The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

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Tad_Carlucci
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by Tad_Carlucci »

Several years ago, while travelling along the banks of the Great River, I was on my way to Elensefar.

Or was it Halstead?

No, it was Elensefar, I remember now: it was as I was on that journey that I met Ilsa. Fair, sweet Ilsa, I can still see her flowing blond hair. I would have spent more time in her embrace had not her father ... sorry ... where was I? Oh, yes, near Carcyn, on my way to Elensefar to find a buyer for ... well, never you mind why I was headed there. Anyway, I came upon a marshland and was forced shelter overnight in a deeply forested area along the riverbank because, in those days, those marshes were rumored to be rife with highwaymen and I was not of a mood to part with any of my possessions being that I expected a handsome profit from the journey and did not wish to share it with others.

Come morning, being that it was early Spring, and most mornings that time of year find the river dense with fog, as I was at the river's edge, preparing to resume my journey, when I heard voices coming from the forest. Thinking it best not to be seen while in disarray, I hunkered low in the water among the rocks when two of those tree people appeared and made to walk directly into the river, fording the shallows to a low, tree-covered isle barely visible through the lingering wisps of mist.

Now, that was a right strange island! I tell you it was not there the evening before, and it was not there once the fog lifted, but I swear by the Blessed Memory of the Mother, an island was there, and those tree-men walked directly to it!

But that's neither here, nor there. Your question about Eregonor was what brought this to mind, for, clear as a bell, I distinctly recall one of them speaking, in the Common Tongue, no less, about needing to rush to 'the Portal to the Twilight Lands' if they were to make it in time for 'the Opening Invocations, and the Ceremony of the Opening the Gates to Eregonor's Vale.'

And, I recall, now that you bring it to mind, thinking, at the time, that the island which isn't there must be the place where, according to legend, Delfador entered the Lands of the Dead, and that this Eregonor's Vale they spoke of sounded like the place where he came upon his Staff. So, it comes to mind, that, perhaps Eregonor was the name for the guardian it is said Delfador met there and who awarded him his Staff.
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BTIsaac
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by BTIsaac »

Uhm... kay. Well the guardian was called An-Usrukhar, so no.

So is it Ur-Thorodor's island? It's never named, just called "a small island just south of the Ford of Abez".
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MathBrush
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by MathBrush »

That's just a stray reference on the timeline, right? That place name isn't anywhere in the github repository.

It would make a great campaign, though; a young mage-to-be sneaks into Delfador's tomb and either sets off a horrible chain of events by taking the staff that they have to spend the whole campaign fixing (if it's a loyalist campaign) or starts an endless horde with the captured shade of Delfador at his side until Delfador rebels against him (if it's an undead campaign).
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Tad_Carlucci
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by Tad_Carlucci »

BTIsaac: Yes, I should have checked the guardians name. So I'd need to adjust to them needing to rush to the island while the portal remains open.

MathBrush: YEs, it's just on the timeline and not mentioned anywhere else.

I've been thinking along the lines of the former. The narrative, above, would be the back-story at the introduction. First, get there in the required number of turns. Not less than (too early, gotta wait through a few more ruffians and muggers from the swamp) or greater than (too late, start over) and the island appears on the map, move to it and begin to pray. (An ancient orc appears, "Not another one." and bonks you on the head) Reuse the maps (with some mods, perhaps add one or two more) from DM, break in and steal the Staff. All hell breaks loose (literally .. guess who makes a reappearance) and you advance to become an arch mage, like Defador, as you run around cleaning up your mess. It's a mixed undead/loyalist campaign, like DM. Perhaps have two endings depending on whether you choose to use the undead followers you picked up, or if you release them and go it alone with just the loyalists you can muster. Not quite sure since the idea has been bubbling in the back of my head for some time.

As an alternate, I was thinking that you, Konrad's son or grandson (have to check the timeline) receive that story as your inheritance and need the staff for some purpose. Not really worked out much more than that initial idea, though. Probably something with a lot of references to HttT as well as DM.
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Tad_Carlucci
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by Tad_Carlucci »

On rereading and thinking on the mistake, change the last bit to read ...

perhaps, from the way they spoke of the Vale, Eregonor was the name of the ancient lord who tasked the guardian, An-Usrukhar, to defend the Staff until one worthy of its power appeared.

... obviously you not only need win through but, once again, be proven worthy, as Defador once was.
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Eagle_11
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by Eagle_11 »

Eregonor.. sounds elvish, could be an far-off place that only the elves know the way to, somewhere deep into their forests, quite possibly inside the great Lintanir.
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by gnombat »

It looks like Eregonor was first mentioned 14 years ago.
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BTIsaac
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by BTIsaac »

Tad_Carlucci wrote: March 21st, 2018, 8:35 pm perhaps, from the way they spoke of the Vale, Eregonor was the name of the ancient lord who tasked the guardian, An-Usrukhar, to defend the Staff until one worthy of its power appeared.
Uhm... An-Usrukhar tasked an apparition of himself, so not really.
gnombat wrote: March 22nd, 2018, 4:31 am It looks like Eregonor was first mentioned 14 years ago.
I'm familiar with that thread. There's also a discussion about the canonocity of that particular map, that concluded that references to it should be removed from the wesnoth timeline. The rationale behind this is that there is no such place as Eregonor on the world map.
Eagle_11 wrote: March 21st, 2018, 10:10 pm Eregonor.. sounds elvish, could be an far-off place that only the elves know the way to, somewhere deep into their forests, quite possibly inside the great Lintanir.
If Delfador is buried there, it would make sense if it has some connection to him. Ur-Thorodor's island where he entered the land of the dead would make sense in a way. It could also be the place where he left the land of the dead and met Chantal. Or it could be a place in Aethenwood, where he raised Konrad.
MathBrush wrote: March 21st, 2018, 6:25 pm It would make a great campaign, though; a young mage-to-be sneaks into Delfador's tomb and either sets off a horrible chain of events by taking the staff that they have to spend the whole campaign fixing (if it's a loyalist campaign) or starts an endless horde with the captured shade of Delfador at his side until Delfador rebels against him (if it's an undead campaign).
Actually, the reason I'm asking is because I have an idea of a possible campaign I'd like to make, and Delfador's resting place would be a key location.
My idea doesn't exactly involve a young mage-to-be, but a rather experienced master manipulator who needs the staff as part of a somewhat convoluted scheme involving a rebellion, a distant undead empire and the Fire Ruby, to take over Wesnoth and turn it into a utopia.
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Re: The Questions that Have no answers.... yet.

Post by gnombat »

BTIsaac wrote: March 22nd, 2018, 7:49 am
gnombat wrote: March 22nd, 2018, 4:31 am It looks like Eregonor was first mentioned 14 years ago.
I'm familiar with that thread. There's also a discussion about the canonocity of that particular map, that concluded that references to it should be removed from the wesnoth timeline. The rationale behind this is that there is no such place as Eregonor on the world map.
In the initial version of the timeline (from 2005), there are actually two references to Eregonor: one which describes the scenario in Challenge #3, and the other regarding the death of Delfador.

The first reference to Eregonor was removed in 2008; it's not clear why the second was not removed (probably just an oversight).
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