Would you like to see a Lineage of Cormyr’s rulers in print?

[Sanishiver]

As I understand it Brian Cortijo has been working for quite some time on a lineage of Cormyr’s rulers. I don’t know how in depth or extensive it is but it’s something I would like to see find its way into Dragon or (more likely) Dungeon Magazine.

Would you like to see something like this in print?

If yes, how do we convince WotC to put it in print? Obviously statements of fan interest are key (Brian outlines the best ways to do that here--see bottom of page 1 of the thread), but I wonder if the lineage itself can’t be expanded on or made more appealing to WotC to begin with?

My thinking is that if the lineage is just an extensive list of names and dates, that’s something a Realmslore fan would be interested in, but it may not be all that useful for Average Joe Dungeon Master.

So I’m wondering if there are possible Character Themes that could be written up in tandem with the Lineage article that could appear in Dragon Magazine? Maybe a character theme built around a Cormyrean noble family who comes to believe their bloodline is not only intermixed with the Obarskyrs, but actually contains more living descendants of Obarskyr blood than the current ruling family? Perhaps this leads them to think they should rule as the “true” Obarskyrs and the character spend time adventuring to discover how deep the family lineage is? That sort of thing?

Any ideas and advice are most welcome.

Edit: I posted some questions about the lineage to Brian on the WotC forums. Hope to get some info from him about the Lineage to maybe spawn good ideas for other material based off of it.

---------- Post added at 07:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 PM ----------

Haha did Brian ever come through!

Here's his description of what the Lineage is comprised of: What it is, in its current form, is a 31,000+ word document chronicling the entire history of Cormyr's royal house (it was a bit longer, but the Swords of State article was actually formed from the end portions of the Lineage). It deals with more than 120 different persons of the Obarskyr line, the royal magicians, and various related individuals. It talks about some key events and enemies of the realm, but for the most part, it's a Who's Who of Cormyrean royal history, and the key events of each of their lives, descriptions of personality, and for what (if anything) they are now remembered.

That sounds totally awesome to me.

[Steelfiredragon]

let me see...
NO


rather see a linage of the lords of waterdeep

[Matt James]

I'm all for anything FR getting some action. That being said, it's hard to get permission for a print product. Don't give up though. Do what you love to do and never let someone tell you NO!

[Sanishiver]

let me see...
NO


rather see a linage of the lords of waterdeep

What if one lineage could lead to the other?

[gaming tonic]

I agree with Matt in that any FR material is a good thing. It has always been a popular setting and I am sure we will see lots more of that from WotC in the future. As far as lineages of Cormyr go, I think it doesn't hold attention for the average gamer but to fans of the Realms it would be awesome. I will take Waterdeep Lords as well. You do have a few possibilities for themes perhaps a second born noble and some sort of maester (George R.R. Martin style) or vizier in training. A theme for those who attend and move about at courts. Anyway I for one would enjoy this Lineage of Cormyr.

[Brian Cortijo]

I don't know what to say.

I'll.... see what I can do?

[Erik Scott de Bie]

I'll say about this what I said on the WotC boards:

(A caveat: I am Brian's friend, and we've collaborated on numerous things before, but what follows is my honest, professional opinion as a writer and game designer. It has nothing to do with Brian, but only to do with this amazing content that awaits its market.)

Having seen this mighty Lineage of which Brian speaks, I can assure you, it is not only detailed and awesome but also something you want, whether for gaming in/out of the Realms or writing or just reading. It's far from a mere Lineage of Cormyr's rulers, but a treatise on the historical story of a nation. It provides a wonderful template for any royal family in any setting, and just reading single sections of it has inspired me to write whole novels, either about Cormyr or one of my own settings, borrowing some of the concepts therein to apply. (Ahem, highest form of flattery, Brian!)

If I were in WotC's shoes, I would put up the Lineage on DDI or sell it through Amazon as a $3-$5 download (similar to Rosemary's novella, "Cold Steel and Secrets"). To get that many words of packed lore for the price of your morning latte? Sweet.

And as a diehard Realms fan, my biggest priority is seeing this fine work see the light of day, and be added to the lexicon for the greatest fantasy campaign setting ever crafted. You want to kick the 4e FR into high gear? Here's the ticket.

Also, to address the specific question of "why this?": As I see it, the Lineage is basically a gateway drug to historical Realmslore, something that has been infamously missing from the 4e FR. If Brian publishes this article, it might prove to be a foot in the door to getting WotC to run more articles of the sort--histories of numerous kingdoms, what really happened in the Spellplague, etc., etc. Basically, if you want to see some lore set in that 100 year gap or pre-Spellplague, the Lineage might prove exactly the first step we need to take.

Cheers

[Nowak]

YES, I would love to see this. If Brian doesn't know more about Cormyr than anyone on the planet except Ed Greenwood himself, I'll eat my hat.
Surely this lineage piece is top-notch.

[Sheepy]

I should very much love to see the fabled Cormyr Lineage.

I also dig that idea about the lineage of Waterdeep's Hidden Lords.

[Erik Scott de Bie]

I also dig that idea about the lineage of Waterdeep's Hidden Lords.

This does seem like a cool idea. A small meta-issue (from behind the screen) is one of the great FR design traditions: Ed purposefully leaves a lot of the Masked Lords *masked,* so that authors/designers working in Waterdeep can fill them for their own ends in novels, adventures, etc. However, it's less likely that 3.x and earlier era masked lord spots would need to be kept vacant, though, so maybe we could fill in some gaps. A follow-up in the making?

The reason the Cormyrian Lineage could be written and produced is that WotC stated (in the FRCG) that the Obarskyrs have maintained an unbroken lineage since before the Spellplague.

Cheers