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

[Epic Meepo]

The Mulan are more than just the Mulhorandi, it's also the Untherite, Thayans, Chessenthans, Rashemi (like Minsc) and others.

More precisely, Mulans include Chessentans, Mulhorandis, and Untherans. Rashemi are a separate ethnic group. Thayans are people from a multi-ethnic state whose population includes both Mulans (of Mulhorandi descent) and Rashemi.

 

[Yaarel]

Is Enlil mentioned in the book?

I want to ask.

Now that it is certain that Djerad Thymar is still standing, is this enough for you to continue your campaign?

 

[Parmandur]

More precisely, Mulans include Chessentans, Mulhorandis, and Untherans. Rashemi are a separate ethnic group. Thayans are people from a multi-ethnic state whose population includes both Mulans (of Mulhorandi descent) and Rashemi.

They counted them as Mulan im the 2014 PHB IIRC, so that's what sticks in my mind!

 

[Parmandur]

And Greenwood never referred to Tyr (originally)?

He did, along with Aslan (Aslan had to undergo a namechange in the published Setting, but Narrnia is still in the Forgotten Realms). There were snippets and odds and ends from here and there all over the place. A Hodge dodge pastiche, fractured pieces.

Then TSR juat started popping down "Egyptland, Land of the Egyptians!" and such all over the place.

I'm not saying there were no real world influences in the original FR...but it was certainly more subtle.

 

[Zeromaru X]

Oh. I didnt realize ALL of them.

So all of these groups derive from Sumer and Egypt? Or were other reallife ethnicities brought in as well?

Well, technically the Mulan aren't "pure" Sumer and Egyptian. They also have Imaskari and Turami ancestors (native humans from that area). They are a mix of these ethnic groups.

 

[Yaarel]

He did, along with Aslan (Aslan had to undergo a namechange in the published Setting, but Narrnia is still in the Forgotten Realms). There were snippets and odds and ends from here and there all over the place. A Hodge dodge pastiche, fractured pieces.

I'm not saying there were no real world influences in the original FR...but it was certainly more subtle.

What he said was: "no part of my original Realms was based on any direct real-world analogues"

But what he did was a mish-mash of many direct real-world analogues.

Then TSR juat started popping down "Egyptland, Land of the Egyptians!" and such all over the place.

I get it that the "coast" is his, and that TSR and WotC added to it, with he himself integrating these additions into his own books.

 

[Zeromaru X]

, Rashemi (like Minsc)

Rashemi are their own distinct ethnic group, actually, natives from Rashemen and in ancient times they lived where now is Thay. The Mulhorandi displazed them from their lands during the ancient First Empire. Some Mulan have Rashemi blood (especially those in Thay), and at least in older products it is stated they are considered of lower social status because of that.

 

[Zeromaru X]

Heh, Greenwood actually goes so far as to insist, "no part of my original Realms was based on any direct real-world analogues". Heh, this seems to me, a gygaxian level of implausible deniability. (LOL. Gygax denied Tolkien influence.) I assume Greenwood is the one who made the Moonshae Isles Celtic.

Greenwood is right. All "real life Earth-expy" stuff was added by TSR. The Moonshaes are celtic because TSR replaced Greenwood's Moonshaes with those of another author who wanted to publish an Albion-like novel, and TSR placed that novel in the Realms. After that, it all went down: not-Egypt and not-Mesopotamia, later not-Mesoamerica and the not-Conquest of America, and so on...

Ed Greenwood has always being vocal about not liking that.

 

[Parmandur]

What he said was: "no part of my original Realms was based on any direct real-world analogues"

But what he did was a mish-mash of many direct real-world analogues.

There were no 1 to 1 analogues.

 

[Zeromaru X]

I want to ask.

Now that it is certain that Djerad Thymar is still standing, is this enough for you to continue your campaign?

I don't know. I'm still undecided. A single city-state is not the whole kingdom we had, and I don't like half-measures (but my therapist says one of my negative traits is that I see everything in black and white, lol). Also, I don't see the point about bringing back Unther while making it separate from Messemprar. Then, why destroy Tymanther if Unther is not even unified? They should have reduced Tymanther instead, just like the SCAG suggested, instead on wiping it out for nothing. We could have had Tymanther in the south, Hell-Unther in the middle and Free-Unther in the north.

Until I don't find answers to that question, my brain won't stop seeing it that as a "loss", and so, I will be stuck in a vicious circle of "I preferred it the way I like it, now is ruined and knowing this change exist ruins it for me". And believe me, I've been trying to rationalize this. A friend even game me so ideas (like, this is a new timeline created after Vecna fumble it in Eve of Ruin).

Not to mention that I did read the entry of Unther (a friend graciously showed me some screens), and the place is what I thought it would be. The description of Unther is basically Mordor without orcs. It's even mentioned that Unthalass is full of mud and blood because Gilgeam doesn't allow dissent.

The feelings at the thought that people really prefers this over what we had (a place full of alien things and ruins and plots to adventure that are different from the rest of humanoland Faerûn) is making it hard for me not to think about what was lost. Like, it seems in D&D only humans and elves are allowed to have kingdoms, no matter if that kingdom is a hell-hole...