One thing that did come off as strange is Elminster. I recall back in the day that he held Mystra's portfolio and he couldn't use magic ( I believe a few rangers defended him for the time being until he was able to give back the portfolio. It's been a while since I've read it so please bear with me).
It sounds like he could be in the same boat. Could this be true?
How is everything working without the weave? Is there is logical explanation? I thought the weave was require in Faerûn?
Is there going to a history released from wizards regarding what happened from the start of Spellplague till now?
And most importantly, why Shar is the new Mystra?
Thank you for your thought
One thing that did come off as strange is Elminster. I recall back in the day that he held Mystra's portfolio and he couldn't use magic ( I believe a few rangers defended him for the time being until he was able to give back the portfolio. It's been a while since I've read it so please bear with me).
It sounds like he could be in the same boat. Could this be true?
That was during the time of troubles, at which point Mystra invested him with a lot of her own power so he could keep it safe. I don't recall why exactly he couldn't use any of it--it might have been because he wouldn't be able to control it, or he would reveal his presence, or something like that. But basically, he was a guardian for magic, sort of like all the chosen are/were, except he was holding *more* of it. That was only a temporary thing, and after the ascension of the new Mystra, he gratefully relinquished that particular bag of tricks.
As far as we know, this is not the case in 1479 (see my explanation about the fate of magic below). Mystra doesn't exist any longer, and her power is no longer around to be held. Elminster might still have some powers that she invested in him before she perished, but we really don't know--and won't until we see more info from Ed about Elminster. I could be completely wrong, and he might be harboring some part of the goddess inside himself. Who knows?
How is everything working without the weave? Is there is logical explanation? I thought the weave was require in Faerûn?
That really depends what you interpret as logical.
But here's the sitch as I understand it: Mystra died in 1385 and the weave unraveled--magic was not destroyed, just the way mortals access it (i.e., through Mystra) was removed from the equation. Some of that energy turned into the spellplague and ravaged the world, some of it just dispersed out into the ether.
Over the last century, spellcasters have learned to tap into those sources of magic directly--the way Mystra herself did. Basically, Mystra was the middleman (er, woman) and could function as a gatekeeper. Now she's gone, but magic is still there, waiting for mortals to seize it through training and arduous practice.
This makes lots of sense to me, at least. As we all know, from basic physics, energy is never lost but only changed from one form to another.
You can read more about these things in the FRCG . . . or feel free to ask any followup questions you like here on the boards.
Is there going to a history released from wizards regarding what happened from the start of Spellplague till now?
We don't know if there will or won't be. Currently, it looks unlikely.
At this point, WotC has said they are leaving that era of history deliberately vague (though they are telling a few stories in it, like RLB's Haunted Lands and Bruce Cordell's Abolethic Sovereignty trilogies, or Brian R. James's Wailing Years piece, etc--all of which doesn't contradict their "vague/hazy" goal, unless you very strictly define "vague/hazy" as "nothing at all") to reflect that most of that chaos-filled history has been lost to the Realms proper. The upshot of this is that DMs get to fill that space with whatever they want.
And most importantly, why Shar is the new Mystra?
She really isn't. Magic isn't her portfolio, and she has no more control over magic than do any of the other deities.
Cheers
Well, I'll take a stab at this, before lots of people jump in . . .
That was during the time of troubles, at which point Mystra invested him with a lot of her own power so he could keep it safe. I don't recall why exactly he couldn't use any of it--it might have been because he wouldn't be able to control it, or he would reveal his presence, or something like that. But basically, he was a guardian for magic, sort of like all the chosen are/were, except he was holding *more* of it. That was only a temporary thing, and after the ascension of the new Mystra, he gratefully relinquished that particular bag of tricks.
As far as we know, this is not the case in 1479 (see my explanation about the fate of magic below). Mystra doesn't exist any longer, and her power is no longer around to be held. Elminster might still have some powers that she invested in him before she perished, but we really don't know--and won't until we see more info from Ed about Elminster. I could be completely wrong, and he might be harboring some part of the goddess inside himself. Who knows?
That really depends what you interpret as logical.
But here's the sitch as I understand it: Mystra died in 1385 and the weave unraveled--magic was not destroyed, just the way mortals access it (i.e., through Mystra) was removed from the equation. Some of that energy turned into the spellplague and ravaged the world, some of it just dispersed out into the ether.
Over the last century, spellcasters have learned to tap into those sources of magic directly--the way Mystra herself did. Basically, Mystra was the middleman (er, woman) and could function as a gatekeeper. Now she's gone, but magic is still there, waiting for mortals to seize it through training and arduous practice.
This makes lots of sense to me, at least. As we all know, from basic physics, energy is never lost but only changed from one form to another.
You can read more about these things in the FRCG . . . or feel free to ask any followup questions you like here on the boards.
We don't know if there will or won't be. Currently, it looks unlikely.
At this point, WotC has said they are leaving that era of history deliberately vague (though they are telling a few stories in it, like RLB's Haunted Lands and Bruce Cordell's Abolethic Sovereignty trilogies, or Brian R. James's Wailing Years piece, etc--all of which doesn't contradict their "vague/hazy" goal, unless you very strictly define "vague/hazy" as "nothing at all") to reflect that most of that chaos-filled history has been lost to the Realms proper. The upshot of this is that DMs get to fill that space with whatever they want.
She really isn't. Magic isn't her portfolio, and she has no more control over magic than do any of the other deities.
Cheers
Thank you for your detailed response. I greatly appreciate it.
The reason why I wrote "Shar is the new Mystra" is for the following reasons:
1) It sounds like she's more powerful than everyone expect Ao. (What ever happen to him?)
2) Though she lost the Shadow Weave, she didn't get affected by the Spell Plague at all.
3) The Shades are doing better anyone in the Realms.
4) I thought I read that Mask works for her now...I don't have any hard evidence, I just saw it in the threads some where.
5) Cyric was imprisoned for killing Mystra and it looks like Shar didn't get a punishment for what some might call "Upsetting the Balance".
But if Mystra knew about the Time of Troubles before it happened, I'm sure she would have known about this too (I can be wrong and most likely am but I can't rule it out). In the last part of of the Avatar series, I recalled Midnight voted to save Cyric in the trail...
I sure 4.5 will explain it all.
Thanks again
2. It's not that Shar/her realm/her church weren't affected by the Spellplague, they just weathered it much better than just about everyone else. Thomas M. Reid's latest novel "The Crystal Mountain" shows a perfect example of a divine realm NOT being kept under control. If this kind of chaos hit other divine realms, but spared Shar's, it's no wonder she's come out on top.
3. I attribute the enviable strength of the Shadovar more to their unwavering expansionist attitude and ruthless persecution of their enemies rather than Shar's support. With Shar no longer in control of the Shadow Weave, the Shadovar still seem to maintain their arcane mastery withour her help. Since Shade and Sakkors didn't plummet out of the sky once the Spellplague erupted and the Shadow Weave was warped, this seems to suggest the Shadovar managed to maintain their magic without Shar holding their hand. Don't get me wrong, Shar is a major source of new Netheril's strength, but I suspect Shar hasn't guided them to all their successes.
4. Mask isn't working for her, but in a way, he has "submitted" to her. I'd put the spoilers in a block, but I'm new, and still learning how to do things.
5. Yeah, I guess with all the upheaval, no one bothered to look into punishing Shar. I imagine if it took three deities just to bind Cyric to his homeplane (which I guess requires a great deal of energy?), no one was up to the task of putting an even stronger goddess on a leash. As for Mystra's foresight, I don't know what to tell you. It's not a given that Mystra would have foreseen such an attempt on her life, but you'd think Savras having difficulty with his divinations would have given Mystra a red light.
1) It sounds like she's more powerful than everyone expect Ao. (What ever happen to him?)
He's still around, but the designers have deliberately shifted him to work behind the scenes. This is in line with what was going on after the ToT, where Ao was trying to erase his memory from the minds of mortals (slowly). However, he is still kicking around.
As for Shar, yes I'd say she has grown in power somewhat. She seemed to be Mystra's equal in power in 3E (they both had the same divine rank), and I'd wager that she has grown in power by one divine rank since 3E (putting her at DR 19... about where Tyr was, I think.)
2) Though she lost the Shadow Weave, she didn't get affected by the Spell Plague at all.
It is true that she lost control of the Shadow Weave, and the Spellplague seems to have largely left Sembia and Netheril in tact. However, the same is true for the rest of the region. Silverymoon was largely spared (although their mythal did go boom), Evereska was left in tact (mythal still functional), Myth Drannor is still around and growing stronger, Cormyr is still around and has made significant gains, and the Dalelands are still around - all of these places have largely been spared from the Spellplague. Additionally, all of these places are also enemies to the Shades and Netheril.
3) The Shades are doing better anyone in the Realms.
See above. However, I would argue that the Shades are more-or-less in the same position they were by the end of 3E. The only major advance they seem to have made is crippling the Zhents. They killed Fzoul, however he apparently was resurrected and made a exarch. Cormyr and Myth Drannor seem to be a stronger counter balance to Netheril, as well as Silverymoon. Both Cormyr and Myth Drannor have grown in power since 3E, while the Shades have (at best I would argue) just increased the hold on what they already possessed. So aside from a few border conflicts, battles and confrontations, it seems to me that the Netherese / Shades don't seem to be any more powerful than they were previously... though their influence may have stretched out to encompass what the Zhents left behind (through spies and such).
4) I thought I read that Mask works for her now...I don't have any hard evidence, I just saw it in the threads some where.
I'm not really up-to-date on this, and someone else might be able to better answer this question. However, I'll give it my best shot.
Show
Mask is apparently dead, and has been absorbed into Shar. Even so, it seems that he had an ace up his sleeve, and there is definitely a door open for his return.