I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseum, but is this guy of Flannae descent? And when did he build his Tower? I know it was before the Twin Cataclysms, but I have a note from some now-forgotten source that states it was thousands of years before C.Y. 1. Not sure where I came up with this, but it would mean that he was at his height before Year 1 on the Flannae calendar.
Here's the relevant passage from C2 Ghost Tower of Inverness:
Quote:
Know you that in the elder days before the Invoked Devastation and the Rain of Colorless Fire, when the ancient peaks of the Abbor-Alz still thrust skyward sharp and majestic and the Flan tribesmen were but newcomers to the land, there existed between the Bright Desert and the mouth of the river Selintan a great fortress called Inverness. . . . Know you also that here was said to dwell the great wizard Galap-Dreidel at the height of his power and glory, and that he did lift the Castle Inverness from the very foundation of rock upon which it rested.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the only canon reference to Galap-Dreidel. From that, though, we can infer that he was not Flan, as they were "but newcomers" at that time. Based on that quote, I would imagine his reign to have been sometime between -2150 CY (beginning of Flan calendar) and -422 CY (Invoked Devastation).
Mmmm, I noticed the same. Well, the question begs - if he wasn't Flan, was he Suel? Is it possible that he was an elf? I guess I've always just assumed he was human, but I'm not sure Ghost Tower states that explicitly.
In my campaign, I'm looking to make him a rival of Tzunk's, and am grateful for any thoughts anyone has on the matter.
I would guess that exceedingly ancient individuals such as Galap-Dreidel and Tzunk belong to a race (or races) that pre-date those currently extant in the Flanaess. These were probably the same highly-advanced, prehistoric peoples who were interred in the Cairn Hills.
If you are interested, in the Gran March campaign project, we have created a back story for one adventure arc that addresses these very points. It ain't Canon, but you might find it interesting and useful. If so, send me a PM with an email address that accepts attachements, and I will forward you the document for review.
btgrover, I'm very interested in what info you use for Tzunk. He/she/it is one of those enigmas that's just a legend to me still. I admit that I'm totally guilty of confusing Tzunk with Yagrax, but Maldin set me straight on that:
It looks to me like Maldin's site (which is a fabulous resource, BTW) places Tzunk around the timeframe of the City of Brass (whenever that was), but Yagrax is more along the lines of the timeframe DMPrata was using. If you're using Maldin's timeline, or a different one, I'd love to see it so I can steal ideas.
But if you ignore Maldin's timeline, and use DMPrata's idea, there are some interesting possibilities:
- The newest issue of Dungeon has The Whispering Cairn, by Erik Mona, and it ties directly in with just who those ancient cairns were built by. I'll leave it vague, but for more info either PM me or check out the Paizo messageboard on the Age of Worms Adventure Path
(here: http://paizo.com/dungeon/messageboards/ageOfWorms). I have no idea how much this will tie in with the rest of the Adventure Path, but this first adventure is right up that alley.
- Even if you ignore his timeline, you might want to look over Maldin's page; it's the first link I indicated. If you assume Tzunk is around that timeframe, there should lots of great info Maldin's come up with there.
- You might also want to check out the Rod of Seven Parts 2E box, as it also will have strong ties with both these sources.
I'd love to see whatever you work up!! This timeframe is just ripe for tie-ins. Hope this helps. _________________ ~basiliv
I didn't design the world,
I merely facilitated its creation
In my campaign, Galap-Driedel belongs to one of the races that make up the mysterious "Cairn Builder" culture. Specifically, he is a vaati (Wind Duke of Aaqa) refugee from the Battle of Pesh, where the Wind Duke sundered the armies of the Queen of Chaos with the Rod of Seven Parts.
Ha! That's funny, Erik, BTGrover and I were just discussing whether or not G-D was Vaati.
I was leaning toward "no", as the Soul Gem seemed very evil to me. But BT pointed out that G-D could have been an Wind Duke more concerned with Evil than Law. Could be, could be.
I'm also really interested in what folks have done with Tzunk in their campaigns. Totally untapped resources, for me.
Anyone? _________________ ~basiliv
I didn't design the world,
I merely facilitated its creation
In my campaign, Galap-Driedel belongs to one of the races that make up the mysterious "Cairn Builder" culture. Specifically, he is a vaati (Wind Duke of Aaqa) refugee from the Battle of Pesh, where the Wind Duke sundered the armies of the Queen of Chaos with the Rod of Seven Parts.
Is this Pesh Keoland? Or is it the plains west from Wild Coast, where now the south Gnarley/Suss complex is located? I read your articles on Greyhawk ancient lore, I find them extremely informative on what a GM (old DM) can do if he wants to develop the world for his home play. I mean the way you write you educate people on the ways of a designer.
I guess another article of yours is related to our topic. This is the Exag mystery article. I conjecture that the pre-Flan residents of Exag where Vaati and abandoned Exag to participate in the battle of Pesh, am I true?
Mr Mona, I have written 2 articles related to our topic. I believe I informed you, like I always do when I write something new. Have you ever read them? What did you think concerning my methods?
I do not know how to create hyperlinks for the CF! forums, so please just get the links
Stylianos Scarlatos _________________ "It is easier to milk a cow that stands still." Tzeliobas-Aristomenes, General Cleaning, Greyhawk Construction Company.
So if Galap-Driedel is a Vaati, what's his story? Did he stay behind after the battle to bury the dead, and decide he liked the Flanaess and wanted to stay? What of the Soul Gem - did he already possess that before he came to Greyhawk, or was it discovered later? If so, where? Also interested in questions of alignment - the Soul Gem does seem rather evil, as Basiliv points out. Were the Wind Dukes Lawful Evil? Or was Galap-Driedel himself a rare Vaati of this alignment; and might that explain why he was apparently somewhat of a recluse among his people? Or did he start out LG or LN and slowly become corrupted by the power of the Gem? Alternatively, maybe he was the Vaati's token GH representative, and he was tasked with protecting the Cairns, and just overseeing the peace in general - although if this were the case, it seems as if he'd have built his tower IN the Cairn Hills.
All interesting stuff, if anyone has feedback, would like to hear it.
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