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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
 Posted - 28 Sep 2008 : 17:37:31
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I came across these in the novel Sentinelspire, which turn out to be a pretty good read (I picked it up to gleen whatever Taan info I could from it).
Anyhow, they function like magical flashlights (also giving off a small amount of warmth), and I was wondering if there is any prior mention of these in Realmslore?
I don't think they are peculiar to the Taan (Hordelands), because they are used by a Druid (Ranger?) of Silvanus who was trained in the Yuirwood. However, nothing so far indicates that they are peculiar to Aglarond either.
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2008 : 06:21:45
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I guess these are new to Realmslore then?  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2008 : 14:27:29
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They're almost like the new "sunrods" (new to me, anyway) in the Player's Handbook, except cooler. I've found that in actual play the sunrods are a bit too "powerful" for the kind of mood I like to set in a dungeon--hard to do creepy, shadowy, and dank when the players can throw a couple of unbreakable 40 watt flourescent tubes in to the corners.
What they really remind me of is back-in-the-day tricks like casting improved light on a coin that you keep in your pouch until you need it.
It's starstones that are providing the light source in the very first scene in the book, which features one of the scariest lines (in context) ever delivered by a druid. "We have much the same rule."
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2008 : 14:45:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
They're almost like the new "sunrods" (new to me, anyway) in the Player's Handbook, except cooler.
Not sure, but I think sunrods predate 4E.
quote:
I've found that in actual play the sunrods are a bit too "powerful" for the kind of mood I like to set in a dungeon--hard to do creepy, shadowy, and dank when the players can throw a couple of unbreakable 40 watt flourescent tubes in to the corners.
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"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2008 : 19:26:03
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Thanks for your responses.
I guess Starstones are just naturally-occurring (I assume) versions of sunrods, albeit slightly less powerful.
The comparison of Sunrods is hilarious! Do they 'flicker' when their magical ballast starts going bad?  |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 02 Oct 2008 : 19:28:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Not sure, but I think sunrods predate 4E.
I know for certain that sunrods were used quite a bit in 3e. They are described on page 128 of the 3.5 PH and their use in underdark exploration is described on page 106 of Underdark. |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 00:47:30
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quote:
Originally posted by HawkinstheDM
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Not sure, but I think sunrods predate 4E.
I know for certain that sunrods were used quite a bit in 3e. They are described on page 128 of the 3.5 PH and their use in underdark exploration is described on page 106 of Underdark.
Thanks for confirming that. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 01:19:31
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-For what it's worth, I've theorized that they are "mined" in and around the Yuirwood, and were created by "magical leakage" from the extraplanar realm of the Star Elves that I am not going to misspell, not knowing the CRTL Code to make the 'E' with the dots.  |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 02:23:51
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| On a Mac you just type OPTION-U then the letter. So, ü, ė, ļ, and so on. I think it's the same keyboard shortcut for PCs, isn't it? |
My Realms novel, Sandstorm, is now available for ordering. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 06:00:19
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Sildėyuir...
I just pasted it from the RealmsWiki.
But for what it's worth, it's <alt> + 0235.
I like the Sildėyuir leakage, BTW.
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36891 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 06:23:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
On a Mac you just type OPTION-U then the letter. So, ü, ė, ļ, and so on. I think it's the same keyboard shortcut for PCs, isn't it?
PCs don't have an Option key. If you use the Character Map, though, you can either copy the letter or find the Alt keycode to make it work. Alternatively, set your keyboard for US-International. That allows you to do all sorts of funky (by US standards) characters, but since it relies on key combinations, it means you'll often type some of these things by accident.
ė is Alt+0235 (hold down the Alt key and then hit the numbers 0,2,3,5; when you release the Alt key, the character then appears).
ū is Alt+0251. Essential for typing out the word "Faerūn".
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
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Christopher_Rowe
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
879 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 16:30:40
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I'm not usually all that in to Mac v. PC stuff (I've bought Macs exclusively for over 20 years, but I've got a Dell laptop because one of my clients wrote the use of Microsoft Publisher(!) right into the contract), but, I must say...
I'm very happy that I can type this, "Oh no, an īņüń stoné!" while remaining blissfully ignorant of whatever it is y'all are talking about with the alts and the numbers. |
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 16:35:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
On a Mac you just type OPTION-U then the letter. So, ü, ė, ļ, and so on. I think it's the same keyboard shortcut for PCs, isn't it?
PCs don't have an Option key. If you use the Character Map, though, you can either copy the letter or find the Alt keycode to make it work. Alternatively, set your keyboard for US-International. That allows you to do all sorts of funky (by US standards) characters, but since it relies on key combinations, it means you'll often type some of these things by accident.
ė is Alt+0235 (hold down the Alt key and then hit the numbers 0,2,3,5; when you release the Alt key, the character then appears).
ū is Alt+0251. Essential for typing out the word "Faerūn".
 Now I“m happy with my complicated idiom, that have things like ė or ū natives in the keyboard...  |
Dwarf, DM, husband, and proud of this! :P
twitter: @yuripeixoto
Facebook: yuri.peixoto |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36891 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 17:03:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
I'm not usually all that in to Mac v. PC stuff (I've bought Macs exclusively for over 20 years, but I've got a Dell laptop because one of my clients wrote the use of Microsoft Publisher(!) right into the contract), but, I must say...
I'm very happy that I can type this, "Oh no, an īņüń stoné!" while remaining blissfully ignorant of whatever it is y'all are talking about with the alts and the numbers.
I do it without the alt-combos, too, at least at home -- I just changed my keyboard settings. On other computers, I at least need to know how to do the ū for replying here. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36891 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 17:05:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Moradin
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Christopher_Rowe
On a Mac you just type OPTION-U then the letter. So, ü, ė, ļ, and so on. I think it's the same keyboard shortcut for PCs, isn't it?
PCs don't have an Option key. If you use the Character Map, though, you can either copy the letter or find the Alt keycode to make it work. Alternatively, set your keyboard for US-International. That allows you to do all sorts of funky (by US standards) characters, but since it relies on key combinations, it means you'll often type some of these things by accident.
ė is Alt+0235 (hold down the Alt key and then hit the numbers 0,2,3,5; when you release the Alt key, the character then appears).
ū is Alt+0251. Essential for typing out the word "Faerūn".
Now I“m happy with my complicated idiom, that have things like ė or ū natives in the keyboard...
Heh... I'm curious as to what your keyboard looks like. I know on my recent trip to Ireland, the keyboards were throwing me off, because they were just different enough... The biggest difference was that the @ wasn't above the 2, like it is on a regular US keyboard. |
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Chosen of Moradin
Master of Realmslore
Brazil
1120 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 17:31:28
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Wooly, I send a link to an image of a brazilian keyboard to your mail...
Now, on the topic: I don“t like too much of things like sunrods (I don“t see this starstones, yet).
Like Christopher, I think that this stole a part of the mood that I intend for a dungeon. I don“t send players to dark and forbidden places, for them turn the place in a football stadium. ... well, they do this anyway... but this is another problem... |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 03 Oct 2008 : 23:40:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I like the Sildėyuir leakage, BTW.
-By my reckoning, anything I can get to expand upon the information about the Star Elves (or lack thereof) is positive. In further considering the matter, we can either tie them to 'magical leakage' from the Sildėyuir being destroyed from the inside by the Nilshai, or from when the Star Elves first built the extraplanar realm. We know that...Vel-the name escapes me, is a purple crystal-like substance that was the byproduct of an Imaskari demiplane, as per Darkvision. Likewise, using the same laws of physics, Starstones can be similar biproducts of the Sildėyuir existing in overlap with the Prime Material Plane. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
Edited by - Lord Karsus on 03 Oct 2008 23:41:25 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2008 : 02:47:05
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EXACTLY what I was thinking!
I guess the fact that both 'pocket planes' were elaborated on by Bruce Cordell could have something to do with it, but the idea that planes start to 'leak' when they become ancient is a very interesting concept (both for game purposes, and just for general speculation).
Magical leakage has always been a staple of fantasy, so it works nicely here. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 04 Oct 2008 02:47:32 |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2008 : 02:55:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
EXACTLY what I was thinking!
-That happens about as often as we see the same thing in completely different ways? 
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
I guess the fact that both 'pocket planes' were elaborated on by Bruce Cordell could have something to do with it, but the idea that planes start to 'leak' when they become ancient is a very interesting concept (both for game purposes, and just for general speculation).
-Well, the Nilshai "eating" the Sildėyuir was introduced in Unapproachable East, written by Rich Baker, Matt Forbeck, and Sean Reynolds. Darkvision was written by Bruce Cordell, but Sentinelspire, was written by Mark Sehestedt. Two different authors. The idea of demiplanes "leaking", I just mused on before. I don't think there's anything in any official products that say that demiplanes "leak". Two unrelated things, that we married because of coincidence. But, in a good way, I think. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36891 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2008 : 04:22:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
Two unrelated things, that we married because of coincidence. But, in a good way, I think.
"You got chocolate in my peanut butter!"
"You got peanut butter in my chocolate!"
I don't think regular planes (even pocket planes) would leak, but I can see pocket planes created by magic starting to leak and break down, after a sufficient length of time. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2008 : 05:09:26
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Bruce Cordell wrote both Darkvision and Stardeep - one about the Celestial Nadir, and one about Sildėyuir; two different demiplanes that were in the processing of breaking-down after a vast millenia of existance, and both of which were 're-connecting' to the Realms after being cut-off for so long.
And both of them leaving some sort of apparent 'residue' lying around.
Although this thread was about something I read in Sentinelspire, my comparison on the lore of the two planes was based on two of Bruce's works.
So we got Nadir (Datharathi) Crystal from one, and Starstones (in your version) from the other. I just happen to appreciate the symetry in that.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I don't think regular planes (even pocket planes) would leak, but I can see pocket planes created by magic starting to leak and break down, after a sufficient length of time.
Exactly my point - naturally occurring planes, or even ones created by 'divine' powers, wouldn't breakdown (unless some sort of cosmic catastrophe occurred), but artificially created ones, made by mortal archmages, most likely would, since it is an established fact in Realmslore that 'old magic' does indeed break-down over time. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 04 Oct 2008 05:11:41 |
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Kyrene
Senior Scribe
South Africa
758 Posts |
Posted - 04 Oct 2008 : 09:02:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Dagnirion
-Well, the Nilshai "eating" the Sildėyuir was introduced in Unapproachable East, written by Rich Baker, Matt Forbeck, and Sean Reynolds. Darkvision was written by Bruce Cordell, but Sentinelspire, was written by Mark Sehestedt.
Although, Bruce R. Cordell was consultedor used in some other wayfor that sourcebook.
quote:
Unapproachable East
SPECIAL THANKS[BRUCE R. CORDELL
AND JD WIKER
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2008 : 05:07:38
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| Perhaps he himself is an Imskari Archmage Interloper, trying to find Elminster's stash of 1st-edition magical items hidden in Ed's basement? |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2008 : 21:01:16
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| Divergent question: is Sentinelspire a 3e or 4e book? |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2008 : 22:31:42
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| Most definately 3e. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
Posted - 08 Oct 2008 : 22:34:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Perhaps he himself is an Imskari Archmage Interloper, trying to find Elminster's stash of 1st-edition magical items hidden in Ed's basement?
-Perhaps. I am thinking, however, that he is a creature from the Far Realms that the Imaskari summoned. |
(A Tri-Partite Arcanist Who Has Forgotten More Than Most Will Ever Know)
Elves of Faerūn
Vol I- The Elves of Faerūn
Vol. III- Spells of the Elves
Vol. VI- Mechanical Compendium |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
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Starstones?
