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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Beleriphon" data-source="post: 7871192" data-attributes="member: 27847">I'll try.Elminster is a powerful wizard sure (he's nominally the oldest of Mystra's chosen mortals), he's also by nature a loner. In comparison the leaders of several organizations are also powerful wizards, Szass Tam (more on him below) is the leader of the Red Wizards, and a lich too boot.Elminster gets a bad rap because he's the hero of Ed Greenwood's books about Elminster (duh) and he's a powerful wizard, as well as being one of a dozen of Mystra's Chosen (empowered champions); so there is the impression that there isn't much he can't do. The novels are vary in quality quite a bit, but general thrust of being a Chosen of a god was that the character gets an enhanced life span (Elminster is well over one thousand years old), enhanced knowledge/ability in their deity's portfolio, and they are charged with protecting the deity's interests in the mortal realm.As a point of comparison Halaster Blackcloak (the owner/operater of Undermountain and titular Mad Mage of Dungeon of the Mad Mage) is stirge-poop crazy and also a Chosen of Mystra.Definitely more on the secret, less on the powerful. They were at one point fronted by Khelben Blackstaff, but that was to counter evil secret organizations like The Zhentarim (who were fronted by Bane's high priest Fzoul Chembryl, until he died and became a demigod).The Harpers are more designed as information gatherers and spies who pass on the information about the bad guys to people that can do something about it. Like the PCs.Drizzt, no apostophe in the first name. Family name Do'Urden. Basically yes. Books he's in are moderate to good quality.Pretty much. 3E had them less outwardly evil, or maybe affably evil. At the high levels they're into chattel slavery, human sacrifice, and crushing oppression. This was before their grand high poobah became a lich.They also hate the country that is more or less (is it still?) run by Elminster's girlfriend/lover/Rose to  10/whatever.Of interest as a magocracy Thay is run by wizards of the necromancy specialty. Not that its a huge issue in 5E rules, but back in AD&D/AD&D 2E that was a big deal since Red Wizards could double specialize at the cost of even more prohibited schools.Pretty much. As with all good guy countries some nobles hate the king and are trying to overthrow him. Its been the same dynasty for over 1000 years, those nobles have a really bad track record.Dracoliches, and its actually a translation error that caused it. I don't recall the deatils, but the canon version is that they worship dracoliches due to a typo.Timey-wimey-wibbly-wobbly... stuff if you prefer. Its the same fundamental idea most settings uses, magic is interacts with something, FRs version is called The Weave and is controlled by Mystra (the goddess of magic) to the point if anything affects Mystra The Weave goes crazy. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f635.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt="o_O" title="Er... what?    o_O"  data-smilie="12"data-shortname="o_O" />I'd actually liken Baldur's Gate to the Free City more than Waterdeep. But yes, if its a named D&D game its in FR, EXCEPT Planescape: Torment which is set largely in Sigil. I'm assuming you're familiar with Sigil.To get a clear update I believe the current year is DR 1489. DR is short for Dale Reckoning, basically FR's standard calendar based on some stuff in the setting about elves, and big rocks, and elves not blowing up humans who stood a big rock on its end.Major Recent Events:DR 1358 Time of the Troubles - the gods are made mortal and walk the land (transition from AD&D to AD&D 2E)1368 - AD&D 2E campaign settingDR 1372 to 1376 - any 3E stuff happensDR 1385 - Spellplague (rules change to 4E)DR 1479 - 4E campaign setting - also the year the newer of two Neverwinter MMO is set in.DR 1485 - The Sundering starts - D&D Next playtest materialDR 1489 - The Sundering is over - 5E rules (basically everything goes back to the way it was, more or less)</blockquote>

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