D&D General Forgotten Realms: Real World Gods Still Present in the Old Empires

[Henadic Theologian]

Oh what Surpised me more then that they didn't cancel the Old Empire RW Gods, is that they had the brass ones TO MAKE THE OLD EMPIRES FEAT MULHORANDI TOMB RAIDER.

They could have gone with Mulhorandi Archologist, or Mulhorandi Historian or Mulhorandi Lord Priest or zillion other things, instead they made it something that used be a death penalty offense is Mulhorand, is now state endorsed.

And honestly I'm fine with it, you can justify by point to like the former Mulhorandi capital of Thay and other corrupted and other dangerous tombs, when important stuff is now in the wrong hands and dessecrated by evil anyways so uts more rescuing stuff then stealing from them.

But it was still shocking they would go there, I know Indianna Jones/Tomb Raider/Relic Hunter/Librarians is really popular, but its seems controversial choice. But knowing the lore like I do, I see lore justifications for it. So many if their ruins, Imaskari Ruins, and Tombs and so on, ended up lairs for evil monsters and such.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Oh what Surpised me more then that they didn't cancel the Old Empire RW Gods, is that they had the brass ones TO MAKE THE OLD EMPIRES FEAT MULHORANDI TOMB RAIDER.

This follows the real world history of Egypt. Tombs were often robbed within a generation of them being occupied, sometimes by the original workers who built the tombs. There was the death (by torture) penalty if caught, but the wealth was worth the risk. There were people who made a profession of it. The archaeologists didn’t arrive until thousands of years later. That’s what made the Tutankhamen find remarkable - getting to rob a tomb that hadn’t already been robbed in antiquity.

 

[Yaarel]

That was none senseical completely, and a silly nonescenical blog post is never going to trumped by an actual legal contract with Ed Greenwood. The blog post was basically Chris Perkins covering for Jeremy Crawford and failing when FR fans flipped out over Jeremy saying there is no canon. Just ignore it, the original contract with Ed dictates what is and is not canon to FR, not a pair of guys who are now gone and working for Darrington Press.

Every setting is opt in.

Perkins, Crawford, and others were referring to what is "canon" in the core rules, which is only what is published in PH, DMs Guide and MM. This means any book or show that officially has the Dungeons & Dragons brand should cohere with the core rules, but otherwise dont need to conform to other D&D products.

Beyond core, every setting is its own canon -- and even every author that tells a story utilizing a setting is ones own canon. It is ok if authors disagree with each other. Each DM chooses which setting to use including the poetic license to alter a setting.

Example. If Kieth Baker has WotC publishing the Eberron Rising campaign setting, that official setting is canon for everyone who opts in that canon. If an other author writes a story that takes place in Eberron, and Baker adds new setting content as an indy publisher, it is ok for each author to disagree in details. Baker tends to be consistent in that he integrates other content into his setting that he publishes online.

With the Forgotten Realms setting there are several canonical authorities. For branding, probably these 5e 2024 books (Heroes in Faerun and Adventures in Faerun) are the only canon, for official novels and shows. But there are also several fansites accumulating lore from all related products across the editions, and the 2024 books even recommend one. Then there are the publications by Greenwood himself, including his indy publications and even his original setting before any other additions. It is ok if these different iterations of the Forgotten Realms setting have incongruent details. It is the DM and by extension the author of a novel or movie who decides which setting to use, and then tis DM-author becomes a self-referential canon.

 

[Yaarel]

This follows the real world history of Egypt. Tombs were often robbed within a generation of them being occupied, sometimes by the original workers who built the tombs. There was the death (by torture) penalty if caught, but the wealth was worth the risk. There were people who made a profession of it. The archaeologists didn’t arrive until thousands of years later. That’s what made the Tutankhamen find remarkable - getting to rob a tomb that hadn’t already been robbed in antiquity.

Heh, of course, the goal isnt to steal the cultural heritage of other ethnicities.

 

[Zeromaru X]

That was none senseical completely, and a silly nonescenical blog post is never going to trumped by an actual legal contract with Ed Greenwood.

AFAIK, Greenwood's contract only covers him, with the disclaimer that what he says is canon "unless or/and until superseded" by anything published by TSR or WotC.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

AFAIK, Greenwood's contract only covers him, with the disclaimer that what he says is canon "unless or/and until superseded" by anything published by TSR or WotC.

No it covers the novels period, novels can't be decanonized.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Heh, of course, the goal isnt to steal the cultural heritage of other ethnicities.

You can steal the objects, you can't steal a cultural heritage with anything less then destroying the culture in question.

 

[Yaarel]

You can steal the objects, you can't steal a cultural heritage with anything less then destroying the culture in question.

Theft of archeological antiquities is a serious crime ongoing today. It was a huge problem historically as various empires robbed each others ancestral heritage.

D&D is a safe playful space, where roleplaying thieves is part of the fun. Just saying, in reallife theft of antiquities (even the vandalism of them) is a painful issue.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Theft of archeological antiquities is a serious crime ongoing today. It was a huge problem historically as various empires robbed each others ancestral heritage.

D&D is a safe playful space, where roleplaying thieves is part of the fun. Just saying, in reallife theft of antiquities is a painful issue.

I think you misunderstood me, I wasn't defending stealing artifacts, its morally wrong in most situations (the only exception is to keep them out of the hands of fanatics who will destroy them, so that such artifacts can be returned to their rightful nations when the fanatics are gone) cultures aren't something on the other hand that can be stolen, they can be shared, but that never diminishes the culture, it only strengthens it.

 

[Zeromaru X]

No it covers the novels period, novels can't be decanonized.

You should have to show me the source saying that.