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View Full Version : [3.5~4e FR] On Mystra, Shar and Cyric, story thingy



Galliun
2009-01-21, 05:16 PM
G'day.

I've been planning to write a fanfic regarding my current campaign plans on 3.5 (I do that a lot, I have a billion concepts in mind, but this one is the only one that is actually good), but I'm not sure on where to place it, chronologically (sic?) wise.

I plan on having Shar and Cyric spawn an incredibly (awesome and) evil son, named Mallus. My original plan was having Shar make a pact with Lilith, mother of all Succubi, so that she (Lilith) was the one to actually do the deed (since a goddess pregnant is not something you see every day). I'm not sure which one works better, but I sure as hell don't like Cyric.

Now, the only thing this evil son would have that sets him apart from normal humans would be his eyes, which are yellow. This allows Shar to see things through his eyes, and also to command him a bit. The reason for them to have Mallus at all would be to destroy Mystra, starting from below. Killing devotees is always a good way to get someone's attention, and that's what they do. Now, I'm not quite sure where to place this.

I'm torn between this event setting off the Times of Trouble (seems to fit well), and the beginning of the Spellplague, since they actually accomplish Mystra's death. Might be interesting, and I could also introduct a possible BBEG in the story.

Which would be better? Suggestions?

Edit - Mallus would be 15~20ish.

Inyssius Tor
2009-01-21, 05:45 PM
The word "baby" is not a word you want to use. Kind of destroys the cinematic tension thingy, if you know what I mean (and I think you do).

Galliun
2009-01-21, 05:56 PM
The word "baby" is not a word you want to use. Kind of destroys the cinematic tension thingy, if you know what I mean (and I think you do).
Fixed :smallwink:

Edit - I need to put more ranks in Spot. Fully fixed now :smallannoyed:

Altima
2009-01-21, 08:35 PM
G'day.

I've been planning to write a fanfic regarding my current campaign plans on 3.5 (I do that a lot, I have a billion concepts in mind, but this one is the only one that is actually good), but I'm not sure on where to place it, chronologically (sic?) wise.

I plan on having Shar and Cyric spawn an incredibly (awesome and) evil son, named Mallus. My original plan was having Shar make a pact with Lilith, mother of all Succubi, so that she (Lilith) was the one to actually do the deed (since a goddess pregnant is not something you see every day). I'm not sure which one works better, but I sure as hell don't like Cyric.

Now, the only thing this evil son would have that sets him apart from normal humans would be his eyes, which are yellow. This allows Shar to see things through his eyes, and also to command him a bit. The reason for them to have Mallus at all would be to destroy Mystra, starting from below. Killing devotees is always a good way to get someone's attention, and that's what they do. Now, I'm not quite sure where to place this.

I'm torn between this event setting off the Times of Trouble (seems to fit well), and the beginning of the Spellplague, since they actually accomplish Mystra's death. Might be interesting, and I could also introduct a possible BBEG in the story.

Which would be better? Suggestions?

Edit - Mallus would be 15~20ish.

It, uhm, sounds like you're getting a perfect formula for a Mary Sue. "Yeah, my mother's the greater goddess of night and evil magic, while my pappy is the god of murder and chaos. Oh, and my surrogate mother is the queen of all succubi!"

And, of course, there's the idea of, you know, what would be the point of having Cyric as the father? He doesn't seem to have any role in your description other than a sperm donor. I can also guarantee you that Shar would demand a daughter, as well (Shar has a special place in her heart for females--they're the only ones who are able to become Deathbringers, for example).

As for the whole slaying of devotees, well, you see, there's a slight hitch to that. Mystra has millions of devotees, and they aren't just clerics. They're wizards. Of varying alignments. Heck, whole nations worship her, such as in Thay and Halruaa. Then there are Mystra's chosen, such as the Seven Sisters and Elminster--and they are the worst sort of munchkins imaginable. They'll take your character the first time they see him and nail him to the sky.

At any rate, both deities hate and loathe each other. They would almost certainly never work together for any sort of long period, and I doubt they'd do a joint venture such as investing a child with a piece of their divinities together. But, it's your fanfic and if you think it can work, more power to you.

At any rate, it probably wouldn't work after the Time of Troubles, since Cyric would be the strongest deity in existance and wouldn't want any help. Plus, he'd been working on the Cyrinishad, which is his own world domination ploy. After that failed, Cyric lost quite a bit of his power (first the domain of the dead to Kelemvor, then tyranny to resurrected Bane--however that happened).

Galliun
2009-01-21, 08:41 PM
Clarifying, I would choose either Cyric + Shar OR Lilith + Mystra, not a combo of both.

Other than that, good points. I'm not too fond of Cyric anyway, so I'm good with kicking him to the curb.

Mando Knight
2009-01-21, 08:46 PM
It, uhm, sounds like you're getting a perfect formula for a Mary Sue. "Yeah, my mother's the greater goddess of night and evil magic, while my pappy is the god of murder and chaos. Oh, and my surrogate mother is the queen of all succubi!"

Mo' like Mary (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue)DOOM! (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DoomyDoomsOfDoom)

Innis Cabal
2009-01-21, 09:06 PM
I'd really change that name. He's evil and his name is Mallus (sounds much like malice), and that just smacks of EEEEEEEEEEVIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLL!. I understand, your world etc etc, but if you want people to take it serious you really might wanna change that name

Altima
2009-01-21, 09:20 PM
Other than that, good points. I'm not too fond of Cyric anyway, so I'm good with kicking him to the curb.

Gods already beat you to it. One of the eight things that are good about 4e FR.

Kurald Galain
2009-01-22, 06:09 AM
The word "Mallus" is not a word you want to use. Kind of destroys the cinematic tension thingy, if you know what I mean.

Galliun
2009-01-22, 07:29 AM
The word "Mallus" is not a word you want to use. Kind of destroys the cinematic tension thingy, if you know what I mean.
Not really, no.

Tsotha-lanti
2009-01-22, 07:36 AM
Killing Mystra seems a little pointless anyway. That's been done, what, three times by 1360 DR? The Weave isn't going to stop existing, and one of Mystra's followers is always elevated to replace her (by Ao, I presume).

Kurald Galain
2009-01-22, 07:54 AM
Not really, no.

Because it's (1) Latin for "evil", and (2) misspelled.

Galliun
2009-01-22, 08:28 AM
Because it's (1) Latin for "evil", and (2) misspelled.

Is that so? Huh. Honestly had no idea.

RangerStranger
2009-01-22, 09:07 AM
I'm not sure this would work to set off the time of trouble since cyric was not a deity until the end of the Time of Troubles. If you've read the novels Shadowdale, Tantras and Waterdeep it explains how Midnight became mystra, Cyric and later Kelemvor ascend to godhood. During the three novels Cyric destroys the god Bhaal with the blade godsbane which is just Masks form during the Time of Troubles, Midnight destroys Myrkul in Waterdeep and Bane and Torm destroy eachother in battle at Tantras. With the loss of the three deities (Myrkul, Bhaal and Bane) Cyric assumes their roles. He later loses portions of these three portfolios to Kelemvor when he ascends and to Bane when he is ressurected.

Just incase your wondering some of Banes divine escence was stored in his son Iyachtu Xvim (I think I spelled that right) which is how Bane basically raised himself. Xvim was a cross between Bane and a powerful devil.

Voldecanter
2009-01-22, 09:15 AM
I have an Idea , Shar and Cyric's Child is being given powers that are the Shadow Weave Equivalent to the Magister's Powers , and if you want to start bumbping off Devotees first , why not make an example of the Magister ?

Dacia Brabant
2009-01-22, 02:43 PM
Eh, the idea of Shar and Cyric's not-so-love child taking down Mystra isn't any worse than the canon explanation:

The two deities, arch-nemeses of Mystra mind you, waltz into her home plane, Shar does a little song and dance to distract Azuth, Mystra's attendant deity, while Cyric grabs his staff--which contains Savras, yet another assistant deity mind you--and clubs Mystra with it, killing her and Savras and sending Azuth to the Nine Hells where he gets eaten by Asmodeus, while Cyric and Shar somehow managed to escape. Uh huh, right. :smallsigh:

So I say go for it. Here's an idea: make the little godling (I'd suggest female instead of male, though I like the succubus queen as surrogate mother just to add a bit more conflict) Shar's proxy for the Shadow Weave--maybe AO ordered her to give up her power over that because it overlaps with Mystra's authority, so this could be her attempt to still assert dominion over it indirectly.

The child could be raised as an "orphan" by Azuth's Monks of the Shining Hand, who would discover her innate power and wonder at its source (having her be highly resistant to Weave magic, including divinations, would fit her nature) and train her as a wizard. Amn's a good place to set it, it's a well-developed location, all the deities involved (Shar, Cyric, Mystra, Azuth) are very active there, and it doesn't like independent wizards so there's lots of room for conflict and intrigue.

As she grows up she's regularly beset and guided/controlled by nightmares from Shar, whose gambit is for her god-daughter to kill Mystra and take her place, only to have her divine essence taken back by Shar, giving her Mystra's domain in addition to her own. Hence the irony of having her raised by Azuthians, and maybe her training in the use of the Weave is essential to fulfilling the plan.

Despite all that, Cyric has his own ideas about how to use her to do essentially the same thing, only instead of using her to take over Mystra's place he wants to annihilate Mystra and Shar both, resulting in the destruction of the Weave and Shadow Weave (he is insane after all) and a whole lot of other things. There, that gets you to the 4e FR canon of the Spellplague and the end of magic and the world as it once was.

And I only had to stealborrow half of Baldur's Gate's plot to do it. :smallwink: Hmm, maybe I should go write this.