New Dragonshard! [Archive] - Wizards Community

New Dragonshard! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
fuindordm
07-26-05, 05:13 AM I just want to say, I love this article to death. I never realized Mordain was an elf, let alone a Phiarlin excoriate. My campaign will be heading to Droamm soon, and I can't wait!

And the plot hooks are awesome.

I don't really have anything else to say that won't degenerate into the ravings of a drooling fanboy. Thanks, Keith!

Ben
polt
07-26-05, 05:48 AM Damn, I couldn't disagree more :P

I think most of the information was pretty useless.

It says in the ECS that Mordain is an Elf, and we knew he got banished from the Twelve.
So I figured he had to be either from house Pharlian or Thuranni.

So we got a little new info, but most of the text about Mordain was pretty much the same as in the ECS, just with a few more words.
Way too much "many belive", "perhaps" and "some thinks that...". I'm all for not fleshing the world out to every detail, and let the DMs think up stuff themselves, but that article was just useless, if you ask me.
Hellcow
07-26-05, 12:30 PM Way too much "many belive", "perhaps" and "some thinks that...". I'm all for not fleshing the world out to every detail, and let the DMs think up stuff themselves, but that article was just useless, if you ask me.
I'm sorry you feel that way, Polt.

The intention of the "Perhaps..." wording is to provide suggestions without tying things down. If someone has NO ideas for Sora Kell, here's some to work with. If you've already come up with your own - especially since the setting has already been out for a year - this doesn't contradict; it's a mistaken legend. Furthermore, since the articles will in all likelihood be read by PCs and DMs alike, I prefer to leave it vague so that the PC doesn't say "Hey! In Dragonshard X it said that Sora Kell's toenails were three feet long, and you've got them at two feet."

You can CHOOSE to ignore the "perhaps", and in which case everything I say IS fact. But it's there to give the DM deniability.

In any case, you get what you pay for... so when the articles are free, it's liable to be hit and miss! ;)
polt
07-26-05, 12:39 PM Of course, and I must say you hit more than you miss. And I love the Dragonshards. It's the first thing I do on mondays, read the new dragonshard.

I'm all for not giving away everything, and not detailing every single inch of the world.
However, I think it's a "waste" of a good dragonshard (we only get 26 a year after all), when you really don't get much new information.
The only real new info I got from the part about Mordain (which is a character I very much like) was his age, and which of the elven houses he was from.
You could figure most of the other stuff out for yourself, by reading what's in the ECS.
Manshara
07-26-05, 01:17 PM However, I think it's a "waste" of a good dragonshard (we only get 12 a year after all), when you really don't get much new information.Forgive me if I missed something, but how do we only get twelve a year? There are 52 weeks in a year, so (at first) we were getting a Dragonshard article at a rate of 52/year and now we're getting them at 26/year.
Siran Dunmorgan
07-26-05, 01:28 PM For my part, I was quite taken with the article: it's true that we didn't get much more information on any of these subjects than we could infer from the Eberron Campaign Setting, but it's a treat nonetheless.

That said, we received much-needed clarification on the extent to which the daelkyr are bound in Khyber: they appear to be more or less free to roam the underworld, but not to emerge from it to trouble the sunlit realms directly.

Further, we received a great deal more information on perhaps the most enigmatic character in the setting: Sora Kell. While we cannot be said to have fleshed out her character, we certainly have more material to work with, such as roadside or marketplace entertainers telling stories of the ancient hag.

An actual encounter with her would be… staggering. While it is true that many of the outsiders of the other planes—such as the angels of Syrania—are eons old, they are also very detached from life on Eberron, observing it from a distance if at all.

Sora Kell has participated in the life of Eberron since she emerged from Khyber millions of years ago. There are other creatures of whom this can be said, such as the Lords of Dust, but they are far more likely to be cast in the rôle of villains or adversaries, while Sora Kell could readily invite the players to tea, depending upon their rôle in the unfolding of the Prophecy.

More information on the Empire of Dhakaan is always helpful, as well: the notion that the continent-spanning warrior Empire was in some sense founded by a Bard rather than a warlord is… refreshing. One of my projects for this week is to characterize Dhakaani culture, and the rôle of the duur'kala in it is appearing more and more significant.

—Siran Dunmorgan
polt
07-26-05, 02:24 PM Forgive me if I missed something, but how do we only get twelve a year? There are 52 weeks in a year, so (at first) we were getting a Dragonshard article at a rate of 52/year and now we're getting them at 26/year.

Oh yeah, my bad :P Still. It's not enough! :D
gaerfindel
07-26-05, 03:16 PM Ever since reading the Dragonshards on the Daughters of Sora Kell, I've been mining the local libraries & bookstores for ledgends & folktales of the Baba Yaga. This Dragonshard only confirms my suspicions that Sora Kell is "the bones of Olde Khorvaire".

Anyone wanna buy a monkey's paw?
Sakeninja
07-26-05, 05:28 PM I was personally hoping for more info on the Arcane Congress. i think there is plenty enough info on the Twelve. There is realtively little on the Arcane Congress...unless it is in the 5 Nations book (haven't got it yet, but it is on my list). I would most espeically like to know if there are any PrC's related to the ARcane Congress. I was thinking the Mage of the Arcane Order from the Complete Arcane, but i have never like that class too much, but i heard someone reference that more with the Twelve....oh well, i guess i will never know....
Zedium
07-26-05, 05:38 PM Concerning the arcane congress, Five Nations has a whole lot of info on that an arcanix.

As for the rest, good dragonshard. I, myself am more interested in the daelkyr. They are getting more interesting and interesting, I hope we will get a full list of "official" dealkyr some day. :)
Boycode
07-26-05, 05:45 PM what ever happen to tradition? :plotting:
are companies so desperate to make money the older
Campains are just dropped? :allalone:
with endless Campians i've just about given up:invasion:
Edymnion
07-26-05, 08:57 PM what ever happen to tradition? :plotting:
are companies so desperate to make money the older
Campains are just dropped? :allalone: Lets put it this way, bad management aside, it was TSR trying to support too many settings at once that killed it. It spread itself too thin, and wasn't making enough from any of it to pay the bills. So yeah, bringing in a new campaign setting means you should "retire" and older one.
Restless
07-30-05, 05:00 AM For what it's worth, I loved this DS. I've sort of been at a standstill interms of coming up with new stuff for my game, and I love fluffy articles like this one much more than stuff with a bunch of crunch. I mean, we even got a pretty in depth description of a Rajah. Not to mention info about Sora Kell, but someone already said that. I like it because it had several fresh ideas, at least I thought so.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
fuindordm 07-26-05, 05:13 AM	I just want to say, I love this article to death. I never realized Mordain was an elf, let alone a Phiarlin excoriate. My campaign will be heading to Droamm soon, and I can't wait! And the plot hooks are awesome. I don't really have anything else to say that won't degenerate into the ravings of a drooling fanboy. Thanks, Keith! Ben
polt 07-26-05, 05:48 AM	Damn, I couldn't disagree more :P I think most of the information was pretty useless. It says in the ECS that Mordain is an Elf, and we knew he got banished from the Twelve. So I figured he had to be either from house Pharlian or Thuranni. So we got a little new info, but most of the text about Mordain was pretty much the same as in the ECS, just with a few more words. Way too much "many belive", "perhaps" and "some thinks that...". I'm all for not fleshing the world out to every detail, and let the DMs think up stuff themselves, but that article was just useless, if you ask me.
Hellcow 07-26-05, 12:30 PM	Way too much "many belive", "perhaps" and "some thinks that...". I'm all for not fleshing the world out to every detail, and let the DMs think up stuff themselves, but that article was just useless, if you ask me. I'm sorry you feel that way, Polt. The intention of the "Perhaps..." wording is to provide suggestions without tying things down. If someone has NO ideas for Sora Kell, here's some to work with. If you've already come up with your own - especially since the setting has already been out for a year - this doesn't contradict; it's a mistaken legend. Furthermore, since the articles will in all likelihood be read by PCs and DMs alike, I prefer to leave it vague so that the PC doesn't say "Hey! In Dragonshard X it said that Sora Kell's toenails were three feet long, and you've got them at two feet." You can CHOOSE to ignore the "perhaps", and in which case everything I say IS fact. But it's there to give the DM deniability. In any case, you get what you pay for... so when the articles are free, it's liable to be hit and miss! ;)
polt 07-26-05, 12:39 PM	Of course, and I must say you hit more than you miss. And I love the Dragonshards. It's the first thing I do on mondays, read the new dragonshard. I'm all for not giving away everything, and not detailing every single inch of the world. However, I think it's a "waste" of a good dragonshard (we only get 26 a year after all), when you really don't get much new information. The only real new info I got from the part about Mordain (which is a character I very much like) was his age, and which of the elven houses he was from. You could figure most of the other stuff out for yourself, by reading what's in the ECS.
Manshara 07-26-05, 01:17 PM	However, I think it's a "waste" of a good dragonshard (we only get 12 a year after all), when you really don't get much new information.Forgive me if I missed something, but how do we only get twelve a year? There are 52 weeks in a year, so (at first) we were getting a Dragonshard article at a rate of 52/year and now we're getting them at 26/year.
Siran Dunmorgan 07-26-05, 01:28 PM	For my part, I was quite taken with the article: it's true that we didn't get much more information on any of these subjects than we could infer from the Eberron Campaign Setting, but it's a treat nonetheless. That said, we received much-needed clarification on the extent to which the daelkyr are bound in Khyber: they appear to be more or less free to roam the underworld, but not to emerge from it to trouble the sunlit realms directly. Further, we received a great deal more information on perhaps the most enigmatic character in the setting: Sora Kell. While we cannot be said to have fleshed out her character, we certainly have more material to work with, such as roadside or marketplace entertainers telling stories of the ancient hag. An actual encounter with her would be… staggering. While it is true that many of the outsiders of the other planes—such as the angels of Syrania—are eons old, they are also very detached from life on Eberron, observing it from a distance if at all. Sora Kell has participated in the life of Eberron since she emerged from Khyber millions of years ago. There are other creatures of whom this can be said, such as the Lords of Dust, but they are far more likely to be cast in the rôle of villains or adversaries, while Sora Kell could readily invite the players to tea, depending upon their rôle in the unfolding of the Prophecy. More information on the Empire of Dhakaan is always helpful, as well: the notion that the continent-spanning warrior Empire was in some sense founded by a Bard rather than a warlord is… refreshing. One of my projects for this week is to characterize Dhakaani culture, and the rôle of the duur'kala in it is appearing more and more significant. —Siran Dunmorgan
polt 07-26-05, 02:24 PM	Forgive me if I missed something, but how do we only get twelve a year? There are 52 weeks in a year, so (at first) we were getting a Dragonshard article at a rate of 52/year and now we're getting them at 26/year. Oh yeah, my bad :P Still. It's not enough! :D
gaerfindel 07-26-05, 03:16 PM	Ever since reading the Dragonshards on the Daughters of Sora Kell, I've been mining the local libraries & bookstores for ledgends & folktales of the Baba Yaga. This Dragonshard only confirms my suspicions that Sora Kell is "the bones of Olde Khorvaire". Anyone wanna buy a monkey's paw?
Sakeninja 07-26-05, 05:28 PM	I was personally hoping for more info on the Arcane Congress. i think there is plenty enough info on the Twelve. There is realtively little on the Arcane Congress...unless it is in the 5 Nations book (haven't got it yet, but it is on my list). I would most espeically like to know if there are any PrC's related to the ARcane Congress. I was thinking the Mage of the Arcane Order from the Complete Arcane, but i have never like that class too much, but i heard someone reference that more with the Twelve....oh well, i guess i will never know....
Zedium 07-26-05, 05:38 PM	Concerning the arcane congress, Five Nations has a whole lot of info on that an arcanix. As for the rest, good dragonshard. I, myself am more interested in the daelkyr. They are getting more interesting and interesting, I hope we will get a full list of "official" dealkyr some day. :)
Boycode 07-26-05, 05:45 PM	what ever happen to tradition? :plotting: are companies so desperate to make money the older Campains are just dropped? :allalone: with endless Campians i've just about given up:invasion:
Edymnion 07-26-05, 08:57 PM	what ever happen to tradition? :plotting: are companies so desperate to make money the older Campains are just dropped? :allalone: Lets put it this way, bad management aside, it was TSR trying to support too many settings at once that killed it. It spread itself too thin, and wasn't making enough from any of it to pay the bills. So yeah, bringing in a new campaign setting means you should "retire" and older one.
Restless 07-30-05, 05:00 AM	For what it's worth, I loved this DS. I've sort of been at a standstill interms of coming up with new stuff for my game, and I love fluffy articles like this one much more than stuff with a bunch of crunch. I mean, we even got a pretty in depth description of a Rajah. Not to mention info about Sora Kell, but someone already said that. I like it because it had several fresh ideas, at least I thought so.