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2015-11-17, 11:21 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Yes, in the chapter on Epic Adventures under the heading Example Quests for destroying Artefacts.
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2015-11-17, 12:17 PM (ISO 8601)
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2015-11-17, 12:38 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Now that is a method of destruction I can get behind. That's a deity-defying terror that can digest anythingright there. Facing it is an epic challange!
Tracking down some circlet that might just be collecting dust in some random tartarian dragon's lair is just tedious.
Stabbing it into the heart of a totally unrelated god is still just plain stupid in my book...
EDIT:
Now, completely different question relating back to my earlier one about Book Artifacts.
The BoVD's cover is made from human flesh and Demon-bones turned to metal. I am 99% sure that Demon's lack a dual nature and that their bodies just slowly dissolve into nothing in a range of gruesome ways upon death. Would it therefore follow that the book's cover is therefore still alive in some horrible, soul-twisted-beyond-restoration way?
Secondly, what would you say about the possibility of trapping creatures/souls inside the BoVD like can be done with the Demonomicon? The two are somewhat similar and the BoVD was orignally put together by a certain Lich after-all. Is there any record of this being done/attempted/contemplated, or is it at least plausible?
And, since I'm on the topic, has anyone anywhere ever detailed any ways to transfer a captured soul from one receptacle to another? The closest thing I could find was a vague suggestion in the description of a magic item called Balor Sword of Soul Stealing (or somesuch) in the A&E, talking about rumors of "mystic rituals" that can do something like that.Last edited by Jowgen; 2015-11-17 at 12:49 PM.
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2015-11-17, 01:04 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Well, yes, but Demons don't play by normal rules. I recall in FC 1 there was a table of what happened to a demon after death; IIRC, there was a 1% chance it would leave behind a usable corpse that could be studied.
Presumably, one turns the soul into a Larva of some sort and then barters with that in the Abyss, but otherwise, not sure.
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2015-11-17, 01:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
so afro, where is the norse god hel's divine realm?
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2015-11-17, 02:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
A layer of the Grey Wastes, Niflheim. Which is also the name of her realm.
The wastes are generally popular with death gods. Oinos has Incabulos, Kelemvor and Yurtrus, Niflheim has Pyremius, Panzuriel and Mictlan and Pluton has Hades.Resident Vancian Apologist
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2015-11-19, 01:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Not to mention an alternative name for the Grey Wastes in their entirety is Hades, and its complete with the Styx.
So apparently three of the four DnD movies are supposed to take place in Blackmoor. This got me thinking about Blackmoor - namely what its deal is. It got ported into the distant past of both Greyhawk and Mystara, but near as I can tell nothing's really been done with those links. How wrong am I?Last edited by Rob Roy; 2015-11-19 at 01:58 AM.
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2015-11-19, 03:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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2015-11-19, 04:15 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
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2015-11-19, 07:00 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
What do you mean by "nothing's really been done"?
For Mystara a series of adventures were released which involve the PCs travelling back in time to the kingdom of Blackmoor before it became a huge empire (DA1-4, DA5 never got released which would have wrapped a lot of stuff up).
Now I think this was the Blackmoor of Dave Arneson's game world, but Mystaran history (as written for the Gazetteers) had it grow to become a powerful magic + technology empire...
In Mystara's timeline Blackmoor had a huge influence on the past (as in causing the cataclysm which included blowing massive new holes through to the hollow world's core and altering the axis of rotation).
There's an ex-Blackmoor nuclear reactor buried in Glantri city.
There's an immortal who was made that way by the cataclysm (he was a Blackmoor nuclear technician/researcher).
And in the Hollow World there is a bunch of elves whose culture dates back to Blackmoor's height with magic items that function as the technology they used to have...
I'd say that the Gazetteers had Blackmoor have a major influence on Mystara.
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2015-11-19, 09:10 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Resident Vancian Apologist
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2015-11-19, 09:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Why half? The Hades only had five rivers and Lethe is the only one not somewhere in the Great Wheel.
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2015-11-19, 09:51 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Just going by Wiki, since I don't remember all the names, it also calls out the Mnemosyne, the river of memory which gives back the memories lost to Lethe and a river called Eridanos which I must admit I've never heard of.
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2015-11-19, 11:32 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Okay, I didn't remember Mnemosyne. Kind of ironic.
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2015-11-19, 10:19 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
What are you talking about? It's not at all in a dragon's lair. It was previously in Tenebrous's secret fortress deep within the Negative Energy Plane, and the cost of using it is likely to sacrifice your own life into the process. Dumb feedmonster is a terrible way to dispose of artifacts.
The BoVD's cover is made from human flesh and Demon-bones turned to metal. I am 99% sure that Demon's lack a dual nature and that their bodies just slowly dissolve into nothing in a range of gruesome ways upon death. Would it therefore follow that the book's cover is therefore still alive in some horrible, soul-twisted-beyond-restoration way?
Secondly, what would you say about the possibility of trapping creatures/souls inside the BoVD like can be done with the Demonomicon?
And, since I'm on the topic, has anyone anywhere ever detailed any ways to transfer a captured soul from one receptacle to another?
It's so very convenient to have a Khedrac about.Need a place to hang? Like Discord? Don't mind dealing with a capricious demon lord? Then you're welcome to join our LGBTQ+ friendly, often silly, very geeky server to discuss food, music, video games, tabletop, and much more.
Manual of the Planes 5th Edition: for all the things the official 5E Planescape didn't cover. Check it out.
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2015-11-20, 04:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Who are you are what have you done with the real Afroakuma? That looked far too much like praise (of a limited from, but still praise) to have come from the real Afroakuma...
Speaking of Blackmoor, a friend asked me to look at DMing the Dungeons of Castle Blackmoor from Zeitgeist Games publication of the "original" game world. To me it looked nearly un-runnable, and very poorly designed (monster CR = dungeon level, maps not connecting etc.). I had to turn him down on that one which was a real shame.
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2015-11-20, 06:12 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
I use braces (also known as "curly brackets") to indicate sarcasm. If there are none present, I probably believe what I am saying; should it turn out to be inaccurate trivia, please tell me rather than trying to play along with an apparent joke I don't know I'm making.
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2015-11-22, 04:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
I find myself unable to track down info on the storyline of the Dead Gods adventure, which -as far as I've gathered- details Orcus death at the hands of Kirianwhatever, rise as tenebrous, conquest of Mechanus, reclamation of his wand and ultimate defeat/return to undead-prince-hood.
Would you happen to know of somewhere that tells the story of said module in at least a decent amount of detail?
In this, the main thing I'm interested in is how the abyss changed in Orcus' absence; which I hope the adventure covers at least a little.
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2015-11-23, 05:47 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
I remember reading a pitch for a dungeon that was something resembling what follows: there's a tower (githyanki built, from memory) on the Astral plane with some sort of astral beacon that sucks in adventurers who had a teleportation mishap. Kind of the same way pirates would use fake lighthouses at night to trick boats into wrecking themselves ashore. Can't find the source anymore.
Does anyone know what I am talking about?
EDIT: Now that we're at it, I have a couple more questions regarding the Rabble of Devilkin.
Which one(s) of them would be most likely to help free Zariel:
- to annoy Bel.
- in the hope of being chosen as her consort.
- in the hope of getting an ally for their own comeback.
Is there any reason to suspect any link between the Garden in Avernus and Zariel?Last edited by WalkingTheShade; 2015-11-24 at 07:54 AM.
'Jernau Gurgeh', the machine said, making a sighing noise, 'a guilty system recognises no innocents. … The very way you think places you amongst its enemies. … Prevarication will be more difficult than you might imagine; neutrality is probably impossible. You cannot choose not to have the politics you do; they are not some separate set of entities somehow detachable from the rest of your being; they are a function of your existence. I know that and they know that; you had better accept it.'
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2015-11-24, 02:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Another question in your wheelhouse from RPG StackExchange:
Originally Posted by Drunken_GuyLast edited by Alea; 2015-11-24 at 02:07 PM.
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2015-11-24, 02:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
curious, what pantheons are named in canon in planescape? I can think of few, but is there a definite number of pantheons named?
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2015-11-24, 02:54 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Last edited by Mr Adventurer; 2015-11-24 at 02:55 PM.
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2015-11-24, 02:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
All the ones from the various campaign worlds, of course. From the real world, the Celtic, Egyptian, Norse and Greek all feature quite strongly. The Babylonian, Sumerian, Chinese, Aztec, Mayan, Japanese, Hindu, Finnish and a few others arem mentioned too.
Last edited by Eldan; 2015-11-24 at 03:00 PM.
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2015-11-24, 03:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Was reading over rip's archived timeline when I saw this line - what can you tell us about this conflict between gods and genie kind?
* War between geniekind and the gods. The Loregiver receives the Law from Fate Herself. [Adventurer's Guide to Zakhara, 114]"1/0" is a paradox; in a way that "0/1" is not. [...] One is something, and Zero is nothing. [...] 1/0 is a cry out against mere logic and efficiency. Stuff exists. All existence, all truth, cannot be ultimately justified: it can only be described, explained, and enjoyed. 1/0 is illogical. 1/0 is irrational. 1/0 is impossible. 1/0 is transcendentally unfair. 1/0 is true. Deal with it.
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2015-11-24, 03:23 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
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2015-11-24, 05:12 PM (ISO 8601)
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2015-11-24, 05:13 PM (ISO 8601)
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2015-11-24, 05:35 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
The first quote considers the stars and constellations, which are in most spheres on the inner surface of the sphere, while the second quote was an answer to the question what is in the space inside the sphere. To give an example:
If there were a average sphere (of which there is none), in its middle there would be the world, orbited by a sun, a moon and a few small planets which could be seen from the world like the morning star from Earth (planets in the original meaning of "wandering star") and may be or may be not habitable and, last but not least, the stars as they are understood in that special sphere, either in the outer reaches of Averagespace or situated on the inner surface of the Sphere. So, no contradiction.
But yes, His Not-Very-Serenity is usually more specific and in detail than me. I just answer questions of which I think I know the answer, in the hopes of someday answering in a way equal to Him. Of course, if I say something wrong, please correct me. I hope to expand my horizons.
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2015-11-24, 09:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Ugh. For the record, I hate you. I hate you very much.
Spoiler• The plot kicks off with an unrelated and minor incident, in which a group of khaasta are stealing beauty to sell. The PCs are drawn to investigate, and in their pursuit of the khaasta to the Outlands end up stumbling upon a proxy of Maanzecorian just as the illithid god is killed by Tenebrous. With the trail followed and the trouble resolved, the PCs end up trekking back via a part of Yggdrasil that plays host to a town called Crux.
• The town of Crux has recently been visited by the dark spirit Tenebrous, who came to probe the mind of its wealthiest citizen and left soon after, though not without leaving some visages in his wake. The dark presence of Tenebrous has affected the World Tree in this area, agitating the ratatosk. The PCs follow up on this lead, discovering a lost modron from the recent unscheduled march. The poisoned area of the tree from Tenebrous's arrival causes despair and madness in those who tap into Yggdrasil, and the PCs' investigating will expose them to a few such incidents.
• Tenebrous has not gleaned sufficient information from Maanzecorian to rediscover his Wand. He sets to hunting a deity known as Camaxtli, a god of secrets, in the hope of learning more.
• Returning to Crux, the PCs discover a murder victim who's been spotted ambling around town quite a deal post-mortem - by finding his corpse in a box. Gathering information points to a dark force killing the people of Crux and replacing them - the visages. Following the undead demons leads to a corrupted branch that dips into a deep layer of Baator, to Ankhwugaht, realm of Set. In the midnight desert, the PCs will be ambushed by Minions of Set and eventually gain the chance to tell what they know to a proxy of the Lord of Evil, who is appreciative but doesn't want them traipsing around the realm and ejects them back to Yggdrasil accordingly.
• The visages worry that the PCs have discovered their target: a rare bloom called desert's night that grows only in Ankhwugaht. They interfere with the party's return to Crux using potent illusions. Travelers to the town have the latest rumors from around the multiverse, and all of them hint at the movements of Tenebrous. The PCs are drawing the ire of the visages, who have replaced the town constable and use him as a facade to interrogate the party. Eventually they confront the dark spirits and dispatch of them.
• The buzz about dead gods is the only subject in Sigil. The PCs receive a message from their friend in Crux asking for aid and providing a shortcut to get from the City of Doors to the tree-town: a portal that leads through the Prime world called Ranais. The portal leads to a ruined city on the dead world, where if the PCs poke around they will quickly discover more visage activity. The town of Crux is under assault from the undead fiends once more, and the trail leads to a giant eagle cathedral high in the boughs of the tree. There, the PCs eavesdrop on a mephit's message and hear that a prisoner has been taken to "The Bottom of the Multiverse."
• The clue leads the PCs back into Ranais and through a dark portal to the Negative Energy Plane, to a citadel of Orcus named Tcian Sumere. This deadly bastion is populated by undead, but the arrogance of the undead god means that it is largely unwarded and unattended - he simply never thought anyone would ever discover it. Searching the fortress for the "prisoner" they heard of, they discover the drow vampire Kestod, who in life was one of two servants of Kiaransalee dispatched to conceal the Wand of Orcus. Kestod was immersed in the waters of the Styx to force him to forget where the Wand lies, but he has relearned the identity of his colleague. Utterly loyal to his goddess, he destroys himself rather than chance that he will fall under the power of Tenebrous once more, but not before naming the other drow - Erehe - and telling the PCs to find him in the Vault of the Drow, on Oerth, and end his life before the visages can capture him.
• The PCs also have the option of poking around further, discovering a map to a lost ruin in Pelion and clues that their unknown adversary's power came from that place. They may also find the Orcusword, weakened with its master's death and shadowy rebirth but still connected to the dark spirit. Breaking it will immediately draw the attention of Tenebrous, who will return to Tcian Sumere to find out what the blazes is going on.
• Tenebrous, angered at the failure of his minions to deal with the proxy of Set, travels to Ankhwugaht himself and kills the guardian of desert's night, stealing away the blossom. This precious flower has the power to restore memories lost to the Styx.
• The PCs seek out a route to the Vault of the Drow; as it happens, the most "convenient" way passes through the Demonweb Pits. Fortunately, a proxy of Lolth buys weapons in Sigil and hires caravan guards for the journey - and as it turns out, the Queen of Spiders pays pretty well. The Vault, though, is undergoing a civil war, manipulated by both religious elements (Kiaransalee vs. Lolth) and alien influence (githyanki vs. mind flayers). Erehe, it seems, was a pawn in Kiaransalee's ambitions, recently resurrected at the behest of a favorite - his onetime lover. Despairing of his inability to remember their relationship, she has worked with a githyanki to psionically recover anything she can of his past self - and learned the deadly secret he was doused and killed to suppress.
• The party tracks the leaders of the rogue faction, including Erehe, to a major battle. They gain a conference with the drow and gradually eke out some of the details they've been seeking. They should learn enough to discover that the Wand of Orcus is buried deep within Agathion, in a place no cavern or tunnel reaches.
• The PCs may follow an earlier lead and seek out the mysterious ruins in Pelion. Doing so affords them a strange journey into the past of the plane, where they investigate the Last Spire, speak with its guardians and see the prophecies that speak of the dark god's coming to the plane to seek the Last Word. They may return to the desolate place in the present, discovering what Tenebrous has left in his wake.
• Tenebrous has discovered that he's behind the curve in the search for his Wand. He now races to Agathion in the hope of seizing it before the mortals who dared enter his home can do so.
• The PCs seek out the Cynosure, a traveling caravan whose members are said to know much about Agathion. There, they receive a tip-off to seek creatures known as the Ingress, who are said to be able to transport travelers to what they seek in the depths of the lowest layer. The party travel through the Ingress Mother to reach the reliquary cavern where the Wand is concealed, but the last remaining high priest of Orcus, a half-ogre named Quah-Namog, has arrived in astral form shortly before them and lurks to protect the Wand until his master can collect it. Tenebrous is also narrowing down the location and is sending visage, who arrive not long after the PCs.
• The Wand is sealed behind a barrier much like a wall of force. The party penetrates the barrier, and thanks to the weakening of Orcus's power can now seize the wand without being immediately destroyed. If they possess the circlet of Anarchocles, they can destroy the artifact once and for all. If not, the option exists to sacrifice a soul to the Wand to activate its plane shift power and send it hurtling off to Tenebrous-does-not-know-where. If he had more time, this would be but a minor inconvenience - but Tenebrous's hours are numbered if he does not reclaim the Wand.
• If the PCs can play keep-away long enough, Tenebrous is finished - but if they haven't solved the problem by the time the dark god arrives, that's the end of the party. Orcus returns, annihilates Kiaransalee, and is generally terrible and destructive until a coterie of gods gives him a good solid smackdown.
• Even if Tenebrous dies his second death, there is little cause to celebrate. Some time after the passing of the dark spirit, his final servant, Quah-Namog, tracks down the Wand (or its remains) and seeks out the god-corpse of Orcus to perform a rite that will reignite the spark of the terrible demonic being. The Guardian of Dead Gods seeks aid to deal with the interloper. Quah-Namog is unable to fully resurrect a god - the PCs' interference has seen to that - but in time, Orcus will again stalk the multiverse.
In this, the main thing I'm interested in is how the abyss changed in Orcus' absence; which I hope the adventure covers at least a little.
Let Me Google That For You.
EDIT: Now that we're at it, I have a couple more questions regarding the Rabble of Devilkin.
Which one(s) of them would be most likely to help free Zariel:
It is not my favorite game.
to annoy Bel.
in the hope of being chosen as her consort.
in the hope of getting an ally for their own comeback.
Is there any reason to suspect any link between the Garden in Avernus and Zariel?
I'm listing now?
Alright, here goes. Probably missing some, but I just can't be arsed to run around chasing down obscure things at the moment:
Babylonian, Baklunish, Beholder, Bugbear, Celtic, Centaur, Cerilian, Chinese, Chultan, Derro, Draconic, Drow, Duergar, Dwarven, Egyptian, Elven, Faerunian, Finnish, Flan, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Greek, Halfling, Illithid, Indian, Japanese, Kobold, Krynnish, Maztican, Naga, Neogi, Norse, Oeridian, Olman, Orcish, Suel, Sumerian, Sylvan, Taltos, Touv, Zakharan.
3rd Edition adds whatever from Eberron plus the Goliath, Illumian, Raptoran and Warrior pantheons. Probably far more, but see above.
If this leads to a festival of questions about this or that pantheon there will be merciless amounts of slapping.
Cosmozoa, nebulae, comets, asteroids, uninhabited worlds, bizarre phenomena... shipwrecks... Plenty of things. But largely empty, because that's how space (and the ocean) works.
The citation refers to a myth in that book about the origins of the Loregiver.
Also was re-reading Savage Tide, specifically about the Wells of Darkness, and I was wondering if bribing Ahazu to imprison an inevitable that's after you could possibly break the cycle of new models?
How apt.Last edited by afroakuma; 2015-11-24 at 10:39 PM.
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Manual of the Planes 5th Edition: for all the things the official 5E Planescape didn't cover. Check it out.
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2015-11-24, 11:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VI
Suddenly I feel like some delinquent kid who burns stuff so that his parents pay attention to him, because they otherwise never do. It's like you getting mad at me shows me that you still care in some way, and it warms my heart more than any grease-fire ever could and gives me hope that we can work thr... okay, nevermind on that front. Your hatred is well placed.
On that note, would you mind terribly if I sig'd this?
I am sorry about that. I figured you'd happen to know some obscure page with the relevant details spelled out, as you sometimes link things like that one with info on the Rilmani (with promise of skin-kiting people who ask on the topic before checking there beforehand). Did not mean to cause this much inconvenience. I promise, this will never happen again. *famous last henchmen words*
Regardless, my interest did extend to the whole thing, with the abyssal politics part just being a point of particular curiosity (I mean, they are hard to imagine without Orcus on this throne), so thank you many a great times for blessing this good-for-nothing with your infinite knowledge.