Ask Arkanis

[Hitman Hard]

Hello favorite DM,

Can you pretty please tell me how the Zhentarim were initially formed and what aided in their rise to power?

[DM Arkanis]

Hello favorite DM,

Can you pretty please tell me how the Zhentarim were initially formed and what aided in their rise to power?

Check out this link

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Zhentarim

[thids]

Hello favorite DM,

Can you pretty please tell me how the Zhentarim were initially formed and what aided in their rise to power?

Check out this link

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Zhentarim

For a more detailed history I suggest the 2nd edition sourcebook "Ruins of Zhentil Keep".

[NegInfinity]

Any evil god, really. Unless you mean as a ranger so you have to pick nature gods?

Kossuth and Auril fits elemental archer quite well at least. Talos as well, I guess.

In my understanding, god is the ultimate representation of a concept character aspires to.
Kossuth would represent ambition, arrogance (and fire), for example.

However, there were no concept that I could think of for a dedicated crossbowman that just really hates everybody else and mages in particular, and never trusts anyone else except own weapon.

That is the reason I asked the question...

-----------


One more question, divine casters this time.

Is there such thing as paladin or cleric that is NOT associated with any order? Self-proclaimed or self-taught, that was still granted divine powers?

Or is it an uncommon occurrence that is more suitable for divine champions and favored souls and all the real priests and paladins come from monasteries and noble families?

[Valkyrie]

Found some good references on food & drink, but what drink(s) would be 'rare' in Baldur's Gate due to trade embargoes?

Looking for the equivalent of Cuban Cigars in America, or Romulan Ale in Star Trek - vices noone forcefully busts the recipients of once you have the goods, but only the rich would have.

Also, I found that Lurien has whiskey, but no word on bourbon or vodka? Where could these drinks be found in Faerûn?

[Valkyrie]

Where in the server can my Sun Elf experience high tea? As a lady of good breeding, she needs this outlet to remind herself it's not all grim & gritty. And where/how could she get access to this regularly?

[Xanfyrst]

Tough question:

If a human eats an elf, is it cannibalism?

[DM Arkanis]

Tough question:

If a human eats an elf, is it cannibalism?

Excellent question, thank you.

"Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy. A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal. The expression "cannibalism" has been extended into zoology to mean one individual of a species consuming all or part of another individual of the same species as food, including sexual cannibalism."

Therefore a human who eats an elf is not, by definition a cannibal. Any Elf who would consider themselves to be the same species as human isn't really an Elf.

[DM Arkanis]

Any evil god, really. Unless you mean as a ranger so you have to pick nature gods?

Kossuth and Auril fits elemental archer quite well at least. Talos as well, I guess.

In my understanding, god is the ultimate representation of a concept character aspires to.
Kossuth would represent ambition, arrogance (and fire), for example.

However, there were no concept that I could think of for a dedicated crossbowman that just really hates everybody else and mages in particular, and never trusts anyone else except own weapon.

That is the reason I asked the question...

-----------


One more question, divine casters this time.

Is there such thing as paladin or cleric that is NOT associated with any order? Self-proclaimed or self-taught, that was still granted divine powers?

Or is it an uncommon occurrence that is more suitable for divine champions and favored souls and all the real priests and paladins come from monasteries and noble families?

1. If he hates everyone else and mages in particular and loves his weapon... Please accept this tongue-in-cheek adaptation as an example:

This is my crossbow. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My crossbow is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
My crossbow, without me, is useless. Without my crossbow, I am useless. I must fire my crossbow true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My crossbow and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the twang of our volley, nor the holes we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My crossbow is alive, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother/sister. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its bow. I will keep my crossbow clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before Tempus, I swear this creed. My crossbow and I are the defenders of myself. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is mine and there are no more enemies to fight.

2. In the FR you have to believe in a diety to be granted powers. If you have powers and are not a believer, then you are an arcane magic user. I'll go back to point #1 - worship Tempus. You don't have to be an ardent worshipper/follower unless you are going to be a cleric. You could be a FS of Tempus and follow above-mentioned Creed and IMHO totally rock, or you could be a sociopath who just hates everyone and loves to fight and (while spell less) loves his crossbow too.

[DM Arkanis]

Where in the server can my Sun Elf experience high tea? As a lady of good breeding, she needs this outlet to remind herself it's not all grim & gritty. And where/how could she get access to this regularly?

I would ask the Elves and see what player-driven RP there is around this. Check the DA forums and post something requesting a high-tea - I suspect that you would find company

[DM Arkanis]

Found some good references on food & drink, but what drink(s) would be 'rare' in Baldur's Gate due to trade embargoes?

Looking for the equivalent of Cuban Cigars in America, or Romulan Ale in Star Trek - vices noone forcefully busts the recipients of once you have the goods, but only the rich would have.

Also, I found that Lurien has whiskey, but no word on bourbon or vodka? Where could these drinks be found in Faerûn?

The rarity of anything really only determines how much it costs and not (generally speaking) it's availability. There are shady sorts all around that could import anything into BG for a fee following the, "greater the risk the greater the reward" adage and your imagination would be your only limitations.
Why on earth would you want to drink bourbon? Scotch is much better, and I believe the elves make a variety/version.
Finally, drinks at any establishment can be procured and renamed. If you want to hand out Grey Goose vodka at your dinner party on the server, just use the tool and rename the wine you bought...

[mireigi]

I cannot find any reference to it, but I've heard a few claims that the Wall of the Faithless was constructed by Myrkul after the Times of Trouble. At the very least the knowledge of the Wall of the Faithless is widespread following the Times of Trouble, even among the commoners.

As most whom are interested in the various faiths in Faerûn will tell you, the Wall of the Faithless is used as a means to scare mortals into worshipping a patron god, or they will be bound to the wall for all eternity as punishment.

If the Wall of the Faithless was indeed built after the Times of Trouble, how would the clergy various faiths and inhabitants of the Sword Coast treat a faithless mortal, given that they do not know of the eternal punishment yet?

Would they treat such a person as an oddity, or would they the person with disdain for not caring about their own soul and afterlife?

In short: When was the Wall built? When did the existence of the Wall become knowledge among the clergy? When did it for the commoners? How would a faithless person be perceived? All relative to the server's timeline.

[DM Arkanis]

I cannot find any reference to it, but I've heard a few claims that the Wall of the Faithless was constructed by Myrkul after the Times of Trouble. At the very least the knowledge of the Wall of the Faithless is widespread following the Times of Trouble, even among the commoners.

As most whom are interested in the various faiths in Faerûn will tell you, the Wall of the Faithless is used as a means to scare mortals into worshipping a patron god, or they will be bound to the wall for all eternity as punishment.

If the Wall of the Faithless was indeed built after the Times of Trouble, how would the clergy various faiths and inhabitants of the Sword Coast treat a faithless mortal, given that they do not know of the eternal punishment yet?

Would they treat such a person as an oddity, or would they the person with disdain for not caring about their own soul and afterlife?

In short: When was the Wall built? When did the existence of the Wall become knowledge among the clergy? When did it for the commoners? How would a faithless person be perceived? All relative to the server's timeline.

1. I can find no reference to the wall being created AFTER the ToT, and in relative terms I am not certain that Myrkul created it at all as he was a short lived and relatively minor diety - Jergal would have done it, or it simply was when the Fugue Plane was created. Pages 152-153 of "Players Guide to Faerun" states

"When mortals die, their souls are drawn to the Fugue Plane. The vast majority of this plane is flat, gray, bland, and nondescript, with no notable topographical features."

"The souls of the Faithless form a living wall around the City of Judgment, while the souls of the False are sentenced to servitude within the city, where they are sometimes tortured by devils."

The link below talks abour Myrkul hanging out as a mortal with Bane and then becoming the god of the dead but mentions nothing of him creating the wall. Jergal was the previous and ancient lord of the dead:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Myrkul

"Jergal is an ancient deity, older than many of the greater gods of Faerûn. In the time of Netheril, he was a greater deity himself, with the portfolios of the Dead, Murder and Strife. With the long aeons, he became bored with his position of power, and allowed for three mortals, known as the Dead Three, to each take up parts of his divinity. Bane assumed the portfolio of Strife, Myrkul the rulership of the Dead and Bhaal the portfolio of Murder. Jergal himself faded from his great stature, and became a seneschal to Myrkul, a position he has kept even after his master perished and first Cyric, then Kelemvor assumed his place."

My educated guess would be that the Wall has always existed, and during the ToT the conversation comes up about destroying it, but Kelemvor does not allow it to be (totally) destroyed.

2. P 153 to Players Guide of Faerun states, "Divine servants can travel here (The Fugue Plane) from the realms of their deities and bring souls back with them, as long as those souls properly belong to the deities they serve." The gods would know that there was a Wall as their "servants" travelled to and from the FP. As such, mortals having knowledge of the Wall would be a good thing - "believe or be encased in the wall" would be motivation for someone to believe in a god, any god, to avoid the torment, and as such rumours/stories/lore/myth would be told and retold. Exact physical descriptions, concise details of the wall, etc. would not necessarlly be common knowledge, even amongst clergy or high ranking church officials of any faith though. Since no mortal can enter the FP , "Mortals cannot travel to the Fugue Plane while their bodies live, and no color pools leading here exist on the Astral Plane." Absolute proof of its existance is only known by divine, or other planar beings who can travel there.

"The Faithless and the False are the only inhabitants of the FP and in that realm have no status - The Fugue Plane’s only inhabitants are the souls of the dead
awaiting transport to the planes of their deities. These souls are
petitioners with no planar traits—no immunities, resistances, or
special qualities. The souls of the Faithless form a living wall
around the C ity of Judgment, while the s ouls o f the False a re
sentenced to servitude within the city, where they are sometimes
tortured by devils.
Fugue Plane Petitioners: The False are the petitioners of the
Fugue Plane, since they are its only permanent residents (except the
Faithless, who are doomed to be dissolved into the substance of the
plane). The False have no immunities, resistances, or other special
qualities, but they are protected to some extent by the unchanging
nature of the plane."

[Druehan]

1. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

2. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

3. Which, in your own opinion, is the best base class, and why?

4. Will we ever see crafting on this server or is a pipe dream that is used to string us along to try to keep us here?

5. How are you?

[NegInfinity]

This is my crossbow. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My crossbow is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
My crossbow, without me, is useless. Without my crossbow, I am useless. I must fire my crossbow true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...
My crossbow and I know that what counts in war is not the rounds we fire, the twang of our volley, nor the holes we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...
My crossbow is alive, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother/sister. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its bow. I will keep my crossbow clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...
Before Tempus, I swear this creed. My crossbow and I are the defenders of myself. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is mine and there are no more enemies to fight.

Rifleman's creed, I believe.
It might actually fit. Need to research that further, though.

2. In the FR you have to believe in a diety to be granted powers. If you have powers and are not a believer, then you are an arcane magic user.

This is not what I meant when I asked #2.

Being believer and part of any order are two different things. Worshipping deity and following deity's dogma are obvious requirements to be granted power.

However... is it really necessary to be part of some clerical hierarchy? Can you become cleric or paladin on your own? Can independent, unaffiliated paladin or cleric exist and be still granted power? (Paladin that is not a part of something like radiant heart, or a cleric that is not part of hierarchy and does not belong to any church or order)