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Azar
Master of Realmslore
1308 Posts |
 Posted - 19 May 2024 : 05:45:32
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Hi there.
"Parting of the ways", crossroads, forks-in-the-road, et cetera. Whatever you want to call them, there are instances when travelers have to choose one of multiple paths in order to reach a destination. Not every option is necessarily desirable (in fact, there are times when options range from "merely bad" to "manifestly hellish"), but, in some instances, one can trade safety for time. What I have in mind are routes for groups traveling by conventional (i.e., mundane) means such as foot, steeds or full-on caravans.
A classic literary example can be found in The Fellowship of the Ring: the titular party has to decide whether to take a path through a subterranean kingdom or an above-ground pass between two mountain ranges. Both choices are dangerous, though for clearly different reasons. Of course, the fellowship wasn't fully informed of a specific hazard lurking within their chosen direction...
Back to The Forgotten Realms. Folk departing from The Dalelands' Northwest/West side to the west inevitably contend with misery; every route is treacherous to some degree. The Desertsmouth Mountains involve exhausting terrain. The Sword is located in a supernaturally formed desert every bit as deadly as one further south (deadlier, even, with its assortment of unnatural monsters). Unless one does not mind circumventing Anauroch by giving it a wide berth, they will be passing through The Stonelands and then The Goblin Marches.
Are there any other pertinent examples?
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Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
Earth names in the Realms are more common than you may think. |
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Azar
Master of Realmslore
1308 Posts |
Posted - 28 May 2024 : 20:37:08
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Arise, ye geek and unfurl thy tongue.
A brother comes in need.
This is no request for a sonnet sung.
A simple contribution shall be your good deed. |
Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
Earth names in the Realms are more common than you may think. |
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Giant Snake
Seeker
74 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2024 : 05:58:14
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| I like to have these sorts of things pre-planned and maybe it is your style and Maybe it isn’t, but allowing a group of players to have more than one thread they are pursuing gives more reason to have many adventures and also to make the story even more broad! I think it’s a good idea that at least a small party would stick close to the enemy or in a civilized area just to keep their ear to the ground about what’s going on. |
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Trumm
Acolyte
12 Posts |
Posted - 29 May 2024 : 10:39:16
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Well, surely most journeys from one point of the Inner Sea / Sea of Fallen Stars to another involve the choice of travelling by land
or by sea.
Travel by sea might save lots of time but might expose you to the danger of pirates, the seasons or the wrath of Umberlee.
In our current campaign the PCs are agents of the Six Coffers Market Priakos and have to set up new trade representations in the cities of the Vast.
I try to give the group freedom in the choice of how they travel between the locales. If they wanted to travel, say from Tsurlagol to Ravens Bluff, they might
- go there directly by ship (maybe with a stopover in Procampur)
- travel by Helve's Trail / the High Trail via High Haspur and Elvenblood Pass
- travel the North Road via the Glorming Pass. At Dragon Falls they could choose to follow the road via Dark Hollow, Bambryn or Hlintar or they could choose
to travel the Fire River.
I think this fits the trade-oriented tone of the campaign and offers many interesting opportunities for the game.
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Azar
Master of Realmslore
1308 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2024 : 03:09:13
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| I am interested in learning as to whether there are any "quiet, out of the way" places which are difficult to access not because of a magical ward, but because the routes - all of them - are fraught with peril; people often stay put because the simple act of heading to other pastures is an adventure in and of itself. |
Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
Earth names in the Realms are more common than you may think. |
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Giant Snake
Seeker
74 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2024 : 06:29:14
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| I think of Al Qadim being really dangerous by nature. It would be fun to have some characters from there with their entirely different views and even different backgrounds and powers |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
913 Posts |
Posted - 31 May 2024 : 14:19:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Azar
I am interested in learning as to whether there are any "quiet, out of the way" places which are difficult to access not because of a magical ward, but because the routes - all of them - are fraught with peril; people often stay put because the simple act of heading to other pastures is an adventure in and of itself.
The Great Glacier comes to mind. If you want to go outside Toril, I recommend Nessus for ubiquitous peril. |
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Azar
Master of Realmslore
1308 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2024 : 00:05:45
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quote:
Originally posted by Trumm
Well, surely most journeys from one point of the Inner Sea / Sea of Fallen Stars to another involve the choice of travelling by land
or by sea.
Travel by sea might save lots of time but might expose you to the danger of pirates, the seasons or the wrath of Umberlee.
In our current campaign the PCs are agents of the Six Coffers Market Priakos and have to set up new trade representations in the cities of the Vast.
I try to give the group freedom in the choice of how they travel between the locales. If they wanted to travel, say from Tsurlagol to Ravens Bluff, they might
- go there directly by ship (maybe with a stopover in Procampur)
- travel by Helve's Trail / the High Trail via High Haspur and Elvenblood Pass
- travel the North Road via the Glorming Pass. At Dragon Falls they could choose to follow the road via Dark Hollow, Bambryn or Hlintar or they could choose
to travel the Fire River.
I think this fits the trade-oriented tone of the campaign and offers many interesting opportunities for the game.
"The Faerunian Trail"  .
quote:
Originally posted by Delnyn
quote:
Originally posted by Azar
I am interested in learning as to whether there are any "quiet, out of the way" places which are difficult to access not because of a magical ward, but because the routes - all of them - are fraught with peril; people often stay put because the simple act of heading to other pastures is an adventure in and of itself.
The Great Glacier comes to mind. If you want to go outside Toril, I recommend Nessus for ubiquitous peril.
Do you have a feeling this was all by design (terrible pun not intended  )? That is to say, there are solid geographical reasons as to why most folk stick to our Medieval method of living (i.e., never venturing beyond a set amount of miles at most) and the Player Characters/protagonists willing to cross those intervening stretches are those souls walking with an ample amount of gumption? |
Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
Earth names in the Realms are more common than you may think. |
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Risky "parting of the ways" in The Realms?
