W/out going into the extensive context of my homebrewed setting, here's the core issue atm:
I offhandedly mentioned that a particular group of red-robed mages were "a synthesis of the Order of the Red Robes of Lunitari and the Red Wizards of Thay"and left it at that.
Now, of course, those same mages have suddenly begun to creep into the spotlight and have attracted PC interest.
So, I'm looking for some ideas about what such a group might actually be like. I'm pondering what the merged philosophies of the balanced Lunitari mages and the much more hardcore Thayans might look like. I know that, with the Thayans, that would depend on which particular point in history you're looking at. I'm looking at their overall structure and foci, not necessarily the dark Szass Tam years :)
Thayans are pretty much crappy as an aristocratic culture regardless of time period. You could lean more into the style of Thayan red wizards that came about during their rebellion against the Mulhorandi? Thay was founded as a social rebellion against a society that valued authoritarian god-kings as leaders. You could write this particular group of thayans as a "purist" cult that followed the less bat-shit crazy society that came afterward.
So, as much as I hate alignment, like a neutral evil kind of thing? Like devils that only keep up their side of the bargain when it remains convenient for them. (Where chaotic creatures wouldn’t make a bargain in the first place, and lawful would always keep it to the letter.)
Or maybe they’re like those people who philosophically try to maintain balance on a cosmic scale. But they’ve seen the good guys keep winning, so they work on evil plans to help maintain that balance. That lets them keep up the old idea that villains are the heroes of their own story. Their evil acts help preserve balance.
Or maybe they’re like those people who philosophically try to maintain balance on a cosmic scale. But they’ve seen the good guys keep winning, so they work on evil plans to help maintain that balance. That lets them keep up the old idea that villains are the heroes of their own story. Their evil acts help preserve balance.
I was thinking along similar lines as you, Xalthu. I figured that borrowing from the Red Robes of Lunitari would give this group of wizards a desire to maintain balance on a global (or even cosmic) scale. However, the Red Wizards of Thay component changes the approach from an academic neutral one to a more active and aggresive one. Much like the Thayan wizards, these partcular red-robed wizards desire conquest but not necessarily because they desire to rule. They just don't believe that societies on the whole can remain truly neutral (i.e., too many "heroes" and "villians" running amok).
Rather than conquering and killing to expand their empire, these wizards uses ther powerful enchantments and illusions to strip countries and kingdoms of their freewill. People continue to live out their daily lives, but most of ther minds (and choices) are no longer their own. Perfectly neutral societies are maintained by the wizards, so that neither good nor evil can disrupt the balance again...
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W/out going into the extensive context of my homebrewed setting, here's the core issue atm:
I offhandedly mentioned that a particular group of red-robed mages were "a synthesis of the Order of the Red Robes of Lunitari and the Red Wizards of Thay" and left it at that.
Now, of course, those same mages have suddenly begun to creep into the spotlight and have attracted PC interest.
So, I'm looking for some ideas about what such a group might actually be like. I'm pondering what the merged philosophies of the balanced Lunitari mages and the much more hardcore Thayans might look like. I know that, with the Thayans, that would depend on which particular point in history you're looking at. I'm looking at their overall structure and foci, not necessarily the dark Szass Tam years :)
Any ideas?
Thayans are pretty much crappy as an aristocratic culture regardless of time period. You could lean more into the style of Thayan red wizards that came about during their rebellion against the Mulhorandi? Thay was founded as a social rebellion against a society that valued authoritarian god-kings as leaders. You could write this particular group of thayans as a "purist" cult that followed the less bat-shit crazy society that came afterward.
So, as much as I hate alignment, like a neutral evil kind of thing? Like devils that only keep up their side of the bargain when it remains convenient for them. (Where chaotic creatures wouldn’t make a bargain in the first place, and lawful would always keep it to the letter.)
Or maybe they’re like those people who philosophically try to maintain balance on a cosmic scale. But they’ve seen the good guys keep winning, so they work on evil plans to help maintain that balance. That lets them keep up the old idea that villains are the heroes of their own story. Their evil acts help preserve balance.
I was thinking along similar lines as you, Xalthu. I figured that borrowing from the Red Robes of Lunitari would give this group of wizards a desire to maintain balance on a global (or even cosmic) scale. However, the Red Wizards of Thay component changes the approach from an academic neutral one to a more active and aggresive one. Much like the Thayan wizards, these partcular red-robed wizards desire conquest but not necessarily because they desire to rule. They just don't believe that societies on the whole can remain truly neutral (i.e., too many "heroes" and "villians" running amok).
Rather than conquering and killing to expand their empire, these wizards uses ther powerful enchantments and illusions to strip countries and kingdoms of their freewill. People continue to live out their daily lives, but most of ther minds (and choices) are no longer their own. Perfectly neutral societies are maintained by the wizards, so that neither good nor evil can disrupt the balance again...