Forgotten Realms: History of the Realms

[Shemeska]

I was browsing through this book at the bookstore today, and saw a picture of a warforged. Are they in the Realms now? How is that explained?

Though I haven't seen any official comment, given what the picture's header was, and what it was supposed to be illustrating, it seems to be a case of the wrong picture being (re)used.

 

[The_Warlock]

I was browsing through this book at the bookstore today, and saw a picture of a warforged. Are they in the Realms now? How is that explained?

Nope, looks like a mistake in terms of what image they imbedded in the production file, as the caption refers to a dragon that's being slowly killed while he tries to record the history of his attempt at empire...it's a complete gaff.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Though I haven't seen any official comment, given what the picture's header was, and what it was supposed to be illustrating, it seems to be a case of the wrong picture being (re)used.

Kisonraathiisar's slow demise. Sounded like a dragon.

So are there warforged in the Realms now, or should that have been omitted completely?

 

[The_Warlock]

So are there warforged in the Realms now, or should that have been omitted completely?

Not from any product I've seen...so, I'm running with the assumption that it's a pure art mistake.

 

[Dragonhelm]

Not from any product I've seen...so, I'm running with the assumption that it's a pure art mistake.

Got it. Thanks for clearing that up, guys.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Just you wait, they'll put warforged, and changelings, and lightning rails and dragonmarks into the FR.

 

[The_Warlock]

Just you wait, they'll put warforged, and changelings, and lightning rails and dragonmarks into the FR.

Well, it's FR, you CAN have anything in there, that was kind of a premise stated in the old Grey Box. To be fair, I'm sure there are dozens of campaigns out there that people run in FR that have one or more of those in them. That's their perogative. As for WoTC, they own the license, and if they want them in, that's their perogative.

But since I have everything since the old Grey Box, they can do whatever they'd like, since I already have all the content I'll need until I'm old and grey, and they put me in a box. I'm not going to get worked up over this new cataclysm, I have the materials I need in the setting that has the details, tropes and history already.

The end result is, based on the actual purpose of this thread, that if you have enjoyed the Realms in one form or another over the decades of it's production - get the Grand History. Even with re-used artwork, it's worth it for a FR fan, especially a DM. After that, stick to the history and make your own, or go with the changes it foreshadows in new products.

The Realms is what you make of it in your home campaign, not what anyone else (person or corporation) tells you it must be.

 

[Nyeshet]

Personally, I am starting to think this advancement in timeline will be something that eventually will be "undone". There is an entry towards the back of the book, a part of a journal of someone investigating the cult of shar, and eventually being sucked into the faith. It eludes to a very big plan of shars, which I think is changing the roll of years to something more of her liking.

It screams to me a classic formula in all Star Trek series, the "nightmare episode". Such storelines involve something terrible happening in the timeline, characters dying, ships, worlds and fleets being destroyed, etc. Eventually, the events are "undone", and the timeline is returned to normal.

Just a theory.

Interesting. Perhaps 5e (or 4.5e) will "start" with a temporal problem that redefines the past - such that most of the changes made for 3e and 4e will no longer exist. Or perhaps it will be even more extreme - Karsus choosing another deity and succeeding in ascending to divinity, but magic altering notably in the process and all history after Karsus being utterly re-written. Either way - removal of the last few decades or total rewrite of the last few centuries (millennia?) could be interesting for FR 5e (or 4.5e).

 

[Neil Bishop]

Just you wait, they'll put warforged, and changelings, and lightning rails and dragonmarks into the FR.

IMO, warforged and changelings would actually suit parts of the Realms quite well. Warforged can be the legacy of old Raumathar while changelings just make sense as they are (and particularly in Waterdeep where they can be the spawn of the Unseen). I'm not 100% sure whether or not I will include warforged in my games but changelings I am happy to include.

However, I don't think lightning rails and dragonmarks would be appropriate.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

However, I don't think lightning rails and dragonmarks would be appropriate.

What's appropriate for the Realms seems to have lost all meaning. They seem intent on making the Realms free anything unique.