Re: Postfest: The Seeker's Library

On Dec 31, 2006, at 9:15 PM, Paul Westermeyer wrote:

> A few years back (July, 2003) I tried to get this started and only  
> got a few replies.  The Coinage Postfest went fairly well, so I  
> thought I'd try again.  :)
>
> Basically, I want to create a list of the sorts of books that would  
> be famous or infamous in the Spelljammer universe.  Some of the  
> books will be drawn from published material, others will be fan  
> creations.
>
> These are non-spellbooks, and non-magic books.  Books valuable for  
> their contents.
>
> To submit, simply reply to this message so you share a subject  
> line, each book entry should have the book's title, author, a short  
> summary of contents, any special game effects, a citation if the  
> book is from a published source, and the approximate value of the  
> book.


I thought up a book for your postfest.  Hopefully this is the kind of  
thing you're looking for.

(Mulhorand and Unther are nations in, more or less, the southern part  
of the Forgotten Realms.)

"History of the Intercourse of Mulhorand and Unther", by Radoc  
Untor.  ("Some Untherite", a pseudonym for Mulhorandi wit Barha Tur.)

This lengthy work was a famous piece of satire in its day (about two  
hundred years ago).  Written in an uproariously provincial dialect of  
Mulhorandi, it purports to be a history of the wars and foreign  
relations between Unther and Mulhorand since their establishment,  
written from the perspective of a dogged Untherite nationalist.  Its  
exaggerated and wildly inaccurate accounts of events and  
personalities made the satire clear to Mulhorandi readers of the  
time, and it was enormously popular.  Mildly scandalous when first  
widely circulated for its mockery of the Mulhorandi god-king, the  
then-current incarnation of Horus-Re made it known that he found the  
work amusing, and its author escaped any sanction.

Amongst the highlights of the work (aside from its famous account of  
the Battle of Khalabja) is the rare example of a parody spell,  
"improve self", which purports to give the caster a temporary  
Charisma bonus.  The description of the spell makes it clear,  
eventually, that its effect is to generate an illusion which makes  
the caster look more like a Mulhorandi.  The "spell" has no real  
magical effect, but merely simulates (quite skilfully) what an  
inscribed spell looks like.  "Improve self" is written in the magical  
script common to southern Toril;  while casting "read southern magic"  
is not actually necessary to read what is written, a spellcaster who  
does not have that spell will not comprehend the symbols and grammar  
which he is seeing.

Barha Tur, unsurprisingly, was not popular in Unther after this work  
was disseminated to the public.  It is said in Mulhorand that he was  
eventually assassinated, although the Untherites hold that he was  
eaten by a crocodile during a boating accident.

Value:  A sage who is unaware of the identity of the "History" and  
has no interest in southern history would perhaps pay 35 GP for the  
work as an old book.  A sage who is unaware of the identity of the  
"History" and has an interest in the south might well take the volume  
as a true account, and become excited at this discovery of a rare  
historical work.  As such, he might pay as much as 600 GP.  A sage  
who knows what the "History" is would be aware that the work was  
popular, widely copied, and not particularly valuable, and would pay  
perhaps 50 GP as a curiosity or for its humorous value.

An educated Mulhorandi, Chessentan, or Thayvian would probably have  
heard of the "History".  One might be interested in obtaining a copy,  
if in good condition, for 75-100 GP.  An Untherite is unlikely to  
express much interest.


- Benjamin Winkler