| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| silverwolfer |
Posted - 12 May 2013 : 05:56:05
What sort of plot hooks do you think NEZUMI from Oriental Adventures, would have in a forgotten realms sort of world? |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Markustay |
Posted - 13 May 2013 : 20:21:46
Re-reading what I wrote above, it seems to me that near the edge of the Border Ethereal (where it meets the Shadowfel) should be The Fugue - it seems that would be the perfect place for fiends (and others) to go and gather-up unclaimed souls (claimed souls would have seen 'a light' and traveled toward it, reaching their afterlife). In fact, The Fugue plane becomes the Deep Ethereal.
So going with what we came up with earlier for the Nezumi city, then it should lie within or very close to the Fugue, so as to gather-in as many of these 'lost souls' as possible (avoiding both the fate of 'The Wall' and being claimed by fiends... or worse).
Across The Fugue - and at-odds with it - would be our Nadsokor. This 'bad' city would be constantly plotting against the other, and occasionally even going to war with it (battles in the Fugue Fields... how cool is that?), but it is always destined to loose these conflicts (which doesn't keep it from trying).
We have to come up with our own names for these planer cities, though... Moorcock's not really into sharing.
I wasn't getting the connection to Von Bek... I must be getting old. I've only read The Warhound and the World's Pain and The Dream Thief's Daughter in that cycle, but I should have gotten the reference.  |
| Markustay |
Posted - 13 May 2013 : 20:03:25
The Mittlemarch is the border-ethereal, and therefor borders (nearly?) all other planes, as well as all parts of the Prime Material.
Its called 'the Border Ethereal' in Faerūn, the 'Spirit World' in Kara-Tur and Zakhara, etc, and is know by innumerable names in a near-infinite number of spheres and planes. Its everywhere, just outside of our normal vision (although you can sometimes catch fleeting glimpses of it out of the corner of your eye, or as lighting conditions change dramatically). People with 'the sight' (second sight, 'true sight', etc) can see into the realm, but it appears ghostly and indistinct (just as we normally appear to those who dwell there... when they concentrate on our world). Only when you actually enter the Border ethereal can you view it clearly, but this can only be done by folks with magic (or via magic, like a Gateway). 'Magical creatures' (most classical monsters and anything with the old 3e 'Beast' subtype) can cross-over at will, as can certain shape-shiferts (like Lythari). In fact, anything with a fey (spiritfolk) bloodline can do this, but it takes practice (so there could be plenty of common folk with some sort of ancient bloodline that would allow it, but unless triggered accidentally they will never know it). This is where you get those folktales about 'normal' humans who enter fairy mounds, etc.
Beyond that, there are 'levels' - almost like depths and altitudes in our world - in which a person can travel 'deeper' into the Ethereal, into shadow and beyond, into the Realm of the dead. They can also move 'upward' through the dreamscape (the uppermost fringes of the feywild) into the Upper planes, where the gods dwell (sometimes simply lumped together as 'the Heavens'). Everything is connected by the Border Ethereal (Mittlemarch), but depending on which direction you go (by force of will) is what other plane you will travel toward.
Once again, going back to folklore, this means that someone unwittingly can travel through the Mittlemarch into the Feywild and even beyond, into other realms, both fantastic and dreadful. There are entire categories of creatures that specifically mislead 'travelers' in this fashion. Aside from the Fey - who are known to do this just out of mischievousness - there is usually one race or group associated with each specific plane who like to lead travelers astray (for example, the 'Nightmare Lords').
Which comes full-circle back to the Forgotten Realms themselves. Faerūn is NOT 'THE Forgotten Realms'. Neither is Toril... even if we add-in Abeir. They are just slices of the pie. 'The Forgotten Realms' are so much more, and should include everything that us 'normal folk' (mundanes) are blissfully unaware of. Back in 2e, the game out-grew the notion of worlds as settings - the entire universe should be the setting for D&D now. We've somehow manage to go backwards from that, and yet the fanbase continues to evolve. They aren't leaving FR behind, they are leaving their out-dated notions behind.
OD&D = dungeon
1e = small region
2e = continent
3e = world
4e = Universe
5e = Multiverse
The setting(s) needs to grow with the fan's expectations. Going back to the OP, that means if they cover the Nezumi in a source (or novel), it should be presented in such a way that at least 90% of the information is useful to everyone. Nezumi in Faerūn = good. Nezumi in 'the planes' = epic. If every group can reach the Nezumi city despite coming from different worlds (regions, planes. etc), then we go back to that 'common ground' that used to hold D&D gamers together.
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| Entromancer |
Posted - 13 May 2013 : 17:50:44
Very close, Markustay. 
I was actually thinking of Mirenburg, from the Von Bek novels. It does remind of Tanelorn, though. The thing about the Nezumi being hidden lords is based off the Lord Renyard character; a foxfolk that runs the Deep City's gangs, brothels, and drug syndicates. Lord Renyard is one of the last of his kind. They are demons that once lived there before some Europeans found their way into the Mittlemarch and took control of the city.
OP, perhaps the path into the Mittlemarch is locate on the Eastern continent, rather than Faerun? I could see a cabal of priests who're mourning the death of their gods letting their grief and outrage (let's be honest--you devote yourself wholly to a god only to have it die, you'd be mad) guide their decision to seal off the Faerun portals into the Mittlemarch. These ex-priests might have been to the Mittlemarch, got culture shock, and had a kneejerk reaction that led them to cast the spell that cut off Faerunian access to the Mittlemarch. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 13 May 2013 : 17:22:02
That has some traction... it sounds similar to Tanelorn (and since both that city and the Mittlemarch {term} itself are both works of Michael Moorcock, its a good fit).
They would have to be similar to Waterdeep's 'hidden lords', or even the weird Pactmasters of Katapesh (Golarion), because of most race's natural aversion to anything associated with 'vermin' (and in a bizarre way, deities may view them thusly, because of their agenda).
So going with the Tanelorn comparison, I could also place Nadsokor (or a derivation there-of) in the Mittlemarch as well, and it would be its diametric opposite, and perhaps even secretly run by Goblin-rats. In fact, I could say that was the original city of the nezumi - on the border of the Shadowfel - and that some sort of plague drove the few that weren't infected from there. The Goblin-rats could be plague-bearing survivors (which would shoe-horn well with both the OA Nezumi history, as well as that of Nadsokor).
It might be amusing to place catfolk as the 'visible' rulers of Nezumi city, which helps keep the Goblin rats out. The obvious joke is that the cats would really be taking orders from the rats. Not sure if that would be too corny, though.
Since 'the Mittlemarch' also = OA's spirit world, all the Hengoyokai (beast-like anthromorphs) would hail from there (and be able to cross the veil between the ethereal and material world at will). |
| Entromancer |
Posted - 12 May 2013 : 21:31:51
If the Nezumi inhabit the Mittlemarch, perhaps they could be the hidden lords of a city within the Mittlemarch dedicated to ushering in an Age of Reason in light of the Spellplague and the death of certain members of the Realms pantheon? Perhaps the Nezumi could aspire to make their city a haven for those who would be confined to the Wall of the Faithless? |
| Markustay |
Posted - 12 May 2013 : 13:44:45
Funny you should mention this....
As part of my 'Misbegotten Realms', most recently I have been working on the East, blending together Kara-Tur, Tian-Xia (Golarion), and Rokugan (5 Rings). I am close to finishing the maps, but I haven't really gotten into the lore-blending aspect much (aside from some sparse ideas I get as I draw).
I am thinking that they are a race from the Mittlemarch (Border Ethereal), who live on the very edge of the border of that plane and the Shadowfel (the Mittlemarch is akin to Ed and Narnia's 'Wood Between the Worlds' - its basically the 'cosmic crossroads' that must be entered before traveling to another plane). Thats where they were from, using some of their OA history. Otherwise, I having given them much thought.
As for the ratlings (Goblin-Rats) - I have it where they are the modern descendents of goblins inflicted with lycanthropy (until now they've become a race unto themselves, much like Eberron's Shifters). The only place they are found in large numbers (in Faerūn) is in the Unapproachable East - like everyone else, they came in with the Horde invasion. Thus far they have been getting into conflicts with the wererats in the sewers of several of the Eastern Reach cities (so there is a secret war going on).
You could always apply that to the Nezumi - I haven't given them much thought beyond where they came from. My assumption for most of the animal-like anthropomorphic races is that they originated in the Feywild, in the Beastlands region (I have no idea what 4e did with it, but I've always had it where Faerie and the Beastlands {Happy Hunting Ground} are closely linked, and now both are part of the broader 'Feywild' concept in my HB material). |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 12 May 2013 : 06:20:15
Not sure they belong, however the question was plot hooks.
The small tribes decide to combine for defense against the larger humans, that hunt down the tribes for disease they cause
(rabies).
The rat vermin have collected a treasure of gems and coin, get the treasure - Oh if you happen to kill a rat city council will pay a bounty.
Monks seek to remove the danger from the Realms.
Clerics of many react to breakout of disease and discover the cause is the NEZUMI, Paladins are sent to kill them.
Well at least four ideas after you explain why the vermin got or are in the Realms. If you are on the side of the rats, clearly can be plots of protecting a rare race as well.
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