Lore Question from Dragons

Discussion on the Earthdawn game line, errata, and feedback not related to playing or GMing.
Post Reply
BosTaurus
Posts:4
Joined:Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:31 pm
Lore Question from Dragons

Post by BosTaurus » Thu Aug 03, 2017 4:16 pm

Getting readymto run Earthdawn again after a long pause. While cobbling ideas together for a campaign, I had the following question:


In the unpublished text of the book Dragons Mountainshadow address his fellow Greats and informs them how the book came to be.

When he discusses the second half, he attributes it to the Outcast and his progeny, the Denairastas. We know there is an outcast Great Dragon behind that family and the Holders of Trust and we know Dollmaker bred with the line of the Kings of Throal to balance things, but I'm curious what he means when Mountainshadow says the Outcast is preparing to repeat history?

Mountainshadow fears a new Empire might arise to challenge Thera, referred to as The Impertinent Ones, and may even topple Thera and strike at the Greats themselves.
He finally extols his fellows to action by reminding them of their guilt and responsibility for what they allowed to happen:

In our pride and arrogance, we forever changed the fate of the world

What is this history? What happened in the past that Mountainshadow feels guilt and responsibility for? What did the Dragons do?

Telarus
Posts:267
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:16 am

Re: Lore Question from Dragons

Post by Telarus » Thu Aug 03, 2017 6:26 pm

-==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==- SPOILERS -==-
8-)
Spoiler:
Dollmaker (i.e. Icewing) did NOT sire children with the dwarf royal line. The Great Dragons (primarily Icewing, Mountain Shadow, and Earthroot but including the others still allied with them) developed a "formula" (a potion) that extends a Namegivers lifespan at the cost of making them increasingly infertile. This was their attempt to create a stable power-center to counter Iopos and the Denairastas.

The "great mistake" mentioned was the dragons breeding into the namegiver races in the era of magic before the current one. The primary result of this was the elven nobles houses and the random "immortal elf" that pops up inside them (enough dragon-blood + mutation). Some of these immortals rebelled (the discoverer of the Books of Harrow may have been one of them), and went on to found the Eternal Library on Thera (and then coach Thera into an Empire from behind the scenes). Some of this history is in the Blood Wood sourcebook due to the blood ties to the royal elves.

Drakes were created as a replacement for these "failed servants". Drakes are created from whole cloth, and are pretty hard to make (but Icewing has a lot, hence the title "Dollmaker"). The Outcast is called that because he refused to stop breeding with Namegivers.
Does that help you piece things together?

BosTaurus
Posts:4
Joined:Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:31 pm

Re: Lore Question from Dragons

Post by BosTaurus » Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:28 pm

Yes, thanks much!

User avatar
Kosmit
Posts:167
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:41 pm
Location:Warsaw
Contact:

Re: Lore Question from Dragons

Post by Kosmit » Wed Aug 16, 2017 5:40 pm

Spoilers ahead (Dragonkin, Immortal Elves etc.)
Spoiler:
Creating dragonkin was forbidden after children of Alamaise (Immortal/Great Elves) led rebellion against dragons when they where sleeping at some point between Age of Dragons and 3rd Age. Before that it wasn't a crime to lay with younger races.

After that, the only dragonkin creating dragon is the Outcast which is why he was cast away in the first place. Alamaise had different aproach toward his children - he thought lesser of them.

Outcast encourages Deinarastas to rule above all Namegivers and embrace their higher place above younger races.

There is elaborate fan theory about how banishment and discovering Book of Harrows was a plot conveyed by those Immortal Elves who wanted to create something that equals the power of Great Dragons (Theran Empire).
:D

LouP
Posts:20
Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:02 pm

Re: Lore Question from Dragons

Post by LouP » Thu Aug 17, 2017 8:08 pm

Kosmit wrote:
Wed Aug 16, 2017 5:40 pm
Spoilers ahead (Dragonkin, Immortal Elves etc.)

There is elaborate fan theory about how banishment and discovering Book of Harrows was a plot conveyed by those Immortal Elves who wanted to create something that equals the power of Great Dragons (Theran Empire).
Or maybe - just maybe mind you - the story of the discovery of the Books of Harrow, and the books themselves, were created out of whole cloth to provide an explanation for how the Therans knew enough about the Horrors and the Scourge to be able to create the Rites of Protection and Passage.


Take care,

Lou Prosperi

Post Reply