Lolth's resurrection

Since the Chosen of Eilistraee is a religious oriented player group, naturally there is a place to have theological discussions. That is in-game religions; please leave real-world religion out of it. Debate the fine points of a certain dogma, how a church can enforce worship while staying true to its tenets or simply why one deity is better than another one is. All are free to talk about it here.

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Lance
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Lolth's resurrection

Post by Lance »

After reading "Resurrection" a while ago I found some very irritating holes in the entire story. In short some things should not had been possible but obviously they were done anyway. Well, here is what I thought off:

[b:3mworf9l]Lolth's increased divine rank:[/b:3mworf9l] How the nine hells would Lolth's divine rank increase after her resurrection? According to Ed Greenwood a diety's divine rank is influenced by her number followers and the world's perception of her strength. Since the (evil) drow always saw Lolth as the mightiest diety anyway she really can't be percieved as even more powerful. Many cities were destroyed by the Jezred Chaulzin and many drow turned away from Lolth because of her silence, I would say her divine rank would had fallen down instead. Strange...
[b:3mworf9l]The Demon Web Pits as a plane of its own:[/b:3mworf9l] Now this is confusing. Dieties can't create planes, at all. Pocket/Demiplanes perhaps (since mortals can do it) but not true planes. Since the cosmology was created before the dieties you can't just invent another version of reality. Another funny thing is that every plane has an opposite (Celestia is opposed to the Abyss, Mechanus to Limbo and so on) and creating a Lolth-plane would just create an opposite version, that is an Eilistraee-plane. Assuming dieties can create planes which they can't.
[b:3mworf9l]The Resurrection:[/b:3mworf9l] Why did Lolth had to be resurrected, she was not dead, was her sole reason to make the Demonweb Pits a plane of its own (which she can't do)?

The book didn't live up to my expectations at all and I was most displeased at Halisstra's "redemption" which felt rather compulsory. Basically she felt that because Eilistraee didn't warn her she turned to Lolth, disgusting.

The book wasn't completely horrible but suffered from a lot of gaps and personally I think that Lolth should had died but since I am pro-Eilistraee it is understandable.

What do you think?
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Post by Bhaern Quel »

Well candlekeep has gone into discussion about the series in much depth, but a sum of answers tends to be opinions.

What little one can count on as fact.

3ed Edition FR came out with a new comotoligy (The Tree of Life) where the Demon Webs were not in the Abyses. The Novel basical tried to explain the change. Some interpertations of the move in the novels appears to be that she did not make a plane, just moved the planes under her control to another place.

Divine Rank is a perception, and power not only based on number of followers or even how devoted their followers are. AO is very powerful and he has no followers, It appears some of the rank comes from portfolios held and Lolth was gaining some of them by comsuming lesser deities.

While I do not believe Lolth's Rank should have increased (Actually I do not believe such increased rank has been made offical) I can see posible ways this can occur.
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Post by Unen_Stealthfoot »

[color=darkred:3l8afynr]I believe this was a very popular subject on the old Eilistraee forums as well, before they were closed. (something like 9 pages of replies?)[/color:3l8afynr]
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Re: Lolth's resurrection

Post by Rooky »

[quote="Lance":tnkdy91p]After reading "Resurrection" a while ago I found some very irritating holes in the entire story. In short some things should not had been possible but obviously they were done anyway. Well, here is what I thought off:

[b:tnkdy91p]Lolth's increased divine rank:[/b:tnkdy91p] How the nine hells would Lolth's divine rank increase after her resurrection? According to Ed Greenwood a diety's divine rank is influenced by her number followers and the world's perception of her strength. Since the (evil) drow always saw Lolth as the mightiest diety anyway she really can't be percieved as even more powerful. Many cities were destroyed by the Jezred Chaulzin and many drow turned away from Lolth because of her silence, I would say her divine rank would had fallen down instead. Strange...
[b:tnkdy91p]The Demon Web Pits as a plane of its own:[/b:tnkdy91p] Now this is confusing. Dieties can't create planes, at all. Pocket/Demiplanes perhaps (since mortals can do it) but not true planes. Since the cosmology was created before the dieties you can't just invent another version of reality. Another funny thing is that every plane has an opposite (Celestia is opposed to the Abyss, Mechanus to Limbo and so on) and creating a Lolth-plane would just create an opposite version, that is an Eilistraee-plane. Assuming dieties can create planes which they can't.
[b:tnkdy91p]The Resurrection:[/b:tnkdy91p] Why did Lolth had to be resurrected, she was not dead, was her sole reason to make the Demonweb Pits a plane of its own (which she can't do)?

The book didn't live up to my expectations at all and I was most displeased at Halisstra's "redemption" which felt rather compulsory. Basically she felt that because Eilistraee didn't warn her she turned to Lolth, disgusting.

The book wasn't completely horrible but suffered from a lot of gaps and personally I think that Lolth should had died but since I am pro-Eilistraee it is understandable.

What do you think?[/quote:tnkdy91p]

I think this is what you might call "articstic freedom". The author's probably just allowing himself to say such things, despite the FR Setting rules (or any other for that matter)
:3
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Post by Unen_Stealthfoot »

[color=darkred:3lrncho0]Well, that's the point of artistic freedom, isn't it? Oh, wait, you just said that, didn't you, Rooky?[/color:3lrncho0] :#
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Post by Rooky »

...
:3
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Post by Unen_Stealthfoot »

:angel:
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Post by Jubilee »

I didn't like his writing at all, either. I actually asked Paul Kemp if he had a vendetta against Eilistraeens. He said no. Maybe he's just an idiot, I dont know.

Got tired of hearing about her belt of strength, probably a fuckin +1 item. Same reason I hate The Two Swords. Every other page I got to hear about Obould fantabulous suit of armor, like every goober in platemail with a few knicknacks is invicible.

For some reason storytellers think your villian has to be 'The Badass' and look like 'The Badass' and equipped like 'The Badass' as if being 8ft tall Chuck Norris helps anything.

I'm hoping for a quick death anything involving Halisstra for that reason, i'm sick of 'The Badass'.
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Post by Bhaern Quel »

Well not much we can do about Mr. Kemp, he claimed he had alot of lisencein charater survival or demise. IIRC Danielle (spelling) was only character that could not be killed.

I fear that Halisstra will be appearing in a Smedman triolgy, but perhaps she can be killed quickly.

We need to wait and see.
Last edited by Bhaern Quel on Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Rooky »

[quote:3h4fbqw9]Hail, hail, hail and kill![/quote:3h4fbqw9]

Is it just me, or is Llolth's Ressurection just one big melodramatic soap opera?
:3
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Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

[quote="Jubilee":3mv8eqgh]For some reason storytellers think your villian has to be 'The Badass' and look like 'The Badass' and equipped like 'The Badass' as if being 8ft tall Chuck Norris helps anything.[/quote:3mv8eqgh]
There are several kinds of 'badass' and I don't know of any author who's main villain isn't incredibly good at one thing or another, usually several things at once. But I get your point; a subtle villain, one the main character(s) maybe even actually [i:3mv8eqgh]like[/i:3mv8eqgh] on one level or another, is a far more interesting one.

[quote="Jubilee":3mv8eqgh]I'm hoping for a quick death anything involving Halisstra for that reason, i'm sick of 'The Badass'.[/quote:3mv8eqgh]
I don't think Halisstra was ever actually 'badass' (discounting for a moment having a sword that can kill deities). The "Lady Penitent" is another story altogether and I'm sure I've already expressed my deep displeasure with that turn of events.

I still have hope that Lisa Smedman's new trilogy will fix some things there... though perhaps we should just write the whole thing up as one of Wizard's big mistakes and forget about it.

Meh. :bored:


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Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

[quote="Rooky":2onfcstd]Is it just me, or is Llolth's Ressurection just one big melodramatic soap opera?[/quote:2onfcstd]
I think that's just the drow pantheon. ;)


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Post by Jubilee »

Heh, does anyone remember Grand Moff Tarkin? He's thin, old as the sun, doesn't look like much more than a reed in a uniform, but practically radiated evil and intimidation.

I think, on a different level, Lucien from Underworld, as well. He wasn't evil persay, but he radiated power and enigma, and was probably the shortest and smallest guy in the movie.

And I referred more to Quenthal, in this book (who could actually make herself taller via some other stupid ring of badassness. Seriously all she was missing was a roundhouse kick) the rest is general gripes i've noticed becoming more and more prevelant.

Anyone seen the Star Wars Legacy comics? Darth Krayt looks basically the same, big tall spike covered goon. Didn't Supreme Overlord Shimmra and Tsavong Lah from the previous New Jedi Order books look the [i:1i7cauip]exact same?[/i:1i7cauip]

I think many authors in general need to start taking more hints from screenwriters and less from Power Rangers.
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Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

Most of those names mean nothing to me. :tear:


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Post by Unen_Stealthfoot »

[color=darkred:3i9t2k47]Don't worry, you're not alone. The only name I think I may vaugely recognize is Grand Moff Tarkin. Isn't he the general guy that Darth Vader killed in Return of the Jedi? Oh, yeah, and Lucien, from Underworld.[/color:3i9t2k47]
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