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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

Back to some novels, reading In Sylvan Shadows.

True to RAS books the first quarter has some lore. Its said that when the elves arrived in Shilmista they began creating defences, which implies they were running from something. Its also implied that they gain power from the forest itself and that they could call the trees to fight for them.

One thing i have noticed is that Elbereth (terrible name steal from Middle Earth), Danica, Pikel, and Ivan are all psychopaths, and Cadderley is becoming one. They mercilessly slaughter enemies, aiming to kill every time (studies have shown that in war less than 1% of individuals aim to kill - they all exhibit psychopathic tendencies - the rest try to wound or just defend themselves. Of the 1% that aim to kill, half are true psychopaths that do it for the rush or fun, the other half do it to protect their friends). Danica, Elbereth, Ivan, and Pikel seem to be true psychopaths that enjoy murdering intelligent creatures, often going out of their way to murder others even if they are defenceless.

I was wondering if there are a higher proportion of psychopaths in Toril due to its high magical field but then i thought that the adventuring lifestyle is likely to attract psychopaths and the most psychopathic are the ones most likely to survive. This explains why adventurers are depicted as murderhobos, because they are.

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

Back to some novels, reading In Sylvan Shadows.

True to RAS books the first quarter has some lore. Its said that when the elves arrived in Shilmista they began creating defences, which implies they were running from something. Its also implied that they gain power from the forest itself and that they could call the trees to fight for them.

One thing i have noticed is that Elbereth (terrible name steal from Middle Earth), Danica, Pikel, and Ivan are all psychopaths, and Cadderley is becoming one. They mercilessly slaughter enemies, aiming to kill every time (studies have shown that in war less than 1% of individuals aim to kill - they all exhibit psychopathic tendencies - the rest try to wound or just defend themselves. Of the 1% that aim to kill, half are true psychopaths that do it for the rush or fun, the other half do it to protect their friends). Danica, Elbereth, Ivan, and Pikel seem to be true psychopaths that enjoy murdering intelligent creatures, often going out of their way to murder others even if they are defenceless.

I was wondering if there are a higher proportion of psychopaths in Toril due to its high magical field but then i thought that the adventuring lifestyle is likely to attract psychopaths and the most psychopathic are the ones most likely to survive. This explains why adventurers are depicted as murderhobos, because they are.

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Originally posted by TheIriaeban

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

Back to some novels, reading In Sylvan Shadows.

True to RAS books the first quarter has some lore. Its said that when the elves arrived in Shilmista they began creating defences, which implies they were running from something. Its also implied that they gain power from the forest itself and that they could call the trees to fight for them.

One thing i have noticed is that Elbereth (terrible name steal from Middle Earth), Danica, Pikel, and Ivan are all psychopaths, and Cadderley is becoming one. They mercilessly slaughter enemies, aiming to kill every time (studies have shown that in war less than 1% of individuals aim to kill - they all exhibit psychopathic tendencies - the rest try to wound or just defend themselves. Of the 1% that aim to kill, half are true psychopaths that do it for the rush or fun, the other half do it to protect their friends). Danica, Elbereth, Ivan, and Pikel seem to be true psychopaths that enjoy murdering intelligent creatures, often going out of their way to murder others even if they are defenceless.

I was wondering if there are a higher proportion of psychopaths in Toril due to its high magical field but then i thought that the adventuring lifestyle is likely to attract psychopaths and the most psychopathic are the ones most likely to survive. This explains why adventurers are depicted as murderhobos, because they are.

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Modern warfare doctrine (at least what I was taught 40 years ago) is to wound the enemy on the battlefield and not necessarily kill him. This is so that the enemy will have to devote resources to the evacuation and medical treatment of the wounded soldier. Given a medieval society, only the rich will get any kind of treatment because their retainers will see to that.

In the realms, combat would seem to be no quarter asked/no quarter given. In that case, every fight is to the death and considering the lack of wanting to waste your medical supplies on an enemy (in case you need them later), performing a coup de gras on a wounded enemy may actually be considered being kind.

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

Maybe dungeons and dragons unleashes our inner psycho.

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

Night Parade up next, it's off to a good start. Apparently Myrmeen was involved in the battle for Evermeet, which happened between 1345 and 1351, I'm not sure what battle it is referring to.

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

Really enjoyed the Night Parade, not quite as good as the Wyvernspur but still excellent in its own way. It was like a realms horror novel with some really disgustingly nasty monsters. The naming conventions were a little off for Calimshan, but i really enjoyed how the heroes lost completely and only managed to win in the end through luck / sacrifice.



Now onto the Night Parade itself.

Established by an enclave on the Demiplane of Nightmares.

The novel hints that the place where they lived ran out of food and there was a war (presumably a civil war) and that unleashed a lot of energy and opened portals to other worlds.

Lord Sixx has only been in charge for 10 years, yet he created a means to allow the living portal to survive (otherwise he would overload from magic).

There are mentions of dark gods of the Night Parade and at the end of the novel there is a great evil eye that appears to have been trapped within the Apparatus.

The Night Parade can't reproduce, they have to abduct children and change them.

There are only two confirmed cases of the Festival of Renewal, one 14 years ago when Myrmeen's daughter was sold to the Night Parade, and another 28 years ago when Myrmeen's sister was sold to the Night Parade.

There are hints that the Night Parade are also tempting more of their number through Pieraccinni the living portal.



So i'm thinking that a millennia ago the Netherese created an enclave on the Demiplane of Nightmares and couldnt get back. Over centuries the magic protecting them slowly failed and more of them were gradually transformed into Night Parade. I reckon they were feeding off the surviving humans in the enclave, hunting them and devouring their emotions and feelings (they seem able to taste fear and ecstasy).

Then the food ran out and the archmages among them came up with the Apparatus, trapping one of the dark gods (that remind me of that big monster in the Far Plane that transformed another group of Netherese just by walking near them) inside the mythallar (which would still have been functioning and is likely the only thing powerful enough to contain such a powerful being).

The Demiplane of Nightmares fractured and blasted many Night Parade into other worlds, including the Apparatus. This likely happened within the last 50 years.

Eventually the Night Paraders found each other and the Apparatus. I'm guessing that exposure to the Material Plane started to change them and made the energy of the Apparatus lethal to them when before it would have strengthened them. They found out how to use it to create more, slowly growing their numbers by transforming human children. 14 years ago, one of these human children became Pieraccinni the living portal. Lord Sixx slew the leader of the Night Parade and made the Gentleman's Hall to keep Pieraccinni alive. Through it Lord Sixx began attracting more Night Parade from the war torn and fractured Demiplane of Nightmares (which i think was some kind of prison for this big eye thing).

Now it would seem that some Night Parade are more human than others. I reckon the original Night Parade are the most inhuman and monstrous. Those created on Toril are at least part human and are able to operate in human society (thats why the infiltration is starting to spread now, because they have near human operatives). The issue is that it would seem the Material World gradually normalises the Nightmare people so successive generations of the Night Parade might be almost entirely human with a few cool super powers.

Who this evil eye is though remains a mystery but i reckon its an imprisoned far realm monster (might check out the Elder Evils sourcebook for ideas) that the Night Parade unwittingly released by stealing part of its essence.

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison

I've looked over the Elder Evils book and nothing suitable jumps out.

I'm sure i read about a group of Netherese that went to the Far Realm and this huge monster passed near them and instantly transformed them into horrible monsters.

In various sourcebooks i can see references to Dendar being erroneously labelled as the Mother of the Night Parade which lends some credibility to them being altered by the presence of a being of immense evil (an Elder Evil).

Does anybody know of any ancient evils (FR or Core or any other setting) where it mentions them having huge black eyes and powers to warp flesh or induce nightmares. Preferably one that has been imprisoned away for the safety of everyone. I have a vague thought that Tharizdun is known as the Elder Eye so maybe he is a good start.

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Originally posted by Gary Dallison


I was rather surprised to find myself preferring Bob Salvatore's depiction of resurrection over the common realms interpretation. I have always clung to the idea of it being a bit like the Princess Bride where someone is "mostly dead" or "all dead". Mostly dead can obviously be cured, all dead its time to rifle through their belongings.

For Bob, the distinction between Mostly Dead and All Dead seems to be a matter of timing, once they have left the Material Plane and gone to the Outer Planes there is nothing you can do to bring them back.

I'm reminded of the scene in Waterdeep, where Midnight discovers the well of souls in Kanaglym. All souls in the surrounding area appear to be drawn to it like a moth to a flame, they cannot resist it (normally, the ToT seems to have stopped it working). The greatest and strongest individuals in life can resist it for a time in death, but once they pass over they are lost to the world.

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