Post/Author/DateTime	Post
FriendOfReligion 05-07-05, 01:23 AM	I have placed this in the general thread for reasons which I hope shall become apparent. Speaking from Candlekeep, Ed has said that mortals should not have a clear idea of what transpires in the realms of the Gods. In Crucible, however, Malik el Sami, claims to have received insight into the smallest conversations of the deities from Cyric, in addition to what he witnessed with his own eyes. Allowing that Malik is very likely insane, to at least a small degree, and is the prophet of the God of Lies, how much faith can we place in his revelations of anything which he describes, including the siege of Candlekeep? Prophets are often regarded as being insane, but their insanity is the result of divine inspiration, something greater than the typical human can handle. Malik el Sami also writes in the first person omnisicient and the third person omnisicient forms, which we have been taught to regard as true, at least from the perspective of the author. In Prince of Lies we are allowed selections from both the Cyrinishad and The True Life of Cyric, written in a similar manner, and both claiming to be absolutely true. Sammaster founded a powerful religion based upon his translation of a single line of text, and those who call his followers "cultists" claim that Sammaster's translation was not "inspired" but "wrong." So the question arises: just how much faith can we place in the narrators of any events in the Realms (or in the Planes, for that matter)? I found the chronology given in The Ruins of Zhentil Keep to be very, very enlightening -- seen from the other side, the Knights of Myth Drannor and the Harpers are bandits, terrorists, and thieves. Why should we believe the accounts given by stooges of The Lord's Alliance when that body seems to be primarily interested in maintaining a socio-economic stranglehold on the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands and brands any and all opponents as "evil," when they are really just "competitors?"
Realmsrat 05-07-05, 11:43 AM	Dude, what?
Kuje31 05-07-05, 11:50 AM	I think your asking this: Is the lore in the old editions, since 3/3.5e has done away with this, fact or true? The answer is no because most of the material in the old editions was writing through a narrator. Elminster being the major one but other NPC's were also used. Some of them are good, some of them are evil, some of them are neutral, and some of them have no idea what they are talking about and thier bias slipped into the lore. I.E. the Zhentil Keep material about Shadowdale.
FriendOfReligion 05-09-05, 06:31 PM	I think your asking this: Is the lore in the old editions, since 3/3.5e has done away with this, fact or true? The answer is no because most of the material in the old editions was writing through a narrator. Elminster being the major one but other NPC's were also used. Some of them are good, some of them are evil, some of them are neutral, and some of them have no idea what they are talking about and thier bias slipped into the lore. I.E. the Zhentil Keep material about Shadowdale. So everything that Malik wrote may be either a lie or a delusion, right? Hence, there may not be a Mystra-made sword to slay Kezef, Adon may still be alive and well, etc. So in the 3rd edition "the 'official' truth" is only what is in the Campaign Setting, and the other published FR supplements and web enhancements, is that it? How sad....
Kuje31 05-09-05, 06:37 PM	So everything that Malik wrote may be either a lie or a delusion, right? Hence, there may not be a Mystra-made sword to slay Kezef, Adon may still be alive and well, etc. So in the 3rd edition "the 'official' truth" is only what is in the Campaign Setting, and the other published FR supplements and web enhancements, is that it? How sad.... Not everything but the old lore is written through a narrator and so not all of it might be true. :)
FriendOfReligion 05-10-05, 01:03 PM	Not everything but the old lore is written through a narrator and so not all of it might be true. :) Do I hear a faint suggestion that new FR novels and modules are to be forthcoming, clarifying Realmslore for us unwashed rabble ... er customers? .
Kuje31 05-10-05, 01:10 PM	Do I hear a faint suggestion that new FR novels and modules are to be forthcoming, clarifying Realmslore for us unwashed rabble ... er customers? . huh?