There is going to be a new game of Forgotten Realms running in the near future and after lookin through the player's handbook for forgotten realms I have decided that my character will be from Luskan.
Now the question I have is what is Luskan like? Is it a wreck of a city where people everyday fight over a scrap of food?
Is this the place when you grow to the venerable age of 20 you and your gang head off for the rich pickings of Waterdeep? Where you steal not only the valuables, but the knives from the knife drawer and the meat from the pantry?
The place where Waterdhavians go when a rival needs to be disappeared or dabble in necromancy or demonology.
Also a perfect breeding and training ground for slaves of all kinds.
Greets,
There is going to be a new game of Forgotten Realms running in the near future and after lookin through the player's handbook for forgotten realms I have decided that my character will be from Luskan.
Now the question I have is what is Luskan like? Is it a wreck of a city where people everyday fight over a scrap of food?
Is this the place when you grow to the venerable age of 20 you and your gang head off for the rich pickings of Waterdeep? Where you steal not only the valuables, but the knives from the knife drawer and the meat from the pantry?
The place where Waterdhavians go when a rival needs to be disappeared or dabble in necromancy or demonology.
Also a perfect breeding and training ground for slaves of all kinds.
Its not a ruined city. Its basically a small city run by some evil wizards. Its the last large city before the northern wilderness. Very rough and tumble. Trading city, lots of ruffians coming and going constantly. The type of seedy bars you'd expect in a city that hosts many transients. The dock ward is particularly nasty. Don't go out alone at night in the Dock ward, and even in the daytime, you might get accosted by robbers, murderers, or thieves.
The city itself isn't evil though, its still a maintained city. Just a haven for people of il repute. And obviously, the amount of maintenence the city does is strickly utilitarian. Its not run down like its abandoned, but run down in that is doesn't ever seem to get enough money to keep it maintained better. Mostly on account of that probably half the population at a given time are non tax paying transients. (And a rather seedy, rough crowd at that.)
but yeah, im sure theres some gangs in there as well. From the map, itr looks as if they still got working docks, and some buildings outside the walls for caravans and what not, so theres still some shipping and trade going on, so theres got to be somebody maintaing some kind of order, most likely the Arcane Brotherhood.
But really, its however you want to play it, if you want to make it a ruined shell of a city with street gangs fighting for control, then go with that. Its your Realms!
The port is now useless, crowded with the half-sunken hulks of the last
ships unlucky enough to tie up here, including the once-mighty Sea Sprite.
All three of the great bridges that once spanned the Mirar River are
smashed.
Now Luskan is the exclusive territory of rival street gangs, monsters, and vermin. A middle-class
citizen of Luskan would be a beggar in any other city in the North.
Quoted from the FR campaign guide for Luskan.
So no port facilities, or bridges, unless someone puts a rope together and pay toll for it.
There hasn't been any central government for the past few decades.
I wouldnt say its a wreck of a city,
but yeah, im sure theres some gangs in there as well. From the map, itr looks as if they still got working docks, and some buildings outside the walls for caravans and what not, so theres still some shipping and trade going on, so theres got to be somebody maintaing some kind of order, most likely the Arcane Brotherhood.
But really, its however you want to play it, if you want to make it a ruined shell of a city with street gangs fighting for control, then go with that. Its your Realms!
There is at least one large evil organization: about half the organization are pirates, and the other half are Luskans of il repute. Strickly local though. They would presumable have some dealings with the wizards of Luskan, although not on a large scale. (It may be better stated that the wizards of Luskan occasion use the organization to foward thier own evil plans.)
Plenty of small roving gangs though, and other loose organizations of evil intent.
I didn't know that the city was many times bigger than the population.
With goblin and kobolds encamped in the boglike estuary of the Mirabar river the town is flooded with sneaky thieves, backstabbers and filthy warrens filled with goblin or kobold spawn. The town desperately needs a Tormite crusade to cleanse its bowels.
Human children growing up in this mess are either protected by their parents criminal assets, sold into slavery or left to their own devices. The latter are best off joining the protection of urchin street gangs, stealing and hiding untill adolescence.
The clergy of the Gods of Fury might still cling to some semblance of civilisation, as much as these nature revering religions allow, and would try to keep their city temples running. Besides clergymen they'd need guards and scribes. These clerics are aggresive lot, experienced in dealing with riotous pirate crowds (i.e. harshly), but they are also loud and clear in the blessings they can bestow.
For example Aurilites would take new subjects from amongst the Luskanite girls to make them into frostmaidens through their investment rituals. I'd imagine those are brutal affairs where the girls are left bare in the cold wilds to survive a night. Those who recieve Aurils blessing survive the freezing cold by the Auril bestowed cold resistance for the rest of their life.
Some small parts of Luskan can be hopefull though. The remaining lords each have an excellent longboat navy, with infamous drakkar warships. Being a trader/pirate in learning on a knarr, the longboats build for trading, can be lucrative to say the least. Luskan is the main port of the north, which accesses gems, timber, leather, neverwinterian crafts and lots of precious metals.
Huge tracts of Luskan lie in ruins—four thousand people inhabit a city built to accommodate ten times that many.
The port is now useless, crowded with the half-sunken hulks of the last
ships unlucky enough to tie up here, including the once-mighty Sea Sprite.
All three of the great bridges that once spanned the Mirar River are
smashed.
Now Luskan is the exclusive territory of rival street gangs, monsters, and vermin. A middle-class
citizen of Luskan would be a beggar in any other city in the North.
Quoted from the FR campaign guide for Luskan.
So no port facilities, or bridges, unless someone puts a rope together and pay toll for it.
There hasn't been any central government for the past few decades.
The FRCG is dated information, that was way back in 1479 DR, we're closing in on 1481 DR now, and times have changed. The FRCG also says that Neverwinter lies in ruins, but its got a new video game comin out and a Campaign Sourcebook as well, so it cant be all that bad! As far as I know that map of Luskan I posted is the most recent one, and it doesnt look like its in ruins at all, My guess is that things have gotten better, and the Arcane Brotherhood is once again asserting more control, I have no hard facts to suppport this, this is just an assumption on my part, but like I said however you want to play it.
Luskan in 3e is a pirate haven controlled by evil wizards (the Arcane Brotherhood), basically matching Eagleclaw's description above. This is the Luskan of RAS's novels Spine of the World and The Pirate King.
Luskan in 4e is a great, rotting wreck of a city, which (to get all Obiwan Kenobi on it) primarily functions as a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Criminals from all over (particularly Waterdeep and other cities of the North) often end up here, having been driven from civilized lands. The Guard of Waterdeep don't chase convicts beyond the gates of Luskan, figuring that life in the city is a worse punishment than anything they might do to them.
The general theme of Luskan is "mundane villainy": not evil archmages, nor vicious dragons, nor uber-powerful magical abominations. Just a bunch of bad, nasty, violent people taking what they want and stlaern the rest.
You can see a more recent view of 4e Luskan in RAS's new novel, Gauntlgrym. The place has only got worse since then.
There are still a lot of people who live there (mostly criminals and the impoverished who don't have any choice), but they aren't united under any central government. Rather, they ally themselves with powerful gangs. These gangs carve out sections of the city as their territory and exact tribute (protection money) from the people under their aegis. Generally speaking, if you live in the city, you're either part of one of the gangs, or you're victimized by the gangs, or both.
Traditionally, there are FIVE gangs (like the way Luskan used to be organized under five pirate captains) that hold the most power in the city. The FRCG lists two of them: the Shou (called the Dragonbloods in my novel) and the Master of the Throat (a powerful necromancer who may or may not have ties to the old Arcane Brotherhood). Gangs come and go, in a struggle for succession/power worthy of the drow of Menzoberranzan (though there are a lot fewer rules as to attacking one's rivals). (More on all this in my forthcoming novel!)
The Brotherhood itself is not in evidence in the FRCG, though they could certainly be there in the context of your game.
If you'd like, here are a couple outside inspirations that might give you a sense of the 4e Luskan and the role FR heroes might play in it: Scorsese's movie Gangs of New York, Escape from L.A., the Batman series "No Man's Land," several animes including Samurai Champaloo, etc.
The FRCG is dated information, that was way back in 1479 DR, we're closing in on 1481 DR now, and times have changed.
That's neat. Is it 1481 in your campaign, or are you talking about something more official? Where?
The FRCG also says that Neverwinter lies in ruins, but its got a new video game comin out and a Campaign Sourcebook as well, so it cant be all that bad!
Well, not to speak for the canon or anything, but in point of fact Neverwinter did indeed suffer a terrible calamity, but it has been rebuilding since then. More on that in the Neverwinter Campaign Guide (which I wrote 1/3 of), due out in the fall!
Cheers
I do see it as a mundane evil place. I would be very interested on seeing what the place will be described in a novel.
I am trying to read through The first novel in Salvatore's trilogy so I can get to Ghost King and Luskan in more depth.
I suppose this novel has been makred as coming out - soon.
That's neat. Is it 1481 in your campaign, or are you talking about something more official? Where?
If memory serves, the extended ending for Circle of Skulls puts the Realms at 1481.
Though, technically... I'm not sure if it counts as "official" or not, since it's an addendum on the author's website, but I'm inclined to say that it is official. Partly because I liked it (the only thing that counts, HAHA!), and it better explained a few things in his novel.
The way the published version ends, it's a little too... epic. In a "here we go again with epic stuff, *sigh*" kind of way. But the addendum sorts it all out lots better.
Talented writer, that guy. I mean, I don't like 4E and I generally don't like horror. And I liked Circle of Skulls quite a lot.
Well, whether that's official or not, that doesn't advance the setting to 1481, and it certainly doesn't fill in 2 years of missing lore.
It would be kinda like saying none of 3e ever happened because Pools of Twilight was written.
Cheers
Oh, I see.
Well, whether that's official or not, that doesn't advance the setting to 1481, and it certainly doesn't fill in 2 years of missing lore.
It would be kinda like saying none of 3e ever happened because Pools of Twilight was written.
Cheers
Stop the train! This magical phrase "Pool of Twilight was written" could undo 3E? And without 3E, then 4E could never logically happen?!
Erik, you have inadvertently solved the Metatext!
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Gods forbid we publish novels that take place at slightly different times! Or that, yeesh, people play FR games starting in 1479 or 1481 or 1372! :D
Cheers
Er, actually I was saying that didn't make sense. So yeah, no.
Gods forbid we publish novels that take place at slightly different times! Or that, yeesh, people play FR games starting in 1479 or 1481 or 1372! :D
Cheers
Heh! I can't help myself sometimes.
I'm developing a campaign for ~1298 DR as I write.
Want to share anything more about the Ambiance of Luskan or will I have to wait for the book first?
The FRCG is dated information, that was way back in 1479 DR, we're closing in on 1481 DR now, and times have changed.
That's neat. Is it 1481 in your campaign, or are you talking about something more official? Where?
I know of nothing official, IM just assuming, the Monument of the Ancients adventure uped the year to 1480, and that was put out a while ago, so it stands to reason that here sometime soon they will up the year to 1481, Whats the set year for the Neverwinter Campaign Setting book? Is it 1480?
ANd actually no, my current campaign is still in 1479, IM always a little behind canon time, this all started back with the orginal Grey Box Set, I believe it started at 1357? But it had a listing of happenings from the previous year, so it made sense to me to start the campaign then that way I could work all this stuff in. It took me a full 3 years after the fact just to get to the Time of Troubles, but that kinda worked out being as I was able to play it up more instead of just Whamo the Time of Troubles just happened! Actually my 3rd edition game never even made it to 1372, We was just gettin ready to get into 1372 when I decided to go with 4e, I was all for continuing the story from that time with the same characters updated to 4e rules, but the rest of the group decided that they wanted to do new characters in 1479 Realms, Ah well, I still might work in there old characters and what I planned back then.
ANd IM getting completly off topic here. I didnt realize that Luskan was in such bad shape, I thought things were lookin up, and the the Arcane Brotherhood was back in power, This is stuff I picked up from the Neverwinter Ezine www.wizardsofthecoast-digital.com/wizard..., but of course it is possible that they was using dated information.
The guidelines I've laid down are probably a good base, and you can extrapolate detail from there!
@Silvers: The concept of "canon time" is a dodgy one, at best. In all iterations of the Realms, we've had novels coming out that took place at all different times. Generally speaking, the nearest you can get is a 5-10 year span where "most everything" in a given edition happens. 1e novels were generally around the 1350s, 2e novels were 1368-1370 or so, 3e novels were 1371-1376ish, and I estimate that 4e FR novels will be 1479 through the early 1480s.
I will say that my novel Shadowbane (Fall 2011!) takes place in Flamerule 1480 (unless that's altered in editing).
I couldn't say for sure what the baseline date for the NWCG is (again, it's an editorial thing). It might not even have one, as far as I know, but instead be left flexible for DMs to decide (which is really what should happen at your table anyway).
Also, I suspect the Neverwinter e-zine was using dated information when it talked about Luskan.
Cheers
Also, I suspect the Neverwinter e-zine was using dated information when it talked about Luskan.
Cheers
So Arumn Gardpeck isnt still running the Cutlass? Damn!