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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
 Posted - 03 Mar 2022 : 21:42:21
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Hi all,
Have some updated info on Susprina Arkhenneld that I forgot to post from a podcast I listened to.
From her appearance in 2e Drow of the Underdark:
Susprina Arkhenneld 16th level Mage/6th level Sorceress. Later after some planar adventures, at least 19th level mage.
Her sorcerer abilities were natural and untrained. She had some psionics, but totally untrained and what Elminster was trying to do, was tame her psionics enough so they'd stop screwing up her spellcasting.
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36798 Posts |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6662 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2022 : 09:56:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Anything about her background?
Given her surname, I'm guessing she's from Sshamath.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2022 : 20:56:40
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Hi Wooly. So the podcast is Ed Greenwood! Gabbin at Lord Peak's Haven #129: Everything About Dark Elves. The YouTube channel name is Lord Gosumba. It's the other podcast I listen to aside from Mages and Sages. I think it's mostly Greyhawk, but they've had alot of folks guest starring, such as Ed and Eric Boyd and others. :)
Nothing exactly about her background, but if you find the podcast on YouTube, the info starts at about the 2 hour 9 minute mark. I think I quoted Ed more or less verbatim, but there are a few extra tidbits. Like a novella about her for instance that was never published.
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2022 : 21:33:21
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Anything about her background?
Given her surname, I'm guessing she's from Sshamath.
-- George Krashos
I was thinking about this and one of the discussions on Mages and Sages about Maerimydra's founding where you all talked about how House Dhuurniv was tied to that city as it was the only reference to a drow city in the area and it made me wonder this:
Sshamath is a good bet given that Calimar Arkhenneld lives there, but maybe she should be from a different city. Eric's article on Llurth Dreier in Polyhedron 140 suggests Undraeth may be a viable home as well.
"For centuries, Queen Nathglaryst, a sorceress and priestess of Lolth of incredible power, has ruled this city of 12,000 drow. Nathglaryst is truly mad, and Lolth's love of chaos is fed by the crazed whims of this all-powerful queen."
I'd have to read through sources again, but I think the above quote might be the only reference to a drow sorcerer we have in 2E. Though I would note, the term seems to be used interchangeably with wizard in this era. Nathglaryst is "mad" and "crazed" reminds me of the Simbul somewhat and in 3E she was a Wizard/Sorcerer. Maybe the reason we don't see this type of combo (mage/sorcerer or priest/sorcerer) very often is due to a tendency to go insane from all the power?
I'm also assuming Nathglaryst is a first name and not a surname. Since that hasn't been detailed anywhere, it is possible Arkhenneld is the ruling house there if Susprina originates from Undraeth and had to flee due to her rising power. While Susprina isn't a priestess, the article notes: "Nathglaryst brooks no rival to her absolute rule. As a result, Lolth's clergy in Undraeth is made up only of low and mid-ranking priestesses, most of whom are direct descendants of the queen. Few of her subjects dare to ascend in power, for doing so is said to inevitably lead to serving as a sacrifice on the altar of Lolth".
I'd put forward Undraeth as source of her origin, just to extend the thread of her story to a place that hasn't been well covered such as Sshamath. On the other hand, I think Susprina was created before the Llurth Dreier article and I imagine Ed does know where she is from. So she's probably from Sshamath, maybe from Undraeth, The Lands Under Shadow area, or even a completely different drow city, like the one I theorize existing below the Spiderhaunt Woods south of the Desertmouth Mountains. :)
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36798 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2022 : 00:39:12
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| I'm sure Ed has a lot more info about Susprina, but she's been under an NDA for a long time. He once indicated that some information was soon to come out, but that never happened. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 08 Mar 2022 : 19:00:11
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For sure, it'd be kind of neat to see that novella he talked about see the light of day.
My last post was just me theorizing, the initial was all Ed. I've been lately trying to think of potential migration patterns of the drow to account for the possible drow realm under the Dales as opposed to city-states and I sometimes get over-excited. |
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New Susprina Arkhenneld Information
