AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

Sapphires come in a multitude of hues and shades, one of them being black/grey. I assume the spell just means a sapphire of this variety.

Now since alchemy exists in FR, there's nothing saying there isn't a way you could turn a lump of granite into sapphire if you knew the right procedure. Even then, there's always Wish which is often used to turn huge quantities of cheap material(say iron) into huge quantities of expensive stuff(i.e. mithral).

Despite all those options, since black sapphires are simply just a form of sapphire, I'd imagine it'd just be easier to find a jeweler or merchant that carries them. Given the popular endeavors of Tarkuul, I wouldn't be surprised if someone or another would have them there.

Yeah, according to the internet there are black sapphires (and lots of other colours!), though they don't appear in the job system so I'm not sure if it's one simply glosses over the issue of colour when providing components. I assume/hope so, since it's not like black sapphires are especially rare. The issue is cost, though; either you try to find and buy a gem so exquisite that it meets the value, or it *requires* that it is alchemically treated (though I know nothing of the process if any) until it reaches the appropriate value (which numbers in the tens of thousands of gold pieces). Since the job system gems are only ~1000 or so, this seems to be the only way.

I'm assuming one can't just pay a lot of money for a 50gp shard.

Last edited by Pony on Mon, Oct 10 2011, 19:48 PM, edited 1 time in total.

I. Isle of Lumorier

Can someone help me with the lore of Lumorier? I know it had been a place some large scale DM plot took place, but the history, geography, and society that was on it (as well as the reason why it sunk) is very foggy in my mind.

II. Zanshibon

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Zanshibon was once a very corrupt city that exists elsewhere than on Amia island (the only way to reach it was through the portal in Mystra’s Grove). It harbored a very decadent society that slaked anyone and everyone’s carnal and material lusts to their heart’s desire.

A prophecy came to pass that the Nine Gates of Hell would open, and one by one, heroes were tricked into opening them. The final gate required someone of Celestial blood to open it. The Keeper of the Ninth Gate approached Gabriel Judicator and demanded that he open it. Gabriel refused, and was cast down in a furious fight. He barely survived.

The Keeper then approached Jiharu Kusama and told her that she had a choice: she could condemn one of two cities, either Cordor or Zanshibon, otherwise the island would be completely destroyed. Jiharu wisely made a deal with him. She told him that she would in return for his True Name. He agreed, and Jiharu opened the portal, condemning Zanshibon. The devil thought he had tricked her, because opening the portal meant that the entire world was his to play with.
Yet Jiharu had sensed this and she used his True Name, Ghaunadar, and banished him from the world. He had already conquered Zanshibon and so it vanished into the Abyss along with him. The city now exists as a scornful mockery of what it was.

1. I thought Zanshibon was condemned to the Abyss. The lore speaks of Hell and Devils, which would mean the Abyss and Tanar'ri/Demons would be correct?
2. Ghaunadar =/= Ghaunadaur? Not the same I hope?

III. The Justicar

Justicar Marinsbane was the first Justicar that followed on lord Tristam. Now that the timeline was altered from what happened in game, Kohlingen was created 150 years before it actually was, that would mean he would be quite too old. Who was the first Justicar, who likely was the second and third? How does the Justicar get elected/determined?

- Answered

IV. The Duke

This is a wiki entry. I am in no way saying that what stands on the wiki is binding, etc. This entry itself mentions it may be incorrect.

Quote:

Duke Montgomery is a human male who ruled over the city of Cordor for quite some time. He was a benevolent man at first, just and fair in his dealings. However, he began to tinker with demonic activities and eventually lost not only his compassion, but his very soul.
He, along with Earl Manfried, found the Necronomicon and attempted to use it. Duke Montgomery returned to Cordor insane and evil, while Earl Manfried became the undead he is today. When a fundraiser was held to help cure the plague that ravaged Cordor, the Duke stole the money and was subsequentily chased from town.
It was later revealed that the man who had thought to have been the duke was not him at all, the man had been replaced with a doppleganger early in his life for unknown reasons, the tendancy of the creature towards cruelty surfaced, and the rest became history.
Duke Montgomery d'Cordor, in fact, spent a quiet childhood in Comyr as a squire then purple knight. He fought as a war wizard extensivly in the variouse wars against the thayans and zhenthians.

How accurate is the highlighted part and could it be set right? In other words, was the Duke really replaced by A doppelganger for a while and second, was the Duke really raised in Cormyr - having gained the titles of both a PDK and a War Wizard?

I think it was Kenji who was in charge after Darius and not sure how did the Justicar come into picture. Even during the time of Celene, the Imperator called the guards of Kohl as Defenders when he brought the body Celene back to the city. According to the PC stories and the Amia recorder, the Defenders at the time of Milla Fryer and Tamian Everstar confirmed the Justicar in his position of being in charge of the political affairs. (these are the infos that I've found in the DM event stories and the Amian recorder)

I presume that later the Justicar was able to create his own role and made himself separated from the Defenders.

Tormak said once to Neveah who told Yaston that Marinsbane is 93 years old or more?

Oh, I do remember the confirmation thing of the Defenders. The timeline is confusing without the post-event changes.

http://amiawiki.shatuga.com/index.php/Amia_Paper_IX

I've found it in here. It sounds logical though. The Justicar was one of the founding knights and later the activity or inactivity of the Defenders determined his role in the city.

I've tried to list the events in an ooc way on the NA forum if you check the Kohlingen lore topic.
However, Tormak said that he has a detailed list of timeline to make the actual timeline and system clear.

Phearnun, regarding that Demon's name.. that was from a WAY OLDER time but yeah, not the same.

Phearnun wrote:

I. Isle of Lumorier

Can someone help me with the lore of Lumorier? I know it had been a place some large scale DM plot took place, but the history, geography, and society that was on it (as well as the reason why it sunk) is very foggy in my mind.

I've always heard that it was a large jungle-type island with dark, dense forest occupied by drow and ghouls and were-creatures. It was cursed, so like an old-school Caraigh, maybe? I think the people there were fairly xenophobic. I don't think it actually sunk. I've heard it exploded, sunk, and floated away into the mists. I think exploded is the right one, and that was the center of the DM plot. It had some evil necromancy book on it of something that was corrupting people.

Of course, my knowledge is all hearsay. It was before my time.

Quote:

1. I thought Zanshibon was condemned to the Abyss. The lore speaks of Hell and Devils, which would mean the Abyss and Tanar'ri/Demons would be correct?
2. Ghaunadar =/= Ghaunadaur? Not the same I hope?

III. The Justicar

Justicar Marinsbane was the first Justicar that followed on lord Tristam. Now that the timeline was altered from what happened in game, Kohlingen was created 150 years before it actually was, that would mean he would be quite too old. Who was the first Justicar, who likely was the second and third? How does the Justicar get elected/determined?

Zanshibon's plot was done by old old old old arelith DMs who... well, they didn't have a great grasp on lore. Very few players or DMS did back then, so it is not meant to be an insult. It was demons and should always have been. No, the true names aren't the same, and there's only three gates.

Tristram was the first Justicar (and if he wasn't, he is now. Congrats, Darius!) and the others are ... well, as far as plot is concerned, irrelevant. They were there, they didn't do much noteworthy, they were good rulers, and led good lives. There were two of them. Marinsbane has served as the current Justicar for roughly sixty years, and is the fourth to do so. The succeeding Justicar is chosen by the current Justicar, normally with nominal help from his personal counsel. If the Justicar were to die before being able to choose his successor, ranking government and temple officials would collaborate to choose a new Justicar.

I see Yoss lurking about, and I know he's itching to answer that question about the Duke (as I know he has,; because he's answered me personally), so.

Ed1:

Quote:

Tormak said once to Neveah who told Yaston that Marinsbane is 93 years old or more?

The Justicar is indeed a spry 93 years young.

Last edited by Pony on Wed, Oct 12 2011, 11:08 AM, edited 1 time in total.

V. Kohlingen

Thanks Tormak. Got a few more though. Darius was the first Justicar, we got an unnamed second and third, and then Marinesbane. Just to clarify, the pc confirmation through the Defenders that Marinesbane would be given the political and military authority to lead the city did not take place with the altered lore?

Kohlingen sovereignty stretches to Mimir Bridge with the exception of Benwick Hollow, to the quagmires and to the end of the western outskirts? (So area wise Kohlingen Southwest, Kohlingen South + northern part of Mimir Bridge, Kohlingen City, Kohlingen Keep, Kohlingen Manor and Kohlingen Outskirts + Western Outskirts)?

The Kohlingen Keep remains to have been build more recently with the aid of the dwarves from Brogendenstein?

I read of a war between Cordor and Kohlingen at the very begining. What happened there (if it did happen), and is that also moved back to the new founding date of the city?

- Answered

Quote:

Just to clarify, the pc confirmation through the Defenders that Marinesbane would be given the political and military authority to lead the city did not take place with the altered lore?

You could just say that was an offical recognization of him becoming the new Justicar, since that's basically the details of what the Justicar does, no? Call it a coronation ceremony or whatever fancy thing you'd like to name it.

Quote:

Kohlingen sovereignty stretches to Mimir Bridge with the exception of Benwick Hollow, to the quagmires and to the end of the western outskirts?

Officially, any area with the name "Kohlingen" is land that Kohlingen considers part of their land. You could probably reasonably stretch it to the bridge. The Hollow is indeed excepted, and they don't stretch into the quagmire,s jsut to it. And then there's the western outskirts area.

Quote:

The Kohlingen Keep remains to have been build more recently with the aid of the dwarves from Brogendenstein?

Yup.

Quote:

I read of a war between Cordor and Kohlingen at the very begining. What happened there (if it did happen), and is that also moved back to the new founding date of the city?

Umm... afraid I can't help you there. I remember bits but I don't know the how or the why or the when.

Quote:

How is the Justicar determined. Is he an elected official, or one determined by the churches, or by some holy ritual?

In the event that the Justicar hasn't chosen his own successor....

Quote:

If the Justicar were to die before being able to choose his successor, ranking government and temple officials would collaborate to choose a new Justicar.

This is probably a process that involves talking people over, determining how devout/goodly they are (Kohlingen is very much a theocracy and so members of the churches would get very heavy preference. To date, every Justicar has been a member of a divine spellcasting class, and all of them have also been members of the Triad.), and so forth. He is not elected, but traditionally the townsfolk have never had issues trusting the church of the Triad to do the electing for them.

Huh, so it is like the college of Cardinals electing a new Pope, save for instead of figure head of a church, he is figure head of a city?

Interesting...

Don't know if this has been asked before (tried using the search bar, but with not many *good* results), but:

What are some good sources for Fey lore?

Phearnun wrote:

V. Kohlingen

I read of a war between Cordor and Kohlingen at the very begining. What happened there (if it did happen), and is that also moved back to the new founding date of the city?

viewtopic.php?f=80&t=46628

The Story of Nabessa the Sword Saint.

It's one of my favorite little tidbits of Amian Lore, and as I recall, it encompasses the Cordor-Kohlingen war.

Edit: Woo, I beat Yossarin! >.>

TormakSaber wrote:

Quote:

I read of a war between Cordor and Kohlingen at the very begining. What happened there (if it did happen), and is that also moved back to the new founding date of the city?

Umm... afraid I can't help you there. I remember bits but I don't know the how or the why or the when.

viewtopic.php?f=80&t=46628

CratzBlade113 wrote:

Don't know if this has been asked before (tried using the search bar, but with not many *good* results), but:

What are some good sources for Fey lore?

Try http://www.amiaworld.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=918577#p918577. Or just pester Selvec.

That on is d20 though and not standard d&d. However as it is put into the lore section I'd think most of it to be held true for Amia though I suggest a critical look.

Monster Mythology is a tad older source that has some decent info on fey gods and the courts.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/fey
This one has some fey fluff from the wizards.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-monster-talk/215694-all-different-types-fey.html
And a nice view of different types of fey for inspiration

Monster Mythology goes over the members of the court which is good... other then that as far as canon lore goes there isn't much hence the D20 reference which is mostly just for "fluff" anyway.

If Mystra is a dead deity (according to FR Wiki, and thus a dead power), could she still grant divine spells to Clerics and Paladins?

That's 4e. Mystra isn't dead on Amia.

FR Wiki = 4E
Amia = 3.5E

Mystra is not dead.

Derp, silly me. Thanks for the answer!

EDIT: But I am curious though. CAN dead deities grant followers divine magic?

IIRC not directly, BUT ..

If the Dead Deity has a newer deity who's picking up the Portfolio, they might be granted spells through that new deity and subtly influenced over time but.. I could be wrong, I really could be wrong.

Reason I say that is I'm thinking of a couple of cases where that indeed happened but specifics are not occuring to me right at the moment. If someone can more correctly remember to the contrary and can ensure they've got it right, that'd help.

Was there not a feat that allows it?

Grymia wrote:

IIRC not directly, BUT ..

If the Dead Deity has a newer deity who's picking up the Portfolio, they might be granted spells through that new deity and subtly influenced over time but.. I could be wrong, I really could be wrong.

Reason I say that is I'm thinking of a couple of cases where that indeed happened but specifics are not occuring to me right at the moment. If someone can more correctly remember to the contrary and can ensure they've got it right, that'd help.

Shar ate Ibrandul during the Time of Troubles and she still grants spells in his name. She enjoys it.

Servant of the Fallen is the feat.

From my understanding, they're not so much "granting"(...the things are dead, after all) as the cleric is "channeling." When gods die, they don't just go *poof*. There's still a divine essence that lingers throughout the realms that can be imbued to creatures and revived into the deity fully later. I.E. Bane and Bhaal after the ToT.

What a cleric that has SotF is doing isn't being imbued by this power, however. They're simply siphoning it and using it to the god's means, with the hope if their portfolio or worship is strengthened, they may be revived.

Note however when I say siphon I don't mean in the sense an Ur-Priest does. Firstly, an Ur-Priest draws collectively from many deities, making them hated by pretty much every divine caster. Secondly, SotF is most likely something that a follower of a dead deity just finds himself with upon the god's death or has actively sought out to attain. Meaning he's aligned themselves with the dead god to carry on their name. And more than likely, the magic he is granted is still bound by the god's wishes, and he can't simply do with it whatever he pleases, as in the case of an Ur-Priest.

I'm sure there are Myrkuulians out there that can still cast divine spells. Whether they use the same methods as ur-priests or not, or whether it is the fact that he still has an actual embodiment of power in his crown that can grant powers itself, is beyond me.

Everyone's talked about how Murkyl was killed, everyone talked how heroic the battle between Bane and...Tyr(?) was.
What I'd like to know, why Ao kicked everyone from the godgrounds, and why Helm only was able to stay behind? I am talking about time of troubles of course.

Torm*

666WaysToHell wrote:

Torm*

thanks

Helm didn't stay behind. He was doing exactly what he got paid to do, which is guard. But he couldn't go in either.

Yeah, Helm was stuck sitting on the curb outside of the god's super cool hangout all by himself while the other god's went off to party.

Helm's duty was to guard the way back in. Not guard the inside itself. He stood at the entrance basically, and killed anything that tried to get past.

Thykkvi Monastry:

Quote:

The fourth abbot of the [[Brogendenstein]] Monastry was Hall Gizurson, who ruled the house for five years, before he left the place to found the Thykkvi Monastry. He was the son of Gizur Hallson, who by his contemporaries was regarded as the most accomplished man in [[Forstakkr]]. - In Game Reference

What kind of monastary is it? What faith(s) is it devoted to?

Does Amia follow any particular seasons?

And if so does it relate to seasons in RL?

As an example its october now, would this correspond to leaves falling of trees etc. in cordor?

Triumvir:

Who created it? If I remember correctly some dancing dracolich from cordor square, but not else I remember. Rosfla-something?
How was it created?
Is it completely on another plane? Is it on more than one?
How is it run? Who runs it?
Any special besides ^ about it?

[Info that is unknown and/or spoilers is not required.]

Nobody actually answered the question "Why did you do it, Ao?"

Ao did it because the gods weren't faithfully executing their offices' responsibilities. They were more concerned about bickering amongst themselves and trying to one-up eachother in petty ego-stroking contests. As a result, Ao set it up that deities depended on energy from faithful worship to survive. Previously, they could exist independent of worshippers, if I'm not mistaken.

That, and the Dead Three (Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul) stole the Tablets of Fate. The Tablets were pretty much where Ao listed the domains and powers of all the deities of the realms. The Dead Three thought that Ao got or stored some of his power in the Tablets, so they wanted them for their own use.

(Un)fortunately, no, Ao didn't. It just really pissed him off. It represented how power-hungry the gods had become, where they were audacious enough to think they could get away with stealing from pretty much the god of all gods. So he gathered them up and asked all of them who stole them, giving them one last time to save themselves. But no one answered, the Dead Three because they thought they could get away with it, the rest simply because they didn't know. So that's when Ao finally balled up and cast them from their divine realms down to Faerun. He was tired of their bullshit and thought they could all learn some humility. Until now, the gods were the glorified divine kings of their worshipers. Religion was more about what you could do for the god than the god could do for you or the world. So Ao sent them to live and depend upon their mortal servants in mortal form and ultimately made them dependent on their worship.

Skipping a few novels, fights, and melodrama, that's pretty much the ToT. And why Ao started it in the first place.

IIRC, there was implication that Ao had somehow allowed or arranged for the D3 to steal the Tablets, or at least that he knew about it in advance and did nothing to stop it, specifically for the purpose of creating an excuse to teach the gods the lesson he wanted taught.

It should also be mentioned that the number of people who know any of this stuff IC is probably very, very small, and that number probably doesn't include many PCs. "Common knowledge" about Ao isn't very common at all, and the beginning and end of most mortals' knowledge of Ao is something like, "There's this thing called Ao that's in charge of the gods."

I'd say pretty heavy implication. I doubt Ao wouldn't know.

Burningoutbright wrote:

Phearnun wrote:

I. Isle of Lumorier

Can someone help me with the lore of Lumorier? I know it had been a place some large scale DM plot took place, but the history, geography, and society that was on it (as well as the reason why it sunk) is very foggy in my mind.

I've always heard that it was a large jungle-type island with dark, dense forest occupied by drow and ghouls and were-creatures. It was cursed, so like an old-school Caraigh, maybe? I think the people there were fairly xenophobic. I don't think it actually sunk. I've heard it exploded, sunk, and floated away into the mists. I think exploded is the right one, and that was the center of the DM plot. It had some evil necromancy book on it of something that was corrupting people.

Of course, my knowledge is all hearsay. It was before my time.

Lumorier was I think a volcanic island, mountainous and with dark forests occupied by drow, yes indeed. One of my PCs still has water from the Falls of Tersoi, which was a location on the island. There was also a druidic settlement there, originally established on Amia but which fled to Lumorier after a conflict that resulted in the creation of the circle that later became Oakmist Vale, some time before the Horde War (and which in turn split off the Hidden Glade, which eventually moved to the Caraigh). As I recall, Lumorier sank into the ocean during a great cataclysm.

Some times I think it would be nice to pull out all those old areas and wander through them - Lumorier, the interior of Gabilgathol's, the Gentlemen's club, the old Cordor gardens, pre-quake Cordor... ah, the nostalgia!

Phearnun wrote:

Triumvir:

Who created it? If I remember correctly some dancing dracolich from cordor square, but not else I remember. Rosfla-something?
How was it created?
Is it completely on another plane? Is it on more than one?
How is it run? Who runs it?
Any special besides ^ about it?

You may be thinking of Roslefusio (sp?). I think he might have been the dracolich/bard, but that was around the time I came to Amia and I don't really remember. I know there are some books with his poetry in them in the Triumvir library, but AFAIK it was created long after he left the server.

There's been a bit of revisionist history to the Triumvir.

Question!

Is it possible for a Dwarf to be a Barbarian? I know mechanically it is, but would it be correct, or normal for them to want to be a barbarian/battlerager?

Battleragers are exclusively dwarven. I think that should answer your question!

See, this I didn't know!

I read that they were honorbound, dutiful and lawful such beings.

Have you been sipping on the 4e wine again?

Here's a 3e description of them:

Quote:

(PRESTIGE CLASS)
Dwarven Battleragers, or Kuldjargh (Axe Idiots), are legendary berserkers who can enter a battle frenzy through ritualistic singing.

They are believed to have been touched by the dwarven gods of war, who taught them that by dying in battle they will return even stronger than before as a just reward. As a consequence, these warriors have no fear of death.

Battleragers command a grudging (if fearful) respect within dwarven society and are credited with having coined such philosophically complex dwarven maxims as "Head first!" and "If it moves, kill it!"

Most Battleragers live short, glorious lives.

It's got such an exotic taste!

But yes, thank you for clearing that up for me.

This is an alignment and deity question:

A character I'm working on is a fairly classic anti-hero concept. He has good motives: defend the weak and innocent, kick evil in the face, slay monsters, ect. The catch is that his methods are whack. He doesn't have many qualms about things. Torture? Cool. Necromancy? Sure. Undead? Whatever. Few innocents get caught in the crossfire for the 'greater good'? Bummer, he'll bake their families some cookies.

I'm hoping to play him as a divine class. Personality-wise, he's a bit of a broody womanizer. What deity and alignment is appropriate? I'm leaning towards True Neutral and Hoar, but my knowledge of the FR deities isn't exactly comprehensive. Thoughts?

Hoar might actually work, though in my opinion the char might be too jaded. Though Hoar takes LG/LN/LE so maybe? Someone more knowledgeable will chime in to help.

Beyond that... I'm not too sure about it. I would suggest the Forgotten Realms wiki. Has awesome info on all the deities.
Just make sure you check here, because they have evil 4e knowledge in there and no one bothers to segregate it so you don't know what's 3e/3.5e and 4e :/

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