| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Skeptic |
Posted - 29 Nov 2005 : 23:55:00
Hi,
I'm looking for any published info about the realm of Vhaeraun (called Ellaniath in PgotF with little (no) description).
Thanks for help. |
| 16 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 04 Jan 2006 : 02:00:11
It's not much of a spoiler to speak of something that's been official since the publication of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting in 2001. |
| hashimashadoo |
Posted - 04 Jan 2006 : 00:42:55
I think maybe you should have warned of spoilers there but you're right. Did Lolth move the entire plane or just the bits that are exclusively owned by her?
The 66th layer at the moment only exists because it is held together by all of the other layers. There are only 2 entrances into the plane. 1 from the new Demonweb (guarded by the midwives), the other from the plane of infinite portals. All other entrances are blocked by the layers of planar fabric Lolth span before she left (though they, like the strands of the demonweb itself are probably decaying).
Noone has yet said anything about the random portals that open to other abyssal layers or what has happened to the Cauldron of Slime, Thanatos or Ellaniath. Though, if I were to take an educated guess based on book 3 of the series Lolth did not inform ANY of the other deific inhabitants of the Pits that she was leaving. This was demonstrated by Vhaeraun's attack on the entrance to her citadel and the fact that Selvetarm defended it from him.
Now that the new Pits have opened up it is unknown whether she let the others in as well. She's got to have someone to indulge her hedonistic side in, the perfect candidate being Selvetarm. She still likes her son, even if he is constantly trying to kill her (after all, he's following her tenets by trying) so it's possible she'll let him hide there if he wants to. Ghaunadaur is an ally of Lolth, even if their respective followers don't get along so it's possible he'll be allowed another Cauldron of Slime. Kiaransalee is Lolth's (unwilling) vassal so she'll probably get a place as well.
Of course, this is all conjecture but it is based on what is already known. |
| Kentinal |
Posted - 03 Jan 2006 : 22:11:00
Well with the Demon Web being riped out of the abyss by Lolth, it might be interesting to know of what remains of the 66th level and whom controls what potion of it. It seems unlikely that Eilistraee would spend much time there, but might have a warded section of good there. Detials like this have never been well addressed. |
| hashimashadoo |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 22:41:04
All of the Drow gods have a realm in the Demonweb Pits, even Eilistraee, though only Lolth's and Ghaunadaur's have been documented to any reasonable extent. The Player's Guide to Faerun says that Ellaniath is merely a hiding place for him when Lolth is particularly angry at him. |
| Crennen FaerieBane |
Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 14:38:08
And to be honest, that is right up Vhaeraun's usual line of thinking. He tends to be quite, eh, forceful in his dealings (i.e. his dealing with the Yuogloth in Resurrection).
C-Fb |
| Unski |
Posted - 13 Dec 2005 : 09:49:41
quote:
Originally posted by Dhomal
True, true. However - and especially if you don't use the 'go back and adventure' idea - who is to say that what is written in the journal is correct - might be an interesting way for Vhaeraun to get the PC's to do something HE wanted them to do - by planting false/misleading information in the journal. The handwriting could be the same too - i.e. - he forces one of the PCs to write what he tells them....
Just an idea - of course 
Dhomal
Ah, a very devious plan, but what better way to make sure that the plan indeed does unfold as planned, than to create some good motivation for the poor adventurers?
Motivation like replacing one of the party members with a greated doppleganger and keeping the real thing as a hostage. One never knows when some serious haggling must be done, and ones beloved ones often tend to have great value. |
| Dhomal |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 17:43:28
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I don't know about that journal idea... If Vhaeraun is going to go thru the effort of wiping everyone's minds clear, I doubt he'd ignore the written word.
Hello-
True, true. However - and especially if you don't use the 'go back and adventure' idea - who is to say that what is written in the journal is correct - might be an interesting way for Vhaeraun to get the PC's to do something HE wanted them to do - by planting false/misleading information in the journal. The handwriting could be the same too - i.e. - he forces one of the PCs to write what he tells them....
Just an idea - of course
Dhomal |
| The Sage |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 15:11:39
quote:
Originally posted by Lady Kazandra
I think Vhaeraun's domain is also mentioned in one of the 2e Planes of . . . . boxed sets for the Planescape setting, but there wasn't any definite details included about the realm either as I recall.
Oh yes... 'Tis the Planes of Conflict boxed set.
And like the Lady K just said, the few details written about Ellaniath in PoC don't really mention anything that hasn't already been said in the other tomes listed.
|
| Lady Kazandra |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 13:28:05
I think Vhaeraun's domain is also mentioned in one of the 2e Planes of . . . . boxed sets for the Planescape setting, but there wasn't any definite details included about the realm either as I recall.
|
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 11:37:59
I don't know about that journal idea... If Vhaeraun is going to go thru the effort of wiping everyone's minds clear, I doubt he'd ignore the written word. |
| Dhomal |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 06:46:11
Hello-
That IS an interesting concept!
Imagine - they go in - and then are coming right back out - but some subtle or not-so-subtle things have changed:
- New NPC accompanies them
- loss of an NPC
- One of the male characters now has a beard - as he did not shave while there
- items / supplies are used up more than when they went in
- injuries 'appear' or 'vanish' depending on whether or not they were damaged upon entering or not.
Of course - this would require the DM to at least loosly decide what happened while in there - and convince the players that things really happened - even without them having a direct say in them.
Possibly - the DM could introduce the characters to the idea - 'Poof' they exit the realm - and once they start to get used to the idea - they continue on their travels - and then at some point (maybe 1-2 sessions later) they discover a notebook of notes taken by one of the characters. It seems that early upon their arrival - some NPC suggests that they make a written record of their stay - because they will not remember. AT this point - the DM could 'run' their time in the other realm - but with the 2 caveats that 1) they must not alter the facts of their circumstances upon when they exited the realm and 2) that the section is only really being 'remembered' through reading of the journal.... Might be interesting - if y ou could get the players to buy into it. 
Dhomal |
| Gray Richardson |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 05:42:28
From On Hallowed Ground:
"Ellaniath is forever unknown to any planewalker, because the god wipes the memory of the place from the minds of all who visit it. Some say that's his ultimate form of theft -- stealing a body's very essence."
I think that's a really great mystery.
Maybe that's an interesting way to handle it: they find the entrance to Vhaeraun's realm and when they go in they find themselves leaving out of Vhaeraun's realm... as if they are being teleported right out of an exit. They may even turn around and come back out the other side again... not realizing that they spent several days inside each time. Maybe several key plot points could have happened to them when they were inside Vhaeraun's realm, but they have no memory of it, and it is up to them to figure out what could have happened in there. |
| Skeptic |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 03:51:48
I plan to use it in a coming sub-quest of my current campaign, the drow (vhaeraun follower) wizard of the party was asked to rescue another one from the demon web pit.. So I imagine that the group will plane shift in Ellaniath first..
Nothing really original here, but I find it difficult to use the planes with the new rules / cosmology. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 03:24:13
quote:
Originally posted by Skeptic
Hmm.. that's what I feared..
Ellaniath was mentioned in 2E Demihumans deities, but nothing on it.
Of course "fan-made stuff of Compedium quality" would be interesting 
It's not like most mortals who visit Ellaniath would remember it anyway. As I recall, Vhaeraun has a tendency to remove memories of the domain from the minds of those who visit there.
Oh, and the 2e PS tome On Hallowed Ground has a little as well -- mostly a mention, with very few domain details.
|
| Skeptic |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 01:30:11
Hmm.. that's what I feared..
Ellaniath was mentioned in 2E Demihumans deities, but nothing on it.
Of course "fan-made stuff of Compedium quality" would be interesting |
| Kajehase |
Posted - 30 Nov 2005 : 00:47:16
Well, unless there's something in War of the Spider Queen, that's pretty much all there is (that I know off, I could obviously be wrong) - at least if you mean "published by Wizards," when you say published. From what I understand, Vhaeraun is considered a pretty cool dude for an evil, backstabbing god, though - so maybe there's some fan-created stuff someone can point you to. |
