Aug
23rd
2014
Sneak Peek · 5:30pm Aug 23rd, 2014
Hello everypony! I'm very excited about the coming chapter of ToaNE, in which we will follow the journey of Trixie's band of Living Ponies, while Twilight consolidates her hold on Eastern Equestria.
You see, in my past, I was a major fan of Drizzt Do'Urden from the Forgotten Realms setting, and especially his home, and his race.
Have an idea where I'm going with this?
Comment or PM me with the correct answer, and get a cookie, and a possible cameo/place in the story for your OC, if it fits!
Underground race of evil spider worshipers also known as Drows?
Are you going to make Trixie's people live underground? Are you going to have mindflayers enslave them? Are they going to be the mindflayers and enslave others? Are you going to have them be "exiles" from the rest of Equestria?
Or is this about more ancient drow history? Like the goddess Araushnee and her transformation to Lolth? Would the "old" Trixie represent Araushnee and her ascension represent her transformation into Lolth?
Is Trixie going to found Menzoberranzan? Is there going to be civil war like between the drows and surface elves?
Am I getting close? I don't really know alot about Drizzt...
Considering the sheer breadth of the FRCS and the stories involved in it combined with the memorability of the dozens of Truly Important Named Characters, there's a vast number of possibilities for you to use without even directly referencing the drow or going underground. I'll start with the three obvious ones.
Necromancer in control of a magical country - Thay.
Twilight is not evil enough to truly make this work.
Fallen High Magic civilization taken over by undead, amongst other things - Cormanthor Forest and Myth Drannor in particular.
Again, Twilight is not evil enough to come close to the depravities of the hell spawn and other horrors that infest Myth Drannor.
Country with a powerful spellcasting leader constantly at war with a neighboring country - Too many to name, but most prominent would be The Simbul, Witch Queen of Aglarond.
Of the three easy, non-drow options, this one comes the closest to being perfect for multiple reasons. You have Twilight as The Simbul, which would make Trixie's group a parallel to the Witches of Rashemen and their Rashemi Berserker soldiers and guards. This also has the messy side effect of placing the antagonists as Thay parallels when they are more technologically grounded as opposed to being advanced mages in general. This one would also be the most subtle Drow tie-in route since very few people recall that Gromph Baenre's daughter is effectively a Rashemi Witch what with having a Berserker as her personal travelling companion and bodyguard.
Now, as for your OTHER statement of intent and for the education of those ignorant of the real situation...
There is a much closer parallel between Twilight and Bruenor's retaking of Mithryl Hall as far as Drizz't's home goes than there should ever be between Twilight and Menzoberranzan. Menzoberranzan is where Drizz't was BORN. It was NEVER truly his home. That being said, I can easily see the thread of Twilight ousting the Diamond Dogs from their warrens and possibly even enslaving them magically. This would parallel BOTH Dwarves and Drow at the same time without having her simply fall into full-blown 'evil for the sake of being evil' since there's a sense of pragmatism about the whole thing.
The best thing you could do is take a hybrid approach and cherry-pick the best elements of the things you want to do. My gut instinct, were I in Twilight's place, would be to funnel her main efforts into turning the Everfree Forest into a defensible area with the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters as their main base of operations above ground. Here you have echoes of Myth Drannor and Cormanthor Forest, home to many evil surface-bound drow. Once a secure base is established; she branches out and recalls the effortless digging of the Diamond Dogs, who make excellent goblinoid stand-ins for fodder, which can be used strategically to give her unanticipated surprise in attacks and defense by expanding their tunnel network as far as possible. Here you have your underdark-lite or Mithryl Hall replacement.
Whatever you do, respect the source of your inspiration. Don't pull in 4e crap.
I sent you a PM with the info.
Btw, his full name is as follows: Drizzt Daermon N'a'shezbaernon.
More info: He was an atypical drow who had forsaken both the evil ways of his people and their home in the Underdark, to become the legendary hero of the North.
Also, according to his info, at 5' 4" tall he's only like an inch taller than me. (I'm 5' 3" inches tall. Really! I am!)
Anyway, here's my info.
Well, part of it, anyway. As I said, my answer is in a PM to you.
2394354 4e crap.
2394187
I'm rooting for you here, since this story would be the one possible place that avatar OC could feasibly fit and not be awful.