Maztica and Amn/Waterdeep: Canon lore?

[Wethrinea]

I love the current tensions between Amn and Waterdeep over colonial trade, and it inspires me to learn more about Maztica and possibly rolling up a character from the continent. But I run into a problem: Where can I find canon lore about Maztica and "old world" involvement?

Since Areliths official stance seems to be that "everything after 3.5 is not canon", what can I build on? The article on the FR fandom wiki gives quite a bit, but how much of that can I actually use in game?

[Kuma]

Much of the wiki is (more or less accurately) sourced, so if you check the References at the bottom. A rule of thumb is that any claims made in books released during or after 2008 can be discarded.

However, there's something quite lucky about Maztica and Anchorome: 4th Ed had the Spellplague just yeet it into the ether, effectively meaning (almost) all subsequent releases don't say jack shit about the New World, so you can probably rely on the FR Wiki just fine.

The plot playing out on Arelith is, to my knowledge, "new lore" and part of our post-1372DR time divergence.

Setting advancement, but in another direction!

Otherwise your best bet is to acquire a copy of the "Maztica Campaign Boxed Set" using whatever methods you have available.

[Wethrinea]

Is this setting advancement detailed anywhere? If I want to base a character's backstory on the conflict between Amn and Waterdeep in Maztica, is there anywhere I can read Arelith specific lore on the subject?

[The GrumpyCat]

Is this setting advancement detailed anywhere? If I want to base a character's backstory on the conflict between Amn and Waterdeep in Maztica, is there anywhere I can read Arelith specific lore on the subject?

Nope, this is an entirely new plot. This idea hasn't been touched before. Satyr just said 'hay, wouldn't it be awsome if there was a colonal type war around arelith!' and we nodded. Satyr made up the instigating event (300 whaterdhevians killed by Amnians in Maztika(*)) but that's it! There's no other details to worry about. Take the source materail and go wild!

(Edit: To be fair, there has actually been a few Arelith/Amn event type events, Amn having a strong relationship with Cordor. If you want I can detail a couple that I know of here. But nothing much from Maztika as far as I know. Nothing that really shaped the isle or Maztika itself anyway.)



(*) We've intentionally kept that a bit vauge- and honestly Its probably best you don't touch it as a character because it is best kept vauge. Perhaps the Amnians attacked a hapless colony of Whaterdhevian settlers, unarmed and unwary, and slaughtered them all to a babe for DARING to settle on lands in Maztika they considered 'theirs'!
Or alternativly perhaps a large expeditionary group of Wharterdhevians marched on to New Amnian soil and planted their flag there saying 'right this is ours!' and when the Amnians said 'get off our land!' they said 'Make us!' - and that's when the fight broke out!
Or perhaps neither happened, and it was an unrelated incident which killed the 300 people andthe Amnians are (wierdly?) claiming credit/blame for?

We don't know! And honestly that's perhaps better?

But with the war breaking out, there'll likely be lots of mess going on in Maztika you can get ideas from, perhaps look at history around the colonising of the Americas and such and see if you can draw some inspiration from that?

Hope that helps.

[Kuma]

Is this setting advancement detailed anywhere? If I want to base a character's backstory on the conflict between Amn and Waterdeep in Maztica, is there anywhere I can read Arelith specific lore on the subject?

Not yet. The plot is still ongoing. I think it'd be a little iffy to start a new character with the assumption you're involved in this conflict without express DM permission, as you'd likely need to be privy to information not yet discoverable in-game.

[Amateur Hour]

Is this setting advancement detailed anywhere? If I want to base a character's backstory on the conflict between Amn and Waterdeep in Maztica, is there anywhere I can read Arelith specific lore on the subject?

Not yet. The plot is still ongoing. I think it'd be a little iffy to start a new character with the assumption you're involved in this conflict without express DM permission, as you'd likely need to be privy to information not yet discoverable in-game.

You would probably be safe, though, if your character is spurred to adventure after hearing about the conflict nearby rather than being immediately present for it.

I think it's worthwhile keeping in mind that Arelith/the Forgotten Realms is a world where your average person is probably getting a large fraction of their news via word of mouth, so it's going to be missing pieces, distorted, possibly outright (not necessarily deliberate or malicious!) untruth, etc. and we should all know that. Maybe your native Maztican character heard from their cousin that said cousin's father-in-law was told by a merchant that hundreds of Waterdhavian civilians (including defenseless women and children) were massacred by Amnian soldiers; your character can believe it whole-heartedly (maybe they're primed to believe it after having witnessed some Amnian atrocities that are not connected to this specific plot), but that's enough degrees of separation that it's also quite plausible that it's completely untrue, so you're future-proofed if the DM team does decide to ever confirm what actually happened.

[Kuma]

You would probably be safe, though, if your character is spurred to adventure after hearing about the conflict nearby rather than being immediately present for it.

I think it's worthwhile keeping in mind that Arelith/the Forgotten Realms is a world where your average person is probably getting a large fraction of their news via word of mouth, so it's going to be missing pieces, distorted, possibly outright (not necessarily deliberate or malicious!) untruth, etc. and we should all know that. Maybe your native Maztican character heard from their cousin that said cousin's father-in-law was told by a merchant that hundreds of Waterdhavian civilians (including defenseless women and children) were massacred by Amnian soldiers; your character can believe it whole-heartedly (maybe they're primed to believe it after having witnessed some Amnian atrocities that are not connected to this specific plot), but that's enough degrees of separation that it's also quite plausible that it's completely untrue, so you're future-proofed if the DM team does decide to ever confirm what actually happened.

This is an excellent point.