I know many of you do not consider Living Greyhawk to be canon (neither do I for the most part), yet I would like to know how Countess Bellisica of the County of Urnst died. The LGH site dedicated to the C.U. doesn't say.
Also, why was her death even necessary? I understand that the concept is that world is living and not stagnant, but some of these sites seem to make dramatic changes just to give themselves more control over their area. Is that even necessary? Once you change Greyhawk significately, it isn't Greyhawk anymore. Folks coming into a campaign should be able to recognize a few iconic personalities and gain a sense of familiarity and reliability.
Okay, this just stepped into being a rant. I apologize. No offense was intended to followers of LGH. I just fear that should Greyhawk return to print that someone may actually incorporate these unfamiliar/unexplained changes.
Why are those personalities needed?
Isn't the campaign about the players and their characters, and not the creator/developer/writer/DM and their characters?
Past a certain point, an obsessive retention of NPCs, particularly big name ones, hinders the setting rather than enhances it.
This is different from having established names in an established history. A history just sits there, it doesn't force the players to avoid changing it, but serves as something they can add to.
And that is what LG is doing. It is adding to the history, not changing what is establshed. So if a ruler is dead, so what? Now she is part of the history, and the players can build around her.
It should also be noted that if GH ever gets back into print, the specific reasons for most all LG development are unlikely to be used, even if similar events are used, because of how WotC and the RPGA use LG adventures. (There's a rather long thread explaining all of that here.)
Yeah, if something in LGH doesn't work with you, then don't use it, but there will still be plenty of info that you might find useful to your campaign.
IMO making Greyhawk YOUR world is kind of what Greyhawk is all about. That's why I always come back to it.
From a thread somewhere on WOTC I recall there being a diabolic possession, a civil war and some else. Now what I've found on the CoU site, Belissica was replaced by 'Contessa Elone Hofre Gellor, a paladin of Heironeous.' The site has some good news updates for 595 involving what looks like conflict with Sewarnt in Nyrond (another comedy) and much war. All in all that looks good.
So my problem is this: change or not, killing Belissica off is a heinous campaign tragedy. It's comparable to killing off Princess Diana. As she is described in the LGG, she is the most beloved ruler in the Flanaess and even has decent relations with enemies. So yeah, if she is expendable then any potentate slain after her is perfectly justifiable in my eyes. Killing someone of her magnitude has an emotional impact on an entire nation if not region, so its effective. What dismays me is her replacement, a militant paladin. I suppose a paladin can be every bit the charismatic diplomat that Belissica was but it does perhaps give a hint as to why a decision was made to have Belissica was offed...
Just heard the countess is dead...here we go again
What strikes me is that some regions don't understand or don't want to make the effort to understand the established tenor of their nation.
If Belissica is dead replaced with a militant paladin, I hope the triad is not going down the easy but totally out of character road of military conflict. CoU has always been a moderate diplomatic and lately financial power, the poster child for the benefits and use of "soft power" within GH. If they do decide to do a trite martial campaign, it won't be too long hopefully before the see they have wasted a great NPC but don't worry I am sure she will be back eventually.
I just wish more triads would use the assets and personalities of their region such as Belissica as an apt Princess Diana comparison with storylines about the rigors of public adoration, romance, diplomatic efforts to jockey for her hand ala Queen Elizabeth or delve into the complexities of international financial affairs as CoU presses its merchant interests rather then trying to "force the square peg in the round hole" because it is easier or superficially exciting for myself some of these changes at a "gut level" just feel wrong.
Before you respond that I am a fossil against change; I am Not
Several regions have been exceeding well done and in challenging areas such as Onnwal, Theocracy, Ratik and even DoU to name just a few because it flows naturally from the established storyline; it feels right.
So is the upshot that nobody actually knows how Bellisica died?
I know she was possessed and then recovered but apart from that, I have no clue, which is a bit remiss of the Triad. I know that regions operate independently but the death of a ruler should make headlines throughout the Flanaess. How come stuff this important isn't being trumpeted on EVERY site?
Exactly. As written in the LGG, Belissica being the most beloved monarch would also be the most mourned. If not suitably mourned in game by neighboring and farflung monarchies-then she should in the VERY LEAST be suitably memorialized on the LG County of Urnst site. Instead the best you can find is passing reference to 'the late Countess Belissica' (I think the storyline we are harping over happened a year ago). You can find more info on her successor for goodness sake.
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