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Erikor
Seeker
Norway
60 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Apr 2022 : 00:23:46
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I have a question about Troy Denning's The Parched Sea.
I'm a huge fan of mr. Denning's writings in the Forgotten Realms.
This book is set in 1360 DR according to https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/The_Parched_Sea?so=search
Lander's mother was a worshiper of Cyric when Lander was young. Cyric became a God during the Time of Troubles in 1358 DR, only two years earlier.
But in the book it seems like it's been a lot more than two years between Lander's adventure in Anauroch and when his parents died.
The timeline doesn't seem right to me. Am I misunderstanding something?
Mod edit: Relocated from the ethers. 
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Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 17 Apr 2022 00:30:55
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2022 : 01:15:32
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You might want to read Prince of Lies, Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, Ruins of Zhentil Keep, and FR13: The Anauroch.
TSR/Wizbro was very careful to correlate times and events back in the late-2E era, to advance the in-setting calendar at a cautious and steady pace. And to lampshade product references into each other. You could almost track the activities of prominent characters as if reading their daily journals. If anything, the adventures and stories would seem implausible just because they're too densely packed.
But sometimes oversights happened and mistakes were made. A collaboration from sometimes-too-many authors for anyone at the company to comprehensively coordinate.
An argument could be made that Cyric was a god - a greater god - and was thus capable of simultaneously manifesting multiple avatars, perspectives, consciousnesses, and interactions. He could be many places at the same time, if that helps.
Cyric inherited his godly portfolio from Myrkul, Bhaal, and Bane - but there was some blurry confusion between the faiths for a time, priests could worship one of these old dead gods or the new ascended god to gain their spells and powers. 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures described specialty priest classes for all four of these gods, priests and temples dedicated to each of these four gods could still be found after Cyric supplanted the Dead Three, his own Cyric-dedicated specialty priests were even granted a special supernatural "conversion" power which could be used to bring these diehards into his own version of the faith. People might claim (or remember) worshipping Cyric years ago, even if they actually worshipped one the predecessors of his station. They call Cyric the God of Lies (and Delusions, Insanity, Madness, etc) for good reasons. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 17 Apr 2022 01:28:16 |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
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Erikor
Seeker
Norway
60 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2022 : 01:38:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
You might want to read Prince of Lies, Crucible: The Trial of Cyric the Mad, Ruins of Zhentil Keep, and FR13: The Anauroch.
TSR/Wizbro was very careful to correlate times and events back in the late-2E era, to advance the in-setting calendar at a cautious and steady pace. And to lampshade product references into each other. You could almost track the activities of prominent characters as if reading their daily journals. If anything, the adventures and stories would seem implausible just because they're too densely packed.
But sometimes oversights happened and mistakes were made. A collaboration from sometimes-too-many authors for anyone at the company to comprehensively coordinate.
An argument could be made that Cyric was a god - a greater god - and was thus capable of simultaneously manifesting multiple avatars, perspectives, consciousnesses, and interactions. He could be many places at the same time, if that helps.
Cyric inherited his godly portfolio from Myrkul, Bhaal, and Bane - but there was some blurry confusion between the faiths for a time, priests could worship one of these old dead gods or the new ascended god to gain their spells and powers. 2E Forgotten Realms Adventures described specialty priest classes for all four of these gods, priests and temples dedicated to each of these four gods could still be found after Cyric supplanted the Dead Three, his own Cyric-dedicated specialty priests were even granted a special supernatural "conversion" power which could be used to bring these diehards into his own version of the faith. People might claim (or remember) worshipping Cyric years ago, even if they actually worshipped one the predecessors of his station. They call Cyric the God of Lies (and Delusions, Insanity, Madness, etc) for good reasons.
That's a great explanation. Thank you! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 17 Apr 2022 : 02:43:12
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Time travel. Lander's mom came back to the past to do something or other to save the future, and wound up staying.
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Athreeren
Learned Scribe
144 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2022 : 11:20:52
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It also bothered me when I read it. It seems to be an error, but I can think of a Watsonian explanation: Lander is using a translation spell to communicate with Ruha. So it could be the spell mistranslating Myrkul* to N'asr. By the end of the story, only Ruha survives, so the tale would have originally been told in the Bedine language, and a translation to Common would have translated Nas'r to Cyric by that point.
* quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
I'd just mentally substitute Bhaal.
At a different point, Lander shouts to the souls of the dead to warn them about what to expect in the afterlife; contrary to what 'Knucklebones, skull bowling, and the empty throne' claims, Bhaal never cared about the passage of life to death, only focusing on the murder aspect of his portfolio, so I think Lander's mother was more likely to be a priestess of Myrkul than Bhaal. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 18 Apr 2022 : 12:01:18
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Priests of Myrkul were generally accepting of Cyric (whom they called Cyruk). It was explained that they approved of Cyric's teachings that their god of death and decay was now dead and decaying, it was the expected natural order of things.
Priests (and assassins) of Bhaal were all destroyed when Bhaal consumed their spiritual essences to gain power during his fatal confrontation with Cyric (and Godsbane). The few survivors were those who worshipped Bhaal as a bringer of strife and violent death - these were disputed aspects of his portfolio which he'd claimed from Talos - so it seems likely most of these eventually turned away from their dead/failed intermediary god and worshipped Talos directly. Although later (3E) lore explained that many priests and temples dedicated to Bhaal's faith survived and prospered in some of the larger cities - and that they readily accepted "Cyric-Bhaal" as their new god. Becoming the new god of murder by killing the old god of murder is a good indication that you're qualified for the position.
Bane died. But his faith persisted tenaciously in some places - notably Zhentil Keep (which had a population of Baneliches) and Thay (which his avatar/son Xvim walked for many years). Priests of Bane tended to actively reject, resist, and defy the faith of Cyric "the Pretender".
Cyric (armed with Godsbane) went on a bit of a god-killing spree, claiming a variety of powers and portfolios from those he deposed (or impersonated). No doubt his faith underwent a series of rapid transformations during his prime.
Then Cyric masterminded a series of reckless and spectacular (and catastrophic) gambles which ended up killing/demoting/transforming him into an insane god of lesser stature. His faith all but vanished after Kelemvor was installed to replace him (and after it was revealed that old Jergal was somehow still managing things in the background). |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 18 Apr 2022 12:08:46 |
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Erikor
Seeker
Norway
60 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2022 : 02:48:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Athreeren
It also bothered me when I read it. It seems to be an error, but I can think of a Watsonian explanation: Lander is using a translation spell to communicate with Ruha. So it could be the spell mistranslating Myrkul* to N'asr. By the end of the story, only Ruha survives, so the tale would have originally been told in the Bedine language, and a translation to Common would have translated Nas'r to Cyric by that point.
* quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
I'd just mentally substitute Bhaal.
At a different point, Lander shouts to the souls of the dead to warn them about what to expect in the afterlife; contrary to what 'Knucklebones, skull bowling, and the empty throne' claims, Bhaal never cared about the passage of life to death, only focusing on the murder aspect of his portfolio, so I think Lander's mother was more likely to be a priestess of Myrkul than Bhaal.
That's a great theory. You guys always surprise me with your knowledge. |
Edited by - Erikor on 22 Apr 2022 02:51:21 |
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Question about "The Parched Sea"
