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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Oct 2019 : 00:17:44
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Eanthalas of Memnon
Noted mage-sculptor. Favored in some highcoin circles. Uses his Art to make marble and stone flow like sculpting clay. Crafts giant statuary and man-sized busts of strong, noble men and willowy, beautiful women. Prefers to finish his creations in clashing, garish colors and bright limning magelights.
The Eaters-of-Bones
Orc tribe, believed to currently number near six hundred. Their standard is a stacked column of five thighbones, slanted down to the sinister, on a black field. The Eaters migrated out of the Spine of the World during the harsh 'Wolf Winters' of the late 1350s; they first settled in the Westwood, only to be driven out by the bloody efforts of the Lords and their hired adventuring groups, and have since seized upon the stony hills ringing the strategic Old Owl Well south of Conyberry. It is rumored that they have forged an alliance with illithids in the deeps, and have an understanding with certain noble or merchant families of Waterdeep, collecting heavy tribute for the safe passage of their caravans and the demise of their rivals. They are currently led by the cunning and evil chieftan, Gnaawur the Great Ulcerous.
Gnaawur the Great Ulcerous
(GNAH-wurr) Great Chief of the Eater-of-Bones tribe, the orcish scourge of Old Owl Well. Accepts tribute of gold and magic from the Zhentarim and certain Waterdhavian merchant families for safe passage, and ferries much of it to the illithids lairing below the Well in return for unknown concessions. Unprotected caravans and nearby settlements are left to face the full extent of his bloodlust, as chronicled in the sagas of the sage Amelior Amanitas; "And the Odious Ulcer bade his ravagers, 'kill them or capture them, to spirit them away, break their bones, burn their bodies, eat of them; and then return for more.'" Wears a mantle made entirely of the scalps of elf children. While in battle, the scalps laugh or cry (when crying, opponents are subject to great terror as per the fear effect of a dragon. When the laughter reaches its' peak [up to 3x/day], opponents must save as the spell power word stun). Ably advised by the cruel shaman, Grugnawruk [Grug-na-ROOK] the Blood-Filled Blister (The Fervent Eye of Gruumsh, Yellow and Gibbous).
Eftan Bladesbright
Author of the florid "true-tell-all" Down In The Depths: An Honest and Truthful Accounting of the Delving of Ammonsdeep (Or: What I Found There) (1246DR). "The wealth of a lost age flashed and called as we fled, there in that hall where the long shadows fall. It was then that I learned that gold is but gloss, when it comes with the dark promising of ruin and loss."
Eftan Smallswords
Notable adventurer. Disappeared in 1361DR, along with the Chessentan wizards Balajos and Ralajos, reputedly searching for the long-lost Book of Dragons.
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Eather Heilean (LG HF [Illuskan] Pal5[Milil]/harper paragon10) [ Source: "New Olamn Bard College," Elaine Cunningham, Dragon Magazine #335, p.27. Name/Description/Stats given ]
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2019 : 00:32:28
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Kelubar (N HM F6)
A tall, raven-haired Uthgardt "seaguard" (warrior carried aboard merchant ships to fight off pirate boarding parties and port thieves). Kelubar sailed with the crew of the Dreaming Sun for the Far Lands of Anchoromé. He met his doom in the Sargasso Sea, slain there by the undead inhabitants.
Khelvar's Colorful Doom (N Living Color Spray)
A vibrant cloud of clashing colors, whirring and pulsing with sudden flashes and possessed of alien intellect. Created in the magical chaos of The Night Tymora Sneezed. Left its' unintentional creator, the mage Khelvar of Bazaar Street, a babbling, blinded wreck. Believed to have escaped into the sewers, and from there possibly into the depths of the Undermountain.
Love Kelubar
died in the "Sargasso Sea"... is there one in the realms or is that a hint he travelled to our world?
OMG, you made me laugh with The Night Tymora Sneezed
. now there's so many other things I'm thinking should occur that night... and I wonder just what MADE the goddess sneeze. Was it a case of ill luck sent by Beshaba to infect her sister. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2019 : 01:40:59
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Love Kelubar
died in the "Sargasso Sea"... is there one in the realms or is that a hint he travelled to our world?
Sargasso Sea was another one of those "places that shouldn't be there," that the Dreaming Sun found on its' ill-fated way to Anchoromé.
quote:
The Sargasso Sea
Region of unnatural becalming. No wind or breeze; fog, stilted air. Sound echoes a great way. Great atoll of refuse in the center. Built into great toppling mounds. Formed due to a concentration of Netherese "grab-gates," a number of such portals to other lands, worlds, dimensions, whose effluence created the garbage island. Unknown why (or under what auspices) these ancient devices were shunted here. Myriad forms of undead inhabit the atoll and the surrounding Sargasso.
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
OMG, you made me laugh with The Night Tymora Sneezed
. now there's so many other things I'm thinking should occur that night... and I wonder just what MADE the goddess sneeze. Was it a case of ill luck sent by Beshaba to infect her sister.
Oh, I absolutely wish I could take credit for that, but the name comes from Ed's 2004 Spin-A-Yarn (of the same name). The old WotC/mirrorstone links are long gone, but it seems to archived here;
http://www.o-love.net/realms/samples/sam_elm0_4.pdf
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Edited by - AJA on 27 Oct 2019 01:41:44 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 27 Oct 2019 : 11:51:34
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Oh, so the Sargasso must be an earlier entry you created? Or from another resource? I kind of like the idea you have with it of linking it to a netherese gate, and it MIGHT be able to fit in with an idea I was literally talking about yesterday. One of the ideas I was proposing was that the tree, Yggdrasil's Child, on Ruathym isn't the only such of its sort. I had it that perhaps a holy mission given to the kercpa race long ago was to plant seeds of Yggdrasil across Toril. What I further proposed was "what if some people cut down one of these trees and uses components of it in the creation of portals, and as that wood dies, the portal starts to malfunction". To go along with said idea, someone might also take a cutting from a spawn of Yggdrasil and grafted it to young ash tree and then took wood from that. So, maybe that atoll in the middle of the Sargasso Sea has a spawn of Yggdrasil at the top of say a mountain, and periodically things from old netherese grab-gates pop through to it and then roll down due to gravity. The undead may be because some magical devices broke and their magic infected some dead bodies that were sent through the gate as well. Maybe in desperation one day a malfunctioning mythallar even was sent through one such gate on the belief that it was about to explode.
Oh, and wow, just reposting that link. It looks to be several pages, and I have to go make breakfast, but it sounds like a fun read.
http://www.o-love.net/realms/samples/sam_elm0_4.pdf |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 29 Oct 2019 : 23:22:43
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Felmaerae
The Summoner of Staves. An official of minor account at the House of Wonder. Her duty is to keep record on the names, residence and mastery of The Art of all local pledged mages-of-faith (those spellcasters who have sworn their spells to aid the temple) and call them to the House if needed. Tall and possessed of grave dignity. Long tawny hair, wide, serious grey eyes.
Felphar Highsaer
(FELL-far) Sandy-bearded and stout. Steely-eyed. Formerly leader of the adventuring fellowship known as The Five In Silver. Currently the Master of Felphar's Battock, a fortified hunting lodge and trading post atop the steep-sided wedge where the Maesrill tributary meets the Dessarin south of the Stump Bog. The Battock was built over the bones of a number of similar settlements, most of which were laid low by orc hordes and the occasional dragon raid. He has also granted leave for the Tyrists of Waterdeep to establish a small chapel and waypost here and, as a result, at least one priest or paladin of the faith can be found in residence at any given time (currently the cleric Milaster of Elturel, balding, rail-thin, and practical and measured in all things).
Fenn Estelmer (N HM Aris6/F6)
A noble of House Estelmer. Blonde hair, not very bright. At one time smitten with Kyriani, the half-elven tankard-tender of the Selūne's Smile tavern. Fenn sailed with the crew of the Dreaming Sun for the Far Lands of Anchoromé, where he gained in maturity and was granted wisdom by the Elf-King of The Last Harbor. [ Source: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Comic Book, Issues #20, #29, #33. Name/Description given. Additional detail by me. ]
Fennelthan Manthar (LN HM Aris3/F5)
A young noble of House Manthar. Fenn is an accomplished duelist, and the prized student of the weapon-mastery school of Sharatheen. Possessed of shoulder-length black hair, bright blue eyes, and a perpetually calm demeanor.
Feyfancies
The Realms-name for fairy-tales, or simple children's stories of magic, fey creatures, and thinly-veiled life lessons. Far too many to list here, but a brief sampling known to every goodwife and nursemaid of Waterdeep includes;
* The Many-Combed Cock of Sune Bright-of-Blee (each comb more dazzling and colorful than the last; and when it crows after the rains its combs shine forth as brilliant rain-bows upon Faerûn);
* Mithrilocks and the Three Rothé (this one is too ill-fed to take for a pillow, this one far too rotund; this one is just right except that it is a were-wolf in disguisement!);
* The Root-Fry Fairy (who brings crispy wedges of potatoes drizzled with glistening honey to the good children of the Realms);
* Gobbo o' the Gobblins ("The e'enfast was laid on the long table splendid / When out comes a-roaring my young lad, Tharid / 'O Father, the goblins! A dozen or two / Are gobblin' the roasts, and the baby Hurf, too!");
* Snedd Halfseen (The White Sprite, dusted with the starstuff of Selûne, travels across the nighttime Realms collecting riverstones and the teeth of naughty awake children that both shine just such in the moonlight);
* The wizard Thazalbrum (who bought ten red hens and turned them into ten red cows, so that he might have eggs and milk at the same time);
* Stony Jollr (the hill-and-rock-and-tree giant who took the draw-gate off of its' hinges at Castle Cantilever and carried it away, for he needed it most sorely for his bed but whose gate-knocker was talkative and wise, and made Jollr's sleep a misery and whose words later guided the hero Aundrelae through the trapped path to the giant's treasure room);
* Merry-Amble (the great big shaggy black dog who could not bark but could whistle a fine tune like he had Milil's own flute stuck in his throat);
* and also The Elfkin Who Warmed the Hearth-Stones, Whiskerando, The Maid Who Brings the Greenspears, The Branchcat and The Blackbird, The Sprite of Summer Greetings, Darty the Dimpled Dragon, and The Woods-Wife Who Was Neither Old Nor Young.
[ Source: Name and etymology of "feyfancy" from A 04/13/19 Twitter reply to @TheEdVerse by Ed Greenwood. "Darty the Dimpled Dragon" from A 07/03/18 Twitter reply to @TheEdVerse by Ed Greenwood. ]
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Felvor Elcaskur [ Source: Ed Greenwood Presents: Elminster's Forgotten Realms, p.165. Name/Description given ]
Ferentar [ Source: "The Eye of the Dragon," Ed Greenwood, Realms of Magic. Name/Description given ]
Froal [ Source: SSI Official AD&D Computer Product Treasures of the Savage Frontier. Name/Description given ]
Fronzil the Fierce [ Source: Ed Says: Forgotten Realms Nations and States <wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20010104b>. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
YAFRP
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Edited by - AJA on 14 Jan 2023 19:10:03 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 30 Oct 2019 : 23:26:54
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| does the root fry fairy wear yellow and have red hair?, with a first name Ronald? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 00:16:18
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
does the root fry fairy wear yellow and have red hair?, with a first name Ronald?
I said "drizzled with honey," not "drowned in fatty oils."
Also, I recall an old issue of Dragon magazine (probably an April issue and no Eric, I don't recall the exact number) where they statted up Ronald and others as grotesque fiends from the Hells. Quick, someone @TheEdVerse and ask him what the Realms-word for nightmare fuel horror stories is, so I can add it in as an entry.
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AJA
YAFRP
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Edited by - AJA on 31 Oct 2019 00:20:52 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 00:19:46
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Greyknife (NE ½OM War2/T4)
A street thug and blade-for-hire in the lower reaches of South Ward. He bears a constant sneer and greasy hair pulled back into a ponytail, and says little. Although he prefers to go about his "work" alone, for particularly difficult jobs he can call on three fellow miscreants: Ogo and Joss, the "Brothers Grimmar"; and the diminutive half-elven sneak-thief Cerrin (NE ½EM T3).
The Grim Maid of Battlebur
Mélusandra the Grim, descended from the mighty Illuskan warlord, Tolandor the Twice-Buried King. Ably (and in bloody sequence, leading to her popular title) defended not only the walled tor of Battlebur but all the claimed Battluth lands between the streams of Onistrael and Taimertan (those Dessarin tributaries the elves call the Little Feet and the Laughing Runner) from repeated goblinoid incursions. Her realm was finally overrun and pillaged by the endless numbers of the Orc Marches. Her blade Flaenrūl (Uthlaur, The Red Sword, a broadsword +4, defender) was lost to recorded history until it reappeared in the hands of the mercenary captain "Black" Logan during the First Trollwar.
Grimwald the Grevious
One of the Lucubrators (the Night-Masters) of the Watchful Order. Yellowed hair, watery blue eyes, an enormous stomach and a pugnacious temperament. Earned coin as a sellstave for a time; was beaten so viciously one night by his fellow mercenaries over a gambling dispute that he was left blind in his right eye and lame in his left leg. The eye he had coin to cure; the leg remains hobbled to this day. Difficult and unlikable to those seeking nocturnal access to the Tower, but many of his fellows in the Order play on his love of gambling and strategy games (and Amnian mluirmeir [loo-WEIR-meer] wine) to make friends and gain favors from him.
Gryvjar the Ocilite
The mystagogue of a minor beholder beast-cult. Short and stout, balding of hair. Florid face, large, animated hands, bushy muttonchops and moustache. Masqueraded as a simple Trades Ward merchant. Proprietor of the Sign of the Shining Cup, a popular butcher-and-breads store where many of the cult's victims ended up as meats-of-the-day. A small-spells mageling, fought well with a dagger. Slain by the half-elven swordsman Gaeban Redharphin in 1358DR.
Gulfannar Strongsword (CN HM Bar)
Uthgardt barbarian of the Elk Tribe. Earned coin as sellsword and bullyblade. Exiled from the city after a brawl in the Hawkwinter villa which saw Gulfannar take down the centerpiece of the Hall of Clouds, the great Rhulzaunath Light (a chandelier of over 13,000 blue euclase prisms, 105 tiny magelights and two bound-and-spell-ensnared will-o-wisps), while attempting to swing from it.
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AJA
YAFRP
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 00:40:21
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Random Notes on Selūnite Lore and Mythology
"For months and months he sailed on until the sea became placid, and the waters were bright as silver, until finally he saw rising in the distance a far shore upon which he made anchor. In this unknown land, full of pleasant fields and wonderful trees, he saw a pavilion; and in the pavilion a beautiful woman sat weaving; she was white like moon-shine, and made a radiance all about her. As he approached her the moon came suddenly over the horizon, seeming larger than the sky itself. It illumined everything, and in the moonlight the woman looked transparent, very white and pure."
In Search of the Moon
Oglymna Tarth, Merciful Mother of Selūne
Year of the Gulagoar, 1316 DR
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The Wend Perilūne
In Selūnite mythology, the holy redoubt in the heavens, overlooking the Great Sea of Night, the Roving Stars, and the Opalescent Bridge (to the Gods). Said to be where the Handmaidens of the Moon gather to weave the silvery twilight, and where the deceased champions of the goddess pass on to, to whelm for nightly battle against the dark evils of the goddess Shar. The greatest among them are allowed to pass through the shining Ethereal Gates and sail into the Starry Firmament, into the eternal heavenly bosom of the goddess.
The Opalescent Bridge (to the Gods)
That elemental highway forbidden to Man, manifold and grotesque, from which flows all of the weals and woes of the world. It is only seen from Faerūn when three of the five Great Tears sing forth with that ethereal shining white that Selūnites and the wild-men of the North call "ieiridlaur."
The Boon-Time of the Goddess
Bands of cloaked, chanting Selūnites wandering through the city streets on the darkest nights of the month. Alit in silvery, pale-yet-surprisingly-bright moonfire radiance which clings to the streets and alleys for a time after the Lady's faithful have passed. Such excursions on the deeply-darkened streets are often contested by faithful of Shar, and the resultant skirmishes between the two faiths are viewed by the Selūnites as a prime way to "battle-harden" their flock.
Sarashra
The great glowing jellies of the deep Trackless Sea, large as any ship, which sailors regard as favored of Selūne Starry-Eyed; the reborn spirits of those faithful mariners who lived their lives asea and died before returning to land. Some wizards, less sentimental, claim that the ichor of these luminescent, gelatinous beasts contains puissant magical properties and offer handsome payment for delivery of any such viscera.
Watchfires of the Faithful
In older Selūnite texts the stars are referred to as "the Watchfires of the Faithful," around which the souls of the departed stand guard against those terrible things that inhabit the vast and ineffable Void and cast hungry eyes upon Faerūn.
Moonbright (holy time of the goddess Selūne, on bright, clear nights of the full moon)
"Where threads of silver Selūne enweaves
And enfolds her champions in fair be-dight
Where bright her glory illumines the night
And pierces dark corners where loathsome Shar seethes"
Sowing the Seeds of the Moon
Canteloupe, or moon-fruit is held holy to the church of Selūne, on account of the rind of a full fruit looking like a miniature of the orbéd goddess of the heavens. The sweet flesh-colored fruit within is said to be in imitation of the flesh of Selūne, and is featured prominently at services and holy days of the faith. Accordingly, seeds of the moon-fruit are only to be planted under the light of the full moon, and when such a moon falls upon a holy calender day a great process is held, with blessed water and sung prayer and consecrated gardening implements used.
The Birch-Tree
Moon-wood (which the elves call Ilthūnae, and believe to originate from the arrows of the goddess Sehanine, fallen down to Faerūn during the war with Gruumsh), with its mottled silver skin, is sacred to Selūne: also to Silvanus (druids and moonpriests exchange gifts of birch-bark and holly berries during the winter festivals) and Deneir (whose priests know it as tome-wood, and plant groves of it at their temples; this association is bittersweet, for they believe that every time a printed work is lost to flame, a tome-wood tree sprouts somewhere else in Faerūn)
Flowers and Plants of the Faith
moon's mercy (small pale white flowers that bloom under the moonlight, brewed into a tea that eases chills, aches and head-pain)
spindle-sage, rothé-bloom, moonfleet, bell-of-nine (all have special significance both to the faith of Selūne and to superstitions regarding the quieting of the restless and returned dead; often scattered or hung about doorstep and gravesite)
spindle-sage
Aromatic blue-grey leaves, small dull purple blooms along a single central spindle (hence the name). Folklore says the central stalk continually bends to follow (or genuflect) the moon's path through the heavens. Also called supplicant-of-Selūne, favored by faithful of the moon goddess.
moonfleet
Large white blooms, dark-dappled and with deep crimson rays. Bloom most heavily at night, in forest glens where the moon shines brightest ("there in darkened forest lee, a proud and shining moon-fleet, so fair and rare to see"). Claimed by the faith of Selūne.
bell-of-nine
Adult blooms do indeed have nine downward-pointing bell-flowers around a central stem; sky-blue coloration; all nine are in varying states of openness at any given time. Ancient superstition says this is in imitation of the phases of the moon, leading followers of Selūne to ascribe it as holy to their faith.
rothé-bloom
A moor flower, grows most often amid the droppings of rothé, hence the name. Folk of the High Moor often sew a pouch of herbs and flowers including rothé-bloom into the mouth of the deceased before burial, in the belief that such action hinders their raising as undead. When dried and burned in a fire alongside the dried dung patties they give off a subtle sweet fragrance, almost like that of the honeysuckle.
(excerpted from Bracegelt's The Annals of Celedrom and Histories of The Twiforked War)
"And Wreakful Selūne said to supplicated Araskloon, 'go forth and gather unto me every beam of moonlight, every pale shaft and silvery gleam that falls across the land this night. For if you bring these to me before the rising dawn I shall forge for your lords enough swords and arrows and sharp-tipped lances to arm a host the likes of which has never whelmed in all Faerūn; and I shall craft each of them keenly enough to pierce even the most obdurate devil's hide.'"
"Darkness, despair, I defy thee! Moonlight, mirthfulment, I go by thee!"
(Common Selūnite abjuration, accompanied by a crossing of the thumbs and a steepling of the fingers to form a full orb; as effective as a holy symbol in turning the least of undead, or may offer a +1 to perception or [if uttered beforehand] morale checks in darkened situations)
(excerpted from The Tenth Book of The Moon and The Lay of Lorusklorn)
"....and Selūne plucked from the many-linked necklace about her alabaster shoulders twelve round shining disks, which she then cast down to Faerūn, into the uplifted hands of her twelve most steadfast mortal servants....Twelve great enchanted targes, with names such as Cold-Bright, Shining-Mirror, Round-Glory, Silver-O'er-The-Tide and Long-Eye."
Aspects of the Goddess (other than Bright Nydra and She Who Guides)
"It can safely be said that as the moon changes, so does the nature of the moon goddess" (Faiths and Avatars, p.135)
Selūne the Archer (patron of bowmen and hunters and those who seek vengeance for loved ones)
Selūne the Great Portender (favored of diviners and seers and those who read the stars seeking knowledge of the future and the past)
Palisaded Selūne (The Argent Shield, The Defender Against The Darkness)
Selūne Shining-White (in her full battle panoply and lawful fury, gleaming of silver and mithril; crusader against evil and darkness)
Selūne Silver-Horned (The Lady of Wild Freedom and Were-Creatures)
Selūne Starry-Eyed (the great lover of sailors and sea-venturers; manifests as a silent, phantom maiden above the waves, eyes bright in the darkness, pointing to favorable winds or shelter and succor)
She Who Shines Above the Waters (archaic name for that aspect of the goddess now known as Selūne Starry-Eyed)
She Who Strings the Stones of Coral and Moon (elder aspect of the goddess, sometimes said to be a separate deity worshipped by a people older than the Netherese; ancient reference to coral and moonstone being "the blood and the flesh" of Selūne, and tying in to her influence over the tides of Umberlee; also patron of witches and spell-singers and female workers-of-Art)
The Moons of Selūne
There are many names, in many places and many religions, for the monthly moons; listed below are those common to the priesthood of Selūne, which are also widely used by the folk of the Heartlands for who better to know what a moon would be called than one who speaks to (and for) it?
Hammer (Many-Snow Moon, The Unicorn-Horn Moon)
Alturiak (Thinbone Moon, The Rothé Moon)
Ches (Harpy Moon, Storm-Haggard Moon)
Tarsakh (The Sodden Moon, The Moon of Many Rains)
Mirtul (Merry Moon, Merchant's Moon)
Kythorn (Maiden's Moon, The Banshee Moon)
Flamerule (The Tarry-Long Moon, Red-Robed Moon)
Eleasias (Brighteyes Moon)
Eleint (Harvest Moon, Manyhands Moon, The Great Mead Moon)
Marpenoth (The Scrivening Moon, The Moon of Seven Sheaves)
Uktar (The Moon of Red Blooming [Uktar, when most battles are fought], The Weeping Moon [Uktar, when the Tears shine brightest]; The Moon of Omens, important to those blind seers who read the future writ large upon the face of the moon)
Nightal (Great Silver, The Cold and Silent Moon)
Every four years on the night of Shieldmeet the moon always comes forth in full bloom and majestic splendor; this is the Shieldmeet Moon, known as The Targe, The Great Meeting Moon, and The Heralds Moon. It is said that this springs from the first-ever Shieldmeet, when the sisters Selūne and Shar sat in the great hall of the Cynosure and made agreement to share the night sky between them.
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 01:19:13
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Random Notes on Selūnite Lore and Mythology
<BIG SNIP>
Just wow, Jason. Amazing! Can I steal this for my FR collection?
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 01:23:11
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
The Grim Maid of Battlebur
Mélusandra the Grim, descended from the mighty Illuskan warlord, Tolandor the Twice-Buried King. Ably (and in bloody sequence, leading to her popular title) defended not only the walled tor of Battlebur but all the claimed Battluth lands between the streams of Onistrael and Taimertan (those Dessarin tributaries the elves call the Little Feet and the Laughing Runner) from repeated goblinoid incursions. Her realm was finally overrun and pillaged by the endless numbers of the Orc Marches. Her blade Flaenrūl (Uthlaur, The Red Sword, a broadsword +4, defender) was lost to recorded history until it reappeared in the hands of the mercenary captain "Black" Logan during the First Trollwar.
{br]
Hehe.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 02:14:42
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Just wow, Jason. Amazing! Can I steal this for my FR collection?
Thank you George. And yes, you always have free reign to do whatsoe'er you wish with these entries....
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Hehe.
....But I must need warn you to have a care sirrah, the Grim Maid cares not for your tittering.
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 04:13:46
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by AJA
The Grim Maid of Battlebur
Mélusandra the Grim, descended from the mighty Illuskan warlord, Tolandor the Twice-Buried King. Ably (and in bloody sequence, leading to her popular title) defended not only the walled tor of Battlebur but all the claimed Battluth lands between the streams of Onistrael and Taimertan (those Dessarin tributaries the elves call the Little Feet and the Laughing Runner) from repeated goblinoid incursions. Her realm was finally overrun and pillaged by the endless numbers of the Orc Marches. Her blade Flaenrūl (Uthlaur, The Red Sword, a broadsword +4, defender) was lost to recorded history until it reappeared in the hands of the mercenary captain "Black" Logan during the First Trollwar.
{br]
Hehe.
-- George Krashos
Looking at this again, Illuskans running around at the time of the Orc Marches puts them in at -100 DR or so. A bit early when compared to the sources ...
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 13:00:06
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If it makes any difference, I had "Illuskan" as general reference to the race, and not in specific as a resident of the once and future city of Illusk. And that was in mention of Tolandor, who lived an (undefined) age before Mélusandra. No telling what mixed bloodlines she and her people had in them by the -100s. But if there's something you think would fit better given the time and area (displaced Low Netherese?) I'd be interested in your thoughts.
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 21:18:27
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
If it makes any difference, I had "Illuskan" as general reference to the race, and not in specific as a resident of the once and future city of Illusk. And that was in mention of Tolandor, who lived an (undefined) age before Mélusandra. No telling what mixed bloodlines she and her people had in them by the -100s. But if there's something you think would fit better given the time and area (displaced Low Netherese?) I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Displaced Netherese might work better. I'll have a look at my Illusk stuff and get back to you.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 31 Oct 2019 : 23:09:30
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Greyknife (NE ½OM War2/T4)
A street thug and blade-for-hire in the lower reaches of South Ward. He bears a constant sneer and greasy hair pulled back into a ponytail, and says little. Although he prefers to go about his "work" alone, for particularly difficult jobs he can call on three fellow miscreants: Ogo and Joss, the "Brothers Grimmar"; and the diminutive half-elven sneak-thief Cerrin (NE ½EM T3).
The Grim Maid of Battlebur
Mélusandra the Grim, descended from the mighty Illuskan warlord, Tolandor the Twice-Buried King. Ably (and in bloody sequence, leading to her popular title) defended not only the walled tor of Battlebur but all the claimed Battluth lands between the streams of Onistrael and Taimertan (those Dessarin tributaries the elves call the Little Feet and the Laughing Runner) from repeated goblinoid incursions. Her realm was finally overrun and pillaged by the endless numbers of the Orc Marches. Her blade Flaenrūl (Uthlaur, The Red Sword, a broadsword +4, defender) was lost to recorded history until it reappeared in the hands of the mercenary captain "Black" Logan during the First Trollwar.
Grimwald the Grevious
One of the Lucubrators (the Night-Masters) of the Watchful Order. Yellowed hair, watery blue eyes, an enormous stomach and a pugnacious temperament. Earned coin as a sellstave for a time; was beaten so viciously one night by his fellow mercenaries over a gambling dispute that he was left blind in his right eye and lame in his left leg. The eye he had coin to cure; the leg remains hobbled to this day. Difficult and unlikable to those seeking nocturnal access to the Tower, but many of his fellows in the Order play on his love of gambling and strategy games (and Amnian mluirmeir [loo-WEIR-meer] wine) to make friends and gain favors from him.
Gryvjar the Ocilite
The mystagogue of a minor beholder beast-cult. Short and stout, balding of hair. Florid face, large, animated hands, bushy muttonchops and moustache. Masqueraded as a simple Trades Ward merchant. Proprietor of the Sign of the Shining Cup, a popular butcher-and-breads store where many of the cult's victims ended up as meats-of-the-day. A small-spells mageling, fought well with a dagger. Slain by the half-elven swordsman Gaeban Redharphin in 1358DR.
Gulfannar Strongsword (CN HM Bar)
Uthgardt barbarian of the Elk Tribe. Earned coin as sellsword and bullyblade. Exiled from the city after a brawl in the Hawkwinter villa which saw Gulfannar take down the centerpiece of the Hall of Clouds, the great Rhulzaunath Light (a chandelier of over 13,000 blue euclase prisms, 105 tiny magelights and two bound-and-spell-ensnared will-o-wisps), while attempting to swing from it.
Love the imagery of Rhulzaunath Light
. especially that it has a pair of bound will-o-wisps in it. I can just picture the rainbow colors coming off it like an even more kaleidoscopic disco ball.
A beholder beast cultist that sells humanoid meat cooked into his pastries.... love it. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2019 : 05:10:37
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by AJA
The Grim Maid of Battlebur
Mélusandra the Grim, descended from the mighty Illuskan warlord, Tolandor the Twice-Buried King. Ably (and in bloody sequence, leading to her popular title) defended not only the walled tor of Battlebur but all the claimed Battluth lands between the streams of Onistrael and Taimertan (those Dessarin tributaries the elves call the Little Feet and the Laughing Runner) from repeated goblinoid incursions. Her realm was finally overrun and pillaged by the endless numbers of the Orc Marches. Her blade Flaenrūl (Uthlaur, The Red Sword, a broadsword +4, defender) was lost to recorded history until it reappeared in the hands of the mercenary captain "Black" Logan during the First Trollwar.
{br]
Hehe.
-- George Krashos
Looking at this again, Illuskans running around at the time of the Orc Marches puts them in at -100 DR or so. A bit early when compared to the sources ...
-- George Krashos
Oh, and btw, where on the Dessarin would Battluth be found?
George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2019 : 13:43:19
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quote:
Originall posted by George Krashos
Oh, and btw, where on the Dessarin would Battluth be found?
Between the streams of the Onistrael and the Taimertan, obviously. 
These entries (The Grim Maid and the earlier Tolandor the Twice-Buried King) were originally made in service of fleshing out the ownership history (as I see it) of The Red Sword and it is only the reference to the "Orc Marches" that keeps them from being anywhere in the nebulous "long ago." The same goes for geographical placement, which was just sort of handwaved as well.
The reference points given are 1) along the Dessarin (presumably on one bank and not across both) and 2) somewhere overrun by the Orc Marches, which I believe rules out the southern Dessarin valley. I'd like to say that present-day Yartar sits atop the ruins of Battlebur, but that would mean the Surbrin and not the Dessarin. Maybe that's where the survivors re-settled after they were overrun.
Other than that I'd have to dig through AGHotR to find official word on where human settlements would-and-wouldn't-be appropriate in the North at that time, which I'm fine leaving up to you if you're at all interested. The only other thing I can offer is that I don't imagine Battluth/The Battluth Lands as being very big in scope; a walled tor around which are farmsteads clustered for protection; more "holding" than "realm," only surviving in the face of goblinoid attacks through the strength of the ruler's sword-arm.
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AJA
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 03 Nov 2019 : 00:32:41
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Glim-spinner
Wizards using illusions to provide animated "you are there" scenes of important battles and events to audiences at feasts and formal gatherings (with forewarning, to avoid upset or violence), or the illusions of spell effects at dramatic moments in a play. Visual enchantments as opposed to the more subtle sense-changing work of the tale-spell. (Note: Description based on A 10/18/04 Posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. See also: Agastra One-Eyed, Deventer, Starlingspell, Tessabra Dlarst)
Glimnegg Fimbulhammer
Gnomish mercenary and sellsword. Dark, deep-set eyes. Curly grey hair on head and heavy jowls. Enjoys loudy cracking his hairy knuckles. Mostly garrulous and amiable, but pugnacious and intractable when in drink or in argument. Has a great knowledge of military mining and sapping maneuvers. Fights with warhammer and crossbow. Often found in Virgin's Square and Caravan Court atop his steed, "Brightshine Billy," a large horned goat liberally decked out in tin and silver barding and accoutrements (it should be noted that he has a standing ban from the Dripping Dagger for repeatedly trying to enter the taproom while a-mount).
The Glittering Staves
Local adventuring fellowship, comprised mostly of disaffected young mage apprentices. Led by the charismatic, spell-scarred invoker Aglashandra. Claimed temporary triumph and fame in the city in late 1360DR, after risking the uppermost levels of the dwarven Thommerlask, "in that ancient hall where swirls the fiends of rust and grave-mold," and returning with much gold and several magic items. Said to have later met their doom in running battle against the scaly-folk along the reedy banks of the Tanaglim (the Bright Runner of the elves), the clear stream which empties into the southern reaches of the Lizard Marsh and, twice a day during the high tides, is lost into the shallows there.
Gloddar Hammerfist
Foremastman (first mate) of the Mistress of the Morning, the flagship of the Ulbrinter merchant fleet. Ruddy-faced, big chin, cheeks and lips fallen in upon toothless gums. Can still roar out orders, however slurred.
Glordyn Arnslance (LN HM Aris2/F8)
The Baldurian envoy (ambassador) to the Lord's Alliance. Stout of build, thick-bellied, deceptively strong. Has a rather haughty, sneering demeanor. Strongly believes that his city-state is the equal of Waterdeep, and that the City of Splendors has assumed too much power within the Alliance. He enjoys hunting with Smokingstaff, a massive brass-and-everbright-steel Gond Gunne (and he proudly displays it also, despite city ordinances barring such weapons).
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The Glittering Gauntlet of Glory [ Source: Ed Greenwood's Spin-A-Yarn 2002: Ladies Night at the Yawning Portal. Name/Description given ]
Lady Glunder [ Source: A 03/18/06 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given ]
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AJA
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Edited by - AJA on 03 Nov 2019 00:44:32 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 03 Nov 2019 : 16:50:48
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Glimnegg Fimbulhammer
Gnomish mercenary and sellsword. Dark, deep-set eyes. Curly grey hair on head and heavy jowls. Enjoys loudy cracking his hairy knuckles. Mostly garrulous and amiable, but pugnacious and intractable when in drink or in argument. Has a great knowledge of military mining and sapping maneuvers. Fights with warhammer and crossbow. Often found in Virgin's Square and Caravan Court atop his steed, "Brightshine Billy," a large horned goat liberally decked out in tin and silver barding and accoutrements (it should be noted that he has a standing ban from the Dripping Dagger for repeatedly trying to enter the taproom while a-mount).
Brightshine Billy, is an ibixian "lyncanthrope" similar to how the Lythari elves are considered "lyncanthropes". Rare amongst even his own people, his bloodline possesses the ability to shapechange into goats (some people relate this to some hengeyokai blood from an ancient ancestor who is said to have been a "goat" hengeyokai from the ancient kingdom of Raumathar who fell in love with an Ibixian princess while trapped by a curse in his hybrid form.... others say that it was simply a fey in the form of a Satyr and that the fey blood changed them to promote shapechanging). Thus, in his goat form, he does not attract much worry from those around him, and oftentimes he can infiltrate areas and listen in on conversations that others would be wary to have around an intelligent creature.
As a result, Glimnegg Fimbulhammer and Brightshine Billy make an excellent pair for spying on the doings of folks within Waterdeep, especially since Glimbnegg has a ring of minimal scrutiny which makes people simply forget that he is there and allows him to use suggestion several times per day to discourage those who are apt to take notice of them. Few are the individuals who know the truth of Billy, who possesses a hat of disguise (which he wears even in goat form, appearing as his tin barding), and when he travels in humanoid form does so often in the form of a minotaur, satyr, or elf. The two are believed to specifically works as spies for the Lords of Waterdeep and have been seen to share yam and carrot fried pies on the docks with another "old goat" believed to be a shapechanged Elminster. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2019 : 01:22:12
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
As a result, Glimnegg Fimbulhammer and Brightshine Billy make an excellent pair for spying on the doings of folks within Waterdeep
I had to look up what an ibixian was. I approve, if only for the dig at Elminster. They would also seem a good fit for Force Grey.
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AJA
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2019 : 01:28:14
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Nathlue of Spindle Street (LG HM Div)
A gossipy Waterdhavian mage who maintains a farspeaking service with the similarly-inclined mages Sheldendar "Longshanks" of Luskan and Tuljack "Twoflasks" Lhaeroun of Mintarn. Regularly meets, and confers with, with Old Mother Aggie (Agathlūndra; an aged, peripatetic priestess of Eldath), always in the predictable presence of the alley-cats Jorsh and Jūne, on the boundaries of Fetlock Court. Handsome-faced, somewhat overweight. Loves cats of all kinds and colors, and his Castle Ward domicile is overrun with them (including Afelos, his calico familiar).
Nathmeira Raulencloak
Author of Fifty Years Anon: A Life in the Elf-Lands (1073DR). "Where many a fey knight, glittering, bright with gold, proud, shone in his armor; he looked upon treasure, on silver, on jewelery, on wealth, on this bright stronghold of the elder kingdom."
Nelessrar Shining-Shell
The Great Turtle of the South, whose gnashing beak could devour islands whole and whose rigid back was mailed like bright mithril plate and banded in beljuril and amarantha. Slain by Torm the True, who had Gond the Greatsmith forge Nelessrar's mirror-bright shell as his war-shield, and who placed broth simmered from the beast's flesh in a great tureen and gifted it to the mighty Haryd the Marching King (The Trod of Steel and Terrible Swift Sentence) of the Kingdom of Man, who later used it to bathe the corpse of his lover Embrethorn, laid low by ogres near Elkantor, the powers of which later resurrected him in the form of something not undead but not quite man.
Nentawr
There were (and mostly still are) an almost numberless legion of stars in the night sky, and the ancient Talfir, carrying on from those who came before them, had names for every single one of them. In a later age many societies and faiths attributed (or had revealed to them) these names as servitors and celestial messengers of various deities. One of these that has survived into present-day is the Quoft (Amender) of Deneir, the monavic deva Nentawr (Nen-TAUR), which the Talfir knew as Nentabula (Nen-TAH-byoo-lah), The Star of Water and Owls.
Alabaster skin (heavily marked with runes of unknown origin about the wrists and throat), great white beard (braided and forked, beaded with topaz and iolite), and impossible silver-violet eyes. Wears breastplate of rough tome-wood (birch) over flowing golden robes. Youthful face, somber gaze and smile. Has the soft hands and thin fingers of a scribe, and the thick, corded wrists of a warrior. As are all Amenders, Nentawr is tasked with the tireless pursuit and doom of all those upon Faerûn who destroy, hide or distort knowledge.
Neruudan (LE HM T8)
An agent of Luskan. Often poses as a purveyor of gemstones. Once tried to set up a smuggling ring in the city by gaining control of the upper levels of the sewers, but was uncovered and banished from Waterdeep. Returned as the Luskar envoy (ambassador) to the city in Uktar of 1369DR, but was banished for a second time after he harbored the infamous Scourge of the Sword Coast, the Thelark, from the Lords' agents. [ Source: FR1 Waterdeep and the North, p.60. Name/Former Occupation given. Additional detail by me. ]
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Edited by - AJA on 17 Jul 2022 01:30:38 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2019 : 15:22:25
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
As a result, Glimnegg Fimbulhammer and Brightshine Billy make an excellent pair for spying on the doings of folks within Waterdeep
I had to look up what an ibixian was. I approve, if only for the dig at Elminster. They would also seem a good fit for Force Grey.
Thank you. I had a lot of fun writing that one up (and yes, I couldn't help adding Elminster in). Your description of the character helped a lot drawing imagery.
After thinking about that, I do like the idea of shapechanging ibixians that shapechange into regular goats. I'm thinking it might be interesting if there were similar "lyncanthropes" amongst the minotaur/shatjan/hybsil/yikaria, etc.. populations that change into rothe, buffalo, bulls, yak, deer, elk, caribou, etc... So many shapechangers have a base form that is essentially very human-like (even if its an elf, hengeyokai, or some non-descript being like a doppelganger). Similar ideas with other races (gnolls that turn into hyenas/jackals, bainligor that turn into regular or giant bats, tabaxi that turn into jaguars, rakasta that become tigers, etc...) might also be an interesting "rarity" amongst those races. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2019 : 17:24:50
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Nelessrar Shining-Shell
The Great Turtle of the South, whose gnashing beak could devour islands whole and whose rigid back was mailed like bright mithril plate and banded in beljuril and amarantha. Slain by Torm the True, who had Gond the Greatsmith forge Nelessrar's mirror-bright shell as his war-shield, and who placed broth simmered from the beast's flesh in a great tureen and gifted it to the mighty Haryd the Marching King (The Trod of Steel and Terrible Swift Sentence) of the Kingdom of Man, who later used it to bathe the corpse of his lover Embrethorn, laid low by ogres near Elkantor, the powers of which later resurrected him in the form of something not undead but not quite man.
I knew the reference was coming, but I didn't expect to see it here. Creates a whole new dimension for Haryd II.
Nicely done!
PS I think I've seen it before, but I'm blanking ... Elkantor? |
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http://www.ericlboyd.com/dnd/ |
Edited by - ericlboyd on 12 Nov 2019 17:27:29 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 12 Nov 2019 : 19:22:16
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quote:
Originally posted by AJA
Nathlue of Spindle Street (LG HM Div)
A gossipy Waterdhavian mage who maintains a farspeaking service with the mages Sheldendar "Longshanks" of Luskan and Tuljack "Twoflasks" Lhaeroun of Mintarn. Handsome-faced, somewhat overweight. Loves cats of all kinds and colors, and his Castle Ward domicile is overrun with them (including Afelos, his calico familiar).
Nelessrar Shining-Shell
The Great Turtle of the South, whose gnashing beak could devour islands whole and whose rigid back was mailed like bright mithril plate and banded in beljuril and amarantha. Slain by Torm the True, who had Gond the Greatsmith forge Nelessrar's mirror-bright shell as his war-shield, and who placed broth simmered from the beast's flesh in a great tureen and gifted it to the mighty Haryd the Marching King (The Trod of Steel and Terrible Swift Sentence) of the Kingdom of Man, who later used it to bathe the corpse of his lover Embrethorn, laid low by ogres near Elkantor, the powers of which later resurrected him in the form of something not undead but not quite man.
Unbeknownst to many, Nathlue the diviner is actually a Paka posing as a human who uses his cats as his personal spy team.
http://www.mojobob.com/roleplay/monstrousmanual/p/paka.html
Nathlue, unlike others of his race, is notoriously good, but this is due to his exposure to a helm of opposite alignment by a paladin of Nobanion who helped the young Nathlue escape the bounds of Ravenloft. This paladin also helped him join the watchful order of magists and protectors, and he has cheerfully aided the churches of Nobanion, Sharess, and Lurue ever since. Most inhabitants of Waterdeep assume him to be just another normal human, and do not think twice about a cat in the background, especially when it moves on and another cat moves in somewhere else nearby to listen in on their conversations.
Oh, and I love the turtle and the fact that its giant shell was turned into a shield. I know there has to be something more to the king Haryd tie in, but I'm not up to date on that stuff Eric's been working on.
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2019 : 18:03:35
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I know there has to be something more to the king Haryd tie in, but I'm not up to date on that stuff Eric's been working on
No, that was it. "Haryd" was originally "Ambelath," but since is no such name in the Kingdom of Man dynasties, I figured I would take opportunity to ask for something more official.
quote:
Originally posted by ericlboyd
PS I think I've seen it before, but I'm blanking ... Elkantor?
I had just changed that name as well, so I can tell you exactly where I got it from; starting with "Elk" as a prefix and taking "antorn" from the name (Lyrannus) Tantorn of Bury Elminster Deep....and then dropped the "n" to "Elkantor."
quote:
Originally posted by Marlstag's 'Road-Farings'
Elkhorn Tor (Elkantor), on whose wooded slopes was once a favored hunting grounds for nobles of Delimbyran
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AJA
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2019 : 18:08:04
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Twelve Random Entries Extracted From Marlstag's 'Road-Farings': A Gazetteer of the Lesser-Known North
"When you don't have any money to go on holiday, you must make do by using your imagination" (Achille-Claude Debussy)
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"The Echoes of Distant Singing" (The River Delimbyr, said to carry in its euphonious waters all the conversations of man and beast overheard all-along the way from crystal headwaters high in the Nethers to turbid mouth exiting along the Lizard Marshes)
"The Old Man of the Waters" (The River Dessarin, cold and deep, slumbering in its dotage, raging and furious when aroused)
Mreskatha (The Lucent Lady; The Bed of Läsunril to the elves)
A pure, limpid lake nestled in the wooded flatlands north-west of the Star Mounts, in whose sparkling depths it is said that, once peered into, brings to the surface all things once remembered, forgotten no more. There is a great willow-tree here, whose roots grip the ferny banks like the claws of an elder wyrm and whose overhanging catkins strumm the still surface like idle fingers across a harp; it is held sacred to Labelas Enoreth and is called Läsunril's Lasting Rest by the elves, named for the titular master bard of an age ago. Followers of Savras make pilgrimage here, to gather water used to aid in their weirds; faithful of Sune travel here as well, for they believe these depths to be a spring of the Evergold, manifested into the mortal realm. They bring mirrors and polished devices of silver or bronze and leave them on the banks as offerings. The adherents of The All-Seeing occasionally take these to craft and enchant into puissant items of divination; that they face no retribution from the Firehaired for doing so seems to indicate some sort of pact or divine cooperation between the deific powers.
Wood-Smoke
Rural Dessarin hamlet, located roughly halfway between Waterdeep and the Goldenfields. Consists solely of Oddlance All-Goods shop; a way-inn whose sign is the Roaring Hearth; Wolfurge's smithy; the Buck Pond; two "manyhands" (cooperative) farms Greysmoke and Odd Green with their attendant cottages; and the farmstead of Little Greysmoke nestled further away towards the stand of elm and aspen known locally as the Greywood. The crofters here are all tenants of the Rosznar noble family of Waterdeep; six Rosznar armsmen are stationed here, ostensibly to protect against monstrous invasion but in truth to make sure rents are collected and to ride hard to warn the city Guard in the event of real danger.
North Tower Trace
An ancient northern way-road of the Kingdom of Man, now little more than a footpath. Wends from the hamlet of Wood-Smoke in a general northernly direction towards the Goldenfields. The watch-tower for which it is named, now a low ruin used mainly by shepherds tending their flocks, was ordered built by the warlord Raurlor an age ago. South Tower Trace, which once followed southwards through the Dessarin valley towards the City of Splendors, disappeared some hundred winters ago, tower and all, one stormy summer night; locals are somewhat sure it once wended westward between the gnarled rises of Lass-Lorn Hill and the better-known Weatherworn Hill, but no one can really recall.
Selūne's Thighs
Coastal race along the Sea of Swords, south of Neverwinter. The waters here are treacherous with rocks and sudden depth changes, but at night the true center of the race is inhabited by floating multitudes of a certain jellyfish whose faint luminescence shows sharp-eyed captains the way through (such succor and visual display therefore conjuring ribald bardic description of "the moon-dewed thighs of the goddess").
Sack-Of-Gold
Farming hamlet in the southern Dessarin vale, astride the Red Rill south of the falls of Wyvele's Bells. Named for the literal sack of gold the adventurer Durthay set down to buy the three farms and the millworks that now comprise the village center; his other six sacks are invariably rumored to have been buried somewhere nearby and are the frequent target of intrepid treasure-hunters and marauding adventurers. Durthay's descendants long ago moved to the City of Splendors to enjoy the comfort and excitement of city life (the middling merchant house of Goldsacks, still regarded as uncouth bumpkins by Waterdhavian society); the manor-hold that Durthay built is now a cursed and crumbled ruin long fallen into an induced state of desuetude.
The Red Rill (Eglandyr's Run)
Named for the reddish clay prevalent along its banks although, as with most waterways in the North, may as well refer to the endless amount of orc and man blood spilled into its waters over the centuries. Eglandyr was an elf who fished from the banks an age ago; today only his kin and a few local druids remember his name.
Wyvele's Bells
Plunge-pool (staired) falls on the Red Rill, just north of the hamlet of Sack-of-Gold. Named for the two rounded, hardrock hillocks on the precipice above and the similarly-rounded druidess who used to bathe, happily humming, in the pool below. Local youths often come here to exchange vows of love and troth; so too do a number of red deer and their erstwhile shepherd, the korred druid Aradan the Honeyed (who sometimes sees fit to wed the youths he comes across and sometimes sees fit to add them to his favored flock).
The Blue House
Eldathyn temple in the southern Ardeep. Takes its name from the cerulean gauntlet of blueleaf trees that surround the perimiter and a similarly-framed entry gate, bent and intertwined to grow into a dark, arching tunnel. This leafy passage is not long, perhaps an easy bowshot, but traversing it seems to take longer than it should. The sounds of the outside do not carry into the still, cool passageway. The "House" itself is not made of conventional timber and stone block but rather a number of low, interlinked pavilions perched over a series of spring-fed pools, enclosed with gauzy, shimmering curtains that keep in the heat during even the coldest northern winters and whose open, central hearths burn with blue flame and smell of vivid summery scents. Head of the House is the Enlightened Mother Gulfaera "The Frost-Spangled" (steady brown eyes, short, curly silver-shot hair. Small stature, looks younger than her years. Never without her walking stick, a well-worn silver-topped length of shadowtop which belonged to her father Roedeskant, one of the most well-known magisters of Waterdeep).
Esdal Mirk
Willow-hung fens, fed by three hill streams and at least one native spring. Origin of the River Esdal, which runs out of the Forlorn Hills to join the Delimbyr some ways south-west of Secomber. Good for wort and cress and long water-grass for weaving, treacherous with deep pools and loose hillock and what locals call "boggy jeskers" (giant frogs).
Rathglimmer Hill
"The Doom of the House of Esk," "The Hill That Hungers (For Man and Beast Alike)" A dark, weathered tor of foul provenance and evil intent in the Forlorn Hills east of the former Harpshield Lands. Not even the resident hill giants and ettins dare tarry here overlong once the sun starts to set. The steep, treacherous eastward side is commonly called Catsclaw Crag (where the dwarves of Dardath claimed to have battled an avatar of the beast-lord Malar, and the long, deep marks of fiendish feline claws in the stony slopes here are still seen to this day), while the western and southern flanks are gentler, but are the origin of both the hill's foul epithets and the following well-known bard's tale;
"In the gathering gloom
Hard on the tor of Rathglimmer Hill
There did the train of Lord and Lady Esk tarry
There did they see their fate
And there did they meet their doom
In the gathering gloom
Under the tor of Rathglimmer Hill
Twelve in-all, men and maid
Horse and hound, horn and harp
Swallowed into the dark soil
And still lie restless in their tomb"
The Drums at Dusk
High on the only traversible path up Mount Sar lies a deep ravine. The very stone of the mountain here begins to creak and crackle at sundown, like the easing of stone after a hard freeze, the quickening beat crescendoing into what is best described as the sound of titanic war drums being sounded. The reason for this strange phenomena remains unclear. Giants of several types regard these rolling booms as signs from their gods, and often make pilgrimage in number to listen in wonder. Ogres come here as well to pound their taut human-skinned war drums in rhythym, but they are slaughtered by any giants who come across them.
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Edited by - AJA on 19 Nov 2019 22:57:29 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 14 Nov 2019 : 19:44:50
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I like Mreskath's particular linking of the two gods via items used to view oneself that are also often used for farseeing. That's a neat twist. It might be interesting if the mirrors are turned into something like what was in Harry Potter... the mirror of Erised that "divines your heart's desire".... but maybe some of them allows someone to view someone ELSE's hearts desire that previously looked into the mirror with a command word, etc... in this way it matches both a diviner and desire.
For South Tower Trace the first thoughts that pop in my head are that it was either destroyed totally or that it was moved between planes. But what if it were something else, like it was actually something akin to a Daern's Instant Fortress and it was taken away... or it was magically shrunk and its still on the spot.
Selune's Thighs.... love the jellyfish... imagery in action. If only there were an egg that they activate.... which given the stuff about Sar below... could this have a "link" underground via the coastline that connects to mount sar? Could this joking link be a literal manifestation?
Rathglimmer hill sounds like a particularly nasty elemental "hidden in plain sight".
The Drums at Dusk.... would be interesting if that's the heartbeat of a primordial child born of Annam (or some other giantish power) still in its womb (after all, Othea "was a mountain")
the ogres being slain might even be linked back to Othea cheating with Vaprak. Maybe Mount Sar is a leftover manifestation of Othea... or her sister.. or some other similar thing. Given that Mount Sar is home to stone giants and Sylphs (stone and sky) perhaps this "primordial" could be some kind of manifestation of earth and air. Since the former inhabitants of Mount Sar were some particularly powerful Fomorians AND the mountain seems to attract or encourage "madness"..... perhaps even linking this mountain to Karontor would be interesting (as in there may be an unborn child of Karontor
unblemished by his father's transformation to ugliness possibly). The moon goddess Cegilune could also be interesting here given the above idea about "Selune's Thighs".
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Edited by - sleyvas on 14 Nov 2019 19:59:40 |
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2019 : 22:57:02
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
Rathglimmer hill sounds like a particularly nasty elemental "hidden in plain sight"
would be interesting if that's the heartbeat of a primordial child born of Annam (or some other giantish power) still in its womb (after all, Othea "was a mountain")
the ogres being slain might even be linked back to Othea cheating with Vaprak
Again, for a lot of the entries what I post is all I have on the subject, but for Rathglimmer Hill I had thought a form of zombie fog (from the Ravenloft setting), bound to the catacombs under the hill and only active starting at dusk. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on an elemental instead, and why it would be localized to this particular area?
Also, I like your ideas on Mount Sar. I really like the imagery of a heartbeat and a nascent "primordial" child (though I mean that in a more ancient elemental/giantish sense rather than the 4E Dawn Titan). My "view" (thoughts) on the Realms tend to come through a human/demi-kind viewpoint, so I appreciate the ideas on a giantish history/mythological perspective. Helps to expand my own horizons.
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Also, a couple errata from earlier posts;
First, in response to a PM about [ THE ALWAYS-ORC ROOM ] (under the Irlthornra the Gorgon-Head entry, 26 Jul 2019):
There is always an orc in this room. The orc always attacks; the orc is always attacked. The adventurer Ostmar theorized, in his 1361DR Musings, that if one were to actually converse with the orc instead of assailing it, that all the secrets of the Blue Alley would be unravelled, including methods of mastery over the various ingress and egress points within[1].
[1] Elminster's Notes: "Ostmar is to the sword as Volo is to the pen[2]. He has, by his own admission, slain or been among the slayers of the orc here no less than seven times. If ye ask me, 'twould be best to take his "Mumblings" with something stouter than the customary pinch of table-salt."
[2] (A bumbling fool, whose seeming favor of the gods is as inexplicable as any of the true Greater Mysteries of the Realms)
And second, a few additional notes on [ THE OPALESCENT BRIDGE (to the Gods) ] (under the Random Notes on Selūnite Lore and Mythology entry, 31 Oct 2019):
That elemental highway forbidden to Man, manifold and grotesque, from which flows all of the weals and woes of the world. It is only seen from Faerūn when three of the five Great Tears sing forth with that ethereal shining-white that Selūnites and the wild-men of the North call "ieiridlaur" (eerie-ED-lore, believed to derive from Auld Draconic). The Ice Hunters, native to the uttermost reaches, have long known the Bridge (which appears there as ribbons of color akin to the Northern Lights of Earth) as "The High Pillars of Smoke."
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AJA
Senior Scribe
USA
770 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2019 : 23:03:57
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Aragus (helmed horror)
Led a small caravan company, The Wheeled Banner, operating out of Waterdeep. It communicated by writing, gestures, and (with its underlings) a tapping code. Believed to have been slain in ambush by mercenaries hired by Lord Baerom Thunderstaff (whose magical menagerie the construct is whispered to have once escaped from). The leader of the assassins, the mercenary Jhalbom Blackboots, is said to have kept the riven helm of Aragus as a battle trophy.
In reality, the enchanted construct "faked" its destruction and now keeps a low profile, with saferooms it can hide out in, in both Dock and North Wards. It seems to use some sort of living "shift-magic" (actually a hargaunt) to give it various lifelike "human face" masks. While most in the city do indeed consider it to be no more, there are those, including some of the Hidden Lords, who know otherwise. [ Source: FA1 Halls of the High King and A 03/11/08 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description given. Additional detail by me. ]
Arashta
The Watcher of Intrigues, the Velvet Hammer. The "Lady Master of Intrigues" (spymaster) of House Wands. Virtually peerless within the city in her chosen profession (some could argue that The One, the Master of the Red Sashes, has command of a broader organization). Her successes have led her, at the bidding of Lord Maskar Wands, to move beyond the usual noble intrigues and merchant plottings of the city, towards an expanding web of concerns involving nearby realms (such as Orlumbor and the Moonshaes), and organizations (including the Harpers and the Arcane Brotherhood). Although she employs a number of mages and diviners in her work, she herself has no talent for such things. Instead, she has learned to focus her mind on the most minute details and mannerisms and the meanings behind them. In her youth she was a prized student of both Maskar Wands and the master mathematician Bezier.
Araskloon
The Rounded Flanks of the Moon. A great hero of Selūne. Androgynous (though most contemporary accounts use the feminine forms of description). Subject of the great painting, Selūne Shining White Upon Araskloon. Also featured prominently in Bracegelt's The Annals of Celedrom and Histories of The Twiforked War;
"And Wreakful Selūne said to supplicated Araskloon, 'go forth and gather unto me every beam of moonlight, every pale shaft and silvery gleam that falls across the land this night. For if you bring these to me before the rising dawn I shall forge for your lords enough swords and arrows and sharp-tipped lances to arm a host the likes of which has never whelmed in all Faerūn; and I shall craft each of them keenly enough to pierce even the most obdurate devil's hide.'"
After death, Araskloon was known to have been elevated to a Shard, a servitor of Selūne, and is said to still defend the goddess and Her faithful to this day.
Archer Huntergreen (NG HM Ra6/bloodhound5)
The founder and leader of Huntergreen's Hunters, a group of bountyhunters and hire-scouts located off Virgin's Square, through the first copper-plated door on Simples Street. He achieved much noteriety in his youth for the capture of Roshar the Torturer, a prominent member of the Shadow Thieves. Even today, Archer is still forced to parry the occasional assassination attempt by members of that organization bent on revenge. A gruff old warrior of few words, ready glares, and little patience for fools. He is a master of wind and scent, and knows the lie of the North like the back of his hand, and is familiar with most of the thieves, brigands, bandits and bullyblades that inhabit it. Despite his name he eschews the use of the bow, a personal quirk born of repeated exposure to the poisoned crossbow quarrels utilized by southern assassins. He charges a high price for the services of his men, but they are the best in the business, and worth every gold piece.
Ars Ardabloon (CN HM Aris)
A minor noble of House Ulbrinter (younger grandson of Iorlas, and second cousin of Nomus, patriarch of the clan). Bright, close-set eyes. Thin, hawk-like nose and bushy black moustache.
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Aquila Gerallin [ Source: FR15 Gold & Glory, p.30. Name/Description given ]
Araemra "Longtalons" (CG young female song dragon) [ Source: Dragons of Faerūn, p.35. Name/Description/Stats given ]
Araeralee Summerstar [ Source: The novels Silverfall: Stories of the Seven Sisters and City of Splendors: A Waterdeep Novel. Name/Description given ]
Arasko Minthul (CG HM [Chondathan] F5) [ Source: A 06/25/06 posting to the Candlekeep.com message boards by Ed Greenwood. Name/Description/Stats given ]
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The Five NPCs You Meet In Waterdeep
