tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post3513977822310666856..comments2024-03-27T21:18:33.034+00:00Comments on Fabled Lands: Believing in faerieDave Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-51380174286222196312010-08-28T13:31:50.450+01:002010-08-28T13:31:50.450+01:00Thanks Zhu - a very interesting article that can b...Thanks Zhu - a very interesting article that can be found here:<br />http://www.forteantimes.com/features/commentary/4003/the_monster_manual.htmlDave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-3523914197865320382010-08-27T19:36:10.893+01:002010-08-27T19:36:10.893+01:00Last months Fortean Times (Issue 265) had an artic...Last months Fortean Times (Issue 265) had an article titled "The Monster Manual" which discusses (quite lightly) how the categorisation and codification of strange creatures can skew the reporting of them. You might find the article interesting as it covers quite similar ground but from a different perspective.zhu bajieehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08004498036257289234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-81026412041436436232010-08-26T19:34:39.133+01:002010-08-26T19:34:39.133+01:00A propos, I have always wondered why, and despite ...A propos, I have always wondered why, and despite the fact they speak the same language (Angaté), Ferromanians tend to have Italian sounding names like Cotullio or Senfriti, while Selentine names seem rather Armenian or something like that (Cosmogoran, Hirgandan...)cafaristeirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915889856526586336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-45471853405552408522010-08-26T19:20:57.769+01:002010-08-26T19:20:57.769+01:00Intrigue... darkness... soul-trading. Kieran, I li...Intrigue... darkness... soul-trading. Kieran, I like it! Though, to be honest, you won't find many sorcerers lording it over people in Ellesland either. Even Cynewulf Magister is always lurking just that little bit off at the fringes, never openly at Montombre's side - even if he is, as most believe, the true power behind the throne.<br /><br />Olivier, actually I think I can retrospectively explain that. Cotullio is one of the governing body of the university in Achtan, which would include scholars from far and wide, so it's perfectly possible he would be from Ferromaine.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-47465381521684064512010-08-26T16:48:36.455+01:002010-08-26T16:48:36.455+01:00Some of the ideas we threw about for Algandy can b...Some of the ideas we threw about for Algandy can be seen in the NPCs in the Friends or Foes book. I've got this vision of a dark land in the grip of a tyrant, filled with intrigue, and waiting to explode into religious mania. At the same time I see a land where they've scored the obvious "magic" elements away driving them into the dark forests that Algandy is famous for. You won't see an arrogent Sorcerer looking down his nose at you in this country...but beyond the firelite something dark may trade favours for your soul.Kieran Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-55305037340978916482010-08-26T16:44:36.242+01:002010-08-26T16:44:36.242+01:00I have just checked; that's indeed the Eye of ...I have just checked; that's indeed the Eye of Dragon and that's indeed convoluted. One of the notables of Achtan, bears a Ferromanian name:Cotullio. <br />In truth, the first kings of Spain had all Germanic names, since they were Wisigoths !cafaristeirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915889856526586336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-44822244341591019622010-08-26T14:40:58.699+01:002010-08-26T14:40:58.699+01:00Olivier, I guess you're thinking of The Eye of...Olivier, I guess you're thinking of The Eye of the Dragon? It was originally an Empire of the Petal Throne scenario, set in the ruins of Ngala in the Flats of Tsehelnu west of Jakalla. (The book is dedicated to Professor M A R Barker.) Then, when I came to create the detailed map of Legend, I retrofitted Eye of the Dragon into Kurland. Convoluted, huh? :)<br /><br />If I were setting a campaign in Algandy, I might start by looking at Dunsany's novel The Chronicles of Shadow Valley. Possibly that's rather late in history to fit into the rest of Legend, though. As for why Algandy's king should have a Germanic name - hmm, your guess is a good as mine.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-50142438375528929022010-08-26T13:53:37.980+01:002010-08-26T13:53:37.980+01:00I had often wondered if Algandy was Spain because ...I had often wondered if Algandy was Spain because of some names that sounded rather Germanic (ex: King Vergang)and because of its huge forests with Elves within. However, Castilia used to have forests, but they were burnt during the wars against the Moors. For an eventual campaign taking place in Algandy, I had planned as language to use an existing auxiliary language based on Romance like Interlingua. (Sambahsa is based on Angaté, the language of Ferromaine and Selentium). <br />Let's not forget that Blood Sword took place in Krarth, Wyrd and Crescentium (and these are among the best gamebooks ever made !). One book written by Dave (I have downloaded it recently) of the Golden Dragon series seems to begin in Achtan (southern Kurland) and takes place on a sunken island off Emphidor. <br /><br />Oliviercafaristeirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05915889856526586336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-31318608275644560892010-08-26T11:45:36.955+01:002010-08-26T11:45:36.955+01:00I'd love to see that, Kieran. Our own games ha...I'd love to see that, Kieran. Our own games have been mostly restricted to Ellesland, though we did have campaigns set in both Krarth (you think Ellesland is grim and folkloric?) and Ferromaine.<br /><br />If Algandy were Spain, maybe I should have bent the coast around to make Moorish invasions more likely in the past. Or maybe you have a different take on it? I have no fixed conceptions, I'm just interested to see what you do with the place.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-71512194207000394932010-08-26T11:26:10.676+01:002010-08-26T11:26:10.676+01:00I've always loved the grim-fantasy elements in...I've always loved the grim-fantasy elements in DW. The cackling goblins who curse villagers, the pale noblewoman who keeps the souls of knights kept in a silver chalice, and the persistant fear of the unknown. It's still my hope that we'll get to do an Algandy sourcebook for DW at some point...myself and the other writer had some rather grim ideas for the place. :)Kieran Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-48420887315974012792010-08-26T10:54:10.305+01:002010-08-26T10:54:10.305+01:00Great site there, Joakim - I can see a lot of that...Great site there, Joakim - I can see a lot of that stuff being very useful for Mirabilis!<br /><br />I agree with Moore when he says, "I believe these things are real; I do not believe they are real outside the world of ideas and the mind." <br /><br />That is, fairies are as real as beauty or justice or love. Not real in the way that the rain is real, or the sun, or fish and chips. <br /><br />Now what's interesting is that Moore calls himself a magician and I call myself a scientist, even though we have (it seems) the exact same views about the reality of fantastic things. We're both right :) The folks I feel sorry for are the ones who insist on the *literal* existence of fairies - or flying saucers, or dowsing, or what-have-you - because it seems to me they have something missing from their imagination.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-10028339935327064152010-08-26T10:07:25.618+01:002010-08-26T10:07:25.618+01:00Ps. For some interesting articles on faerie lore, ...Ps. For some interesting articles on faerie lore, visit http://whitedragon.org.uk/articles.html and choose 'F'.Joakim Waernnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-56176373335608282082010-08-26T10:01:10.543+01:002010-08-26T10:01:10.543+01:00I thought the high/low fantasy distinction was pas...I thought the high/low fantasy distinction was passé? :) Anyway, I get your point and couldn´t be happier: I´ve always loved DW and Legend, ever since I bought the first three books in London years ago. But even though the atmoshphere is great I too notice the difference between what you write here and the flavour of the books. So Jewelspider sounds like a great idea!<br /><br />At the end of your post you link to this interview with Alan Moore and I´m curious: Do you also believe in faeries, in the way he does? You do know Moore nowadays calls himself a magician? I´m curious because Imagination fascinates me and it´s interesting what fantasy writers has to say about it.<br /><br />Keep up your good work!Joakim Waernnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-64070689374937976852010-08-25T22:54:16.196+01:002010-08-25T22:54:16.196+01:00Mitch - FL seems to me to be quite a high-fantasy ...Mitch - FL seems to me to be quite a high-fantasy world. You can buy resurrection at temples, for example, and magical goods are sold at the markets. But I am still quite proud of it and I thank you for your kind words about both worlds. (Oh, and JS&MN is my favourite fantasy novel of all time.)<br /><br />Jiminy - there does seem to be a question mark over further DW books, but I'm very hopeful and would love to see Jewelspider come out, especially if it incorporates any material from our own campaigns set around that area. I don't know if my "Wayland's Smithy" scenario ended up in any of the new DW books, but that's the closest in flavour to what I had in mind for Jewelspider.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-45471857663929542912010-08-25T19:29:26.435+01:002010-08-25T19:29:26.435+01:00Fingers crossed for the Jewelspider book - it woul...Fingers crossed for the Jewelspider book - it would be a definite must-buy, just like In From The Cold.Jiminyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03928886405446170395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-26145061899473935832010-08-25T18:59:34.569+01:002010-08-25T18:59:34.569+01:00You mention here that FL was completely unlike Leg...You mention here that FL was completely unlike Legend - really? Maybe I'm just not clear on the exact difference between low and high fantasy, but they key thing that set both worlds apart (from competitors, I mean; not from each other) seemed to me to be in the mythology - the way you looked further back into the past and drew your creatures directly from myths and legends, rather than most fantasy writers who seem to think Tolkien was born in a vacuum. The elves of Golnir, the mermaids in the ocean, the endless horrible spirits of Akatsurai... these all operated on more traditional terms than the usual Tolkien elves or dwarves. Magic in FL was always a thing of, well, magic, rather than a science.<br /><br />In any case I'm glad that's the path you chose to go down, with both DW and (in my opinion) FL; it's far more interesting than the alternative. (Incidentally, anyone keen on more traditional faerie folk over Tolkien's types should read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, the crowning achievement in fantasy fiction of the last decade).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-6131623483239690252010-08-25T14:42:04.148+01:002010-08-25T14:42:04.148+01:00I'd never make the real bad guy in a campaign ...I'd never make the real bad guy in a campaign anything but human, because it seems a cop-out somehow. I don't mean that the players can't be in real danger from fays - I recall a particularly tense session when two of us in the Iron Men campaign decided to climb up a crag for an afternoon's fighting practice, and the clashing of our swords angered the dwarven king of the mountain. That was great, but dwarven kings and elf lords are threats in the way a tornado or a flood is a threat. It's in their nature to endanger you. For villainy to bite, it needs the empathy that comes from knowing it's another human who's plotting to destroy you.<br /><br />For years I harboured the idea of doing a new DW book, "Jewelspider", which would do away with the generic fantasy elements (halflings, etc - never used them myself) and just present Legend as it "really" is. Now there's some possibility, if Magnum Opus Press continue the 2nd edition DW books, that Jewelspider could come out in some form with material by Frazer Payne and others. In the meantime, let me recommend Jack Vance's Lyonesse trilogy which has a lot of the authentic Legend flavour imo.Dave Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14468228790874490693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-51364686647537990622010-08-25T13:16:10.703+01:002010-08-25T13:16:10.703+01:00Great post. It's a shame though that this wasn...Great post. It's a shame though that this wasn't represented more in the actual rules of DW -indeed, it's often contradicted! I don't think the scenarios were enough to get the message across to many of the gms and players.<br /><br />I must admit my own version of Legend, although mythical and magical on the surface (as far as the characters where concerned) had an underlying thread of cold, hard logic behind everything, including the inscrutable fay. Even so, encounters with faerie where extremely rare in my campaigns - the primary antagonists being men, monsters or the undead (but never, ever orcs or halflings!). :)Wayne Imlachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03904174524132194290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2141372262111342844.post-35201136520430585032010-08-25T01:26:03.973+01:002010-08-25T01:26:03.973+01:00I think I'm going to link this blog post whene...I think I'm going to link this blog post whenever I get in a discussion about how "low fantasy" doesn't equal "boring." I'd much rather play in this world than another saccharine, pastel-hued, codified Greyhawk knockoff. <br /><br />Very, very cool stuff.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08596442998967851832noreply@blogger.com