D&D Lore updated to 5th edition rules.
Moradin
Member Posts: 372
Hey guys,
wandering around candlekeep.com, I found an interesting post. Some of what follows was news to me, so I thought I'd share it on these boards, as some of you might be interested in the subject. It's basically an update to the lore concerning many deities and areas of the FR following the introduction of the 5ed rules.
All credit goes to Irennan, and the original post can be found here:
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20957
The big chunk on Shade/Myth Drannor is kinda common knowledge by now, because it was described in the Herald (one of Ed's latest books), but most of the rest is new to me. I find it funny that WotC decided to just ignore 4ed and basically go back to how things were during the 3/3.5 era. I guess someone got fired.
Of course, one thing stands out to any BG fanatic: the Lord of Murder returned. I guess the mortal progeny he spawned before the ToT served him well, after all.
wandering around candlekeep.com, I found an interesting post. Some of what follows was news to me, so I thought I'd share it on these boards, as some of you might be interested in the subject. It's basically an update to the lore concerning many deities and areas of the FR following the introduction of the 5ed rules.
All credit goes to Irennan, and the original post can be found here:
http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20957
[...]
The Sundering basically consists of Ao rewriting the tablets of Fate, bringing back many gods, and separating Abeir and Toril again.
By rewriting the Tablets of Fate, Ao seals the various gods power and portfolios and establishes new rules to avoid further divine conflicts and the cataclysms that they brough (in fact the gods are supposed to be more distant now).
The various deities invest power in mortal chosen, trying to expand their influence before Ao could finish rewriting the tablets. However this gamble goes badly for most deities, except for a *large* group of deities that people believed gone, but that actually managed to return thanks to Ao (and other contingencies, in some cases), mostly to how they were in the 1370s DR. Most of those chosen are no longer such as of the 1490s, as their deities have withdrawn their power.
Cyric no longer is the god of murder, Bhaal returned claimed that portfolio, Myrkul returned and claimed the portfolio of death, while Kelemvor currently is the judge of the dead. Leira and Mask also returned (Mask has returned through the ascension of Drasek Riven, though), so Cyric mainly is the god of lies now.
Other deities that have been restored are Helm, Tyr, and Azuth (we know that the latter is back, but that story isn't complete yet). The elven, dwarven and halfling pantheons are back to how they were. The drow pantheon is back too, with the difference that Eilistraee and Vhaeraun are no longer enemies now, and might be working together.
About Shade/Myth Drannor: during the Sundering the Shadovar attempt to kill the various chosen created by the gods and drain their power. They also attempt to drain the mythal of Myth Drannor. Larloch also attempts to drain the mythal and the wards of Candlekeep, in order to become a god. Elminster, Storm, Alustriel and Laeral and the Srinshee battle at Myth Drannor against Larloch and the Shades (these two are not allied), to protect the Weave and the elven city (yes, Laeral and Alustriel are alive: Khelben had foreseen all the mess of the Spellplague and various cataclsysms and had ordered Laeral to prepare to prevent the Wards of Candlekeep from being used by ill-intentioned individuals. Larloch however managed to absorb them as a part of his plan to ascend to godhood). Chaos ensues: the Srinshee sacrifices to take the energy that Larloch had drained from the wards and infuse it in the Weave; Elminster kills Tanthul and Shade crashes on Myth Drannor, severely damaging the city, but not destroying it. Currently most elves are in Semberholme and other settlements, with a little community still in Myth Drannor, gathered around the Tree of Souls (which was saved by a group of Baelnorns who had been informed of the imminent cataclysm by the Srinshee. Those balenorns are still there, guarding the Tree).
Other major events, mostly regarding geographic changes are:
-The Plaguelands are ''healed'' , the Earthmotes fall, the Sea of the Fallen Stars reforms, the Underchasm is filled.
-In Waterdeep downshadow is abandoned, and Laeral becomes open lord.
-Mulhorand and Unther return from Abeir, and so do their deities (the Mulhorandi ones rule as avatar; in Unther, even Gilgeam and others who had ''died'' long before the Spellplague returned. Apparently a reincarnated Gilgeam guided his people on Abeir). However a part of Tymanther remains, albeit the dragonborn have been driven away by the returned Untherites, whose goal apparently is to completely wipe what remains of Tymanther and the dragonborn civilization.
-Maztica is also back.
-Evermeet currently touches three planes: Toril, the Feywild and Arvandor, and can be physically reached from Toril (as in, you can go there with a ship).
-Halruaa managed to shift to Abeir before the Spellplague, and now is back.
-Lantan re-emerged, but most of the gnomish wonders are gone.
-Luiren is no longer flooded.
-IIRC, at some point during the Sundering, there was a movement of living Red Wizards that was trying to take back Thay. I don't know what happened to them, but I guess that their efforts led to the situation described in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (i.e. the living can advance in rank within the Red Wizards).
[...]
Tiamat tried to invade the Realms. The Archomentals tried to invade the Realms. All major demon lords have been summoned in the Realms, because Lolth was trying to conquer the whole Abyss, just after having been soundly defeated by Mystra when she tried to take control of the Weave (all of this happened in less than 10 years).
The Sundering basically consists of Ao rewriting the tablets of Fate, bringing back many gods, and separating Abeir and Toril again.
By rewriting the Tablets of Fate, Ao seals the various gods power and portfolios and establishes new rules to avoid further divine conflicts and the cataclysms that they brough (in fact the gods are supposed to be more distant now).
The various deities invest power in mortal chosen, trying to expand their influence before Ao could finish rewriting the tablets. However this gamble goes badly for most deities, except for a *large* group of deities that people believed gone, but that actually managed to return thanks to Ao (and other contingencies, in some cases), mostly to how they were in the 1370s DR. Most of those chosen are no longer such as of the 1490s, as their deities have withdrawn their power.
Cyric no longer is the god of murder, Bhaal returned claimed that portfolio, Myrkul returned and claimed the portfolio of death, while Kelemvor currently is the judge of the dead. Leira and Mask also returned (Mask has returned through the ascension of Drasek Riven, though), so Cyric mainly is the god of lies now.
Other deities that have been restored are Helm, Tyr, and Azuth (we know that the latter is back, but that story isn't complete yet). The elven, dwarven and halfling pantheons are back to how they were. The drow pantheon is back too, with the difference that Eilistraee and Vhaeraun are no longer enemies now, and might be working together.
About Shade/Myth Drannor: during the Sundering the Shadovar attempt to kill the various chosen created by the gods and drain their power. They also attempt to drain the mythal of Myth Drannor. Larloch also attempts to drain the mythal and the wards of Candlekeep, in order to become a god. Elminster, Storm, Alustriel and Laeral and the Srinshee battle at Myth Drannor against Larloch and the Shades (these two are not allied), to protect the Weave and the elven city (yes, Laeral and Alustriel are alive: Khelben had foreseen all the mess of the Spellplague and various cataclsysms and had ordered Laeral to prepare to prevent the Wards of Candlekeep from being used by ill-intentioned individuals. Larloch however managed to absorb them as a part of his plan to ascend to godhood). Chaos ensues: the Srinshee sacrifices to take the energy that Larloch had drained from the wards and infuse it in the Weave; Elminster kills Tanthul and Shade crashes on Myth Drannor, severely damaging the city, but not destroying it. Currently most elves are in Semberholme and other settlements, with a little community still in Myth Drannor, gathered around the Tree of Souls (which was saved by a group of Baelnorns who had been informed of the imminent cataclysm by the Srinshee. Those balenorns are still there, guarding the Tree).
Other major events, mostly regarding geographic changes are:
-The Plaguelands are ''healed'' , the Earthmotes fall, the Sea of the Fallen Stars reforms, the Underchasm is filled.
-In Waterdeep downshadow is abandoned, and Laeral becomes open lord.
-Mulhorand and Unther return from Abeir, and so do their deities (the Mulhorandi ones rule as avatar; in Unther, even Gilgeam and others who had ''died'' long before the Spellplague returned. Apparently a reincarnated Gilgeam guided his people on Abeir). However a part of Tymanther remains, albeit the dragonborn have been driven away by the returned Untherites, whose goal apparently is to completely wipe what remains of Tymanther and the dragonborn civilization.
-Maztica is also back.
-Evermeet currently touches three planes: Toril, the Feywild and Arvandor, and can be physically reached from Toril (as in, you can go there with a ship).
-Halruaa managed to shift to Abeir before the Spellplague, and now is back.
-Lantan re-emerged, but most of the gnomish wonders are gone.
-Luiren is no longer flooded.
-IIRC, at some point during the Sundering, there was a movement of living Red Wizards that was trying to take back Thay. I don't know what happened to them, but I guess that their efforts led to the situation described in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (i.e. the living can advance in rank within the Red Wizards).
[...]
Tiamat tried to invade the Realms. The Archomentals tried to invade the Realms. All major demon lords have been summoned in the Realms, because Lolth was trying to conquer the whole Abyss, just after having been soundly defeated by Mystra when she tried to take control of the Weave (all of this happened in less than 10 years).
The big chunk on Shade/Myth Drannor is kinda common knowledge by now, because it was described in the Herald (one of Ed's latest books), but most of the rest is new to me. I find it funny that WotC decided to just ignore 4ed and basically go back to how things were during the 3/3.5 era. I guess someone got fired.
Of course, one thing stands out to any BG fanatic: the Lord of Murder returned. I guess the mortal progeny he spawned before the ToT served him well, after all.
9
Comments
A good reason to keep Imoen alive in your playthrough, eh?
Not that I disbelieve any of it, I just want to read the sources.
As it stands now it just reeks of comic book plots: "a hero died, but he wasnt really dead, he was in another dimension, but then his clone came back, but it wasnt really his clone, it just had his powers, but then the clone died and his soul travelled to the real hero who was now dead but he wasnt really dead AGAIN, he was just pretending, hiding in a basement" and on and on and on.
It's a bit confusing. In 4ed, Asmodeus became a deity by absorbing the divinity of Azuth, but since with teh Sundering, his divine rank was stripped from him, it is plausible that this divine essence coalesced to give (re)birth to Azuth. As Irennan pointed out in the post I linked, the story is not complete yet. It might be settled in future novels/sourcebooks.
@BelleSorciere, not to defend the guy, but Ed Greenwood is known to answer questions pretty often on Candlekeep. If there's anyone that can forge the realms on a whim, it's him.
@JumboWheat01, I agree with you. I also think some of the changes in 5ed Lore were needed (Cyric had too much power, you needed other human evil deities), but others were completely unnecessary. I feel Tyr should have stayed dead, as should have Bhaal. An exception could have been made for Myrkul, because he was, after all, the Lord of the Dead. But methinks, to go from a dead god to God of the Dead (major divinity), stripping Kelemvor in the process, has not been well thought.
Oh, and the ''chain apocalypse'' at the end of the post is described in the latest D&D adventures, starting from end 4e (with the first mentioned Lolth story), all the way to the present time (with yet another Lolth story...).
Does that mean Moander, the handsomely amorphous gentleman of rot and decay, is also back? Please tell me he's back? Pretty please, with tentacles on top? WotC ought to have him back a long time ago! Moander is Love! Moander is Justice! Moander is Life! M-O-A-N-D-E-R ! M-O-A-N-D-E-R !
Anyway, I did not intend to come off as skeptical about any of these details - I accept that they're all true - I just wanted to know where they were described and I had already found SCAG rather unsatisfactory in terms of explaining the updates to the setting. Thank you for providing that information.
The ''how'' of Evermeet is in chapter 2 (I think). There they say that the Island touches 3 planes. They don't explain how it fell back to its place, tho.
At this point, with how WotC is handling the FR, I wouldn't expect any real explanation beyond what we already have (''The Sundering'' did it). I'll just look out for Ed's books, since he is known to sneak various FR lore in his books, and has been explained quite a lot of stuff in his recent works (and answers over CandleKeep). Even though you can only get a short passage or two, when it comes to novels, given that Ed is really going out of his way to include more info that would otherwise not be relevant to the story.
We see what you're doing Ed. We see it!
All true, and as Abdel is the cannon Bhaalspawn (really, f*** that guy) any CHARNAME would by definition be non-cannon, or personal canon/an alternate history at best. Since we're already engaging in this sort of thing, why can't Imoen have survived and been in some way unable to prevent these events? That said, I admit that this is all EXTREMELY non-official, fan-fic like speculation on my part.
Sorry for the derailment all.
Draenei in SCAG can have different features and don't all have to look the same. The story explanation for so many tieflings looking like "Draenei bathed in tomato sauce" was that apparently Asmodeus used his power to make all extant tieflings descended from him, but at the time of 5e, maybe half of all tieflings are not descended from him and can have different fiendish features and appearances.
I thought this had been posted in this thread already, but it's been posted often enough over the past few days that I am probably misremembering where I saw it.