| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Mournblade |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 03:58:11
I see alot of threads naming the continents of the unknown lands. Where is the source for these names as I seem to have trouble finding them.
Many thanks. |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 11 Feb 2012 : 02:07:30
Right.
I always liked those ones from the Wizard of Oz, so when I was naming all the stuff on that map - I seem to have left-out Lopango (Lower Maztica) - I didn't want another 'unknown', and that name just popped into my head. After giving it about 5 seconds of thought, I figure Faerunians wouldn't even know about it, and that would be the name that appears on Zakharan maps (assume sailors - blown WAY off course - were able to see these from a distance, and never approached any closer).
So yeah... with a bit more thought, I figured there was a whole 'ape theme' going on down there, including a giant 'Ape God', a'la Isle of the Ape or King Kong (including the big wooden stockade the native gorilla-folk bring offerings to). The giant simian is actually a refuge from the Beastlands - one of those 'legendary creatures' that somehow wound up on Toril. Also, the K-T deity Monkey likes to 'hangout' here (its like his 'vacation spot').
Part of the reasoning behind the theme is that a LONG time ago I named the very large island at the end of that eastern Zakhara chain Nobanion's Island (I was going for a Narnia-thing). Later, I decided if it was an island with lots of cat-creatures, other feline deities would also have a presence, like Baast, Kiga, and The Black Leopard (Bauhei). Continuing that line of thought even further, Monkey and Bauhei have an ancient (perhaps pre-Torillian) rivalry, so giving them each an island of their own sounded like fun (at that time).
I later learned that the psuedo-canonical Savage Tide FR adaption (from Dragon/Paizo) was placed upon that island. Around the same time, I decided that I wanted to use the Jakandor mini-setting there, because its a pefect fit (right down to the lore and island-shape - much better then swapping it with the Isle of Dread).
However, I didn't want to 'ruin it' for people wanting to use the excellent Savage tide, so I did a double-adaption and came up with THIS - the Farasahad Island chain, which includes BOTH Jakandor and the Isle of Dread.
So, while the "Land of Flying Monkeys" remains an enigma, that big island to its north has undergone a constant evolution to get to its current state (in my campaign).
If you like undead and necromancers, I highly recommend sticking Jakandor there - for just 3 sourcebooks, you can get a LOT of adventure out of that mini-setting, and its a very unique take on the necromancer-thing (they aren't evil). Also, it shoe-horns into FR canon nicely, and none of its own canon is violated in anyway (they actually compliment each other).
EDIT: The map was lifted directly from the 3e FRCS - I just did a little PS magic and made it 'pop'. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 11 Feb 2012 : 00:43:04
quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Ignore "Land of Flying Monkeys" - my strange sense of humor creeps into everything, apparently. 
Did you ever provide any details on this region, Markus? You've got me curious now.
Yes, he did... somewhere on Candlekeep, he describes what he had envisioned for the place. It's possible it was in a response to a PM I had sent him out of curiosity... I'll check my mailbox, and if I can find it, I'll post his reply... unless he beats me to it, of course.
Edit: It turns out it was in a public scroll. Here... halfway down this page.
quote:
Originally posted by Dark Wizard
The flying (gliding) ape-people were the Hadozee.
And yes, the Hadozee would work well... but iirc, Mark had envisioned fully winged, flying apes, not gliders (not that we couldn't have both). I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm mistaken.  |
| Dark Wizard |
Posted - 11 Feb 2012 : 00:33:49
The flying (gliding) ape-people were the Hadozee. |
| Eladrinstar |
Posted - 11 Feb 2012 : 00:25:15
Maybe you could use the Darfellan from Stormwrack?
Edit: Wait, the Darfellan are the orca people. I don't remember what those gliding monkeys were called. Or were they apes? |
| The Sage |
Posted - 11 Feb 2012 : 00:04:54
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Ignore "Land of Flying Monkeys" - my strange sense of humor creeps into everything, apparently.
Did you ever provide any details on this region, Markus? You've got me curious now. |
| Mournblade |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 19:54:50
By Mielikki's fine figure I have missed Candlekeep...
This place is the best. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 19:38:36
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
World Map
Ignore "Land of Flying Monkeys" - my strange sense of humor creeps into everything, apparently.
What's the original source of this map? I remember there being one in the 3e FRCS, but I don't think it was this "wide". |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 18:40:27
For Anchorome you could use the following as a start of the islands
http://www.candlekeep.com/library/articles/sse/sse_010203-05.htm
(the first few responses in the thread)
and then add Eskember, Sarambril and Helbrester from here
http://oracle.wizards.com/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0304D&L=REALMS-L&P=R5617&I=-3
Talking of islands does anyone know if the Embersea project has been cancelled?
Cheers
Damian |
| Markustay |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 15:34:08
World Map
Ignore "Land of Flying Monkeys" - my strange sense of humor creeps into everything, apparently. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 15:06:59
quote:
Originally posted by Mournblade
And Sage once again you prove to go far above and beyond.
I'll note that my rambling above is just a brief sampling from other in-depth discussions on the other continents of Toril. You'd do well to search the rest of the shelves of Candlekeep for prior discussion scrolls on this topic. |
| Mournblade |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 13:22:15
Many THanks Dark Wizard! And Sage once again you prove to go far above and beyond.
I am going to search through the grand history to day to see if I can find canon on them. I knew all about the published continents just not the unknown lands so to speak, though its perfect for in the history of the campaign I am going to be putting the Slaver Series I ran in the 90's as taking place in Anachrome instead of "an island off the sword coast".
Many thanks!
|
| The Sage |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 06:13:43
Ed's original Anchorome -
"Plan before you play" (Dragon #63):
quote:
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If a DM lacks the time or the confidence to work out a detailed social situation, or wishes to utilize commercial modules when placing them in his existing world would disrupt affairs greatly, the “Anchorome campaign” is a solution.
This campaign, named for a legendary island far over the sea to the west, further from the mainland than most sailors ever dare to go, is simplicity itself. The party is provided with — hired, conscripted, ordered, or bequeathed — a ship. This vessel (if properly maintained) is adequate for them to live on, and to carry a respectable amount of trade cargo. Due to the menace of pirates or warships, or because of a storm, or because rumors of treasure are eagerly followed by the party, the ship is sent off the normal trade routes into the unknown.
Play can include a single voyage, like that of C. S. Lewis’s Dawn Treader, or (like the owners of a Traveller free trader) the party can carry on voyages for many years, concerned with trade, continually provisioning and maintaining the ship, avoiding seizure and shipwreck, and so on.
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Forgotten Realms Adventures p. 77:
quote:
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The city is named for the legendary seafaring explorer Balduran, who long ago sailed past Evermeet in search of the rich, fabled isles of Anchorome (pronounced "Ang-kor-OH-may"). Balduran returned with tales of strange, vast lands across the seas.
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Ed Greenwood from the Forgotten Times #1 interview (1999):
quote:
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Or why not pile aboard a leaky boat and do the Anchorome campaign thing, from my early Realms days? Either seek to find, explore, and win some loot from a new continent, or be forced into an epic voyage by storms that drive the ship (leaking and with breaking masts, etc.) from uncharted island to uncharted island, each one holding an adventure (ruins, active inhabitants, etc.)?
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The Hooded One at Candlekeep:
quote:
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Anchorome began with PC adventurers aboard a ship, driven they-knew-not-where by a furious storm. De-masted and a-drift, they wind up beached on an unknown island... with ruins (a 'dungeon') on it. In order to have time to cut down trees and rig a new mast, chink the leaks in the hull and refloat the ship, etc., they must fight the monsters inhabiting the isle (in one case, a lich in his tower). Then they set sail - - straight into ANOTHER storm that drives them onto another island (lather, rinse, repeat).
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Hi. As one of the players in Ed Greenwood's longtime "home" Realms campaign, I can tell you that Anchorome [sorry, can't do accent marks from where I'm typing this; please just assume that they're there] is the collective name for a string of islands [not a single proper archipelago, but often believed to be] scattered across the deep open sea far to the west of Faerun.
Years ago Ed postulated constructing a Realms campaign around the Anchorome concept, wherein PCs are aboard a ship de-masted in storms and driven helplessly aground on one of the isles of Anchorome. The PCs would then have to explore the island, forage for food, and defend the surviving crew as the sailors cut timbers to replace the masts and repair the leaking ship - - and on the island (back in those dear dawn days of the hobby, Judges Guild published a book of island maps, which Ed suggested using for DMs who lacked the time or talent to draw their own) the PCs would encounter an adventure, perhaps in ancient ruins (use any commercial adventure "module" [as they were called back then] of the DM's choice). When the ship was seaworthy, off it would sail again - - only to encounter the NEXT island (back to the map book) with the next adventure (again, purchased adventure of the DM's choice, storms intervening whenever necessary to force PCs into confrontations they'd rather avoid).
The old mainland Faerunian joke, which came with all the wild sailors' legends of what was on these various uncharted islands, was that Anchorome stood for "Anchor-on-me" . . . and since then, various published Realmslore sources written by various staff designers, licensees, and freelancers, have tried to make Anchorome this continent or that string of islands, but nothing definitive has been nailed down.
Which is why you can't find much lore about it. Sorry.
Ed has plans, but like everything else in the Realms, his lack of time and the ongoing march of the Realms line (including the recent timejump) have a way of preventing some topics ever getting covered . . .
Feel free to ask more questions about this in Ed's thread, if you want Ed's take (and perhaps a LITTLE more lore, if you ask the right pointed questions there) on Anchorome.
love,
THO
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Hi again, all.
Deusex2, Anchorome was never a "joke dungeon," nor intended to be. It is the center of a web of myths and sailors' tall tales to mainland Faerunians, yes.
Some other designers than Ed created a continent north of Maztica and called it Anchorome, but that could well have been a "mainlander Faerunian" mistake or even deliberate misinformation put forward by elves of Evermeet or merchant shipcaptains of Baldur's Gate or others, to paint a false picture of "what was over the waves" for those back in Faerun.
When it comes to the Realms, I'd trust Ed over all other sources. It is, after all, his creation, predating the Dungeons and Dragons game and all of its publishers, competitors, editions, and incarnations.
love,
THO
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*****
Katashaka was the unofficial name Brian James used for one of his articles in the "Candlekeep Compendium," featuring lore about the dark continent located southwest of Faerûn. Since it survived editing, we've learnt a little more about Katashaka in the Grand History of the Realms tome, where it has become canonised.
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Rich Baker confirmed Osse is the "Australian-like" continent, if you're looking at the map on pg. 231 of the 3e FRCS.
All we know about the land itself has been revealed in the Lady of Poison novel -- part of "The Priests" series. Aside from a few obvious examples in the book, I usually don't agree with many who say that Osse is a direct translation of, or heavily influenced by, Australian Aborigine culture. Gunggari's mannerisms aside [as well as his dizheri], it could be said that the supposed "ways" of the Osse people could very well be associated with many other examples of Polynesian tribal cultures. I always thought the actual name "Osse" was a bit of a joke as a matter of fact...
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The large island next to what is currently labeled Anchorômé and below Aurune, is Myrmidune. [Refer to Candlekeep Compendium Volume IV, and search for Myrmidune.] Brian James originally envisioned Myrmidune as a region that was still ruled by dragon empires [primarily metallic], but has since expressed some doubt over whether he'll ever have the opportunity to flesh it out. [Consequently, it's a theory I've been tinkering with myself, though I'm not prepared to share any of that working with the Candlekeep community just yet.] |
| Dark Wizard |
Posted - 10 Feb 2012 : 04:37:37
Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Oriental Adventures), Zakhara (Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures) and Maztica (now Returned Abeir) were named in (sub-)product-lines of their own, or the FRCG in the last case. I think at least the first two were independently developed as separate settings before TSR decided to fold them into FR. Pieces of Kara-Tur at least debuted in the original 1e OA supplement. Maztica may have been conceived as part of the Realms, but I'm fuzzy on that since I never paid much attention to it.
Anchorome is from Ed's replies about a series of little explored islands far out into the west on the Sea of Swords. Sometimes it is applied to the North American like continent north of Maztica. The original intent of Anchorome seemed to be for a DM to make up islands as needed for a group out exploring across the ocean.
Katashaka is the continent south of Maztica. It supposedly similar to Africa in some ways. I believe it was Brian James who coined the name for his original version of the Grand History (he can hop in to correct this if it's wrong).
Osse was from a novel (forgot which, I think one of The Priests series) and generally taken to be the large roundish continent analogous to Australia off the southeast coast of the main Faerun/Zakhara/Kara-Tur continent.
I believe a map in the official Grand History made all or most of these names canon. Again, someone can jump in to offer first-hand knowledge or lore.
There are minor continents and islands as well, most from Ed's replies. I don't recall them off-hand.
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