| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 30 Dec 2013 : 10:08:43
Well my next area of concentration is Damara. We have information about what happened during zhengyi's occupation and we have information from 1370's onwards but nothing inbetween especially how Gareth dragonsbane became king.
Im thinking that another civil war brews involving the various duchies if Damara as is alluded to in the bloodstone lands accessory but in the same way as medieval england the people themselves are sick of fighting and war.
I already came up with a brief outline in a topic about vaasa but it would be nice to have a few more ideas.
So anyone have any ideas for the blank 10 years of damaran history and maybe some ideas to flesh out its future because at the moment damara is a bit bland and the only danger and intrigue inside the realm is a thieves guild and cults of orcus |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 19:40:15
Well after 10 years give Sylvia at least another level, maybe 2 so she is CL 16. She isn't going to sit around idly, she will be researching and learning to try and equal the mages at King Dragonsbane's court.
Given her writeup in the bloodstone lands she fits the bill as an enchanter for me, any prestige classes that increase her control over people would be good for her.
Well Impilturran nobles seem like a great fit for her then, possibly of Cormyr stock so they are proper country folk with big laughs and even bigger hearts. That way she can easily beguile them and wrap them round her little finger. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 16:33:22
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Nah, thats just trying to explain away poor work (i prefer to rectify it), but i will continue with the current line to see what other interesting stuff we can get.
About Sylvia, she obviously needs to set up her own noble house (if we are to keep her) so she also needs a husband. Now she is a powerful magic user and is not afraid to use her magic to get an edge over people (she charmed the major players in Ostel to keep herself in power).
So i can see her doing one of several things.
1 - Using her magic to call a consort - an incubus or some other outsider. This begin would have to be able to pass as human which is why i said incubus as it looks like a human male and i think can polymorph to make it appear however it wants. However the problem here is all the other magic users in Damara and priests of Ilmater that are likely to discover her secret. And then the problem of her son or daughter being born half fiend, but magic has been shown to be able to change a beings appearance and genetics if used from birth (so any half fiend could look perfectly human if desired).
2 - Using her magic to charm another noble into marrying her.
3 - Marry a powerful magic user of a similarly unscrupulous nature. (there are plenty in Impiltur)
I dont think she would ally with Tarkos Ree after Gareth Dragonsbane becomes King, because Dragonsbane appoints a number of paladins to the watch and army in Heliogabalus and clamps down on the thieves guild. I can see the Tightpurse thievesguild being only a minor presence in Heliogabalus within 5-10 years and would probably have to move into other towns and cities.
Perhaps Sylvia's friendship with Christine Dragonsbane is magical in nature, maybe nothing so overt as a charm person spell but just an occasional friends spell, and other little charms to improve their relationship.
So perhaps Sylvia and Donlevy could marry, he has proven naive in the past by trusting Zorth (even though he was young it still means he is too quick to trust). So a few bits of advice from Sylvia and she could become his confidante, then over time she manipulates the relationship into something else.
Of course there are foreign suitors for Sylvia as well. Impiltur has a variety of noble families, especially some of the newer nobles who will not be so uptight about recently established noble titles. The Starsunder family for instance that has holdings in Dilpur and Sarshel and the Uplands of Impiltur and one would presume it has connections in New Sarshel across the water in the Great Dale. That would give her connections to rival Dimian.
I'm not entirely convinced about a marriage between Sylvia and a leading Red Wizard, she isnt powerful enough for such an alliance and i think that Mulmaster and Thay probably entered into such a pact as an experiment that has yet to bear any fruit so they probably wouldnt do such a thing again.
I don't see her marrying a Thayan, BUT I do like the idea that she was basically a source of rumors about her sexual infidelity. The idea that her firstborn son is very pale of skin, suggesting that she may have fooled around with someone at the Enclave, I think is useful.... because it gets us a bastard that will be overlooked for inheritance. In the conservative eyes of the men of the barony, this lowers their view of her, but in the eyes of the women.... they may envy her freedom (especially knowing she could have magically aborted the child). However, she then "wakes up" and realizes she's got to be more responsible (i.e. her nobles start talking smack about their loose baroness).
So, seeing what Dimian did (getting some hot woman to hang on his arm), maybe she decides to do something similar. She'll get some stupid but strong and "friendly to everyone" man. Someone who likes to hunt and fish, and thus will spend the majority of his time away from the capital. She finds this man amongst her own nobility, has a very public courtship, marries and secures her line of succession. She makes sure that whenever her husband is in town to play it up for her subjects. However, she favors her first child.... the bastard who shows such intelligence and love of knowledge. She also continues to see her bastard child's father secretly, and her thirdborn child is actually a result of her cheating. The enclave doesn't even know about this Thayan and Sylvia. Sound good?
After getting out of jail, Sylvia realizes that she can't just focus on her nobility. She begins setting up positions that create jobs for commoners, but that ultimately serve the nobility. For instance, the idea previously presented to setup fish hatcheries in pools on noble land. Commoners are paid from baronial coffers to tend these fish hatcheries, and nobles are allowed to pull directly from them since its on their own land, and whenever the majority of the fish in a given pool are full grown, they are transferred to Lake Mogador. Similarly, private game reserves are established on noble lands (this is less welcomed by the populace, though the druids of the realm appreciate having protected lands). In an effort to keep mages in her own barony, she also establishes her own baronial school of mages, and she welcomes both wizards and sorcerers from the commoner population. She also sets up a school for scribes and accountants, hoping to turn her barony into a barony known for educating its citizenry. She also welcomes the churches of Deneir, Milil, and Sune into her barony to bring the arts to her barony, and the craftsmen of the realm are put to work on stage scenery and costumes. This works well with Dimian Ree's new wife as well, and Ree's wife and Sylvia become close friends. Sound good?
Oh, and in 2nd edition she was a wizard. She has a high charisma though. I'd be tempted to turn her into a wizard/beguiler/ultimate magi.... though this does put her like 4 levels behind as a wizard (i.e. at 14th character level, she's only a 10th lvl wizard caster and a 9th lvl beguiler caster). |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 11:52:55
Looking like a Starsunder marriage so far then as they are nobles in Impiltur.
I think she will use magic in any private situation to gain the upper hand (like charming her husband) because who is going to know, but you are right about the queen, it would be too risky to attempt magic on her.
And evil people never change without being forced (either by people or circumstances). If she is left to her own devices then she will carry on doing what works for her; lying, manipulating, scheming, and murdering. I think she would just do it more secretive now that she is being watched. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 11:42:39
Just jumping in before returning to work. On Sylvia (and this is just me as I prefer smart NPCs over foolish ones) I wouldn't have her marry anyone that is overtly evil...so no fiends, Red Wizards, Zhents, etc. Instead, I would go with attempting to enter a marriage without magic (if she can manage it) with a noble from Damara or Impiltur or a powerful merchant family (if she can't get a noble husband). Any children she has should be married into noble or successful merchant families as soon as possible to solidify her power and worth to the kingdom. Depending on how you want to spin it...a true friendship with the Queen could cause her to change (or at least mitigate) her evil ways. Even if she remains evil, she can still come to see the value of cooperation over grasping for power through overtly evil/illegal activities. If you want her (and possibly her family) to remain a threat, then have her remain evil and constantly working to undermine the royal family (but intelligently). I would avoid her using any magic on the queen though...if she gets caught she's done for and she should be smarter than that...she is the queen after all and her enemies are going to be watching for signs of treachery. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 08:39:58
Nah, thats just trying to explain away poor work (i prefer to rectify it), but i will continue with the current line to see what other interesting stuff we can get.
About Sylvia, she obviously needs to set up her own noble house (if we are to keep her) so she also needs a husband. Now she is a powerful magic user and is not afraid to use her magic to get an edge over people (she charmed the major players in Ostel to keep herself in power).
So i can see her doing one of several things.
1 - Using her magic to call a consort - an incubus or some other outsider. This begin would have to be able to pass as human which is why i said incubus as it looks like a human male and i think can polymorph to make it appear however it wants. However the problem here is all the other magic users in Damara and priests of Ilmater that are likely to discover her secret. And then the problem of her son or daughter being born half fiend, but magic has been shown to be able to change a beings appearance and genetics if used from birth (so any half fiend could look perfectly human if desired).
2 - Using her magic to charm another noble into marrying her.
3 - Marry a powerful magic user of a similarly unscrupulous nature. (there are plenty in Impiltur)
I dont think she would ally with Tarkos Ree after Gareth Dragonsbane becomes King, because Dragonsbane appoints a number of paladins to the watch and army in Heliogabalus and clamps down on the thieves guild. I can see the Tightpurse thievesguild being only a minor presence in Heliogabalus within 5-10 years and would probably have to move into other towns and cities.
Perhaps Sylvia's friendship with Christine Dragonsbane is magical in nature, maybe nothing so overt as a charm person spell but just an occasional friends spell, and other little charms to improve their relationship.
So perhaps Sylvia and Donlevy could marry, he has proven naive in the past by trusting Zorth (even though he was young it still means he is too quick to trust). So a few bits of advice from Sylvia and she could become his confidante, then over time she manipulates the relationship into something else.
Of course there are foreign suitors for Sylvia as well. Impiltur has a variety of noble families, especially some of the newer nobles who will not be so uptight about recently established noble titles. The Starsunder family for instance that has holdings in Dilpur and Sarshel and the Uplands of Impiltur and one would presume it has connections in New Sarshel across the water in the Great Dale. That would give her connections to rival Dimian.
I'm not entirely convinced about a marriage between Sylvia and a leading Red Wizard, she isnt powerful enough for such an alliance and i think that Mulmaster and Thay probably entered into such a pact as an experiment that has yet to bear any fruit so they probably wouldnt do such a thing again.
|
| Markustay |
Posted - 03 Jan 2014 : 01:20:35
Two old syaings...
"Time heals all wounds" and "Politics makes strange bed-fellows".
I can think of hundreds of reasons why the nobility may have finally 'come around'. The simplest is that the commoners loved Dragonsbane, and the lords didn't want an uprising by openly defying him. They may just be waiting for him to make an unpopular decision before they act (and thus far, he hasn't made one). While waiting, they may have realized a stable kingdom is good for their purses. The same would go for Gareth and his side.
War is costly, and if you can make deals with your enemies and use them to your advantage, then thats just smart business. Nobody is saying their good friends now, and the kingdom is full of rainbows and unicorns. Its just like any other kingdom, with back-biting nobles and Machiavellian politics. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 21:50:52
On my way out, but had an idea and wanted to jot it down. So, Sylvia wants fish. She's told that the fishing in Lake Mogador has been abysmal lately. She instructs her nobility that live near the lake that they must construct small ponds with canals to empty into the lake. She then sets up fish hatcheries along the lake and hires commoners to care for them and pays for their feed by accepting "fish food" in lieu of taxes. While she was just hungry, this idea resonates with Queen Christine (who is mind you a druidess). |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 21:44:51
Sending your children to be educated at the court of the king was both an honour and a curse for noblemen for the exact reasons you stated so I can certainly see that being done.
And I like all your stuff so far, it fits nicely.
What doesn't fit is how we get to Dragonsbane being king. Dimian and Sylvia are made out to be terrified of the prospect of Gareth being king and prepared to do anything to see that doesn't happen.
Given that the author keeps on ignoring major information about NPCs and indeed geographic areas in his books and just rewrites things to fit his own needs I cant see myself using any of his "canon" because those three nobles would not have allowed Dragonsbane to be king without a fight which they thought necessary to protect their own hides.
Dimian would almost certainly have used his connections to make multiple attempts on Gareth or Christine's life, and Sylvia would have sold her soul to anyone for an ally (which is why it says she clung so much to Dimian's coat tails even though she probably hated him as much as everyone else).
So how on earth could he become king with two of the richest baronies allied against him. Especially since his own forces would be depleted from fighting Zhengyi's forces.
Did the book state whether Heliogabalus is still part of the Barony of Morov because if it didn't then I reckon that Heliogabalus should be restored to being a city independent of any title and Dimian remains the Duke of Morov but with his capital at Morovar |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 20:57:42
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Well looking at any real world kingdom in the middle ages and if you did not act against your transgressors you were deemed weak by your own nobility.
It is the nobles that keep you in power and they can remove you very quick, if you do not punish the wicked then they will all do whatever they want without fear of reprisal.
The people would probably just think Gareth Dragonsbane is like any other king/noble and looks after his own rather than looking to avenge their wrongs.
I'm all for keeping the evil, thats why i think keeping Dimian is a good idea (although taking away his title and granting it to his son is his punishment). And Dimian having a son keeps the evil as well.
But if you let Sylvia and Dimian live and keep their titles then they will do it again, and again, and again, until they are imprisoned, exiled, executed, or removed from power. Its human nature, give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Take Henry VII, he had an awful time with his nobles. He quickly had to prove he was a strong king by punishing those that were proven traitors and transgressors against him. But he also had to be seen to uphold the rights of the nobles and give them lands and titles and rewards (being tyrannical to your nobles will also upset them and cause a rebellion).
He was a very astute ruler and got this perfectly right. Sylvia is a traitor and has to be punished severly. Dimian Ree is not entirely a traitor and is still of noble blood (Sylvia is not) so he keeps a title (admittedly its a poor title but he is still a noble). And his son keeps the baronial lineage of his family.
Lands and titles could be removed and returned to various nobles many times in their life as they dropped in and out of favour. The political life of a king was very much in flux. Take Henry VIII, he was always swapping his favour to and from the Duke of Norfolk (until he chopped his head off after the disasterous marriage of Jane Grey).
I think most likely Dragonsbane would have Sylvia imprisoned (since he is a good guy) and given the thieves guild and her spellcasting ability she would probably escape. I think the threat of Dimian-Ree, his brother, and his son is a good for some fun. Sylvia if she were to escape would want revenge.
The most important thing to Gareth Dragonsbane right now has to be garnering the support of his nobles. He needs to appoint new ones loyal to him, appease the old guard that supported Virdin by marrying their families into his and granting them lands and titles. And he needs to remove the imposter nobles that were appointed by Zhengyi (who the old guard nobles probably didnt like anyway because they werent of noble blood).
If he does nothing though he would end up like the kings of france and have no authority and his nobles would walk all over him. It only takes for 30-40% of your nobles to dislike you just a bit and you are in real danger of losing your kingdom, especially if outside powers take an interest in your lands.
Therein lies the issue with Dimian, so far, they have no PROOF of his nefariousness.
For Sylvia, they may have proof that she favored her nobility over her peasantry.... but that's just poor management and fixable. They may question the fact that she was raised to power by Zhengyi just based on her personal power. But then again, they may have some nobles that will revolt if she's removed from power (they like her). So, maybe she's reprimanded... maybe even given some time where she must live in the same cells where she'd imprisoned folk who couldn't pay their taxes... but in the end, she's allowed to come out and be baroness again (having learned her lesson). This invokes the pity of the nobles, and perhaps even the commoners as well. Perhaps Sylvia even begins some practices to help her commoners.... Perhaps she also begins to curry the favor of Queen Christine as a fellow noblewoman (i.e. maybe she introduces Queen Christine to the Operas of Ostel, maybe she delivers a dress made of fine Thayan Silk that SO brings out Queen Christine's eyes). I only note this because Road of the Patriarch actually says Queen Christine and Baroness Sylvia become "somewhat friends". Specifically it says "Though Baroness Sylvia and Lady Christine had formed somewhat of a friendship over the past few years, no one in the room thought highly of Baron Dimian Ree of Morov, considering him the consummate self-serving politician".
I've got somewhere to go, but I'm having fun at this, I'd like to poke ideas with Sylvia next. Oh, and Sylvia's, Dimian's, and possibly Duke William's children might all be pledged for marriage. I keep bringing up the children's marriages, because in 1372, if children were say marrying at 16 or so... this kind of stuff would be starting to happen over the next few years, and the arrangements & negotiations would all be happening right about 1372. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 20:40:02
Back to Ree and Sylvia. I was upset with the Sylvia thing too (I had a really good plot written up involving the Ree brothers, her, and Sylvia/Dimian marrying and having twins, sylvia escaping jail, and the twins being taken away from Dimian to be raised as pages in Gareth's care). However, the task I set myself is to take canon and try to turn the best thing I can out of it.
So, we have the existing lore from bloodstone lands that paints these two in a bad light. However, it paints them with a brush that tends to paint people very broadly (I would give a comparison to Fox News <which I love, btw> and its ability at times to really make some democrats look very bad). Lets look at this from the standpoint of the average person living in these baronies, and then from there figure out how these two could get around their stigmas.
First, they stood up against a group of adventurers who admittedly slew Zhengyi and were seeking to make themselves rulers of the country. Why should everyone in the country (and it WAS a separate country again) suddenly bow down and claim a bunch of "killers" as the new rulers? If that were the case, how would Cormyr remain in power? Sure, they did a great thing... shouldn't they have gone to the new leaders of the country and received a bunch of roses and a medal instead of assuming that they now rule everyone? After all, they are loyal to Damara aren't they..... oh wait, no they come to conquer and create a new kingdom of Bloodstone? What's worse, this new kingdom of Bloodstone will need to SUPPORT THE ANNEXATION OF PARTS OF WILD VAASA? "Aren't we people tired of war? We should rebuild our homes, not build homes in remote wildernesses continually raided by goblins and riddled with disease by its swampy nature in the summer!" might have been the cry in many of these "rebel baronies" that Gareth and company marched upon.
So, after reading that.... I have to say that any cries of treason won't stand up in court. Dimian Ree did NOT claim to be king even though he was one of only 3 people who could (sure, he began administering the capital... but someone had to do it). Gareth wasn't king. Christine wasn't queen. They and their friends weren't proposing a simple return to the old kingdom, and the whole country was a mess since nearly everyone of noble blood had been murdered. Then given that most of the common people could care less about noble intentions whenever they're just trying to rebuild what they had, they just want leaders that won't complicate their lives. If they relent and accept Gareth and Christine as king and queen as a result of popularity, they might get to keep their positions if they change some of their stances.
So, Dimian first. He's a politician. In second addition, he has levels in thief, but in 3rd edition, I'd put those mostly in aristocrat, thief, and bard (his bardic skill being speech making) and most of his skills being in perform (oratory) and information gathering/knowledge/history type skills. He's not the sneak thief or cutpurse or assassin. If his bardic spell ability is in minor cures, that might just sway people as well. Maybe he's the type of politician who gets the message across through storytelling history (picture a nefarious version of Glenn Beck) and telling people "we can fix this by rolling our sleeves up and doing what X did years ago, remember him? He was ... yada yada yada". Through his information gathering and ties to tightpurse, he could also make "predictions" about the marketplace that "miraculously" come true.
So, his entry in BL states that "he has ties to the grandfather of assassins, and he may rely on that bond in the near future". However, he may have looked into the idea of having Tranth, Christine, and Gareth eliminated... but then he only saw that leading to his own death, given what all these individuals had accomplished. So, he opted to do what many politicians do. He created a crisis (a fake assassination attempt) that he uncovers and thwarts on Baroness Christine. Also, as I discussed earlier, perhaps he uncovers Gareth's discovery of Helmont the 15th's ruse in Carmathan, and he informs Helmont so that his misinformation network can try to stop Gareth. Then Dimian sends in the kneebreakers as a "third party" who "forestalls the evil machinations of Helmont the 15th", and the kneebreakers unwittingly praise Dimian to the common folk of Carmathan. So, who did Dimian marry? Well, you took the idea of the Duke of Arcata marrying into a Telflamm merchant family, so I'd hate to duplicate it. Well, what do successful politicians do? They marry a beautiful woman whom the common folk can model themselves upon, and whose alliance brings success. So, lets give him a very sexy and successful marriage to someone from somewhere that will be looked upon with respect, and which brings successful trade alliances to the people of Morov.
What if he marries the beautiful daughter of Lord Uthlain of Uthmere, and arranges successful shipping contracts and use of the great trade road, as well as building large warehouses for storing of goods on land given as a dowry in Uthmere. This also provides them a port outside of the control of Impiltur. Then have his baroness be a fashion trend setter, possibly using goods obtained from the east, as well as being generous (perhaps she helps down on their luck Damarans remake their house, using a bunch of local artisans, and Dimian capitalizes upon this good natured trendiness by being the person who helps "search out people who need the barony's aid"). All of this would be a front though, as Dimian uses these special projects to cover his abuse of public funds, get kickbacks from the artisans whom he hires, get kickbacks from the suppliers of the raw materials, etc... He may even leak knowledge of these deliveries of raw materials to tightpurse, such that they're stolen, but it doesn't affect the local merchants (and makes it look like the thieves affect him as much as the common folk). This same general concept works with other things (maybe the baroness institutes a program to make clothing available to the poor, and thereby employs local artisans to craft the clothing, imports cloth, etc... and maybe her fashion trendsetting encourages people to donate their old clothes).
I'm noting that Dimian Ree also is NOT listed as evil. He's listed as CN. So, maybe he's seen by some as a business person who takes risks, and they seem to pay off. So, he's a successful man as well.
One thing I definitely see happening with him is the idea of Ree's children being pages for Gareth. It would be somewhat of a way to hold Dimian Ree in check (though Gareth would probably never hurt the children to spite the parent), and it would be a way to see to it that the children are being sired correctly. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 20:35:34
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
Now onto brandiar. I like more and more the idea of it being split into baronies. Nobles tend to object to trumped up farmers being awarded Ducal titles; it mocks their efforts to gain such titles and the efforts of their ancestors to keep it in the family. So the Ducal title should be allowed to lapse with the death of the family line (of course should a claimant appear then he could become the new Duke).
It tends to be that the Duchy name does not match that of a Barony (probably so as not to confuse anyone).
So the Duchy of Brandiar should contain two Baronies. The Barony of Goliad seems a sensible choice since that is the name of the primary holding.
I did notice in the writeup of Brandiar that it mentioned the former Duke of Brandebury (Brandebury being his family name) and that strikes me as a good name for a little village somewhere in Brandiar (which is a common way to get a second name). So how about the Barony of Brandebury somewhere in the north of Brandiar.
The main problem for Dormythyrr is that he does not have a baronial holding yet and so would need to gather funds to build a keep. He could probably take out a loan of course or maybe turn to other more shady means of acquiring funds. Maybe that could be some intrigue for later years. He takes out a loan from what turn out to be real nasty people, they gradually get him to do more underhand things to pay back the interest and hey presto the next time a war comes around he is blackmailed up to the eyeballs to support whichever side they want.
Liking this a lot. Especially the renaming, the baronies of Brandebury and Goliad sound great. The idea of the loan just screams Dimian Ree. What better way to show his "good will" to the kingdom than to help built poor Dormythyrr a castle. Of course, when tightpurse steals a lot of the building materials, Dormythyrr's barony will naturally have to come up with replacements. Of course, it wasn't tightpurse... it was lawless goblinoids from nearby Soravia. Darn it, but Duke Olwen of Soravia really needs to get rid of those goblins, and Dormythyrr really needs to beef up his border security. As it happens, Dimian Ree knows of some mercenaries that can be hired for this kind of light duty for cheap.... and the second they're hired, the thefts stop. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 20:27:42
on the magic school, just a note, the one built by Emelyn was originally a school for centaurs. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 17:12:15
on Soravia, Bloodstone Lands and Road of the Patriarch both make it canon that one of Gareth's friends (Olwen Forest-friend) became Duke of Soravia. However RotP novel makes note that he's constantly moving throughout his Duchy and never at any given place for very long. So, did Olwen marry? Does he have lovers all over the countryside? Does he have bastard children littering the countryside? Is he constantly travelling the countryside because he has to due to its size OR is he doing it get away from a wife that he married and no longer loves? My thoughts are that a good adventurer doesn't necessarily make a good husband or father. Perhaps Olwen's Duchess helps to raise his heirs, but she also knows that Olwen has bastard children throughout the countryside. Perhaps some of these bastards are even older than the current heir. Perhaps Olwen even recognizes his bastards and plans to cut up Soravia into much smaller baronies for these children (to the consternation of the Duchess).
I like the idea of Dugald passing southern Brandiar to the next leader of the temple. It opens up the possibility that at a later time perhaps the leader of the church was married, and he didn't keep the Barony within church leadership but made it a familial inheritance (not a problem for today, but could be in the future).
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| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 16:24:09
What about a minor cousin of House Praka returning to rule the Barony of Ostel.
Ostel was Damara's most populated before Zhengyi so it would have been easier for one of the nobles to disappear.
Or maybe a distant relative from a branch of that noble house that dwelled in another country appears to claim the title. They would obviously have to pay money for the title but no one would object if they were of house Praka.
Then as a twist it could actually be Sylvia in disguise (or she used a girdle of gender change) to make herself a man.
That way technically she is still in charge, even though she was captured stripped of her title and imprisoned. No one would suspect she would have to audacity to turn up months later as a man and claim the title as a noble cousin from say Ravens Bluff (their ambassador is a bit of a useless twit from what i have read so he might just say that her/his claim is true without checking that said noble is still living in Ravensbluff or not). |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 15:33:36
Well looking at any real world kingdom in the middle ages and if you did not act against your transgressors you were deemed weak by your own nobility.
It is the nobles that keep you in power and they can remove you very quick, if you do not punish the wicked then they will all do whatever they want without fear of reprisal.
The people would probably just think Gareth Dragonsbane is like any other king/noble and looks after his own rather than looking to avenge their wrongs.
I'm all for keeping the evil, thats why i think keeping Dimian is a good idea (although taking away his title and granting it to his son is his punishment). And Dimian having a son keeps the evil as well.
But if you let Sylvia and Dimian live and keep their titles then they will do it again, and again, and again, until they are imprisoned, exiled, executed, or removed from power. Its human nature, give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Take Henry VII, he had an awful time with his nobles. He quickly had to prove he was a strong king by punishing those that were proven traitors and transgressors against him. But he also had to be seen to uphold the rights of the nobles and give them lands and titles and rewards (being tyrannical to your nobles will also upset them and cause a rebellion).
He was a very astute ruler and got this perfectly right. Sylvia is a traitor and has to be punished severly. Dimian Ree is not entirely a traitor and is still of noble blood (Sylvia is not) so he keeps a title (admittedly its a poor title but he is still a noble). And his son keeps the baronial lineage of his family.
Lands and titles could be removed and returned to various nobles many times in their life as they dropped in and out of favour. The political life of a king was very much in flux. Take Henry VIII, he was always swapping his favour to and from the Duke of Norfolk (until he chopped his head off after the disasterous marriage of Jane Grey).
I think most likely Dragonsbane would have Sylvia imprisoned (since he is a good guy) and given the thieves guild and her spellcasting ability she would probably escape. I think the threat of Dimian-Ree, his brother, and his son is a good for some fun. Sylvia if she were to escape would want revenge.
The most important thing to Gareth Dragonsbane right now has to be garnering the support of his nobles. He needs to appoint new ones loyal to him, appease the old guard that supported Virdin by marrying their families into his and granting them lands and titles. And he needs to remove the imposter nobles that were appointed by Zhengyi (who the old guard nobles probably didnt like anyway because they werent of noble blood).
If he does nothing though he would end up like the kings of france and have no authority and his nobles would walk all over him. It only takes for 30-40% of your nobles to dislike you just a bit and you are in real danger of losing your kingdom, especially if outside powers take an interest in your lands.
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| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 15:05:27
I'm not so sure I agree with the assessment that Gareth would be considered weak if Dimian and/or Sylvia weren't slain or imprisoned. Reading through the Bloodstone Lands supplement it's apparent that Gareth intends to do things as 'by the book' as possible and wants to be elevated to the kingship by popular support rather than through tyranny. Now, I'm not saying that the common people would view him as a tyrant (especially where dealing with Sylvia is concerned), I'm just saying that Gareth seems to want to avoid the appearance of tyranny at all costs. So, why not come up with a way to make Dimian/Sylvia (closely watched) friends instead? Kingdoms are forged through political alliances. There are cases where kings cannot act without causing further problems. Perhaps Gareth seeks to avoid another civil war and instead extends an olive branch to them, one that garners mutual gain for them both, while at the same time having one of his wizardly friends (Emelyn, Myriddin, or Gabrielle) keeping magical tabs on them?
I will give it some more thought as to how these circumstances could come about but I think it leaves some interesting background story for the kingdom (or role play opportunities). You leave a dangerous threat intact AND you allow for interesting political campaign possibilities. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 15:02:06
Now onto brandiar. I like more and more the idea of it being split into baronies. Nobles tend to object to trumped up farmers being awarded Ducal titles; it mocks their efforts to gain such titles and the efforts of their ancestors to keep it in the family. So the Ducal title should be allowed to lapse with the death of the family line (of course should a claimant appear then he could become the new Duke).
It tends to be that the Duchy name does not match that of a Barony (probably so as not to confuse anyone).
So the Duchy of Brandiar should contain two Baronies. The Barony of Goliad seems a sensible choice since that is the name of the primary holding.
I did notice in the writeup of Brandiar that it mentioned the former Duke of Brandebury (Brandebury being his family name) and that strikes me as a good name for a little village somewhere in Brandiar (which is a common way to get a second name). So how about the Barony of Brandebury somewhere in the north of Brandiar.
The main problem for Dormythyrr is that he does not have a baronial holding yet and so would need to gather funds to build a keep. He could probably take out a loan of course or maybe turn to other more shady means of acquiring funds. Maybe that could be some intrigue for later years. He takes out a loan from what turn out to be real nasty people, they gradually get him to do more underhand things to pay back the interest and hey presto the next time a war comes around he is blackmailed up to the eyeballs to support whichever side they want. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 14:38:27
Well there are many ways to bump someone off without murdering them.
Every morning greet them with a glass of sherry. Keep refilling their tankard of ale at meal times. A big glass of wine before bed.
Heavily salt all their dinners.
Hey presto you have a deadman by 40 or even earlier if you are lucky. And the only think you did wrong was be a kind and dutiful wife |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 14:32:03
quote:
Originally posted by dazzlerdal
How about this for Arcata
quote:
Duke William Horgath the 8th survived the crowning of Gareth Dragonsbane with his neck and his titles intact thanks to the agreement he struck with the then Baron Dragonsbane in which no reparations or punishment would be incurred.
Today Duke Horgath is still active in Damara in 1370’s DR, however he is still under close watch by his own Ducal Guard who work openly for King Dragonsbane and report the Duke’s entire schedule to the King.
The Duke might not be held accountable for any of his actions during the war, but any new crimes he commits will incur punishment. As such Horgath has become a scared shadow of a man frightened of his own shadow and aged beyond his years with stress and worry.
The Duke married several years ago, but due to his lack of respect and power within his own Duchy he could not secure a marriage alliance from the other nobles of Damara. Nor could he find a willing subject from among the local peasantry. As a result Duke William has been forced to marry the 5th daughter of a minor merchant coster from nearby Telflamm; a marriage that brought with it significant debts and a loss of prestige.
However Horgath’s son, William Horgath the 9th is shaping up to be a strong and proud lad; if a little lacking in looks and modesty, with a streak of cunning and savvy from his mother’s side.
I decided that since the current duke was probably under surveillance by the then duke he would be under very close surveillance by the current king.
This means essentially that he can take no action without the king knowing about it and approving it which means he has very little power within his own duchy. This is likely to prove unattractive to any dukes and barons within Damara (especially those loyal to Dragonsbane) so he wouldnt get any local marriage alliances.
That leaves foreign alliances. Impiltur is a contender since it has plenty of nobles.
However given Horgath's bad judgement in the war he doesnt strike me as a terribly bright or charismatic man so i reckon the best he could do is a minor merchant's daughter, and he would probably get screwed over by said merchant so i picked the nearby and unscrupulous city of Telflamm.
Of course to mix things up for the future when Dragonsbane dies making the next in line a better prospect than his father means the fortunes of Arcata may change with the next King and in a civil war Arcata could side either way.
I think that Horgath's wife will eventually (or sooner) kill off Duke William 8th to put her son in charge with her advising him closely and her merchant family might get significant patronage from the new Duke.
This works. Less so on the murdering at the end. After the loss of all of Damara's nobility on the night of assassinations, I'm seeing the death of any ruler as being something that's going to be researched well over the next couple generations. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 12:50:15
How about this for Arcata
quote:
Duke William Horgath the 8th survived the crowning of Gareth Dragonsbane with his neck and his titles intact thanks to the agreement he struck with the then Baron Dragonsbane in which no reparations or punishment would be incurred.
Today Duke Horgath is still active in Damara in 1370’s DR, however he is still under close watch by his own Ducal Guard who work openly for King Dragonsbane and report the Duke’s entire schedule to the King.
The Duke might not be held accountable for any of his actions during the war, but any new crimes he commits will incur punishment. As such Horgath has become a scared shadow of a man frightened of his own shadow and aged beyond his years with stress and worry.
The Duke married several years ago, but due to his lack of respect and power within his own Duchy he could not secure a marriage alliance from the other nobles of Damara. Nor could he find a willing subject from among the local peasantry. As a result Duke William has been forced to marry the 5th daughter of a minor merchant coster from nearby Telflamm; a marriage that brought with it significant debts and a loss of prestige.
However Horgath’s son, William Horgath the 9th is shaping up to be a strong and proud lad; if a little lacking in looks and modesty, with a streak of cunning and savvy from his mother’s side.
I decided that since the current duke was probably under surveillance by the then duke he would be under very close surveillance by the current king.
This means essentially that he can take no action without the king knowing about it and approving it which means he has very little power within his own duchy. This is likely to prove unattractive to any dukes and barons within Damara (especially those loyal to Dragonsbane) so he wouldnt get any local marriage alliances.
That leaves foreign alliances. Impiltur is a contender since it has plenty of nobles.
However given Horgath's bad judgement in the war he doesnt strike me as a terribly bright or charismatic man so i reckon the best he could do is a minor merchant's daughter, and he would probably get screwed over by said merchant so i picked the nearby and unscrupulous city of Telflamm.
Of course to mix things up for the future when Dragonsbane dies making the next in line a better prospect than his father means the fortunes of Arcata may change with the next King and in a civil war Arcata could side either way.
I think that Horgath's wife will eventually (or sooner) kill off Duke William 8th to put her son in charge with her advising him closely and her merchant family might get significant patronage from the new Duke. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 09:20:46
Oh and Argent Towers ftw, sounds much more empowering than Rainbow Towers.
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| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 02 Jan 2014 : 09:00:29
Well i'm afraid the knowledge that Sylvia is also still a baroness in the novels just reinforces my already very low opinion of novels. RSE's that change nothing and political powderkeg situations that continue ad infinitum are just lazy writing.
The two situations; Gareth Dragonsbane becoming King and Dimian Ree and Sylvia remaining in power are unreconcilable.
The entire country as of 1358 is polarised around choosing between the two sides. Sylvia, Dimian and Helmont cannot allow Dragonsbane to become king because they know he will take away their titles and imprison them for their treason and crimes.
Likewise Dragonsbane cannot allow those three to remain in power without punishment otherwise he would lose the support of his loyal nobles and even worse the peasant population.
No amount of assurances that he wouldnt remove titles would work because assurances are not legally binding and since he can change the laws even legally binding contracts would not give enough of a guarantee.
Politics and backstabbing are a way of life at these levels of power, to ignore them is stupid. By leaving such dangerous enemies in power, Dragonsbane ridicules himself and projects an image of a weak and ineffectual ruler unable to tame or punish his subjects. It would not be seen as benevolent or just, merely weak and stupid. His time on the throne would not be long. Dimian and Sylvia would quickly garner support from the merchant houses and the common people would begin to rebel. It would just be a matter of time before one of the baddies raises an army of mercenaries and assassinates the king.
Stupid or lazy canon is no canon at all.
There has to be a scapegoat and the punishment has to be as severe as the law allows which means either execution or life imprisonment, anything less would not be allowed to happen by the nobles on either side or the common people.
Whoever wrote the book just couldnt be bothered developing the history and political situation in the area using the plot hooks provided previously (or the research performed or provided was poor), which doesnt surprise me considering what i have heard about the bits done with Vaasa as well.
Now with that aside, a duchy is typically a collection of other holdings in an area including baronies so there is no reason to assume that Brandiar is not actually made up of two baronies. With the ducal title gone (its lineage destroyed) Gareth can either award it to Dormythyrr for his services, or as you have suggested, leave it alone and the two barons of Brandiar would have a little political battle, the baron that could gather enough support and pay Dragonsbane for the title would be the new Duke (if Dragonsbane wished it so, he might still refuse), of course this battle could play out over several generations.
I like the idea of the twilight riders becoming the rulers of Carmarthen and i also like the idea of Friar Dugald becoming a baron of Southern Brandiar. Since this is a church appointment, the baronial seat (holding) could be the temple itself, in which case Friar Dugald does not need to wed, the succession would be the next Friar appointed to takeover running of the temple.
Ellery Dragonsbane certainly seems like a good candidate for the marshal and commander of the armies of Damara.
Now what about Soravia. I dont know why, but a thought popped into my head about having a giant duke (or maybe half giant) given all the giant problems in that region. I dont know if Dragonsbane had any giant companions or allies on his journeys but it would be an unusual and unique appointment.
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| sleyvas |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 21:54:26
I don't see Helmont the 15th staying in power in Carmathan (which neither did you guys). He's an imposter. Gareth knows it. He's already got a midwife who will claim it, AND he's got the monks of the monastery of the yellow rose researching it. That one is tied up with a nice bow showing that that guy is going away in everything canon. That's why I put at least the little bit of spin on it that Ree at least turned the guy's removal into a win for himself in the public eye (via the dim-witted but lovable kneebreakers). This all shows Ree as more of a politician who takes advantage of things (which is what he was... his brother's the nefarious bad guy). So, both Dimian Ree and Gareth win there. I can see Dimian Ree trying to placate his brother half-heartedly by supporting Tarkos Ree's bid to become Duke (which fails). If I had to pick someone to become the new Duke, it would be Gareth's paladin friend from the twilight riders (Justin M'Dael) who also married another member of the twilight riders (Tamarin Moonwisher, a ranger). It makes sense what with the twilight riders being loved in Carmathan and Polten. Noting that I had earlier said that Donlevy the younger might offer up noble titles to the twilight riders in Polten, Justin and Tamarin might have a large brood of children, and thus the first 3 males born would be born into titles. Their children would also be of the right age to begin immediate building of a dynasty with Gareth's children, and thus their firstborn girl might be pledged to Gareth's firstborn boy (that is if Baron Donlevy's firstborn girl isn't so pledged... in which case Gareth's secondborn son may be pledged to Justin and Tamarin's firstborn girl).
This leaves up some questions as to marriages / rulerships of the various baronies Duchy's leftover... and I'm thinking it'd be a fun exercise to play a game laying that out right now. So, I'll see where it takes me by listing them all and working from there.
Duchy of Arcata (population in 1358 roughly 15 thousand)- - at end of war, the Duke had an agreement with Gareth that there would be no reparations. So, Duke William Horgath the 8th still rules. Presumably he was already married and has a line of children in play. Who might these children marry?
Barony of Bloodstone (population in 1358 roughly 12 thousand)- - at end of war, Gareth is still the official Baron through marriage of his wife Christine (the official heiress). I see this as being a barony that becomes promised to Gareth's second son (as the heir will be king). Until his son can become old enough, Gareth probably places a trusted council of stewards/Castellans in place and probably spends 1/3 of his time in Bloodstone village and 1/3 of his time in Heliogabalus and 1/3 of his time visiting other baronies & duchies to make sure there's no grumbling (so Gareth is probably constantly moving his court every 2 or 3 weeks with occasional 2 month "rest" stints where he rests in Heliogabalus or Bloodstone, whichever is closer at the time) . With Emelyn the Gray in the Warrenwood, he may help with this stewardship when Gareth is away.
Duchy of Brandiar - at the end of the war, a war hero named Dormythyrr who managed to rally the Duchies forces and turn them over to Gareth was reigning as steward. However, this Duchy is one that is divided on its support of Gareth. I also find it intriguing that on the original map in bloodstone lands, it actually shows Brandiar as cut in half along the ford of Goliad.... almost like this Duchy was going to get cut in half. So, I'm going to make a supposition below that the Duchy was separated into two baronies.
Barony of Northern Brandiar (population in 1358 roughly 5 thousand)- already having an established person in place who is beloved by the populace, Gareth separates the northern half of Brandiar and places Dormythyrr and his wife as its baron and baroness. Its explained away that they simply "don't want to overwhelm Dormythyrr with the responsibilities of an entire Duchy for one new to such responsibilities". The newly installed baron is more than happy to take on being lord over the people in the north and letting go of the people in the south who were a pain in his ass anyway. Since he was a farmer before the war, becoming a baron is more than he expected. Who are their children and who do they marry??? Were their children already adults, and thus this line may be passing to commoner born folks of the same barony? This sounds like the best path to me.
Barony of Southern Brandiar (population in 1358 roughly 3 thousand)- The cleric and friend of Gareth, Friar Dugald, gained great notoriety by building a grand temple of Ilmater (dedicated to the patron saint Dionysius) near Goliad. Friar Dugald was given a baronial title over southern Brandiar in hopes that he could quell the complaints from the southern half of the barony, which he has done admirably. Who did he wed? Did he wed? Who will take over as baron if he has no sons?
Duchy of Carmathan (population in 1358 roughly 20 thousand)- - as discussed above, the twilight riders, Justin M'Dael and Tamarin Moonwisher become the Duke and Duchess. Their firstborn son is pledged to marry Gareth's secondborn daughter, and they will become the future Duke/Duchess of Carmathan. Their second and thirdborn sons are promised lordships within the barony of Polten, and thus they spend their squiring years being raised in Donlevy the younger's court. Correspondingly, at one of their daughters is promised to Donlevy the younger's secondborn son, and that son is given a lordship in Carmathan.
Barony of Morov (population in 1358 roughly 33 thousand)- Dimian Ree is the baron of this barony still. When I thought that Sylvia was no longer over Ostel, I liked the idea of the two marrying that was being presented (though I was going to go with Sylvia in jail and the Ree brothers framing her). However, now that I know she's still over Ostel, I'm thinking things should go differently. What if Ree were to marry for political & monetary power to further entrench himself? If this union were to bring gains for his barony, it likely would be seen as too bad. However, it shouldn't be a group that would be seen as wanting to encroach into this fledgling country's power structure (i.e. no Mulmaster, no Zhentil Keep, etc....). I'm thinking marrying into a country or city-state known for healthy trade (Sembia, Telflamm, etc...)
Barony of Ostel (population in 1358 roughly 26 thousand)- As discussed before, Baroness Sylvia brings in a Thayan Enclave. At first she never marries, and her sexual antics are much rumored. In fact, her first child is rumored to be of mulan blood, though some say his resemblance to Dimian Ree is amazing. However, later she marries Dimian's brother, Tarkos Ree, in order to settle arguments over her legitimacy (after all, Tarkos Ree is also of royal blood like Dimian). It is the child of this pairing which is named heir to the throne, as the other child is a bastard (much to the consternation of the Thayan Enclave).
Barony of Polten (population in 1358 roughly 14 thousand)- Donlevy the Younger is baron. Donlevy actually married his childhood love from when he grew up in Tellerth in hiding (this is to secure the succession as quickly as possible). His firstborn daughter is promised to King Gareth's firstborn son, and thus she will become queen. His second and thirdborn daughters are promised to sons of the Duke/Duchess of Carmathan and given their parent's lordships in Polten (one of whom becomes lord over the region of Tellerth, where the twilight riders were much beloved), and in return his secondborn son is pledged to the secondborn daughter of the Duke/Duchess of Carmathan and given a lordship in Carmathan. The ties between the baronies of Polten and Carmathan as well as the Dragonsbane family grow strong and their families become politically strong. If he has any more kids, I see him bringing in nobles of Impiltur to strengthen ties with that country.
Barony of Soravia (population in 1358 roughly 12 thousand)- Olwen Forest-Friend becomes the baron of this sparsely populated barony. Who does he marry? Probably a commoner, though possibly an adventurer type.
Of the remaining friends of Gareth, notes below:
I don't see Emelyn the Gray taking up a state position, as its stated that he moved into the warrenwood and rarely is seen much (which makes Christine Dragonsbane happy, as the old codger somewhat annoyed her per road of the patriarch). Emelyn does marry his apprentice Gabrielle, and he likes to joke with Gareth about voyeurism (probably why Christine is annoyed with him). Oh, and per Bloodstone lands, they also build a wizard school in the Warrenwood (or I should say rebuild). From that source "the school will be the most prominent center of learning and wizardry in all the Bloodstone Lands."
Since it states Celedon Kierney cares little for title or station, I don't see him taking up a state position (he may just continue to run the spysong network).
Riordan Parnell, much like Celedon Kierney, he's not looking to rule.
OTHER CANON DYNASTY INFORMATION
Promise of the Witch-King novel introduced a couple people also of the old family lines.
Ellery Dragonsbane, her full name Ellery Tranth Dopray Kierney Dragonsbane Peidopare, was a famous commander of the Army of Bloodstone. Ellery was related to the old Vaasan family lines of Tranth and Dragonsbane, she was the niece of Baron Tranth and the cousin of Lady Christine Dragonsbane, Queen of Damara, and second cousin (once removed) of Gareth Dragonsbane, King of Damara. NOTE: I had to look up second cousin (once removed)... essentially Gareth's great grandparents and Ellery's Great, Great grandparents were the same... almost like third cousins.
<Spoiler alert> Ellery dies
Also General Dannaway Bridgestone Tranth, brother of Baron Tranth who stood beside Gareth.... so Christine Dragonsbane's uncle. He serves as the military commander and mayor of the community of the Vaasan Gate and the Fugue. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 19:16:28
Also, in road of the patriarch, its stated that the gem tree is 12 years old, so putting the timeline in the 1370's or so |
| Markustay |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 19:14:04
I was thinking about the name of the tower as - 'Rainbow Towers' sounds more like a hotel in San Francisco...
I was think 'white towers', for white magic, but thats boring. I used a thesaurus for 'white', and both alabaster (towers) and 'ivory tower' have been used before.
'Argent' is the name for white in heraldry, and 'Argent Towers' is pretty good.
If you want a mage who can heal, then go with a cleric of Mystra in 2e - they can also cast spells from the Wizard school (and wear armor, because they are really clerics). |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 18:55:05
Hmm, let me note first off that I've been reading back through road of the patriarch further. That book not only makes Dimian Ree still baron of Morov, but it also names Baroness Sylvia as still around (I read the books six years ago, and this fact hadn't sunk in). I'm looking at Road of the Patriarch, chapter 2, pages 31 & 32 in the hardback version. I recommend looking at this piece. I know you're interested in developing your own version, but I like doing this kind of thing where I see what canon things are out there and then developing the links further. Its kind of an undecided kind of development, where you have to go in semi-blind and see what unexpected outcome you get at the end. I'll post more on that later.
BTW, I so wish I could copy and paste from google books. Wow that is an amazing resource. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 18:53:23
Further on the wizard school idea. Its noted in Bloodstone Lands that Emelyn the Gray wanted to build a school in the warrenwood (well rebuild). So perhaps Myrrdin and Emelyn (and Emelyn's apprentice Gabrielle) all help build a school. I could definitely see the school teaching the arts of the eldritch knight and spellsword, being a school for warrior mages. Since he is a war weaver, definitely teaching the art of war weaving (where you are a mage who buffs his personal squad) for those mages who see themselves fulfilling more of a support role. If it allowed for followers of Torm, they could also learn the arcane disciple (healing domain), and followers of Tyr could do arcane disciple (war domain). The war domain would be beneficial to mages who wear armor and get into battle, it offers spiritual hammer (good if you have an opponent whom your physical sword can't really touch, such as an incorporeal foe), magic vestment to improve your armor and shield, divine power to improve your base attack/str/hit points <and as a war weaver, you imbue this to your whole squad... so you could really boost a squad of say mages, priests or rogues with a low BAB.... even moreso if you had some way to persist it>, flame strike for when you NEED divine damage, and blade barrier as a just nice have to drop around you when enemies get close.
What exactly Emelyn the Gray and/or Gabrielle (his apprentice) bring to the school, I can't say (other than being great mages). Emelyn's power is already great being like 21st lvl during 2nd edition, but he's pretty much just shown as the standard "Gandalf" type mage from what I see in bloodstone lands (there may be more in the novels).
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| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 15:54:06
The conquest of Damara was discussed before. I believe zhengyi skirmished with Damara for 10 years but the conquest was only final with the death of king virdin at the battle of goliad.
Of course I might have totally misinterpreted what people were trying to tell me.
Goldspires is out because its already been used, I like towers ascendant and hopestone tower most of all |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 15:37:00
I see nothing wrong with the Rainbow Towers as a name. If you don't care for it then perhaps for one of the following names...Towers Ascendant, Hopestone Tower, the Azurespire (blue seems an appropriate color for good magic), Goldenspires, Sevenstars (a nod to Mystra), or the Towers Tranquil. |
| The Arcanamach |
Posted - 01 Jan 2014 : 15:10:15
I'll have to look up the original timeline but I know Zhengyi controlled Vaasa/Damara for 10 years before Gareth and Co. came onto the scene. The H-series of modules should have taken place over the course of 1.5-2 years (1357-59ish). Your mock up looks good otherwise. |
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