astonished when the pines responded. Married the dryads of the trees and with the divine grace of the goddess Hanali Celanil became one with them, which is why the pines of the region have cones not of the same shape or color as elsewhere, and why hunters crossing the mountain for game claim to hear echoes of laughter and merriment and, come upon the trees at sunset, say that they have seen a handsome youth there in company with a circle of equally handsome maids, who suddenly vanish as they approached. Some also say that the voadkyn that inhabit the region are the offspring of this mating, but most sages dismiss this as "nonsense on top of feyfancy."

Lethmoun "Spindlesides" (CN HM T2/War4)
Leader of a gang of Dock Ward thugs and alleyblades known as the Wharf Street Watch (more commonly called "The Cudgels"). The Cudgels hire themselves out to shady merchants and traders who wish their rivals to be harrassed or beset by minor acts of arson and vandalism, and they frequently clash with the city watch.

Llurenae of the Three Goddesses (LG ½EF Healer6)
Favors Selūne, Eldath and Shiallia. Tall, slender, delicate woman. Has long black hair parted by two snow-white locks at the sides of her face. Skilled in methods of painquench (both minor magics and herbal ointments). Also deals with burns, chills, bunions and styes.

The Lonely Piper
"Meleveryn's Ghost," as the Piper is also called, is a ghostly, white-clad figure often spotted walking the back alleys and courtyards of the city at night, playing a mournful tune on his pipes. His melody is so sad it is said that even the undead apparition known as the Ghost Knight once stopped in its endless journey to listen. Never seen up close or confronted directly, no matter how near his passing sounds. The Piper seems to favor playing "Solace of the Morning's Light," a mourning ballad written by the famed Illuskan composer Meleveryn. Widely rumored to be a haunt himself, or perhaps a mad priest of Kelemvor attempting to bring respite to the city's legions of restless souls. There are also those who accuse the Piper of being a harbinger of death and an ill omen.


==================================================


Lezoul of the Great Oaks [ Source: SSI Official AD&D Computer Product Treasures of the Savage Frontier. Name/Description given ]

Lhaodren [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2009: Night of the Dread Pudding. Name/Description given ]

Loarulin [ Source: A 03/27/05 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]

Lohyis Tautsham [ Source: The novel Rising Tide: The Threat From The Sea, Book I, p.292-293. Name/Description given ]

Lormaundeir [ Source: A 10/02/18 Twitter reply to @TheEdVerse by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]


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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

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Posted - 12 Oct 2019 :  01:12:08  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA




Leirlaun
(LEER-Lawn) The Warrior Who Wed The Pines. According to elven legend a beautiful young lordling who warred at length with the Peoples of the Lakes (Ice Hunters of the Ice Lakes region). Was to be wed to an elf maid not of his choosing. Escaped in solitude and bathed in the waters under the shade of a ring of pine trees. Lamented his fate there under the pines, and was astonished when the pines responded. Married the dryads of the trees and with the divine grace of the goddess Hanali Celanil became one with them, which is why the pines of the region have cones not of the same shape or color as elsewhere, and why hunters crossing the mountain for game claim to hear echoes of laughter and merriment and, come upon the trees at sunset, say that they have seen a handsome youth there in company with a circle of equally handsome maids, who suddenly vanish as they approached. Some also say that the voadkyn that inhabit the region are the offspring of this mating, but most sages dismiss this as "nonsense on top of feyfancy."

The Lonely Piper
"Meleveryn's Ghost," as the Piper is also called, is a ghostly, white-clad figure often spotted walking the back alleys and courtyards of the city at night, playing a mournful tune on his pipes. His melody is so sad it is said that even the undead apparition known as the Ghost Knight once stopped in its endless journey to listen. Never seen up close or confronted directly, no matter how near his passing sounds. The Piper seems to favor playing "Solace of the Morning's Light," a mourning ballad written by the famed Illuskan composer Meleveryn. Widely rumored to be a haunt himself, or perhaps a mad priest of Kelemvor attempting to bring respite to the city's legions of restless souls. There are also those who accuse the Piper of being a harbinger of death and an ill omen.




Hmmm, love the person who wed the pines. I remember discussing something to do with Voadkyn priests a few months back in this thread as well. Something wants me to think they were related. Did you have anything in particular in mind though about the shape of the pine cones (that kind of stands out for me)?

On the Piper, a rather strange idea came to me.... what if the piper is only an illusion... and its the pipe that's intelligent and playing the song on itself. Maybe its able to animate itself via flight, and its a curiously investigative magic item. Maybe it works as a spy of sorts for someone, using its "ghostly nature" to cover its true goals.


Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore

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I love the idea of the Obfuscated Order. What a grand “get out jail card” that is for Realmslore snafus. Ace.

— George Krashos

"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus
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AJA
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
I love the idea of the Obfuscated Order. What a grand “get out jail card” that is for Realmslore snafus. Ace.
That was a combination of two separate ideas, one poking fun at Steven for his constant "clear as mud, right?" answers and the other was a bit of meta-commentary on how one day a new edition comes in, tears everything up and says "no, see, now we're doing it like this." I did a lot of re-writing to try and make the two "fit right" and I wasn't sure how well they came together, but I'm glad you liked it!

quote:
Originally posted by Sleyvas
I remember discussing something to do with Voadkyn priests a few months back in this thread as well. Something wants me to think they were related.
That was the Belhaera of Silvanus entry (30 Jul 2019) back on Page 11, which you expounded on a few posts later. I don't have any connection for them, but if you have any thoughts I'd be interested to read, as always.

quote:
Originally posted by Sleyvas
Did you have anything in particular in mind though about the shape of the pine cones (that kind of stands out for me)?
No, that's as far as I went with that entry.

quote:
Originally posted by Sleyvas
what if the piper is only an illusion... and its the pipe that's intelligent and playing the song on itself.
I could certainly get behind this idea. I tend to overuse ghostly spirits and phantoms, so this is a refreshing spin for me.



Also, I had a side-query on the Cult of the Elder Eye entry (06 Oct) which I figured I'd note here as well;

Re: Making 'splashes of color'
If asked, the men will simply say that they see that which they see, and they paint that which they have been given to paint; the more they 'paint' the more truths they acknowledge; that there is a feeling of harmony and of larger purpose, but it is not yet given of them to understand their place in the grand vision.
Who is the cult's Patron?
Never really sat down and definitively hashed it out. Should be obvious that I was cribbing pretty heavily off of Clarke Ashton Smith (with a little Lovecraftian underbite as well). Tharizdun would be the obvious, Ghaunadar if you want to play the name straight. Aboleths as a strong possibility, depending on whether you want to go heavier on deity or psionics. Also, if you're 4E-inclined, it could be that the "cosmic gulfs" the Cult is committed to bringing together are those between Toril and "Abeir" (or if you really want to get a little meta-setting and have a reason to break out that old "Faerūn-Oerth" map, the Cult wants to re-unite The East and West That Were Lost, thrown rent, howling, sundered into the Cosmos, by being meta-physically drawn and quartered by the immeasurable violence of the Great Conflagration / Rain of Colorless Fire – Invoked Devastation ).


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sleyvas
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Posted - 13 Oct 2019 :  19:49:25  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by AJA



quote:
Originally posted by Sleyvas
I remember discussing something to do with Voadkyn priests a few months back in this thread as well. Something wants me to think they were related.
That was the Belhaera of Silvanus entry (30 Jul 2019) back on Page 11, which you expounded on a few posts later. I don't have any connection for them, but if you have any thoughts I'd be interested to read, as always.

quote:
Originally posted by Sleyvas
Did you have anything in particular in mind though about the shape of the pine cones (that kind of stands out for me)?
No, that's as far as I went with that entry.



Thank you.... so to bring together all these entries and the add ons I did

Belhaera of Silvanus
Wood-Walker, Snow-Strider. Priestess of Silvanus, long-famed in the North. It is said of old that Belhaera met a giant of a man in the forest, who carried a magnificent shimmering fur cloak over one arm; he was thoughtful and measured in conversation, and wise in the ways of the woods, and when the night came he threw his magnificent cloak over his massive shoulders and disappeared there into the darkened depths, for he was in truth a were-creature walking in the skin of a man, perhaps one of the oldest of his kind. It was from this odd companion that Belhaera gained the curious moss-covered stones which are sacred to Silvanus, those same stones that now form the base of the holy altar at the House of Peat and Pine, that ancient temple which sits in the deep twilight and the great silences north-east of Sundabar.

to which I added
Belhaera of Silvanus
Its thought by some that the giant of a man that Belhaera met was in fact a powerful being of ice and snow whose name is Ulutiu wearing a skin which allowed him to take humanoid form. Others say it was simply a Voadkyn druid (worshipping variously Ulutiu, Othea, or Hiatea depending on the speaker). The moss covered stones that she was given are believed to be stones "born" of Othea, or rather a "petrified afterbirth" from the birth of the Voadkyn race (a race birthed from the union of Ulutiu and Othea). The Voadkyn (or "wood giants") are in particular to be found amongst Silvanus' temple known as "the House of Peat and Pine", and it is unclear just how many of the humans, wood elves, and half-elves in the surrounding area are in fact disguised Voadkyn. There are even those who whisper that Belhaera herself is a wood giant posing in human form, and the "House of Peat and Pine" is known to also have small shrines dedicated to Ulutiu, Othea, Hiatea, and Rillifane Rallathil which are visited by not just the giants, but also the humans, elves, elf-kin, and dwarves of the area.

and this new entry
Leirlaun
(LEER-Lawn) The Warrior Who Wed The Pines. According to elven legend a beautiful young lordling who warred at length with the Peoples of the Lakes (Ice Hunters of the Ice Lakes region). Was to be wed to an elf maid not of his choosing. Escaped in solitude and bathed in the waters under the shade of a ring of pine trees. Lamented his fate there under the pines, and was astonished when the pines responded. Married the dryads of the trees and with the divine grace of the goddess Hanali Celanil became one with them, which is why the pines of the region have cones not of the same shape or color as elsewhere, and why hunters crossing the mountain for game claim to hear echoes of laughter and merriment and, come upon the trees at sunset, say that they have seen a handsome youth there in company with a circle of equally handsome maids, who suddenly vanish as they approached. Some also say that the voadkyn that inhabit the region are the offspring of this mating, but most sages dismiss this as "nonsense on top of feyfancy."


So, to take these two entries and try to make something of the two together..... Leirlaun is a legend amongst elves, so he came first. He came to some mythical "pool" in the hear of a pine grove, lamenting that he had to marry an elf he didn't love. Hanali Celanil transforms him by making him "become one" with the spirits of the dryads of the wood, and that the Voadkyn of the region are possibly the result of this "mating". Later comes "Belhaera of Silvanus" who meets with a "giant of a man who is a shapechanger" wearing a fur, who gives her the moss covered stones that end up being part of the House of Peat and Pine. So, maybe this "giant of a man who is a shapechanger" is Leirlaun, and the moss covered stones are in fact the petrified afterbirth of the Voadkyn race. Maybe it was his use of the stones which allowed him to take on the traits necessary to transform himself into a being with ties to the forest. Maybe he gave Belhaera the stones so that she could place them in the place where long ago a pool existed... the pool where he had lamented his fate and met the dryads with Hanali Celanil's blessing.... and this is now where the "House of Peat and Pine" stands. Maybe Leirlaun is a former wood elf who was transformed into a wood elf with a "woodling" template, with some kind of druidic powers, including wildshape abilities that let him become a giant (such as a firbolg, voadkyn, etc..) or a plant (such as a treant, wood woad, volodni, etc...). His dryad lovers may be centuries dead, but he still lives, and he actually works to promote the "rebirth" of nature... perhaps he's even a father to a race of "woodling" template elves, half-elves, and half-dryads. He may have mated with Voadkyn and firbolg races to further their races in the area as well. Maybe his life force is even tied to the forest itself, and so long as it lives, so will he (unless of course, he is killed, which may affect the forest as well).

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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AJA
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Posted - 22 Oct 2019 :  00:03:27  Show Profile Send AJA a Private Message  Reply with Quote

My thoughts on the "man" Belhaera met were that he was indeed a shapechanger and "one of the oldest of his kind," one of the few such remaining servants of the Oakfather:

==================================================

Common Silvanite religious myth speaks of elder times when Faerûn was young and there was only the Forest, and the animals and all others were in harmony and balance, gathered under the wise hand of Silvanus.

Then, at the first Dawn, the sylvan elves came forth out of the golden morning mist, and they were in peace with their surroundings. Some unknown time after that the first gnomes poked their ruddy heads up above root and turf, and they too knew of the language and the ways of the Forest, and for untold ages they lived there, in agreement under Silvanus, as well.

But then to the wooded verge came the creature known as Man. And Man was unlike anything yet seen in the Forest, ignorant of the law or the language, and he was relentless, armed with fire and axe and and bloodlust.

Man could not or would not learn to converse with the Forest, and as Man hewed down the trees and slaughtered the animals Silvanus called together the greatest and wisest of his champions and gave them the power to walk and talk like the humans, that they might travel forth and parlay with the invaders, and work to guide them in the ways of the Forest.

But as they mingled with Man one among their number fell in with the ways of the intruders, and he was corrupted by bloodlust and learned to revel in deceit and vice and barbarism. This evil being, named Malar, later known as The Savage, The Black-Blooded, The Beast in the Rough Grass, took the gift of shapechanging given to him by Silvanus and taught it to men in return for obedience. And then he returned to the Forest and gathered animals loyal to him, and held court in secret, and did even worse, teaching them not only the ability to change their shape, but of the evil ways of Man as well.

When news of these dark deeds reached the ear of the Oakfather he was wroth and sought to punish Malar, but Malar fled from him and hid in darkness and underbrush, and so did the beasts that followed him and so ever-after their descendants. And through this base treachery Malar became a god, and the curse of beast-changing (lycanthropy) spread far and away throughout Faerûn (the goddess Selûne, ever overwatching, later battled with Malar and attempted to wrest control of his followers from him, which is how were-folk came to be partially bound by the moon, and why some even follow her willingly, but that is a tale for another time).

==================================================

So Silvanus sent this servant, a contemporary of pre-deityhood Malar, to Belhaera to give her the "moss-covered stones which are sacred to Silvanus." Why he did so and their significance I never ascertained, but it certainly could further tie into Leirlaun and the voadkyn of the woods as you suggest.


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Edited by - AJA on 05 Dec 2020 00:20:07
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Kaulyn Maurestyn
A former magister ("black-robe"). Kaulyn was stripped of his duties by the Lords after one of his judgements against the city unleashed a torrent of similar claims and cost the city thousands of gold dragons from its' coffers. He now earns meager coin as an advocate (a paid orator who will appear in Lord's Court with an accused and give advice and speak and engage in debate with the magisters and the assembled court). He harbors a great deal of ill will towards Piergeiron and the Lords, and his bitterness has led him to fall in with Torst Juldharn, one of the priests of Gargauth of the House of Hidden Watchfulness. [ Source: Waterdeep News: Palace Fined Over Outlander Injury <wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/wdn/20060201a>. Name/Former Occupation given. Additional detail by me. ]

Kelubar (N HM F6)
A tall, raven-haired Uthgardt "seaguard" (warrior carried aboard merchant ships to fight off pirate boarding parties and port thieves). Kelubar sailed with the crew of the Dreaming Sun for the Far Lands of Anchoromé. He met his doom in the Sargasso Sea, slain there by the undead inhabitants.

Kern Dwarfblood
Captain of the Maernos villa guards. He is, as his name suggests, descended from the Stout Folk of the North, though his sire and grand-sire were both fully human. Broad smile and nose. Dark of eyes and hair. He wears his hair shoulder-length, and keeps a well-trimmed beard and moustache. Fond of singing old battle ballads and colorful tavern songs, even though he has what has been charitably described as "little talent for such things."

Khelvar's Colorful Doom (N Living Color Spray)
A vibrant cloud of clashing colors, whirring and pulsing with sudden flashes and possessed of alien intellect. Created in the magical chaos of The Night Tymora Sneezed. Left its' unintentional creator, the mage Khelvar of Bazaar Street, a babbling, blinded wreck. Believed to have escaped into the sewers, and from there possibly into the depths of the Undermountain.

Khembryn Blackmantle (N HM F4/P9 of Gond)
High Seeker of the House of Inspired Hands. Khembryn's holy office is responsible for seeking out new communities to spread the word and wonders of Gond, and to recover new or lost items of the faith. Fat, bearded, affable, even-tempered. Energetic and enthusiastic in his duties, although tempered somewhat by the knowledge that his predecessor, the priest Orngalum "The Southern Seeker," was assassinated by agents of Lantan after he arranged the dispersal (i.e., "stole") of several Lantanese printing presses from that southern isle. His most recent ventures include organizing bands of church-sponsored adventurers to seek out and recover Forge's Clamor, a magical blade sacred to the Gondryr church. [ Note: see <seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/blades/html/gondforgesclamor.html> for more info on Forge's Clamor ]


==================================================


Kar [ Source: Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, p.90. Name/Description given ]

Karmear [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Occupation given ]

Karrak Lhamphur [ Source: City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]

The Keeper of Secrets [ Source: "The Keeper of Secrets," Ed Greenwood, Realms of the Dragons Vol.1. Name/Description given. See also the entry for Taraunramorlamurla "Serenescales" in Dragons of Faerūn for more information. ]

Keldran Alklaedle [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-a-Yarn 2009: Night of the Dread Pudding. Name/Description given ]

Kelthtor & Navarl [ Source: Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms, p.122. Name/Occupation given ]


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