Rich Baker posts Lost Empires of Faerun Contents pages

[Orius]

Whoa. I'm not a Realms player, but given the stuff this book touches upon: Netheril, Myth Drannor, Unther and Mulhorand, Imaskar, Shoon, the mythals, old powerful magic, dead gods, artifacts, lots of cool monsters — this looks like a really cool product.

 

[edbonny]

Not quite. Inside there is a Mulhorandi fighter PC, with khopesh, bronze breastplate, and crocodile-hide trimmings. He's devout, dynamic, charismatic and cultured, and the men he leads would follow him into the fires of the Thaymount if he asked. And he's screaming to get out. But he can't unless I get a book cool enough to convince my DM to run something somewhere near Mulhorand. And this won't do it. *sigh*

He might just get that chance to get out... the Glorious Servitor... an ancient prestige class dating back to the arrival of the Mulhorandi gods on Faerun.

- Ed

 

[Banshee16]

[hyberbole] Wow, Banshee, I think your post has the highest quote-to-post ratio in the history of these boards. [/hyberbole]

I like the broad approach because it leaves more room for individual DMs to customise. Mind you, I also like the 2E level of detail so I'm probably just one of those people who is simply happy to see FR products!

Yes, I just noticed. I didn't realize I was grabbing so much in the quote.

In any case, I'm not saying that the product will suck....I haven't even seen it, and I definitely don't want to be closed minded. I'm just disappoinated, as I'd have loved a book on Unther, Chessenta, Mulhorand, etc.

But I've known for a while that it wasn't going to cover those. I still think the approach is still too broad though.

Banshee

 

[jester47]

Now, if they'd just do update books on Kara-Tur (we can at least get the rules from the Oriental Adventures HC), Al-Qadim, and Maztica, I'd be happy.

I am not being imflamatory and anyone can do the realms anyway they want. But going off the original intent of Ed I have decided that Maztica and Kara Tur can well, fall into a bottomless pit that, should it have one, would have very nasty spikes on the bottom. See, Maztica got replaced with Necromancer Games world/Wilderlands/Blackmoor. Kara Tur got replaced with the Flanaess (greyhawk). It all fits together really well.

Al-Quadim is really well done. And I think it can stand on its own. Calimshan/Calimport provides the arabian knights lore well enough. But my frankenworld is so large, I am sure there might be a place to put AQ.

Still AQ would still work in its ussual place as a land where there are many desert islands and many storms. Thus preventing the curious grayhawkers from sailing to the shining south. But then again, it still might not be needed.

Since they said they are not going to do those three as they were never part of the original idea of the realms, I figure its best to to call them apocryphal 2e insanity. Being snobby that way I probably would not include them in 1e world, a place that can only contain settings that were originally 1e or settings that try to carry that feel...

Aaron.

 

[jester47]

Odd, another thing I just noticed-

Krynn fits nicely into the picture too. Its a continent that connects to a southern icecap. all of my continents are in the nothern hemisphere of "1e World." I can stick it in the large sea that is between the east coast of the flanaess and the west coast of the continent containing Wilderlands/Blackmoor/NGWorld.

Interesting...

Aaron.

 

[Pozatronic]

This is COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC but...

I am not being imflamatory and anyone can do the realms anyway they want. But going off the original intent of Ed I have decided that Maztica and Kara Tur can well, fall into a bottomless pit that, should it have one, would have very nasty spikes on the bottom. See, Maztica got replaced with Necromancer Games world/Wilderlands/Blackmoor. Kara Tur got replaced with the Flanaess (greyhawk). It all fits together really well.

Al-Quadim is really well done. And I think it can stand on its own. Calimshan/Calimport provides the arabian knights lore well enough. But my frankenworld is so large, I am sure there might be a place to put AQ.

Still AQ would still work in its ussual place as a land where there are many desert islands and many storms. Thus preventing the curious grayhawkers from sailing to the shining south. But then again, it still might not be needed.

Since they said they are not going to do those three as they were never part of the original idea of the realms, I figure its best to to call them apocryphal 2e insanity. Being snobby that way I probably would not include them in 1e world, a place that can only contain settings that were originally 1e or settings that try to carry that feel...

Aaron.

So, you have Necro/Wilerlands/Blackmoor across the ocean from Forgotten Realms/Grayhawk...with the continent of Ansalon to the south (maybe you got Taladas floating around somewhere too?). Isn't that a bit much. Too many similar cultures on various continents. How do you deal with the various and conflicting religions, assuming that the gods are real and all that.

I'm curious because I want to do a "frankenworld" also. However, I'm thinking of different cultures from other gaming systems/settings....I.E
the Scarlet Empire from Exalted; a land ruled by benevolent giants; an island empire ruled by Tieflings....


BACK ON TOPIC:

I myself have been waiting for something like this for quite some time. I'm only a little disappointed though, because I actually want a sourcebook of Faerun set during the old empires, not just exploring their remains.

 

[jester47]

This is COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC but...

So, you have Necro/Wilerlands/Blackmoor across the ocean from Forgotten Realms/Grayhawk...with the continent of Ansalon to the south (maybe you got Taladas floating around somewhere too?). Isn't that a bit much. Too many similar cultures on various continents. How do you deal with the various and conflicting religions, assuming that the gods are real and all that.

I don't think it is a bit much. There is a way to get it all to work.
I would say that the cultures are not too similar. Tech levels, yeah sure, but its a fantasy realm, so who cares. Gods are easy to do if you use the BCD structure of planes, and assume that gods only operate where their followers are. Thus the faerunian deities are in faerun, the Wilderlands deities are in that area, etc etc. As far as pantheons are considered just because a god is unheard of does not mean that god does not exist.

No, no Taladas. Because most of the game development of Taladas did not impact Ansalon I can just use the name as the Ansalonian name for the continent with the wilderlands and such on it. The Minotaur culture I will have to make part of the west coast of the Wilderlands continent. Just like I would make Kara-Tur the Chondothan name for the Flanaess. And since in the Greyhawk world not much is detailed about what lies west, we can assume that the people of the Flanaess don't really know, after all. It would make sense that the realms would have a word for the eastern realm. The populous of the greyhawk area would have deep seated traditions that they were trying to get away from the west, so they might not have a name for it.

I find the similar technology but subtle differences to be perfectly the difference in culture. the Greyhawk/REalms/Wilderlands/NG World/Blackmoor have the potential to be derived form the same culture. The Flan culture is very different than the Seul/Oridain cultures. All those are very different than Baklunish culture. Seul/Oridian could relate to Faerunian cultures as they did come from the east. Faerun has a bunch of different cultures. I also find dragonlance to have various different cultures. Also having a bunch of wizards popping around the world teaching people would tend to homogenise the technologies.

Naw it could work really well. If you haven't noticed in all the settings (well DL and FR and GH) there are vague rumors as to what lies across the seas. Indicating that in none of them do people make a major effor to cross them. The only exception is Amn in FR (and they found the southern NGWorld, he.. he..)

 

[jester47]

I really hope I get more info on the ruins of Ascore. I am also really excited that they are giving several chapters to empires that at one time covered the area of the silver marches. Also the High forest gets the treatment so I can actually use the whole thing!

Now if they would just give the area west of the Silver Marches and north of waterdeep some attention, that would be stupendous.

Aaron.

 

[Eremite]

I keep thinking that this is going to be one of the "must have" products of 2005...!

 

[ecliptic]

I am so getting this. This will be perfect for our lvl 19 Wizard characters.