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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Aug 2006 : 05:12:35
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I've got about four article proposals spinning around in my head at the moment. But I'll have to wait till after GEN-CON for the pitch as I won't get a response before then.
Glad you enjoyed the article.
-- George Krashos
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"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 - 02 Aug 2006 : 03:55:35
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George, great article. I was wondering if you by chance have a larger scale map of the area on file. I understand why Dragon had to print a smaller map (and they seem to have left a few sites off it, I can't find Fortress Mal), but its so full that its hard to read.
I was intrigued by the numbers of half-elves amongst the Lords of Imphras II. I was wondering where this came from, because my first thought is that either the 4th or 6th son of Imphras II (from whom the lords came), married an elf from the Gray Forest? I went looking in Champions of valor but it doesn't list the lords, but I want to say I've seen this reference to half elves somewhere else (and I'm drawing a blank). This in and of itself would bear some interesting insights in the political ramifications of the Gray Forest elves having some influence over the throne of Impiltur. That Imphras' II children were born over 150 years ago would imply also that this intermarrying with the Gray Forest elves continued. It might also prove to be a kind of dividing line amongst the Lords themselves (the half-elves having lived longer and possibly having faced racial disparagement). This is a story that I think needs some bearing out.
Also, Haelimbrar has always been one of my favorite lords ever since I read about him riding in secret with the Twilight Riders to "check out" Gareth Dragonsbane. Obviously, since he's using his relationship with Gareth later on in Champions of Valor to help draw out the enemies of Imbrar II, Haelimbrar has revealed his secret to Gareth at some point in the last 14 years. I like the fact that you show him still as the "adventurous" one amongst the lords. What I'm wondering is if you've ever heard anything that happened to the other twilight riders? I ask because I recently started redoing some of my old NPC's of Thay, and Myrrdin Viligoth just BEGS to be redone in 3E (I'm picturing him with levels in wizard / red wizard / and finally war weaver with the arcane disciple (healing from Ilmater) feat) running around with simulacrums of himself since he can't get any Thayan apprentices since he left Thay to turn to good (and become a preachy Ilmatari).
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2006 : 05:00:27
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| George its out in Oz |
I am the King of Rome, and above grammar
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2006 : 06:13:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
George its out in Oz
 Maybe in Sydney mate, but not out here in lonely Adelaide. I've got my fingers crossed for Friday.
-- George Krashos
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"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 - 02 Aug 2006 : 06:22:25
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Thanks Sleyvas.
I had originally sorted out the Lords of Imphras II myself, killing off a few of the older ones and replacing them. However, in keeping abreast of Impiltur information for the small Impiltur snippets in "Champions of Ruin" and "Champions of Valor", it became apparent that my musings had been superseded by firstly Rich Baker's small paragraph on Sarshel in "Unnapproachable East" and Richard Lee Byers' snapshot of the Lords in "The Rage".
All of a sudden I had to contend with half-elf Lords and Lords who didn't worship the Triad. Neither of the two developments caused any major angst, but did require a bit of retconning on my original thoughts. Then again, the amount of shuffling and alteration that has gone on with Impiltur (offstage - as Eric and I have brainstormed with the help of Tom Costa and Ed) has been pretty remarkable. Our crowning glory was the "Sambryl is the widow of Imphras IV" explanation. After hammering out that one, everything else was easy!
As for the Twilight Riders, I think Celedon Kierney is mentioned in the last of RLB's novels for his latest trilogy but not much more.
Mal is where it has always been: in the Uplands, about a third of the way along the road that branches off the Herald's Road and heads to Ithfell, snug against the Earthspurs.:) I never got to see the map before the article was published - giving the editors a verbal explanation of locations and tags and hoping that it would turn out okay. Seems to have worked out pretty well, all things considered.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Ahwe Yahzhe
Acolyte
Iraq
36 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2006 : 06:45:11
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My only gripe about this article is that it hit the newstands about two weeks AFTER the Dungeon magazine adventure. I think had this article been in the previous month's Dragon, it would have prompted a LOT of people to pick up the August Dungeon magazine (good adventure also.) And that's a pretty ridiculous gripe.
Great article, George! Love the timeline, and the fact that all these Lawful Good Triad paladin types AREN'T necessarily so squeaky-clean! Lots of royal siblings plotting against one another- good stuff. I felt like I was reading the summary of a real-world history of royal dynasties... I'm looking forward to seeing the young king make a royal mess of things!
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Edited by - Ahwe Yahzhe on 02 Aug 2006 06:47:39 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2006 : 07:02:05
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Thanks for the feedback.
Imbrar was the last Paladin King of Impiltur - and a pretty dumb one at that. Since then, his family's character has been less than stellar. Ah the tales I could tell you of Lashilmbrar "the Sly"...
Oh and I think I may have been a little obtuse re Lord Simgar of the Council. What I intended to convey is that he has fallen prey to the machinations of Soneillon and is now on the road to 'working for the bad guys'. She likes doing stuff like that.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2006 : 07:18:26
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
George its out in Oz
Maybe in Sydney mate, but not out here in lonely Adelaide. I've got my fingers crossed for Friday.
-- George Krashos
Well, if my copy is scheduled to arrive by Friday... surely you'd be receiving your copy before the shipments reach Perth?
Hmmm...
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Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Ardashir
Senior Scribe
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2006 : 18:40:11
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| Congratulations, Mister Krashos, on getting your article published. I'll be glad to read it when I can. I've been getting curious about Impiltur ever since the write-up it got in Cov and CoR. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 03:33:12
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>>"my musings had been superseded by firstly Rich Baker's small paragraph on Sarshel >>in "Unnapproachable East" and Richard Lee Byers' snapshot of the Lords in "The Rage"
Ok, I knew I'd seen some of it somewhere. I'd glossed over it when I read it in Unapproachable East however. I was paying more attention when I read your article, and was just taken aback when I saw Rilaunyr had become a female <BOGGLES>. I always had a firm picture of Rilaunyr as a bit of a great admiral of the waves, based on the description of him and his warship that was in dry-dock (Rilaunyr's warship from bloodstone lands). Of course, said book also had clergy of Poseidon on the ship (but I just chalk that up to a local name for Valkur <g>). Anyway, apparently something has happened since 1357 to Rilaunyr? This is the kind of thing that begs to be explained, but can be a thing that adds interest to the campaign. So, in your view, where does the wind blow here? Was it that the old Lord Rilaunyr named his daughter after himself (like a father naming his daughter Leslie) and she's part of the council? Or is that the old Lord Rilaunyr ran afoul of a girdle of femininity?
After reading the article a second time, I realized I'm woefully behind the times on the changes made in 3E to Impiltur. Queen Sambryl is no longer an archmage (in 2nd edition she was a 17th lvl wizard). With all the powerful mage rulers in the realms, I see this as a fair change (though to go from casting 9th lvl spells to barely managing a fireball is a little drastic). I noticed Kylraun is missing as well, but then I guess he was the leader of the Lords of Imphras II in 1358 and now its 15 years later. I'd love to hear what happened to him though (he may have simply died of old age, but epic level paladins shouldn't go out that way).
Your reference to the Rage made me check out that section of the book. Apparently time has caused some shake-ups in the roster of the Lords of Imphras II (good research). I know that Silaunbrar and Rilaunyr are from Sarshel, Haelimbrar the northern territory, Simgar is from Hlammach, and Soargilm is from Dilpur. Do you know of anything that ties the other lords to any specific city? |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 03 Aug 2006 : 07:31:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Ardashir
Congratulations, Mister Krashos, on getting your article published. I'll be glad to read it when I can. I've been getting curious about Impiltur ever since the write-up it got in Cov and CoR.
Mr Krashos? My dad is here? It's George, and thanks for the kind wishes.
And how sneaky were Eric and I to whet everyone's appetites for lore on Impiltur. I love it when a plan comes together.
-- George Krashos
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"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 - 03 Aug 2006 : 07:39:47
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Hey Sleyvas
I have extensive notes on the kings and queens of Impiltur through the centuries but must confess that the section on the Lords of Imphras II is currently not yet "Champions of Valor" compliant. Likely, it's not even compliant with my own Dragon article!
When I get a chance I'll make the small fixes required, but other than that I've got lore on the monarchs of Impiltur dating back to -72 DR. Whether it will ever be showcased is highly doubtful, but it is there, never fear. I've also got a "Lineage Compendium" which gives the lives/reigns of the monarchs of Impiltur in the same format as Steven Schend provided for the royals of Tethyr in "Lands of Intrigue". Actually, the compendium holds other royal lines in this format also, notably Cormyr and Amn but again, there is no real vehicle for such information and I'd prefer to hold onto it and sneak it into future products where and when we can.
As with all such matters with little or no D&D rules utility, they take a backseat usually to other, more gamer-oriented material.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2006 : 00:07:03
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Got the article last weekend George, and I immediately devoured it. I had a hard week at work which has prevented me to properly congratulate you, but here it is.
This is an amazing article, let alone the best FR article I've ever read in Dragon (I love most FR articles in Dragon, but one must give to Ceasar what is due to Ceasar... this article is just mind-boggling, and no doubt many FR authors have to be thanked for what has led to this coherent Impilturian sum!  )
I will have to bind this issue somehow, for I believe this will turn out very often at the gaming table, and will amount to the most used Dragon magazine I have ever purchased... |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2006 : 05:10:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Purple Dragon Knight
Got the article last weekend George, and I immediately devoured it. I had a hard week at work which has prevented me to properly congratulate you, but here it is.
This is an amazing article, let alone the best FR article I've ever read in Dragon (I love most FR articles in Dragon, but one must give to Ceasar what is due to Ceasar... this article is just mind-boggling, and no doubt many FR authors have to be thanked for what has led to this coherent Impilturian sum! )
I will have to bind this issue somehow, for I believe this will turn out very often at the gaming table, and will amount to the most used Dragon magazine I have ever purchased...
Thanks for the very generous praise PDK. I had a ball writing it and am glad that it turned out as well as it did. I certainly rank it in the top 1000 FR articles ever published in Dragon myself.
Hope you get good use out of it.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Sanishiver
Senior Scribe
USA
476 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2006 : 07:22:54
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You know, I havent sat down to a good Realms article out of Dragon in a long while. It was nice to take Georges article with me and have a nice, pleasant read.
I feet like Ive got the gist of the place and can happily hurl demon cysts or an encounter with ardent knights of the Triad at my players, with fun to be had for all.
Thanks George and much luck to you on your future Realmsian endeavors!
[No matter the Edition theyre written under ;) ]
J. Grenemyer
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09/20/2008: Tiger Army at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. You wouldnt believe how many females rode it out in the pit. Santa Cruz women are all of them beautiful. Now I know to add tough to that description.
6/27/2008: WALL-E is about the best damn movie Pixar has ever made. It had my heart racing and had me rooting for the good guy.
9/9/2006: Dave Mathews Band was off the hook at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
Never, ever read the game books too literally, or make such assumptions that what is omitted cannot be. Bad DM form, that.
And no matter how compelling a picture string theory paints, if it does not accurately describe our universe, it will be no more relevant than an elaborate game of Dungeons and Dragons. --paragraph 1, chapter 9, The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene |
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Mkhaiwati
Learned Scribe
USA
252 Posts |
Posted - 05 Aug 2006 : 18:36:08
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I have to say that was a great article. I would love to see your notebooks that you keep and used for the article. That is a sign of a dedicated scribe!
Mkhaiwati |
"Behold the work of the old... let your heritage not be lost but bequeath it as a memory, treasure and blessing... Gather the lost and the hidden and preserve it for thy children."
"not nale. not-nale. thog help nail not-nale, not nale. and thog knot not-nale while nale nail not-nale. nale, not not-nale, now nail not-nale by leaving not-nale, not nale, in jail." OotS #367 |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 05:46:40
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Got the Dragon and the Dungeon!
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I am the King of Rome, and above grammar
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
Edited by - Dargoth on 07 Aug 2006 09:08:42 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 08:19:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Got the Dragon and the Dungeon!
Well, hurry up and read them! The Dragon magazines for my hobby store didn't make last week's shipment. Supposedly they'll arrive in the next day or so. The wait is becoming painful.
-- George Krashos
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"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 - 07 Aug 2006 : 08:22:04
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
[brI was paying more attention when I read your article, and was just taken aback when I saw Rilaunyr had become a female <BOGGLES>. I always had a firm picture of Rilaunyr as a bit of a great admiral of the waves, based on the description of him and his warship that was in dry-dock (Rilaunyr's warship from bloodstone lands). Of course, said book also had clergy of Poseidon on the ship (but I just chalk that up to a local name for Valkur <g>). Anyway, apparently something has happened since 1357 to Rilaunyr?
Have you considered the possibility that she's the same old Rilaunyr, and just old?
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 09:04:22
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Read Georges article and its good stuff however Im a little confused how Imbrar II got the XP for 8 class levels before he turned 15!?!
I wouldnt have minded seeing some sort of reference to Cormyrs royal family in your Impiltur article either a site or an NPC |
I am the King of Rome, and above grammar
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 13:19:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Read Georges article and its good stuff however Im a little confused how Imbrar II got the XP for 8 class levels before he turned 15!?!
Ask Eric Boyd - he statted him in Champions of Valor.
quote:
I wouldnt have minded seeing some sort of reference to Cormyrs royal family in your Impiltur article either a site or an NPC
Umm, why would I mention Cormyr and their royal family in an article about Impiltur?
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 13:30:16
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| wasnt the Cormyrian Royal family orginally from Impiltur? (Presumably the whole family didnt migrate to Cormyr and we know at least one early member of the family went back) |
I am the King of Rome, and above grammar
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Trace_Coburn
Learned Scribe
New Zealand
137 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 15:01:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
wasnt the Cormyrian Royal family orginally from Impiltur? (Presumably the whole family didnt migrate to Cormyr and we know at least one early member of the family went back)
[Opens Cormyr: A Novel]
Indeed, the Impiltur-born Ondeth Obarskyr was amongst the first peaceful human settlers of Cormyr, a farmer who chose to site his plot on the ground where the city of Suzail now stands. (The village which later grew around that original site was apparently named for his wife Suzara, who later tired of the frontier life and returned to Impiltur and civilisation.) His son Faerlthann declared himself the first king of Cormyr at the behest of the area's elves on the day of Ondeth's passing in 26DR.
[Gods, it feels good to have such a rich body of lore sitting right next to my keyboard!
[But by the same token, it's gonna truly suck when I have to take it back to the library in a couple of weeks....  ] |
D&D collection: Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual I, Complete Arcane, Arms & Equipment Guide.
FR sourcebook collection: Dragons of Faerūn, Faiths & Pantheons, FRCS, Lords of Darkness, Monsters of Faerūn, Player's Guide to Faerūn, Power of Faerūn, Races of Faerūn, Silver Marches.
I just got back into this, okay? Give me time (or better yet money) - I'll catch up soon enough. |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2006 : 23:32:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
wasnt the Cormyrian Royal family orginally from Impiltur? (Presumably the whole family didnt migrate to Cormyr and we know at least one early member of the family went back)
Yeah, 1350 years ago! Given the space constraints I had to deal with and the ground I had to cover, there was no more room for this type of lore. That's not to say that future articles by me (if published) won't have information on the Cormyr/Impiltur connection.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2006 : 02:28:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Read Georges article and its good stuff however Im a little confused how Imbrar II got the XP for 8 class levels before he turned 15!?!
I have to agree that's rather odd. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2006 : 12:24:40
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Got the Dragon and the Dungeon!
Well, hurry up and read them! The Dragon magazines for my hobby store didn't make last week's shipment. Supposedly they'll arrive in the next day or so. The wait is becoming painful.
-- George Krashos
*shares the pain* And now I'll have to wait until at least two weeks to even be able to go there again... |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Purple Dragon Knight
Master of Realmslore
Canada
1796 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2006 : 20:08:07
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quote:
Originally posted by George KrashosYeah, 1350 years ago! Given the space constraints I had to deal with and the ground I had to cover, there was no more room for this type of lore. That's not to say that future articles by me (if published) won't have information on the Cormyr/Impiltur connection.
-- George Krashos
[wags tail vigorously!  ] |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11829 Posts |
Posted - 10 Aug 2006 : 03:59:50
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>>Have you considered the possibility that she's the same old Rilaunyr, and just old?
>>-- George Krashos
It may be the same person, but the OLD Rilaunyr was a GUY! In Bloodstone lands (2nd edition) they make reference to his big old ship that's in drydock, and how he misses roaming the waves and taking on pirates (he apparently made the shores of Impiltur safe enough that they didn't need his huge boat roaming all the time.... of course, I'm thinking they could put that boat back in the water to kick the pirates back again). However, this seems to have been a change (the sex-change that is) that was implemented by the author of Unapproachable East that got carried into this article.
So, the question begs, is it the old Rilaunyr who got a little kinky after being exposed to a girdle of femininity? Maybe he turned lesbian (hey, he became a Sunite <g>)? Or is it the old Rilaunyr's daughter (and it being an interchangeable name for both males and females), and she took to the church of Sune rather than the triad as a kind of rebellious streak?
Anyway, it just caught me sideways because I had actually used Rilaunyr to hire some PC's once to help guard a fleet of Impilturan ships. Its not major, but it kinda hit my funny bone when I put the old mental picture in a female body. The fact that he had to have the BIGGEST boat around and all.... you know, ship-envy <g> |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 10 Aug 2006 : 05:54:31
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I hear you Sleyvas, but the good thing is I chose Rilaunyr's deity to be Sune (only because Richard Lee Byers noted a member of the Council wearing that deity's symbol) so maybe he/she had some sort of divine gender intervention? Sune is kinky like that!
Well, the issue finally arrived at my hobby store. All in all, I was very pleased. Some more bits and pieces got cut, the map is quite cluttered (they should have given me the page they used for one word of SKR's article - imagine a whole page to say "Core Beliefs: Pelor" ... ) and the artist draws great places and scenes but won't win any trophies for portraits. I especially loved the picture of Imphras "the Great" duking it out with Thay. Awesome.
On the whole, mucho pleased from this end.
Now, where to next in the Realms ... ?
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Impiltur in Dragon#346
