Jarkko Ranta on 26/2/2006 at 17:02
I was planning to throw some mages into an FM, but I was halted by a lack of information. Beeing "a-quite-Thief-loyal-mission maker" I would like to get all possible information about these guys. For example: is their fortress older than the Cataclysm (probably "yes" 'cause the Keepers gave them the Talisman(s)), is the Great Flame presented in their ways of burial and how mages are tolerated in the City (some books about their research can be found in the Sword)?
As TDP doesn't show them all information gained is from some T-Gold walk, so that doesn't give much to work with.
metal dawn on 27/2/2006 at 01:36
Uh?
Wait, are you talking about the Hand Brotherhood of Mages?
Information about them is rare but I think the best places to investigate are the Mage Towers (obviously) and the Lost City. The Mages seem to have a presonal connection to Karath-Din. Perhaps the mages that are encountered there are have been guarding it since and possibly before the Cataclysm.
I really can't tell you much off the top of my head, but I can say that making educated guesses won't hurt anybody, since not much canon information is likely to be found.
The mages don't necessarily have to be from the Hand.
Fanon isn't a bad reference either. Try looking to fan-created references for help on how to work out your own mythos and lore.
An excellent example is Curse of the Ancients by Kozmala. It could also be useful to borro references from our worlds mythology and legends, which is probably what LGS did anyway (Lovecraftian Mythos hint hint). Mesopotamian mythology is quite interesting, in my opinion.
Hope that helps; I wasn't sure how to answer.
Yametha on 27/2/2006 at 01:41
From the 'The Mage Towers' Briefing.
"From unknown origins they came
They live isolated beyond the city
The extent of their arcane power is unknown
We must be very cautious in dealing with them
Close observation must continue"
-- Keeper Xavier, Treatise on Mages
Beyond that... have you tried searching?
Jarkko Ranta on 27/2/2006 at 07:01
The best I could do was to visit this FANtastic Thief Gold Walk ((
http://alexfung.info/favorite/game/thief.htm)) to find the information from readable objects, but for the lack of Gold I'm bind for those readables only.
Is these anything useful in the conversations?
Yametha on 27/2/2006 at 07:56
They have some ability to foretell the future.
From a conversation in the main tower: -
It's true he has returned. We must be ready. Rough waters lie ahead.
Many will not survive. We must try to redirect the current.
Try as we might to retrieve the talismans, the prophecy is an ocean returning to shore. Little we can do to prevent it. Only prepare for its arrival.
Dry and dead is much of the city. The sun will oppose and the conflict will end in flames.
It's the way of things. Civilizations will burn into the earth so that it may give life to the next.
Winds of progress always head towards the grave.
Soon, young apprentice, you shall grasp the truth of it.
Take note of the fact that they were trying to retrieve the other talismans, which suggests that they were in the lost city for the same reason Garrett was.
Also four statues speak to Garrret while he's there: -
Betrayal will force you to seek, Garrett.
Greed shall be your undoing, poor Garrett.
Deception is your power, Garrett.
Do not let fear control your path, Garrett.
Holywhippet on 27/2/2006 at 23:29
I might be imagining things, but wasn't there something that indicated that the mages hadn't had the talisman for all that long? I doubt the Keepers just handed it over to them since they knew so little about them. They probably found it somehow and are trying to locate the others for their own purposes - or possibly just to have them since elemental magic is their forte.
What I do wonder about is the map showing where the talismans are. Do the Keepers update it whenever a talisman changes location or does the map magically update itself? Or, possibly it just shows where they were placed after the cathedral was sealed.
metal dawn on 27/2/2006 at 23:56
Quote Posted by Holywhippet
I might be imagining things, but wasn't there something that indicated that the mages hadn't had the talisman for all that long?
Wait a minute, this would not have anything to do with Captain Regalio's expedition, would it?
Yametha on 28/2/2006 at 01:20
Just for those who don't know, a note from the mage towers: -
Recovering the golden medallion of Saint Burringden will reward all the sweat I put into the endless hunt for those damned talismans. By selling it I will surely make some profit off of this ordeal. In all my years of service to the Hand I have never seen their efforts so thoroughly stymied. It's almost as though one of their own had taken and hidden the talismans so completely that not even the archmages can find them.
- Capt. E. F. Regalio
Jarkko Ranta on 28/2/2006 at 14:14
As far as I can see it (with the point from TDP) the Keepers did their best not to shake the Balance, so they would do their best not to unite the Talismans in any circumstances (what a word, hope I wrote that right...). As the Gold kicks in the mages and Hammerites are unlikely to join to use the Talismans together (others use Elemental magic, the same that the Trickster, and the others their divine spells).
The Keepers didn't think that a third party (or fourth when mages counted in; the Keeper expeditions didn't hid the Talismans just to get killed) would claim all Talismans from their possessors.
When divided to more than one group the Talismans could be kept apart unless something unusual should unite their possessors (a threath that endangers all, like in the Strange Bedfellows).
Hope I got this complicated enough... But one could draw conclusion that Hammers wouldn't touch mages 'cause their use of Elemental magic, right?
jtr7 on 28/2/2006 at 19:12
And then there's Azaran the Cruel, delving into necromancy, worrying the Hand Brotherhood, searching for the Book of Ash, and apparently succeeding in his schemes.
