Blackmoor in the year 500

[Havard]

Yep. This may also inspire me to revise and improve that map given the feedback I got in that thread. Antediluvian is a cool word btw

Cool, so pre destruction of Id then?

If I would do it, likely yes. Thing is, the Id cult is perhaps the only tangible and recognizable item from modern Blackmoor that one could include in the elder setting without any changes by the book. (I think this is what you call a "red ribbon".)

I'm not sure it is the only thing, but the destruction of that temple is the key event of the year 500 for sure.

In my Rulers of Blackmor thread, I have suggested the Dog Duke (see FFC) as one of the rulers around the year 500. I have a writeup of him and his adventures here. This also sheds some light on how I see the elf human relationship of the era.

Yeah, your work on the era was one of the reasons why I think this could be something to pursue.
I, personally, would only focus on BM town, for the moment, and add or remove other lore as needed.
For example, the Dog Duke/Uhlmar mythology could be represented in different ways.

Thanks! For an actual game, it is necessary to adapt things to the need of the game so feel free

These stories that I have come up with are really my attempts to piece together clues from the FFC and d20 Blackmoor Sourcebook to answer the following questions:

1) How was the Temple of Id destroyed 500 years ago? (Some details are hinted at)
2) What the split between the elves?
3) What caused Menander's Grandfather to curse his daughter and those that went with her (ie the Westryn)
4) Who was the Dog Duke?
5) Who was the Wizard who was thrown into the Pit for betraying Blackmoor?
6) How does all this fit into the eras described in DoCBM and the general Blackmoor Timeline?

I also wanted to describe the shifting relations between elves and humans. During Uhlmar's younger days, I see him as curious and friendly towards the humans in the time when Robert I founds Blackmoor. At the same time, it is the Old Uhlmar who then causes the end of this alliance, something that isn't really restored untill Menander's father helps drive the Egg of Coot out of Blackmoor during the FFC era.

- Perhaps, there's an Elven enclave in the city? Perhaps the reason why BM Town is still a village by 990 is that the Elven enclave was really a tree town that later later burned away?

An Elven enclave sounds logical. Prior to the War Against the Id, elves may have been very close to the Thonians.

I think there are many other reasons why Blackmoor remained a small settlement for so long though. Mainly it would have to do with the fact that up to the Mage Wars the North was really seen as an uninteresting distant part of the Empire. Likely, the lands controlled by the Iron Duke in the modern setting had not even been developed much in the year 500.

The Id Cult/Dog Duke stories are reasonably comparable to the Elder Eye/Thrommel storyline from "Temple of the Elemental Evil", by the way.

Interesting. My Greyhawk lore is quite limited. What are the similarities?


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I actually think this setting would be extremely interesting. I know that some would be reluctant to accept many of the implication of what I write above such as no Orcs or Goblinoids, few Dwarves, Mages etc, but I actually think this would be a great chance to explore the differences such a setting could present.

For instance I see the Cult of Id as much more than a handful of insane Lovecraftian cultists. They posed a real threat to the combined Blackmoor/Elven forces afterall. I see them controlling all kinds of dark creatures including half-demon cavemen, Garls, Nightmare Creatures (Abominations) and other creatures. In addition to the obligatory Displacer Beasts of course.

Similarly the elven realms would be home to all kinds of fey and sylvan creatures.


-Havard