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Dart Ambermoon
Learned Scribe
Germany
253 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Nov 2006 : 08:45:16
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Greetings to the esteemed sages,
I was wondering whether there has been any detailed information released on the Seven Swords of the Shoon in any supplement/adventure/piece of lore. Iīve read through Lands of Intrigue, EotSS, Calimport, and most other tomes I own (but might certainly have overlooked s.th.), but Iīve only found them mentioned, nothing else. Searching the forums, I havenīt stumbled upon any information either.
Iīd be equally grateful if anyone could point me to sources for other Shoonite artifacts/special magical items, not covered in the aforementioned tomes (e.g. not the Staff of Shoon or the Tome of the Unicorn).
My thanks in advance.
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~ In Finder I trust, for danger I lust ~ |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 04 Nov 2006 : 10:51:30
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The Seven Swords of Shoon were something Steven was meant to do more with "at some future point."
One of them was referenced in Empires of the Shining Sea. Cloak & Dagger has a few tidbits in the Moonstars entry also.
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1727 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2006 : 14:28:20
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Well, I'm swamped for time at the moment, but give me some time and some focused questions on what you want/need to know, and I'll see what rattles out from between my ears.
SES |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Dart Ambermoon
Learned Scribe
Germany
253 Posts |
Posted - 05 Nov 2006 : 17:57:50
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Thank you Sage, I had indeed overlooked the reference in Cloak & Dager.
And Steven, naturally all the time in the world 
Iīll try to focus my questions...ahem...
What Iīm mainly interested in, is how powerful these weapons are and in how far they are "specifically" connected to the Shoon Empire.
What I mean is, Iīm not sure whether the swords are supposed to be like near-magical-artefacts, "just" bad-behind-magical blades) or if they rather developed their status by being tied to the time and deeds of the Shoon Empire (so to say, whether there is more legend to them than substance). See, in terms of actual powers, I donīt mind designing those myself to suit my campaign needs at all, but I canīt gauge what the impact of finding/possesing one of them for a pc/npc in the Lands of Intrigue might be. (For instance, I wouldnīt have a clue if good-old Shoon VII. has any interest in them.)
Is each sword tied to a certain Emperor (like rulerīs blades) and did history make them into The Seven Swords of the Shoon or were they forged/created as such (and are therefore linked to one another somehow)? (For example, is The Silver Scimitar of Amahl the Mad one of these blades? *I was never quite clear on that one, heh.*)
Are The Seven Swords of the Shoon"easily" recognizable, which means are there only a small amount of specialized sages/historians aware of them, or are they part of general knowledge in the adventurous world of Southern Faerun and do they share distinctive marks? If such, are they known as a group, or are rather single blades and their respective names known? And (for the plot I vaguely have in mind), are there members among the elves of Tethyr that would recognize them?
Finally (I hope that were not too many details *cough*), the snippets in the Moonstar entry of Cloak&Dagger say two of the blades have been hunted/recovered/released, which
a)made me wonder if they belong to the category of items Khelben wants/wanted hidden because theyīre too powerful/tainted/"evil"/look damn good strapped to Laeralīs thighs *ahem*...
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b)made me assume that these swords might be used by certain groups/factions for "bigger things". But then again, Iīm not sure if they could be used in a political way (and if so, how?) or if they fall into the "itīs best nobody knows too much of Shoonite magic"- or "these things might lead to other thingsbest left undisturbed"-category.
You see, Iīm quite the detailed schemer-GM , and long-term consequences/power shifts play a big role in my game. So, whenever youīd find the time to offer some insight on any of the above, Iīd be grateful. |
~ In Finder I trust, for danger I lust ~ |
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1727 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2006 : 10:36:11
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Dart, the short answers are these:
The Swords of Shoon are more historical and regionally important than magically powerful. It's more a prestige thing to claim something like this (akin to "this is Ulysses S. Grant's personal sidearm!")
They're more well known the closer you get to Shoonach and Calimport.
The Silver Scimitar is definitely one of them and could be used as a basic primer on the rest.
Khelben hid away anything he could either for broad reasons or simply "to keep bright shiny things out of reach of children who'll hurt themselves or others with them carelessly." Yes, Khelben's spent many a decade as a control freak. Show of hands as to who's surprised?
And Laeral would have you know three out of the seven clash with her skin tone, so she gave up just that fashion accessory you mentioned. 
Would Shoon VII like to get his hands on them? Yes, if only for the prestige or for the arming of lieutenants; no, as he's more a behind-the-scenes kinda worker and that'd draw too much attention to him.
If the elves had links (some blood ties) to the Strohm dynasty (which is easily possible), they might recognize them. Otherwise, unless the sword was specifically used to slay a lot of elves, they probably wouldn't know it from any other gizmo.
More later, perhaps, if I get possessed and decide to scribble up a sword or two... |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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Dart Ambermoon
Learned Scribe
Germany
253 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2006 : 17:05:48
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Thank you very, VERY much, Steven...your answers were most helpful indeed. Now that I can definitly work with  (and no, Iīm not talking about Laeralīs skin tone...not even trying to think about it...er, right now at least).
And ties to the Strohm dynasty? Now thereīs something I hadnīt even thought about, yet. But it offers intriguing possibilities, so thank you for that, too. |
~ In Finder I trust, for danger I lust ~ |
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Swords of Shoon et al.
