Calimshan was, in the original AD&D background, meant to be some kind of arabic inspired empire.
With the release of the Al-Qadim line they changed the tone from Arabic background to a more Ottoman inspired one, much like Amn which was much more oriental in its original concept than the Iberian like kingdom it became in BGII and AD&D2.
When reading about Zahkara i found myself very intrigued and i think your idea of a Campaign starting in Moonshae than progressing to Waterdeep than Zahkara sounds very intriguing, i imagine Zahkara as very dangerous and i wouldn't wanna be there unless i was higher level.
I'm imagining a scenario where you start in Moonshae and your family has a declining trade business due to problems at home and in Waterdeep and while investigating you discover strange and powerful magics behind a group of seemingly ordinary Pirates which leads to Waterdeep and eventually Zahkara.
I'm sure they could come up with a grander scenario but i can easily see potential here.
We've talked about locations but what about some of the creatures that could make a Campaign more interesting. I've wondered about Dragon's and how they're often portrayed as evil and greedy but do they have to be?
I'm reading that Chromatic types (Red, Blue, Black, Green, White, Brown, Purple, Gray) are typically evil or sometimes neutral and even worship gods like Tiamat and each prefers different regions depending on there element types, are they bound to being total D's or could they change there nature out of necessity?
There's Metallic types (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, Brass, Mercury, Iron, Steel, Platinum) which are typically good and some are even social and even have a history of avoiding fights, what if a Good dragon turned towards Evil out of desperation, I remember Adalon the silver dragon from BG2 who's eggs where stolen by Irenicus and held hostage by Drow, could situations like that lead a dragon to abandon their nature for revenge.
There's other types like Planar, Gem, and many others but one caught my eye Vishaps, they're from Zahkara, flightless (no wings) and are athletic running jumping and climbing fast, typically cowards who prey on the weak and stalk prey using invisibility, very alert and aware of surroundings and detect invisibility, no breath weapon or fear aura, they study prey long before attacking, sometimes they team up to enslave villages, they prefer eating Humans and Demihumans, and they're lair tends to have escape routes.
Elves created a magical effect called Dracorage mythal that caused heaps of dragons to go crazy and attack each other even their own offspring, apparently the effect can be reoccurring, and along time ago changed dragons from ruling to recluse.
I wonder if in a new Campaign could it make sense to have repeated side quest encounters with one dragon over the whole campaign and depending on your choices you could end up being long term allies or enemies who's rivalry escalates as the quests go on.
One of the core areas for adventure, thematically - for the time period of NWN's release is Shadowdale. The Shadowdale boxed set is a great resource. You have the following adventure hooks there:
1) Old Cormanthyr to the north, a cursed ruins of what was once an elven kingdom. 2) Gibberling infested tunnels to the underdark beneath Shadowdale 3) Zhents preparing to invade the Dalelands (the boxed set was 2nd edition before 3rd edition was implemented) - theme of the Slaver series, anyone? They were still Baneites then. 4) The Vast to the northeast - Orc barbarian hordes and Zhentarim outpost goodness. 5) Raven's Bluff to the east, past Daggerdale, one of the cosmopolitan areas of Faerun like Waterdeep. 6) Sembia and Cormyr to the near south. 7) to the far south, the amazing setting of Westgate, ruled by a council of nine - sort of like Waterdeep, but infiltrated by vampires! Super crime-y too, Could be like the OC's trip to Luskan 8) The Anauroch desert to the west, with Phaerlimm ruins and tomb tappers. 9) Elminster lives here: Elminster's tower is to be found in Shadowdale though he usually isnt home. 10) The whole Mystra/Kelemvor/Cyric story starts here. There could be a tie in to Shaundakul and Moander. 11.) Shadowdale has a temple to Lathander. Just sayin. 12) The Shadowdale inn serves the best fried bread around.
If the Zents are there does that mean the Harper's are hanging about? Elminster's tower and his not home. I'd definitely check that out for loot but on second thought I imagine he'd make it a massive pain just to get past one door. Orcs! There's always Orcs! Damn Gibberling's, I hate those things. I hate Slavers too!, I don't think I could work for the Zents but maybe if I was undercover for the Harper's.
Plenty of opportunities there, forget Neverwinter I could happily never see Nasher again.
I dont remember much about Harpers in Shadowdale. Elminster's tower was very epic-ly hard to B and E into. Daggerdale was nifty because once it shifted to 3e, there was a drow invasion and Bane was dead, so the Zhents were being converted to Cyric. So, Daggerdale was not only recovering from a drow invasion but they were also totally infiltrated by Cyric worshipping Zhents. Id say if there was a central point to any slavers, it would be hidden in Daggerdale. I cant recall if the whole Vhaerun - Lolth dynamic upset was then too or with the onset of 3.5e.
This sound like a dangerous place, I'd hate to be there at Lvl 1. I remember Durlag's Tower & Watchers Keep was pretty hard the first time I played them, I imagine Elminster's Tower being far worse. If I had a tower I'd have 10 levels to it and if someone finally made it to the top all they find is a note saying "congratulations this is the top of my fake tower, hahaha". I'd keep a key on me that turns any door into a portal to my real home, don't know if it's possible but being able to go home anytime would be awesome. I don't know a lot about the Zents but all if it's bad and I wouldn't mind causing them trouble but I doubt a small group could cause much trouble so we would need a large organization to support the efforts. There's something about Cyric that's more interesting than most God's. One God that annoys me is Lolth, she's such a B but the only way I can see to hurt her is drastically change Drow culture to reduce her worship on a massive scale, I don't see Drow changing there ways anytime soon.
I love my home here in Chicago, but if I ever become wealthy enough - Im going to design a house with secret doors and false floors and crawlways and surveillance systems. Maybe also special 'animal rooms' for like, Parrots and Monitor Lizards or Pythons. Just sayin'.
The whole Vhaerun-Lolth dynamic was sorta like what you described. Ghaunadur was for like, dreg Lolth outcasts and Elistraee is for good drow and half-drow. But Vhaerun was all about taking over.
I love my home here in Chicago, but if I ever become wealthy enough - Im going to design a house with secret doors and false floors and crawlways and surveillance systems. Maybe also special 'animal rooms' for like, Parrots and Monitor Lizards or Pythons. Just sayin'.
The whole Vhaerun-Lolth dynamic was sorta like what you described. Ghaunadur was for like, dreg Lolth outcasts and Elistraee is for good drow and half-drow. But Vhaerun was all about taking over.
He has slightly changed, tho. Since when they returned, he and Eilistraee have agreed to a truce, and now he's more subtle with his whole spreading the drow influence on the surface thing. He encourages his followers on the surface to at least put a semblance of "good citizens" when it can help other drow settle on the surface.
I've thought about what a Campaign would be like as a slave in a drow house and it would be very dangerous and the oppression on the player and others would be constant, they could introduce Eilistraee or Vhaerun to the players and you need one of them to support your efforts to make changes over time and possibly take over the house or even a city maybe?
I heard males who become Mages or sorcerers are able to get benefits and can avoid most of the oppression, the most powerful females tend to be Clerics of Lolth and are constantly trying to keep Lolth happy which I'd really hate doing, I remember the stories from Viconia about sacrifices to appease Lolth
It would have to become personal like maybe your family is there with you and if you are a D you and the family will suffer giving personal stakes in your choices.
I don't know how popular of a choice it'll be since we've already been there, but I would love to see monsters from around Baldur's Gate added to NWN. Ankhegs, Xvarts, Gibberlings, etc would be great to have. I'd be okay seeing all these other places that have never appeared in games, but I would also like BG and ID stuff added to the NWN toolset at some point.
I think NWN has great potential to expand on many of these and I think it was a good choice to enhance. The more new content the better I say.
Rust monsters, they're already in "The Nether Scrolls" module, those bastards can destroy you uber shiny weapons and armors leaving you in underwears to face the upcoming monsters.
Comments
With the release of the Al-Qadim line they changed the tone from Arabic background to a more Ottoman inspired one, much like Amn which was much more oriental in its original concept than the Iberian like kingdom it became in BGII and AD&D2.
I'm imagining a scenario where you start in Moonshae and your family has a declining trade business due to problems at home and in Waterdeep and while investigating you discover strange and powerful magics behind a group of seemingly ordinary Pirates which leads to Waterdeep and eventually Zahkara.
I'm sure they could come up with a grander scenario but i can easily see potential here.
I've wondered about Dragon's and how they're often portrayed as evil and greedy but do they have to be?
I'm reading that Chromatic types (Red, Blue, Black, Green, White, Brown, Purple, Gray) are typically evil or sometimes neutral and even worship gods like Tiamat and each prefers different regions depending on there element types, are they bound to being total D's or could they change there nature out of necessity?
There's Metallic types (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, Brass, Mercury, Iron, Steel, Platinum) which are typically good and some are even social and even have a history of avoiding fights, what if a Good dragon turned towards Evil out of desperation, I remember Adalon the silver dragon from BG2 who's eggs where stolen by Irenicus and held hostage by Drow, could situations like that lead a dragon to abandon their nature for revenge.
There's other types like Planar, Gem, and many others but one caught my eye Vishaps, they're from Zahkara, flightless (no wings) and are athletic running jumping and climbing fast, typically cowards who prey on the weak and stalk prey using invisibility, very alert and aware of surroundings and detect invisibility, no breath weapon or fear aura, they study prey long before attacking, sometimes they team up to enslave villages, they prefer eating Humans and Demihumans, and they're lair tends to have escape routes.
Elves created a magical effect called Dracorage mythal that caused heaps of dragons to go crazy and attack each other even their own offspring, apparently the effect can be reoccurring, and along time ago changed dragons from ruling to recluse.
I wonder if in a new Campaign could it make sense to have repeated side quest encounters with one dragon over the whole campaign and depending on your choices you could end up being long term allies or enemies who's rivalry escalates as the quests go on.
1) Old Cormanthyr to the north, a cursed ruins of what was once an elven kingdom.
2) Gibberling infested tunnels to the underdark beneath Shadowdale
3) Zhents preparing to invade the Dalelands (the boxed set was 2nd edition before 3rd edition was implemented) - theme of the Slaver series, anyone? They were still Baneites then.
4) The Vast to the northeast - Orc barbarian hordes and Zhentarim outpost goodness.
5) Raven's Bluff to the east, past Daggerdale, one of the cosmopolitan areas of Faerun like Waterdeep.
6) Sembia and Cormyr to the near south.
7) to the far south, the amazing setting of Westgate, ruled by a council of nine - sort of like Waterdeep, but infiltrated by vampires! Super crime-y too, Could be like the OC's trip to Luskan
8) The Anauroch desert to the west, with Phaerlimm ruins and tomb tappers.
9) Elminster lives here: Elminster's tower is to be found in Shadowdale though he usually isnt home.
10) The whole Mystra/Kelemvor/Cyric story starts here. There could be a tie in to Shaundakul and Moander.
11.) Shadowdale has a temple to Lathander. Just sayin.
12) The Shadowdale inn serves the best fried bread around.
Elminster's tower and his not home. I'd definitely check that out for loot but on second thought I imagine he'd make it a massive pain just to get past one door.
Orcs! There's always Orcs!
Damn Gibberling's, I hate those things.
I hate Slavers too!, I don't think I could work for the Zents but maybe if I was undercover for the Harper's.
Plenty of opportunities there, forget Neverwinter I could happily never see Nasher again.
I remember Durlag's Tower & Watchers Keep was pretty hard the first time I played them, I imagine Elminster's Tower being far worse.
If I had a tower I'd have 10 levels to it and if someone finally made it to the top all they find is a note saying "congratulations this is the top of my fake tower, hahaha".
I'd keep a key on me that turns any door into a portal to my real home, don't know if it's possible but being able to go home anytime would be awesome.
I don't know a lot about the Zents but all if it's bad and I wouldn't mind causing them trouble but I doubt a small group could cause much trouble so we would need a large organization to support the efforts.
There's something about Cyric that's more interesting than most God's.
One God that annoys me is Lolth, she's such a B but the only way I can see to hurt her is drastically change Drow culture to reduce her worship on a massive scale, I don't see Drow changing there ways anytime soon.
The whole Vhaerun-Lolth dynamic was sorta like what you described. Ghaunadur was for like, dreg Lolth outcasts and Elistraee is for good drow and half-drow. But Vhaerun was all about taking over.
I heard males who become Mages or sorcerers are able to get benefits and can avoid most of the oppression, the most powerful females tend to be Clerics of Lolth and are constantly trying to keep Lolth happy which I'd really hate doing, I remember the stories from Viconia about sacrifices to appease Lolth
It would have to become personal like maybe your family is there with you and if you are a D you and the family will suffer giving personal stakes in your choices.
I think NWN has great potential to expand on many of these and I think it was a good choice to enhance. The more new content the better I say.