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Edwin Odesseiron, Simply The Best


It has come to my notice that there are some players who are unaware of the awesomeness of Edwin Odesseiron and in fact, even have the gall to accuse the character of cheating.
So I've decided it's time to educate the simians.

You first meet Edwin when he is working undercover to eliminate an enemy spy. Thay, being an enlightened and civilised nation, have dispatched one of their best agents to counter the threat that is posed by this subterfuge as they feel it is against the spirit of the "Prime Directive" which they follow when it comes to backward societies. And unlike the enemy agents, no Thayvian attacks the innocent for refusing to get involved.

But does Edwin murder the spy?
No, he agrees to work alongside her for the greater good. Until of course she runs into a pack of Gnolls (every time, every bloody time) after being rescued.
Deeply affected by this needless loss of life, Edwin puts his own ambition to one side and selflessly offers his services to charname as he realises that they need all the help they can get.

He then loyally follows charname, putting his considerable magical powers at their disposal with no payment demanded. He accepts charname's decisions and welcomes new members into the party with open arms. Especially the female ones as he realises the patriarchy is already working against them and they need all the support he can give. Unlike the society that produced the enemy agents, Thay does not discriminate based on gender.

Edwin protects charname from his fellow Thayvians, even when it involves stopping them from carrying out their lawful duties regarding a vicious and dangerous magic user. And what thanks does he get? A refusal to co operate from the vicious and dangerous magic user. But once again, he puts his self interest to one side and defers the decision to charname.

And so he continues following charname, working late into the night when the rest of the party are resting to learn the spells needed for charname to triumph. Uncomplaining about fatigue, stoic in his forebearance. Finally when the threat to charname is defeated, Edwin doesn't wait around for rewards or accolades, like a later day Zorro he slips away, his mission accomplished.

And all people can complain about is a bloody amulet?
Edwin has an amulet because he deserves an amulet. It's likely that it was awarded to him by the Faerun equivalent of the Nobel Prize comittee for humanitarian endeavours.

I think people should take a long, hard look at themselves and honestly confront the possibility that they are suffering from "amulet envy".



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Comments

  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366


    It has come to my notice that there are some players who are unaware of the awesomeness of Edwin Odesseiron and in fact, even have the gall to accuse the character of cheating.
    So I've decided it's time to educate the simians.

    You first meet Edwin when he is working undercover to eliminate an enemy spy. Thay, being an enlightened and civilised nation, have dispatched one of their best agents to counter the threat that is posed by this subterfuge as they feel it is against the spirit of the "Prime Directive" which they follow when it comes to backward societies. And unlike the enemy agents, no Thayvian attacks the innocent for refusing to get involved.

    But does Edwin murder the spy?
    No, he agrees to work alongside her for the greater good. Until of course she runs into a pack of Gnolls (every time, every bloody time) after being rescued.
    Deeply affected by this needless loss of life, Edwin puts his own ambition to one side and selflessly offers his services to charname as he realises that they need all the help they can get.

    He then loyally follows charname, putting his considerable magical powers at their disposal with no payment demanded. He accepts charname's decisions and welcomes new members into the party with open arms. Especially the female ones as he realises the patriarchy is already working against them and they need all the support he can give. Unlike the society that produced the enemy agents, Thay does not discriminate based on gender.

    Edwin protects charname from his fellow Thayvians, even when it involves stopping them from carrying out their lawful duties regarding a vicious and dangerous magic user. And what thanks does he get? A refusal to co operate from the vicious and dangerous magic user. But once again, he puts his self interest to one side and defers the decision to charname.

    And so he continues following charname, working late into the night when the rest of the party are resting to learn the spells needed for charname to triumph. Uncomplaining about fatigue, stoic in his forebearance. Finally when the threat to charname is defeated, Edwin doesn't wait around for rewards or accolades, like a later day Zorro he slips away, his mission accomplished.

    And all people can complain about is a bloody amulet?
    Edwin has an amulet because he deserves an amulet. It's likely that it was awarded to him by the Faerun equivalent of the Nobel Prize comittee for humanitarian endeavours.

    I think people should take a long, hard look at themselves and honestly confront the possibility that they are suffering from "amulet envy".



    But, but, his cheating amulet requires me to be a sorcerer to keep pace. I demand fairness! Every charname who takes Edwin into his party should receive an 'Amulet of Spellcheese' free of charge!
    semiticgoddessThacoBell
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    Amulets are just a weak tactic to make weak mages stronger.
    semiticgoddessThacoBelltbone1Rik_Kirtaniya
  • Abi_DalzimAbi_Dalzim Member Posts: 1,428
    Further counterpoint: Conjurers are an overrated mage specialization. Diviners ftw.
    ThacoBellRik_Kirtaniya
  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173
    Dammit, now my brain is expending unecessary energy on Edwin guest starring in a Tina Turner video. No, no...Edwina... singing in a tight dress staggering around in high heels you don't know how to wear... stay out of my mind!
    Contemplative_Hamsterdustbubsy
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Counterpoint: Edwin cannot throw bees at people.
    Balrog99
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147

    @Balrog99

    You can't keep pace, give up before you hurt yourself.

    @Artemius_I

    Somebody hasn't got an amulet...awww...bless.

    @semiticgod

    counter counterpoint,
    simian.

    @Abi_Dalzim

    Diviners always come last.

    @Mantis37

    Edwin looks good in high heels and knows how to wear them.
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    ThacoBell said:

    Counterpoint: Edwin cannot throw bees at people.

    As if he would ever stoop to such base tactics.

    Just think of the poor little bees. What have they ever done to Druids to deserve such treatment? Just minding their own business making delicious honey and suddenly they are thrown into a fight without so much as a by your leave.
    It's heartless, Edwin has too much compassion for the tiny critters.
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366

    ThacoBell said:

    Counterpoint: Edwin cannot throw bees at people.

    As if he would ever stoop to such base tactics.

    Just think of the poor little bees. What have they ever done to Druids to deserve such treatment? Just minding their own business making delicious honey and suddenly they are thrown into a fight without so much as a by your leave.
    It's heartless, Edwin has too much compassion for the tiny critters.
    Especially since it's suicide for the poor little furry nectar suckers!
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    Balrog99 said:

    ThacoBell said:

    Counterpoint: Edwin cannot throw bees at people.

    As if he would ever stoop to such base tactics.

    Just think of the poor little bees. What have they ever done to Druids to deserve such treatment? Just minding their own business making delicious honey and suddenly they are thrown into a fight without so much as a by your leave.
    It's heartless, Edwin has too much compassion for the tiny critters.
    Especially since it's suicide for the poor little furry nectar suckers!

    Exactly.

    They couldn't use wasps?

    Friends of nature?
    Don't make me laugh.
    Balrog99
  • Balrog99Balrog99 Member Posts: 7,366
    edited December 2017

    Balrog99 said:

    ThacoBell said:

    Counterpoint: Edwin cannot throw bees at people.

    As if he would ever stoop to such base tactics.

    Just think of the poor little bees. What have they ever done to Druids to deserve such treatment? Just minding their own business making delicious honey and suddenly they are thrown into a fight without so much as a by your leave.
    It's heartless, Edwin has too much compassion for the tiny critters.
    Especially since it's suicide for the poor little furry nectar suckers!

    Exactly.

    They couldn't use wasps?

    Friends of nature?
    Don't make me laugh.
    Wait, it is called 'Wasp Swarm' . Maybe they're more in tune with nature than at first glance.
  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173
    Was this skill acquired before, during, or after his walk on the wild side as Edwina? The finer points of Thayan fashion have always escaped me I must confess.
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147
    Mantis37 said:

    Was this skill acquired before, during, or after his walk on the wild side as Edwina? The finer points of Thayan fashion have always escaped me I must confess.

    He wears a dress, who knows what footwear is usually hidden under the rich and voluminous fabric?

    I do hope you are not implying that there is something wrong with men wearing high heels?
    Surely we have moved past such restrictive gender norms?

    Edwin is a "new man" (and sometimes a new woman), almost a visionary in his embrace of gender fluidity. ;)
    Mantis37
  • AstroBryGuyAstroBryGuy Member Posts: 3,437
    edited December 2017
    Best thing to do with Edwin... Let Boo pluck out his eyeballs with a spoon!


    ThacoBelltbone1Balrog99Rik_Kirtaniya
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    @UnderstandMouseMagic You don't understand. Bees are a warlike race, and they are not "forced" to fight. They allow druids to temporarily appease their bloodlust. Fear the day that Druids no longer protect us from the bees.
    UnderstandMouseMagic
  • UnderstandMouseMagicUnderstandMouseMagic Member Posts: 2,147

    Best thing to do with Edwin... Let Boo pluck out his eyeballs with a spoon!


    You see, this is why Edwin is often so exhasperated with the stupidity of those around him.

    First off, you don't and can't "pluck" anything with a spoon.

    Second, relative size.
    A hamster sized spoon wouldn't be able to do any significant damage to the average size eyeball. One blink and the spoon would be swept away.
    Have you even seen the size of a hamster's paws? They are tiny (let alone not having any opposable thumbs for gripping a spoon).

    This is probably why Rashemen is a backwards and primitive society, they simply don't think things through.
    Balrog99ThacoBell
  • Mantis37Mantis37 Member Posts: 1,173

    Mantis37 said:

    Was this skill acquired before, during, or after his walk on the wild side as Edwina? The finer points of Thayan fashion have always escaped me I must confess.

    He wears a dress, who knows what footwear is usually hidden under the rich and voluminous fabric?

    I do hope you are not implying that there is something wrong with men wearing high heels?
    Surely we have moved past such restrictive gender norms?

    Edwin is a "new man" (and sometimes a new woman), almost a visionary in his embrace of gender fluidity. ;)
    Jesting aside, there is serious academic analysis of this:

    https://books.google.co.jp/books?hl=en&lr=&id=2MNJDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA117&dq=edwin+romance+baldur's&ots=aFS3aSCD6n&sig=nFPschW-G3yEUMBsniyOzLmo0LI#v=onepage&q=edwin romance baldur's&f=false

    Even academics must struggle with Edwin's transcedence ;).
  • Rik_KirtaniyaRik_Kirtaniya Member Posts: 1,742
    edited December 2017

    And all people can complain about is a bloody amulet?
    Edwin has an amulet because he deserves an amulet. It's likely that it was awarded to him by the Faerun equivalent of the Nobel Prize comittee for humanitarian endeavours.

    @UnderstandMouseMagic
    Edwin's got that amulet for no other reason than because he's a Red Wizard. As for "humanitarian endeavours", Edwin would be the last person to do them. He has done nothing to deserve it.

    I think people should take a long, hard look at themselves and honestly confront the possibility that they are suffering from "amulet envy".

    I always kill Edwin whenever I meet him. But it's not because I want his amulet for myself or that I think like "Since I cannot get it, I won't let anyone have it". (In fact, I think no one should be allowed to have such powerful artifacts, because with unwarranted power, evil and corruption soon seep in.) I do it for the sake of the Balance, and because Red Wizards are my racial enemies. [I probably said this thing earlier].

    One more thing, I don't wish to debate if Edwin is the most powerful mage or not. Because his power is just because of that Amulet. He himself has no special talent.

    EDIT: I didn't read the beginning of your post at first, but reading it now I've got a few more things to say.

    Thay, being an enlightened and civilised nation,...

    You call a place where slave-trade, gladiator arenas, tyranny, oppression, creation of cursed magic items, and all kinds of evil take place as being "civilised"?

    He then loyally follows charname, putting his considerable magical powers at their disposal with no payment demanded.

    He always says he'll abandon charname when the latter would no longer be of any aid to his mission. He follows out of greed... for gold and magical treasures.

    But does Edwin murder the spy?
    No, he agrees to work alongside her for the greater good. Until of course she runs into a pack of Gnolls (every time, every bloody time) after being rescued.

    He doesn't murder Dynahier because he's alone and he's afraid of Minsc!

    Moreover, it appears that your idea of Edwin's supposed "benevolence" is terribly biased. I was rather surprised to read his description as you state it. In fact he's exactly the opposite.

    Finally,


    So I've decided it's time to educate the simians.

    Pride has its downfall. Edwin had his too.
    Post edited by Rik_Kirtaniya on
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    You're simply the best
    better than all the rest
    Better than anyone
    anyone I ever met
    UnderstandMouseMagic
  • Contemplative_HamsterContemplative_Hamster Member Posts: 844
    edited December 2017


    You call a place where slave-trade, gladiator arenas, tyranny, oppression, creation of cursed magic items, and all kinds of evil take place as being "civilised"?

    Off the top of my head, places you'd probably call 'civilized' and still did the above things. Not all points apply to each, but two or more do apply to each. The one about cursed magic items is hard to prove, of course :|

    Ancient Greece
    The Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire
    The Ottoman Empire
    German Empire & Nazi Germany
    Italian Empire & Fascist Italy
    The British Empire
    The United States of America
    The Republic of Texas
    The Spanish Empire
    Francoist Spain
    The Portuguese Empire
    Portuguese Second Republic
    The Belgian Empire in the Congo
    The Dano-Norwegian Empire
    The Swedish Empire
    The French Empire
    The Dutch Empire
    The Russian Empire
    Soviet Russia

    And those are just the major, largely Europe-based ones doing bad things to people and peoples largely beyond their own territorial borders. I could add more, and I could probably find 10 non-European ones in five minutes flat, too. The above list only reflects what I know, not that people outside Europe are or were saints.

    (Oh, and Aglarond, one of Thay's traditional enemies, is ruled by the Simbul, a self-admitted capricious, absentee, absolute monarch with a penchant for killing people creatively and explosively, without due process of law even if outside her own jurisdiction.)


    Post edited by Contemplative_Hamster on
    profanitywarningArtonaGrond0UnderstandMouseMagic
  • Rik_KirtaniyaRik_Kirtaniya Member Posts: 1,742
    edited December 2017

    (Oh, and Rashemen, Thay's traditional enemy, is ruled by the Simbul, a self-admitted capricious, absentee, absolute monarch with a penchant for killing people creatively and explosively, without due process of law even if outside her own jurisdiction.)

    I checked the Forgotten Realms wiki just now. Simbul was the ruler of Aglarond, not Rashemen.
    Rashemen was ruled by Hyarmon Hussilthar in 1360 DR.
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137

    (Oh, and Rashemen, Thay's traditional enemy, is ruled by the Simbul, a self-admitted capricious, absentee, absolute monarch with a penchant for killing people creatively and explosively, without due process of law even if outside her own jurisdiction.)

    I checked the Forgotten Realms wiki just now. Simbul was the ruler of Aglarond, not Rashemen.
    Rashemen was ruled by Hyarmon Hussilthar in 1360 DR.
    This is actually true, the country is actually ruled by bootleggers who live in the woods making moonshine, as is the case for all well run countries.
    ArtonaContemplative_Hamster
  • Contemplative_HamsterContemplative_Hamster Member Posts: 844
    edited December 2017

    (Oh, and Rashemen, Thay's traditional enemy, is ruled by the Simbul, a self-admitted capricious, absentee, absolute monarch with a penchant for killing people creatively and explosively, without due process of law even if outside her own jurisdiction.)

    I checked the Forgotten Realms wiki just now. Simbul was the ruler of Aglarond, not Rashemen.
    Rashemen was ruled by Hyarmon Hussilthar in 1360 DR.
    Great minds think alike - I realized my error and corrected it just as you were posting.

    But in reality the place is run by an enigmatic sisterhood of witches who choose their oen members, are not accountable to anyone, and who can replace the ruler on a whim.
  • Rik_KirtaniyaRik_Kirtaniya Member Posts: 1,742
    edited December 2017
    Also, one more thing. If I wished I could say a lot of things about the real world countries. But I won't say a thing, because it can hurt people's feelings and will be against forum rules. Let's keep our discussion within the Forgotten Realms, OK? :)

    (Oh, and Rashemen, Thay's traditional enemy, is ruled by the Simbul, a self-admitted capricious, absentee, absolute monarch with a penchant for killing people creatively and explosively, without due process of law even if outside her own jurisdiction.)

    I checked the Forgotten Realms wiki just now. Simbul was the ruler of Aglarond, not Rashemen.
    Rashemen was ruled by Hyarmon Hussilthar in 1360 DR.
    Great minds think alike - I realized my error and corrected it just as you were posting.

    But in reality the place is run by an enigmatic sisterhood of witches who choose their oen members, are not accountable to anyone, and who can replace the ruler on a whim.
    So are the Thayan autocratic Zulkirs. In fact, they are more infamous in their activities. Especially that lich ruler, Szass Tam.
  • History exists independently from people's potential hurt feelings about the past, but forum rules are forum rules Ok. Point in favour of the Thayan zulkirs: 'Better the devil (summoner) you know.'
    Pantalion
  • Rik_KirtaniyaRik_Kirtaniya Member Posts: 1,742

    Point in favour of the Thayan zulkirs: 'Better the devil (summoner) you know.'

    @Contemplative_Hamster Sorry, I couldn't get that. Will you please elaborate?

  • Rik_KirtaniyaRik_Kirtaniya Member Posts: 1,742

    But in reality the place is run by an enigmatic sisterhood of witches who choose their oen members, are not accountable to anyone, and who can replace the ruler on a whim.

    The same is true about Amn. There are the Cowled Wizards.

  • Contemplative_HamsterContemplative_Hamster Member Posts: 844
    edited December 2017
    It is the brief version of an idiomatic expression in English, with a Thayan twist. Clearly it might be advantageous to deal with known Zulkirs than with unknown Witches.

    The Cambridge Dictionary says:
    better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
    (saying)
    said when you think it is wiser to deal with someone or something familiar, although you do not like him, her, or it, than to deal with someone or something you do not know that might be worse


    The Colling Cobuild Dictionary says:
    (phrase)
    If you say better the devil you know or better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, you mean that you would prefer to have contact with or do business with a person you already know, even though you don't like them, than with a person you don't know.
    [mainly British]
    COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
    Rik_Kirtaniya
  • Rik_KirtaniyaRik_Kirtaniya Member Posts: 1,742
    There's more to the Zulkirs than they let you see. You don't possibly know what happens inside their secret laboratories.
  • But at least you tend to know who they are, whereas the Witches stay anonymous and wear masks. Hence the saying above, better the devil you know.
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