Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is LIVE! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Thoughts on Archmage - the beginning of the Rage of Demons storyline (spoilers!)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="MerricB" data-source="post: 6709898" data-attributes="member: 3586"><p>Archmage is the newest book in the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore, and it's also the start of the <em>Rage of Demons</em> storyline. I've <a href="http://merricb.com/2015/09/24/book-review-archmage-by-r-a-salvatore/" target="_blank">reviewed it on my blog</a>, but I'll go a little more into it here.</p><p></p><p>Archmage describes the situation that leads to all the demon lords infesting the Underdark. I think it's the 28th book in the <em>Legend of Drizzt</em> series, and it draws on a lot of the history of that series. The basic plot is that the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, where the drow of Menzoberranzan have set up an outpost - potentially a new drow city. So, the drow are arguing about what to do about it, the dwarves are taking back the city, Drizzt, Bruenor and Catti-Brie are helping them, and Wulfgar and Regis have the roles of Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Book. (Regis is trying to be reunited with the love of his life...)</p><p></p><p>A lot of the book is from the drow perspective, especially that of Gromph, the Archmage of Menzoberranzan. In previous books, Lolth tried to become the supreme goddess of magic. She failed, but Gromph had gotten all excited because he thought he'd become equal (or higher) in status to the female priestesses. Well, he was excited until he realised the Lolth wanted female wizards as well as priestesses, and men would remain downtrodden in drow society. So we have a resentful archmage wandering around, and that isn't a good thing.</p><p></p><p>Which leads him to casting the spell that summons the demon lords. Not that he knows this. He's actually being manipulated by Lolth: she thinks the Abyss will be a lot easier to control if all the demon lords are on Faerun, and she's used some of the natural magic of the Underdark to negate the "banished for 100 years" clause on demons if they remain in the Underdark. So, when Gromph thinks he's summoning demons to fight for him, and instead he gets Demon Lords. Which is all sorts of awesome, especially how it is described.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, and this is done well. We've just come out of several books of Dwarves vs Orcs, and I couldn't imagine more boring battles. I never really got a sense of the shape of the battles nor their significance in the last couple of books. That wasn't the case here, and there are some really great battle descriptions. When a battle has an effect on the story, then it's worth telling its tale, and Salvatore does a good job here.</p><p></p><p>I do have an ongoing problem with the conception of the drow. I want chaotic evil to be a lot more chaotic! How come House Baenre keeps remaining on top? I really wish the drow and Lolth were more fickle.</p><p></p><p>And, of course, there's the ongoing question about what the other gods are doing. If Lolth is causing all of this, can't the other gods interfere at all?</p><p></p><p>As opposed to some other commentators, I'm not fussed by the powering-up of Catti-Brie (and her miraculous new staff). But them, I come from a long history of Monty-Haul games. (Who gave a vorpal sword to a 5th level fighter in an AD&D game a couple of years ago? Yes, that would be me...)</p><p></p><p>So, is Archmage worth reading - especially if you're running <em>Out of the Abyss</em>? I'd say so, yes. I'm curious how someone who hadn't read any other Drizzt novels would find it. Personally, I think they'd manage, but I have so much knowledge from the early days of D&D onward that I'm most certainly not a "first-time" reader!</p><p></p><p>Cheers!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MerricB, post: 6709898, member: 3586"] Archmage is the newest book in the Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore, and it's also the start of the [i]Rage of Demons[/i] storyline. I've [url=http://merricb.com/2015/09/24/book-review-archmage-by-r-a-salvatore/]reviewed it on my blog[/url], but I'll go a little more into it here. Archmage describes the situation that leads to all the demon lords infesting the Underdark. I think it's the 28th book in the [i]Legend of Drizzt[/i] series, and it draws on a lot of the history of that series. The basic plot is that the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, where the drow of Menzoberranzan have set up an outpost - potentially a new drow city. So, the drow are arguing about what to do about it, the dwarves are taking back the city, Drizzt, Bruenor and Catti-Brie are helping them, and Wulfgar and Regis have the roles of Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Book. (Regis is trying to be reunited with the love of his life...) A lot of the book is from the drow perspective, especially that of Gromph, the Archmage of Menzoberranzan. In previous books, Lolth tried to become the supreme goddess of magic. She failed, but Gromph had gotten all excited because he thought he'd become equal (or higher) in status to the female priestesses. Well, he was excited until he realised the Lolth wanted female wizards as well as priestesses, and men would remain downtrodden in drow society. So we have a resentful archmage wandering around, and that isn't a good thing. Which leads him to casting the spell that summons the demon lords. Not that he knows this. He's actually being manipulated by Lolth: she thinks the Abyss will be a lot easier to control if all the demon lords are on Faerun, and she's used some of the natural magic of the Underdark to negate the "banished for 100 years" clause on demons if they remain in the Underdark. So, when Gromph thinks he's summoning demons to fight for him, and instead he gets Demon Lords. Which is all sorts of awesome, especially how it is described. Meanwhile, the dwarves are taking back Gauntlgrym, and this is done well. We've just come out of several books of Dwarves vs Orcs, and I couldn't imagine more boring battles. I never really got a sense of the shape of the battles nor their significance in the last couple of books. That wasn't the case here, and there are some really great battle descriptions. When a battle has an effect on the story, then it's worth telling its tale, and Salvatore does a good job here. I do have an ongoing problem with the conception of the drow. I want chaotic evil to be a lot more chaotic! How come House Baenre keeps remaining on top? I really wish the drow and Lolth were more fickle. And, of course, there's the ongoing question about what the other gods are doing. If Lolth is causing all of this, can't the other gods interfere at all? As opposed to some other commentators, I'm not fussed by the powering-up of Catti-Brie (and her miraculous new staff). But them, I come from a long history of Monty-Haul games. (Who gave a vorpal sword to a 5th level fighter in an AD&D game a couple of years ago? Yes, that would be me...) So, is Archmage worth reading - especially if you're running [i]Out of the Abyss[/i]? I'd say so, yes. I'm curious how someone who hadn't read any other Drizzt novels would find it. Personally, I think they'd manage, but I have so much knowledge from the early days of D&D onward that I'm most certainly not a "first-time" reader! Cheers! [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Thoughts on Archmage - the beginning of the Rage of Demons storyline (spoilers!)
Top