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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 04:07:35
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| How can I make the map bigger on my screen? I can't really read it (but thanks for sharing, Brian). |
"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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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 14:34:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
How can I make the map bigger on my screen? I can't really read it (but thanks for sharing, Brian).
Yes, trying to read the text would be quite difficult. The intent was merely to show the position of Returned Abeir in relation to western Faerűn. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 16:09:14
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What happened to Katashaka? It seems odd that they used your name for it in the GHotR and then removed it in the 4e Realms. Daft if you ask me to introduce it officially in one game supplement and then delete it in the next.  |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
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My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Na-Gang
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
348 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 17:28:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Evermeet, FRCG p.132 “An echo of the fey refuge remains in Toril as an isle with the same shape and diameter, lying off the coast of the unfamiliar continent of Returned Abeir.”
Like you Markus, I read this as Returned Abeir replacing the lands *North* of Maztica. Using the scale provided on both 4E maps, you also find that Returned Abeir isn’t all that big a place; hardly deserving the continent moniker.
Anyway, I put together a quick map I how I see the Trackless Sea in 1479 DR. You can view it at http://www.geonomicon.com/realms/4ETracklessSea.png
I prefer your take on it Brian, but according to page 87 of the 4E FRCG it does state that the "greatest portion of the returning world, however, replaced Maztica" |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 17:33:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
How can I make the map bigger on my screen? I can't really read it (but thanks for sharing, Brian).
Yes, trying to read the text would be quite difficult. The intent was merely to show the position of Returned Abeir in relation to western Faerűn.
*laughs* Well, thanks anyway. |
"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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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 18:32:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Na-Gang
quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Evermeet, FRCG p.132 “An echo of the fey refuge remains in Toril as an isle with the same shape and diameter, lying off the coast of the unfamiliar continent of Returned Abeir.”
Like you Markus, I read this as Returned Abeir replacing the lands *North* of Maztica. Using the scale provided on both 4E maps, you also find that Returned Abeir isn’t all that big a place; hardly deserving the continent moniker.
Anyway, I put together a quick map I how I see the Trackless Sea in 1479 DR. You can view it at http://www.geonomicon.com/realms/4ETracklessSea.png
I prefer your take on it Brian, but according to page 87 of the 4E FRCG it does state that the "greatest portion of the returning world, however, replaced Maztica"
Well, that just means the biggest chunk was transposed with Maztica. It doesn't say that equal amounts were traded. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Na-Gang
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
348 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 19:12:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Well, that just means the biggest chunk was transposed with Maztica. It doesn't say that equal amounts were traded.
My reading of it is that the whole of Maztica is gone, and in its place is the (much smaller) Returned Abeir. I think in my campaign (if we ever make it to the Spellplague and I choose to use it at all) I'll have Returned Abeir North of Maztica as per Brian's map. |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 20:47:56
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| Well in the spirit of full disclosure, I still very much enjoy Maztica, so that may color my opinion of where Returned Abeir sits. The lands north of Maztica were never fleshed out in any detail before, so I see my placement as a good compromise. :) But yeah, none of this is official. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 20:50:17
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quote:
Originally posted by HawkinstheDM
What happened to Katashaka? It seems odd that they used your name for it in the GHotR and then removed it in the 4e Realms. Daft if you ask me to introduce it officially in one game supplement and then delete it in the next.
Well, it doesn't specifically say that Katashaka is gone. The name is even mentioned in the history section (sorry, don't have the book in front of me to provide the page number). So, just like Kara-Tur and Zakhara I say that Katashaka still exists until something explicitly says it doesn't. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2008 : 22:54:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Na-Gang
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Well, that just means the biggest chunk was transposed with Maztica. It doesn't say that equal amounts were traded.
My reading of it is that the whole of Maztica is gone, and in its place is the (much smaller) Returned Abeir. I think in my campaign (if we ever make it to the Spellplague and I choose to use it at all) I'll have Returned Abeir North of Maztica as per Brian's map.
I still don't see where it is even implied that equal landmasses were exchanged... |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2008 : 01:04:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
How can I make the map bigger on my screen? I can't really read it (but thanks for sharing, Brian).
Yes, trying to read the text would be quite difficult. The intent was merely to show the position of Returned Abeir in relation to western Faerűn.
*laughs* Well, thanks anyway.
Brian you BIG TEASE!!! Give the lady some text! |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2008 : 01:12:29
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quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Brian you BIG TEASE!!! Give the lady some text!
I'll do one better. See that chunk of land north of Returned Abeir. Henceforth, it shall be known as Rinonalyrna.  |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 03 Sep 2008 : 16:36:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Brian you BIG TEASE!!! Give the lady some text!
I'll do one better. See that chunk of land north of Returned Abeir. Henceforth, it shall be known as Rinonalyrna.
Very nice! Now what can you do about getting The Red Walker on the map? |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 03 Sep 2008 : 18:12:54
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Brian you BIG TEASE!!! Give the lady some text!
I'll do one better. See that chunk of land north of Returned Abeir. Henceforth, it shall be known as Rinonalyrna.
How the heck did I miss this? |
"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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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 03 Sep 2008 : 19:11:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker
Brian you BIG TEASE!!! Give the lady some text!
I'll do one better. See that chunk of land north of Returned Abeir. Henceforth, it shall be known as Rinonalyrna.
How the heck did I miss this?
Wake up woman!
I hear it is a sassy land full of bold, beautiful ladies with silver tongues....but maybe Brian can clarify the area for us? |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 05 Sep 2008 : 16:39:32
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Hmmmmm...
Now you got me thinking about an Icey wasteland ruled-over by buxom women in fur bikinis!
Sort of like Norse-version Amazons!
You pretty man-thing... you make Snoo-snoo!" |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 05 Sep 2008 16:40:00 |
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 06 Sep 2008 : 12:16:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Hmmmmm...
Now you got me thinking about an Icey wasteland ruled-over by buxom women in fur bikinis!
Sort of like Norse-version Amazons!
You pretty man-thing... you make Snoo-snoo!"
So you've been on vacation in one of the Scandinavian mountain-range ski-resorts, have you? |
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 |
Edited by - Kajehase on 06 Sep 2008 12:16:50 |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
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Ashe Ravenheart
Great Reader
USA
3243 Posts |
Posted - 21 Oct 2008 : 19:24:25
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Question on Ironfang Keep on Ed's thread:
quote:
Originally posted by The Hooded One
VERRRRYYYYYY interesting. Ed checked on that particular NDA at GenCon (this year, as in: two months ago) and it was still in force (with most of a year left to run), so either someone has received quiet but official assurances that nothing will be done with Ironfang Keep before the license runs out . . . or someone at Wizards doesn't know what licenses are still out there (which will possibly annoy someone at Hasbro no end).
Let's hope, for everyone's sake, it's the former.
Sigh.
love to all,
THO
Well, let's ask.
Brian, anything you can tell us? (originally posted on Ed's scroll) |
I actually DO know everything. I just have a very poor index of my knowledge.
Ashe's Character Sheet
Alphabetized Index of Realms NPCs |
Edited by - Ashe Ravenheart on 21 Oct 2008 19:25:30 |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2008 : 04:59:21
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Greetings Ashe,
At the time I was writing the Ironfang Keep article, I was informed that Ironfang Keep had not just one, but two separate NDAs covering the location for use in computer games. But these were initiated back in the TSR era and nothing ever came of them. So without anything fresh in the works, I was allowed to “play with the Keep” in Ed’s words.
Ed had already established in previous lore that the inhabitants of the Keep had been abducting beasts in the region for centuries. I took it one step further by tying these “wizards” to the Cult of the Amalgamation as seen in City of Splendors. Throw in a previously undetailed Lost God and the Dark Three for good measure and you get my very first Dragon article. Over all I’m very pleased with how it turned out. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Dalor Darden
Great Reader
USA
4211 Posts |
Posted - 23 Oct 2008 : 05:54:51
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
Greetings Ashe,
At the time I was writing the Ironfang Keep article, I was informed that Ironfang Keep had not just one, but two separate NDAs covering the location for use in computer games. But these were initiated back in the TSR era and nothing ever came of them. So without anything fresh in the works, I was allowed to “play with the Keep” in Ed’s words.
Ed had already established in previous lore that the inhabitants of the Keep had been abducting beasts in the region for centuries. I took it one step further by tying these “wizards” to the Cult of the Amalgamation as seen in City of Splendors. Throw in a previously undetailed Lost God and the Dark Three for good measure and you get my very first Dragon article. Over all I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
A good article too! I simply always thought that Ironfang Keep would be taller somehow? I had a picture of a tall, slender, black walled structure similar to Orthanc in Middle-Earth maybe... |
The Old Grey Box and AD&D for me! |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2008 : 22:31:12
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quote:
Originally posted by HawkinstheDM
What happened to Katashaka? It seems odd that they used your name for it in the GHotR and then removed it in the 4e Realms. Daft if you ask me to introduce it officially in one game supplement and then delete it in the next.
Not really, if you consider that the epic adventure trilogy at the end of 3E had the PCs thwarting Shar's plans to blow up the Weave, only to have her succeed in doing so offstage. "Make the PCs the focus"... except when gods are dying and the world is going somewhere in a handbasket. 
Anyway, no more of that.
Brian, my question is related to the GHotR: What is going to happen to the NDAs on all that (presumably now obsolete) pre-Spellplague lore if DDi is concentrating on post-Spellplague content? My focus here is on the Cormyr royal/noble lineage document that I understand is in the care of Brian "Garen Thal" Cortijo. I've been driving him crazy with questions for a couple of weeks now, and my inquiries on your Feedback scroll and on the WotC site (where I am known as FrustratedRealmsFan) have not stimulated a reply as yet. I would like to see pre-Spellplague lore under obsolete NDAs (such as the Ironfang Keep material that you did such a great job with) released in download form on the Wizards website, and I would be willing to pay for such pre-Spellplague lore on a per-download basis; making it available through DDi will simply cause me to lose interest in the lore, rather than think about subscribing to DDi. Besides which, it is my understanding that DDi is concentrating its Realms focus on post-Spellplague (or at least post-1385) lore, and I have no interest in canonical lore from that time period. There is money to be made by Wizards in the old lore, and such old lore is one of two ways that it will be my money; the other way, of course, is a Realms reset to 1375 or earlier, but that's not happening in my lifetime, I suspect. Hopefully this material will come to light soon, one way or another... and by "light" I don't mean open flame... |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2008 : 22:45:57
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| Jakk, as a freelance designer I have no power to overturn NDAs I'm afraid. Except under very special circumstances it's unlikely you'll see any articles which focus on the previous era. Having said that, I try to include as much edition neutral lore as possible in my articles. That's the best I can offer under the current circumstances. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Jakk
Great Reader
Canada
2165 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2008 : 22:50:04
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| Thanks for the quick response anyway. I'm not really looking for any "new" material; I would just like to see the previously-written stuff get released; I'm happy with downloadable text files, even, although I'm happier to pay for it if it's in a nicely-formatted Word or PDF document. |
Playing in the Realms since the Old Grey Box (1987)... and *still* having fun with material published before 2008, despite the NDA'd lore.
If it's comparable in power with non-magical abilities, it's not magic. |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3287 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2008 : 11:10:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian R. James
Jakk, as a freelance designer I have no power to overturn NDAs I'm afraid. Except under very special circumstances it's unlikely you'll see any articles which focus on the previous era. Having said that, I try to include as much edition neutral lore as possible in my articles. That's the best I can offer under the current circumstances.
-That sounds like a great idea BR.J!!!
BRIMSTONE  |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 13 Dec 2008 : 21:40:53
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what about neverwinter in 4e??
i heard some rumors about it after it was ravaged by the plague... |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2008 : 01:51:23
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| What are you looking for exactly sfdragon? |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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sfdragon
Great Reader
2285 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2008 : 09:31:12
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| i want to know if it was rebuilt, or will it be rebuilt? |
why is being a wizard like being a drow? both are likely to find a dagger in the back from a rival or one looking to further his own goals, fame and power
My FR fan fiction
Magister's GAmbit
http://steelfiredragon.deviantart.com/gallery/33539234 |
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Brian R. James
Forgotten Realms Game Designer
USA
1098 Posts |
Posted - 14 Dec 2008 : 16:40:05
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| Though Neverwinter officially lies in ruins, I have a sneaking suspicion that the city will see a rejuvenation of some sort in the not too distant future. Bioware developers have already commented that they may base a future Neverwinter Nights game around the reconstruction/reclaiming of the city. |
Brian R. James - Freelance Game Designer
Follow me on Twitter @brianrjames |
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Gray Richardson
Master of Realmslore
USA
1291 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2008 : 09:26:58
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Brian, do you happen to know if the Imaskari god barrier ever fell? I was wondering if it collapsed as part of the Spellplague or if it disolved prior to that, or if it survived and is still functioning? Does this have a date? Or has it happened yet?
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Questions for Brian R. James
