quote:

---

Originally posted by Fineva

The war in Mulmaster that is currently brewing on Facebook and other networks has been accepted tentatively by the WoTC admins and winter fantasy will interrupt it, so no more actions until WoTC takes action.
This is seen as a great RP activity. Indeed it is, and due to the various RP plots it is difficult seeing the Toril "reality" behind it.
Thus I ask here, can you help? Here are the particulars:
Hours after the Facebook groups formed, the EE declared war on Thay for its Mulmaster occupation. Remember this is rebuilding Mulmaster from the Elemental Evil destruction. Shortly after that a group of High Harpers declared war for the rest of the Harpers and were then called to task by a majority of Harpers as they joined (100 or so voted on war, secret war, no war, etc).The 200 some late comers had no voice, so their was lively discussion with not a few pieces of glassware broken.
As I wanted the RP I had only my Harper character join, unlike others who had numerous factional characters and got to see the various groups.

Shortly after this : Lords Alliance refused a war, then were inundated with EE and Harpers who wanted to talk, still ongoing.

NPC admins playing Mulmaster declared the city would leave the LA if attacked.
NPC Thay declared they would withdraw all support for Mulmaster and leave the city to starve, thus an army had best bring supplies. Thay also said they would not reveal secrets they had found about orbs or rifts.

This seemed to anger various people, who maintained some form of evil from Kyuss to Chult was going to make Szass Tam a god!

The truth is up to what u know. Writhing battery of Kyuss, Chult, etc are all areas I've researched here in Candlekeep. What is most likely of the above regarding factions and magic? Answers gladly welcomed.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by sleyvas

interesting... too bad I can't visit whatever convention that is


Regarding that, I had a very small section just outside of Vesperin that I had relocated a lot of Mulans fed up with the Thayan civil war to, but they've been slowly taking leadership positions over the last century (more because of their capability to administrate things well). It could effectively tie in several nearby enclaves.

During the years following Dmitra's marriage to High Blade Selfaril, she made strategic investments in land surrounding the vast, and during the Thayan civil war she made improvements in those lands so as to encourage the acceptance of Mulan immigrants. These immigrants remember Dmitra fondly, and her great grandchildren (who are also great grandchildren of the former ruler of Mulmaster, but who forsook their claims to the throne) fill positions of power throughout this region. For instance, surrounding the town of Blanaer she had bought several hundred acres of unused and undeveloped land. The town was previously known for the smell of its cattle and their dung ("stinks like Blanaer" was a common saying in the region), and the Mulan immigrants came in, bringing flowers, building wells, and digging irrigation canals. Now the town is known for its second industry as a land of beautiful flowers and numerous nurseries and its secluded ponds are something of a simple vacation getaway for the poor of Vesperin. The people of Blanaer have accepted their Mulan neighbors happily due to the.

Similarly, in the nearby towns of Kurth and King's Reach there were problems that Dmitra Flass and her Mulan immigrants with their expertise came in and solved. For instance, Kurth was known for having alcohol that was made with essentially recycled urine because they had very little water. King's Reach was known for its numerous miners seeking precious metals (and producing mounds of slag rock over the past several decades). Between these two relatively close cities were mountain passes filled with orcs and goblinoids. The Mulans came in, slaughtered the majority of these nuisance races, animated them as untiring slaves, and then proceeded to cart the unneeded slag rock of King's Reach to build an aqueduct that brought water to both cities. This made the city of King's Reach more amenable to minor farming, as its soil was no long clogged with rocks. This also made the city of Kurth a more popular stopping point for caravans travelling the Vast's interior, as the path from Kurth to King's Reach is now one of the most safe passages in the area, complete with stopping points for watering animals and having simple meals prepared at local Mulan run inns and taverns.

With the return of the Tharch of Peleveran (which is essentially a large portion of the eastern Shaar from the landrise moving eastward) to Toril from Abeir, Dmitra Flass has checked in on her former land holdings in the vast. She found a land where she was greeted not only with welcome, but gladness and even a statue of her in Blanaer. These three towns surround the North/Northeastern/Eastern border of the relatively young country of Vesperin, which also holds Thayan enclaves in two of its three major cities (Calaunt and Ravens Bluff).

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Swordsage

The idea of Faerun-spanning adventuring factions has to be one of the most ill-thought out, contrived and lazy decisions ever made by TSR/WotC in relation to the Realms.

The Swordsage

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Masked Mage

I have no clue whatsoever about what any of this is.

Lost.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

'Highly Contrived' sounds like the right ballpark. LOL

On thing that confuses me, which is related to something you said earlier - why is it in all the WotC adventure products it appears that the 'Red Wizards' (one of the 'big four' factions brought to us in 4e) seem to be working on Saass Tam's projects (like setting up Dread Rings all over the place), yet every other bit of lore I've read says that the Red Wizards all outside of Thay are expatriates, and they hate Szass Tam and would love to overthrow him? I just haven't been able to wrap my head around this - is the RW 'faction' for or against Szass Tam?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markustay

'Highly Contrived' sounds like the right ballpark. LOL

On thing that confuses me, which is related to something you said earlier - why is it in all the WotC adventure products it appears that the 'Red Wizards' (one of the 'big four' factions brought to us in 4e) seem to be working on Saass Tam's projects (like setting up Dread Rings all over the place), yet every other bit of lore I've read says that the Red Wizards all outside of Thay are expatriates, and they hate Szass Tam and would love to overthrow him? I just haven't been able to wrap my head around this - is the RW 'faction' for or against Szass Tam?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Zeromaru X

I really liked the Harpers of 4e, just small cells of guys doing what they could (and not necessary good stuff) and using the name "Harpers" because the historical implications. Now, they are all over the map stealing the PCs thunder, just like in 3.x.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by sleyvas

So, as I look into what they're planning (at least in July of 2015 when I look at Sword of Selfaril), it looks like they're trying to turn Mulmaster INTO what I would have called somewhat like the Thay of old (despite the fact that its small in comparison). Basically, they've effectively duplicated what Szass Tam USED to be like in Rastol Shan, the head of Mulmaster's spy group known as the cloaks. The big difference that I see is that they'll still have a city ruler, but that will be more figurehead with the rule probably held by his inner circle.


Roleplaying Rastol Shan Rastol Shan has been masquerading for decades and is experienced at passing himself off as human. Putting him off his game is virtually impossible, given his magical preparations and gift for dissembling. Shan is well aware of Selfaril’s imprisonment in the blade for one very good reason – he was one of the wizards responsible. Under his real name, Thurdan Tallwand, Shan was one of the Cloaks who aided Rassendyll Uoumdolphin in usurping Selfaril’s rule, thinking Rassendyll a more tractable ruler than his twin brother. Of course, in order to preserve his secret, all of his peers from that time have been dealt with. Shan is earnest, even pleasant in his dealings with the party, as it is in his best interests to have Jaseen Drakehorn ousted from the office of the High Blade. The Church of Bane has worked long and hard to put limits on the power of the Cloaks, and Shan has had enough. Rastol Shan has masked his undead nature using Nystul's magic aura. Any spells or magical effects (such as the paladin’s divine sense class feature) that detect creature types or alignments reveal that he is a lawful neutral humanoid. For the purposes of dispelling the effect, it is an 8th level spell. Despite his disguises, however, Shan is still subject to spells or abilities that affect undead, such as turn undead. Rastol Shan keeps neither his spellbook nor his phylactery on his person.

I also see that the adventurer's league did something with Kurth. Whereas I made the city more prosperous and installed Mulan refugees there who worked with the locals and helped reduce the orc menace, it appears they went the other direction and had the orc menace decimate the population. That being said, relatively easy to work around if the old structures and inhabitants were destroyed and new folk have moved in to rebuild.

Kurth. Known as Pirate's Rest, Kurth is a town located in the northern portion of the Vast. Founded by the pirate Kurth Banditslayer, Kurth was a large town that eventually fell to orc raids. Its current state is much smaller; and more easily able to defend against attacks, and the outer portions of the city have fallen into ruin, including Feljack's Hall; the former home of an adventurer of the same name. Skeletal pirates have been seen in the area of Feljack's Hall, seemingly searching for the long-dead owner's fabled treasure.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by dazzlerdal

quote:

---

Originally posted by sleyvas

So, as I look into what they're planning (at least in July of 2015 when I look at Sword of Selfaril), it looks like they're trying to turn Mulmaster INTO what I would have called somewhat like the Thay of old (despite the fact that its small in comparison). Basically, they've effectively duplicated what Szass Tam USED to be like in Rastol Shan, the head of Mulmaster's spy group known as the cloaks. The big difference that I see is that they'll still have a city ruler, but that will be more figurehead with the rule probably held by his inner circle.


Roleplaying Rastol Shan Rastol Shan has been masquerading for decades and is experienced at passing himself off as human. Putting him off his game is virtually impossible, given his magical preparations and gift for dissembling. Shan is well aware of Selfaril’s imprisonment in the blade for one very good reason – he was one of the wizards responsible. Under his real name, Thurdan Tallwand, Shan was one of the Cloaks who aided Rassendyll Uoumdolphin in usurping Selfaril’s rule, thinking Rassendyll a more tractable ruler than his twin brother. Of course, in order to preserve his secret, all of his peers from that time have been dealt with. Shan is earnest, even pleasant in his dealings with the party, as it is in his best interests to have Jaseen Drakehorn ousted from the office of the High Blade. The Church of Bane has worked long and hard to put limits on the power of the Cloaks, and Shan has had enough. Rastol Shan has masked his undead nature using Nystul's magic aura. Any spells or magical effects (such as the paladin’s divine sense class feature) that detect creature types or alignments reveal that he is a lawful neutral humanoid. For the purposes of dispelling the effect, it is an 8th level spell. Despite his disguises, however, Shan is still subject to spells or abilities that affect undead, such as turn undead. Rastol Shan keeps neither his spellbook nor his phylactery on his person.

I also see that the adventurer's league did something with Kurth. Whereas I made the city more prosperous and installed Mulan refugees there who worked with the locals and helped reduce the orc menace, it appears they went the other direction and had the orc menace decimate the population. That being said, relatively easy to work around if the old structures and inhabitants were destroyed and new folk have moved in to rebuild.

Kurth. Known as Pirate's Rest, Kurth is a town located in the northern portion of the Vast. Founded by the pirate Kurth Banditslayer, Kurth was a large town that eventually fell to orc raids. Its current state is much smaller; and more easily able to defend against attacks, and the outer portions of the city have fallen into ruin, including Feljack's Hall; the former home of an adventurer of the same name. Skeletal pirates have been seen in the area of Feljack's Hall, seemingly searching for the long-dead owner's fabled treasure.

---

This is the first time ive ever read anything 5e related that seemed even remotely like realmslore

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fineva

http://dndadventurersleague.org/state-of-mulmaster/

https://rpg.rem.uz/Dungeons%20%26%20Dragons/D%26D%205th%20Edition/Adventure%20League/S0%20-%20Season-Agnostic/DDAL00-01%20-%20Window%20to%20the%20Past.pdf

---