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    Postfest III: Carl of the RST Guild, Rel Astran Division
    Posted on Fri, December 10, 2004 by Farcluun
    abysslin writes "The man, the myth, the legend. The Flanaess will never be the same...

    POSTFEST III: Carl of the RST Guild, Rel Astran Division
    By: abysslin
    Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

    Carl was an innovative and thought provoking Oeridean writer, as well as a major contributer of the now defunct and inoperational, flanaess-wide RST (Reading, Study, and Thought) Guild.

    Carl began his tenure within the guild as a petty-writer and later fell into the role of the guild’s major marketeer, responsible for convincing major libraries, powerful guildhalls, and every shopkeeper in every niche of every city, that it would be in their best interest to carry books authored by members of the RST guild.

    After sometime, having grown fond of the city’s populace and their hunger for literature, Carl found himself settling down in Rel Astra, heading RST’s interests in the area.

    In 571 CY Carl was promoted in the ranks of RST (whom used the military authority system) to the rank of Sergeant, giving birth to the popular reference of him as Sergeant Carl. This was mostly due to his success in promoting the RST guild rather than his writings, but that too would become Sergeant Carl’s claim to fame within RST.

    Not long after attaining his new rank and much to the chagrin of his superiors, Sergeant Carl holed himself in his den for many months claiming he was onto something big, something that would propel RST to new heights. He was right…

    Sergeant Carl emerged from his den after several months with fantasy literature unrivaled in the current era. His writings were about many personalities across many regions and their role in a war that encompassed the whole of the Flanaess.

    Once his works were put on the shelves of all the great libraries and in any and all storefronts in any city containing any percentage of literacy, frenzy broke out. People were clamoring for Sergeant Carl’s writings. The populace resorted to long lines, waiting lists, and even violence to get their hands on his fantastic writings.

    Little did Sergeant Carl, nor RST, nor the loyal readers of the writings know that what Carl had written about the world was about to unfold…

    In 574 CY events occurred that changed the way life among the Flanaess was lived. Tensions rose, skirmishes broke out, and by 582 CY, the entire Flaness was enveloped in total war, much as Sergeant Carl had written it.

    People now viewed Sergeant Carl as a prophet. A prophet who’s writing can foretell the future. Kings, Queens, Despots, and all manner of councils plotted to kidnap Sergeant Carl and force him to write futures with biased outcomes. Others attempted to persuade Sergeant Carl to write about their personal gains or loves, their children, their cattle, their crops, their fortunes, anything!

    With all the pressures and stresses now laid upon the shoulders of Sergeant Carl, he left the RST and fled his home, vanishing, still unheard of ‘til this day.

    After Sergeant Carl's disappearance the RST guild disbanded, as the populace would no longer support their products with purchases. This was mostly due to their inability to please their audience by releasing product which could rival or at least decently measure up with what they expected from RST after Sergeant Carl's line.

    Presently, no one knows, nor even has heard hint of Sergeant Carl’s whereabouts. Many speculate he fled to the north and has taken residence among the more primitive peoples, others believe he is in hiding amongst a large city such as Greyhawk or Dyvers having reverted back to petty writing and poetry to stake a living, and yet others believe he is, in fact, a prisoner of some foul ruler, perhaps Iuz or the Scarlet Brotherhood, forced to write grand futures in their ill bent, using his powers of writing-prophecy.

    There is one man that did know of Sergeant Carl's whereabouts immediately after his disappearance and he is Rillikandren, the head priest of Boccob in Rauxes. Rillikandren housed Sergeant Carl in hiding in return for the writers gifts which were added to the Book of Hours. After sometime, Sergeant Carl left Rauxes with out so much as leaving a word for even Rillikandren.

    His location may be unknown, but his legend will live on, forever…



    Note from the author: I would hope one could see the potential for misabuse of Sergeant Carl's believed powers of prophecy. By this end it may be an interesting task for your heroes to rescue Carl from any given tyrant or evil ruler after his whereabouts are divined by perhaps an old member of the now defunct RST guild.

    I trust everyone enjoyed the real world correlation in this article and I dedicate this work to the hopes that the real Carl Sargent comes back to write for our great setting, Greyhawk.

    "
     
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    Re: Carl of the RST Guild, Rel Astran Division (Score: 1)
    by grodog on Thu, December 16, 2004
    (User Info | Send a Message) http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html
    Good one abysslin :D



    Re: Carl of the RST Guild, Rel Astran Division (Score: 1)
    by warlock (warlock@mailbox.co.za) on Fri, December 17, 2004
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Very nice, very nice!



    Re: Carl of the RST Guild, Rel Astran Division (Score: 1)
    by Tzelios on Thu, April 07, 2005
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    Nicely done!

    Is there any canon basis for the article?

    In order to be more proximate with canon, have you ever thought before to consider Sargen of T1-4?. The name is the same with Sargent apart from a missing "t", and pronunciation is the same as well.

    Sargen per T1-4 is a mad mage, prisoner of ToEE for philosophical divergence. It is quite convenient to use him, since once freed by the players he does all the things you mention in your article. The only problem is the timeline adopted by you, and the concept of the prophet as well. Following your method, I would say he is a highly esteemed scholar, per his real life resume. I also would say that he mendled with the occult, per his real life resume, which reflects nicely to Sargen's mage profession.

    Eh, Abyss?

    tz:)




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