(4th IR) What does your character write?

[Edena_of_Neith]

Edena_of_Neith here.
Greetings, fellow Gamers.

Are you familiar with the world of Toril, wherein sits the Forgotten Realms? Do you know of Faerun, the main continent? Maztica, beyond Evermeet across the western ocean? Kara-Tur, vast and unexplored beyond the Hordelands east of Faerun? Maztica, southeast of Faerun and south of the equator?
Are you familiar with Mulhorand and Chessenta, the Vilhon Reach and Thay, Sembia and Waterdeep, Cormyr and the Dalelands, Evereska and Luruar, Baldur's Gate and Amn, Tethyr and Calimshan? Or how about Thesk and Damara, Vaasa and Thar, Anauroch and the Great Glacier, the Moonshae Isles, Lantan and Nimbral Isles? Or how about Chult and Talashar, Halruaa and Dambrath, Luiren and Durpar, the Shaar and Raurin, Var the Golden and Ulgarth?
Did I mention Menzoberranzan? No, I forgot Menzoberranzan. Plus a great many other drow cities. And illithid cities. And duergar cities. Aboleth cities. Beholder hives. Enclaves of the Sharn, creatures that elude the understanding of the wisest sages.
And oh yes, I forgot to mention the Giff Mercenaries in the sky, in their spelljammers. Or the Elven Imperial Navy, or the Scro Armada, or the Gnomish Sidewheelers. I did not mention the illithid squidships, or the neogi with their umber hulk servants.

For this is the Realmspace that exists beyond the Magic Portal.
The Magic Portal that still stands on the Isle of the Phoenix in Greyspace, on the World of Toril, in the Demiplane of Hope.

Now, the Magic Portal does not directly lead to this Realmspace. It leads to an alternate Greyspace from the Demiplane of Hope (one of the few standing ways in and out of the Demiplane.) From the alternate Greyspace, one can travel to the alternate Realmspace.

For this, is an alternate Realmspace.
Here, the Gnomish Industrial Revolution never came.
Here, the sky is still blue, illithid are still evil, kender do not exist, and starships with heavy particle cannons have not been invented yet.

But one thing has been invented.

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-

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Some gnome on the Isle of Lantan decided to make himself a lot of money.
To this end, he came up with a fascinating and unique idea.
The idea being, that standardized letters would make for the ideal creation of books.
So, he created standardized molds, then poured molten metal in and let it harden, and he got himself standardized metal blocks that could be inset in a machine in any order desired and pressed down on a sheet of paper.
Now, the gnome is nobody special; he is nobody well known in particular at all. However his device, which he calls the printing press, has been very popular, and is now being duplicated and marketed all over Faerun. (the gnome did become wealthy, too.)

Publishers are finding it cheaper to make books (scribes are expensive!), and suddenly books (or at least pamplets) are coming out all over the place.
And books, are becoming less expensive. Now, the Middle Class can afford books, and even the poor can avail themselves to cheap pamplets.
A lot of people, are actually trying to learn to read, who would not have thought of the idea before, because of the new books.

Now ...

People always have something to say, right? (It does not matter whether what they have to say is WORTH saying ... they will say it anyways, no?)
People sometimes want to vent their opinions, right?
Some people are willing to get up and speak bravely (or, write bravely) to make their point, or am I wrong?
And some people, see great potential in the sudden flood of relatively cheap writing material - paper, pens, ink, and the printing press that is making the business lucrative - that is pouring across Faerun.

Assume you have a high level character in Faerun.
Assume your character can read and write.
Assume your character has enough wealth to buy a lot of books.
Assume your character, is motivated to write a thing or two, and try to have it published (and, the number of publishers is skyrocketing, and any publisher will publish, if there is sufficient payment.)

What does your character write, in those soon to be published books he or she now possesses?

 

[Kalanyr]

Nothing, my character is intelligent enough to remember what Khelben Blackstaff is gonna do to people who mass produce books eg the Volo problems.

 

[Creamsteak]

As I don't know what character's perspective I would take, I'm going to assume that the first thing I try and publish is a book of modern warfare tactics, first edition. Of course, this would be the only edition if Wizards were not always inventing new spells, smiths were not always making better equipment, and those gnomes were not dabbing in technomancy. Wrap that around the bacon of the concept of new re-inventions of tactics and traps, and well...

It's going to become an annual almanac of war.

 

[Deel Surool]

The New Complete Surool Revised: The Authoritative Guide to the Official Rules of All the Basic Games of Skill and Chance, and Popular Variations

With, of course, a searchable cross-referenced index, subliminal tutorials and replayable holographic demonstrations of a wide variety of... *AHEM!* ...highly successful strategies.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Well, what you both need are Sponsors.
You need a Sponsor, Kalanyr, so that your character need not be afraid of Khelben.
And you need a Sponsor, Creamsteak, because most wizards do not wish their tactics openly discussed in public.

There are Sponsors aplenty and to spare.

Kalanyr, the Knights of the Shield are offering to sponsor you. This organization is a major power in Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan, in southwestern Faerun. They seek dominion over the trade routes across all of western Faerun, and the sea routes west and south of the continent.
The Knights of the Shield have a PL of 3. Which just about matches the PL 3 of Khelben and his own secret organization, the Harpstars.
Seeing as how you dislike (well, it sure looks like you dislike!) Khelben, and considering how they also dislike Khelben the assuming barbarian northerner mageling, they think helping you to write your books would be well worth their time.

And if you do not wish sponsorship from the Knights of the Shield, you could probably get government support from Amn (PL 4), Tethyr (PL 3), or Calimshan (PL 10), for the governments of all these nations resent the little northern town that dares to call itself The City of Splendors - a town that should have been one of their outposts, not a brazenly egotistical settlement that values itself ten times over it's actual worth.

Creamsteak, Thay (PL 10), Mulhorand (PL 13), and Unther (PL 4) would be happy to sponsor you. In all of these places, wizards are constantly practicing new and better ways to kill with the Art, and they would be eager to read books revealing the strategies of other wizards (all of whom are potential or actual enemies.)

Oh, by the way, your character - regardless of class or level - has a PL of 1. So, a Sponsor might be handy if your writing offends anyone (or, happens to offend an entire nation ...)

 

[William Ronald]

Hi, Edena. Good to see you on the boards.

I would probably try to write something urging people to try to look past their differences to see the true worth of others. As an inhabitant of Faerun, preferrably one who has travelled far, I believe it would be incumbent to try to promote tolerance and understanding.

There have been good and remarkable people in all lands and nations. Perhaps a work on philosophy and the rights of the individual might strike a blow for peace and justice.

I would probably include examples of people who defy stereotypes that others have of different races and peoples. I seem to recall a kobold who became a priest of Lathander. Drizzt Do'Urden is another hero who has overcome the prejudices of his culture to extend his hand in friendship to others. It is the content of a persons character and their deeds, not their origins which should matter. Faerun has too often been torn apart by needless hate.

Probably a good place to look for a patron would be Silverymoon, a multi-racial land where elves, dwarves, and humans live in peace with each other. If the people of Faerun can learn what unites them is more important and powerful than what divides them, who knows what wonders they might accomplish together that they could not do alone.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Well Deel, consider your character rich. He or she makes it pretty big.
There is quite an appetite for books on games in the Forgotten Realms - it is surprising just how big that appetite is.
Nations and areas of note where your books are selling well: Luskan (PL 2), Waterdeep (PL 10), Candlekeep (PL 14), Calimshan (PL 10), Sembia (PL 7), Thesk (PL 4), Thay (PL 10), Halruaa (PL 15), Var the Golden (PL 8), and Lapaliiya (PL 3), to name a few.
You probably could obtain a Sponsor, if you curried favor with the government officials of one of these countries. If you succeeded, your character would not be rich: your character would become WEALTHY, for then the resources would be made available to print and ship your books to every corner of the Realms.

Of course, they won't do it just for the asking.
You'll have to make your case - to them - for why your books should be sponsored with their money, time, and manpower.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

William, Luruar-Silverymoon (PL 3) would be happy to Sponsor your character, if he or she asks for it.
Or, perhaps Waterdeep (PL 10), Sembia (PL 7), Cormyr (PL 4), the Dalelands (PL 3), or even the Harpers at Berdusk (PL 5.)

I do hope your character finds a Sponsor. For the drow of Menzoberranzan (PL 4) have gotten ahold of copies of your character's book, and they do not like all this talk of tolerance one bit, and they like talk of Drizzt Do'Urden even less.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(By the way, would you type down here what you write? Assuming, of course, you only write pamplets and leaflets, short enough to be reproduced. Books, obviously, are too long ... so just tell me what you generally say in any books.)

(If you write a pamplet or leaflet, and put it down exactly as written here, then I can read the creative - and disturbing - thoughts of your characters. As can everyone else ...)

 

[Kalanyr]

The Guidebook of Magica Arcane
Collated by Arkanyl Lynarka
An exciting new publication due for release from Tethyr Printing withinthe month, this 5000 page yearly publication will include all the new and rediscovered spells of the year (if the esteemed author can get them off whoever has them), and essays and articles on the theory and practice of magic from as many powerful wizards at the author can track down.