| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jakk |
Posted - 02 Sep 2009 : 19:31:56
1385 (The Year of Blue Fire)
The event warned of (however and whenever you choose as DM) occurs when Shar attempts to use the Shadow Weave to cut Mystra off from the Weave. For a time, this succeeds, creating storms of blue-white fire and lightning across much of Toril. The storms of blue fire cause instabilities in magic all around Toril to a degree not seen since the Time of Troubles. Arcane spellcasting is banned in most towns and cities, and the fabric of nature is briefly thrown into chaos, with immediate and long-term effects of varying degrees in many areas. This event is known as the Spellplague, during which almost the entire world of Toril is effectively one big wild magic zone.
The great instabilities in the Weave, even more pronounced than those occurring in the Time of Troubles, cause the Weave nexus beneath Evermeet, which had allowed the elves to create the island in the first place, to unravel. Many of the elves who did not join Seiviril’s Crusade are killed as the island collapses beneath the waves of the Trackless Sea. Many other elves survive the destruction at least briefly, fleeing Evermeet via portals (which, due to the instabilities in the Weave, don’t always take people to the same destination that they did before) or in boats and ships of all sizes. Many of the smaller craft are swamped by the resulting tsunami, but many of the larger vessels make it to the shores of Faerûn or Anchorome.
With the disruption of the Weave nexus, the formerly out-of-phase land of Laerakond returns to Toril, having been shunted into an extradimensional pocket (which created the Weave nexus in the first place) by powerful (draconic? sarrukh?) magic long before the Sundering. This return shatters what is left of Evermeet, causing it to disappear entirely from the face of Toril. (Yes, Laerakond is now where Evermeet was.)
As Mystra and Shar struggle for control of the Weave in Realmspace, in the Greyspace crystal sphere, the gods Erythnul and Wee Jas attempt to wrest control of all magic from Boccob. The resulting simultaneous instability in magic in two crystal spheres creates a resonating field between them, which causes the crystal spheres to collide. (Yes, I'm still using 2E cosmology; I'm working on using the Spellplague to change the cosmology, but that's a work in progress; I'll update this scroll when that's complete.)
Due to the titanic forces of wild magic being unleashed within the crystal spheres during the struggles, and the greater number of deities of magic within the Realmspace crystal sphere, the gods of Oerth are pulled from Greyspace into Realmspace.
Stern Alia, whose ties to the lands of Oerik and the Oeridian people are too strong to permit her migration, is slain; she is torn asunder by the immense forces pulling her in two different directions.
As she is pulled apart, so too is the world of Oerth, which literally falls apart in a cataclysm of massive earthquakes and all attendant disasters that accompany them (tsunamis, which in turn create hurricanes, etc.). The satellites of Oerth careen out of control, smashing the Greyspace crystal sphere into ruins before the collision can greatly damage the Realmspace crystal sphere, and flying off into the phlogiston.
The faithful of the other deities of Greyspace are pulled through the conduit into Realmspace with their deities, and are deposited in Osse, the continent to the east of Kara-Tur. (In my Realms, Osse was formerly uninhabited, at least by humans, elves, dwarves, and the like; I couldn't find anything to say otherwise.) Due in large part to Zagyg's magic, the entire intact Free City of Greyhawk, including the dungeons beneath Castle Greyhawk, makes this trip as well. Yes, I'm ripping off Markustay shamelessly here, having the City of Greyhawk in my Realms, but I want to be able to use the new material being published by Troll Lord Games. 
Mystra’s loss of control of the Weave causes instabilities in both it and the Shadow Weave, and Mystra’s assembled Chosen, previously alerted by their goddess to be ready for this coming threat, take this opportunity to act, infusing the gaps in the Weave (occupied by the otherwise-invisible and equally unstable Shadow Weave) with Mystra’s silver fire in a very similar process to that used by Shar to create the Shadow Weave over 1700 years earlier.
While all of this is happening, Cyric attempts to kill Mystra in Dweomerheart (having gained entry thanks to the distraction of Shar’s attack on the Weave)… and succeeds in infusing her with the divine essence of Leira, which had hidden intact within Cyric since the Time of Troubles by giving Cyric the appearance of having killed her and absorbed her portfolio, and which now migrates into Mystra. This sudden infusion of power and the portfolio of Illusion, coupled with the infusion of silver fire into the Shadow Weave, allows Mystra to completely absorb the Shadow Weave into the Weave, depriving Shar of any control over arcane magic and reducing her to the status of an intermediate power.
Cyric, now reduced to an intermediate power thanks to Leira’s deception and sudden absence, feels the full force of a backlash of Mystra’s new power, and is shunted back to his home plane and incapacitated, apart from granting spells to his faithful, for 666 days.
Shadow Weave users are struck deaf, dumb, blind, and feebleminded for a tenday, after which these effects dissipate. All abilities relating to the Shadow Weave are lost without compensation.
All of the prayers and shifts in mortal allegiances during the Spellplague greatly benefit Azuth, who becomes an intermediate power, and Savras, who grows from a demipower to a lesser power.
The battle with Shar and the influx of magical energy combine to unhinge Mystra somewhat, and she changes from CG to CN in alignment.
Ao reinstates Leira as a lesser power, in her former role as patron of illusions and phantasms. She joins Mystra, Azuth, Savras, and Velsharoon in Dweomerheart.
With the return of Bhaal and Myrkul (yes, they're back; this happens earlier; briefly, Nhyris D'Hothek finds an Imaskari relic that reacts unpredictably with the Crown of Horns, causing Myrkul's rebirth, and Bhaal is restored to divinity by means of my tweaking of the BG CRPG storyline, with things unfolding according to Bhaal's plan), and the recent actions of Cyric, Ao elevates Torm to the status of a greater power to maintain the balance. (I like Bhaal and Myrkul, and if I'd started DMing before 2E, none of the Dark Three would have died in the first place, and the ToT may never have happened at all.) One of Bhaal's first acts as Lord of Murder, with Myrkul's assistance, is to slay Kelemvor while the latter is distracted by the struggles of his former lover with Shar.
In the immediate aftermath of the Spellplague, the arcane storms of the High Moor (old Miyeritar) grow in size and intensify in strength over the following years, almost immediately becoming too intense for anyone to enter the region. Just as before, the reclaimed area around the city of Rhymanthiin is unaffected by these storms. Exactly what is happening in the High Moor is unknown at this time.
The rest of Toril is affected just as it was during the ToT: pockets of dead magic and wild magic appear scattered across the land, and many of these dissipate within a few months, with nearly all of the rest disappearing over the following decade. As for when a DM wants to start the campaign, that's entirely open; if you like having your players deal with wild magic and dead magic, then late 1385 might be your thing. Otherwise, you might want a ten- or fifteen-year time jump, and that's as big a time jump as there should have been in the first place, imho. Anyway, if you like this, use it, in whole or in part, and if you have any other theories (this means you, Mace!), I'd love to see them in this scroll.  |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Jakk |
Posted - 15 May 2010 : 08:26:51
So... a month later, and I've assembled a mostly-complete genealogy of the Faerunian pantheon. I'm still fact-checking it, and it obviously doesn't include ascended mortals such as Torm, Velsharoon, and the Dark Three (Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul), but an impressive number of deities are nevertheless accounted for. I extrapolated relationships based on related portfolios; after the aforementioned revelation, it seemed the thing to do.  I'm bouncing around between at least three different Realms-related projects right now, and as a result, not enough is getting done on any of them. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 05:02:27
Thank you, Wooly.
Still, regarding the now-hidden spoiler... something of a shocker, even if not altogether surprising...  |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 04:56:40
quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
Done, Sage... apologies for not having done so immediately.  In fact, I had done so in my original post, but then Wooly blurted it out without such tags, which is part of why I omitted them the second time around.
If one of our wonderful moderators could fix Wooly's post (at the bottom of page 2), my quotation thereof, and Ashe's quotation of us both (at the top of page 3), it would make my spoiler tags worth the bother of putting them in. I suppose it's only appropriate if it's declared to be Wooly's job... 
Thanks!
Done. The spoiler is now hidden behind the spoiler tag. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 14 Apr 2010 : 04:00:51
Done, Sage... apologies for not having done so immediately. In fact, I had done so in my original post, but then Wooly blurted it out without such tags, which is part of why I omitted them the second time around.
If one of our wonderful moderators could fix Wooly's post (at the bottom of page 2), my quotation thereof, and Ashe's quotation of us both (at the top of page 3), it would make my spoiler tags worth the bother of putting them in. I suppose it's only appropriate if it's declared to be Wooly's job...
Thanks! |
| The Sage |
Posted - 09 Apr 2010 : 01:37:14
Jakk, you might want to place that particular "Shar revelation" under SPOILER tags. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 08 Apr 2010 : 23:59:57
You and me both, Ashe... but in a lot of ways it makes sense, given the deities' respective portfolios. Oh, and Mask isn't dying in my Realms. Not permanently, anyway... he will disappear for a time, leading to rumours of his demise, but the fact that his clerics are still receiving spells will put the lie to that in short order... and then he will reappear as Lessinor. I'm definitely interested in seeing how the Cycle of Night plays out, but I'm not killing off Mask, no matter how temporary that state might be. Giving him a new (old) name is something else, however; I always suspected that the name "Mask" was a mask in itself, and the conclusion of Shadowrealm proved me correct.
Anyway, I'm off to update some favourite 2E PCs to Pathfinder...  |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 08 Apr 2010 : 23:44:01
Mind
Blown |
| Jakk |
Posted - 08 Apr 2010 : 22:15:58
Done... and confirmed by Paul Kemp himself... yes, Shar is in fact Mask's mother. 
I also found time to read the trilogy for myself in the past week; having a five-day weekend sucks for the paycheque, but it saves me from having to book vacation time... and I got a lot of reading done. |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 22 Mar 2010 : 06:02:43
quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Whoa, whoa, wait -- Shar is Mask's mother? Where in the name of Lurue did that bit of lore come from?
The conclusion of the Twilight War trilogy, which I haven't actually read yet; however, several spoiler sources are in agreement on this. I still plan to read the trilogy, but I needed to get some facts in order for my campaign more quickly than I was going to be able to read three novels.
Edit: Link
Edit: Heh. Rather anticlimactic for my 1000th post, in some ways.
I always took it more from a elder deity speaking to a younger deity and not true maternal relationship.
But, we've got Paul here at the `keep, why not go and ask him?
Mod edit: Hiding the spoiler. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 22 Mar 2010 : 02:21:59
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Whoa, whoa, wait -- Shar is Mask's mother? Where in the name of Lurue did that bit of lore come from?
The conclusion of the Twilight War trilogy, which I haven't actually read yet; however, several spoiler sources are in agreement on this. I still plan to read the trilogy, but I needed to get some facts in order for my campaign more quickly than I was going to be able to read three novels.
Edit: Link
Edit: Heh. Rather anticlimactic for my 1000th post, in some ways.
Mod edit: Hiding the spoiler. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 22 Mar 2010 : 00:44:15
Whoa, whoa, wait -- Shar is Mask's mother? Where in the name of Lurue did that bit of lore come from? |
| Jakk |
Posted - 21 Mar 2010 : 21:08:21
* SPOILER ALERT! *
* * * * * * *
For those who haven't read the Twilight War trilogy and plan to do so, stop reading now... but I'll use spoiler tags anyway.
* * * * * * *
Mask's willing surrender and "death" at the hands of his mother Shar are, of course, just one more deception perpetrated by the Lord of Intrigue, with the full knowledge and participation of Shar. With the destruction of the Shadow Weave and Shar's loss of power, she realizes that she's better off having a hidden ally in the form of her son than having all of her eggs in one basket, and helps Mask fake his death and engineer the "arrival" of his "replacement", who is none other than Drasek Riven. Instead of Riven advancing into Mask's place (as he thinks will happen, being aware of Mask's earlier plan to surrender himself to his mother), he is stripped of his status as Chosen and ritually slain by Mask, who absorbs Riven's divine essence and transfers it to Shar as payment for his life. Mask then takes on Drasek Riven's identity, and appearances are to the rest of the Realms that Mask has been done away with (it is said that this was done by his vengeful mother, outraged over his theft of a part of her divinity) and Riven has been ascended in his place. After this event, he takes the name Drasek the Masked, in a clever play on words that I couldn't pass up; after all, Drasek was "Masked" in a manner of speaking... |
| Jakk |
Posted - 21 Mar 2010 : 18:55:17
Okay, here we go on the cosmology of Jakk's Realms (the first draft, anyway)... my take on things is that the Great Wheel and the Great Tree are simply different visualizations of the same structure. Mortals don't do very well with 90-dimensional spaces (edit to clarify: that's three spatial dimensions per "plane"), and that's not including the Outer Realms.
Notes on Terminology:
"Coextant" means "occupying the same location in space"; in earlier editions (not sure about 4E), if you had the ability, you could see ethereal creatures in physical proximity to you, but not interact with them unless you could become ethereal yourself.
"Coterminous" means "you can get there from here, and vice versa"; whether this is by spell at any given location, or by specific portals or gates, is noted in the planar summaries.
In all cases, if I don't mention anything, assume it works the way it's described in the 3E Manual of the Planes (or in Planescape material from 2E, if it's not covered there either).
How It All Fits Together
------------------------
The Material Plane consists of crystal spheres (world-systems such as Greyspace, Krynnspace, and Realmspace) floating in an endless sea of phlogiston that can be navigated by spelljamming vessels (2E canon; because it makes far more sense than each world having its own set of mysteriously identically-named Outer Planes).
The Material Plane is at all points coextant and coterminous with the Ethereal Sea, the Feywild, and the Shadowfell, and coextant (but not coterminous) with the Elemental Chaos.
The Ethereal Sea is at all points coextant and coterminous with the Feywild, the Shadowfell, and the Elemental Chaos, all three of which are coextant (but not coterminous) with each other.
The Elemental Chaos is at all points coextant and coterminous with the Ethereal Sea, and coterminous (but not coextant) with all Elemental, Para-Elemental, and Quasi-Elemental Planes and the Positive and Negative Energy Planes. It is rumoured that there is a direct path from the Elemental Chaos to the Far Realm, but if such a path exists, it has not been discovered (or reported).
The Positive Energy Plane is coterminous with the Steam, Lightning, Radiance, and Mineral Quasi-Elemental Planes.
The Negative Energy Plane is coterminous with the Salt, Vacuum, Ash, and Dust Quasi-Elemental Planes.
The Elemental Plane of Water is coterminous with the Steam and Salt Quasi-Elemental Planes and the Ice and Ooze Para-Elemental Planes.
The Elemental Plane of Air is coterminous with the Lightning and Vacuum Quasi-Elemental Planes and the Smoke and Ice Para-Elemental Planes.
The Elemental Plane of Fire is coterminous with the Radiance and Ash Quasi-Elemental Planes and the Magma and Smoke Para-Elemental Planes.
The Elemental Plane of Earth is coterminous with the Mineral and Dust Quasi-Elemental Planes and the Ooze and Magma Para-Elemental Planes.
The Ethereal Sea is coterminous (but not coextant) with the Astral Sea. With proper magical augmentation, it is possible to navigate a spelljamming vessel from the phlogiston into the Ethereal Sea, and from there into the Astral Sea or the Elemental Chaos.
The Astral Sea is coterminous (but not coextant) with the Ethereal Sea, the Outer Realms, and (if one can find the path) the Far Realm. The Astral Sea is the resting place of the corpses of dead deities, most (if not all) of whom are still viable if enough devout worshippers can be recruited.
The Far Realm is coterminous (but not coextant) with the Astral Sea and the Demiplane of Nightmares.
The Demiplane of Nightmares is coterminous (but not coextant) with the Far Realm and the Material Plane. It is much easier to reach the Far Realm through the Demiplane of Nightmares... but much more dangerous to one's psyche.
The Demiplane of Dread (often erroneously known as "Ravenloft" after the most famous domain therein) is coterminous (but not coextant) with the Material Plane.
The Outer Realms, at their "first" layers, are coterminous with the Astral Sea and with the two Outer Realms of adjacent alignment profile. They are not physically arranged in a "Great Wheel" any more than any collection of infinite spaces can physically exist within a finite framework (as such a wheel would be). A vast collection of magical gates of varying sizes provide access from one Outer Realm to the next. In a few rare instances (relatively speaking, compared to the infinite number of adjacent-realm gates), gates exist that transport their users to a more "distant" Outer Realm (but never to an Outer Realm of opposing alignment on either axis; the few gates of this type that were attempted exploded in blasts of null-probability that erased their would-be creators from existence; eventually, the artificers caught on to the fact that no mention was ever made of anyone who had tried this, and stopped doing it, except for the occasional fool now and then.
Regarding the Outer Realms: I'm still working on this, and there are Outer Realms that lack affiliation with any alignment (Dweomerheart, for example; two of its most powerful residents (Mystra, CN greater deity, and Azuth, LN intermediate deity) are opposed in alignment but united in purpose (the promotion of arcane magic in Realmspace), and I suspect that its planar connections are solely to the Astral Sea and the Material Plane, and also that other deities of magic (including Boccob and Wee Jas from Greyspace) make their homes here as well.
Edit: For those who haven't been following the scroll from the beginning (it's been around a while, after all): Yes, I know that Azuth and Mystra are dead and Dweomerheart is no more in 4E canon; that was my point with all of this, to plug my fist into the barrel of the canon and blow it up like in the old WB cartoons, with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek throughout that whole metaphor. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 20 Mar 2010 : 18:22:15
So... after some otherworldly research, I'm changing things up a bit. Oerth will not be getting obliterated; there's too much potential there, with the expanded map and the Canonfire! community, and too many things I was already keeping, to justify blowing it up. That was mostly a knee-jerk reaction to the news that Greyhawk would be getting a reboot after what was done to the Realms, and I've had sufficient time to cool down on the matter now. Instead, Krynn will be my hapless victim. There are some aspects of it (particularly Taladas) that I'd like to bring into the Realms via the spellplague, and the rest of it (including the entire pantheon) is going bye-bye. The integration of Laerakond into Toril is unchanged story-wise from my original post.
A question for those who are old-school (15-25 years ago) computer RPGers... does the canon Spellplague (at least the geographical aspects/effects thereof) not remind one very strongly of the geographical changes over the course of the Ultima series? (original geography -> Britannia alone in Ultima IV-VI -> Serpent Isle reappearing in Ultima VII part 2) Just a thought... that I've been pondering since first learning about the 4E Realms changes. Everything old is new again... in some ways. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 13 Mar 2010 : 20:43:29
quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I spent some time writing it up yesterday... Got two pages done; Mystra's death is the easy part. I've got to spend a little time tracking down some sources for her rebirth. Maybe in another couple of days, I'll be able to write up the rebirth part.
[casts resurrect scroll...]
So... Wooly... where is this writeup? Yeah, I know, I haven't posted anything more for mine yet either. I'm back to working on it, tho. Work was insane in Nov-Dec, and I had too many good books to read in Jan-Feb, so other stuff (writing) had to be put aside.
Still on my hard drive... I got some work done on it, got stuck, and then haven't gotten back to it. I've not got as much free time as I used to, and a lot of the stuff I've been wanting to do just isn't getting done.  |
| Jakk |
Posted - 13 Mar 2010 : 20:03:52
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I spent some time writing it up yesterday... Got two pages done; Mystra's death is the easy part. I've got to spend a little time tracking down some sources for her rebirth. Maybe in another couple of days, I'll be able to write up the rebirth part.
[casts resurrect scroll...]
So... Wooly... where is this writeup? Yeah, I know, I haven't posted anything more for mine yet either. I'm back to working on it, tho. Work was insane in Nov-Dec, and I had too many good books to read in Jan-Feb, so other stuff (writing) had to be put aside. |
| Jakk |
Posted - 31 Oct 2009 : 03:38:32
Threadkiller, Ashe? Not at all! I love what you've come up with too. It's been a while (about a month and a half, I think) since I've been around here for any length of time, thanks largely to my research for my Realmslore project snowballing and taking on a life of its own. |
| Kno |
Posted - 22 Sep 2009 : 07:56:07
I never considered including the Spellplague, only the idea of pantheon wars, mostly affecting the bordering areas, the Utter East, the Old Empires and so on. |
| Brimstone |
Posted - 17 Sep 2009 : 12:29:21
She left Aglarond and moved to the Dales somewhere. Vel died in 1425 and she was involed in it some how. I think she faked her death in it. |
| Arioch |
Posted - 17 Sep 2009 : 12:27:46
quote:
I only have a couple of 4E books, and have no clue what happened to The Simbul. Would you mind telling me, please? I'd appreciate it.
The Simbul "... is thought to have perished in the Year of Seven Sister (1425 DR)... consumed in the fire that destroyed the god Velsharoon... In truth ...[she]... did survive the conflagration and now resides in the Dalelands." (as Elminster's caregiver ) |
| Penknight |
Posted - 17 Sep 2009 : 11:56:48
quote:
Originally posted by Jakk
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'll try to set some time aside this week to get started on it.
Keep in mind, though, that my idea is not an alternate take on the Sellplague -- it's more of a replacement event. Though I don't see any need to replace Mystra or cull the ranks of her Chosen, my objective was to come up with a way to do exactly that, without a setting-wide catastrophe. So it does that, gets rid of a couple things I found problematic, and puts a deity I feel has been unfairly diminished back into a better spot. The only real sticking point I've not resolved is Velsharoon...
Heh... I actually like what happened with Velsharoon and The Simbul in canon 4E, if I'm remembering it correctly.
[edited to include quote of original post due to page break]
I only have a couple of 4E books, and have no clue what happened to The Simbul. Would you mind telling me, please? I'd appreciate it. |
| Arioch |
Posted - 17 Sep 2009 : 11:42:41
Hi people! I really like each Spellplague version devised by the Scribes here, because in each one I can find a piece, maybe small, to add to my campaign! Thanks to you all!
This is what keeps the FR Lore alive!
Some questions I'll really like an answer to in future investigations of the Spellplague:
- Why Kashada? Who she is? Why Cyric needed her help to get Azuth's staff?
- It was just to free her that the Tyr-Helm quarrel was orchestrated by Cyric? With all the knowledge the Gods have, no other plan can be conceived to free a prisoner from heavens? I think it could be interesting to find out a logical answer to this...
- What about the foreseen weakness of Shar? Which kind of weaknees was in for her?
Hope to get some clues in the upcoming Sage's and Wooly's posts! |
| Amarel Derakanor |
Posted - 15 Sep 2009 : 13:40:36
quote:
Originally posted by Ashe Ravenheart
[sigh] I'm going to start naming my forum Avatars 'Threadkiller'. It seems to be my lot in life...
I beg to differ! I just read your version, and it was great, indeed! It's a shame that they didn't put you in charge when doing the transition between the editions, Ravenheart. Best I've read in quite a while, actually!
(And of course, I'm waiting for the miniature giant space hamster version as well... As I'm sure others do, too.) |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 15 Sep 2009 : 04:22:50
[sigh] I'm going to start naming my forum Avatars 'Threadkiller'. It seems to be my lot in life... |
| Thieran |
Posted - 13 Sep 2009 : 09:59:44
Fantastic stuff, thanks! - I love Selûne anyway... |
| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 13 Sep 2009 : 05:16:10
The day after Ulraunt's funeral, First Reader Tethoril proceeds to the Inner Vaults to begin his study of the Book of the Black, when he discovers the Shade Prince's deception, having replaced the tome with another falsely enchanted tome. The First Reader gathers together the other scribes of Candlekeep and the adventurers that recently helped them, and shares the disheartening information with them. But there is a small ray of hope, says Tethoril, as he reveals that by the nature of the mindlink that the illithid and Shade prince established between the scribe and his double not only allowed the double full access to Tethoril's mind, but the scribe was able to see through the doppelganger's eyes and learn his thoughts as well.
With the help of the Shade, Fenghal was able to decipher some of the quantrains of the book to establish that it was indeed their goal. From the little he gleaned from his double, it was apparent that Shar was planning something major very soon and, by the very nature of what she was planning, a rare vulnerability of the goddess would be available to the heroes if they could just discover more of the dark lady's plans.
With Elminster still being missing, it's decided that the group should travel to Waterdeep and speak with Khelben and Lady Laeral on their next steps to prevent the coming darkness. Upon arriving in Waterdeep, the city is hit by an earthquake and visions of Halaster flood the adventurer's minds. Amid the myriad of images, the heroes are able to see Mystra's symbol as it bursts apart in a wave of blue fire, then quickly snuffed by shadows.
Shortly after the visions, the party is called to Blackstaff Tower. Greeted by Khelben (Tsarra in disguise), the Blackstaff hears their story and shares that the vision from Halaster was a warning from the Blackcloak that Shar is planning Mystra's murder. The Chosen have begun their own investigations into the matter, but since the adventurers have been on this path for a while, it's obvious that they will play a significant part in the coming drama.
Soon after they enter the entrance to the Undermountain through the Yawning Portal, a image of the mad mage appears before them. It's hard to tell if the image is an illusion of the mage or the last aspect of the shattered mage's mind. Either way, he cryptically speaks about the adventurer's past exploits and that Mystra will call on them once more before the end. Then the vision begins cackling madly as it begins to cast a powerful spell.
A flash of light later, the party finds themselves in a strange city, a place of strange architecture and creatures where the city is somehow above them as well as around them. Welcome to Sigil. From here, the heroes begin their investigation into Shar and her plans. They are able to find evidence [what's mentioned about Mask & Shar's history in Shadowrealm] of Shar's plans for Faerûn. Through their travels, they also come across tales of those that have fought gods and goddesses. Those that have succeeded and those that have not. The heroes learn much on the strengths and weaknesses of the deities through journeys across the planes.
After gaining the information they need, they find their ways to Dweomerheart and other godly realms blocked by Shar's magic, but manage to find a portal back to Faerûn to begin their fight against the Dark Lady's plans. They return to the Prime Material plane, stepping through a portal and coming out in the Shou Order of the Dragon Monastery. Upon their arrival, they discover however, that they have been gone from Faerûn for almost ten years. Instead of having time to prepare for the coming godly conflict, the heroes realize they are in a race to save Mystra and the Weave. They know of the Celestial Stair in Waterdeep as an entrance to the godly planes, but realizing that time is of the essence, are able to determine with the help of the monks of Order of the Dragon that another path to the heavens exists in the horselands. The Cliffs of Tanghai are said to point the way to heaven.
The heroes set out to the cliffs, deciphering the hidden message to gain entrance to the celestial planes. They arrive before the Celestial Emperor and his Nine Immortals and explain the situation. The Celestial One agrees to aid them in their journey to Dweomerheart to warn Mystra of the attempt on her life.
Upon arrival at Mystra's home plane, they are greeted by Savras, who already knows why they are there. He advises them that there are many paths from this single point, many different branches to spring from this single seed. He shows them a vision of the coming events, of Shar's distraction of Azuth and Cyric using the Old Staff to strike down Mystra and the resultant destruction of the Weave. Seeing an opportunity, the heroes decide if they can get a hold of the Old Staff, they have a chance of defeating Shar and Cyric. Savras smiles an enigmatic smile, and casts a veil over them that prevents the other deities from seeing them. As he directs them to where the encounter will occur, he parts with the cryptic words, "Another path chosen and sealed."
The encounter between the deities proceeds just as the Savras had shown them, but when Azuth drops his staff, the heroes are quick to recover it before Cyric. They fight against the Prince of Lies, while Azuth and Mystra do battle with Shar herself. However, the Dark Sun proves even more powerful than the heroes anticipated, and he disarms the staff from its wielder. Mystra recovers the staff herself, and uses it to strike at Cyric's undefended flank, entrapping him in the Donjon of Facets. However, this strike comes at a price as Shar stabs the goddess of magic from behind, piercing her heart with both of her blades. In her final action, Mystra releases control of the Weave, letting the wild magic burst from her and through Shar. As Shar screams in outraged pain, Mystra whispers "Mother watch over Faerûn."
Shar's cries of pain turn into screams of outrage as Selûne appears before all those present and kneels down to embrace Mystra as she passes from this world. Looking to Shar, she smiles at her. "You now have your wish, Sister. You now share Mystra's portfolios with me. We shall look over the magic of this world, keeping the balance between light and dark, good and evil, as we have these endless millenia." Selûne hefts the Old Staff at Mystra's side, walking over to Azuth and offering it back to him. "Watch over it. But be careful, it won't hold his madness long."
"Now," she continues, "Dweomerheart is not long for this plane." As soon as she speaks these words, the entire room begins quaking, as the splendid columns begin to chip and break. She nods to Azuth and an empty space along the south wall, "You and Savras are welcome to join me in the Gates of the Moon." Savras appears and bows to the Moonmaiden, as does Azuth. Both fade from sight as the make their way to her home plane. The Lady of Silver turns again to her sister, and motions to a newly arrived Velsharoon, "I'm sure he will be more than willing to accompany you back to your Shadows, and help you to ... 'adjust' to your new duties to those that will come to venerate you."
Shar spits at her sister, "This is not over! My plans are already in action, you will not thwart me on this world!"
Selûne shakes her head, "You still do not understand. This is not a world for contest, but a world for balance. Now, I shall take this brave heroes away before the palace crumbles to dust around them." She gathers the adventurers to her and transports them to her temple in Waterdeep. There, they rest and record there impressions of what had happened, but find that their stories, although similar, have differences in them that imply that each saw the conflict and outcome through different eyes. Through discussions with the priests and the Blackstaff, they discover that when Mystra died, blue fire swept over the Realms, rewriting spellbooks, altering magic items and 'reprogramming' magic users of all types. Some went mad from the changes, others couldn't handle them and lost their access to magic. Still others, those without any magical ability at all, suddenly found themselves able to access the weave.
[Sorry for the delay on this. Meant to post it all this afternoon, but stupid HD channels were showing The Last Starfighter and other good movies... ] |
| The Sage |
Posted - 12 Sep 2009 : 05:55:45
You folk are really helping me decide on whether I'd like to tackle my own alternate take on the Spellplague.
That goes double for you, Ashe. That's great stuff! 
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| Ashe Ravenheart |
Posted - 12 Sep 2009 : 04:22:41
[Takes place shortly after the events of the Anauroch: Empire of Shade adventure. The first part of this is actually the story behind the adventure I had wanted to run at GenCon.]
After the death of the mage Hadrhune and the lose of the Nether Scrolls, the Shade Princes of Netheril decide to steal the Book of the Black, which they have learned has made its way to Candlekeep's secure vaults. They also learn that the adventurers that have thwarted their plans so often are also making their way back to the scribes in order to recuperate from their battle with Hadrhune.
When the players arrive, it has been many months since they were last at Candlekeep during their quest to find the Terraseer and recover the Nether Scrolls. They gain entrance to the keep with Hadhrune's spellbook and enjoy a fine meal with the Keeper of the Tomes Ulraunt and First Reader Tethoril. During the dinner, the adventurer's recount their exploits on their quest and learn that the scribes have been busy trying to decipher the Book of the Black, but to no avail. The first night of the party's stay, a group of Krinth warriors make their way over the wall of the keep, but the heroes and the guardians of the 'Keep are able to easily defeat them. Gatewarden Raziella is disturbed by the fact the the Krinth had made over the walls and also the absence of the ghostly dragon Miirym in the defense of the library.
The next day, the adventurers overhear Raziella, Tethoril and Ulraunt discussing the attack of the previous night and the lack of the dragon warden. Ulraunt seems unconcerned that Miirym was not present, sure that the dragon deemed the thieves unlikely to succeed and letting Raziella's gatewardens handle it. As the day progresses, the unlikely heroes notice that the monks seem more energetic in their studies as it's whispered that First Reader Tethoril has deciphered some of the Book of the Black. It's further rumored that the Book reveals some of Shar's plans and a possible weakness that could be exploited. Once again, the adventuring party is invited to dinner with Ulraunt, Tethoril, Raziella, the other First Readers, Chanter Tamril and Guide Hobus. Dinner is an interesting affair that offers the party a glimpse of Candlekeep politics. Many of the First Readers are intrigued by Tethoril's findings with Shar's tome, but Ulraunt seems put out that the First Reader has been successful and issues a forbiddance to further study the book. He even goes so far to say that the book is a danger to the library and implies that he would like to see it gone from Candlekeep's halls. All the other scribes, save Raziella, who remains strangely silent, speak their outrage at such heresy, with Guide Hobus actually suggesting that Ulraunt may no longer be fit for his position. But Tethoril speak against such action, and convinces the other scribes that Keeper Ulraunt is not suggesting that a book should be destroyed, but worrying about the safety of their home. He pointedly states that no force has ever taken the keep and none ever will.
After the dinner, Raziella pulls aside the adventuring party and speaks her own worries regarding the safety of the 'Keep due to 'its diminished security resources'. She asks them to meet her wait for her on the grounds of the library in a hour while she discusses her concerns with Ulraunt and Tethoril. Later, as the heroes meet with Raziella, she informs them that they have been temporarily 'deputized' to help her wardens out until Miirym's disappearance has been resolved. As she leads them towards the gatehouse where the wardens are stationed to retrieve their weapons and armor, a young gatewarden comes running up to Raziella, shaking and covered in blood. Through streaming tears, he's finally able to get out that all the wardens that were off-duty in the gatehouse are all dead. As the adventurers rush to the gatehouse with Gatewarden Raziella, they come across a grisly sight of the mutilated corpses of a dozen wardens. Raziella curses and raises the alarm as she instructs the young warden to escort the heroes to their gear.
Once outfitted, they return to the grounds of Candelkeep to find wardens and monks searching every inch of the library. Before the party can even get their assignment from Raziella, however, a loud cry arises from one of the towers and everyone sees and hears Tethoril announcing from the window of Ulraunt's apartments that the Keeper of the Tomes has been murdered. Almost at the same time, a small band of Shadar-kai materialize from the shadows at the base of the tower. Immediately the monks, wardens and heroes attempt to capture the assassins as another alarm is raised on the south wall that there are more assassins attempting to breach the wall. The battle is joined, although it does not last long. The Shadar-kai refuse capture, fighting to the death, going so far that some would rather fall on their swords than be captured alive.
After the 'Keep has been declared safe once more, the newly deputized heroes accompany Raziella to Ulraunt's apartments where they find his body laid on the bed with clerics attending him. But no matter the magic, they cannot raise the Keeper from the dead, nor are they able to even speak with his spirit. Raziella mutters a curse and turns to Tethoril, making a scathing comment about Miirym's continued disappearance. The First Reader agrees with her and suggests that the new 'deputy wardens' could find out what has happened to their dragon guardian while they prepare for Ulraunt's funeral and the process for determining a new Keeper of the Tomes.
The next day, the heroes are taken to the catacombs beneath the library, where Miirym is known to be found. As they begin exploring the maze below Candlekeep, the funeral of Ulraunt is begun. Prayers and memories are shared by all as he lays in state. Below ground, the adventurers come to a large cavern that, according to the maps of the scribes, leads to Nairn's Tomb through a maze of undersea tunnels. In the cave, they discover the reason that Miirym has been absent from the 'Keep as a group of shade wizards have her imprisoned in a force cage spell. As they enter the cavern, a haughty shade introduces himself as Prince Ghuräl and chides the heroes that, while they may have brought Hadrhune low, they will not be so lucky against a Prince of Netheril. All through the battle, the Prince stays out of reach of the heroes, preferring to send his underling into battle against them. As the adventurers begin to gain the upper hand, Prince Ghuräl bids them goodbye and disappears with a jaunty laugh. The under-wizards, without their master's help are quickly overtaken. As the last wizard is slaughtered, the cage imprisoning Miirym is dispelled and she thanks the heroes for their help, but informs them that their task isn't complete since a Illithid has First Reader Tethoril captured as well for the past week. Surprise abounds as both sides share their stories while making their way to the cavern where the illithid Shaalabhak (from Cormyr: Tearing of the Weave) is holding the First Reader prisoner. They are able to free him and defeat the illithid once and for all. As the battle comes to a close, Miirym uses her ghostly form to rush up to the grounds to capture Tethoril's double.
On their journey back to the grounds, Tethoril explains that a doppelganger assassin named Fenghal had snuck into Candlekeep and captured Tethoril, assuming his form, while Shaalabhak kept him alive and used a mental link established with the doppelganger to allow the creature to mimic Tethoril perfectly, fooling even the Inner Wards of Candlekeep. As the heroes make it above ground, they find a very angry Miirym searching the grounds of Candlekeep for the doppelganger, but after talking with Raziella and the other First Readers, it's apparent that no-one had seen Tethoril's double since the beginning of Ulraunt's funeral. Tethoril is saddened by the loss of his friend and rival Ulraunt, but Miirym searches every inch of Candlekeep and can find no sign of the murderer. She also checked on the inner vaults of the library and confirms that the Book of the Black remains their still. With the shades once more thwarted, the funeral continues as Miirym calls other dragons to Candlekeep to give the Keeper of the Tomes the escort to his burial on the nearby island tomb.
[That's the end of the adventure story that I put together for GenCon. The rest is what I cobbled together for a campaign ending to the Cormyr/Shadowdale/Anauroch adventures]
As the dragons inter Keeper Ulraunt's body and fly away, they do not notice the shadows unfold from around Prince Ghuräl who chuckles as he approaches the body of the Keeper. Nearby Tethoril steps from the forest, assuming his grey-skinned natural form while Ghuräl begins to dispel a powerful illusion over the deceased Keeper. With a final wave of his hand, Ulraunt's dead face seems to grimace in great agony and his chest splits open, showing a heavy tome hidden safely within. Fenghal grins at Ghuräl's back, wondering if the mage is quick enough to evade his quick blade.
"Of course, if you were to do that, you'd find life in Waterdeep much more difficult. Especially if Pergieron found out about your 'face' there."
Fenghal simply shrugs and steps forward, gazing down at the book. "It's not my only face. Simply my most profitable." He nods at the mage and holds out a hand. Ghuräl frowns, then reaches into his robe and pulls a heavy purse of coins out and places it in Fenghal's outstretched hand.
Fenghal hefts the purse, opening the drawstring to see the heavy platinum Sembian coins within and smiles at the wizard, "Pleasure doing business with someone of your talents." Fenghal then bows to the mage, and twists a ring on his left hand, teleporting from the island with the faint scent of lavender.
Ghuräl frowns again, then wraps the shadows around himself and travels back to Shade and the other Princes with the Book of the Black in his arms.
[And now, Mr. Kemps fine stories... Tomorrow, I shall post the rest of the story, detailing the fates of Mystra, the Weave, and all the other things to be.] |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 11 Sep 2009 : 16:37:59
I spent some time writing it up yesterday... Got two pages done; Mystra's death is the easy part. I've got to spend a little time tracking down some sources for her rebirth. Maybe in another couple of days, I'll be able to write up the rebirth part. |
| Thieran |
Posted - 11 Sep 2009 : 15:38:18
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I disagree that that is an improvement. I do not like the darker feel; it reminds me more of Shadowrun than anything else -- and Shadowrun without cyberpunk is just not interesting. With the Unseen, the Shades, the Zhents, the Cult of the Dragon, the Twisted Rune, the Hosttower of the Arcane, Thay, the churches of Shar, Cyric, and Bane, the Shadowmasters of Teflamm, the remaining phaerimm, the remaining Malaugrym, the Eldreth Veluuthra, and a host of other groups of nastybads and/or generally unneighborly folk, there was no need to make things darker. We had bad guys in plenty, and more than enough room for heroes.
I agree. It's all a matter of presentation of the state of things - changing that alone would have been sufficient, changing the state of things (on such a scale at least) was not really necessary to create a darker feel.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Back on topic, I need to write up my own version of things, one of these days. My idea doesn't blow anything up, but does replace Mystra, lower the number of her Chosen, and get rid of the Shadow Weave. It draws mostly from existing bits of lore (not new stuff like another world noone knew about), and does some fun redistribution of divine portfolios and power.
That sounds very interesting indeed - looking forward to that! |
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