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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 3775539" data-attributes="member: 48692">It almost seems to me, as a matter of fact, that there are a lot of good ideas in FR that haven't been properly built on even by their creators.  The Red Wizards of Thay are presented as your generic evil baddies who want to rule the world.  But they actually have a fairly interesting backstory-their ethnic group (the Mulan) was kidnapped from another world and forced into slavery, suffering under the heel of their enemies for centuries until they mustered the might to throw off the chains of slavery.  To do that, though, they ended up dealing with the forces of evil and darkness, selling their souls for their freedom.  Why not tell the story from the Thayans' point of view?  WHo's to say that Rashemen and Aglarond could just as easily be the aggressor against the Thayans?  The Witches of Rashemen and the supposedly "good" people of Aglarond, led by the Simbul, might in fact be violent and hateful towards the Thayans, who they view as agents of evil.  The Thayans, for their part, were left with little alternative to turn to evil, which gives them a tragic turn.  But no, they're presented as generic evil wizards.  And rather incompetent ones, too-just about every large-scale plan they come up with is defeated or ends up turning into a spectacular failure.  When you consider their resources, and the fact that they still can't defeat Aglarond or Rashemen, there is only one explanation: The zulkirs are idiots.  How about the Harpers, the Church of Torm, or Cormyr?  European colonialism messed up many other cultures around the world in many ways, leading to a loss of cultural distinction and identity, and alienation.  The Europeans justified their actions by thinking they were "civilizing" the "ignorant" foreigners.  Who's to say that the Harpers or the church of Torm might be so hellbent on imposing their view of what is "right" on others, that they end up being blatantly insensitive to the cultural mores of other races, and end up blaming the very people they're trying to help when these folks tell the Harpers or the Tormites off?  But no, everyone loves the Harpers, who always know what is best and right.  Elminster is basically a plot device, but he could be a much less obtrusive one...Sure, he's the most powerful wizard on the continent, but he's also a grumpy, crotchety, cantankerous old geezer who's damn sick and tired of being pestered by these young'uns who expect him to solve every petty problem that crops up!  He'll do the research, scribe the MacGuffin scroll, or do whatever other legwork is necessary to keep the plot moving, but he's not about to go running around Faerun like he did in the old days.  He's too long in the tooth for that.  "There now, are you young whippersnappers happy?  I worked for ten days straight researching to scribe that damn scroll for you.  Don't go asking me to confront the demon myself-I did that a thousand times in the old days!  You adventurers asked for my help, and I gave it.  Now leave me alone!"He gives the PCs the information or the tools they need, and then he leaves it up to them.  Just because he has an extended lifespan doesn't mean he's as spry and healthy as he once was...</blockquote>

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