Yup. I personally don't think that such things even need to be mechanized, especially if they take place over the course of decades. They can be defined quite loosely / narratively. I see little purpose in defining how exactly these things happen. It can be one of those "wizards work in mysterious ways" - things. :P Even if it's a player character.
"Then asked that the how not deal with mechanics - essentially an impossible request. How always deals with mechanics. "
Wait what? I'm really confused. How is that an impossible request in a tabletop RPG where DMs can literally create/decide anything they want?
If it's an impossible request, then how is it possible for me to do it pretty much daily?
Mission: extend wizard lives without determining mechanics
A human wizard NPC is 130 years old at level 8. How?
Potions. Consumed frequently. Provided by a certain specialist within their order.
How frequently?
Frequently enough. Let's say approximately monthly. No need to create a detailed mechanic for it since the effects will only be visible over the course of decades anyway.
How much longer does he live?
Maybe a hundred years longer if he can use them frequently. He does age, but more slowly. There are other ways to keep himself from physically deteriorating, though.
What about a player wizard?
Potions. Consumed frequently. Provided by a certain specialist within their order.
How does he get them?
Maybe some favors, maybe money. You can ask the provider in-game if they aren't already available to you. But you are already level 8, so we can just decide that you've already been using them for quite some time. You have a 10 of these potions in your bag. Drink one occasionally for RP flavor, they should last until the next time skip. If you lose them, you can make a big deal out of it and go to lengths to get more quickly if your character is afraid of aging.
The player wants to learn how to make these potions. How?
Great! Learn from someone who can make them. It will be a great detail for your character development. Let's do it partly in-game and partly during downtimes. It's pretty complicated, so we'll get back to it when you're more experienced in alchemy. It's not tied to your level, but you need to make it visible in-game and during downtimes that alchemy is a major part of your character.
Ok I learned. What are the game mechanics of the potion?
You can now provide life-extending potions for your order. You'll make X amount of extra money annually. The potions make people age more slowly, so the effects aren't really visible, so there is no need to make detailed mechanics.
Can I make them for my party?
Yes, but it would be so time-consuming that you'd probably have to retire from adventuring at least for a while. You can make them for yourself just by making it visible in-game that you spend time cooking these potions. You can get the ingredients in most major cities. Make it visible that you get these. It will be a nice mystery when the other players wonder what all those ingredients are for. If you want to, you can tell the other players what some of the ingredients are. You can make up whatever ingredients you want from Troll ear wax to Crudinite Powder. ---
There you go. You can just use a narrative approach instead of game-mechanics. If it involves a player, then you can get the player involved too for a fun and engaging experience. You don't need game mechanics for something that has no mechanical purpose.
In fact, as DM, you don't even need to go to such lengths if you don't want to. As easily as you can say that all species only live about 100 years if you don't want long-lived races in your setting, you can also say that wizards can live up to a hundred years longer than mundane people. Or you can say that Master wizards can live indefinitely if it suits your needs.
In older editions you also had potions of longevity that added (1-10 years (1d10)) to anyone, but especially wizard’s, lives.
Potions of longevity still exist in 5e, and they're how a number of well known long-lived characters are still around, such as Durnan and Mirt in Waterdeep, who supposedly found some in the Undermountain. The downside is there's a chance they will age you instead, and it increases the more you drink.
Halaster Blackcloak mostly uses clones I believe, though if the potions of longevity were found in the Undermountain he may be producing those as well. I don't think it's been confirmed which he's using since the Spellplague when a whole bunch of his clones woke up early and got scattered all over the place, but I would assume he'd probably have just created more clones and kept chugging potions.
Elminster Amaur is nearly 1,300 years old, and it's likely he is using potions of longevity or some kind of more powerful "elixir of life", which might be just the same potion without the risk of ageing instead?
I've recently started a campaign set in Baldur's Gate, but there is a wizard I want to keep from the older video games despite the campaign being set later, so I've got him in the body of an automaton having figured out how to transfer his spirit to that rather than using clones. So he's basically using a warforged type body, but behaves exactly as he did as a frail old human.
There's a lot of options for how to handle longevity in a setting like D&D.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
In my games, anyone sufficiently powerful can live .... not exactly forever, but for a very long time. Basically, levels decrease your aging. But wizards get zero preferential treatment.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
In my games, anyone sufficiently powerful can live .... not exactly forever, but for a very long time. Basically, levels decrease your aging. But wizards get zero preferential treatment.
Elminster Amaur is nearly 1,300 years old, and it's likely he is using potions of longevity or some kind of more powerful "elixir of life", which might be just the same potion without the risk of ageing instead?
I think Elminster's longevity is related more to the side benefits of dating the goddess of magic.
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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.
Elminster Amaur is nearly 1,300 years old, and it's likely he is using potions of longevity or some kind of more powerful "elixir of life", which might be just the same potion without the risk of ageing instead?
I think Elminster's longevity is related more to the side benefits of dating the goddess of magic.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
SirLoxy, you actually made my point for me without realizing it - your entire post 22 is describing the mechanics you use in your game. Halaster, by lore is an escaped Imaskari Artificer and nearly 5000 years old. As such he is more than capable of epic magic and could easily have the epic feat of eternal life or have crafted an epic ( or level 10/11 spell) granting immortality. Elminster and the other Chosen of Mystra are all described as having the boon of immortality granted to them by Mystra as a part of their status as Chosen. They can be killed but do not appear to be using clones as several have died and not returned ( several have been transformed into new forms but resurrected/cloned/reincarnated. one of Halaster’s Apprentices has gained immortality in a new and unique way by becoming a living spell thus providing us with another possible way to extend life.
SirLoxy, you actually made my point for me without realizing it - your entire post 22 is describing the mechanics you use in your game.
I'm starting to feel like this miscommunication is not sincere. If there is ill will behind it, then it's useless to continue this. I don't want to argue over pointless pedantics. It should be contextually clear by now what the difference between narrative and game-mechanical is in this thread. If it's not clear by now, then it never will be.
There have been some great and inspiring posts in this thread, thanks ya'll for those! :) But I don't want to argue. I'm here to inspire and be inspired and have a good time. So I'm unsubbing to protect what is left of my sanity.
I’m sorry sirLoxy, no ill will was intended. I suspect we see the game through very different lenses and that is where we get at cross intents. To me the how is always mechanics and the what is narrative. It looks like you include the how in the narrative unless there are special rules for it.
I suspect the same. I've played tabletops for over 20 years, but DnD for maybe 7. DnD 5e is quite rule/mechanically heavy compared to many other systems, at least in my experience. Most of my experience is with much more narrative/loosely crafted systems, so to me it's exactly like you said - mechanics are basically any set of rules, fixed scores/numbers/written principles. I consider the "how" narrative as long I don't need to determine any specific rules/scores/resources/modifiers/features for it. :)
So basically if it involves any resources such as spell slots, or rolls/scores such as "you live 2d10 years longer each time you consume the potion" etc, then it's a mechanic. In fact, if it requires someone to use their character sheet, other than their inventory, then it's probably a mechanic in my book. But if it's enough that either me or the player describes the process or effect, then I consider it narrative.
In my games, anyone sufficiently powerful can live .... not exactly forever, but for a very long time. Basically, levels decrease your aging. But wizards get zero preferential treatment.
Oooh I like this approach!
As an aside, druids can actually live forever - going through a long heirophantic stage of meditating alone in a cave, before finally freeing their spirits from the shackles of the flesh. Max level druids (and I play a good deal of E6) can leave their body when it dies, and take the body of an animal instead. They can also, once they learn how, become treants.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
I had similar lore in one setting. Powerful druids (maybe 13+) didn't usually die of old age, because before dying of old age, they travelled to the Fey Wilds to live forever with the nature goddess. And if they were particularly powerful, they sometimes transformed into Animal Lords (lesser animal gods) and were sent back to their world by the goddess.
I had similar lore in one setting. Powerful druids (maybe 13+) didn't usually die of old age, because before dying of old age, they travelled to the Fey Wilds to live forever with the nature goddess. And if they were particularly powerful, they sometimes transformed into Animal Lords (lesser animal gods) and were sent back to their world by the goddess.
The setting I use most has a ... well, at least to my mind, an unusual premise: Civilisation and wild nature are in constant conflict, and civilisation isn't winning. There are only three truly major cities in the world (Madripore, Æhrengaard and Ul Haq), and the landscape is dotted with the ruins of settlements that grew too large, too invasive, and came to some sudden and unexpected calamity. Could be anything, brushfire, gnolls, locusts, the list goes on.
In this world, the faith of the druids is a major one, and - as you may have surmised - they are masterful at engineering situations in which nature somehow negates the encroachment of civilisation. Some would say they are bloody to the armpits from murdering thousands of innocents. But the druids would claim that in nature, the strong prevail, and the weak are prey.
To this day - and this may be my fault - no player has yet put two and two together, and figured out that druids are really behind it. I even put domsday preachers in the streets sometimes - 'the end is nigh,' they cry, shaking their fists at the heavens, 'for the blight of man shall be purged from the land.' I never say, there's a druid preaching in the street. I tell them it's an apparent madman with leaves and twigs in his beard, and dirty grey robes.
Like I've said, they've yet to figure it out =)
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Sounds like a case of not actually giving the players enough information.
In a campaign I'm running I've given players three weird names now that turned out to be an anagram telling them exactly who the person really was; I don't expect them to figure them out, but they're still not even suspicious about weird names yet. Sometimes the players need to take some blame. 😝
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Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Sounds like a case of not actually giving the players enough information.
In a campaign I'm running I've given players three weird names now that turned out to be an anagram telling them exactly who the person really was; I don't expect them to figure them out, but they're still not even suspicious about weird names yet. Sometimes the players need to take some blame. 😝
In the campaign in question, the druids are part of the setting - not related to the plot at all. They're not required to figure it out, but it's funny that it's right under their noses, but they haven't given any real thought to it. Many other things are part of the setting, some hidden and some not. For instance, there are three cities - but in actuality, there's another two, an undead metropolis and an underdark city. They've never come up, though I've hinted at them.
I like that my world has secrets to explore or ignore. The players get all the information they need to solve the plot. But for background, they get only what comes up naturally, or what they dig for.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Sounds like a case of not actually giving the players enough information.
In a campaign I'm running I've given players three weird names now that turned out to be an anagram telling them exactly who the person really was; I don't expect them to figure them out, but they're still not even suspicious about weird names yet. Sometimes the players need to take some blame. 😝
Weird names are pretty standard in fantasy settings, so unless there's something that makes those particular names stand out compared to every other NPC there's no reason for the players to be suspicious.
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 goblin wizard I've created for an upcoming campaign who is effectively immortal (from an aging perspective only). I've discussed it with my DM; the in-game reason is that he accidentally discovered the secret to immortality somewhere along the line while researching something else, doesn't even realize it, has no idea what it is, and has made it to 600 years old without even knowing how old he really is. He still thinks he's in his 30s or 40s. This will allow me a ton of RP opportunities without ever having to worry about "how".
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Yup. I personally don't think that such things even need to be mechanized, especially if they take place over the course of decades. They can be defined quite loosely / narratively. I see little purpose in defining how exactly these things happen. It can be one of those "wizards work in mysterious ways" - things. :P Even if it's a player character.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Wait what? I'm really confused. How is that an impossible request in a tabletop RPG where DMs can literally create/decide anything they want?
If it's an impossible request, then how is it possible for me to do it pretty much daily?
Mission: extend wizard lives without determining mechanics
A human wizard NPC is 130 years old at level 8. How?
Potions. Consumed frequently. Provided by a certain specialist within their order.
How frequently?
Frequently enough. Let's say approximately monthly. No need to create a detailed mechanic for it since the effects will only be visible over the course of decades anyway.
How much longer does he live?
Maybe a hundred years longer if he can use them frequently. He does age, but more slowly. There are other ways to keep himself from physically deteriorating, though.
What about a player wizard?
Potions. Consumed frequently. Provided by a certain specialist within their order.
How does he get them?
Maybe some favors, maybe money. You can ask the provider in-game if they aren't already available to you. But you are already level 8, so we can just decide that you've already been using them for quite some time. You have a 10 of these potions in your bag. Drink one occasionally for RP flavor, they should last until the next time skip. If you lose them, you can make a big deal out of it and go to lengths to get more quickly if your character is afraid of aging.
The player wants to learn how to make these potions. How?
Great! Learn from someone who can make them. It will be a great detail for your character development. Let's do it partly in-game and partly during downtimes. It's pretty complicated, so we'll get back to it when you're more experienced in alchemy. It's not tied to your level, but you need to make it visible in-game and during downtimes that alchemy is a major part of your character.
Ok I learned. What are the game mechanics of the potion?
You can now provide life-extending potions for your order. You'll make X amount of extra money annually. The potions make people age more slowly, so the effects aren't really visible, so there is no need to make detailed mechanics.
Can I make them for my party?
Yes, but it would be so time-consuming that you'd probably have to retire from adventuring at least for a while. You can make them for yourself just by making it visible in-game that you spend time cooking these potions. You can get the ingredients in most major cities. Make it visible that you get these. It will be a nice mystery when the other players wonder what all those ingredients are for. If you want to, you can tell the other players what some of the ingredients are. You can make up whatever ingredients you want from Troll ear wax to Crudinite Powder.
---
There you go. You can just use a narrative approach instead of game-mechanics. If it involves a player, then you can get the player involved too for a fun and engaging experience. You don't need game mechanics for something that has no mechanical purpose.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
In fact, as DM, you don't even need to go to such lengths if you don't want to. As easily as you can say that all species only live about 100 years if you don't want long-lived races in your setting, you can also say that wizards can live up to a hundred years longer than mundane people. Or you can say that Master wizards can live indefinitely if it suits your needs.
All it takes is one DM decision.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
Potions of longevity still exist in 5e, and they're how a number of well known long-lived characters are still around, such as Durnan and Mirt in Waterdeep, who supposedly found some in the Undermountain. The downside is there's a chance they will age you instead, and it increases the more you drink.
Halaster Blackcloak mostly uses clones I believe, though if the potions of longevity were found in the Undermountain he may be producing those as well. I don't think it's been confirmed which he's using since the Spellplague when a whole bunch of his clones woke up early and got scattered all over the place, but I would assume he'd probably have just created more clones and kept chugging potions.
Elminster Amaur is nearly 1,300 years old, and it's likely he is using potions of longevity or some kind of more powerful "elixir of life", which might be just the same potion without the risk of ageing instead?
I've recently started a campaign set in Baldur's Gate, but there is a wizard I want to keep from the older video games despite the campaign being set later, so I've got him in the body of an automaton having figured out how to transfer his spirit to that rather than using clones. So he's basically using a warforged type body, but behaves exactly as he did as a frail old human.
There's a lot of options for how to handle longevity in a setting like D&D.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
In my games, anyone sufficiently powerful can live .... not exactly forever, but for a very long time. Basically, levels decrease your aging. But wizards get zero preferential treatment.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Oooh I like this approach!
Finland GMT/UTC +2
I think Elminster's longevity is related more to the side benefits of dating the goddess of magic.
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.
You can't convince me that's not how potions of longevity are made. 😝
But (and this is an old, old source) Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue also suggests his longevity was from elven bread he got from Evermeet…
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
SirLoxy, you actually made my point for me without realizing it - your entire post 22 is describing the mechanics you use in your game.
Halaster, by lore is an escaped Imaskari Artificer and nearly 5000 years old. As such he is more than capable of epic magic and could easily have the epic feat of eternal life or have crafted an epic ( or level 10/11 spell) granting immortality.
Elminster and the other Chosen of Mystra are all described as having the boon of immortality granted to them by Mystra as a part of their status as Chosen. They can be killed but do not appear to be using clones as several have died and not returned ( several have been transformed into new forms but resurrected/cloned/reincarnated.
one of Halaster’s Apprentices has gained immortality in a new and unique way by becoming a living spell thus providing us with another possible way to extend life.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
I'm starting to feel like this miscommunication is not sincere. If there is ill will behind it, then it's useless to continue this. I don't want to argue over pointless pedantics. It should be contextually clear by now what the difference between narrative and game-mechanical is in this thread. If it's not clear by now, then it never will be.
There have been some great and inspiring posts in this thread, thanks ya'll for those! :) But I don't want to argue. I'm here to inspire and be inspired and have a good time. So I'm unsubbing to protect what is left of my sanity.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
I’m sorry sirLoxy, no ill will was intended. I suspect we see the game through very different lenses and that is where we get at cross intents. To me the how is always mechanics and the what is narrative. It looks like you include the how in the narrative unless there are special rules for it.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
It's alright. I appreciate that. :)
I suspect the same. I've played tabletops for over 20 years, but DnD for maybe 7. DnD 5e is quite rule/mechanically heavy compared to many other systems, at least in my experience. Most of my experience is with much more narrative/loosely crafted systems, so to me it's exactly like you said - mechanics are basically any set of rules, fixed scores/numbers/written principles. I consider the "how" narrative as long I don't need to determine any specific rules/scores/resources/modifiers/features for it. :)
So basically if it involves any resources such as spell slots, or rolls/scores such as "you live 2d10 years longer each time you consume the potion" etc, then it's a mechanic. In fact, if it requires someone to use their character sheet, other than their inventory, then it's probably a mechanic in my book. But if it's enough that either me or the player describes the process or effect, then I consider it narrative.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
As an aside, druids can actually live forever - going through a long heirophantic stage of meditating alone in a cave, before finally freeing their spirits from the shackles of the flesh. Max level druids (and I play a good deal of E6) can leave their body when it dies, and take the body of an animal instead. They can also, once they learn how, become treants.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
I had similar lore in one setting. Powerful druids (maybe 13+) didn't usually die of old age, because before dying of old age, they travelled to the Fey Wilds to live forever with the nature goddess. And if they were particularly powerful, they sometimes transformed into Animal Lords (lesser animal gods) and were sent back to their world by the goddess.
Finland GMT/UTC +2
The setting I use most has a ... well, at least to my mind, an unusual premise: Civilisation and wild nature are in constant conflict, and civilisation isn't winning. There are only three truly major cities in the world (Madripore, Æhrengaard and Ul Haq), and the landscape is dotted with the ruins of settlements that grew too large, too invasive, and came to some sudden and unexpected calamity. Could be anything, brushfire, gnolls, locusts, the list goes on.
In this world, the faith of the druids is a major one, and - as you may have surmised - they are masterful at engineering situations in which nature somehow negates the encroachment of civilisation. Some would say they are bloody to the armpits from murdering thousands of innocents. But the druids would claim that in nature, the strong prevail, and the weak are prey.
To this day - and this may be my fault - no player has yet put two and two together, and figured out that druids are really behind it. I even put domsday preachers in the streets sometimes - 'the end is nigh,' they cry, shaking their fists at the heavens, 'for the blight of man shall be purged from the land.' I never say, there's a druid preaching in the street. I tell them it's an apparent madman with leaves and twigs in his beard, and dirty grey robes.
Like I've said, they've yet to figure it out =)
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Sounds like a case of not actually giving the players enough information.
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.
In a campaign I'm running I've given players three weird names now that turned out to be an anagram telling them exactly who the person really was; I don't expect them to figure them out, but they're still not even suspicious about weird names yet. Sometimes the players need to take some blame. 😝
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
In the campaign in question, the druids are part of the setting - not related to the plot at all. They're not required to figure it out, but it's funny that it's right under their noses, but they haven't given any real thought to it. Many other things are part of the setting, some hidden and some not. For instance, there are three cities - but in actuality, there's another two, an undead metropolis and an underdark city. They've never come up, though I've hinted at them.
I like that my world has secrets to explore or ignore. The players get all the information they need to solve the plot. But for background, they get only what comes up naturally, or what they dig for.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
Weird names are pretty standard in fantasy settings, so unless there's something that makes those particular names stand out compared to every other NPC there's no reason for the players to be suspicious.
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 goblin wizard I've created for an upcoming campaign who is effectively immortal (from an aging perspective only). I've discussed it with my DM; the in-game reason is that he accidentally discovered the secret to immortality somewhere along the line while researching something else, doesn't even realize it, has no idea what it is, and has made it to 600 years old without even knowing how old he really is. He still thinks he's in his 30s or 40s. This will allow me a ton of RP opportunities without ever having to worry about "how".