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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Apr 2018 : 21:23:28
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My take on the Maraloi was more along the lines of 'Huldrafolk' which are like tailed elves (fey). Its more 'Asian' (OA) that way. I have it where they were the ones who 'stayed behind' when the rest of the Fey fled Abeir-Toril in the Dawn Ages.
I never really got that deep into the Maraloi, because I hadn't connected the fey as deeply to Imaskar as I now do, and also because I hadn't quite figured out what to do with them. At this point, I would link all of that together, along with the Spiritfolk of Guge. Aslo, I haven't fully figured-out the perfect timeline for the Fey/Elves in regards to where they were, and where they went, and have been awaiting MToF to use that as my new starting point. Although I don't have the book yet, I probably have enough to go on with just the info from the videos. However, I don't want to get that deep into my proto-homebrew lore in this thread, either. Basically, the fey all had to leave for one reason or another, and they did so just before the 'great cataclysm' (The Sundering). But not all of them left, and many stayed behind by 'anchoring' themselves to the Prime Material instead.
This was only accomplished through the 'sacrifice' of Archfey who merge themselves with geographic features, which became 'Fey regions' unto themselves. Some weren't very powerful, and were only able to create glades within larger forests, while others - like Amara - were able to do vast areas all by themselves. A'mara was the Archfey Queen of the Maraloi, and the 'Ama basin' is named for her (and the entire boreal forest is infused with her power). She gave it unnatural warmth, and all the flora and fauna within became linked with her. Her people - the Maraloi - were able to stay within The Realms (on Toril) by merging their essences with animals of the forest, and thus, took on certain attributes of these creatures (the 'tailed elves'). Over time, these Maraloi became clannish, depending upon their chosen hybrid form, and eventually became the hengeyokai. Some few, though, did not take that route, and continued to mix freely, so that the few reclusive Maraloi that may be left are more like tailed, feral-seeming elves (with exceptionally long ears). I wasn't really planning any 'survivors', at least not into the modern era. I think maybe the last of the Maraloi went into the Feywild centuries ago (something happened to Amara's link to the Ama basin - I haven't really worked all of that out yet, but I want it to be related to the severe weather changes that occurred in the Taan region).
On the other hand, a large number of fey that had remained in the Taan region (anchored by Hro'nyewachu from the novel Frostfell) began to mix with the primitive Cortae (theoretical Tann proto-group) and became the Imaskari. These bloodlines would have become very diluted over time, but a certain group of 'aristcracy' would have tried to keep them as pure (halfblood) as possible - these would be the Spiritfolk, and the ones that eventually lived in Guge. At first, only the halfbloods would any true magical might, but after a time others with 'lesser bloodlines' would have become just as, if not more, powerful, which lead to a schism (the end of the first period of Imaskar). Ihis would be why the 'Valley of kings' for Imaskar is outside Imaskar-proper - that is where the halfbloods (Spiritfolk) would have gone to after their break with Imaskar (the kingdom had thrown off the concept of 'divine right', and with it, all the trappings of religion, as well). Guge became a sort of sister-state/province of the main empire, where the Fey-blooded could still lord it over the 'lesser folk'. Also as part of that kingdom was the Maviddi - Dark Elves that had lived in the east when the Drow descent happened. They were a branch of Ilythiir who wanted no part on the Crown Wars, so they fled into the east. Unfortunately, they could not fully escape it, because they were als affected by the curse. There is still evidence of the ant-hill like fortresses (Tsaparang) they built to avoid the sunlight (and yet, they remained on the surface for many years). So Guge remained a more 'Elven' kind of place, while the main Kingdom of Imaskar became more humanocentric.
There is almost no evidence of fey or Elves in Kara-Tur today, and yet, the evidence is almost everywhere, because nearly all of them became something else. Torillian scholars just haven't figured that out yet.
As to how this relates to the Gods - I think at least some of the FR Celestial Bureaucracy could be fey/Elven deities as well. Vhaeraun was probably known among the Maviddi, and he spread to the humans as No-Cha. Religion (in its human form) may have remained intact in the outlying provinces of the empire, like Khati (later Ra-Khati and Khazari), which later became Anok-Imaskar, and the precursor to the Shou Empire(s). It seems strange, at first, that two of the most religious kingdoms - that worship ALL the gods (even the Faerūnian ones) happen to be right next to - and once part of - the fallen Kingdom of Imaskar, but one may have been a counter-balance to the other. As religious intolerance spread through Imaskar (by the magically powerful folk who didn't want competition), perhaps many Imaskari left the kingdom-proper for 'the colonies', so they could have religious freedom. This would cast Khati in a different light - as place that began as a reaction to the Imaskari rejecting gods. Think of it almost like when Communism spread through Russia. The Fey (or rather, half-fey) would have looked at themselves as semi-divine beings, and once they were removed from power, that could have been the initial catalyst for the Imaskari dislike for 'godly things'. |
"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 01 Apr 2018 21:57:48 |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2018 : 03:36:17
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Also, about Oni, you might be interested in Pathfinde's take on them:
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Oni
Especially that their kinds like Nogitsune and Yamabushi tengu, allowing to have the more "mortal" Kitsune, and Tengu, at the same time as the more spritual/demonic interpretation.
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Nogitsune
https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Yamabushi_tengu
About Yen Wang Yeh - he is ispretty much the Hindu/Buddhist Yama, with Yen Wang Yeh being a transliteration of Yama to Chinese, and Yen Wang Yeh being described as the ruler of the "Yama Kings".
So I think Yen Wang Yeh could be made to be the same as Malatra's Yama - a bit of an issue is, Yama wasn't described as a god if death and ded in his legends - kinda opposite, as a god of of creation - although one could argue he became a god of dead, when his demigod creations, became mortal, and started to die, or that he represents two sodes of the coin (life ad death, connected through purification and reincarnation) |
Edited by - Baltas on 02 Apr 2018 04:06:10 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1536 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2018 : 08:21:24
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In actual myth, Yamaraj was the first man to die, and decided to take over running the Underworld because nobody was doing anything about it. In D&D, he lives in Mechanus, in a realm surrounded by a river of blood. He's a fairly chill god and also rules over the concept of justice.
Yen Wang Yeh/Yanwang/King Yan is the Buddhist depiction of Yamaraj, but he's quite different from his Vedic counterpart. In RL, 'grumpy' describes him pretty well. In D&D, he lives in the Outlands. |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2018 : 10:57:04
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Well, yes, I'm aware the Hindu/Vedic and Buddhist interpretations of Yama are different, which was another reason why maybe one shouldn't equate Yama and Yen Wang Yeh/Yanwang/King Yan.
But on the other hand, equating the two, could be a nice way to have a God of Death for the whole of Kara-Tur, and unify the setting more - and ther is a precedence of aspects behaving somewhat different from the core deity - as I mentioned earlier in this thread, Sossrim worship a more benevolent aspect of Auril for example. Deities also can have two realms, as we see for example with Tyr.
[EDIT]
Also, with the Vedic and Hindu mythos in D&D, we also had deities with multiple different aspects. With Parvati, Durga and Kali, and probably more similar to Yama and Yen Wang Yeh with Rudra and Shiva. Which is even more interesting with another aspect of Rudra (a Neutral Evil one), killing the original prime aspect of Rudra (Lawful Neutral), and taking over. |
Edited by - Baltas on 02 Apr 2018 11:56:17 |
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1536 Posts |
Posted - 02 Apr 2018 : 12:54:20
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I'd honestly take a lot of the Vedic deities' alignments in D&D sparingly. Indra, in particular, suffers from this in D&D; he's not actually chaotic evil in the myths, he's more of an unfortunate Zeus, if anything. He's the ruler of the Vedic pantheon, too.
As for Durga, Parvati and Kali...well, Shiva is the god of sexual prowess, after all. D&D hypes up his role as the god of destruction; while that is factually accurate, he's also the god of eroticism, serpents, ascetics, etc. |
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shades of eternity
Learned Scribe
288 Posts |
Posted - 04 Apr 2018 : 04:00:15
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I've been debating how to do any class breakdown.
I noticed in my original script, that certain classes from 4e should have made the cut in 5e, and I'm debating whether to do that. The Warlord is absolutely perfect for many characters to give a uniquely chinese feel, but dnd 5e treats the class like a crucifix.
The Sword -Mage fit better for the more "hong kong action theatre" then the eldritch knight as far as I can tell.
Which fighter type fits the Samurai, the Hwang, Kyudo bowman just to point out a few. What about that crazy warrior alchemist with a big set of firing guns?
also there's the divine problem. The way I see it, you can base it a deity, a deity organization or an ideal and get more or less the same results. Should Clerics be of Ameratsu or of the rush hour of the gods. Then you throw in the idea that like highlander, the original gods might not be the same one that started it all.
does the monk represent the ninja, the elemental bender and also more conventional arts. Do people want a breakdown?
and are their warlocks that represent "companions of an immortal" , a companion of the elements, or an immortal whom found a way to balence their yin?
I guess I'm asking which asian archtype should go in which class and why? |
check out my post-post apocalyptic world at www.drevrpg.com |
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shades of eternity
Learned Scribe
288 Posts |
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Oriental Adventurers - How would you do it?
