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Creation of Araneas

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
leiril
Jan 12, 2009 10:29:43 I stumbled over some detail in the Calimport sourcebook. On p. 16 it is mentioned that some mage of Calimshan created the Aranea as a lycanthropic creature, which can take the form of a huge spider and a drow. That made them the perfect warriors during the Night Wars. My questions are, is this still the official explanation for the creation of this monsters and since when are they lycantrophic? Nothig of this is mentioned in any manuals I have read so far.
#2
the_shaman
Jan 12, 2009 10:46:03 I thought aranea could shift to the form of a regular elf, not drow?
#3
leiril
Jan 12, 2009 11:02:42 I do not think that they have any trouble to take the form of another kind of elf (its not that it would be that hard to take one with black skin and white hair, I believe). In the LP Series there are araneas who took the form of drows. One attacks the Promenade in Undermountain.

What I never thought was, that they were made by humans and that they were originally lycanthropics (that would mean the bite of one makes you also one of them) and then after the LP series I thought they were a kind of normal monsters and mostly servants of Selvetarm or otherwise more close to drow. But in Calimport it is clear, that they were a kind of nemesis for them in the Night Wars.
#4
lord_karsus
Jan 12, 2009 12:47:32 -The origin of Aranea can be found in Elves of Faerûn.
#5
markustay63
Jan 12, 2009 19:11:14 IIRC, the can assume a humanoid form, in their origianl (Mystarran) incarnation. Steven Schend took that and tied it into the Drow lore we had in FR. Perhaps the Calimshite Ones were specially bred to only take Drow form, but I believe the originals could take whatever humanoid form they wished.

Aranea in other settings, as far as I know, are naturally-occurring - no-one created them. Since I'm also a fan of Mystara, I have to assume that either -

a) Some of FR's left the planet, possibly during a very-advanced Spelljammer phase the culture went through (there is a SJ landing-field nearby), or using old Batarchi Gates in the swamp (a distinct possibility), or even by portal magic similar to the Imaskari. That knowledge would have since been lost - I believe it is canon that their culture was once more advanced, but that they have fallen on 'hard times'.

or...

b) The Mage who supposedly 'created' them really only stole some from another world (through one of the methods above, or possibly kidnapped by a summoned Fiend), and he just took the credit for having created them.

While I am more pertial to 'b', I think one of the 'a' selections better fits-in with what LK did in the Elven Netbook.

Either way, most campaign-setting don't go back nearly as far as FR, so I think we're covered by saying they originated here.

And so did the Fey, and just about everything else (like Drow)... and the fans of other settings still insist that FR isn't the most important world in the multiverse.

It quite obviously is. :D
#6
lord_karsus
Jan 12, 2009 21:39:20
It quite obviously is. :D

-For good or for ill.
#7
leiril
Jan 13, 2009 3:57:32
I believe it is canon that their culture was once more advanced, but that they have fallen on 'hard times'.

If they were a kind of real soldiers in a war, they certainly were more organized. It is also said in the Calimport part, that 40 of them lived for a while underneath the palace of Calimport, where they began to fortify the defenses of the city against drow attacks from the Underdark. So if they were able to build something they must be organized enough. Others were released in the forest of Mir, where they fought the drow on their own.

The origin of Aranea can be found in Elves of Faerûn.

Wich I do not have, so I never heard anything about their creation. I stumbled over the details in Calimport only because I am trying to find out more about Calimshans history. Until now I have only known their racial entry in the Monster Manual.

Edit: Ah, you mean the one link in your sig Sorry I thought you meant the sourcebook, but that's Elves of Evermeet, right? Never had this.
#8
markustay63
Jan 13, 2009 9:29:32 I haven't read that material in awhile, but whatever I had - of the original cultural stuff from the Mystara setting - was sent off to LK, which is what his EN entry is based on (along with the Realmsian bits).

It may not be Realms-canon, but it is D&D canon, and sometimes we have to fall bcack on that when no specvific canon is available.

The reason why I say they were more advanced - the lived in the the city of Ahjuutal, where the sub-sumed the human culture (which is why they can now have oither, non-Drow forms). That city was destroyed by warfare and they now live in it's sewers and catacombs. I have no idea to what level their civilization reached before it 'fell', but it's quite obvious they ain't the Spiders they used to be. ;)

Also, when left to their own devices (as they were on Mystara), they reached a highly advanced (magically) state of civilization.

And after re-reading that section (about pure Aranea having only a Drow form) in the FR source, its also obvious that the Aranea did indeed start out on Toril and migrated to other worlds (or at least Mystara, at ay rate). The ones on Mystara, IIRC, would all be considered 'crossbreeds' by Torillian standards.
#9
lord_karsus
Jan 20, 2009 11:35:01
I haven't read that material in awhile, but whatever I had - of the original cultural stuff from the Mystara setting - was sent off to LK, which is what his EN entry is based on (along with the Realmsian bits).

-I'll admit, I didn't use too much from that.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 leiril Jan 12, 2009 10:29:43	I stumbled over some detail in the Calimport sourcebook. On p. 16 it is mentioned that some mage of Calimshan created the Aranea as a lycanthropic creature, which can take the form of a huge spider and a drow. That made them the perfect warriors during the Night Wars. My questions are, is this still the official explanation for the creation of this monsters and since when are they lycantrophic? Nothig of this is mentioned in any manuals I have read so far.
#2 the_shaman Jan 12, 2009 10:46:03	I thought aranea could shift to the form of a regular elf, not drow?
#3 leiril Jan 12, 2009 11:02:42	I do not think that they have any trouble to take the form of another kind of elf (its not that it would be that hard to take one with black skin and white hair, I believe). In the LP Series there are araneas who took the form of drows. One attacks the Promenade in Undermountain. What I never thought was, that they were made by humans and that they were originally lycanthropics (that would mean the bite of one makes you also one of them) and then after the LP series I thought they were a kind of normal monsters and mostly servants of Selvetarm or otherwise more close to drow. But in Calimport it is clear, that they were a kind of nemesis for them in the Night Wars.
#4 lord_karsus Jan 12, 2009 12:47:32	-The origin of Aranea can be found in Elves of Faerûn.
#5 markustay63 Jan 12, 2009 19:11:14	IIRC, the can assume a humanoid form, in their origianl (Mystarran) incarnation. Steven Schend took that and tied it into the Drow lore we had in FR. Perhaps the Calimshite Ones were specially bred to only take Drow form, but I believe the originals could take whatever humanoid form they wished. Aranea in other settings, as far as I know, are naturally-occurring - no-one created them. Since I'm also a fan of Mystara, I have to assume that either - a) Some of FR's left the planet, possibly during a very-advanced Spelljammer phase the culture went through (there is a SJ landing-field nearby), or using old Batarchi Gates in the swamp (a distinct possibility), or even by portal magic similar to the Imaskari. That knowledge would have since been lost - I believe it is canon that their culture was once more advanced, but that they have fallen on 'hard times'. or... b) The Mage who supposedly 'created' them really only stole some from another world (through one of the methods above, or possibly kidnapped by a summoned Fiend), and he just took the credit for having created them. While I am more pertial to 'b', I think one of the 'a' selections better fits-in with what LK did in the Elven Netbook. Either way, most campaign-setting don't go back nearly as far as FR, so I think we're covered by saying they originated here. And so did the Fey, and just about everything else (like Drow)... and the fans of other settings still insist that FR isn't the most important world in the multiverse. It quite obviously is. :D
#6 lord_karsus Jan 12, 2009 21:39:20	It quite obviously is. :D -For good or for ill.
#7 leiril Jan 13, 2009 3:57:32	I believe it is canon that their culture was once more advanced, but that they have fallen on 'hard times'. If they were a kind of real soldiers in a war, they certainly were more organized. It is also said in the Calimport part, that 40 of them lived for a while underneath the palace of Calimport, where they began to fortify the defenses of the city against drow attacks from the Underdark. So if they were able to build something they must be organized enough. Others were released in the forest of Mir, where they fought the drow on their own. The origin of Aranea can be found in Elves of Faerûn. Wich I do not have, so I never heard anything about their creation. I stumbled over the details in Calimport only because I am trying to find out more about Calimshans history. Until now I have only known their racial entry in the Monster Manual. Edit: Ah, you mean the one link in your sig Sorry I thought you meant the sourcebook, but that's Elves of Evermeet, right? Never had this.
#8 markustay63 Jan 13, 2009 9:29:32	I haven't read that material in awhile, but whatever I had - of the original cultural stuff from the Mystara setting - was sent off to LK, which is what his EN entry is based on (along with the Realmsian bits). It may not be Realms-canon, but it is D&D canon, and sometimes we have to fall bcack on that when no specvific canon is available. The reason why I say they were more advanced - the lived in the the city of Ahjuutal, where the sub-sumed the human culture (which is why they can now have oither, non-Drow forms). That city was destroyed by warfare and they now live in it's sewers and catacombs. I have no idea to what level their civilization reached before it 'fell', but it's quite obvious they ain't the Spiders they used to be. ;) Also, when left to their own devices (as they were on Mystara), they reached a highly advanced (magically) state of civilization. And after re-reading that section (about pure Aranea having only a Drow form) in the FR source, its also obvious that the Aranea did indeed start out on Toril and migrated to other worlds (or at least Mystara, at ay rate). The ones on Mystara, IIRC, would all be considered 'crossbreeds' by Torillian standards.
#9 lord_karsus Jan 20, 2009 11:35:01	I haven't read that material in awhile, but whatever I had - of the original cultural stuff from the Mystara setting - was sent off to LK, which is what his EN entry is based on (along with the Realmsian bits). -I'll admit, I didn't use too much from that.