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Sylrae
Learned Scribe
Canada
313 Posts |
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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2014 : 11:24:46
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The post of Dazzlerdal about Hlundadim. It was that posting that made me think of a (in my mind) cool realm of power extending from the land that would become Netheril to the Giants Run Mountains which held six mighty hobgoblin nations. That backstory was easily lost in the FR history because the elven nations broke the nascent hobgoblin powers in less than five years and was hardly worth mentioning compared to the more recent crown wars. These past events are only noteworthy for appearance of something that caused the elven kingdoms to completely eradicate any vestige of the six goblinoid nations - elfslayer weapons of fairy glass called "Dou Joks." Hob tribes and some major or venerable goblin tribes still have at least one of these ancient weapons in their regalia, often wielded by a chief or champion. So not canon but my players are eating it up. |
Make the best use of the system that's there, then modify the mechanics that don't allow you to have the fun you are looking for. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36798 Posts |
Posted - 23 Nov 2014 : 14:46:28
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Well, for obvious reasons, I'm quite fond of my own stuff -- the Hooks I wrote for the Compendium, my Lords of Waterdeep, and the Realmsified warforged that I created.
There was another thing in the Compendium that I thought was just awesome -- Deep Gnolls. I don't recall the author, off the top of my head, but I thought it was a very well thought out and imaginative piece.
Of course, the best fan lore would be Brian R James compiling his Grand History -- it became a WotC product and got him some jobs from them. Hard to top that! |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2014 : 00:48:32
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In addition to everything already mentioned I would add Cyril Lokner's most excellent work on the Cougarim, Tachepp, White Chalk Hollow and the Aer Ascaltia. And of course, George Krashos' and Eric Boyd's(particularly his work, Prestige in the Realms) scrolls are packed with greatness.There was talk of organizing them into an index, but it hasn't yet seen the light of day. |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises
Green Dragonscale Dice Bag by Crystalsidyll - check it out
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Edited by - Fellfire on 24 Nov 2014 01:39:10 |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36798 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2014 : 00:54:23
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quote: Originally posted by dazzlerdal
The Realms Bestiary I and II are awesome for 3rd edition, got some good realmslore hidden in there (elder ogres).
Those are awesome, but like the lore of Ed, Krash, or Eric L Boyd, I consider those canon and not fanlore. I'll acknowledge that they are not actually canon, but in my mind, they should be. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Cyril Lokner
Seeker
USA
63 Posts |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
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The Arcanamach
Master of Realmslore
1847 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2014 : 11:24:20
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I agree with Dazzler on this but I would add Jeff Grubb to the list. |
I have a dream that one day, all game worlds will exist as one. |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2014 : 22:06:40
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Well, as said by Wooly and dazzlerdal, I would vote for George, Eric, Ed, but also Thomas M. Costa and Brian R. James, who's work is also is on the canon and fan lore border. The Candlekeek Compendium has many wonderfull articles. I also love the posts, and work of dazzlerdal, Markustay, Snowblood, Seethyr, Zirael and Lord Karsus. |
Edited by - Baltas on 25 Nov 2014 16:32:04 |
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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 08:09:50
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quote: Originally posted by dazzlerdal
... Then there are the netbooks written by Snowblood. I would love to pick his brains about where he got the information from.
You mean Aaryvandar, Peramangk, Ilythiir, Arnothoi, Orva, Sarphil, Anauria Asram Hlondath, Uvaeren, Braceldaur of Cormanthor, Ilodhar of Cormanthor, Lisenaar of Cormanthor, Imaskar, Miyeritar, Orishaar & 3 Leaf Realms, Sundered Crown, Keltormir, Eaerlann, Ammarindar, Siluvanede, Sharrven, Illefarn, Ardeep, Myth Ondath, and Evereska? What about the maps like Tintageer, Myth Glaurach, Shantel Othreier, Realms of the Shining South, Lisenaar, and Braceldaur? These links go to pages to download documents of near encyclopaedic knowledge for barely referenced kingdoms of yore and realms of power from rise to heyday to fall. The maps showing now changed terrain features and long vanished cities are incredible resources for any DM planning on running adventures excavating relics of the past. If you want to know about the societies, cultures, and political powers of these historical kingdoms I know of no better resource. I only knew where to go for those because I stumbled across them just this past winter.
I don't mean to offend with this but... C'mon guys, it's fun to reminisce and all but for the people who have no clue what you're talking about it would be nice to provide a link or enough information to do a viable search on Yagoohoogle to find the source material. That exact request was made by the starter of this thread. quote: Posted by thread originator Sylrae What are some of the coolest pieces of fan lore on the Realms that you guys recall up here? Can you provide a link?..
I'm not singling out Dazzlerdal for abuse. That honored sage just happened to mention something that I knew where to find. Everything else everyone has mentioned... I have no idea to what you are referring by mentioning names and saying "yeah, his stuff is cool." Checking the Sage's Corner allows for some name matching but there are thousands of posts for each one of them. How do you know which one's are relevant from the ones that just meander into esoterica or talk about areas not congruent with your interests?
So much lore is out there and there are so many good things as to be overwhelming. Just find one thing that caused you to change your game or start a brand new one because you wanted to run/play that. Summarize what it was, describe what you did to incorporate it, and provide a link. It doesn't have to be everything at once. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6662 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 09:13:50
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In terms of what I've done, I think a thought provoking one-off piece of lore that I put in my Chamber of Sages thread was my write up of Ordu's Amazar.
It's on p.11 of my thread.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 09:13:57
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Well where i got them from i honestly couldnt say anymore. I just download everything and hoard it in my archive.
I think the realms bestiary 1 and 2 come from Eric Boyd's website (a search for his name should bring it up, or look in his sig it will probably be there). The Realms Bestiary are basically 3rd edition writeups of all the old monsters (and some new ones) from 1st and 2nd edition that never got officially converted. As a bonus it includes some lovely lore snippets in there about how to use the monsters, where they are found in the realms, and their origins etc.
The Candlekeep Compendium i'm sure needs no explanation and can be found on this website without much difficulty.
The Snowblood Netbooks detail mostly ancient and long vanished civilisations with a preference for elven civilisations it would seem. They are quite well detailed with just about all canon references to those kingdoms included and then some homebrew work to link the references together into a complete history with some city writeups and other stuff thrown in as well. The maps are particularly nice.
George Krashos and Eric Boyd's work are all in the Chamber of Sages section on the forum, well worth copying it all out to word and including it in any campaign as canon, its that good.
And finally the Alternate Dimensions fan mag is in my sig below. It is a gathering of articles of fan made works about anything realmsian. The articles i write are usually an alternate version of things, they are different from canon, but in a subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) way that does not change the final outcome but merely reinterprets the events in a different light. So for instance i have 3 ancient empires in the Old Empires region (Unther, Mulhorand, and Akanu) with 3 separate pantheons, gradually over time the events in history occur to bring things together into the dead empire and pantheon of Unther and the empire and pantheon of Mulhorand. I even created 2 tiamats that merge into one being (giving an alternate way of cleaning up the Tiamat gaff created by the Bloodstone series). I've also done some work on Damara and Vaasa giving it an alternate history and some extra backstory for Zhengyi. There are articles from other authors in there as well, Ryan Rahuba did a few on his version of lycanthropy as well as a very nice short story, Seethyr and i have been working together on some Maztica stuff, and i have a new NPC writeup by Kenneth Fabacher. Basically if anyone wants to get their work out there for others to read then i hope that they use the Alternate Dimensions fan mag to do it so we all have a common place to air our works. It's available in my sig, on candlekeep, google drive, and enworld so it shouldnt be hard to find.
If anyone wants a copy of anything i have mentioned (or anyone else has mentioned) then just let me know as i will probably have it lying around somewhere. |
Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions Candlekeep Archive Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 1 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 2 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 3 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 4 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 5 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 6 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 7 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 8 Forgotten Realms Alternate Dimensions: Issue 9
Alternate Realms Site |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 19:49:10
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quote: Originally posted by SaMoCon
I don't mean to offend with this but... C'mon guys, it's fun to reminisce and all but for the people who have no clue what you're talking about it would be nice to provide a link or enough information to do a viable search on Yagoohoogle to find the source material. That exact request was made by the starter of this thread. quote: Posted by thread originator Sylrae What are some of the coolest pieces of fan lore on the Realms that you guys recall up here? Can you provide a link?..
I'm not singling out
Whoops? I think I can provide some links, to recitify my mistakes:
the deviantart gallery of Lord Karsus, with the excelent Elves of Faerun, although it's also a work of other several people, like Markustay.
Elder drow & Ka'Narlist, and [Baldur's Gate Lorebook] excerpts by Zireael.
Prestige in the Realms Vol I, by Thomas M. Costa and Eric L. Boyd.
History of the North by George Krashos
[EDIT] And of course, Seethyr's excelent Maztica Alive! |
Edited by - Baltas on 26 Nov 2014 21:09:43 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6662 Posts |
Posted - 26 Nov 2014 : 23:29:34
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Yeah, that history of the North has taken a bit of a battering due to some novels and further work.
It really needs an update ...
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 27 Nov 2014 : 14:09:44
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Yeah! An update with maps!
Maybe even historic ones!
Man, we really need that... someone should get off his...
Anyhow, not to toot my own horn, but I really love the work Dalor Darden put into the Five Shires/Gulthmere conversion and the map I made to go with it. Sadly, he never had time to put together a netbook for that.
We also worked together on his Ixinos project. The link to that work seems to be broken now, but I am sure you could request that netbook from him.
Other projects I've enjoyed being on were the Elven Netbook (Lord Karsus' Elves of Faerūn) - I had particular fun writing the 'mythical snow elves' piece - and the (sadly) never finished Utter East project (I did complete a map for it, but the lore we all came up with was never written-up... 4e happened). |
"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 27 Nov 2014 14:11:31 |
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Sylrae
Learned Scribe
Canada
313 Posts |
Posted - 27 Nov 2014 : 19:05:14
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quote: Originally posted by George Krashos
Ordu's Amazar. It's on p.11 of my thread.
Ooh; I liked that.
Okay. So I've compiled a document with links to the stuff people have shared here. It's been great stuff. I set it up in such a way that anyone can make suggestions, if anyone has more to add there and wants to suggest it directly, or if they have more information for what is already there.
Would people be upset if some of the things I found in various threads, I tossed together in documents and then shared links to the documents? I would reference the original writer anywhere I did that, and if possible, include any links; but I might end up doing some textual editing to fit things into a coherent document. Candlekeep has some excellent stuff hidden within it, but IMO lore is more useful when it's been extracted from the long conversations that threads facilitate.
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Sylrae's Forgotten Realms Fan-Lore Index, with public commenting access to make for easier improvement (WIP) |
Edited by - Sylrae on 27 Nov 2014 21:09:22 |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
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Sylrae
Learned Scribe
Canada
313 Posts |
Posted - 27 Nov 2014 : 20:36:27
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quote: Originally posted by dazzlerdal
No problems from me.
Okay then. I will compile the things I find in posts as I feel like, but credit the appropriate people and link the appropriate threads; and if someone has a problem with my compilation including their stuff, they can always contact me and we will deal with it appropriately.
So, anyone else have anything to add to the ol' list? |
Sylrae's Forgotten Realms Fan-Lore Index, with public commenting access to make for easier improvement (WIP) |
Edited by - Sylrae on 27 Nov 2014 20:36:59 |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 30 Nov 2014 : 18:13:59
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Wow, I'm glad someone liked the elder drow and the Baldur's Gate writeups. I've actually finished all the companions in Polish, but never got around to translating them. And now I have even less time than I used to, so Alora and whoever was left will probably never show up on Candlekeep forums. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4436 Posts |
Posted - 02 Dec 2014 : 19:39:02
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I've really enjoyed creating NPCs for people so I'd have to say my FR NPC Generator is probably my favorite. |
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Sylrae
Learned Scribe
Canada
313 Posts |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2014 : 11:57:12
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quote: Originally posted by Diffan
I've really enjoyed creating NPCs for people so I'd have to say my FR NPC Generator is probably my favorite.
I'm exactly the opposite. I hate designing NPCs. Least favourite part of the job - closely followed by large combats.
I used to like some of the Neverwinter Nights persistent worlds. Dealing with uppity designers who didn't like you arguing with them in *their* world killed it for me though. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6361 Posts |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2014 : 16:18:30
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That's what I meant, yes. Love the fluff, hate the crunch. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4436 Posts |
Posted - 05 Dec 2014 : 21:00:18
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quote: Originally posted by hashimashadoo
quote: Originally posted by Diffan
I've really enjoyed creating NPCs for people so I'd have to say my FR NPC Generator is probably my favorite.
I'm exactly the opposite. I hate designing NPCs. Least favourite part of the job - closely followed by large combats.
I used to like some of the Neverwinter Nights persistent worlds. Dealing with uppity designers who didn't like you arguing with them in *their* world killed it for me though.
See, the thread like mine would really come in handy if you wanted an NPC or enemy for the PCs to face but didn't have the time or inclination to put one together yourself.
I liked delving into the mechanics and guts of the systems. Coming up with weird, fun, interesting, or just common elements and combinations that would either be cool to see or play in the game. I had a decent sized list of characters all done up even before I made the thread so it was pretty much cut 'n' paste for a while. The only real difficulty was creating NPCs and Monsters with extremely high levels and templates in v3.5 because of the numerous amounts of cross-over modifiers. Adding in racial scores, making sure the skill ranks were correct for the level + racial HD + Int. modifier. Making sure the stats change accordingly when magical items are thrown in. It was the minutia of detail that got bothersome.
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 09 Dec 2014 : 20:32:55
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Some of my favorite bits of lore were the "your favorite PC's/NPC's you've created" thread, which is full of interesting and useful NPC's, the Spell typos thread, which had some fun and interesting effects for errors in "Spellcraft", and the companion thread detailing wizardly "curses" or "diseases" that could cause problems for spellcasters. All of those threads are somewhere here in the general FR discussion section, I believe, and shouldn't be hard to find. I'll try to link to them when I get more time, if possible. |
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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Khondar
Acolyte
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 10 Dec 2014 : 20:34:25
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Sorry - no links for these...but some of my favorites;
Weapons in my Forgotten Realms campaigns by Simon Gibbs (Version 3.0, Jan 7, 2000)
Metals Most Marvelous: Metals of the Forgotten Realms by Simon Gibbs (Edition 3.0, Mar 13, 2000)
Armour of the Forgotten Realms by Simon Gibbs (Version 3.2, Mar 10, 2000)
The Northern Journey Project (especially enjoyed the coinage lore) |
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