Its almost completely generic though, and could easily be slotted into almost any D&D setting (with the exception of Eberron of course). I don't say this as a bad thing, simply an observation
. I feel like I could actually map this place out
This was actually the part I liked the most out of the whole article. I thought the descriptions of the areas were good, but I was surprised by how the descriptions included a fairly good idea of where the areas where in comparison to one another.
However, the additional information provided plus some suggestion of consequence gives me hope that there will be more insights like this to come. I liked the article enough that I am not going to rez Talos.
A complete 180! Well done. This was a pleasant reminder of why I loved the Realms of Yore: the "fluffy" lore. If more info such as this comes, I'll be a happy camper.
And one thing I would have liked to see: a divine channeling feat for Auril clerics. It could have gone in the Auril sidebox.
Does anybody know what the black diamond is? I don't have the FRCG so I have no idea if it is in there. It could have done with some extra explanation.
It's in Monster Mythology, possibly the creation of the Dark God, it's was dug out by dwarves, it corrupted Titania's sister who later became the Queen of Air and Darkness, it destroyed Ladinion, primordial fey realm
Auril becoming Queen of Air and Darkness was a surprise, in my cosmology Auril always was of fey origin, but the Ladinion myth was different
wished it had 10 pages
Artus Cimber, maybe he doesn't serve Auril, but wearing the ring made him an exarch, and he isn't aware of it, tragic hero type
Why was there need to turn her from Neutral Evil to Chaotic Evil?
-4E has no Neutral Evil Alignment.
18DELTA
They are not making feats for Evil characters. Auril is not a valid player character faith under the current 4E design method.
The DMG leaves that up to the DM, really. And you can be unaligned and worship Auril.
Even then, it could be used as a basics for a NPC priest.
Love the new lore though... I need more planar vistas like those!
-RW
Auril used to allow even lawful neutral clerics, wich the Palace of Eternal Ice in Luskan used to produce quite a few off (I played one of those a few months online).
Love the new lore though... I need more planar vistas like those!
Technically she would be served by Evil, Chaotic Evil (Majority) and Unaligned (who might even be mostly benine). Unaligned Clerics can serve any god, or that's what the PHB says.
I'm still miffed over the picture of an elemental-bound airship (Eberron) in a Realmslore article. But whatever. I guess it's supposed to foster the whole "generic, can be used anywhere" feel of the new edition. -_-;;
It may look like an Eberron airship, but he did mention "astraljammers" in the article.
:D For those who didn't notice it's on the 3rd page (listed as page 29) under the first heading (The Nest).
-4E has no Neutral Evil Alignment.
18DELTA
Ah yes. How silly of me to forget that rub ...
So the personification of winter being evil and chaotic at that makes more sense? Evil maybe, but chaotic? Had she been turn to neutral with a nasty streak, it would have served all a bit better. Sometimes I dispair on these subtle changes. Well, coming to think of it, some are not that subtle ...
It might also have to do with her being retconned as the fey Queen of Air and Darkness.
Since FR had flying ships long before Eberron was even created I don't mind the ship
Also: It has sails. Which is so Spelljammer-y and so not Eberron-y.
Cheers, LT.
I also came out not entirely clear on where the Deep Wilds are, or what they are (is it a realm on the Astral Sea?). Did I miss something?
-4E has no Neutral Evil Alignment.
18DELTA
"Evil" in 4E takes the place of the old Neutral Evil alignment, not "Chaotic Evil". For example, Shar used to be Neutral Evil, now she's simply "Evil".
As has been said, Nature deities could easily been given the Neutral / Unaligned tag, something explained a bit more in the text. Sure, Auril has a nasty streak, but Chaotic Evil? ... Well, you can't help to get frustrated with the incursions of the rules system into the setting. It really is a shame.
Wonder why Corellon did not care about Aerdrie's fate. He's quick to pop up at the end of the LP III series, late, of course.
Because she isnt actually an elven goddes but a great big stinking air elemental! I'm so gonna cry why wizards why did u not think b4 u wrote this garbage....u had a valid out, she was part of Angarragh! You kept her! and so easily could have stuck the 3 there but u instead made them HUMAN or ELEMENTALS bah!
That's what I meant (obviously).
it seemed you're confused
As has been said, Nature deities could easily been given the Neutral / Unaligned tag, something explained a bit more in the text. Sure, Auril has a nasty streak, but Chaotic Evil? ... Well, you can't help to get frustrated with the incursions of the rules system into the setting. It really is a shame.
CE isn't nastier than NE, and doesn't necessarily mean mindless destruction, that depends on the person
as one of the Furies chaotic is maybe more suitable
tough I liked the old alignment, didn't imagine her as all evil
Is it just me, or does that image speak more to Ebberon than FR. Right down to the flying ship being modeled off of theirs
You're absolutely correct, it felt exactly like Eberron. It was interesting, but I don't want the feel of Eberron creeping into the Realms. But then, I didn't want all that Far Realms alienist junk and aberration explosion either - and since Cordell led the authorship of FRCG it doesn't really matter.
I thought it was weird that I was creating the "first" thread on an online update. :P Haha!For my part, I really liked this article. I thought the stories and locations provided were great. It was also just well-written and fun to read. I would love similar articles for other deities.
The avariel and the Queen of Air and Darkness tie-ins both surprised me. I'm glad to see that Auril (and by extension all of the lesser gods) isn't just slumming it around the cosmos with nothing to do.
My one worry was giving Umberlee a "Blood Sea." It struck me as very DragonLance.....a la Zeboim, the Blood Sea of Istar, and the Maelstrom. I hope they don't go too far in creating direct parallels between worlds for the sake of uber-easy portability. I don't think it's necessary beyond the basic mechanics of keywords and planes.
Other than that, the article sets a fairly pleasant standard and gives an idea of how the medium will work for presenting in-depth lore. WotC should consider letting us individually choose which DDI articles we want bound in book form at the end of each year as sort of a Print-On-Demand thing. That would be nice.
CE isn't nastier than NE, and doesn't necessarily mean mindless destruction, that depends on the person
as one of the Furies chaotic is maybe more suitable
tough I liked the old alignment, didn't imagine her as all evil
IMHO CE is worse than NE, especially if you go by D&D alignment descriptions. Anyway, I have no problem with "the Furies" being wild and all, but making them primarily Unaligned and give them a decent description which adds a nasty streak (in Auril's case) would have done the trick. Blizzards, tornadoes, thunderstorms are not evil or mean. As it is, "by alignment default" Auril will send her powers and servants out to slay and dominate and gain new territories because that's "in her blood". This is one point where WotC could have asked how the changes could have been done, but instead we are left with definite facts that do not always sit well, not least with the old lore.
and she is chaotic, as are the weather, the storms and so on...her temper flickers and is unpredictable, so she is clearly not unaligned.
IMHO CE is worse than NE, especially if you go by D&D alignment descriptions.
imho no cause that would be unfair and out of balance, no matter how they described it, the difference is in the means of how the evil manifests
CE has levels, from the ultimate depravity of Graz'zt to people like Jarlaxle or some deluded Anarchists, also with NE where you have beings like baernaloths described as the ultimate evil, unhindered by chaos and law, to some selfish Cormyrian farmer
Anyway, I have no problem with "the Furies" being wild and all, but making them primarily Unaligned and give them a decent description which adds a nasty streak (in Auril's case) would have done the trick. Blizzards, tornadoes, thunderstorms are not evil or mean. As it is, "by alignment default" Auril will send her powers and servants out to slay and dominate and gain new territories because that's "in her blood". This is one point where WotC could have asked how the changes could have been done, but instead we are left with definite facts that do not always sit well, not least with the old lore.
if she's unaligned with a nasty streak would that mean that she has a kind streak too? but she's incapable of being kind
to me alignment is something very relative, and I think they hardly defined her character with CE
as one of the Furies chaotic is maybe more suitable
Eh, Auril was a "God of Fury" in previous editions, and still NE.
My one worry was giving Umberlee a "Blood Sea." It struck me as very DragonLance.....a la Zeboim, the Blood Sea of Istar, and the Maelstrom. I hope they don't go too far in creating direct parallels between worlds for the sake of uber-easy portability. I don't think it's necessary beyond the basic mechanics of keywords and planes.
To be fair, "The Blood Sea" as Umberlee's Realm (IIRC) is not new and has been around in previous editions (I know it was around in 2E).
CE has levels, from the ultimate depravity of Graz'zt to people like Jarlaxle or some deluded Anarchists, also with NE where you have beings like baernaloths described as the ultimate evil, unhindered by chaos and law, to some selfish Cormyrian farmer
Jarlaxle was NE in previous editions, "evil" in 4E, not "chaotic evil" (which kind of proves my point again).
if she's unaligned with a nasty streak would that mean that she has a kind streak too?
No, "unaligned" does not have to imply that at all.
Eh, Auril was a "God of Fury" in previous editions, and still NE.
Since it looks like she took up some of Talos/Grummsh's stuff (Storms) perhaps she did a little alignment shift. It seems like she is the current god of Storms and such.
I would make her Unaligned I think in my campaign, but since I really don't use alignement...
Since it looks like she took up some of Talos/Grummsh's stuff (Storms) perhaps she did a little alignment shift.
Yes, that's possible.
She appears as a haughty winged faerie ...
When did she grow wings and became a faerie? ... Then again, while someone can surely explain this with all the massive chopping and changing in the 4E FR godly and not-so-godly realms, a 4E-only customer will not care.
Thanks for responding. There are many hooks in the article, so many things you can do. It seems there's a problem with flying in 4e for pc's.
Flying is restricted for PCs as it unbalances the game and they have deliberately made sure certain abilities start to occur in different tiers. The nearest I can think of to genuine at-will PC flight is the Scion of Arkhosia paragon path for Dragonborn (which does in fact grant at-will flight at level 12).
By epic tier everyone can fly just about though.
When did she grow wings and became a faerie?
The lore describing Auril's fey origin is a new revelation. As a deity, however, Auril can appear as anything she desires.
Long before humans started venerating the Frostmaiden, she was known as Aurilandür, the Frost Sprite Queen, a (mostly) benevolent winter fey with a seat on the Court of Stars. She was latter corrupted by a malign artifact, warred with her sister the Summer Queen, and was banished from the Feywild. Thereafter her name was stricken and she was referred to only as the Queen of Air and Darkness. At this time she garnered a human following and joined Talos-who-was-Gruumsh as one of the Gods of Fury. With the aid of Silvanus, the dark artifact’s hold over Auril was shattered during the Stormstar Requiem, and the Aurilandür of old has once again begun to peak through Auril’s icy, malevolent veneer.
That would make Auril Titania's sister.
I picture Auril very much like the White Witch from Narnia, and considering Ed's penchant of borrowing from that wonderful classic, I think I may be on the right track there.
The movie-version was very Fey-like, though - much more so then the picture I got in my head when I first read the series - so it fits with your interpretation.
Jarlaxle was NE in previous editions, "evil" in 4E, not "chaotic evil" (which kind of proves my point again).
what point, he's partially CE
-----
so if all gods associated with seasons have some kind of fey origin, Chauntea (summer), Auril (winter), Mielikki (autumn), does the same apply to Lathander (spring) ?
The lore describing Auril's fey origin is a new revelation. As a deity, however, Auril can appear as anything she desires.
Long before humans started venerating the Frostmaiden, she was known as Aurilandür, the Frost Sprite Queen, a (mostly) benevolent winter fey with a seat on the Court of Stars. She was latter corrupted by a malign artifact, warred with her sister the Summer Queen, and was banished from the Feywild. Thereafter her name was stricken and she was referred to only as the Queen of Air and Darkness. At this time she garnered a human following and joined Talos-who-was-Gruumsh as one of the Gods of Fury. With the aid of Silvanus, the dark artifact’s hold over Auril was shattered during the Stormstar Requiem, and the Aurilandür of old has once again begun to peak through Auril’s icy, malevolent veneer.
Very interesting Brian.
Especially since I once made Auril an aspect of the concept of 'Old Man Winter' from Bryon Wishchstadt's Faeries. Good stuff!
Here is a map of my 'Realm of Dreams' (Fantasia).
Note that with the advent of 4e's Feywild, that Faerie co-exists in both the Feywild and the Plane of Dreams - it is a demi-plane with major connections to those two, and intermittant connections to just about every Prime Material World in existance.
'Sandmen' are the outsiders native to the Plane of dreams, ostensibly under the command of Untamo. The are the equivalent of Celestials or Fiends on their home plane, and enforce the need for sleep upon all beings.
This does remind me very much of the time I tried to incorporate the Endless into my PLANESCAPE campaigns.
Who's the Sand Man then?
-Mariano Rivera.
'Sandmen' are the outsiders native to the Plane of dreams, ostensibly under the command of Untamo. The are the equivalent of Celestials or Fiends on their home plane, and enforce the need for sleep upon all beings.
Here is a map of my 'Realm of Dreams' (Fantasia).
Note that with the advent of 4e's Feywild, that Faerie co-exists in both the Feywild and the Plane of Dreams - it is a demi-plane with major connections to those two, and intermittant connections to just about every Prime Material World in existance.
- Where would you put the quori?
I could stick them in Nocturnia, but that Realm was taken directly from the Ravenloft boxed set (Nightmare Lands)... and I doubt the Nightmare Court would be willing to share.
I turned the quori into fey, cause I'm sick of aberrations
there is indeed the Sand Man in Faeries, in the place called the Deep Sands of Time
the names from Faeries like Father Time, Green Man, Old Man Winter sounded generic, I translated them into celtic languages
and the Sand Man to Altxeringa, the Dreamtime
They live in the land of dreams (Somnabula) - truly horrific versions (the Satyrs of WoW) live in the Nightmare Realm.
I, too, use a Shamanistic/Animism version, combining various cultures and folklore and using Aboriginal 'Dreamtime' as well.
I've never gotten to actually use it in play, though - its just a model of how things work for my own benefit.
No sybolism meant, aside from the "law of Three", which is already fairly pervasie in D&D.
Law - Neutrality - Chaos
Good - Neutral - Evil
3x3= Nine alignments; there are also nine hells, nine schools, etc...
I just like the whole 'Holy Trinity' aspect of having everything revolve around threes.
And circles are just so.... well-rounded. :D
Isn't that Aboriginal?
No. Altxeringa is an altogether different conception. It has little to do with the Australian Aboriginal mythological structure.