What if Drizzt Was Written by Someone Other Than R. A. Salvatore?

Happy Day of Might to any that observe!

The title says it all: what if Drizzt had been written by someone else, specifically after the series had several entries and was popular? Shores of Dusk by Mark Anthony was not meant to be. The novel was written, and ads had appeared for it, but it has never seen the light of day and likely never will. I won't spoil the whole thing for you, but will show you to a write-up written by Anthony about the doomed novel. I was made aware of it by this recent Facebook post.

It is interesting to contemplate the direction Drizzt could have taken if Salvatore had actually hung up his hat. I have not read Realms of the Underdark and can't guess at how well Anthony may or may not have done. What do you think?

Here it is and amarast!:

News: Another Novel is Coming

 On October 11, 2023 a new Forgotten Realms novel was announced. It is Dungeons & Dragons: The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin by Jaleigh Johnson. It is set to be released on March 5, 2024. See the listing here. 

Here is the blurb:

Meet the newest Dungeons & Dragons party in the first epic adventure of The Fallbacks. To become renowned adventurers, this party needs to survive their first job. Tessalynde is an ambitious young rogue who dreams of leading Faerûn’s foremost adventuring party. While the crew she’s gathered isn’t the stuff of legend yet, she’s confident her guidance can get them there. The team: Anson, a fighter too stubborn to stay down, even when the odds are stacked against him. Cazrin, a self-taught wizard determined to test her theoretical mettle against the real world. Baldric, a cleric who refuses to tie himself to a single deity when he can trade favors with them all. Lark, a bard with as many secrets as songs. And, of course, Uggie, a monstrous pet otyugh who loves giving hugs and eating trash. Their first job: recovering a mysterious spellbook from a lost temple for a hefty payout. Tess hopes this assignment can turn her group of fledgling freelancers into a true team. But when their client is killed, their coin and his murderer both vanish, leaving the party to take the fall. Stuck with a sentient, bloodthirsty grimoire and pursued by mercenaries and the undead, this is hardly the mission Tess envisioned. Her crew must save the day, get the gold, and clear the party’s name—which they haven’t even agreed upon yet! With the threats against them mounting, a single mistake will see this party over before it even begins. Can this band of mismatched misfits stay together in the face of danger? Or are they bound for ruin?

As has been discussed previously, the novel line ended in 2016. Since then any publication has been through third party publishers, and has drastically limited the number of releases. We have gotten several Drizzt books, because of their continued popularity. We also have gotten the two Honor Among Thieves novels, of which Johnson wrote one: The Road to Neverwinter. That is it.

From the Realms novels I have read by Johnson, I'm not super excited. While not a bad writer, the new Realms feeling comes from a place of unsympathetic corporate overlords. I want the Forgotten Realms logo. I want Elminster or something recognizable beyond Sword Coast props. I will still read the novel to let you know if it is worth reading, but looking at the blurb, maybe cozy fantasy fans (or comedy) rather than heroic fantasy fans should note this announcement. I will remain cautiously optimistic and hope that since Johnson is somewhat of a Realms veteran that we will get more from someone like Greenwood, Cunningham, Kemp, or others some day.

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You can track my current progress here.

Community Spotlight: Religion in the Realms

 It is time to put another spotlight on the great Forgotten Realms community. This time we are looking at another podcast, this one sharing indispensable knowledge and lore. Those familiar with D&D in general and the Realms specifically will know that gods and goddesses do exist, it's not a question like it is in our world. They commune with their churches and give spells to their followers. 

BUT there are a lot of these deities. Religion in the Realms has you covered. The podcast started with going over the Pantheons themselves and the latest episode is about Loviatar, the maiden of pain. I highly recommend going through any of these that may pertain to a session you are planning or a character you are building. I even went through Kelemvor's for this post.

You can find the podcast in the usual places, they are all linked here. Follow the podcast to keep up to date on what's next on Twitter as well.

Amarast!

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Law & Order by Dave Gross

 Law & Order is another tie-in to the Baldur's Gate games. This one is specifically about the early years of Rasaad yn Bashir in Calimport. I have previously reviewed Baldur's Gate short stories, I link them all here. Read this story on page 188-202 here.

The story is divided into two parts, Fishing and The Path to Light. Rasaad and his brother Gamaz are fishing, which is their euphemism for being pickpockets. They want gold fish, but also will take copper and silver, it's cheeky. After a close encounter with a Sharan, the brothers decide to team up to fill their empty stomachs. They then encounter a Sun Soul monk, a man from out of town. Rasaad is only eight years old, but his quick hands make him good at his job. On the other hand, he can't lie any more than a dwarf could pass for a gnome. 

Part two continues the story, so I will be vague. Rasaad is now fifteen years old. This continues the brother's lessons and their camaraderie increases. I read this on a rainy day and it seemed perfect for me. It is an Exceptional story if a simple one. 

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You can track my current progress here.

Review: Sandstorm by Christopher Rowe

Sandstorm is one of those odd standalone novels not incorporated into a series like Lost Empires or Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep. It was released in 2011 and was Christopher Rowe's first novel. I actually have chatted with Rowe briefly online, and realizing he had written a Realms novel pushed this one up my list.

This is the Fourth Edition of Forgotten Realms, so it's weird. That doesn't count it out as a good time, I enjoyed Brimstone Angels and Venom in Her Veins, and those are also during the Era of Upheaval. This one takes place in Calimshan, and fans of the desert kingdom south of Tethyr and Amn and across the water from Chult may want to give it a whirl.

Calimport is way less glorious after the Spellplague, though it was always tainted by its slave trade. Slavery is one theme of this book, and we are introduced to gladiatorial games on an earthmote, that is a floating piece of earth. It starts with a bang, a duel between a gladiator and a great tentacled cat. You often don't get covers showcasing events from the start of the book, but this is an exception. It's also notable because Raymond Swanland makes such good art.

Along with this cover, it has a sword & sorcery feel at the start. The magic is also less gamey and feels tad more authentic than in some other Realms novels.

Cephas is a gladiator slave on the earthmote. He seemingly tries to escape from just about every bout he is in; though he is a good fighter he longs for freedom. He has some innate connection to the earth and this relationship is explained once he goes on his journey.

Corvus Nightfeather is a Kenku assassin and a carnie of sorts for the Circus of Wonders. He is not the main character but stands out as unique and as my favorite. Along with a Kenku, you also get some other races that have populated D&D for the last decade or more. Things like Goliaths and Genasi, the latter being integral to the story. The story explores Genasi having two or more elemental aspects regardless of their birth element. For example, can air Genasi also acquire the fire aspect? This ties into a theme of identity and family, particularly the found family trope.

Lastly, Rowe makes good use of epigraphs from in-world texts. I am a big fan of this method, and seeing it in the Forgotten Realms is very fun. That being said, I did not enjoy this one too much, but I feel I could have put more effort into reading it. I think I will reread it at some point, it is very short. As of now, I'll give my arbitrary rating of Acceptable.

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You can track my current progress here.

Pages Behind the Pixels: Baldur's Gate and the Accompanying Fiction

 Baldur's Gate is a popular series of video games produced by BioWare. The first released in 1998 and was followed by a sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn in 2000. A spin-off series, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance followed in 2001 with a sequel in 2004. The latter were produced by Snowblind Studios and Black Isle Studios, respectively. Many years later, in 2023, Larian would produced Baldur's Gate III to critical acclaim.

These games brought to life the Forgotten Realms in ways previously tapped into by games like the old Gold Box series or The Eye of the Beholder series. I will talk about those in different articles, but today I want to make people aware of the fiction that ties into the Baldur's Gate series of games. This is for fans both old and new!

Baldur's Gate was novelized the year following its release. This novelization was done by Philip Athans, and Baldur's Gate II got a similar treatment. There was even a third novel for the second game's expansion, Throne of Bhaal written by Drew Karpyshyn. 

Sadly, the novel line was ended in several years ago, so beyond the occasional release of a Drizzt novel or the movie tie-in, we don't get any novels. Many fans believe a tie-in to the new game would make a lot of sense, too bad we don't have any sway at Wizards of the Coast.

However, there is more than just these three novels. While Dark Alliance never got blessed with any fiction, there are a number of short stories that deal tangentially with the story of the Baldur's Gate games. These are as follows: 

"Final Exam" by Dave Gross (read on page 317 here)

"Unburdened" by Dave Gross (read it here)

"Best Friends" by Dave Gross (read on page 324 here)

"Rancor" by Dave Gross (read on page 89 here)

"Law and Order" by Dave Gross (read on page 188 here)

(These next three specifically tie into the first game's expansion, Siege of Dragonspear)

"Amulet Fellow and the Regal Rose/Glint's Story" by Andrew Foley (read on page 17 here)

"Den of Chaos" by Amber Scott (read here)

"Dangerous World" by Andrew Foley (read here)

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You can track my current progress here.

Remembering Those Passed

 In the Realms, when you die you go to the realm of your chiefest deity. Such realms range from terrible to awesome. If you are not claimed by one you are then accepted into the Realm of the Dead by its Lord. This position has changed several times, from Jergal to Myrkul to Cyric to Kelemvor. Thankfully this last has the most peaceful version of the realm. In real life there are many places people do and do not believe in. I won’t get into that today, but it’s pertinent.

I wanted to make a special post today to remember those fallen. However it happens, it’s a circumstance of life. We all die. There are plenty people that large swaths remember, the likes of Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson spring to mind as the creators of Dungeons & Dragons. I also think of Ed Greenwood’s late wife, Jenny. But there are those more close to home, family, friends. I am young and have not experienced much death in the family. As far as D&D is concerned and the reason for this publication date, is my friend, Wes. 

Wes was a fantastic Dungeon Master, and a similarly great player when I DMed. He even played a character I made, Daoine “Dao” of the Forest of Shadows (from the Cleric Quintet). I have generally played TTRPGs with my brothers, but a group I was a part of while living in Colorado (2020-2021) had Saturday set aside to play. Well after I moved, a year ago today, Wes passed away after a serious car accident. 

While I miss him and his congenial nature and his happy attitude, I am grateful for the memories. I cannot think of anything negative associated with him. It was grand adventures, good food and copious snacks. We travelled through the Underdark, fought cultists in Neverwinter, traversed the plains, had WWE style matches with giants, and experienced so much that was “not natural”(an inside joke, stay with me). 

The first Day of Might, October 2021, we appropriately played Dungeons & Dragons. We lit our red candles, drank root beer, and I even brought gifts of sword and sorcery books for my pals (Howard’s Conan and Leiber’s Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, for those curious). 

I’ve had characters die, and I’m grateful for the time I had with them. I’m even more grateful for friends like Wes, taken far too young. But he’ll live on as himself and the multiple hours of fun he was a part of. My latest 5e character is named “Wes of the Mattock” and is a Rashemi version of Montana born Wes. Maybe one day we’ll roll some new characters together, in the meantime I’ll roll more with him in mind. 

Anerriphto kubos, friends.