The Sothillisian Empire [Archive] - Wizards Community

The Sothillisian Empire [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
cowflipper
03-27-07, 01:39 PM Does anyone know a lot of details about this group? Has anyone ever seen a war banner or tribal mark? I've been hinting about this group every time my players encounters ogres around The Forest of Mir and the boarders of Tethyr, but I've found barely three paragraphs about who they are.

I mean, I get that they are a rebellion of Ogres, Trolls, and Goblinoids in Amn and near the north of Tethyr, and that they were led by twin ogres, but maybe one died, I don't remember. Are they a strict evil group, or more of a group of revolutionaries trying to establish their own space?

thanks!
Renvale999
03-27-07, 02:56 PM Check out Power of Faerun, I believe they have some information on this.
Stigger
03-27-07, 03:26 PM As to what sort of group they are... it's a good question, and to be honest I tend to sympathize with them more than the Amnians. But then I can't stand Amnians, so...

As to where to find out about them, Power of Faerun for 3e like Renvale said, Lands of Intrigue for 2e has a pretty big section on them as I recall, and as I recall its available on the free download section in the main WotC site. Only two places I can recall seeing sizeable sections on them.
Mad Mage
03-27-07, 03:39 PM As to what sort of group they are... it's a good question, and to be honest I tend to sympathize with them more than the Amnians. But then I can't stand Amnians, so...

As to where to find out about them, Power of Faerun for 3e like Renvale said, Lands of Intrigue for 2e has a pretty big section on them as I recall, and as I recall its available on the free download section in the main WotC site. Only two places I can recall seeing sizeable sections on them.

Confirmed, Stigger, LoI can be freely (and legally) be downloaded here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads).
msatran
03-27-07, 04:26 PM This is literally the dumbest idea they've ever had. I've never actually run (And am in the process of running now) a game specifically for the purpose of wiping out an entire country.

The Sothilissan Empire (Which, by the way, used to be the Sythilissan Empire until someone in marketing decided that it sounded too much like The Syphilissan Empire) is a cracked construct. It sounds mainly like a goofball attempt to give people who think that Evil is Cool a place to live. And it wasn't done in a particularly entertaining or fun way. Player characters had ZERO chance to have an impact on the results.

And now that the results are in, while it's a phenomenal enemy for PC's to battle, it's insanely difficult for a group of good PC's to make ANY headway against these foes.

Furthermore, you should never create warfare in fiction only to have to create more warfare to justify the existence of a nation. It's too confusing. In order to justify the Sothilissan Empire, and make it seem viable to people who hated it (And trust me, there are LOTS of us), you had to create the Stinger War, where creatures from Maztica TUNNELLED UNDER THE OCEAN AND STEPPED THROUGH PORTALS TO CLAIM GIANTISH WEAPONS? Which, according to the source material, both sides now want?

Amn wants the giantish weapons to keep them out of the hands of the Sothelissans.

The Sothelissans want the weapons so they can use them against Amn.

So WHY, knowing this, would these nations ally against the Stingers? I thought Ogre Magi were supposed to be geniuses. This does NOT work to the benefit of the Sothelissan Empire.

Nor does it work to the benefit of Amn. Don't crafty rogues who work for the Shadow Thieves run this country?

Each side should be waiting for the other to be weakened or crippled and then charge in and get the weapons!

This lights a colossal crack pipe and sets it on "Super Blue Flame" over every single plot in the region.

Really, I didn't like this too much, and I like the idea of having my PC's just go in there and cut off the head of the hydra even less.
Markustay
03-27-07, 08:49 PM As to what sort of group they are... it's a good question, and to be honest I tend to sympathize with them more than the Amnians. But then I can't stand Amnians, so... Another fan of how they treated the Mazticans, I see. ;)

Personally, I think that both names are viable...after all, isn't it a pair of Ogres running things? When one finds out the other is calling it something different there's gonna be hell to pay! :D

I didn't know this was about the T'lincala (stingers). I've been waiting for them to run into the Driders and either fall in love or go to war... or both. :devil:

I liked that they TUNNELED under the sea, which made more sense to me, and was the original plan. This 'high-magic' ritual cr@p has just got to stop! Another PORTAL to explain away why something is where it shouldn't be? That got CHEESY over a hundred uses ago. FR's got more leaky portals then then the Titanic!

(Yes... I KNOW that they are portHOLES, but it's still funny...) :cool:
Stigger
03-27-07, 09:04 PM Maztica, their views on magic in general, the whole Rosznar thing in Waterdeep (which I'm completely ignoring by the way), just their society in general... I'd chuck the whole nation into Realmspace and be done with them if I had my way with it.
Old Sage
03-27-07, 09:17 PM The 2e Lands of Intrigue boxed set introduced this plot development. The FRCS didn't expand upon it because that's not what the FRCS was out to do. Power of Faerūn updates the Sythilissan situation.

And see Empires of the Shining Sea, which reveals a little about the syl-pasha of Calimshan's machinations relating to the whole situation.
cowflipper
03-28-07, 10:38 AM Thanks for the help. I have seen both of those sources, but dind't know if there was anything else that existed. I just thought that this would be a very interesting plot hook, but there's next to nothing about the organization, power level, leaders, or goals to make them very three dimensional. I mean, I have no problem thinking it all up, but it would have been nice to at least have a crest symbol, kind of like the Twisted Rune does. Or find out how this traditionally fracticious group of huminoids is holding together. You know, background.
ericlboyd
03-28-07, 07:21 PM The 2e Lands of Intrigue boxed set introduced this plot development. The FRCS didn't expand upon it because that's not what the FRCS was out to do. Power of Faerūn updates the Sythilissan situation.

And see Empires of the Shining Sea, which reveals a little about the syl-pasha of Calimshan's machinations relating to the whole situation.

The stinger infiltration comes from the tlincalli write-up in Monsters of Faerun.

--Eric

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
cowflipper 03-27-07, 01:39 PM	Does anyone know a lot of details about this group? Has anyone ever seen a war banner or tribal mark? I've been hinting about this group every time my players encounters ogres around The Forest of Mir and the boarders of Tethyr, but I've found barely three paragraphs about who they are. I mean, I get that they are a rebellion of Ogres, Trolls, and Goblinoids in Amn and near the north of Tethyr, and that they were led by twin ogres, but maybe one died, I don't remember. Are they a strict evil group, or more of a group of revolutionaries trying to establish their own space? thanks!
Renvale999 03-27-07, 02:56 PM	Check out Power of Faerun, I believe they have some information on this.
Stigger 03-27-07, 03:26 PM	As to what sort of group they are... it's a good question, and to be honest I tend to sympathize with them more than the Amnians. But then I can't stand Amnians, so... As to where to find out about them, Power of Faerun for 3e like Renvale said, Lands of Intrigue for 2e has a pretty big section on them as I recall, and as I recall its available on the free download section in the main WotC site. Only two places I can recall seeing sizeable sections on them.
Mad Mage 03-27-07, 03:39 PM	As to what sort of group they are... it's a good question, and to be honest I tend to sympathize with them more than the Amnians. But then I can't stand Amnians, so... As to where to find out about them, Power of Faerun for 3e like Renvale said, Lands of Intrigue for 2e has a pretty big section on them as I recall, and as I recall its available on the free download section in the main WotC site. Only two places I can recall seeing sizeable sections on them. Confirmed, Stigger, LoI can be freely (and legally) be downloaded here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads).
msatran 03-27-07, 04:26 PM	This is literally the dumbest idea they've ever had. I've never actually run (And am in the process of running now) a game specifically for the purpose of wiping out an entire country. The Sothilissan Empire (Which, by the way, used to be the Sythilissan Empire until someone in marketing decided that it sounded too much like The Syphilissan Empire) is a cracked construct. It sounds mainly like a goofball attempt to give people who think that Evil is Cool a place to live. And it wasn't done in a particularly entertaining or fun way. Player characters had ZERO chance to have an impact on the results. And now that the results are in, while it's a phenomenal enemy for PC's to battle, it's insanely difficult for a group of good PC's to make ANY headway against these foes. Furthermore, you should never create warfare in fiction only to have to create more warfare to justify the existence of a nation. It's too confusing. In order to justify the Sothilissan Empire, and make it seem viable to people who hated it (And trust me, there are LOTS of us), you had to create the Stinger War, where creatures from Maztica TUNNELLED UNDER THE OCEAN AND STEPPED THROUGH PORTALS TO CLAIM GIANTISH WEAPONS? Which, according to the source material, both sides now want? Amn wants the giantish weapons to keep them out of the hands of the Sothelissans. The Sothelissans want the weapons so they can use them against Amn. So WHY, knowing this, would these nations ally against the Stingers? I thought Ogre Magi were supposed to be geniuses. This does NOT work to the benefit of the Sothelissan Empire. Nor does it work to the benefit of Amn. Don't crafty rogues who work for the Shadow Thieves run this country? Each side should be waiting for the other to be weakened or crippled and then charge in and get the weapons! This lights a colossal crack pipe and sets it on "Super Blue Flame" over every single plot in the region. Really, I didn't like this too much, and I like the idea of having my PC's just go in there and cut off the head of the hydra even less.
Markustay 03-27-07, 08:49 PM	As to what sort of group they are... it's a good question, and to be honest I tend to sympathize with them more than the Amnians. But then I can't stand Amnians, so... Another fan of how they treated the Mazticans, I see. ;) Personally, I think that both names are viable...after all, isn't it a pair of Ogres running things? When one finds out the other is calling it something different there's gonna be hell to pay! :D I didn't know this was about the T'lincala (stingers). I've been waiting for them to run into the Driders and either fall in love or go to war... or both. :devil: I liked that they TUNNELED under the sea, which made more sense to me, and was the original plan. This 'high-magic' ritual cr@p has just got to stop! Another PORTAL to explain away why something is where it shouldn't be? That got CHEESY over a hundred uses ago. FR's got more leaky portals then then the Titanic! (Yes... I KNOW that they are portHOLES, but it's still funny...) :cool:
Stigger 03-27-07, 09:04 PM	Maztica, their views on magic in general, the whole Rosznar thing in Waterdeep (which I'm completely ignoring by the way), just their society in general... I'd chuck the whole nation into Realmspace and be done with them if I had my way with it.
Old Sage 03-27-07, 09:17 PM	The 2e Lands of Intrigue boxed set introduced this plot development. The FRCS didn't expand upon it because that's not what the FRCS was out to do. Power of Faerūn updates the Sythilissan situation. And see Empires of the Shining Sea, which reveals a little about the syl-pasha of Calimshan's machinations relating to the whole situation.
cowflipper 03-28-07, 10:38 AM	Thanks for the help. I have seen both of those sources, but dind't know if there was anything else that existed. I just thought that this would be a very interesting plot hook, but there's next to nothing about the organization, power level, leaders, or goals to make them very three dimensional. I mean, I have no problem thinking it all up, but it would have been nice to at least have a crest symbol, kind of like the Twisted Rune does. Or find out how this traditionally fracticious group of huminoids is holding together. You know, background.
ericlboyd 03-28-07, 07:21 PM	The 2e Lands of Intrigue boxed set introduced this plot development. The FRCS didn't expand upon it because that's not what the FRCS was out to do. Power of Faerūn updates the Sythilissan situation. And see Empires of the Shining Sea, which reveals a little about the syl-pasha of Calimshan's machinations relating to the whole situation. The stinger infiltration comes from the tlincalli write-up in Monsters of Faerun. --Eric