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Foxhelm
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Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  14:16:44  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote  Delete Topic
Been thinking of this, even asking Mr. Greenwood. There is even a topic on Wizards (http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/27504153/Vryloka_in_the_Forgotten_Realms._Point_of_Origin).

Basically the Vryloka are a group of nobles from a vanished lineage in a land of mists which made a deal with a mysterious lady of red and/or roses for a ritual to gain the vitality of Vampires.

There are hundred of fallen nations plus fallen or exiles nobles, so they could arise any where. The Ritual itself might not be as big a secret in the realms.

Patrons could be anyone from Velshroom (SP) god of Necromancers and/or Myrul (SP) dead evil god of the dead, or even a twisted patron of Sharess due to the fact the living vampires crave passion and experiences to pass their long lives or Tempus/The Red Knight due to the fact many of them fight to remove the dullness of long lives.

Thoughts, comments, ideas?

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Gouf
Seeker

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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  17:21:43  Show Profile  Visit Gouf's Homepage Send Gouf a Private Message  Reply with Quote
What? Strahd of Ravenloft has a home in Tethyr?

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  18:03:25  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I would need more info about this race before I could make a call on how I'd Realmsify them.

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Foxhelm
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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  18:10:08  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I would need more info about this race before I could make a call on how I'd Realmsify them.



What info in particular? They come from Heroes of Shadows if you have that book... If not, I will try to use my copy to inform...

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  18:50:57  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I would need more info about this race before I could make a call on how I'd Realmsify them.



What info in particular? They come from Heroes of Shadows if you have that book... If not, I will try to use my copy to inform...



I need to know more about their backstory, the ritual, and what they gain from it.

I don't have the book in question. I assume it's a 4E book?

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Quale
Master of Realmslore

1757 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  19:13:19  Show Profile Send Quale a Private Message  Reply with Quote
That mysterious lady of red could be that vampire zulkiress of Thay. Maybe she was a rival of Zhengyi the Witch King. There's a place in Ravenloft called Nova Vaasa.
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Foxhelm
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Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  19:27:44  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm

quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert

I would need more info about this race before I could make a call on how I'd Realmsify them.



What info in particular? They come from Heroes of Shadows if you have that book... If not, I will try to use my copy to inform...



I need to know more about their backstory, the ritual, and what they gain from it.

I don't have the book in question. I assume it's a 4E book?



A bit wondering but...

A noble family in a now forgotten kingdom in a misty forest, met an entity clad in red called the Red Witch. She offered a powerful blood-bond ritual which granted them the vitality of vampires without being undead. They became living vampires, with powers based on vamps but with some weakness. Rule/dominated till the secret was reveal and they were scattered. Now the masqurade as nobles from far away lands in other nobles courts.

4ed:

When bloodied, have two less healing surges. Can choose what effects spells which effect living or dead differently has on you. Bluff bonus to hide as humans. Necrotic resistance. Ability to select racial utility powers (including one to turn humans into Vryloka with DM approval). Power which boost multiple things per encounter if you kill or bloody an enemy. Cha, your choice of Str or Dex.

Have camps and/or family which battle against each other politically. Red Witch believed to be linked with Raven Queen, not sure how... so latter is patron racial deity.

Become extremely passionate to stop the ages of their 300 years or more (Even stop aging) from pushing them down. Loyalty important, usually to family but adventurers will be torn by allies of blood (companions) which may cause them to be exiled for choosing friends, extremes of emotion from burning rages to euphoric joy and deep depressions and so forth...

Usually red heads from strawberry blond to deep scarlet, dress in red and older fashions with roses and throns plus ruby most valued stone, blue or grey eyes which turn red when mad or excited, pale skin from pink to snow white, more pronoused canines.

"What you feel, you feel completely": you commit to an action/idea/task/etc completely like an obesession, you loose interest you drop it instantly.

"The strongest bonds are those of Blood" Either family or companions

"Experience is everything" Will accept a new task or whatever, even before knowledge of payment or reward is given just for the new exeperience.

Characteristics: Ardent, daring, grudging, jaded, impulsive, passonate

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Ayrik
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Canada
7966 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  19:30:17  Show Profile Send Ayrik a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The game already has vampires, many flavours of vamp with differing abilities. Van Richten's Guide to Vampires is of course the definitive resource in my mind, making vamps as varied as character classes.

So, to be honest, I personally prefer to entirely ignore half-vampires, hybrid-vampires, vampyres, vamp imitators, and basically any other sort of quasi-vampire copycat being - there's already plenty of vamps and countless unique possibilities among them. At my table the "other kinds" of vampires are either actual vampires of some sort or are mislabelled by the ignorant simpletons and hero/villain characters with whom they interact. The rest simply belong in the Department of Redundancy Department. This is of course personal preference more than canon.

[/Ayrik]
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Foxhelm
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Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  21:36:22  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Arik

The game already has vampires, many flavours of vamp with differing abilities. Van Richten's Guide to Vampires is of course the definitive resource in my mind, making vamps as varied as character classes.

So, to be honest, I personally prefer to entirely ignore half-vampires, hybrid-vampires, vampyres, vamp imitators, and basically any other sort of quasi-vampire copycat being - there's already plenty of vamps and countless unique possibilities among them. At my table the "other kinds" of vampires are either actual vampires of some sort or are mislabelled by the ignorant simpletons and hero/villain characters with whom they interact. The rest simply belong in the Department of Redundancy Department. This is of course personal preference more than canon.



It's basically the 4th edition answer to those wanting to play a vampire race without getting overpowered with Vampire as a class acting as a form of template which can be placed/modified for any kind of Vampire character of any race.

It's like Shifters are for Werebeast lovers, Tieflings for devil fanatics, Dragonborn for Dragon Nuts, etc...

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Ayrik
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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  22:09:25  Show Profile Send Ayrik a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I think what you're basically saying is "it's players/DMs wanting to gain the advantages of powers of vampires without actually suffering any of the disadvantages". A major part of the reason I personally choose to disallow pseudo-vampires ... if you want to have immortal youth, strength, and vigor then you must simply accept the problems associated with being an eternally hungry undead predator. It's just a package deal in my mind.

[/Ayrik]
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Foxhelm
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Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  22:38:07  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Arik

I think what you're basically saying is "it's players/DMs wanting to gain the advantages of powers of vampires without actually suffering any of the disadvantages". A major part of the reason I personally choose to disallow pseudo-vampires ... if you want to have immortal youth, strength, and vigor then you must simply accept the problems associated with being an eternally hungry undead predator. It's just a package deal in my mind.



There's:

Crunch: The fact if you drop below half your hit points, you loose two bonus chances to heal.

Fluff You have to fake being human or deal with people freaking out and maybe trying to kill you.



The Vampire class has more drawbacks, which vanish as you get powerful and head into the Paragon Path.

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Eltheron
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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  23:13:35  Show Profile Send Eltheron a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Nobody wants to be a regular ol' human or elf any more.

"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful."
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Aryalómė
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USA
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Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  23:15:12  Show Profile Send Aryalómė a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I'd love for the Vrylokas to be Realmsified. They are so awesome.
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe

Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 03 Aug 2011 :  23:24:41  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Eltheron

Nobody wants to be a regular ol' human or elf any more.




I have a human as a character... they just want to have exotic love with strange people like Tieflings, Eladrin, Vryloka, Shifters, Genasi and such...

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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31701 Posts

Posted - 04 Aug 2011 :  02:08:35  Show Profile Send The Sage a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Alternatively, I could see the Red Witch being a guise of Shyressa, the vampiress, and one of the masters of the Twisted Rune. The vryloka could easily work as an addition to her vampire-minions.

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MrHedgehog
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Posted - 04 Aug 2011 :  02:14:09  Show Profile  Visit MrHedgehog's Homepage Send MrHedgehog a Private Message  Reply with Quote
My friend just got me this book as a gift a couple days ago = D

First, I strongly dislike the idea of "living undead", or gaining the benefits of being a vampire without actually being a vampire...I think these vryloka and revenants should both just be undead character races. (This reminds me of a Heroes of Might and Magic 4 leader who was "half-dead" if anyone played that...)

But to place them in the realms you could just place them anywhere, really. They would just live in secret.

The only place that seems like it would be the best place for one to come from would be Thay (in 1485+ or at whatever time Thay became an undead ruled place). They could be created as class halfway between living and undead controlled by Szass Tam or whatever other undead beings rule there. They wouldn't be the absolute rulers as they are described, but like an intermediary class between the undead and the living. It would be like how in the real world under European colonialism people who were part European were higher status than the indigenous people but not as high status as the Europeans.

Its unclear to me if they reproduce sexually like humans or if each has to do a blood pact to become partially undead. That would greatly influence their society, it sort of sounds like they reproduce, though? Perhaps they dislike that they are an abomination themself, or simply didn't want to live in an evil country. I personally think it would be cool to have a rebel Vryloka who betrayed Thay because they were not actually evil

PS. Why be what you really are in a fantasy world = P ?
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Brimstone
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Posted - 04 Aug 2011 :  04:20:13  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I keep thinking Rashemen, or Damara, or Narfell, or Vaasa, or...

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
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MrHedgehog
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Posted - 04 Aug 2011 :  16:26:59  Show Profile  Visit MrHedgehog's Homepage Send MrHedgehog a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Why those places (Rashemen, etc.) I don't understand. I don't think something like that could arise in Rashemen...
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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Posted - 04 Aug 2011 :  18:10:57  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I think I'd spin it so that these folks were found by a vampire that aspired to godhood. The vampire figured that granting this boon would result in worship, and help elevate the vampire to being a deity. I'd further spin it so that this vampire had, instead of doing this with just one clan, done it with multiple people in multiple locations, hoping for those people to gather their own followers in each area and eventually increase in numbers enough to push the vampire into godhood.

What might be more fun is if this plan succeeded, at some point in the distant past -- but then the newborn vampire deity was quickly subsumed by a more powerful deity. Most of the vryloka were wiped out in a religious purge, but some scattered and survived, and their descendants are plotting for their short-lived deity's rebirth...

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Brimstone
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Posted - 05 Aug 2011 :  01:25:04  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog

Why those places (Rashemen, etc.) I don't understand. I don't think something like that could arise in Rashemen...


Sure they could. Durthan becomes a vampire, and corrupts a noble family. The Hathran find out and scatter noble family to the wind.

Heck even an exiled Cormyran Noble family would do. Lots of ways one could spin this. Impiltur would be another great place to work them into...

YMMV

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
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sfdragon
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Posted - 05 Aug 2011 :  05:20:05  Show Profile Send sfdragon a Private Message  Reply with Quote
this was asked on the wotc forums too.

you can put them just about anywhere since this red witch does not exist.
with using its existing story, she could be used as a dead goddess from way back in one of the many pantheons.
you can place one in and or from cormyr, the place you would never expect.

even in tethyr.

Westgate might work too

why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power


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MrHedgehog
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Posted - 05 Aug 2011 :  16:31:09  Show Profile  Visit MrHedgehog's Homepage Send MrHedgehog a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Are there nobles in Rashemen?
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sfdragon
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Posted - 06 Aug 2011 :  04:10:39  Show Profile Send sfdragon a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog

Are there nobles in Rashemen?


only the witches as they rule the place...

I'd say the Iron Lord, but the witches choose the Iron Lord....

so yes and no.

why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power


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Brimstone
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Posted - 06 Aug 2011 :  04:35:32  Show Profile Send Brimstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
So...

"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep
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Diffan
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USA
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Posted - 07 Aug 2011 :  04:56:01  Show Profile Send Diffan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
This was my idea from the WotC Boards:

quote:
Originally posted by Diffan


I also like the idea of the distant kingdom or some such on the Borderlands, resting on the southern shore of the Lake of Steam. That place has probably had more rulers, would-be kings, and city-state principalities than any other region of Faerun.


The Border Kingdomes were heavily detailed in the free Forgotten Realms articles we received about 4 years ago (still free if I'm not mistaken) and a lot of things could have changed in that area since the Spellplague. My initial idea was to have one or more Baronies run by Vyrloka, slowly taking over the Border Kingdoms and unifying them as a full nation. The Spelplague, however, made the baronies scatter to all over Faerūn and spread their race over a good portion of the continent.

Since they're long lived and have to move constantly (least be discovered to be an undead) they have populated a good portion of the Realms and can be found in any major city or strong country.
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
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Posted - 07 Aug 2011 :  15:34:30  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Quale

That mysterious lady of red could be that vampire zulkiress of Thay. Maybe she was a rival of Zhengyi the Witch King. There's a place in Ravenloft called Nova Vaasa.



Speaking of the Vampire Zulkiress, anyone ever give more info on her? I remember trying to chase down info years ago and never seeing anything. I know they gave just a bit more in the history of the realms supplement.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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Foxhelm
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Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 07 Aug 2011 :  15:50:40  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
The important aspect was ritual, the Red Witch can appear in any or multiple time periods in the realms. All you need is her and the human nobles or aristocrats to be changed.

Wooly mentioned the idea of The Red Witch being a vampire seeking godhood. They worshiper her as their creator, and in core see her linked to the Raven Queen (but argue over if she's a Exarch, Avatar or Aspect of the Goddess). They also take the shape of family clans which do battle with each other, more with political points like nobles will do then fighting.

My suggestion is keep the Red Witch a Mystery of the Realms unless it's needed for your campaign. Is she a witch, a vampire, an undead like a lich, a god/ddess or related aspect, a devil, and so on.

The Vryloka see her as a goddess, but different families could argue about which god or goddess she is or serves. Which can bring up plot hooks and more for campaigns and adventures.

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sfdragon
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Posted - 07 Aug 2011 :  19:22:23  Show Profile Send sfdragon a Private Message  Reply with Quote
you can also replace her with a necromancer of your choice or make up.


RW and RQ are non existant in the realms.
this is not to say you cant use them...you just have to exp[lain their pressence if you do

why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power


My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe

Canada
592 Posts

Posted - 07 Aug 2011 :  19:27:01  Show Profile Send Foxhelm a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon

you can also replace her with a necromancer of your choice or make up.


RW and RQ are non existant in the realms.
this is not to say you cant use them...you just have to exp[lain their pressence if you do



It's just that Ed and other DMs seem to have work with mysteries by writing out a mystery as one of a number of hooks. Ed keeps the answer hidden away for his use if they pick this up or if he needs it, then has the heroes/readers explore it. This could also lead to different answers which might be better the what he had had, but allows him to work on it his own way without the users knowing what he is doing.

So keeping the RW a mystery allows the DMs and Players to develop their own plot hooks/adventures/campaigns around it in the Source books/Dragon Articles until a good answer is needed or arrives.

Does this make sense, not sure of wording...

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MrHedgehog
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Posted - 07 Aug 2011 :  20:42:06  Show Profile  Visit MrHedgehog's Homepage Send MrHedgehog a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon

quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog

Are there nobles in Rashemen?


only the witches as they rule the place...

I'd say the Iron Lord, but the witches choose the Iron Lord....

so yes and no.


So there aren't nobles... I meant with my question "There aren't nobles in Rashemen". Being a witch or whatever is not hereditary.
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Diffan
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USA
4425 Posts

Posted - 08 Aug 2011 :  13:32:37  Show Profile Send Diffan a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm

quote:
Originally posted by sfdragon

you can also replace her with a necromancer of your choice or make up.


RW and RQ are non existant in the realms.
this is not to say you cant use them...you just have to exp[lain their pressence if you do



It's just that Ed and other DMs seem to have work with mysteries by writing out a mystery as one of a number of hooks. Ed keeps the answer hidden away for his use if they pick this up or if he needs it, then has the heroes/readers explore it. This could also lead to different answers which might be better the what he had had, but allows him to work on it his own way without the users knowing what he is doing.

So keeping the RW a mystery allows the DMs and Players to develop their own plot hooks/adventures/campaigns around it in the Source books/Dragon Articles until a good answer is needed or arrives.

Does this make sense, not sure of wording...



You could go this route and it should work fine. The Red Witch doesn't have to be a deity or even an Exarch. She could just be a powerful being suffused with nercomantic energy or a long-lived vampire who has received LOTS of power (divine, arcane, primal, etc..) I don't know what more info we're gonna get on the Red Witch but I think her ties could be linked to Rasheman, possibly a Durthan who played too much with necromancy and primal spirits and thus becoming something of an Othlor with a craving for physical-sustenance like blood or some sort of psychic drain.

These are just musings of course.
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