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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Sep 2010 : 01:24:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I just thought that music and mathematics would sort of naturally fall into that domain, since both are considered "universal languages". It just made sense to me that a deity who is concerned with those concepts would be interested in music, astronomy, and other "orderly" pursuits. Especially since astronomy is esential to astrology, which is a form of divination. (Thus having divination in her portfolio.)
I always like this kind of foundation for deities. It kinda reminds me of the pre-Socratic belief in the "Music of the Spheres" and celestial mathematics all being entwined in ways the ancient Greek philosophers would try to understand. |
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Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2010 : 13:41:04
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Renzili, the God of White Lies.
Lying is a province of Cyric, but all such lies bring pain or doom to the people involved. White lies, though may bring catastrophe to some, always have good intention to support them, or if not, at least, the lesser evil.
Specifics may come later...if I have time.
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Every beginning has an end. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2010 : 17:53:13
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| @ Sage: That was precisely what I was going for! I got the idea for her from the Complete Arcane write-up on the Sublime Chord and Seeker of the Song PrC's. It got me thinking about some of the quantum theories of cosmic vibrations (that "Music of the Spheres" you mentioned) and I decided to incorporate that idea into my cosmology. It makes for some interesting new reasons to play a bard! (My fave class, in case you can't tell!) not to mention that ships and navigation play a part in some of my campaigns, so mathematics and astronomy (navigation) play an important role in some areas. |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Lord of Bones
Seeker
United Kingdom
78 Posts |
Posted - 12 Sep 2010 : 11:01:50
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As the hills of the Seven Lost Gods outside of Westgate played a prominent part in one of my campaigns, (with a bard PC marrying an NPC on top of one of them even), I decided to put some thought into the gods to whom the hills are dedicated. We already have Borem, Ghaunadaur and Moander detailed, and as they're somewhat primordial deities I thought I'd create my own one.
Sul'cere: Nightmare Lord, Grand Manipulator of Fear, Lord of Doubt, The Bastard Beholder.
Neutral Evil
Portfolio: Fear, Nightmares, Predation, Freaks.
Domains: To be decided.
Followers: Beholderkin, tyrants, assassins, mutants, stalkers, vampires.
Symbol: A black circlet with eight yellow spokes pointing inwards towards a white human skull.
Favored Weapon: "His Right Hand" (trident)
His write-up is upcoming (when I have some time), but needless to say he has been dead for a long, long time with his portfolio of fear having been usurped by Jergal and then Bane. Although he's not a beholder himself, his avatar appears as a spindly man with a beholder for a head, giving him a freakish and scary appearance.
In my game, the marriage atop his hill has had some rather frightening repercussions for the happy couple and their first-born. |
Come watch the Gentleman's Guide to Gaming!
http://www.youtube.com/user/clackclickbang
On my channel I review and dissect role-playing games with great gusto. Please do take a look and let me know what you think. |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 12 Sep 2010 : 18:36:13
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I just thought that music and mathematics would sort of naturally fall into that domain, since both are considered "universal languages". It just made sense to me that a deity who is concerned with those concepts would be interested in music, astronomy, and other "orderly" pursuits. Especially since astronomy is esential to astrology, which is a form of divination. (Thus having divination in her portfolio.)
I always like this kind of foundation for deities. It kinda reminds me of the pre-Socratic belief in the "Music of the Spheres" and celestial mathematics all being entwined in ways the ancient Greek philosophers would try to understand.
I like this too... the whole Pythagorean "existence is numbers" thing probably isn't so far from the truth, really ("-->" means "reduces to" in what follows):
Biology --> Chemistry --> Physics --> Mathematics
Geology --> Chemistry --> Physics --> Mathematics
(in some places skipping the "Chemistry" step entirely on both counts)
As far as this relates to the Realms, if I keep Ao in my Realms rebuild (and this is still a very big "if"), it will probably be with the portfolios of Mathematics and Logic, for the simple reason that nobody in a world with divine avatars showing up with regularity would have a need to worship mathematics anyway, and the day that logic becomes a portfolio that is actively worshipped is the day that humanity has ceased to be a major player in the world (there's a reason Murdane is dead, and it's not what we've been told).  |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
Edited by - Jakk on 12 Sep 2010 18:37:02 |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 12 Sep 2010 : 18:47:05
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Haha, funny, RW!! Why, thank you, Sage! I just dug out her write-up, and here it is.
Aristeya: The Stargazer, The Celestial Harpist (She's a shoe-in for a patron of the Harpers!)
LG
Portfolio: Reason, Cosmic Order, Mathematics, Divination, Astronomy, Navigation and Music.
Domains: Craft, Fate, Divination, Law, Good, Numbers
Followers: Lawyers, Bards, Astronomers, Diviners, and Geometers
Symbol: Silver harp in the shape of a moon, beside a single golden star
Favored Weapon: "Singing Star" (shuriken)
Aristeya(ah-rist-a-ya) is a goddess who brings order and understanding to the cosmic plane- whether it is the order of mathematics and law, or the celestial harmony of the heavens, or the pure, beautiful perfection of order in music. She is exacting and stoic, but never demanding or stern, with a love of harmony and knowledge of all kinds. Her followers look to the stars both for understanding of the vast multiverse, and for knowledge of future events through portents in the heavens.
Although Aristeya is Lawful Good, she is less concerned with fighting evil than with bringing order to chaos. However, if good folk or her followers are threatened, she will act to right the situation. Her primary concern is with creating order within the cosmos, and helping mortals to understand that order. She often appears as a beautiful raven-haired woman with sparkling blue or silver eyes playing a harp, or as an old seeress in midnight blue robes that seem to shimmer with starlight.
History/ Relationships: Aristeya is a relatively recent goddess, once a mortal who gained divinity through her wisdom and dedicated service to Brakis(Ohgma). She maintains close ties to him, and it is said that they are occasionally lovers. Aristeya also is allied with Myrnos(Lathander), Sorden(Tyr/Nobanion/Torm), and gods of magic and knowledge. She opposes the gods of chaos and destruction, for these forces disrupt the order of the multiverse that she shepherds.
Dogma: The multiverse is an expression of the order and harmony of all things- there is music in the stars, if only one cares to listen to it. Seek to find the universal order of the cosmos, for only through this can true understanding and enlightenment be achieved. Always share music and knowledge with others, that they may know the beauty and order that is all around them. Oppose those who destroy knowledge or cause chaos, and aid those who are threatened by such forces.
This is very good! Any chance of seeing more of the pantheon? I'm working on something for Anchorome (the continent, not Ed's islands); yes, Laerakond exists in my Realms, and no, it did not blow anything up with its arrival... except Evermeet. No real loss there; the elves had already largely vacated the place due to "magic quakes" (massive instabilities in the Weave nexus under the island which was what allowed the elves to raise the island there in the first place) that resulted in the shunting of Evermeet into the Feywild (which just happened to be simultaneous with my version of the Spellplague, whose details I'm still hammering out, but it's largely as I've posted in other scrolls here previously) and Laerakond arriving in its place. My cosmology-shuffling is far from set, but I've decided to adopt at least some of what was done with 4E (more out of a sense of "hey, this can actually work!" than out of any desire to be "compatible" with what's "current"; I've never been the latter sort of person anyway).  |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
Edited by - Jakk on 12 Sep 2010 18:50:00 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 13 Sep 2010 : 18:19:20
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Thank you, muchly, Jakk. As it happens, I do indeed have more of them drawn up. I have a sort of Zeus/Helm hybrid named Sorden who is esentially the "All-Father" diety of justice and the sky of my pantheon. (I draw heavily on Greek and Norse mythology, with a generous sprinkling of Celtic for flavor.) He is paired with an "Earth Mother" type a la the Celtic Lord and Lady. Some of the pantheon members are more like the standard racial deities, although most have different names and are slightly altered or even combined with others. My most unusual example is Lolth, whose name I changed to Lothrenya, and gave her the title of "Venom Queen" to reflect the fact that I added poison to her portfolio. Not only does it help to explain why her priests use whips made of snakes, but it gives me a really good reason to add scorpions and all sorts of other venomous nasties to her list of toys. One of the most obvious changes I made to her was her appearance- adding a scorpion's tail to the usual spider's body, and giving her some rather snake-like attributes (reptilian eyes, scales on upper body, and long fangs) as well. It makes her MUCH scarier, IMO. it also gave me more versitility with drow, since I was able to include a few sea creatures into her domain, as well. (I have an entire society of sea-faring drow whose main livelihood is piracy and slavery.)
most of the other dieties are my own, though inspired by a mix of FR gods and real-life mythology. one of my favorites is Pashutsa, a cat-mother who is a protector of women and children, with elements of fertility and pleasure. (Long before I knew about Sharess/Bast in the Realms!) She is also patron of felines of all sorts, including were-felines. And for some reason, her children have a habit of showing up in my games.... I once had an entire adventure where the object was to rescue a cat-lord from a wizard using him and other felines for nasty experiments. My players really started to hate cats in-game, after that!!!
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The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2010 : 17:11:08
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I just found some really amazing stuff that ties in with my concept of the music/cosmic harmony deity. Listen to these, and you'll get an idea of what I was thinking of. These are actual "sounds" from planets, etc., and goes to show that the Multiverse does, in fact, create its own music!! Enjoy!! (And I hope this does not violate any rules for links on CK...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fqE01YYWs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVHXMLDvWA&feature=related (This one is mildly disturbing, simply because it shows just how much we have altared the planet- even it's "song" is different because of human interference!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIJLM2oZip8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38pJhxCzR-I&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBCd3LtPiPE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYiWNLv-Bgg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAKXaUMZpOc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Ldqkd0Fa4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKjWRCI4CEQ
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The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 19 Sep 2010 : 22:37:38
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This is amazing... your thoughts on the deity of cosmic harmony actually tie in somewhat with a book I just finished reading... Blasphemy by Douglas Preston. Excellent book, as long as you're not an overly dogmatic personality type. 
I really like your thoughts on Lolth... she was always depicted in earlier editions (esp. first) as being concerned with arachnids in general, not just spiders, so I love the scorpion tail!
My thoughts (briefly, as I've gone on at length regarding them elsewhere in the 'Keep) are that the Celtic and Norse pantheons are in fact native to Toril, and the only interlopers in Toril's sphere are the Oriental (Kara-Tur) pantheons and the Egyptian (Mulhorandi) and Babylonian/Sumerian (Untheric) pantheons. I would go further as to suggest that the Olympian pantheon is native to Toril, and that the stories of Atlantis in Earth's mythic past are actually memories of the Sundering on Toril; my theory is that, at the dawn of humanity on Earth, which syncs up fairly well with the creation of Toril, there were innumerable gates between the two worlds, and in some cases it was hardly noticeable when they were used, simply because of similar geography on both sides. Humans are in fact an interloper race on Toril, but because they arrived right at the beginning, they were seen as being a native race, and are thus (erroneously) numbered among the Creator Races. I've never been a big fan of the idea of parallel evolution, even though it logically must exist in a nigh-infinite universe, largely because I grew up on reruns of the Star Trek original series and quickly got tired of the fact that 99.9% of the aliens encountered looked like humans with silly clothes and unfortunate skin conditions.
Anyway, that was supposed to be "briefly"... but that's how my Realms fit into the bigger picture, and how I explain the similarity of the pantheons. To revisit the Olympian pantheon for a moment, I suspect that the pantheon and myths originated on Toril some time shortly (2-3 millennia) after the Sundering and were brought to Earth by returning portal-travelers (whether deliberate or accidental), and that since this time, the Torilian "Olympian" pantheon has evolved (in name only) to what the modern (c.1375 DR) inhabitants know. Ao is the Torilian Chaos, hence the name; Chauntea is Gaia; and the other known Torilian deities match up nicely with the Olympian, Celtic, and Norse pantheons, and some of these correspondences have already been pointed out by others, including Ed. |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 19 Sep 2010 : 23:56:14
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Interesting that you should mention the parallel evo thing- there have been documented cases of it right here on Earth, where creatures that had no relation to each other develop in separate and unconnected locales, to end up looking nearly identical to fill a similar niche. Jackals and Tazmanian wolves, for one example. I could name many others, but the general consensus is that evolution tends to follow certain guidelines, where a species will naturally develop along certain lines to fill a particular need within the eco-system. Thus, sentient and advanced beings probably WOULD tend to look like humans, because of the needs of a sentient race. (Hands, eyes in front of face, large brain, bi-pedal, etc...) BTW, I grew up on those same re-runs, and never had a problem with it. I thought some of them were actually pretty likely, given their home-worlds!
Back to the subject of deities, I used the idea of Lolth being concerned with all arachnids to introduce a second weapon for her priestesses- a scorpion-tail whip which used the tail of a real giant scorpion, complete with venomous stinger. This was the weapon for junior priests, while the snake whips are still reserved for the upper echelons. I like your ideas on the native pantheons. (I've read your take on that in other threads.) It explains why some of the deities are the same as on Earth. (Though I kind of think that the Egyptian and Sumer/Babylonian ones might have been Toril-native, too.) |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2010 : 22:13:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Interesting that you should mention the parallel evo thing- there have been documented cases of it right here on Earth, where creatures that had no relation to each other develop in separate and unconnected locales, to end up looking nearly identical to fill a similar niche. Jackals and Tazmanian wolves, for one example. I could name many others, but the general consensus is that evolution tends to follow certain guidelines, where a species will naturally develop along certain lines to fill a particular need within the eco-system. Thus, sentient and advanced beings probably WOULD tend to look like humans, because of the needs of a sentient race. (Hands, eyes in front of face, large brain, bi-pedal, etc...) BTW, I grew up on those same re-runs, and never had a problem with it. I thought some of them were actually pretty likely, given their home-worlds!
Now that you put it that way... and it's interesting that there's documented evidence of the parallel evolution idea. I'll have to give my cosmology's origin myths some more thought... 
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
Back to the subject of deities, I used the idea of Lolth being concerned with all arachnids to introduce a second weapon for her priestesses- a scorpion-tail whip which used the tail of a real giant scorpion, complete with venomous stinger. This was the weapon for junior priests, while the snake whips are still reserved for the upper echelons. I like your ideas on the native pantheons. (I've read your take on that in other threads.) It explains why some of the deities are the same as on Earth. (Though I kind of think that the Egyptian and Sumer/Babylonian ones might have been Toril-native, too.)
The only problem I have with the idea of the Egyptian and S/B pantheons being Toril-native is explaining the Imaskari barrier: What was it for if not to keep interloper gods out? Of course, doing away with it entirely probably wouldn't make much difference, unless your campaign is set in ancient Imaskar... although I'll defer to Markustay's expertise (among others) on this matter. Another thought I had was that humans may not be native to the Realms themselves (and therefore not a Creator Race)... my thought is that humans (or their ancestors) came to Toril from Earth via portals from Earth shortly after the true creator races established their realms (circa 35K-30K before DR), and went unnoticed by them in their (then) primitive insignificance (and later, were thought to have been around all along, simply because nobody noticed their original arrival). There would be near-constant portal traffic back and forth, not in large numbers, and almost all by accident until they learn where the portals are and how they are activated, so things like cultures, deities and pantheons would naturally "bleed through" between Toril and Earth, at least until the portals become lost and "forgotten"...
Just a thought... |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 24 Sep 2010 : 18:09:10
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| I'm not familiar with any of the lore on Imaskar or the barrier, and in fact I don't actually run any campaigns in the FR (My games are run in a homebrew world of my own cration, as I don't know anyone who is a gamer AND an FR fan.) I was merely throuwing an idea out there. But it seems to me that if the Celtic and Norse pantheons are prepresented, then other Earth pantheons might be, as well. And as has been pointed out in other threads, Ed has stated that Faerun has portals and such to EVERYWHERE. To illustrate, I did a fan-fic some time ago where a portal opened up between Faerun and the MU, though it opened up from the other side. The tale involved an encounter between my favorite FR and Marvel charachters- Drizzt and Spidey! It was truly a blast to write, and the first two parts won 1st and 2nd place in the Marvel boards' monthly fan-fic contest. (Not bragging, but I was rather proud of that acheivement, considering the kind of competition that goes on in that event.) |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 16 Oct 2010 : 12:32:38
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(btw, I do like your "Queen of Venom" interpretation of Lolth, Alystra.)
Old school 1e/2e Manuals of the Planes and similiar tomes would explain that our RL world exists on a "low magic" material plane which lacks much of the abundance and variety of living things and sentient races. If parallel evolution is not an uncommon thing in our universe, then it must almost be a certainty in a magic-rich Realms universe. A magical D&D world pretty much has to have some version of humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, giants, and dragons by default ... usually some very good explanations are presented when any of these are "missing".
Cosmic resonances and harmonics ... well, putting the physics aside and stepping unsteadily into the realm of theology ... in RL the notion of a godly pantheon (or a single monotheistic god) transcending the universe seems less likely to me than permeating the universe. A valid argument might be made that the creator god of the cosmos had exactly one divine portfolio (that of creating the cosmos itself) and simply ceased to exist after expending all that divine power and getting the job done. No such thing as "transcending" the entire cosmos; initially there is some kind of void or whatever, ultimately there's a complete cosmos and no room for anything else. The god is dead, no longer has any portfolio of creation, but continues to exist eternally throughout every particle of the universe - er, that's the idea.
If you want to consider it with the physics and epistemology, aha ... well, books about patterns and thought like Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid are pretty provocative. One of the dialogs involves a man summoning a Djinn, but making a "meta-wish" which requires authorization from a more powerful Djinn, all the way up an infinite hierarchy to GOD (an acronym for "GOD Over Djinn", which is itself infinitely self-recursive). There's some pretty advanced cosmology beyond 2nd-year quantum mechanics that I plain and simply just don't comprehend at all. Hawking's arguments about the anthropomorphic universe and temporal self-consistency ... basically explanations that the fundamental properties of the the laws of physics conspire to keep the universe exactly the way it is, almost as if some external influence designed it that way.
The D&D take presented in the old Immortal Rules was somewhat interesting. Or non-canon works like the Immortal's Handbook / Ascension. Basically you have all the various ranks of diving power. Then the Ao-level overgod, roughly comparable perhaps to the game's DM. Then powers above that, like the game designers, then the game publishers. Perhaps the DM-god can exert special powers over his singular "domain". Perhaps other powers affect even the game publishers, like bankers and stock markets and presidents. And then there's the powers that created the universe in which the game publishers live in. And so on. Essentially infinite upward progression. It gets kinda silly but is still fascinating reading.
lol, enough babble for now, I suppose. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 16 Oct 2010 12:37:07 |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2010 : 04:53:46
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I think a lot of the later TSR stuff and all of the Wizbro stuff tends to take a cowardly, unassertive, nonconfrontational approach towards matters of high religion. They sometimes suggest things work a certain way while always leaving plenty of wiggle room for alternatives and carefully avoiding any statements which directly conflict with popular established religious canons.
This seems fair enough, particularly given that all DM/player groups will implement a game theology that's compatible with their personal spirituality anyways, and those who are deeply troubled or uncomfortable with the "standard" D&D system don't have to just blindly accept it. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2010 : 12:12:58
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Drognard
Preserver of Sacred Lore, Patron of Sages
Lawful Neutral Demigod
Portfolio: Old secrets, Lost lore, Forgotten history, Ancient tomes, Sages, Pedantic behaviour, Blind obsession, Ignorance, and Idiocy
Although not widely known, Drognard is a truly ancient being who may in fact be nearly as old as the Realms themselves; some scholars believe Drognard may have originated as a god of Oerth or perhaps some older forgotten world. He is said to possess a great library of mountainous proportions and he is passionately obsessed with recording, collecting, and cataloging every imaginable bit of Realmslore he can discover. To Drognard no detail is too esoteric, trivial, or inconsequential; no fact is too inaccessible, dangerous, or forbidden; he is utterly and unswervingly obsessed with this one important goal above all other considerations. Little else is known of his great library, though it is thought to exist in a mysterious extra-planar location which even the other gods have never found.
Although Drognard has explored many distant regions throughout the cosmos, he shows little affinity for any particular planes or places beyond the Realms. He uses many guises in his constant travels within the Realms, though he favours the appearance of grizzled and graying human scholars, or sometimes very young and eager ones, and he invariably assumes the odd name "Dee-Yem". He may be found virtually anywhere scribbling and filing careful notes about such details as which phases of the moon encourage fastest growth of the medicinal vidrio herb near Tantras, or the name of Manshoon's second tailor (and which blue dyes he prefers to use), or Mirt's secret money-laundering ledgers from the Year of Lost Watermelons, or a list which names every half-elven male child born in Mirabar over the last 177 winters.
Drognard sometimes works with Deneir, Oghma, Mystra, and other gods who represent knowledge, and they sometimes require access to information only he can find somewhere within his great library. In general, however, the other gods consider Drognard frustrating, unimaginative, strange, and "a little creepy" and so they generally avoid dealing with him whenever possible.
The Time of Troubles was especially difficult for Drognard. He was driven partially insane when his mental link to his great library was severed, a condition which persisted even when his link was restored after the Time of Troubles concluded. Drognard then battled the new gods (whom he sees as false) while striving to support or restore old gods who no longer exist. Some of his portfolio, such as his dominion over Idiots, was apparently acquired after repeated belligerent attacks against the "imposter" Cyric. Drognard's mental stability then continued to erode as successive world-shaking events within the Realms unfolded; by the conclusion of the Spellplague he was driven irrevocably insane. He is now a bitter god who argues and mutters pedantically while obsessively denying every "wrong" fact he sees that contradicts the lore of his great library. He has fixated on the delusion that a powerful cabal of interloping greedy wizards "from the coast" are somehow responsible for causing these discrepencies, and he'll describe this plot in excessive detail to any who'll listen.
Today, Drognard has few followers aside from a group of sages who dwell within the hallowed walls of Candlekeep. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 19 Oct 2010 13:09:06 |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2010 : 12:43:08
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Don't you know anything? Its Vidriho, the tailor is named Gehdzaer, who prefers the combination of Turmish Asheri dye and the ink of the Merhel-octopus. And although many of the half elven names are secret the number is 77. And you forget the portfolio of grumbling, which by now has given him influence over most mortals and many gods. Even the great Zagyg travels with him, leading the disciples. His followers are increasing now and are spread throughout the world, hiding and working their viles.
But then again, this lying work is surely written by a false demon-god who seeks to drive the world into the damaging vortex of change and disrupting chaos.
What is little known is that the Great Grumbler, the saviour of us all, is creating a number of pocket dimensions in the planes of time, so as to preserve and develop everyone of the various realities he has spied in his journeys and seen in his writings. Let us all bow to the greatest of gods. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2010 : 13:12:11
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Drognard is the God of Time as well?
Perhaps his demipower status is misleading ... he stores most of his divine power in other times and realities. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2010 : 13:19:12
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Drognards nature is cyclic; he may at times seem dead, but he will always return, at the moment he is on the rise.
He hides time in his beard.All the universes are tied together by strands of the same. Time was an ancient enemy that was mostly conquered after Time killed Drognards lover Vinyyl-Eelpe. Unfortunately with the reawakening of this minor demi-power Time was also re-released. Probably the work of those pesky wizards or their spidery web-servants plotting against the holy dust that will give us visions of true reality. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 19 Oct 2010 : 13:29:20
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Don't forget the most powerful and holy artifacts in the universe - Drognard's Dice. Each of these strange little polyhedral objects commands an array of awesome powers. The entire set together might have enough power to destroy gods. In the unstoppably stable hands of Drognard these Dice are utterly immune to any rules revisions which "nerf" artifact powers.
[Edit]
I have heard of the Icosahedron of the Planes (sometimes referred to as the Drog20)... perhaps this can be used to access the great library?
[More Edit]
It appears that Grognard has potent allies other than Zagyg. Lord Osric has joined the cause, and more recently, the mysterious Pathfinder. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 20 Oct 2010 09:32:48 |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2010 : 11:51:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
[More Edit]
It appears that Grognard has potent allies other than Zagyg. Lord Osric has joined the cause, and more recently, the mysterious Pathfinder.
No offence, but even if there is an element of respect, no true follower of Drognard (at least get the Great Ones name right!) would count the Pathfinder as a follower and ally. He is a servant of Theerdetion, the conqueror and Pretender. His son is respected but no true Grumbler and Knower of the Better Past of Dice and Hair can ever forget Theerdetions magic harrowing them back into their lairs. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2010 : 01:07:38
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| No insult was intended, Jorkens. I offer 2d4 sticks of Incense of Obsession as a token of peace. Absolutely pure 1e incense, it has been carefully wrapped within a DMG for many years and has never been touched or tainted by other editions. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2010 : 13:25:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
No insult was intended, Jorkens. I offer 2d4 sticks of Incense of Obsession as a token of peace. Absolutely pure 1e incense, it has been carefully wrapped within a DMG for many years and has never been touched or tainted by other editions.
Maybe the wrong time to add that I belong to the much maligned cult of the heretical Sekonded, specification the one that honours Drognard in all his images? |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2010 : 16:14:54
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| True, the Sekondi were initially seen as interlopers. But in intervening decades their divine lore far exceeded that of the orthodox Elders who came before and they are now the most blessed of Drognard's children. It is followers of d'Twen-tea who betrayed the Old Ways and invoked Drognard's greatest wrath. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2010 : 17:06:08
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
quote:
Originally posted by Alystra Illianniis
I just found some really amazing stuff that ties in with my concept of the music/cosmic harmony deity. Listen to these, and you'll get an idea of what I was thinking of. These are actual "sounds" from planets, etc., and goes to show that the Multiverse does, in fact, create its own music!! Enjoy!! (And I hope this does not violate any rules for links on CK...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fqE01YYWs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVHXMLDvWA&feature=related (This one is mildly disturbing, simply because it shows just how much we have altared the planet- even it's "song" is different because of human interference!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIJLM2oZip8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38pJhxCzR-I&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBCd3LtPiPE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYiWNLv-Bgg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAKXaUMZpOc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Ldqkd0Fa4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKjWRCI4CEQ
Wonderful. Simply wonderful. You're a scribe after my own heart, Alystra.
Seconded.
I haven't been in this thread in quite awhile, so forgive my delayed response.
Its weird because I just used the concept of 'Harmony' in the Fey thread, and it ties directly into the Music of the Spheres, which seems to be the same basic idea you have going on here (and I have heard those sounds before, and it is partially where I derive much of my 'sonic' lore from). Its insanely serendipitous that I happen to read your post immediately after posting something related in the Fey thread.
You and I are on the same page so often its scary. |
"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 23 Oct 2010 17:07:10 |
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althen artren
Senior Scribe
USA
780 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2010 : 00:22:19
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The Realms needs a god of alcohal, a serious "3 sheets in the wind"
stumbling drunk of a diety. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2010 : 01:01:01
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quote:
althen artren:
The Realms needs a god of alcohal, a serious "3 sheets in the wind" stumbling drunk of a diety.
You bring up an interesting point.
A stumbling drunken god is represented in every classical pantheon and most (if not all) of the recorded pagan mythologies. (As is, typically, some sort of sexual goddess figure.)
Yet no god/goddess in the Faerūnian pantheon has portfolio over drinking, alcohol, wine, beer. Even though these things are prominent in the daily life of many people. Especially prominent to the vineyards and breweries who make such things, the tavern barkeeps who buy and sell them, and to the adventurers who consume it all in endlessly copious quantities.
Astonishingly, no such god exists in the pantheons of Kara-Tur, Maztica, Mulhorand, or Zakhara. No godly power over booze exists in elven, dwarven, or halfling pantheons either.
The Realms does indeed need a god of alcohol. Sune, Lliira, Sharess, perhaps even Silvanus might all serve this purpose but none are perfectly suited choices.
Perhaps this is a shared portfolio? Progressive drinking might cause one to drift from one divine influence to another?
Say, towards eloquence (Milil) and storytelling (Oghma), then towards passion and love (Sune), then violence (Tempus and Talos), loss of consciousness (Kelemvor), and finally hangovers and suffering (Ilmater). |
[/Ayrik] |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 24 Oct 2010 : 03:48:20
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Hmm, doesn't one of the halfling gods have a sort of fields/fertility aspect? Can't remember if it's Sheela Perryroyal, Yondalla, or her consort (can't recall his name off-hand), but one of them has a sort of vine/grape bit in their portfolio. Dwarves don't have anything like that, But Corellon might serve that purpose for elves. On second thought, he's too serious, Hanali might work better.
And on that note- I will now submit a deity from my home pantheon to fill the void.... Since someone had already asked if I would share any more of them, I'm happy to oblige in this case, especially since this one was one of the ones I thought might fit.
Have him up as soon as I hunt down his write-up! |
The Goddess is alive, and magic is afoot.
"Where Science ends, Magic begins" -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491
"You idiots! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -Spaceballs
Lothir's character background/stats: http://forum.candlekeep.com/pop_profile.asp?mode=display&id=5469
My stories:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Mickeys_Comic_Tavern/index.php?showforum=188
Lothir, courtesy of Sylinde (Deviant Art)/Luaxena (Chosen of Eilistraee)
http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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If you were to invent a deity for the realms
I must admit I was simply astounded by those recordings. My favorites were the ones for the sun and Saturn's rings. Neptune sounded really nice, too. Reminded me of a day by the ocean- fitting, somehow!!