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Eirik's Saga


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Maybe I should abandon this and work on a Tempus/Tempos/Whatever Mod... he seems to hold everyone's attention. Of course, then there's the dilemma of what to call him? :) I guess that would depend on what language he speaks. No, wait I'll call him Þórr, yeah, that will solve everything! ;) Branwen who? Eirik who?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding! The gods aren't near as interesting as the characters and npcs that follow them. :D

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I'm waiting to see more of this saga to offer comment. Not that there's anything wrong! I just wanted to see more before I said anything.

 

Let the scribes record this historic event: berelinde is not commenting!

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Please don't misunderstand me; the discussion on the various groups of people who worship Tempus/Tempos and how he's known to them is interesting. But in this context, comments/suggestions about the main character(s); their characterization, ambiguities in the story, etc. would be more helpful. :)

 

For example, some of the kings name's mentioned don't follow the FR canon (e.g. Thelgaar in Doug Nile's books is King of Oman, yet I used Havelock from the 'Sourcebook: The Moonshaes' site). Does it matter if I stick to 'canon,' or not? (Keeping in mind this will be the basis for dialog created.)

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I have the Niles books but I haven't been able to read them as yet. I'm not familiar with the Sourcebook either, so I also can't comment much. Which source is more authentic? Niles was one of the first FR writers, for what that's worth. Maybe you can resolve it by saying one king supplanted the other or something.

 

Why does Oman sound like more of an Arabic than a Nordic country? Oh... because it is IRL. :)

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Just to conclude the Tempus/Tempos debate, in canon FR northmen call him Tempus. See the link below for more info on the various religions of the northen Forgotten Realms:

 

http://www.wizards.com/forgottenrealms/pdf...37_religion.pdf

 

EDIT: oh, and just to add a little more info to the mix, at the time the ancestors of the Reghedmen left the Moonshaes, there were actually multiple pantheons of human gods in Faerun; there were four major human pantheons - the most important of which was the Netherese pantheon - and several smaller ones. An event caused by Lathander known as "the Dawn Cataclysm" led to all the human pantheons being merged into one. Since there were numerous gods with the same portfolios, they were forced to either surrender, trade, or fight for their portfolios with rival gods. It's never been said exactly how many deities were killed during this, but it's at least as many as during the Time of Troubles, and probably more. (Incidentally, the slain gods included Helm's lover, Murdane.)

 

Most of these pantheons had their own distinct gods of war, though the only two whose names are known are Targus (worshipped by the Netherese) and Tempus (worshipped by the Talfir); the people of the Realms long thought Targus killed by Tempus, but actually he survived, and is now known as Garagos. Of the unknown gods of war, there's a popular theory that Targus adopted his new name from an earlier god called Garagos, who was most likely worshipped in the area east of Calimshan now known as the Vilhon Reach. Another possibility is that Tyr was originally a LN god of battle and justice (as is his real world Norse counterpart) but he grew tired of constant warfare and decided to surrender the portfolio of battle to Tempus, becoming LG in the process.

 

To get somewhat back on-topic, the ancient people of the Moonshaes obviously also had their own god of war, who was likely either killed or absorbed by Tempus long ago. I personally like the idea of this being Tursas (the RL Finnish god of war), since we know the ancient people of northwestern Realms worshipped Kiputytto, Loviatar, and Mielliki (who are also Finnish deities), and the name goes well with the canon FR gods of war, Targus and Tempus/Tempos. Turgas in the Realms certainly isn't canon, though.

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Just to conclude the Tempus/Tempos debate, in canon FR northmen call him Tempus.

Will it truly ever be concluded? :)

 

EDIT: oh, and just to add a little more info to the mix, at the time the ancestors of the Reghedmen left the Moonshaes,

Things have changed with the latest FR Campaign Setting (3rd ed. now?). On page 149, under the heading 'Ruathym:'

 

"This rugged, barren island is not properly part of the Moonshaes at all, lying more than two hundred miles north of the island chain. Ruathym is the ancestral home of the Northlanders, the barbarians who colonized the northern Moonshaes and Luskan. Scattered steadings and villages cluster around the isle's fjords and inlets..."

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Actually, both are true.

 

In -3100 DR, Ruathym was settled by people of the Moonshaes. Around a century later, people of Ruathym in turn settled the Sword Coast North, by far the largest settlement being Illusk.

 

In -2013 DR, Illusk was destroyed by an enormous horde of orcs, led by giants and ogre generals. Most of the survivors fled north to Icewind Dale, their descendants later becoming known as the Reghedmen.

 

In 95 DR, a large number of Ruathyms led by a man called Uthgar Gardolfsson set sail for the ruins of Illusk, planning to re-establish the city. However, they found that Netherese refugees had beaten them to it by several centuries. The Ruathym armies sacked Illusk and killed the rulers of the city, but the inhabitants of Illusk then fought back in earnest, burning the invaders' ships and driving them away from the city. These invaders-turned-refugees would come to be known as the Uthgart barbarians after their leader Uthgar (who, upon his death in 123 DR, was raised to godhood by Tempus).

 

Illusk was captured or destroyed several more times over the centuries. In 152 DR, the city was captured by orcs, and renamed Agrock. These orcs were defeated by elven armies in 177 DR, and the city recolonized by humans in 205 DR. Illusk was destroyed by another horde of orcs in 611 DR, and resettled and rebuilt in 812 DR. Yet another horde of orcs captured the city in 1244 DR, and the city wasn't retaken by humans for almost 60 years. When the city was finally once again in human hands, it was renamed Luskan.

 

In the past few centuries, the Ruathym began settling the northern Moonshaes (I don't believe an exact date has been given). The fact that the Moonshaes is in fact the Northlanders' true place of origin is virtually unknown, since ancient Moonshae and Ruathym history exists purely as oral tradition - literacy was exceptionally rare amongst the ancient Ffolk and Northlanders; in fact, it was often seen as a sign of weakness, the only activities considered "worthy" at that time being physical ones (e.g. fighting, farming, hunting, and raiding). It might not even be known in the Realms that the people of the Sword Coast north and Icewind Dale are descended from the people of Ruathym, were it not for Netherese scholars.

 

Oh, and the people of Rashemen and Dambrath are also partially descended from Northlanders. It seems unlikely since both countries are thousands of miles from the Sword Coast north, but then this is the Forgotten Realms :). In both instances, a tribe of Northlanders accidentally stumbled across magical portals, in -82 DR and -54 DR respectively. Upon arriving at their distant destinations, both groups established friendly relations with the native inhabitants, and over time they intermingled to the point of being indistinguishable. A few sages of the Realms do know of the unlikely connection between the peoples of Rashemen and Dambrath and those of northwestern Faerun, but it isn't exactly common knowledge.

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On with the tale, then...

 

*****

 

Part II: The Red King sends Eirik to Norheim

 

In the winter Eirik took his way up to the Giantspine with a large force of not less than eighty men. He took with him plenty of wares for trading. At once he appointed a meeting with the Norheimers, took of them the tribute, and held a fair with them. All was managed with goodwill and friendship. Far and wide about Norheim did he travel; also meeting Branwen, daughter of the chieftain, at Seawolf (of this account, a retelling is given in full). But when he reached the Giantspine eastward, he heard that pirates from the Korinns were come from the east, and were there for trading, but in some places for plunder also.

 

Eirik set Norheimers to spy out the movements of the freebooters. Power was something that a warrior had and a woman often relinquished, whether by custom or law. But what if the warrior was a woman? Branwen, seeing her opportunity, got ready to leave alone with the gear and weapons of a man and made her way to where the scouts were and sailed with them, calling herself Brander. (She would call herself a “blazing sword,†explaining that she had promised her fallen heroes to serve "for as long as it pleases Tempus").

 

And when they came to the island of Dennik, they dropped anchor, wanting to go up onto the island. For they were suspicious of the place from the very beginning; not many villages remained there, having long since been ravaged by the pirate raids. But when the time came to row ashore, the men looked uneasy, "such terrible ghouls walk there night and day," one said. "It is worse there in the daytime than most places at night" said another. "Who among you will guide us on the island?" said Eirik. And he was about to go himself, when this 'Brander' stepped forward bravely. "Oh, don't let these old dead men, buried here, scare us quite so quickly," she said. And climbing in the boat, she rowed ashore and landed just as the sun was setting.

 

And Eirik followed after to search for the sea robbers, and came upon thirty men in one den; all of whom were slain, letting none escape. In all they slew near upon a hundred, and took immense booty, and he returned in the spring after doing this. Brander, it is said, spent a long time in warfare and raiding, and had great success.

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Just might want to consider not giving Eirik too much heavy combat history. Makes it kind of hard to explain how he's only level 1 when you meet him.
I guess you did decide to go there...
And Eirik followed after to search for the sea robbers, and came upon thirty men in one den; all of whom were slain, letting none escape. In all they slew near upon a hundred, and took immense booty, and he returned in the spring after doing this. While Brander, it is said, spent a long time in warfare and raiding, and had great success.
The same lack of XP applies to Branwen when you meet her, in most cases. It's unlikely a high level party wouldn't stumble upon the Carnival until later, and most unlikely they'd be even mid-level before getting to Coast Way or whatever. Now I can see him killing a few, but not thirty or a hundred.

 

Also wondering how this encounter is necessary to the backstory, but you've more to add to this, I'm sure.

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The same lack of XP applies to Branwen when you meet her, in most cases. It's unlikely a high level party wouldn't stumble upon the Carnival until later, and most unlikely they'd be even mid-level before getting to Coast Way or whatever. Now I can see him killing a few, but not thirty or a hundred.

Well, let's see, 100 pirates + Eirik + 80 of his men + Branwen (who is only a scout)= 1.235 pirates per northman. Is this too much for you? :) If it's not clear that his men were following, then I need to revise that paragraph.

 

Also wondering how this encounter is necessary to the backstory, but you've more to add to this, I'm sure.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I never saw a 1st level character as lacking a life. I'm trying to develope a story that explains how a character gets from point A to point B. As for Branwen, why would her people chase her out of the village for just wanting to be a battleguard? No, I think she had to have done something a little more concrete. Eirik travels to TSC for a reason other than to look up and old chum, as you will see.

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Don't let joining level influence your ideas about the kind of life they led. The Bhaalspawn is powerful, but he is probalby the least experienced character in the game, except possibly for Imoen or a few of the younger kobolds.

 

When I play in the privacy of my own study, Xzar and Montaron mysteriously obtain 10,000 xp apiece. Jaheira and Khalid gain 20,000 apiece moments after meeting my little Bhaalspawn; Xan gets 15,000 - 20,000; Minsc gets 10,000 xp; Dynaheir gets 15,000-20,000; Ajantis gets 10,000; the list goes on. Game balance be damned, these NPCs have a backstory that would simply not allow them to be so hopelessly lame.

 

Give Eirik the story you want him to have. If his xp total does not match his backstory, he will be in good company, because every other NPC in the game suffers the same fate.

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