As a long time tabletop roleplaying gamer, Dungeons and Dragons was my first love. When ‘Honor Among Thieves’ came out, I had my fill of D&D lore that made me giddy as the school boy who first discovered the game. Note that there are A LOT of references in the movie. Below are the references I choose to focus on. It’s time to go on an adventure into Dungeons and Dragons lore.
One of the first rumors that came about when ‘Honor Among Thieves’ showed was the presence of a particular group of children trapped in a fantasy world given strange magical artifacts in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. The ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ cartoon was the series that exposed the game to a wider audience who might have not even heard of D&D. This included me. This was isekai before isekai became a revolution in Japanese anime. So, when I got to see these kids running around the maze of Neverwinter along with Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and the rest of his band, I was taken back to the time of my childhood watching a cartoon that was way ahead of its time. The animated series never ended properly. However, if you know where to look, you can find information on the final fate of Hank, Venger, and even Uni on the internet. It’s sad however to find out that after all these years these children are still trapped in the realms. Speaking of realms…
Watching the initial trailers of ‘Honor Among Thieves’, I got an idea which campaign setting the the movie would take place. This was confirmed when Edgin, and Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) were incarcerated in Icewind Dale. I’m not surprised that the movie decided to use Faerun its landscape. Faerun or the Forgotten Realms is the primary adventuring world in 5e. As much as I would have preferred this to be Krynn in the Dragonlance setting, it makes sense that this is the campaign world of choice for ‘Honor Among Thieves’. However, particular places stand out to me which include not only Icewind Dale, but also Neverwinter, Baldur’s Gate, and even Waterdeep. Why? Because these locations were central to three of my favorite RPG video games: Icewind Dale, Baldur’s Gate, and Neverwinter Nights. And during times when I could not find a Dungeon Master to guide my adventures, I turned to these games to do the DMing. Perhaps in the future we might see Edgin and his band run into Elminster, and even Drizzt Do’Urden? We can only hope.
Speaking of famous personalites, there was one famous wizard mentioned in ‘Honor Among Thieves’ that made me slow clap upon his mention: Mordenkainen. Though he doesn’t reside in Faerun (he is a resident of the Flanaess in the World of Greyhawk), one of his most powerful spells was mentioned: Mordenkainen’s Arcane Seal. For those of you unfamiliar with Mordenkainen, his character hails all the way back to the early days of D&D when Gary Gygax (our lord and savior!) was still running things over at TSR. He is a member of the Citadel of Eight, and is one of the most powerful (if not the most) wizards in all the D&D multiverse. He is one of a few spellcasters (mostly from the World of Greyhawk) who have spells named after them including Mordenkainen’s Arcane Seal. Whenever I run a campaign as DM in the Flanaess I always make it a point for my players to run into at least a rumor of Mordenkainen—who is to me fantasy RPG royalty.
Going back to Faerun, two important organizations stand out to me were mentioned in ‘Honor Among Thieves’. One is The Harpers,and the other is The Red Wizards. The Harpers are known in the Forgotten Realms as keepers of knowledge, and defenders against evil. Edgin was a former member of this organization, while the paladin Xenk Yendar (Rege-Jean Page) is a standing member. On the hand, the Red Wizards is a cult of magic users led by Szass Tam who makes an appearance in the film. The two organizations play a central role to the plot of ‘Honor Among Thieves’ which also properly reflects their influence in Forgotten Realms campaign world for D&D. Is it any wonder then that these two groups are used in a movie set in Faerun?
When it comes to monsters used in ‘Honor Among Thieves’, there are several used that are very iconic. I’ll focus on two, and I’ll start with the Mimic. I can only think of two other creatures that strike fear into the hearts of adventurers as the Mimic does: Disenchanters, and Rust Monsters. Disenchanters eat the magical properties of magical items. Rust Monsters eat metal including magical metal. Far worse than these two is the Mimic which disguises itself as a treasure chest…among other things. So imagine yourself as an adventurer who has defeated all the monstes, and you find yourself faced with your reward, the treasure chest. Later you find out that your reward wants to eat you instead. Disheartening? Absolutely. It can also result in the death of a character who lets his/her guard down searching for treasure instead of a monster. Now extend that to Mimics that disguise themselves as doors, walls…you get the idea, right? Paranoia, and trust issues abound. I’ve had players who would just decide to blow up chests, and get the treasure that remains because of a traumatic experience with a Mimic. Don’t believe me? Ask Edgin, and his friends.
You really didn’t think I’d talk about a Dugeons and Dragons movie without mentioning dragons, did you? Well here’s one. One of the biggest (fattest?), and baddest denizens of the Underdark: Themberchaud. In Forgotten Realms lore, Themberchaud is a wyrmsmith who helps duergar (gray dwarves) in their forging of metalic crafts. In ‘Honor Among Thieves’, this overweight dragon nearly had our heroes for a snack. Laugh if you would at his size. Themberchaud is no joke. Dragons never are. And this is one other detail in D&D lore that ‘Honor Among Thieves’ takes note of when our hero-thieves enter The Underdark.
There are many more references to see in ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’, but I’ll leave the rest for you to discover. If anything, ‘Honor Among Thieves’ has shown me just how much I love D&D. I’ve been playing since the basic editions to AD&D, and now all the way to 5e. The movie will immerse you into the lore of Dungeons and Dragons which will benefit seasoned, and new fans alike. What are you wating for? Enter the realm of Dungeons and Dragons.
Obskura And Then Some 