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ijkay
Acolyte
Canada
17 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Jun 2009 : 19:24:46
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A question for the gathered sages.
Dragon 281 has a Bazarre of the Bazarre article (set in FR) that described seven magical masks collectively known as the Imaskarcana. 3.5 Ed sources (beginning with Underdark, I think) describe the Imaskarcana as the storehouse of Imaskar knowledge as the seven Imaskarcana which individually could potentially take many forms.
Has this use of the same name for different sets of items ever been addressed in canon lore?
Thanks
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Ian Franks
"So I thought to myself who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone, I'm going to be a Pirate on the River Saskatchewan!", The Arrogant Worms |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2009 : 21:32:34
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I don't know if it was ever officialy addressed, but we are talking artifact-level magical items here, and their appearance and purpose could possibly change, depending on the circumstances.
Ed Greenwood has already done an entire sourcebook about 'books that aren't books' in Prayers from the Faithful, so applying that bit of Realms lore, we know that the Imaskarcana can be tomes, without actually looking like one. Thats the easy part.
The article concerning the masks is not so easy to reason-out, so one must assume, for security reasons, that each of the artifacts can turn into a mask using a keyword (and that is probably when they are used as tomes, as well). For instance, while wearing the mask, a user can concentrate on a particular spell or page contained within the Imaskarcana and 'read it', as it appears magically to them (and only them) before their eyes. Ergo, while in 'Mask Mode', they function much the same way as the Nether scrolls, which appear to be similar in what they contain (advanced magical knowledge).
Nothing official, but I hope that helps somewhat. Thats just the way I reasoned it out for myself.  |
"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 03 Jun 2009 21:36:00 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2009 : 21:51:38
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Personally, I'd say the more likely that the mage who made the masks had heard something of the Imaskarcana and named his items after them to try and piggy-back on the reputation.
Another option is that the masks were made by Khelben or Elminster on instruction from Mystra. We already know that they spend time writing books to obfuscate subjects and add layers of complexity, it's possible one or both made the masks and named them the Imaskarcana specifically to cause this kind of confusion.
The one thing I don't think is the answer is that the two sets of Imaskarcana are the same thing. The artifacts have been lost for thousands of years and haven't been assembled in one place since Imaskar's fall. The masks are too well known. |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2009 : 21:53:14
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I wasn't going to answer this b/c i don't have access to the source materials, but as I recall, that was changed (I don't know if it was a retcon or was by design) by saying that the masks were the 'False Imaskarcana', whereas the key, book, crown, sword, et.al. detailed in LEoF and Underdark were the 'True Imaskarcana'.
Edit: Whoot! 200th post! But then,since I've only been poting here since Feb, I guess that means i talk too much... |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
Edited by - Knight of the Gate on 03 Jun 2009 21:58:59 |
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2449 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jun 2009 : 22:01:15
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| I've been posting here since 2004 (I've got maybe the fifth or sixth post in the very first Ask Ed scroll), and I've yet to hit 900. Maybe that means I don't talk enough... |
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 - 03 Jun 2009 : 22:22:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Knight of the Gate
I wasn't going to answer this b/c i don't have access to the source materials, but as I recall, that was changed (I don't know if it was a retcon or was by design) by saying that the masks were the 'False Imaskarcana', whereas the key, book, crown, sword, et.al. detailed in LEoF and Underdark were the 'True Imaskarcana'.
Eureka!
Now that you mentioned that, I remember it as well (although I had no idea where that was from).
Oh well... conjecture is still fun...
Edit:
Found This Thread with more info. |
"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 03 Jun 2009 22:35:36 |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2009 : 00:33:01
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Glad to be of help... thanks for taking the time to look it up. I assumed that I'd read that here somewhere, but didn't have the time to chase it down.
And it was cool conjecture, MT- I almost like your answer more than canon. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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ijkay
Acolyte
Canada
17 Posts |
Posted - 04 Jun 2009 : 17:43:28
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| Thanks for all of the answers! |
Ian Franks
"So I thought to myself who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone, I'm going to be a Pirate on the River Saskatchewan!", The Arrogant Worms |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2009 : 03:28:57
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Heh... if we had *all* of the answers, there wouldn't be so many questions asked on this site, and Ed and others would have more time to produce more Realmslore for Wizbro not to publish. There are plenty of answers I'd love to have from canon lore, but NDAs say otherwise, so I'm making it up as I go along, just as Ed has always encouraged us all to do since the Old Grey Box (whose era's maps I still think are the best, mostly because the Realms were bigger and less explored back then. Must... restrain... rant... against... world-wasting). 
Edit: And although I prefer 1E/2E geography, I still am in awe of Markustay's creation and I look forward to something that looks (at least superficially) "complete" (and yes, I know such projects never are complete). |
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 11 Jul 2009 03:33:06 |
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Imaskarcana vs. Imaskarcana
