This may seem like nit-picking - believe me, that is not me intent. I just found one bit of lore I had not found before and am curious.
Is there any specific source for the "100 year resurrection" thing as a hard fact? I am not doubting it, but it merely seems very odd. We have Murdane, Auppenser and Valigan (To name three from a single pantheon) dying and never coming back. In some of these cases, no other deity showed up with similar domains and portfolios, and no event occurred that would lead us to believe they were somehow 'eaten' by something else. We have the Mulhorandi and Untheric pantheons, most of whom died in various ways (In some cases in ways that don't seem conducive to being consumed by another entity), and that's without touching the vaguely-defined Yuir pantheon (That seems to have been wiped out entirely).
We also have Tu'narath (Implied to be Aoskar?) who doesn't seem like they're about to go anywhere, and nothing deity-level has been around them for at least the last century.
More significantly, there are the attempts by many gods to avoid death. Bhaal having his babies, Bane seeding Xvim, Mystra putting some of her power into Midnight before the ToT, the Sava game of the Dark Seldarine pantheon, so forth. These guys seem to be playing for keeps, and seem to be taking large steps to ensure they aren't killed off... which is odd if the only consequence of death for them is a 100-year healing coma.
The Deities & Demigods supplements details the powers of deities in great detail, is where this is mentioned for sure but it's been mention in other source material and magazines.They don't instantly snap back after 100 years. They need to regain their power, especially if they lost a lot of followers. If they loose all their followers, they remain in astral form until they get a spark of power or at least one true follower to awaken them into demi-god status.
The majority of a deities' power is determined by their follower size, with a few exceptions like Mystra and AO, who gain the majority their power from elsewhere. Since Lord Ao doesn't allow followers, that means he gets his from another source entirely while Mystra gains much of hers from the very fabric of her own essence that binds the Multiverse together. Despite her power though, she is still bound to the laws of the gods as we see her not being able to return to full consciousness for at least 100 years. But when she did, boy did she show that her power isn't tied exclusively to her followers.
More significantly, there are the attempts by many gods to avoid death. Bhaal having his babies, Bane seeding Xvim, Mystra putting some of her power into Midnight before the ToT, the Sava game of the Dark Seldarine pantheon, so forth. These guys seem to be playing for keeps, and seem to be taking large steps to ensure they aren't killed off... which is odd if the only consequence of death for them is a 100-year healing coma.
I think that the Sava game was just a metaphor to describe the conflict among those deities, not something real. What would even be the point of the followers' action, if what truly mattered were the moves in the game, if mortals were actually pawns and their actions decided by the gods (which, btw, would contrast with Eilistraee's (and even Vhaeraun's, to an extent) MO)? It would also make little sense if it were real, since the game and its stakes were suppsosedly overseen and sanctioned by Ao, but we know for sure that both Eilistraee and Vhaeraun re-emerged during the Sundering and still kept followers (after they lost the game), and that therefore he must have let them do so...
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zebularMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 15,270Community Moderator
I think that the Sava game was just a metaphor to describe the conflict among those deities, not something real. What would even be the point of the followers' action, if what truly mattered were the moves in the game, if mortals were actually pawns and their actions decided by the gods (which, btw, would contrast with Eilistraee's (and even Vhaeraun's, to an extent) MO)? It would also make little sense if it were real, since the game and its stakes were suppsosedly overseen and sanctioned by Ao, but we know for sure that both Eilistraee and Vhaeraun re-emerged during the Sundering and still kept followers (after they lost the game), and that therefore he must have let them do so...
For Elistrasee, it would have been an easier transition than lesser known deities. When Eilistrasee sacrificed herself, Corellon took her essence into himself and the portfolio went to Selûne who continued to let Eilistrasee followers worship her under the same name and dogma. So, along with this and that her essence being safe-guarded for this time by her father instead of drifting aimlessly in the Astral Sea, there was little conversion to be had by Eilistrasee's most devout clergy base, whom most are drow that live for well over 100 years. This latter holds true for Vhaerun also, and may explain his speedy reascension after coming back, because like Eilistrasee, the majority of his followers are drow that live for well over 100 years. To the Elves, 100 years is not that long of a time really.
I see your point (even though Eilistraee's portfolio didn't go to Selune -the latter didn't change-, it's just more likely that her followers kept worshipping her out of faith/hope, alongside other deities) and you are probably right, since Ed Greenwood said that both Eilistraee and Vhaeraun created avatar to personally manifest to their followers during the Sundering, which means that they re-emerged with a decent amount of power (as making an avatar requires the use of quite a bit of it AFAIK) and that therefore during their absence they probably still had ''sustenance'' coming from their followers' faith.
However this doesn't change the fact that if the game and all the ''X piece takes Y piece'' moments were real, mortals' action wouldn't matter (and if mortals' actions actually mattered, then the game would have little value except as a mataphor, which I think is the case).
We don't know if it was Corellon who took and guarded Eilistraee (or if anyone did, or if she -and Vhaeraun with her, as they were merged- actually survived, albeit basically reduced to a non-factor, stripped of a lot of power. There are a lot of reasons why Halisstra's action couldn't have killed her), that was just speculation. In Ed Greenwood's upcoming novel (Spellstorm) it is said that Eilistraee is one of the deities with whom Mystra is currently sharing the Weave post-Sundering: as I said, maybe that's a hint to something that will be explained in his future fiction (and it could make sense, considering their alliance).
On a side note, Eilistraee didn't sacrifice herself, Halisstra attempted to kill her. The ''sacrifice'' is just a speculation AFAIK, but it wouldn't make sense, as the transformation to pre-drow dark elves has basically nothing to do with her goal/character, and abandoning the vast majority of the drow to achieve partial ''redemption'' of her race and give her followers something that they definitely don't need at all (probably not even want), is completely OOC for her. That mage, Q'arlynd, performed the ritual and changed back Eilistraee's followers with her help.
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The Deities & Demigods supplements details the powers of deities in great detail, is where this is mentioned for sure but it's been mention in other source material and magazines. They don't instantly snap back after 100 years. They need to regain their power, especially if they lost a lot of followers. If they loose all their followers, they remain in astral form until they get a spark of power or at least one true follower to awaken them into demi-god status.
The majority of a deities' power is determined by their follower size, with a few exceptions like Mystra and AO, who gain the majority their power from elsewhere. Since Lord Ao doesn't allow followers, that means he gets his from another source entirely while Mystra gains much of hers from the very fabric of her own essence that binds the Multiverse together. Despite her power though, she is still bound to the laws of the gods as we see her not being able to return to full consciousness for at least 100 years. But when she did, boy did she show that her power isn't tied exclusively to her followers.
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I think that the Sava game was just a metaphor to describe the conflict among those deities, not something real. What would even be the point of the followers' action, if what truly mattered were the moves in the game, if mortals were actually pawns and their actions decided by the gods (which, btw, would contrast with Eilistraee's (and even Vhaeraun's, to an extent) MO)? It would also make little sense if it were real, since the game and its stakes were suppsosedly overseen and sanctioned by Ao, but we know for sure that both Eilistraee and Vhaeraun re-emerged during the Sundering and still kept followers (after they lost the game), and that therefore he must have let them do so...
For Elistrasee, it would have been an easier transition than lesser known deities. When Eilistrasee sacrificed herself, Corellon took her essence into himself and the portfolio went to Selûne who continued to let Eilistrasee followers worship her under the same name and dogma. So, along with this and that her essence being safe-guarded for this time by her father instead of drifting aimlessly in the Astral Sea, there was little conversion to be had by Eilistrasee's most devout clergy base, whom most are drow that live for well over 100 years. This latter holds true for Vhaerun also, and may explain his speedy reascension after coming back, because like Eilistrasee, the majority of his followers are drow that live for well over 100 years. To the Elves, 100 years is not that long of a time really.
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However this doesn't change the fact that if the game and all the ''X piece takes Y piece'' moments were real, mortals' action wouldn't matter (and if mortals' actions actually mattered, then the game would have little value except as a mataphor, which I think is the case).
We don't know if it was Corellon who took and guarded Eilistraee (or if anyone did, or if she -and Vhaeraun with her, as they were merged- actually survived, albeit basically reduced to a non-factor, stripped of a lot of power. There are a lot of reasons why Halisstra's action couldn't have killed her), that was just speculation. In Ed Greenwood's upcoming novel (Spellstorm) it is said that Eilistraee is one of the deities with whom Mystra is currently sharing the Weave post-Sundering: as I said, maybe that's a hint to something that will be explained in his future fiction (and it could make sense, considering their alliance).
On a side note, Eilistraee didn't sacrifice herself, Halisstra attempted to kill her. The ''sacrifice'' is just a speculation AFAIK, but it wouldn't make sense, as the transformation to pre-drow dark elves has basically nothing to do with her goal/character, and abandoning the vast majority of the drow to achieve partial ''redemption'' of her race and give her followers something that they definitely don't need at all (probably not even want), is completely OOC for her. That mage, Q'arlynd, performed the ritual and changed back Eilistraee's followers with her help.