[quote="Shir'le E. Illios":2xvywxjq]
You’re quite welcome to discuss the book (or any other book, or anything else for that matter really) to your heart’s content. Just don’t try and convert our visitors to follow you evil gods.
[/quote:2xvywxjq]
Oh, don't worry about that. I have no desire to get myself in trouble by even suggesting it. It turned out badly for my father when he tried...
OOC:
[quote="Sancha":2xvywxjq]What upset me most was not just that they killed Vhaeraun off, but that they didn't even have the decency to give him a few pages of appearanes like he got in his brief cameos in WotSQ.[/quote:2xvywxjq]
I guess I'm not upset by the lack of screentime that Vhaeraun himself got compared to the other gods (though I would have like to hear him speak, or even a few snippets of his thoughts more than the 2 lines he said to one worshipper). It was comparable to the rest. With the exception of the confrontation between him and Eilistraee. I wanted to see that. I wanted to see both of them more.
I also wanted to see a few more pages of Selvatarm. I don't like that the Drow God of Warriors went down so easiliy, basically without even a fight. One shot from him to her, one shot from her to him, and that was it. It was anti-dramatic.
What upset me about the 'lack' with Vhaeraun was more the tiny role his [i:2xvywxjq]followers[/i:2xvywxjq] played, and mostly the way they were portrayed.** They didn't do much in this book, but much of what they did do was totally not in keeping with Vhaeraun's dogma. Other things they did would be acceptable or expected to see from a lay worshipper, like a recent convert freshly freed from the Spider's Web, but would NEVER be acceptable for his priests to do. I hated how they acted like squabbling spiderkissers, and how they were more mindless-evil-for-the-sake-of-evil rather than cunning-evil-and-the-ends-justify-the-means-evil.
**(On the bright side we at least got to see a decent sized group of them, unlike WotSQ where it seemed like there were only two or three agents of the Masked Lord in existance. He sent a fiendish mercenary to do something THAT important, instead of his own people??!??! argh)
I had spent a few days writing up a review and big in-depth critique of the book after I finished it... was hoping to post it somewhere like amazon.com or just on LJ to warn other realmsfans so they could decide whether to buy the book or not.
I needed an outlet. This will do much better though. Discourse with like-minded roleplayers is better than an angry rant on a review site.
I'll pull a few parts out of it, to go more in depth about what my specific problems are with how the priests of Vhaeraun were acting.
[quote="Shir'le E. Illios":2xvywxjq]
[quote="Sancha":2xvywxjq]Moreso though, it bugged me that they just took him out at what is really the start of the civil war/family feud in the drow pantheon[/quote:2xvywxjq]
Part of what I was expecting to see when I heard in advance that Eilistraee killed Vhaeraun in battle in this book was said battle between Eilistraee and Vhaeraun.
[/quote:2xvywxjq]
I wanted to see the battle between them. I felt a bit ripped off that we only learn of it through exposition. I felt they didn't show us nearly enough of the battle between Selvatarm and Vhaeraun in the WotSQ books, but at least we got to see them cross swords for a few rounds.
This book would have been much better and had greater impact if we, the readers, if not Quile and the characters, got to see Vhaeraun confront Eilistraee. Maybe see them do a bit of a sword dance. The end of it could have still been left vague. We still could ahve been left with the impression that she slew him and absorbed his essence and took over his portolio, and still could have gotten the implied subtext of the other possibility that I seem to have missed.... that could have been done, WHILE letting us see them go a few rounds and exchange a few rounds... and would not have left me so disappointed in it. I might have instead been eager to read the next book to find out what actually happened....
[quote="Shir'le E. Illios":2xvywxjq]
The only ‘proof’ we have of his demise is the words of his followers. Now, I believe that [i:2xvywxjq]they[/i:2xvywxjq] believe that he’s dead, but that might simply be because Vhaeraun wishes them to believe so (he is, after all, a deity of deceit and treachery). I simply think that this is Vhaeraun’s way of allying himself with his sister without openly doing so (even Eilistraee seems unaware that now they’re apparently working together) and to do so all he had to do was convince everyone that he’s dead.
[/quote:2xvywxjq]
I really really hope you are right. The way you put that, yes, that is the kind of thing I could see Vhaeraun doing...
I've always felt that if he got to the point where he was ready to unite the drow powers against Lolth, or actually admitted that he needed his sister's help for something, that he might very well try to trick her into giving it. That serves a twofold purpose -- first, and conciously, it is one way to get around any resistance or reluctance she might have to say yes. Secondly, and subconciously, it will appese Vhaeraun's pride and hurt feelings to know that his sister is helping him, but she doesn't WANT to and he didn't have to BEG her for help.
While it is not normally his style to sacrifice followers needlessly (They say he actually cares about them like his sister does hers, and is more involved personally with his worshippers than any drow deity), I could see him sacrifcing a few priests if he absolutely needed to ensure that NOBODY could let his plan slip. If his priests didn't KNOW that was what he was really doing, then their souls could not be questioned. Nor could any spy involved in the high magic ritual read their minds and learn of the real plan. That makes sense, and he'd do it if he had to. The priests will end up in Elleniath, and he can explain and apologise to them later. And perhaps raise them and send them back to work later if they take it graciously....
[quote="Shir'le E. Illios":2xvywxjq]
Then again, if they kill Eilistraee I think I’ll probably leave the Forgotten Realms forever.
Love -x-x-x-
Shir'le[/quote:2xvywxjq]
I won't leave the Realms forever, even if they do kill my favourite god permanently. Even if they kill Eilistraee, which would also piss me off.
I'll just house rule it and say it didn't happen when I'm DMing drow campaigns, or give the PCs a chance to stop it from occuring or something. I'll likely stop buying new books from WotC, but I won't leave the Realms itself. I love them too much. I've been playing surface drow now for almost 15 years. I'm not gonig to stop anytime soon.