The Centre Cannot Hold » Lankhmar http://thecentrecannothold.net Wed, 23 May 2012 13:09:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Lankhmar and Prohibition http://thecentrecannothold.net/blog/lankhmar-and-prohibition/ http://thecentrecannothold.net/blog/lankhmar-and-prohibition/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:23:02 +0000 Loki http://thecentrecannothold.net/?p=3361 This week, I’m not so much looking at a crossover with a particular fictional source as a more generalised era in history, one so distinctive as to practically be a genre unto itself.

And one that fits very well indeed. It’s widely believed that Leiber modelled Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser on himself and his [...]]]> This week, I’m not so much looking at a crossover with a particular fictional source as a more generalised era in history, one so distinctive as to practically be a genre unto itself.

And one that fits very well indeed. It’s widely believed that Leiber modelled Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser on himself and his friend Harry Otto Fischer (who co-wrote one of the Lankhmar stories, The Lords of Quarmall), and their exploits knocking around New York City in their misspent youth. Which was, roughly, in the years covered by Prohibition.

Isn’t it nice when things just work?

So, imagine Lankhmar is even more corrupt than it currently appears. Think of it as having leadership not unlike that of Jimmy Walker – charismatic and not particularly in touch with ethics.

Prohibition is unlikely to take the same form in Lankhmar that it did in the United States. I suspect that in Nehwon, it would prohibit that more popular opiate of the masses: religion. (Lean Times In Lankhmar is the definitive reference for this crossover.) One cannot help but suspect the bony hand of the Gods of Lankhmar in this – who else would be able to enforce such a ban on the city’s ruling classes?

In any case, it works out fairly well at first. Organised crime basically gets a monopoly on faith, since the only permitted faith in that of the Gods of Lankhmar, and they care nothing for money.

At first, Fafhrd and the Mouser probably get along okay in the changed city. But as time goes by, and organised crime gets more entrenched, relationships between independents and the Thieves Guild – never good – are only going to worsen.

And what happens when the Guild’s own internal politics can no longer be controlled? As the city erupts into the chaos of a gang war, there’s opportunity aplenty for anyone who’s handy with a sword to make a quick killing – in more ways than one. (If you’re feeling really evil, put Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser on opposite sides, and let your players get caught in the middle.)

SOURCES:
Lankhmar Prohibition


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]]> http://thecentrecannothold.net/blog/lankhmar-and-prohibition/feed/ 0 GURPS Banestorm and Lankhmar http://thecentrecannothold.net/blog/gurps-banestom/ http://thecentrecannothold.net/blog/gurps-banestom/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:25:13 +0000 Loki http://thecentrecannothold.net/?p=2977 Lankhmar, for those of you who are sure you know the name from somewhere, but not quite from where, is the largest city in the world of Nehwon, and the setting for about half of Fritz Leiber’s brilliant Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. But that’s as much of a clue as you get In [...]]]> Lankhmar, for those of you who are sure you know the name from somewhere, but not quite from where, is the largest city in the world of Nehwon, and the setting for about half of Fritz Leiber’s brilliant Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. But that’s as much of a clue as you get :)

In one particular story, “The Wrong Branch“, the Mouser and Fafhrd visit what is recognizably a version of historical Earth. This is achieved through the magicks of Ningauble of the Seven Eyes, but here’s thing: old Ning doesn’t seem to have that level of power in any other story of his. So I don’t think he actually used his own power at all, or at least that much. I think he hitched a ride for our heroes on the back of the Banestorm.

Now, it’s obvious that there’s no direct connection between Nehwon and Yrth. It’s highly unlikely that they exist on the same world, for example (indeed, as theorised by the Gray Mouser, Nehwon’s cosmology is damned peculiar). But if travel between the two worlds is possible, than travel will no doubt occur. Indeed, the true forms of Ningauble and his fellow sorcerer Sheelba are never seen – could they be Djinn? It would explain a lot, in addition to giving a plausible way to connect the two worlds.

Now, Nehwon is a world of much more casual magic use than Yrth, but in most other respects the two are fairly similar. There are gods of Lankhmar (and also the Gods in Lankhmar), but these (with the exception of Death) could fairly easily be explained away as demons or liches. Crossing over the two is best done, I think, by letting some of the flavour of Nehwon leak into Yrth. The staid medievalism of Yrth could stand to be weirdened up a bit, with more mystery, more monsters and more magicks. Making it a more lawless and dangerous world only increases the possibilities for adventure.

But leave Tredoy just the way it is – it’s already perfectly Nehwonian in its own wonderfully strange way :)

SOURCES:
GURPS Banestorm Lankhmar


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