Miyeritari [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Miyeritari [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Shiftkitty
02-11-08, 03:34 PM One of my players was nice enough to buy me a copy of Lost Empires of Faerun. He had scanned through it and thought it might be fun for the group to play Miyeritari rebels during or just before the occupation. I figured I could combine LEoF with my Arcane Age sourcebooks to make a good campaign out of it as they try to change the course of history. (One of them will have a prophetic vision of the Dark Disaster and the Descent of the Drow and all that came along afterwards.)

What did the Miyeritari and Illthyrii look like?

I've seen one source that says that they looked like other elves except that their skin was tan to dark tan. Another says bronze skin with all light shades of hair and a tendency to amber eyes.

I'm leaning toward an appearance like the drow depicted on the cover of Fane of the Drow with any hair/eye color found among elves in general. Is there anything written on this?
Lord Karsus
02-12-08, 02:12 AM -It is likely that they were very similar to how they (Drow) appear today, however lighter, more 'earthy' skin tones. Instead of obsidian black, you might get 'dark brown', 'light brown', 'black', and colors inbetween ranging the entire gamut.
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
02-12-08, 07:36 PM -It is likely that they were very similar to how they (Drow) appear today, however lighter, more 'earthy' skin tones. Instead of obsidian black, you might get 'dark brown', 'light brown', 'black', and colors inbetween ranging the entire gamut.

That's how I see it, myself. Apparently, GHotR established the pre-descent Dark Elves as Wood Elves, but I'm not fond of that idea, myself.
Lord Karsus
02-12-08, 07:37 PM That's how I see it, myself. Apparently, GHotR established the pre-descent Dark Elves as Wood Elves, but I'm not fond of that idea, myself.

-Ignore that. ;)
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
02-12-08, 07:38 PM -Ignore that. ;)

I agree, ignore it...
Shiftkitty
02-12-08, 10:21 PM I agree. Why would they be called Dark Elves if they looked just like Wood Elves? Based on eveything I've read, they weren't inherently evil, so it wouldn't make sense.

I have the Arcane Age supplements and LEoF. Is there anyplace else I can get info on Miyeritar? Does GHotR have much, or is this something they've intentionally left blank for the gamers to fill in?
Iakhovas
02-13-08, 12:16 AM To be clear, pre-descent Dark Elves were part of the Green Elf family, not Wood Elves. Dark elves were not statistically (in game terms) a distinct race until their transformation into Drow. Green Elves had no notion of segregation by skin type. In fact most elf communities lived peaceable with elves of all skin colors. Only the aggressive and arrogant Ilythiiri tribe held notions of racial superiority. The Miyertari are a shining example of elves of all skin colors living together in harmony, further reinforcing the claim that dark-skinned elves have no genetic disposition toward aggression or evil. Pre-descent “Dark Elf” was just a label. They were no different from other elves as Chultans are from other humans.
18DELTA
02-13-08, 12:35 AM To be clear, pre-descent Dark Elves were part of the Green Elf family, not Wood Elves. Dark elves were not statistically (in game terms) a distinct race until their transformation into Drow. Green Elves had no notion of segregation by skin type. In fact most elf communities lived peaceable with elves of all skin colors. Only the aggressive and arrogant Ilythiiri tribe held notions of racial superiority. The Miyertari are a shining example of elves of all skin colors living together in harmony, further reinforcing the claim that dark-skinned elves have no genetic disposition toward aggression or evil. Pre-descent “Dark Elf” was just a label. They were no different from other elves as Chultans are from other humans.
-"Ebony and Ivory live together in perfect harmony...":P
:rofl:

18DELTA;)
Lord Karsus
02-13-08, 12:37 AM Is there anyplace else I can get info on Miyeritar?

-The novels Blackstaff and Storm of the Dead both contain some information about Miyeritar. Blackstaff is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, Forgotten Realms novel written. Storm of the Dead has more information on Miyeritar than Blackstaff, as this information is more central to the plotline. However, a lot of the lore presented in Storm of the Dead is...I'll be frank, it was quite bad. It started in Sacrifice of the Widow, with Drow Elves casting Elven High Magic found written on scrolls*, and Storm of the Dead continued the silliness by asserting that the difference between the Miyeritari Dark Elves and Ilythiiri Dark Elves was that the latter group contained fiendish blood from Wendonai (Sp?).**

* Which, of course, is impossible, as Drow cannot cast Elven High Magic, nor is Elven High Magic written on scrolls.

** While there is no doubt that some Dark Elves in Ilythiir gave themselves to Demons, and in turn, gave birth to Half-Fiends, the way this was presented in the novel is borderline silly, especially considering how thin the bloodline has gotten since those days. Most agree that the Demon who mentions this in the story was simply lying, in order to mislead the character he was talking to.

Does GHotR have much, or is this something they've intentionally left blank for the gamers to fill in?

-AGHotR has just as much information about Miyeritar as it does anything else. Little blurbs and pieces.
Shiftkitty
02-13-08, 03:37 PM Thanks. I'll have to pick up those books and give them a read. I may have some time, as they're still developing their character concepts. Meanwhile, any hints on things like population centers, or if they used the "build it int he trees" approach? I know they had towers, but would the rest of the places meld into the forest, like in Myth Drannor, or was that a post-war development?

I'm currently grasping at promising straws. In LEoF there's an illustration of a duel being fought during the Crown Wars. One elf has darker skin than the other, so I went ahead took it as taking place in Miyeritar. In the background is what looks like a not-so-blending-in-with-the-forest city, and the two elves are fighting on what looks to be a grand staircase. So I'm not sure whether to start populating my imagination with treehouses or castles like Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, or a combination of the two.
Lord Karsus
02-13-08, 03:44 PM Thanks. I'll have to pick up those books and give them a read. I may have some time, as they're still developing their character concepts. Meanwhile, any hints on things like population centers, or if they used the "build it int he trees" approach? I know they had towers, but would the rest of the places meld into the forest, like in Myth Drannor, or was that a post-war development?

I'm currently grasping at promising straws. In LEoF there's an illustration of a duel being fought during the Crown Wars. One elf has darker skin than the other, so I went ahead took it as taking place in Miyeritar. In the background is what looks like a not-so-blending-in-with-the-forest city, and the two elves are fighting on what looks to be a grand staircase. So I'm not sure whether to start populating my imagination with treehouses or castles like Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, or a combination of the two.

-From research, it seems to me that the ancient Elven empires of days past, such as Aryvandaar, Atornash, Occidian, Miyeritar, Illythir, and so on, eschewed the whole 'tree house' thing, instead building large cities, with large buildings, and so on. Of course, in the end, it's your call.
Shiftkitty
02-13-08, 03:48 PM That's the impression I got as well. Thanks!
Lord Karsus
02-13-08, 03:54 PM -No problemo.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Shiftkitty 02-11-08, 03:34 PM	One of my players was nice enough to buy me a copy of Lost Empires of Faerun. He had scanned through it and thought it might be fun for the group to play Miyeritari rebels during or just before the occupation. I figured I could combine LEoF with my Arcane Age sourcebooks to make a good campaign out of it as they try to change the course of history. (One of them will have a prophetic vision of the Dark Disaster and the Descent of the Drow and all that came along afterwards.) What did the Miyeritari and Illthyrii look like? I've seen one source that says that they looked like other elves except that their skin was tan to dark tan. Another says bronze skin with all light shades of hair and a tendency to amber eyes. I'm leaning toward an appearance like the drow depicted on the cover of Fane of the Drow with any hair/eye color found among elves in general. Is there anything written on this?
Lord Karsus 02-12-08, 02:12 AM	-It is likely that they were very similar to how they (Drow) appear today, however lighter, more 'earthy' skin tones. Instead of obsidian black, you might get 'dark brown', 'light brown', 'black', and colors inbetween ranging the entire gamut.
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin 02-12-08, 07:36 PM	-It is likely that they were very similar to how they (Drow) appear today, however lighter, more 'earthy' skin tones. Instead of obsidian black, you might get 'dark brown', 'light brown', 'black', and colors inbetween ranging the entire gamut. That's how I see it, myself. Apparently, GHotR established the pre-descent Dark Elves as Wood Elves, but I'm not fond of that idea, myself.
Lord Karsus 02-12-08, 07:37 PM	That's how I see it, myself. Apparently, GHotR established the pre-descent Dark Elves as Wood Elves, but I'm not fond of that idea, myself. -Ignore that. ;)
Rinonalyrna Fathomlin 02-12-08, 07:38 PM	-Ignore that. ;) I agree, ignore it...
Shiftkitty 02-12-08, 10:21 PM	I agree. Why would they be called Dark Elves if they looked just like Wood Elves? Based on eveything I've read, they weren't inherently evil, so it wouldn't make sense. I have the Arcane Age supplements and LEoF. Is there anyplace else I can get info on Miyeritar? Does GHotR have much, or is this something they've intentionally left blank for the gamers to fill in?
Iakhovas 02-13-08, 12:16 AM	To be clear, pre-descent Dark Elves were part of the Green Elf family, not Wood Elves. Dark elves were not statistically (in game terms) a distinct race until their transformation into Drow. Green Elves had no notion of segregation by skin type. In fact most elf communities lived peaceable with elves of all skin colors. Only the aggressive and arrogant Ilythiiri tribe held notions of racial superiority. The Miyertari are a shining example of elves of all skin colors living together in harmony, further reinforcing the claim that dark-skinned elves have no genetic disposition toward aggression or evil. Pre-descent “Dark Elf” was just a label. They were no different from other elves as Chultans are from other humans.
18DELTA 02-13-08, 12:35 AM	To be clear, pre-descent Dark Elves were part of the Green Elf family, not Wood Elves. Dark elves were not statistically (in game terms) a distinct race until their transformation into Drow. Green Elves had no notion of segregation by skin type. In fact most elf communities lived peaceable with elves of all skin colors. Only the aggressive and arrogant Ilythiiri tribe held notions of racial superiority. The Miyertari are a shining example of elves of all skin colors living together in harmony, further reinforcing the claim that dark-skinned elves have no genetic disposition toward aggression or evil. Pre-descent “Dark Elf” was just a label. They were no different from other elves as Chultans are from other humans. -"Ebony and Ivory live together in perfect harmony...":P :rofl: 18DELTA;)
Lord Karsus 02-13-08, 12:37 AM	Is there anyplace else I can get info on Miyeritar? -The novels Blackstaff and Storm of the Dead both contain some information about Miyeritar. Blackstaff is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, Forgotten Realms novel written. Storm of the Dead has more information on Miyeritar than Blackstaff, as this information is more central to the plotline. However, a lot of the lore presented in Storm of the Dead is...I'll be frank, it was quite bad. It started in Sacrifice of the Widow, with Drow Elves casting Elven High Magic found written on scrolls, and Storm of the Dead continued the silliness by asserting that the difference between the Miyeritari Dark Elves and Ilythiiri Dark Elves was that the latter group contained fiendish blood from Wendonai (Sp?).* * Which, of course, is impossible, as Drow cannot cast Elven High Magic, nor is Elven High Magic written on scrolls. ** While there is no doubt that some Dark Elves in Ilythiir gave themselves to Demons, and in turn, gave birth to Half-Fiends, the way this was presented in the novel is borderline silly, especially considering how thin the bloodline has gotten since those days. Most agree that the Demon who mentions this in the story was simply lying, in order to mislead the character he was talking to. Does GHotR have much, or is this something they've intentionally left blank for the gamers to fill in? -AGHotR has just as much information about Miyeritar as it does anything else. Little blurbs and pieces.
Shiftkitty 02-13-08, 03:37 PM	Thanks. I'll have to pick up those books and give them a read. I may have some time, as they're still developing their character concepts. Meanwhile, any hints on things like population centers, or if they used the "build it int he trees" approach? I know they had towers, but would the rest of the places meld into the forest, like in Myth Drannor, or was that a post-war development? I'm currently grasping at promising straws. In LEoF there's an illustration of a duel being fought during the Crown Wars. One elf has darker skin than the other, so I went ahead took it as taking place in Miyeritar. In the background is what looks like a not-so-blending-in-with-the-forest city, and the two elves are fighting on what looks to be a grand staircase. So I'm not sure whether to start populating my imagination with treehouses or castles like Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, or a combination of the two.
Lord Karsus 02-13-08, 03:44 PM	Thanks. I'll have to pick up those books and give them a read. I may have some time, as they're still developing their character concepts. Meanwhile, any hints on things like population centers, or if they used the "build it int he trees" approach? I know they had towers, but would the rest of the places meld into the forest, like in Myth Drannor, or was that a post-war development? I'm currently grasping at promising straws. In LEoF there's an illustration of a duel being fought during the Crown Wars. One elf has darker skin than the other, so I went ahead took it as taking place in Miyeritar. In the background is what looks like a not-so-blending-in-with-the-forest city, and the two elves are fighting on what looks to be a grand staircase. So I'm not sure whether to start populating my imagination with treehouses or castles like Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, or a combination of the two. -From research, it seems to me that the ancient Elven empires of days past, such as Aryvandaar, Atornash, Occidian, Miyeritar, Illythir, and so on, eschewed the whole 'tree house' thing, instead building large cities, with large buildings, and so on. Of course, in the end, it's your call.
Shiftkitty 02-13-08, 03:48 PM	That's the impression I got as well. Thanks!
Lord Karsus 02-13-08, 03:54 PM	-No problemo.