Rick has kindly taken responsibilities for TSM. The first phase of areas are built, stetching from Lurkwood in the west to Sundabar in the east. The Nether Mountains are nearing completion, along with all the towns (minus Everlund) dotted along the Rauvin south west of Sundabar. And of course, Rick is looking after Silverymoon, with Wynna working on her beloved enclave and Marklos on Mithral Hall. While there are endless interiors that could be done, there will be enough for Live by the end of the year if Rick is supported.
Thangorn, the champion that he is, continues to work on Moonsea.
So I'll bridge TSM and Moonsea by buildng the northern portion of Anauroch....everything north of the Black Road, including the High Ice. This will mean all 3 servers are physically linked, and I get to work on some desert stuff. Because Anauroch is pretty much desert and the Shadovar are south of the Black Road, it should mean I can get the server ready for Live around the same time Rick is gearing up for his launch.
ALFA is seriously lacking in ambition. Time to take up a sword, I'd say.
Anauroch
Moderator: ALFA Administrators
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Swift
- Mook
- Posts: 4043
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Re: Anauroch
I do not think it lacks ambition, its just creating NWN2 servers is so much more involved.indio wrote:ALFA is seriously lacking in ambition. Time to take up a sword, I'd say.
I mean just from this post, the team has Rick, who built huge portions of Daggerford (among other places), Marklos who virtually singlehandedly built and brought Luskan to Live and Thangorn that built huge amounts of the current Northern Cormyr server.
Apart from that, you have yourself and Donrath, 2 builders with a huge amount of experience that have built vast amounts of content for ALFA1.
I think the ambition is there (perhaps slightly lacking), it is simply more concentrated to create servers up to the high standards ALFA strives for.
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Nyarlathotep
- Owlbear
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Not a bad idea for a server to build, WotC is just about to release a book and adventure for the region.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=pr ... /978078694
The name though is a bit ominous...I hope it doesn't mean they're gonna put a huge hole somewhere in Faerun.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=pr ... /978078694
The name though is a bit ominous...I hope it doesn't mean they're gonna put a huge hole somewhere in Faerun.
Lurker at the Threshold
Huntin' humans ain't nothin' but nothin'. They all run like scared little rabbits. Run, rabbit, run. Run, rabbit. Run, rabbit. Run rabbit. Run, rabbit, run! RUN, RABBIT, RUN! ~
Otis Driftwood, House of a Thousand Corpses
Huntin' humans ain't nothin' but nothin'. They all run like scared little rabbits. Run, rabbit, run. Run, rabbit. Run, rabbit. Run rabbit. Run, rabbit, run! RUN, RABBIT, RUN! ~
Otis Driftwood, House of a Thousand Corpses
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Grand Fromage
- Goon Spy
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- Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Thanks Nyarl. I'd seen the ad on WotC, but hadn't realised how much of a sourcebook it might prove to be given it's an adventure. But if it incorporates what GF is talking about, then maybe it's worth doing the lot. Netheril all over again would be a major power shift....and would certainly justify building them in to the server.
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Grand Fromage
- Goon Spy
- Posts: 1838
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 9:04 am
- Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China
I'm guessing it's not going that far into it. The rise of new Netheril is between 3E and 4E, after the Weave goes kablooey and the Shadow Weave is the only reliable magic source, leaving the Shadovar as the only remaining magical power on the planet. Mystra dies (for realz this time) in 1386, I think. My guess is that's not the adventure, but it's probably indirectly related. The title implies it. Who knows though, it could just be a Monty Haul through some crashed city or something.
Rather than spring a big surprise of the community with a radical interpretation of the Anauroch region, here's what I'm planning to build.
The plan is based on as much research into the 4e Forgotten Realms setting as I have been able to do (Candlekeep and WotC forums), due in under 12 months, and some educated guesswork.
The basic gist is outlined by GF above, but here's a quick retelling:
- In about 10 years, the FR Weave as we know it will undergo either complete destruction or a fundamental rewoking, rendering all existing non Shadow-Weave casters either dead, or silly people who merely pretend to be casting spells. This is called the Spellplague, and the community seems split on its merits. To my mind, 10 years canon into the future is about long enough to not get too worked up about its impact, so I've chosen to create a campaign that will allow the Spellplague to be incorporated if it's deemed appropriate by the community when it happens.
- The new book Grand History of the Realms reveal that by 1385, Netheril is once again growing....this is a crucial piece of lore undergirding the concept for the server.
- At the end of the Return of the Archwizard series of books, the Shadovar are an ongoing presense in Anauroch, in a weakened state. Their return has been made possible through the Shadow Weave (with the help of an elf shadow sorcerer), but the Cormyrean wizards and Chosen of Mystra have rendered the likelihood of their dominance in the region diminished. In addition, their efforts to flood Anauroch by melting a massive chunk of the The High Ice north of the desert region has been halted, although not before a portion of the desert became submerged.
- The Phaerimm, ancient powerful entities ensnared by the Sharn beneath Anauroch soon after Netheril's fall, but released just prior to the SHadovar's return to Faerun from the Plane of Shadow, have been driven to the edge of extinction by the Shadovar. The Shadovar (the last remainining Netherese on Faerun....there is another enclave in another Astral plane, and refugees from fallen Netheril all over Faerun) blame to this point the Phaerimm entirely for the destruction of Netheril, having brought about the destruction of the land on which Netheril grew, forming the Anauroch desert.
- Accordingly (and this is where my own interpretation kicks in, based on the hints GF provides above and other canonical rumours), the Shadovar rethink their place on the prime plane after making a discovery that forces them to re-evaluate their future course. They learn that it was not the Phaerimm who brought about the end to Netheril, or at least not directly. It was Karsus. Karsus, who cast a 12th level spell, briefly assumed godhood and took control of the weave from Mystryl, who then sacrificed herself to resume control from Karsus. This resulted in her death (and subsequent rebirth as Mystra), and a monentary absence of the powers of the weave. This is the moment Netheril fell...their flying cities fell to the spreading desert below, and Karsus' last sight was of his complete and utter failure as he bought his civilisation to dust. And so the Shadowvar bend their efforts no longer towards the domination of the region, and no longer towards exacting revenge on the Phaerimm. Instead they concentrate on rebuilding the Netherese Empire in the wake of their shame over Karsus' titanic failure.
- Their efforts to flood Anauroch have thus created a massive inland sea south of the High Ice, called the Narrow Sea. This sea existed prior to Netheril's fall and was dotted with both settlements and enclaves, all of which were gradually overrun by desert after Karsus' cataclysmic failure to assume godhood. But with the return of the sea, stretching across the bulk of the northern region of what is currently known as the Sea of Standing Stones, life is once again returning to Anauroch.
- Further south the City of Shade, a floating citadel in its own right, powered by the Shadow Weave, oversees the further growth of the Shadow Sea, known previously as the Shoal of Thirst, and long before that in the time of Netheril as the Hidden Lake. This sea's water is being directly tapped through a portal linked to the Elemental Plane of Water. Thus Anauroch now has 2 massive bodies of water, and while desert still grips the majority of Anauroch, rapid evolutionary and environmental change is afoot.
And now to the rationalisations for these events. Firstly, the biggest hurdle to overcome is the nature of the Shadovar, and in particular, their alignment. As a host, I see their current alignment as Lawful Evil, a highly regimented Monarchy with nefarious motives. The Netherese in their origins probably could be seen as lawful neutral, morphing over time, as their powers increased, to chaotic neutral. Recklessness defines their legacy.
The shift therefore is one of alignment for the Shadovar, from lawful evil to lawful neutral. Such an intelligent race of entities face their ongoing existence on the prime plane no longer as conquerors, and certainly not as do-gooders, but simply as restoring a balance within the region of their fallen empire. This alignment shift equates to a commensurate shift in their political status. No longer antagonists, they instead see themselves as rightfully installed as the rulers of their domain. While it remains quaint to use such terminology, the shadovar long for the beauty that once defined both themselves and their empire, and of course the power and pride that goes with it.
This is consistent with the arrogance and superiority with which the Shadovar see themselves, and the Netherese also. The Phaerimm have all but been made extinct, water flows again in Anuroch, and the Shadovar are the undisputed rulers of their empire once again. Thus the campaign will revolve around the nature of their rule whilst attempting to rebuild and empire founded on magic prowess, aesthetic sophistication and an indominable self belief.
So I'll be building the entire region now, but I'll be accessing maps from current lore and maps from the time of Netheril so that the geography of the land reflects the memory of the shadovar juxtaposed against its current reality.
The plan is based on as much research into the 4e Forgotten Realms setting as I have been able to do (Candlekeep and WotC forums), due in under 12 months, and some educated guesswork.
The basic gist is outlined by GF above, but here's a quick retelling:
- In about 10 years, the FR Weave as we know it will undergo either complete destruction or a fundamental rewoking, rendering all existing non Shadow-Weave casters either dead, or silly people who merely pretend to be casting spells. This is called the Spellplague, and the community seems split on its merits. To my mind, 10 years canon into the future is about long enough to not get too worked up about its impact, so I've chosen to create a campaign that will allow the Spellplague to be incorporated if it's deemed appropriate by the community when it happens.
- The new book Grand History of the Realms reveal that by 1385, Netheril is once again growing....this is a crucial piece of lore undergirding the concept for the server.
- At the end of the Return of the Archwizard series of books, the Shadovar are an ongoing presense in Anauroch, in a weakened state. Their return has been made possible through the Shadow Weave (with the help of an elf shadow sorcerer), but the Cormyrean wizards and Chosen of Mystra have rendered the likelihood of their dominance in the region diminished. In addition, their efforts to flood Anauroch by melting a massive chunk of the The High Ice north of the desert region has been halted, although not before a portion of the desert became submerged.
- The Phaerimm, ancient powerful entities ensnared by the Sharn beneath Anauroch soon after Netheril's fall, but released just prior to the SHadovar's return to Faerun from the Plane of Shadow, have been driven to the edge of extinction by the Shadovar. The Shadovar (the last remainining Netherese on Faerun....there is another enclave in another Astral plane, and refugees from fallen Netheril all over Faerun) blame to this point the Phaerimm entirely for the destruction of Netheril, having brought about the destruction of the land on which Netheril grew, forming the Anauroch desert.
- Accordingly (and this is where my own interpretation kicks in, based on the hints GF provides above and other canonical rumours), the Shadovar rethink their place on the prime plane after making a discovery that forces them to re-evaluate their future course. They learn that it was not the Phaerimm who brought about the end to Netheril, or at least not directly. It was Karsus. Karsus, who cast a 12th level spell, briefly assumed godhood and took control of the weave from Mystryl, who then sacrificed herself to resume control from Karsus. This resulted in her death (and subsequent rebirth as Mystra), and a monentary absence of the powers of the weave. This is the moment Netheril fell...their flying cities fell to the spreading desert below, and Karsus' last sight was of his complete and utter failure as he bought his civilisation to dust. And so the Shadowvar bend their efforts no longer towards the domination of the region, and no longer towards exacting revenge on the Phaerimm. Instead they concentrate on rebuilding the Netherese Empire in the wake of their shame over Karsus' titanic failure.
- Their efforts to flood Anauroch have thus created a massive inland sea south of the High Ice, called the Narrow Sea. This sea existed prior to Netheril's fall and was dotted with both settlements and enclaves, all of which were gradually overrun by desert after Karsus' cataclysmic failure to assume godhood. But with the return of the sea, stretching across the bulk of the northern region of what is currently known as the Sea of Standing Stones, life is once again returning to Anauroch.
- Further south the City of Shade, a floating citadel in its own right, powered by the Shadow Weave, oversees the further growth of the Shadow Sea, known previously as the Shoal of Thirst, and long before that in the time of Netheril as the Hidden Lake. This sea's water is being directly tapped through a portal linked to the Elemental Plane of Water. Thus Anauroch now has 2 massive bodies of water, and while desert still grips the majority of Anauroch, rapid evolutionary and environmental change is afoot.
And now to the rationalisations for these events. Firstly, the biggest hurdle to overcome is the nature of the Shadovar, and in particular, their alignment. As a host, I see their current alignment as Lawful Evil, a highly regimented Monarchy with nefarious motives. The Netherese in their origins probably could be seen as lawful neutral, morphing over time, as their powers increased, to chaotic neutral. Recklessness defines their legacy.
The shift therefore is one of alignment for the Shadovar, from lawful evil to lawful neutral. Such an intelligent race of entities face their ongoing existence on the prime plane no longer as conquerors, and certainly not as do-gooders, but simply as restoring a balance within the region of their fallen empire. This alignment shift equates to a commensurate shift in their political status. No longer antagonists, they instead see themselves as rightfully installed as the rulers of their domain. While it remains quaint to use such terminology, the shadovar long for the beauty that once defined both themselves and their empire, and of course the power and pride that goes with it.
This is consistent with the arrogance and superiority with which the Shadovar see themselves, and the Netherese also. The Phaerimm have all but been made extinct, water flows again in Anuroch, and the Shadovar are the undisputed rulers of their empire once again. Thus the campaign will revolve around the nature of their rule whilst attempting to rebuild and empire founded on magic prowess, aesthetic sophistication and an indominable self belief.
So I'll be building the entire region now, but I'll be accessing maps from current lore and maps from the time of Netheril so that the geography of the land reflects the memory of the shadovar juxtaposed against its current reality.
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Grand Fromage
- Goon Spy
- Posts: 1838
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 9:04 am
- Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China
I should point out a couple things:
The Shadovar leadership (Telamont, his sons, and maybe a few others) already know it was Karsus. However, they've carefully built a system blaming the phaerimm for everything, and that's what the common Shadovar know. So what you're saying about that bit could still work, but keep in mind the people at the top already knew. Plus, they've spent two thousand years reinforcing that idea of the phaerimm as the true enemy, so I'm not entirely convinced they'd drop it so quickly, even though they've finally defeated the ol' windsocks.
I also question the shift away from LE. Even before they left, Shade was a nasty place and Telamont was not a nice guy. The Netherese as a whole were pretty firmly neutral; Shade was an anomaly. To shift them from just kicking ass and taking names to a more gradual, even administration of a new Netheril doesn't mean they have to shift away from being evil. They've already tried the "we're totally badass" approach and through plot armor and other ridiculous crap (coughshrinkingthechosenandvomitingthemupinShadecough) that was stopped, so changing to a long-term approach just makes sense, without any alignment shift. Plus, they're about the most LE group in Faerun; like with blaming the phaerimm, even if they did change it would take a long time. Remember that their society hasn't changed much, despite the thousands of years. They're a little more religious than the old Netherese and a little wiser, but they're basically the same arrogant, superpowered wizards.
Now, if in canon they're moving away from being evil that's WOTC's choice, I guess... I don't buy it but I don't know, and haven't done enough research to say. In Lords of Darkness they make a big deal about how regimented and resistant to change the Shadovar society is, considering the leadership is made up entirely of arcanists who were around before Karsus' Folly and refuse to change, so such a drastic shift so quickly just doesn't fit. But that's expecting consistency from WOTC, so.
And on a tangent, I hope everyone else remembered Faerun's pretty beat up after the canon Shade war. Much of western Faerun was flooded, eastern Faerun is in a massive drought/famine, cities are gone, etc. The restoration of Anauroch is playing havoc on the environment everywhere.
The Shadovar leadership (Telamont, his sons, and maybe a few others) already know it was Karsus. However, they've carefully built a system blaming the phaerimm for everything, and that's what the common Shadovar know. So what you're saying about that bit could still work, but keep in mind the people at the top already knew. Plus, they've spent two thousand years reinforcing that idea of the phaerimm as the true enemy, so I'm not entirely convinced they'd drop it so quickly, even though they've finally defeated the ol' windsocks.
I also question the shift away from LE. Even before they left, Shade was a nasty place and Telamont was not a nice guy. The Netherese as a whole were pretty firmly neutral; Shade was an anomaly. To shift them from just kicking ass and taking names to a more gradual, even administration of a new Netheril doesn't mean they have to shift away from being evil. They've already tried the "we're totally badass" approach and through plot armor and other ridiculous crap (coughshrinkingthechosenandvomitingthemupinShadecough) that was stopped, so changing to a long-term approach just makes sense, without any alignment shift. Plus, they're about the most LE group in Faerun; like with blaming the phaerimm, even if they did change it would take a long time. Remember that their society hasn't changed much, despite the thousands of years. They're a little more religious than the old Netherese and a little wiser, but they're basically the same arrogant, superpowered wizards.
Now, if in canon they're moving away from being evil that's WOTC's choice, I guess... I don't buy it but I don't know, and haven't done enough research to say. In Lords of Darkness they make a big deal about how regimented and resistant to change the Shadovar society is, considering the leadership is made up entirely of arcanists who were around before Karsus' Folly and refuse to change, so such a drastic shift so quickly just doesn't fit. But that's expecting consistency from WOTC, so.
And on a tangent, I hope everyone else remembered Faerun's pretty beat up after the canon Shade war. Much of western Faerun was flooded, eastern Faerun is in a massive drought/famine, cities are gone, etc. The restoration of Anauroch is playing havoc on the environment everywhere.
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PensivesWetness
- Frost Giant
- Posts: 702
- Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 4:25 am
- Location: Cleveland, Ohio (where? whut? dude...)
MaGic gets nerfed? what book (novel) does this in the current cannon storyline (link plz?) ?indio wrote:Beautiful GF. That's some excellent info.
will any future computer game product reflect this?
holy sh*te. how will the weave loss affect magic already created or reliant to it's existance? (Besides Waterdeep suddenly becoming a partial flooded pit and every spot on faerun with monsters held in statis or imprisoned suddenly free...)
how will clerics or even sorcies be affected?
all this is the basis for 4th Ed?
<Gebb> ok, what does it mean to be "huggled"? <spidroth_esq> Something terrible. <Squamatus> buggered <Dran> sodomised <Squamatus> by an acorn on a stick <tresca> LOL <Gebb> that didn't help <alynn>
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Grand Fromage
- Goon Spy
- Posts: 1838
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2004 9:04 am
- Location: Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Wizards work differently in 4E, and the Spellplague is the event they're using to explain that for Faerun. I couldn't tell you exactly how different wizards are because I don't know; all I know is that they can run out of individual spells, but they never run out of magic. Instead of memorizing, spells are either always available, available once every X rounds, or once a day (I think).
And yes, the destruction of the Weave presumably has massive consequences, even beyond just ruining all the current magic-based societies. They're trying to ratchet down the insanely magical nature of FR, from what I've read. The Shadow Weave is now the only reliable source of magic in Faerun, and I'm guessing it's changed around pretty radically--for one, everyone's going to know about it now.
As for sorcs, I suspect sorcs and wizards may be merged into a single class now. 4E only has eight base classes, and from what little I know of the new wizard it seems sorcs would be redundant.
And yes, the destruction of the Weave presumably has massive consequences, even beyond just ruining all the current magic-based societies. They're trying to ratchet down the insanely magical nature of FR, from what I've read. The Shadow Weave is now the only reliable source of magic in Faerun, and I'm guessing it's changed around pretty radically--for one, everyone's going to know about it now.
As for sorcs, I suspect sorcs and wizards may be merged into a single class now. 4E only has eight base classes, and from what little I know of the new wizard it seems sorcs would be redundant.