* * * Wizards Community Thread * * * -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Thread : Forgotten Realms (2nd Ed based): Reclaiming Jergal's power Started at 11-03-04 04:14 AM by MordainThade Visit at http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=332533 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 1] Author : MordainThade Date : 11-03-04 04:14 AM Thread Title : Forgotten Realms (2nd Ed based): Reclaiming Jergal's power This is going to be long... Alright, I have decided that in my campaign (and in the Forgotten Realms in general), there are far too many deities that are incompetent, unworthy, or unnecessary. Primary causes for this belief are (not in any order): the ascension of Cyric (and his subsequent madness); the making of Kelemvor into Lord Death; the ascension of Velsharoon; the ascension of Xvim (and subsequent resurrection of Bane through him). Though my personal campaign has changed a couple of these forcefully (and added a little extra as well), I have come up with an interesting idea to radically alter the face of the realms; Jergal, in his disgust for the new gods and their trivialities, will regain the portfolios that he willingly gave to Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul. In doing so, he will also have the power necessary to eliminate a few of the lesser gods (demipowers) that he has decided are unnecessary. First off, my campaign changes (that matter :D ). With the assistance of a powerful artifact sword (created by me) and the backing of Cyric (his patron deity), one of my PCs slew Garagos and took his place in the pantheon. Not wanting a fight with Tempus, he wholly abandoned the portfolio of War, though he took the portfolios of Chaos and Avengers (the name for anti-Paladins in my world), putting him in direct opposition of Torm (and the Triad as a whole). Backed by his new ally, Cyric put multiple plans into motion, and managed to slay Kelemvor, though the untimely resurrection of Myrkul foiled his plans to regain portfolio over Death & the Dead (which were restored to Myrkul, along with his other "lost" portfolios). Per standard, Bane was resurrected at the cost of Xvim, but he lost a bit of his power (down to Intermediate level) as a result of another of my PCs tricking him into reading the Cyrinishad (it was found, then lost again), as he had never heard of the book; the portfolio of Strife returned to Cyric. Now, Jergal has witnessed all of this. AFAIK, Jergal's "official" opinions (and general observations) are thus; Cyric was (and still is) incompetent and unworthy; Velsharoon is simply trying to weasel in on his old portfolios (from Netheril's time), and doing badly at it; Bane was slain, and though he is back, he isn't worth the time of day (manipulated by a PC, as it were); Shar's power has increased to the point where neither Good nor Evil deities could realistically stop her; Jergal's power is greater than most gods imagine (if anyone read Crucible, they should see this as well); finally, for my campaign specific, Mordain (the new god / old PC I mentioned) is extremely effective at killing things, and a semi-competent Lord Death (Kelemvor) was replaced by mostly-competent Lord Death (Myrkul). Ultimately, through Jergal's manipulations of the other deities around him, I plan on him slaying Cyric, Myrkul, Bane, Velsharoon, and a minor demipower of my own creation (inconsequential). He would thus become a Greater Power, though he ultimately would not want (nor need) a few of the portfolios that the other gods carried. Ultimately, he keeps his old Netherese portfolios (Death, the Dead, Order in Death, Funerals / Tombs, Undeath, Undead, Wasting, Exhaustion, Tyrrany, Dusk), and gains Fear as well; his alignment shifts to NE. Strife would fall to Mordain (the new god); he would give up Skill-at-Arms (a portfolio I mistakenly gave him) to Red Knight, and even through this, by gaining Strife, he becomes an Intermediate Power. Illusion, Lies, and Intrigue would fall to Mask, thus elevating him to Intermediate Power level as well. Now, here are the general questions. What happens to Necromancy / Necromancers? He may keep them, but he would in no way serve Mystra, so I picture them fading into nothingness again; after all, Velsharoon was new, so whomever "represented" Necromancy before (probably just Mystra) would have it again. Similarly, Madness fades into nothingness again. As far as my campaign, I have somewhat retconned to say that Jergal has been planning this since Cyric's madness at the start of the Cyrinishad debacle. This allows him to lay a lot of groundwork while the other gods are going nuts over various Realms-shaking calamities. Thus, with things seemingly calm, he is ready to make his move. <== This is another point of possible contention; has anything else hit the fan regarding the human cosmos of the Realms other than the Shadow Weave? Finally, the number of Greater Powers changes. AFAIK, the addition of Bane into a the standard FR pantheon brings the count to 13; Crucible dealt with 12, plus an empty seat for Ao. In my campaign, its 12 (Bane was reduced); this would drop it to 11 (2 die, plus Jergal rises). Is this too low of a #? Ultimately speaking, this is a major alteration to existing FR storyline, so any questions, comments, concerns, and any constructive criticism or helpful advice is more than welcome. My brain has been wracked by this, so I figured to present it to all of you here. :ayyyy!: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [Post 2] Author : MadBall Date : 11-03-04 05:55 AM Interesting ideas... Never heard of Jergal before but why not... I would recomend that you post it here http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=454 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Downloaded from Wizards Community (http://forums.gleemax.com) at 05-10-08 08:16 AM.