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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 17:43:14
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Poll Question:
This poll is to get a sense of what people want in regard to having a deity over magic, or whether people's priority is getting Mystra (the character) back. Which is more important to you? A god of magic and/or Mystra? Please explain yourself below!
Note that Mystra doesn't have to come back in any particular previous incarnation. She could be the same deity as before, or someone totally new. What's your preference?
Cheers
EDIT: Poll options reworded to avoid the appearance of bias. Basically the responses are supposed to be these:
1. Yes Mystra, Yes Goddess of Magic
2. Yes Mystra, No Goddess of Magic
3. Maybe Mystra, Yes God/Goddess of Magic
4. No Mystra, Yes God/Goddess of Magic
5. No Mystra, No God/Goddess of Magic
6. No opinion
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Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
Edited by - Erik Scott de Bie on 15 Oct 2012 17:24:52
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Gustaveren
Learned Scribe
Denmark
197 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 18:08:11
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Well, personally, as a person there have always prefered playing mystra worshiping wizards or cleric-wizards would I like to have mystra back as the goddess of magic.
I could live with mystra being goddess of magic but separated from the weave in order to create an explanation why magic basically works the same in kara-tur, al-quadim etc |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 18:17:49
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| Mystra as goddess of magic was my vote. |
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Kyrel
Learned Scribe
151 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 18:19:22
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| Mystra has IMO been such an established part of the Realms for so long, that I find her to be an integral part of the setting. There is so much established lore and stories associated with this goddess, that I really don't see any good reason to try and replace her. The pre-4th ed. version of The Weave and Magic in the Realms should IMO not have been changed in the first place. |
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Irennan
Great Reader
Italy
3807 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 18:21:29
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Mystra as deity of magic. Why take other deities in her place when she can work so well, provided that she doesn't start meddling a lot (like Midnight did)? Also (SP?) She is already back, so the decision has already been taken, AFAIK.
As for whether a deity of magic is needed, my thought is yes. Magic is a so important, influencing and relevant domain that it must be attended and regulated by a deity, which should promote its development and limit reckless and dangerous uses (and by this I don't mean being adverse to 'evil' use of magic, unless it endangers the Weave or threatens cataclysms). |
Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. |
Edited by - Irennan on 14 Oct 2012 18:27:47 |
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Tarlyn
Learned Scribe
USA
315 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 18:28:53
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The weave and Mystra's relationship has always been a unique and interesting part of the Realms for me. The below statement summarizes my views, thanks Kyrel!:
quote:
Originally posted by Kyrel
Mystra has IMO been such an established part of the Realms for so long, that I find her to be an integral part of the setting. There is so much established lore and stories associated with this goddess, that I really don't see any good reason to try and replace her. The pre-4th ed. version of The Weave and Magic in the Realms should IMO not have been changed in the first place.
Side note: I would prefer to see Mystra return as the incarnation of Mystra presented in Elminster the making of a mage rather than Midnight. |
Tarlyn Embersun |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 18:46:40
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| I think Mystra should return. Why not make her power more in line with a normal greater god though? Have her use all that excess power to the keep the worlds separated after the Sundering or some such. She might have to drain a tremendous amount of it to spin a new Weave too. |
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Laeknir
Seeker
68 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 19:05:45
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I couldn't vote in the poll as it's currently worded. "Having my cake and eating it too" and "at any cost" seem incredibly weighted, and they're the only two options for having Mystra alive/return.
That said, I do think that the Realms need a goddess of magic. My preference would be for a truly lawful-neutral Mystryl, as I did not care for certain story-elements of Mystra-1 (as revealed after the Netheril supplement and other things came out) or the post-Time-of-Troubles Mystra-2 (Midnight-Mystra the overpowered and inexperienced).
Mystra as she was in 1E, before the weirdness started being unfurled, would be my choice. I don't think anyone new should take her place, for example the Simbul or Elminster, but I do think the Realms needs a goddess of magic since magic is so intimately tied into the core tone/feel of the Realms.
But what I want is never going to happen, so whatever.
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Edited by - Laeknir on 14 Oct 2012 19:08:04 |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 19:09:26
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| Mystra back as god of all magic......nos shadow web, and at all cost , NO Demonweb or whatever Llolth is trying to do....really tired of her |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Edited by - The Red Walker on 14 Oct 2012 19:09:56 |
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Asharak
Learned Scribe
France
270 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 19:31:40
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| Mystra back as Mystryl, and only a single web. |
"Soyez réalistes : demandez l'impossible"
Sorry for my English... it's not my native tongue. |
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Seravin
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1288 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 19:42:39
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+1 Laeknir
Mystra back as a Lawful Neutral goddess of magic, ala first edition. Your survey wording needs some help, it's very biased. |
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Euranna
Learned Scribe
USA
219 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 20:03:38
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Mystra back as the only goddess of magic (one Weave) and not Midnight Mystra.
a blend of Mystryl and Mystra would be good as well.
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 20:10:46
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| I have to agree with others on the Lawful neutral Mystra, and I think you all know how I think it could be brought about. Not that I'm apposed to other forms of it occuring, but this is the one I've come up with and am sticking to. |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 20:12:28
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Way, way back when I was theorizing about how to accomplish some of the goals the 4th edition Realms had, without doing it quite the same way, I hit upon the idea that you could potentially have Mystra "retire" from being an active goddess . . . she manages the Weave and protects it from outside entities, including powerful beings from other planes of existence.
She could "ascend" to more of a cosmic entity, something that doesn't need nor actively seek worshipers, but is interested only in keeping the Weave safe and free from contamination or abuse.
Another god of magic could ascend to actually promote the use and practice of the Art (I was all for Azuth picking up this role, given his previous job, but that's less likely to work now). You could argue that had Mystra been able to do this before, there would be no Shadow Weave. Her job is just to keep the Weave working right, and perhaps giving off warning signs of those that are doing things that are damaging it.
So from the point that Mystra assumes this kind of detached cosmic guardian form, all other Weaves cease to be an issue. No Shadow Weave, no Demonweave, nothing, because that is all Mystra does now.
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 20:30:53
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she's back and yes should be of all magic
she shouldn't have been removed in the first place. |
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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deserk
Learned Scribe
Norway
238 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 21:14:41
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Everything that can be done to erase away the effects of the Spellplague is a good thing, in my opinion. And that includes bringing back Mystra.
And yeah I can't say I'm fond of how the 1st option is worded either. |
Edited by - deserk on 14 Oct 2012 21:15:34 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36813 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 22:27:38
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My personal idea -- stated elsewhere -- would be to have some of the Chosen, and Azuth, combine to form a new deity of magic. Maybe not Mystra 3.0, something more along the lines of the Mystryl/Mystra changeover.
Of course, my idea was an alternate to the Sellplague; some details of that event and the events of the following century mean that my idea can't work without time travel or a retcon.
I want a deity of magic, and I want that deity to have some connection to Mystra and/or Mystryl. It doesn't have to be Mystra 3.0, though. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 14 Oct 2012 : 23:32:05
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| I would go with option one, though I'd not be adverse to some other diety stepping into the role- so long as it's not Shar or Lolth, lol! The Realms does need a god(dess) of magic, for certain, but I'd prefer Mystra as she was in early editions, perhaps more Mystryl than the most recent incarnation. Hmm, that gets me thinking of gods as incarntaions- Perhaps some sort of passing of the torch kind of approach to godhood, like Piers Anthony used? That could be an interesting way for ascension! |
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
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http://sylinde.deviantart.com/#/d2z6e4u |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 00:49:43
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I seriously expected to be the only person to have voted "Leave Mystra Dead and don't raise a new god of magic". I'm glad to see there's at least one other person who agrees with me. Though I felt the labeling it as the status quo was somewhat misleading as the decision to kill her and remove the god of magic was in itself an upset of the status quo. Reviving her is just snapping back.
I think the need for a god of magic is complete and utter fiction. I enjoy the separation of the arcane and the divine and blending them together only muddies the waters in my opinion.
I've also never been fond of Mystra as a character. At all. It was only when I learned that she was dead that I honestly got interested in the realms in anything more than a peripheral way. I'm alright with her remaining as a vestige of her former self, but a full on revival just looks like a huge step backwards in my view. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
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http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 01:11:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
I seriously expected to be the only person to have voted "Leave Mystra Dead and don't raise a new god of magic". I'm glad to see there's at least one other person who agrees with me. Though I felt the labeling it as the status quo was somewhat misleading as the decision to kill her and remove the god of magic was in itself an upset of the status quo. Reviving her is just snapping back.
I think the need for a god of magic is complete and utter fiction. I enjoy the separation of the arcane and the divine and blending them together only muddies the waters in my opinion.
I've also never been fond of Mystra as a character. At all. It was only when I learned that she was dead that I honestly got interested in the realms in anything more than a peripheral way. I'm alright with her remaining as a vestige of her former self, but a full on revival just looks like a huge step backwards in my view.
I don't think not bringing her back is a real option, or at least not given what I've been told about Elminster in rage, supposedly she's brought back in that novel.
So for me I picked the best option available.
The idea of the weave being self-sustaining is not an irrational or illogical option given what was stated in the "Mighty is fallen" Netheral box set. |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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scererar
Master of Realmslore
USA
1618 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 01:25:19
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First one. Bring her back, and as the goddess of all magic.
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Edited by - scererar on 15 Oct 2012 01:26:06 |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 02:00:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
I seriously expected to be the only person to have voted "Leave Mystra Dead and don't raise a new god of magic".
Nope. That's my vote, too.
Not fond of gods. Never was. In a setting where magic exists almost everywhere, permeates almost all living things, having ONE deity in charge of it just smacks of the ultimate deus ex machina. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 02:01:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Sightless
quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
I seriously expected to be the only person to have voted "Leave Mystra Dead and don't raise a new god of magic". I'm glad to see there's at least one other person who agrees with me. Though I felt the labeling it as the status quo was somewhat misleading as the decision to kill her and remove the god of magic was in itself an upset of the status quo. Reviving her is just snapping back.
I think the need for a god of magic is complete and utter fiction. I enjoy the separation of the arcane and the divine and blending them together only muddies the waters in my opinion.
I've also never been fond of Mystra as a character. At all. It was only when I learned that she was dead that I honestly got interested in the realms in anything more than a peripheral way. I'm alright with her remaining as a vestige of her former self, but a full on revival just looks like a huge step backwards in my view.
I don't think not bringing her back is a real option, or at least not given what I've been told about Elminster in rage, supposedly she's brought back in that novel.
So for me I picked the best option available.
The idea of the weave being self-sustaining is not an irrational or illogical option given what was stated in the "Mighty is fallen" Netheral box set.
From what I understand, and I haven't had the chance to thumb through the latest Elminster series myself, she's "back" in the since that she's a vestige; the remains of a dead god. And, if my information is accurate, she's trying to get Elminster and Manshoon to revive her.
Nothing about that says they have to succeed. She can remain a vestige, a shattered remnant of her past self, and still be a part of the setting without being as central to it as she was in the past.
And I'm fine with that. I don't mind her being there, I don't mind her existing. I just don't want her to be a goddess and I don't want there to be a goddess of magic. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11858 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 02:04:34
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| My view at this time is that Mystra should be there as a goddess of magic. However, she should not have total and complete control of the weave. She should be the "lady of mysteries" as she was before, and she should represent magic in all of its varied majesties (whether wizard, priest, binder, incarnum wielder, etc...). There then should be OTHER gods of magic, but those gods should be representing aspects of "magic". For instance, Auppenser as a god of the psionic arts, Azuth as a god of transmutation and defensive magics, Leira as a goddess of illusions and nefarious enchantments, Savras as a god of research and divination magic, Malyk (Talos alias) as a god of wild and destructive magics, Shar as a goddess of darkness/shadow magic. These shouldn't be separate weaves, nor should any of these deities have ultimate control over their field of magic. However, perhaps they can bestow their favor upon those who call upon them when performing works in their name, etc.... |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 02:04:49
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| I am firmly in the camp of the Mystra trope is old and worn out and that it is time to let her die and a new god/dess of magic rise from her ashes. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 02:35:48
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
My view at this time is that Mystra should be there as a goddess of magic. However, she should not have total and complete control of the weave. She should be the "lady of mysteries" as she was before, and she should represent magic in all of its varied majesties (whether wizard, priest, binder, incarnum wielder, etc...). There then should be OTHER gods of magic, but those gods should be representing aspects of "magic". For instance, Auppenser as a god of the psionic arts, Azuth as a god of transmutation and defensive magics, Leira as a goddess of illusions and nefarious enchantments, Savras as a god of research and divination magic, Malyk (Talos alias) as a god of wild and destructive magics, Shar as a goddess of darkness/shadow magic. These shouldn't be separate weaves, nor should any of these deities have ultimate control over their field of magic. However, perhaps they can bestow their favor upon those who call upon them when performing works in their name, etc....
I had an idea like this a couple years ago; I thought that if they were going to make a new god of magic they needed to go in the opposite direction and make multiple gods of magic; I think the two I spitballed at the time were a LN god who's dogma could be summed up as magical supremacy; that wizards should be the rulers of the world, the people in power in governments. The other one was what basically amounted to a god of the spellplague, a patron for the Order of Blue Fire that wanted to see the world covered in wild magic.
I later dropped the idea as it's unnecessary. Thanks partly to influence to a certain dragon magazine article covering heresy and heretical cults of gods, and also due to my own research into how followers of RL religions will take the message and twist it to their own ends, it occurred to me that more gods aren't needed, we have all the ones we need and no one needs or should have dominion over magic specifically.
So you can have a necromancer who reveres Shar or Yurtrus or a wizard supremacist who reveres Amaunator or Bane or an illusionist who reveres Garl Glittergold or Lolth. Because it's not about magic. Magic is just the tool these people use. It's about their philosophy, their personality, their world view. You don't need a magic-specific deity for that. |
"Then I saw there was a way to Hell even from the gates of Heaven"
- John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress
Fatum Iustum Stultorum. Righteous is the destiny of fools.
The Roleplayer's Gazebo;
http://theroleplayersgazebo.yuku.com/directory#.Ub4hvvlJOAY |
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Sightless
Senior Scribe
USA
608 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 02:51:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
quote:
Originally posted by Sightless
quote:
Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
I seriously expected to be the only person to have voted "Leave Mystra Dead and don't raise a new god of magic". I'm glad to see there's at least one other person who agrees with me. Though I felt the labeling it as the status quo was somewhat misleading as the decision to kill her and remove the god of magic was in itself an upset of the status quo. Reviving her is just snapping back.
I think the need for a god of magic is complete and utter fiction. I enjoy the separation of the arcane and the divine and blending them together only muddies the waters in my opinion.
I've also never been fond of Mystra as a character. At all. It was only when I learned that she was dead that I honestly got interested in the realms in anything more than a peripheral way. I'm alright with her remaining as a vestige of her former self, but a full on revival just looks like a huge step backwards in my view.
I don't think not bringing her back is a real option, or at least not given what I've been told about Elminster in rage, supposedly she's brought back in that novel.
So for me I picked the best option available.
The idea of the weave being self-sustaining is not an irrational or illogical option given what was stated in the "Mighty is fallen" Netheral box set.
From what I understand, and I haven't had the chance to thumb through the latest Elminster series myself, she's "back" in the since that she's a vestige; the remains of a dead god. And, if my information is accurate, she's trying to get Elminster and Manshoon to revive her.
Nothing about that says they have to succeed. She can remain a vestige, a shattered remnant of her past self, and still be a part of the setting without being as central to it as she was in the past.
And I'm fine with that. I don't mind her being there, I don't mind her existing. I just don't want her to be a goddess and I don't want there to be a goddess of magic.
So, what exactly do you have in mind. I'm curious. Bring her back as a mortal? Like she was before she became "Mystra". |
We choose to live a lie, when we see with, & not through the eye.
Every decision, no matter the evidence, is a leap of faith; if it were not, then it wouldn't be a choice at all. |
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Bladewind
Master of Realmslore
Netherlands
1280 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 03:09:41
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I don't care that much for the goddess or her Chosen. I'm more interested in the Mystran clergy and (likely underground) religion.
If they bring Mystra-Midnight back, I'd like a focus on her clerics' stick: the promotion of magic use for the building of a great new magic age.
If they decide to bring back Mystryl, give me an example of how the current mystran clergy encourage and practise and unlock the secrets of magic across ALL the ages, a magic renaissance, if you will.
If no goddess returns, at least show me the underground movement that still adheres Mystras dogma. I'd imagine these guys being very desperate and willing to ally with dark or shadowy forces if need be. |
My campaign sketches
Druidic Groves
Creature Feature: Giant Spiders |
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Aldrick
Senior Scribe
909 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 03:10:47
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What I disliked about Mystra was the heavy-handedness in which she was thrust upon us as effectively the central deity of the setting. It made sense that she had the role, though, considering the importance of magic in the Realms and the fact that the majority of magic flowed through the Weave.
I really liked the Weave as a concept, but I felt having it linked to a single deity made that deity to powerful in respect to the others. It upset the balance between the gods.
I have nothing against having many deities of magic; we had Azuth, Mystra, and Velsharoon in the previous editions. There were numerous other deities that made sense for a wizard to worship depending on what they primarily used their magic for or studied such as Oghma, Shar, Bane, Talos, Kossuth, Gond, Selune, Tempus, Cyric, and Gargauth just to name a few.
Mystra though, due to her absolute dominance over the Weave, tended to suck the oxygen out of the room for the "lesser" deities of magic such as Azuth and Velsharoon.
The only way to deal with Mystra's dominance was to either kill her off or create alternative ways of tapping magic in the setting. Hence we got the Shadow Weave, Mystra's death, and now the Demonweave.
If Mystra were to return merely as the goddess of the arcane arts, rather than the goddess of the Weave; then I have no problem with her return. I don't even have a problem with that return if she is good aligned, rather than neutral as her previous incarnations were. Her stranglehold over magic would be broken, and thus she'd be promoting her philosophy on the proper use of magic... which could be contested by other deities.
My personal preference: Allow Mystra's remaining Chosen to work together to bring back the Weave. The vestige that remains of Mystra would become that Weave - giving it sentience - but it wouldn't be a deity. That sentience would allow Mystra to return without ascending once again to divinity, and also allow her to defend and protect the Weave itself. Her Chosen would remain as guardians and defenders of the Weave; hunting down and battling those who seek to harm or do damage to it.
A new deity would arise as the God(dess) of the arcane arts to replace Mystra; perhaps one of her Chosen. That deity would effectively be a lesser god, and be somewhat like Azuth with their own slant on things. They'd continue to work closely with the Weave (and thus the vestige of Mystra, the fallen goddess of magic); also having their faithful defending and promoting the use of the Weave.
That's similar to the setup we had previously, without a single deity dominating the main conduit for magic. This allows Shar to promote herself as a goddess of 'arcane secrets and forgotten knowledge' - you can have access to those things... for a price. It also allows Talos to promote the use of magic used for destructive purposes, Tempus to promote the use of magic in warfare, Bane to promote the use of magic as a tool of oppression and tyranny, Gargauth to promote a more subtle version as 'the power behind the throne', Gond to promote the use of magic as a tool for creation and forging its use with technology, etc. |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31792 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 03:40:50
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As Ed has told us previously, Lurue was originally the Goddess of Magic and the Weave in his own home Realms campaigns. So it is entirely possible for another deity -- however it is to be explained -- to take up the role.
Whether that should still be Mystra, or even Mystryl, is the debatable point, and one that deserves significant consideration -- especially when we look to the past of Mystryl and the Mystras "disastrous" relations with the Weave. Granted, those disasters were hardly due to any faults of her/their own, but it still raises questions about whether Mystryl/Mystra truly is the "perfect" representation of the Weave.
We can't completely discount the possibility, either, that with two previous Weave-collapsing cataclysms affecting the Realms whilst Mystryl and the Mystras been on watch, that perhaps there isn't something quite *right* about how Mystryl/Mystras and the Weave work. Is there some deep and darkly hidden fault that other deities have found and then exploited? Is the Weave itself to blame? Can a deity ever truly be considered "as/of the Weave" and still leave that vast and all-encompassing field of energy as inviolate? Did the incorporation of a deity somehow lessen the integrity of the Weave?
I don't think any of these questions can [or even should] be answered. But I do sincerely believe that while the Realms does need a Goddess of Magic, I don't think it should be either Mystryl, Mystra 1.0, or Mystra 2.0.
Instead, I offer the possibility of a Mystra 4.0 -- a composite of the strengths and failings of all that was Mystryl and the Mystra's [1.0 and 2.0] of times past, plus an entirely new divine construct [that would be 3.0] that exists solely based on the new and shared relationship with how the Weave is finally reconstituted. The final resulting deity [4.0] would manifest as a power all it's own, with a little of the old, some of the new, and much of the unexplored. So that it can grow and evolve along with the very changing Weave.
But I don't believe this should come about easily. And certainly not until Ao has really sat down and considered just where and how the Deity/Weave integration should work. |
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Edited by - The Sage on 15 Oct 2012 03:46:49 |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 15 Oct 2012 : 04:16:32
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Originally posted by Sightless
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Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
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Originally posted by Sightless
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Originally posted by Chosen of Asmodeus
I seriously expected to be the only person to have voted "Leave Mystra Dead and don't raise a new god of magic". I'm glad to see there's at least one other person who agrees with me. Though I felt the labeling it as the status quo was somewhat misleading as the decision to kill her and remove the god of magic was in itself an upset of the status quo. Reviving her is just snapping back.
I think the need for a god of magic is complete and utter fiction. I enjoy the separation of the arcane and the divine and blending them together only muddies the waters in my opinion.
I've also never been fond of Mystra as a character. At all. It was only when I learned that she was dead that I honestly got interested in the realms in anything more than a peripheral way. I'm alright with her remaining as a vestige of her former self, but a full on revival just looks like a huge step backwards in my view.
I don't think not bringing her back is a real option, or at least not given what I've been told about Elminster in rage, supposedly she's brought back in that novel.
So for me I picked the best option available.
The idea of the weave being self-sustaining is not an irrational or illogical option given what was stated in the "Mighty is fallen" Netheral box set.
From what I understand, and I haven't had the chance to thumb through the latest Elminster series myself, she's "back" in the since that she's a vestige; the remains of a dead god. And, if my information is accurate, she's trying to get Elminster and Manshoon to revive her.
Nothing about that says they have to succeed. She can remain a vestige, a shattered remnant of her past self, and still be a part of the setting without being as central to it as she was in the past.
And I'm fine with that. I don't mind her being there, I don't mind her existing. I just don't want her to be a goddess and I don't want there to be a goddess of magic.
So, what exactly do you have in mind. I'm curious. Bring her back as a mortal? Like she was before she became "Mystra".
I absolutely do not want to see Midnight back in the realms. I shudder at the thought.
No, what I have in mind is exactly what I said, leave her as a vestige;
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vestiges-the remnants of powerful forces and entities that once exercised great authority or demonstrated awful capabilities. These remnants are diverse in their backgrounds and motives.
Even dead gods can dream. Even in death, a portion of a god's spirit will linger on in the aether. That's what I'd do with Mystra. Have her as a remnant, a fragment of her former self that lingers on after death subtly and indirectly influencing the world and mortal spell casters, perhaps with the added motivation of trying to restore her personal divinity so she can restore her perception of order to a world she sees as lost with out her even as that world continues to live and thrive just fine as its denizens forget about her.
I'd play her up as a tragic figure, a creature that doesn't know her time is passed and that she needs to move on, one who's desperately trying to claw her way back to save a world that she doesn't realize no longer needs her. |
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Do we need a god/dess of magic?
