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Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Also had a few more thoughts.

The immediate aftermath of Karsus' Avatar spell saw his body swell with deific power and then transform into red hued stone which plummeted into the Dire Wood, a red hued stone which is not unlike the red hued stone that the 13 pyramids of Ascore are constructed of. According to Powers and Pantheons and LEOF (i think).

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Originally posted by Markustay

Well, I've long had a theory that psionic abilities were conected to magical abilities in a synergistic way. If we go back to how EGG originally envisioned (Vancian) magic, people are memorizing complex 'matrixes' which unlock certain dramatic affects in the world - spells are almost like 'universe hacks', and they require great mental fortitude and willpower... things which psionics is all about.

So most creatures have either one or the other (or neither). They can learn to cast spells if they are smart and have the knack, or they can dabble in 'mind mage' stuff (which overlaps heavily with the school of enchantment, and illusion as well).

But what happens when you have BOTH?

Elminster, of course. His latent psionic abilities and his natural talent for magic is what makes him so special. He is like the Neo character in The Matrix - he can literally see the strands of The Weave, pick them apart, and re-arranged them at will. Amongst other things, he can walk into one portal and exit another that was never meant to be connected. Even The Blackstaff doesn't understand how he does some of the stuff he does.

So lets look at some other prodigies, like Karsus. Karsus may well have been Elminster's equal, or even superior (hard to judge that - the rules of magic changed a lot between their eras). I am sure Karsus may have had some degree of psionic ability. Iouluam? That ones a no-brainer. What about Larloch? He seem to be able to do similar stuff as Elminster (alter portals to do other things then intended). And while we are on that, lets go back even further - what of Halaster? He is also able to alter other people's magics, even modify the powers of artifacts. Thats some major magical mojo right there. And what did Mystra do? She took Halaster 'mind' and threw it at Asmodeus as a weapon... once again, demonstrating that an incredibly powerful mind can over-write any magical defenses.

So Karsus becomes the 'momentary god' of magic... and then falls to the ground as a RED statue of himself. Perhaps this 'stone' is some sort of hitherto unknown element - a physical manifestation of mental power (psionics). I am picturing something that is ectoplasmic in nature at first, and then either hardens on its own, or is mixed with other materials to make unique 'building blocks'. Maybe these Red Building blocks help direct magic/psionics contained within them (enhancing it), and at the same time help to keep-out enemy powers (so almost like a reflective mineral, but one that reflects mental energy instead of visible light). And just maybe a race who who specializes in strong magics and psionics have found a way to build megalithic structures out of it.

And THAT might be the connection you are looking for. Just something I came up with on-the-fly, so obviously nothing even remotely canon. Just thought I'd toss that out there as a 'hook' for anyone who wanted to go that route.

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Originally posted by dazzlerdal

Hi George,

I've been reading and re-reading your Lord of the End of Everything article and I've a few questions.

1 - Are the Sstar gems that Jergal was looking for (the dwarves took some) the same as the Chardalyns of the Sarrukh and Netherese.

2 - How do the Sstar gems relate to the Code of Reversion and the spell weavers. I am thinking something along the lines of the spell weavers that tried to ascend were transformed into small runestones that are the Chardalyns/Sstar gems. Then Jergal has them all collected and used in his ritual at the end.

3 - A hunefer is supposedly the remains of a demigod that is mummified. The 3rd edition writeup says that if a dead god ascends again the hunefer is discarded and left to wallow in undying rage. Does that mean Jergal's hunefer could survive as some kind of lava like monster in the Everfire of Sundabar?


And if you haven't had any thoughts on the above that's fine, I'm looking to involve the Chardalyns with Jergal and the ritual so I can connect them to the Tear of Ascore (which I'm gonna make Jergal's Chardalyn) which is owned by Aumvor and is justification for him assuming the role of the Lichlord and attempting to combat Karsus to keep him from disrupting Jergal's ritual.

And once again, great article, there is years worth of lore here.

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Originally posted by dazzlerdal

I just assumed because Jergal wanted the Sstar gems so badly, and Jergal was manipulating Arthindol and the netherese who wanted Chardalyns that they were both one and the same.

Then i linked the magical nature of the Chardalyns to the spell weavers and hey presto the chardalyns/sstar gems become the remains of the spell weaver race. I figure crushing the gem releases the portion of the spell weaver and is part of the component used in the ritual to restore the race.

I wonder if i could use your idea of the candidates of Jergal to provide a foundation for Siamorphe's origins, who is repeatedly reincarnated in a new form. I imagine one of the candidates didnt quite die and instead becomes a constantly reincarnating demigod.

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Originally posted by George Krashos

To understand the story of the Yuir elves is to understand that the green elves of the Yuirwood were unique. Unique in that their environment and their request of the Seldarine to tame the fey deities active in those remote woodlands meant that the Sy`Tel`Quessir tied themselves to the environs of the Yuirwood for all time. Much like the dark elves of Faerūn were changed into drow by the will of the Seldarine, so too were the Yuir elves altered by their gods, effectively becoming the elven equivalent of dryads, unable to leave the environs of the Yuirwood without sickening and dying.

With that dire limitation however came beneficial fey traits and mastery over their woodland environments (all Yuir elves had minor druidic powers like pass without trace, entangle or animal friendship etc.). Those traits were "in the blood" so to speak but were not passed down to non-green elven children, whether half-elves or full-bloods.

The star elves that gathered in the Yuirwood over time were a mixed lot. They ranged from the noble Lamavarith clan hailing from Siluvanede to the pious Hualarydnym clan of Cormanthyr to the xenophobic Marintraal clan of the Forest of Tethir. These families and others gathered to form their own homeland in a place well-suited to their unique natures. They had an instant affinity with the Yuir green elves, but considered the moon elves resident there to be an unwelcome presence as the Yuirwood resonated as a place with strong ties to the fey that only the native green Yuir elves and the star elves appreciated.

In most star elves, this attitude manifested itself in small ways: cold dealings, exclusion and avoidance. But for star elves such as the militant Ralandraar clan from the Chondalwood, the moon elves were enemies to be defeated and destroyed. The Ralandraar were an ancient clan, having its origins in the fallen realm of Eillūr. Whereas history notes that some green elves of that nation turned traitor and aided the rampant Ilythiiri during the Sable Wars, history does not record that the most assistance given to the Ilythiiri invaders was provided by the Ralandraar star elves. Their actions were in response to the perceived failure of the moon elf elite of Keltormir and Shantel Othreier to render sufficient aid during the Sable Wars and tarred them for all time as suspected collaborators and "dhaeraow".

And so it was that Darandril, clan elder of the Ralandraars, connived to remove the moon elf population of the Yuirwood and continue his clan's age old conflict with the Teu`Tel`Quessir. In doing so, he betrayed three green elf clans that they had befriended, heaping yet further disgrace on his blighted clan. He arranged a secret meeting with the three respective clan elders, slew them treacherously and then used magic to conceal his crime and make it seem that they had been sacrificed by moon elves in an attempt to gain the "blood powers" of the native green elves. The impressionable Yuir green elves, having already assumed some star elf attitudes toward their erstwhile moon elven comrades, reacted as hoped for by the Ralandraars, culminating in the wholesale slaughter of the moon elves who were unable to escape the woodlands.

For a long time afterward, there was peace and harmony in the Yuirwood, for the green elves were malleable and the star elves used their High Magic to subtly and quietly assert a pre-eminent position in the realm they formed and named Yuireshanyaar. As the seasons rolled on however, and the power of humans in the surrounding lands grew ever-greater, the star elves began the construction of Sildeyuir in secret and two centuries later, abandoned the green elves of the Yuirwood to their fate, knowing that those unique green elves could not depart with them. The loss of the Art was keenly felt by the Yuir elves who found themselves eventually defenceless to incursions by drow, humanoids and the biggest "monster" of all, humans.

The Yuirwood saw a short-lived renaissance in the 6th and 7th century Dalereckoning when it experienced an influx of gold elves from Myth Drannor who negotiated a presence in the forest with the dwindling Yuir green elves and even created the mythal city of Myth Tarranvar in the Year of the Oaken Glade (517 DR). This fledgling mythal city was entirely isolated after the fall of Myth Drannor and the destruction of the gate that linked it to Cormanthyr, and finally succumbed to a drow incursion in 778 DR.

When human trailblazers and explorers finally breached the natural defences of the Yuir and plumbed the depths of the Yuirwood in c. 870 DR, they discovered a weak Yuir green elven people, eking out an existence in scattered, family groupings with no ruler and no cities. A century and half later, the number of full-blooded elves had dwindled to less than a hundred and the intermingling of elf and human had created a new Yuir realm of half-elves that the present recognises as the realm of Aglarond. The Yuir green elves had become only whispers among the branches and falling leaves of the forest they had called home for millennia.

-- George Krashos

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Originally posted by George Krashos

To understand the story of the Yuir elves

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In -3654 DR, after bypassing the wards and the arakhor that guarded the mist-shrouded halls of the Ba’etith, Jergal regained the Golden Skins of the World Serpent he had placed there and hid them amidst the ruins of Aryvandaar (specifically the fourth Dlardrageth Armory, after creating a weakness in the wards cloaking the fourth Dlardrageth Armory through the Border Ethereal). Jergal’s intent was to sow the seeds of Eaerlann’s destruction by deceiving those who sought to reclaim the ancient magics of the Vyshaantar Empire into discovering these legendary artifacts and the secrets they held within them, leaving him free to grow his power among the Netherese. His labours in this regard would bear deadly fruit with the Slaughter of Sharrven in -2770 DR.

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Originally posted by Demzer

George,

can you tell us more about Halthetes "the Highsage" of Cimbar, cited in your piece about Ouranalathra "the Mistmaiden"? When was he in Cimbar? Is he still alive in 1375 DR? Does he have any formal ties to the Cimbarian University? What are his areas of expertise?

Thanks!

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