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Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin

Thanks for that information, Sirius--surprisingly for me, some of it I haven't read before.

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Originally posted by Wooley Rupert
Ironically, I remember seeing the fuss about it, and thinking (rather naïvely, obviously) that the closing of those forums would have no impact on me -- after all, I never went there, so how could it affect me? Famous last words, ne?

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Originally posted by SiriusBlack

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
And for the record, the novel forums were closed mere weeks after I joined those forums.

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Of course they were. It appears then that you are what is called a harbinger.

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Ah, thank you for all that.

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And for the record, the novel forums were closed mere weeks after I joined those forums.

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Originally posted by SiriusBlack

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I should like to see that. I don't recall if I got it or not -- likely not, as I never did anything on the novels forums over there.

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Besides get banned you mean?

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Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I should like to see that. I don't recall if I got it or not -- likely not, as I never did anything on the novels forums over there.

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Here's a bit about Sharlarra's history: during one forray into the the Prime Material Plane, her family was slaughtered by slave hunters and she was captured and sold. She eventually ended up in Skullport, where she was rescued from slavery by Qilue's followers. Sharlarra made her way as a thief until she met Laerel Silverhand, who took her to Waterdeep as an apprentice wizard. Sharlarra's experience with drow made her inclined to help Liriel, whom she quickly recognized as a kindred spirit.

There is something in Sharlarra calling her back to her ancestral home, which is another reason she so quickly decided to follow Liriel and Fyodor to Rashemen. Indeed, Fyodor, who knows the old tales of his homeland, had heard tales of star elves, and he invited Sharlarra to return home with them. (Did anyone catch that passage? When he commented to Sharlarra that she would find a welcome in Rashemen, where tales are told of elven maidens with violet eyes?)

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I've given quite a bit of thought to Thorn's backstory, but as much as I'd love to talk about her, it would be hard to do so without giving massive spoilers for possible follow-up stories.

Here's what is known: she is a lythari -- a subrace of elves that are natural wolf-elf shapeshifters. She's a Champion of Eilistraee. The story doesn't really define what that is, or tell how she came to be one, but a conversation between Laerel Silverhand and Thorn suggests that Champions are few and far between. Thorn is a loner -- a "black wolf," as Zofia calls her. She is not happy about that. She is estranged from her people, but it isn't revealed whether that's her choice or theirs. She can still travel to the lythari demi-plane, and some of her fellow lythari come to the final battle, so it's clear that she has some connection to her people. The big question is why Thorn, who clearly longs for a "pack" of her own, has been working alone. That I can't answer without revealing mysteries best left for future tales.

In gaming terms, I see Champion of Eilistraee as a paladin kit. Thorn serves Elistraee in what I call her "Diana aspect:" the lythari is a hunter for the Huntress. Thorn is an unlikely paladin in many ways -- consider her brutal justice against the drow poachers -- but she embodies the harsh reality of the hunt and the grim practicality of Nature.

Her personality owes a lot to her lupine nature. A few years back, I did a lot of research into wolves -- natural, real-world wolves -- when contemplating a book about lycanthropy. Thorn acts and thinks the way I imagine a humanoid wolf might behave.

The concept in the story about wolves and ravens hunting together is something that came from this research. That created a lot of resonance for the idea that Thorn and Liriel, despite their vastly different natures, might be able to work together.

Okay, here's one hint: remember when Thorn told Liriel that ravens sometimes call wolves to the hunt? Perhaps one of the reasons Thorn hooked up with Liriel is that Fyodor's "little raven" can find the one quarry that has always aluded Thorn.

Sorry if this wasn't what you were looking for, but it's the best I can do at present.

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Originally posted by SiriusBlack


She mentioned a bit more about the history of Liriel's new companions. If you wish me to post that information, just let me know.

I hope this helps.

SB

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Originally posted by Alparon
First of all; what happens to Liriel and Shakti? I hate those "think it yourself" endings. Do they have an other adventure or what? Do they appear in the "War of the Spider Queen" series?? How does Liriel die, or is she still alive?

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It's true that Liriel has abandoned Lolth, and she hopes to have seen the last of that particular goddess.

Quite a few readers assumed that Liriel had given up on Eilistraee, or vice versa, mostly based on Shakti's taunting comments in their last encounter. Shakti had no way of knowing whether or not Liriel had lost Eilistraee's favor, and her comments were simply the sort of thing an evil drow might say to a hated rival is she wanted to twist the knife a bit. Liriel did not make a conscious decision to follow Eilistraee, but she has been using some of the moon magic Qilue taught her. It would be interesting to see what choices she might make, and what place she might find among Eilistraee's priestesses. When the story ended, Qilue's followers were none too happy with Liriel, so that path, should she choose to follow it, might be a bit thorny.

It's not entirely accurate to say that Liriel is an "honorary member of the Witches of Rashemen." To the best of my knowledge, there are no non-Rashemar Witches of Rashemen. On rare occasions, outlanders have received some instruction, but I'm guessing that even Sylune Silverhand was not taught the deepest secrets.

When Windwalker ended, Liriel had found two new companions: Thorn, a lythari warrior referred to as a Champion of Eilistraee, and Sharlarra, an elven thief and apprentice wizards.

As I told DarkBard (and all the other folks who have emailed), there are no plans at present to continue Liriel's story. But the timing of this trilogy -- five years between the second and third book -- has taught me not to rule out any possibility. If the folks at WotC decide to continue Liriel's adventures, I'd certainly be interested. It would be fun to explore Liriel's life as part of a kick-ass sisterhood.

That said, I suspect that it will be a while before new books with (non-Drizzt) drow characters are scheduled. There have been a LOT of drow-related novels and game products over the last couple of years.

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