I have a player who is a Cleric of Deneir, and in my world, the various deities are much more active with their worshipers. I have been trying to find some kind of physical description, or illustration of what Deneir looked like. I know that he was the scribe of Oghma, who was originally a Human before he became a god. But I can't find anything on what race Deneir was, or any mention of what he might look like. so I'm hoping that you wonderful people might have come across something that I overlooked.
There is a book called "Forgotten Realms: The Human Deities" but I don't know if that means "deities of humans" and they could be any creature/race. Or if it means the deities were/are humans.
But it includes Deneir also. But I haven't been able to find an online version to see more.
I also found the FIRST reference to Denier which is purportedly from Dragon Magazine #54. And it says:
"DENEIR Connected to Oghma, this god is popularly depicted as an old, balding sage with a flaming white beard. Kuroth’s Quill (DMG, p. 159) is said to be of his manufacture, and the priests of Deneir even ascribe most of the magical tomes or books to him."
Blech, all this really emphasizes why D&D had such a taboo decades ago.
Today, I can find out 100 hours worth of crap in 15 minutes, just looking at the advertisements in DM #54 shows what a damned sinkhole D&D must have been before the rise of the internets...
I can honestly say that without Google, and D&D Beyond, and YouTube, I would never have touched D&D....I got too much else going on.
*****I just think we got way better at life than everyone gives us credit for**** LOL.
In a single week I can go on multiple dates, write 7,000 words into my book, play around on D&D Beyond, go to a D&D Game, hike the mountains, watch some meaningless TV shows, craft my own beer (or right now...mead and wine). Still got time enough for Church.
I also found the FIRST reference to Denier which is purportedly from Dragon Magazine #54. And it says:
"DENEIR Connected to Oghma, this god is popularly depicted as an old, balding sage with a flaming white beard. Kuroth’s Quill (DMG, p. 159) is said to be of his manufacture, and the priests of Deneir even ascribe most of the magical tomes or books to him."
My current question is whether Deneir is now back to being alive/no longer writing himself out of existence in order to fix The Weave. He's a god in 5e and it seems like they talk about him as if he is still present so... like... was that all undone?
Well, Arekkusu, I'd say IDNeon did a great job. I was even able to look at some of the stuff from older days. I'll just add a bit from a 3e book I own called "Faiths and Pantheons" which goes over many, many deities for a few paragraphs each and some even have stat blocks.
Deneir is actually a favorite deity of mine from back when I first really played with D&D stuff back in the old PC Baldur's Gate days and I feel that he'd be pleased with the Internet (a source of knowledge) and panicking over the mis-information that it can spread.
Anyways, here is some info on him.
Deneir - "Lord of All Glyphs and Images" "The Scribe of Oghma"
Neutral Good Portfolio: Glyphs, images, literature, scribes, cartography Worshipers: Historians, lore masters, sages, scholars, scribes, seekers of enlightenment, students Domains (3e): Good, Knowledge, Protection, Rune Domains (5e): (suggested) Knowledge Favored Weapon: A whirling glyph (dagger)
An ideal piece of writing, referred to as the Metatext, can unlock the secrets of the multiverse and catapult the reader to godhood. Deneir is obsessed with compiling the Metatext after glympsing a portion of this text made him a god. He now wants to read it in its entirety. He believes that the Metatext is reflected in the Prime Material plane by being hidden in every word ever committed to paper.
His clerics usually keep a journal in which they record things they encounter and read. They also take a vow to write, read, or transcribe things requested of them for only the cost of the materials (+1 silver if the person can afford it.) They eagerly teach others to read and write.
The most important, possible Metatext words and sentences that the priests and clerics collect are sent to the Iron Dragon Mountain temple hidden in the Earthfast Mountains. Librarian Supreme, Haliduth Orspriir, (at time of 3e) tries to add those words to add up to the elusive Metatext.
A interesting excerpt from his Dogma, "Information should be free to all and all should be able to read it so that lying tongues cannot distort things out of proportion."
The following is according to the linked fandom site from IDNeon that I have used many times myself. I scanned it from the years of 1385 DR to present DR to see if it specifically mentioned what happened to Deneir during this time.
During 4e, 1385 DR, Deneir was seen writing the Metatext into the Weave (and thus writing himself into it) to try and stablize it after Mystra's death. This caused him to vanish from the planes. Then, in 1479 DR, Elminster transfers a lot of the mystical Silver Fire he had to Mystra to return her to the realms. In 1487 DR the Second Sundering ends and many gods manage to come back (I guess that Deneir is among them.) In 1488 DR requests for guidance from the gods goes unheard. In 1489 DR most of the gods go from normally very involved with their followers to very vague (but not unheard as the year before.)
It never really mentions how or why Deneir came back. Perhaps that can be a huge adventure hook for you
In the 5e books "The Player's Handbook" and "The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide" Deneir is listed as a god again and the clergy's most holy book is called "The Tome of Universal Harmony"
What I've typed up here is way less than half of what is in the Faiths and Pantheons (3e) and Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (5e) about Deneir. Let me know if you can use more information about Deneir or another god.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Good luck and may you roll 20's when you need them and 1's when you need a laugh. - myself
Sorry for the thread necromancy here, but I found more info on Deneir in the 2e book, Forgotten Realms adventure, including a picture of the guy.
Here's some stuff:
A priest of Deneir, when confronted with a ward or runic symbol can try to identify the symbol. Make two Intelligence checks. If the first succeeds, the priest determines the type of person (Harper, merchant, ranger, orc, etc.) who left the rune. A second Intelligence check allows the priest to determine the general meaning of the rune (warning, good food, ambush, ancient magic), though not the exact details of the message. Other Notes Only about 15% of the total clergy which venerates Deneir are specialty priests of that god. However, specialty priests occupy all the high positions within the church hierarchy. Standard clerics are welcome, but even if they attain high levels, they will not be awarded holdings by the church. As a result there is some grumbling among the clerics in the faith and many turn to adventuring to give them advancement in other areas.
The standard dress of priests of Deneir, both in normal daily use and for ceremony, is a tan-white tunic and matching trousers. The medium-length cloak is worn with the clothes as a badge of rank within the hierarchy. The lowest levels wear blacks and grays while the local High Scrivener (always a specialty priest) has a white cloak. The tunic has a stiff, circular collar.
The most important identifier for a cleric of Deneir is the ubiquitous writing kit, a triangular pouch of leather worn on the right hip, which contains paper, inks, and pens. Adventuring clerics of Deneir wear whatever is most suitable for their particular mission, but always have both the writing kit and a gold circlet on the forehead bearing the symbol of their god. Deneir priests, both specialty and standard, have a special vow of charity. They will write letters and transcribe information upon request, usually at a modest price for the individual petitioning their help. Large projects must be negotiated, but in slow times, priests of Deneir can be found in the local commons and bars, writing letters for those unable to do so, charging no more than a few silvers, or performing the service for free to the needy.
Because of this vow, even standard priests of Deneir are strongly encouraged to have the reading/writing proficiency in at least one language. Also because of this vow, priests of Denier often gain information that is otherwise sensitive, dangerous, or potentially lucrative. While a sizable donation to the faith will help keep such matters secret for some time, priests of the faith may gain a quick understanding of the lay of the local landscape from talking to their neighborhood parish priest.
There is a saying, "Remember that the pens of Deneir also have ears." The hierarchy of Deneir also provides scribes and will train nonbelievers of good and neutral alignments to read and write. While such scribes are very good, many rulers and mages have a feeling that the information they transcribe also finds its way to the churchs secret libraries.
Most large communities and temples of Deneir have secret libraries which may contain anything from a few tomes in the High Scriveners office to (reputed) extensive underground vaults filled with the wisdom of the ages. Supposedly only the highest levels of the specialty priests have access to such huge vaults, which are, of course, protected by powerful magical guards and wards.
Here's a link to an image of hte guy from that book..
Well, Arekkusu, I'd say IDNeon did a great job. I was even able to look at some of the stuff from older days. I'll just add a bit from a 3e book I own called "Faiths and Pantheons" which goes over many, many deities for a few paragraphs each and some even have stat blocks.
There is much to be learned about invoking the power of Deneir from the books in the Series the Forgotten Realms: The Cleric Quintet by R.A. Salvatore.*
The books follow a young Student of Denier named Catterly Bonaduce through his early days at the Edificant Library as a would be adventurer until he reaches his full power as a Dineirath Priest.
Reading the path of a Denierath from youngster to full power, combined with contributions of, IDNeon, Golmere, and NewbieDM has provided me with everything I need to role play a Cleric of this order.
Cut your DM's some slack! …Award your players more inspiration!
*I did not provide any details about what can be learned in the books because it would spoil some terrific stories:)
The Clerical Quintet was an interesting set of novels. Realize the 2nd edition rules required Salvatore to change the protagonist because monks were absent at that time. But I honestly think the story was good, and the character arc was satisfying. I would absolutely give it a try, and see for yourself what you think. Personally, I think there is a group of people who were so hung up on the Legend of Drizzt, (It really was that good!!!!!) that they wanted to keep the story going so were disappointed in the new series. But that is merely an opinion of mine, and not of anyone else that I am aware of. However, if your goal was to learn how to play or run a cleric of Deneir, this is a must read!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I am not sure what my Spirit Animal is. But whatever that thing is, I am pretty sure it has rabies!
Your level of participation in this forum illustrates an extremely high level expertise on these matters. Thank you for participating in this discussion!
Every work of art will have both critics, and devotees. Apparently, against the tide of criticisms, I personally enjoyed the books immensely and think they are well written even if not as exciting. I understand that I have read only seventeen of Salvatore's books, and I returned to the game nearly forty years after my mom burned my original pink box basic set. (Thanks Tom Hanks!) Thus, I may not have attained a level of expertise to decide if it is canon or among the worst Forgotten Realms Novels or not.
I can see why some might not enjoy them as much. Even for those who do not enjoy the Quintet, I still think it could be used as an excellent example of how to play a Cleric following Deneir.
I hope to continue to learn from this community and significant contributors such as yourself.
I am sure there are some people that did not like The Cleric Quintet or enjoy them as much as other Forgotten Realms novels.
That being said - I think the books were outstanding. I see them, and their characters as integral parts of the history of Toril. Personally I hold these as some of my favorite novels.
I will be greatly disappointed if at some point there is not a new novel depicting the return of Denier and Spirit Soaring.
It's fine that you enjoyed them, but that doesn't change the amount of criticism they received. You are allowed to like bad stuff.
I don't recall them being unusually bad for D&D novels of the era. (I don't remember anything about them at all, which is par for the course.) If they got a lot of hate, I'd suspect it's because they weren't more drizzt, and didn't resonate with the drizzt fans.
Few, if any, of the D&D novels rose above "competent entertainment" (yes, even those), and there's nothing wrong with that. Jumping into the thread to insist that these particular books are bad strikes me as overdoing it.
It's fine that you enjoyed them, but that doesn't change the amount of criticism they received. You are allowed to like bad stuff.
I don't recall them being unusually bad for D&D novels of the era. (I don't remember anything about them at all, which is par for the course.) If they got a lot of hate, I'd suspect it's because they weren't more drizzt, and didn't resonate with the drizzt fans.
Few, if any, of the D&D novels rose above "competent entertainment" (yes, even those), and there's nothing wrong with that. Jumping into the thread to insist that these particular books are bad strikes me as overdoing it.
That they weren't more Drizzt novels probably drove some of the complaints, but there was a lot of people who took issue over things like how the protagonist tortured people for information several times and deliberately healed injuries wrong in order to cripple someone (who later sacrificed her life for him because she "loved" him), how he went from being somewhat naive and unsure of himself to being an unstoppable Chosen of Deneir who could do anything between books with little build up, and that much of the supporting cast was quite one-dimensional. Many people just didn't feel that the books were close to Salvatore's usual quality level and felt phoned in.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I have a player who is a Cleric of Deneir, and in my world, the various deities are much more active with their worshipers. I have been trying to find some kind of physical description, or illustration of what Deneir looked like. I know that he was the scribe of Oghma, who was originally a Human before he became a god. But I can't find anything on what race Deneir was, or any mention of what he might look like. so I'm hoping that you wonderful people might have come across something that I overlooked.
K I'm back.
The only reference I could find that has any promise is a direct interaction with Deneir by Cadderly in this novel:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/The_Ghost_King
There is a book called "Forgotten Realms: The Human Deities" but I don't know if that means "deities of humans" and they could be any creature/race. Or if it means the deities were/are humans.
But it includes Deneir also. But I haven't been able to find an online version to see more.
Read the first chapters. Feel free to critique. Will link the next chapters at the end of the first. Two stories running so far.
Simeon Tor:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/34598-simeon-tor-chapter-1-the-heat-of-battle
The Heart of the Drow:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/36014-heart-of-the-drow-chapter-1
Cha' Ching
I also found the FIRST reference to Denier which is purportedly from Dragon Magazine #54. And it says:
"DENEIR Connected to Oghma, this god is popularly depicted as an old, balding sage with a flaming white beard. Kuroth’s Quill (DMG, p. 159) is said to be of his manufacture, and the priests of Deneir even ascribe most of the magical tomes or books to him."
https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg054.pdf
On page 54 of 84.
"DMG, p. 159" is a reference to the page for the artifact of Kuroth's Quill.
Gutenberg Project preserved it here:
http://self.gutenberg.org/article/whebn0033467597/kuroth
Read the first chapters. Feel free to critique. Will link the next chapters at the end of the first. Two stories running so far.
Simeon Tor:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/34598-simeon-tor-chapter-1-the-heat-of-battle
The Heart of the Drow:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/36014-heart-of-the-drow-chapter-1
Blech, all this really emphasizes why D&D had such a taboo decades ago.
Today, I can find out 100 hours worth of crap in 15 minutes, just looking at the advertisements in DM #54 shows what a damned sinkhole D&D must have been before the rise of the internets...
I can honestly say that without Google, and D&D Beyond, and YouTube, I would never have touched D&D....I got too much else going on.
*****I just think we got way better at life than everyone gives us credit for**** LOL.
In a single week I can go on multiple dates, write 7,000 words into my book, play around on D&D Beyond, go to a D&D Game, hike the mountains, watch some meaningless TV shows, craft my own beer (or right now...mead and wine). Still got time enough for Church.
Beat that '80s.
Read the first chapters. Feel free to critique. Will link the next chapters at the end of the first. Two stories running so far.
Simeon Tor:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/34598-simeon-tor-chapter-1-the-heat-of-battle
The Heart of the Drow:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/36014-heart-of-the-drow-chapter-1
Awesome, thank you so much! You're amazing.
My current question is whether Deneir is now back to being alive/no longer writing himself out of existence in order to fix The Weave. He's a god in 5e and it seems like they talk about him as if he is still present so... like... was that all undone?
Well, Arekkusu, I'd say IDNeon did a great job. I was even able to look at some of the stuff from older days. I'll just add a bit from a 3e book I own called "Faiths and Pantheons" which goes over many, many deities for a few paragraphs each and some even have stat blocks.
Deneir is actually a favorite deity of mine from back when I first really played with D&D stuff back in the old PC Baldur's Gate days and I feel that he'd be pleased with the Internet (a source of knowledge) and panicking over the mis-information that it can spread.
Anyways, here is some info on him.
Deneir - "Lord of All Glyphs and Images" "The Scribe of Oghma"
Neutral Good
Portfolio: Glyphs, images, literature, scribes, cartography
Worshipers: Historians, lore masters, sages, scholars, scribes, seekers of enlightenment, students
Domains (3e): Good, Knowledge, Protection, Rune
Domains (5e): (suggested) Knowledge
Favored Weapon: A whirling glyph (dagger)
Symbol: Lit candle above an open eye.
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/forgottenrealms/images/9/90/Deneir_symbol.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20061222102158
An ideal piece of writing, referred to as the Metatext, can unlock the secrets of the multiverse and catapult the reader to godhood. Deneir is obsessed with compiling the Metatext after glympsing a portion of this text made him a god. He now wants to read it in its entirety. He believes that the Metatext is reflected in the Prime Material plane by being hidden in every word ever committed to paper.
His clerics usually keep a journal in which they record things they encounter and read. They also take a vow to write, read, or transcribe things requested of them for only the cost of the materials (+1 silver if the person can afford it.) They eagerly teach others to read and write.
The most important, possible Metatext words and sentences that the priests and clerics collect are sent to the Iron Dragon Mountain temple hidden in the Earthfast Mountains. Librarian Supreme, Haliduth Orspriir, (at time of 3e) tries to add those words to add up to the elusive Metatext.
A interesting excerpt from his Dogma, "Information should be free to all and all should be able to read it so that lying tongues cannot distort things out of proportion."
The following is according to the linked fandom site from IDNeon that I have used many times myself. I scanned it from the years of 1385 DR to present DR to see if it specifically mentioned what happened to Deneir during this time.
During 4e, 1385 DR, Deneir was seen writing the Metatext into the Weave (and thus writing himself into it) to try and stablize it after Mystra's death. This caused him to vanish from the planes. Then, in 1479 DR, Elminster transfers a lot of the mystical Silver Fire he had to Mystra to return her to the realms. In 1487 DR the Second Sundering ends and many gods manage to come back (I guess that Deneir is among them.) In 1488 DR requests for guidance from the gods goes unheard. In 1489 DR most of the gods go from normally very involved with their followers to very vague (but not unheard as the year before.)
It never really mentions how or why Deneir came back. Perhaps that can be a huge adventure hook for you
In the 5e books "The Player's Handbook" and "The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide" Deneir is listed as a god again and the clergy's most holy book is called "The Tome of Universal Harmony"
What I've typed up here is way less than half of what is in the Faiths and Pantheons (3e) and Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (5e) about Deneir. Let me know if you can use more information about Deneir or another god.
Good luck and may you roll 20's when you need them and 1's when you need a laugh. - myself
Sorry for the thread necromancy here, but I found more info on Deneir in the 2e book, Forgotten Realms adventure, including a picture of the guy.
Here's some stuff:
A priest of Deneir, when confronted with a ward or runic symbol can try to identify the symbol. Make two Intelligence checks. If the first succeeds, the priest determines the type of person (Harper, merchant, ranger, orc, etc.) who left the rune. A second Intelligence check allows the priest to determine the general meaning of the rune (warning, good food, ambush, ancient magic), though not the exact details of the message. Other Notes Only about 15% of the total clergy which venerates Deneir are specialty priests of that god. However, specialty priests occupy all the high positions within the church hierarchy. Standard clerics are welcome, but even if they attain high levels, they will not be awarded holdings by the church. As a result there is some grumbling among the clerics in the faith and many turn to adventuring to give them advancement in other areas.
The standard dress of priests of Deneir, both in normal daily use and for ceremony, is a tan-white tunic and matching trousers. The medium-length cloak is worn with the clothes as a badge of rank within the hierarchy. The lowest levels wear blacks and grays while the local High Scrivener (always a specialty priest) has a white cloak. The tunic has a stiff, circular collar.
The most important identifier for a cleric of Deneir is the ubiquitous writing kit, a triangular pouch of leather worn on the right hip, which contains paper, inks, and pens. Adventuring clerics of Deneir wear whatever is most suitable for their particular mission, but always have both the writing kit and a gold circlet on the forehead bearing the symbol of their god. Deneir priests, both specialty and standard, have a special vow of charity. They will write letters and transcribe information upon request, usually at a modest price for the individual petitioning their help. Large projects must be negotiated, but in slow times, priests of Deneir can be found in the local commons and bars, writing letters for those unable to do so, charging no more than a few silvers, or performing the service for free to the needy.
Because of this vow, even standard priests of Deneir are strongly encouraged to have the reading/writing proficiency in at least one language. Also because of this vow, priests of Denier often gain information that is otherwise sensitive, dangerous, or potentially lucrative. While a sizable donation to the faith will help keep such matters secret for some time, priests of the faith may gain a quick understanding of the lay of the local landscape from talking to their neighborhood parish priest.
There is a saying, "Remember that the pens of Deneir also have ears." The hierarchy of Deneir also provides scribes and will train nonbelievers of good and neutral alignments to read and write. While such scribes are very good, many rulers and mages have a feeling that the information they transcribe also finds its way to the churchs secret libraries.
Most large communities and temples of Deneir have secret libraries which may contain anything from a few tomes in the High Scriveners office to (reputed) extensive underground vaults filled with the wisdom of the ages. Supposedly only the highest levels of the specialty priests have access to such huge vaults, which are, of course, protected by powerful magical guards and wards.
Here's a link to an image of hte guy from that book..
https://ibb.co/fXv9sBQ
Awesome, I appreciate the added information!
Thank you for adding even more to the information on Deneir. I also appreciate the linked picture!
There is much to be learned about invoking the power of Deneir from the books in the Series the Forgotten Realms: The Cleric Quintet by R.A. Salvatore.*
The books follow a young Student of Denier named Catterly Bonaduce through his early days at the Edificant Library as a would be adventurer until he reaches his full power as a Dineirath Priest.
Reading the path of a Denierath from youngster to full power, combined with contributions of, IDNeon, Golmere, and NewbieDM has provided me with everything I need to role play a Cleric of this order.
Cut your DM's some slack! …Award your players more inspiration!
*I did not provide any details about what can be learned in the books because it would spoil some terrific stories:)
The Clerical Quintet is widely regarded as being among the worst Forgotten Realms novels ever written.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
The Clerical Quintet was an interesting set of novels. Realize the 2nd edition rules required Salvatore to change the protagonist because monks were absent at that time. But I honestly think the story was good, and the character arc was satisfying. I would absolutely give it a try, and see for yourself what you think. Personally, I think there is a group of people who were so hung up on the Legend of Drizzt, (It really was that good!!!!!) that they wanted to keep the story going so were disappointed in the new series. But that is merely an opinion of mine, and not of anyone else that I am aware of. However, if your goal was to learn how to play or run a cleric of Deneir, this is a must read!
I am not sure what my Spirit Animal is. But whatever that thing is, I am pretty sure it has rabies!
Thank you for your insight 6thLyranGuard.
Your level of participation in this forum illustrates an extremely high level expertise on these matters. Thank you for participating in this discussion!
Every work of art will have both critics, and devotees. Apparently, against the tide of criticisms, I personally enjoyed the books immensely and think they are well written even if not as exciting. I understand that I have read only seventeen of Salvatore's books, and I returned to the game nearly forty years after my mom burned my original pink box basic set. (Thanks Tom Hanks!) Thus, I may not have attained a level of expertise to decide if it is canon or among the worst Forgotten Realms Novels or not.
I can see why some might not enjoy them as much. Even for those who do not enjoy the Quintet, I still think it could be used as an excellent example of how to play a Cleric following Deneir.
I hope to continue to learn from this community and significant contributors such as yourself.
I am sure there are some people that did not like The Cleric Quintet or enjoy them as much as other Forgotten Realms novels.
That being said - I think the books were outstanding. I see them, and their characters as integral parts of the history of Toril. Personally I hold these as some of my favorite novels.
I will be greatly disappointed if at some point there is not a new novel depicting the return of Denier and Spirit Soaring.
It's fine that you enjoyed them, but that doesn't change the amount of criticism they received. You are allowed to like bad stuff.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I don't recall them being unusually bad for D&D novels of the era. (I don't remember anything about them at all, which is par for the course.) If they got a lot of hate, I'd suspect it's because they weren't more drizzt, and didn't resonate with the drizzt fans.
Few, if any, of the D&D novels rose above "competent entertainment" (yes, even those), and there's nothing wrong with that. Jumping into the thread to insist that these particular books are bad strikes me as overdoing it.
That they weren't more Drizzt novels probably drove some of the complaints, but there was a lot of people who took issue over things like how the protagonist tortured people for information several times and deliberately healed injuries wrong in order to cripple someone (who later sacrificed her life for him because she "loved" him), how he went from being somewhat naive and unsure of himself to being an unstoppable Chosen of Deneir who could do anything between books with little build up, and that much of the supporting cast was quite one-dimensional. Many people just didn't feel that the books were close to Salvatore's usual quality level and felt phoned in.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Likewise, people are allowed to unartfully state their opinions and come across as pompous. Thanks for *allowing* me my opinion.